Cosgrove's Cosmos

Metablog Update #15 - A Busy Year with Much Progress! — Cosgrove's Cosmos A year of big progress: observatory online, 16 new imaging projects, publications, museum display, and a new ‘galaxy’ rig at Whispering Skies

Metablog #15 published on Cosgrove's Cosmos!

Lots going on!

Observatory online, 16 projects completed, features in BBC S@N, Amateur Astronomy, & RMSC’s “Astro Pillars,” & a custom ASSOS cycling jersey. Plus site upgrades!

cosgrovescosmos.com/metablog/upd...

#astrophotography #astronomy

I'm thrilled to share that my image of Markarian's Chain has been featured in
@bbcskyatnight
's November 2025 issue!

The original image can be seen here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/mar...

This was 4.6 hrs of LRGB on my FRA400 platform.

#Astrophotography

YouTube video by Cosgrove's Cosmos Whispering Skies Observatory Update for October 2025

It's been a while since I posted an update on the Whispering Skies observatory project—for good reason: I've been busy imaging!

But here's a recent update on some small projects and future ones planned:
youtu.be/n2PlMcR0enE

#astrophotography #observatory #astronomy

A new Imaging Project has been published on my website!

Barnard 150 - The Seahorse Nebula (18.3 hrs LRGB)

This was a bear to process because I used the wrong scope for this target!

Full details, including process walkthu here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/b15...

#astrophotography #astronomy

I'm pleased to share that two of my recent images were published in the Fall 2025 Issue of Amateur Astronomy Magazine: my shot of LDN 1235 - The Shark Nebula in LRGB, and my shot of M17 in SHOrgb!

#astrophotography #astronomy

Thanks, BBC Sky At Night, for publishing my image of SH2-54m in the Serpent Nebula in their October 2025 issue!

The original project post with all details can be seen here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/sh2...

#astrophotography #astronomy

A new imaging Project has been posted to my Website!

SH2-155 - The Cave Nebula - 13.5 hrs SHO (my 150th project!)

Shot on my Sharpstar SCA260V2 & ASI2600MM-Pro & IOptron CEM70 mount.

Full story and detailed processing walkthru:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/sh2...

#astrophotography #astronomy

A new imaging project has just been published on my website!

LDN 1251 - The Rotten Fish Nebula (19 hrs in LRGB)

Shot on my Askar FRA400 Platform w/ASI1600MM-Pro Camera & AM5 mount.

Full story & detailed processing walkthru:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/ldn...

#Astrophotography #astronomy

IC 5070 - The Pelican Nebula (18.75 hrs in SHO)

Just published on my website!

I had 21+ hrs but thin clouds caused me to cull a full 2+ hours! Ouch!

Full story and processing walkthru here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/ic5...

#Astrophotography #astronomy

Yes - it has faded considerably and can be lost in the bright glow of the core, but it is clearly still visible!

A new imaging project has been published on my website!

Got to love a supernova!

NGC 7331 and the Deer Lick Group w/ Supernova SN2025rbs (4.7 hours in LRGB)

Shot on my Sharpstar SCA260 V2

Full story & complete processing details:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/ngc...

#astrophotography

Hidden no more | Astronomy Magazine Patrick A. Cosgrove from Honeoye Falls, New York Sharpless 2–124 is a faint emission nebula located around 15,000 light-years away in Cygnus. This image reveals intricate filaments of dust crossing th...

Thanks Astronomy Magazine for choosing my recent image of SH2-124 as your "Image of the Day"

I am honored!

www.astronomy.com/picture-of-t...

#astrophotography #Astronomy

The SkyAlert Weather Monitoring System by Interactive Astronomy — Cosgrove's Cosmos This post covers the SkyAert Weather Monitoring system but Interactive Astronomy. Combined with the SkyRoof motor and control system, this provides a lever of weather monitoring and automation to pro...

Installed a new SkyAlert system for my Whispering Skies Observatory. It integrates with my SkyRoof System.

See my post on this here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/astrogear/sk...

#Astrophotography #observatory #astronomy

SH2-124 - The Hidden Nebula (~14.2 hours in SHOrgb) — Cosgrove's Cosmos SH2-124 is a rich region of stars, dark dust, and emission nebulae located about 8,500 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus. This image is the result of 14.2 hours of SHOrgb data collecti...

SH2-124 is a faint HII emission nebula located 8,500 ly away in Cygnus. Little known & little studied, I found this region to be facinating.

14.2 hrs SHOrgb on FRA400 scope.

Details & Process walkthru:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/sh2...

#Astrophotography #astronomy

A new Imaging Project has been published on my website!

IC 5068 - The Forsaken Nebula and the “Black Waterfall”- (11.9 hours in SHOrgb)

Must be seen full screen to appreciate the Black Waterfall!

Full story & processing walk-through:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/ic5...

#Astrophotography

NGC 6543 - The Cat's Eye Nebula w/ NGC 6552 (14.6 hrs LRGB).

Cat's Eye - 3000 lys. NGC 6552 - 390 M lys!

Shot on SCA260 V2. Processing was a nightmare & stopped when I got tired of working on it!

Full story & Process walkthu here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/ngc...

#Astrophotography

M17 - the Omega Nebula. 17 hrs in SHOrgb.

Disaster! 2 full nights of subs removed due to a focus glitch! AHH!

Recovery: Skimmed a few hrs here & there & got it back up to 17 hrs!

Full story with processing walk-thru here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/m17...

#Astrophotography

Cool weather is ideal for some outside projects for the observatory! Painted the steel framework and mounted the shutters...

#Astrophotography #observatory #astronomy

A new imaging project has been published on my website!

LDN 1235 - The Shark Nebula - my 1st Dark Nebula target (7.4 hrs LRGB)

Taken with my FRA400 Platform w/ASI1600MM-Pro.

Full story and detailed processing walkthrough available here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/ldn...

#astrophotography

I've been asked about how I made the sign for my Observatory.

I have a new post that covers this topic here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/observatory/...

#astrophotography #observatory #astronomy

Messier 16 - The Eagle Nebula/The Pillars of Creation, 4.75 hours in SHO (A Narrowband Test of the SCA260 Scope) — Cosgrove's Cosmos This was a quick test to see how the Sharpstar SCA260 V2 scope did with a narrowband target. Selected was Messier 16, centered on the Pilrs of Creation. This was the result of 4.75 hrs of data coll...

Ran a quick test of the Sharpstar SCA260 V2 on narrowband: 4.75 hours of SHO on M16.

Ran into some SXT issues and some diffraction rings on 2 bright stars - see details here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/m16...

#astrophotography #astronomy

YouTube video by Cosgrove's Cosmos Whispering Skies Observatory: Handling Draiange and Lawn Reconstruction!

The observatory is done. Now - what about finishing the outside perimeter & restoring the lawn?

A new video on this effort can be seen here:
youtu.be/GgWzij_EQtA

#Astrophotography #astronomy #observatory

There seemed to be some bright bands of Ha that had little internal detail.

SH2-54, an HII complex in Serpens, resulting from 8.9 hours of SHO. Shot w/ my AP130/ASI2600MM-Pro platform from Whispering Skies Observatory.

Full story & detailed processing walkthru at:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/sh2...

#Astrophotography #astronomy

Finally - after all of the clouds and smoke, we had a beautiful, clear, Moon-free night!

Here, all of the scopes are programmed and waiting for dark and the rise of their respective targets!

These are short nights - don't want to wait a moment of darkness!

#astrophotograpy #astronomy

The sign is now mounted on the observatory, and the grass on the newly seeded lawn was mowed for the first time!

Next: shutters, painting the door and steel!

#Astrophotography #observatory #astronomy

I just received the sign for the new observatory!
36"x36" on 6mm DiBond. Printed with UV-resistant inkjet with a matte UV layer on top of that!

#astrophotography #observatory #astronomy

YouTube video by Cosgrove's Cosmos Setting Up My New Galaxy Scope: The Sharpstar SCA260 V2!

A new video companion: "Setting Up My New Galaxy Scope: The Sharpstar SCA260 V2!" has been published on my YouTube channel.

This augments my earlier blog post on this topic.

It can be seen here:
youtu.be/WvM6h8y2G90

#astrophotography

That's no Star Cluster!

That's the Coma Cluster of Galaxies - over 1000 galaxies about 320 M lys away!

Zoom & explore!

8.2 hrs of LRGB from William Optics 132 scope

Full post here - w/ target details & processing details here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/com...

#Astrophotography #astronomy

From Driveway to Roll-Off-Roof Observatory: A Video Tour of the Newly Constructed Whispering Skies Observatory — Cosgrove's Cosmos This is a video tour and interview about my Whispering Skies Observatory. It was filmed and edited by Wayne Prentice for the local chapter of the IS&T. This talk was given on May 28th 2025.

I recently did a presentation on my Whispering Skies Observatory Project for our local IS&T Chapter.

It took the form of a video tour & interview - produced by Wayne Prentice.

You can see it here:
cosgrovescosmos.com/talks-presen...

Hope you enjoy it!
#astrophotography #astronomy