The Milky Way and other sights

 Another clear evening, nicely but not impressively dark with a measured brightness of 21.4 mpsas. After capturing the Milky Way with a Laowa 7.5mm f/2 rectilinear lens on an OM-5ii camera, I photographed some deep-sky objects using a Rokinon 135mm f/2 Nikon-mount lens adapted to a Sony A7iii camera.

Milky Way rising through southern airglow. no filter

digital 3x3 median filter

 The dwarf planet Pluto is currently at magnitude 14.5 east of the Milky Way in the constellation Capricornus .  I was able to capture it with a 2-min exposure at ISO 100.  This was an inadvertent test of the ISO invariance of the Sony A7iii.  The exposure was pushed 4 stops in post-processing.

Pluto (circled). 2x enlargement. 

 Farther east, the asteroid (9) Metis is making a close pass (1.9°) to the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293).  Metis is the 35th largest asteroid with dimensions on the order of 200 km.  It was discovered in 1848.

(9) Metis (circled) and the Helix Nebula (LR) in Aquarius. 30 s, ISO 1600

 The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is now becoming well positioned for viewing in the late evening.

M31. 62 s, ISO 1600

 

M31, 3x3 median filter

The Double Cluster in Perseus. 30 s, ISO 1600

Caroline's Rose (NGC 7789), an open cluster in Cassiopeia