Observation Log

2026-09-05 | Moon, M31 & North America Nebula (C20)

Astrophotography by Mark Gibson (N4MQU)

Session Summary

Date: September 5, 2026
Location: Rockingham, NC
Telescope: Seestar S50 Telescope
Filter: Internal IR-Cut

Waning Crescent Moon captured in Rockingham, NC — Captured Sept 3, 2026 • Seestar S50 Telescope

1. Waning Crescent Moon

A high-contrast view of the waning crescent Moon in the early morning sky. The sharp lighting along the terminator line—the boundary dividing lunar day and night—accentuates crater rims, ancient impact basins, and rugged mountain ridges across the surface.

Andromeda Galaxy M31 captured in Rockingham, NC — Captured Sept 5, 2026 • 233 x 10s Exposures (38.8 mins total)

2. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

Located approximately 2.5 million light-years away, Andromeda is the largest spiral galaxy in our Local Group. This integration reveals its brilliant galactic nucleus, sweeping dark lanes of interstellar dust, and its satellite dwarf galaxy, M32, shining brightly near the main disk.

North America Nebula C20 NGC 7000 captured in Rockingham, NC — Captured Sept 5, 2026 • 671 x 10s Exposures (1.86 hrs total)

3. North America Nebula (Caldwell 20 / NGC 7000)

A deep integration totaling nearly two hours of exposure time on Caldwell 20, the North America Nebula in Cygnus. Stacking 671 sub-exposures cuts through interstellar dust to highlight the glowing ionization fronts and rich starfield surrounding this massive emission complex.