Last night, I headed out to my driveway again and set up my C11–but this time, I borrowed my dad’s camera!

I’m just starting out, and I haven’t done anything with these photos yet. I’ve installed Deep Sky Stacker for turning these into quality amateur photos, but I haven’t actually started using it yet. I also don’t have Photoshop (and can’t get it just yet…). My dad did touch these up just a bit on his computer, but there is very little editing going on at this point. And these are my first photos ever.

(These are credited to my other blog, risingstargazer.com, which is set to launch soon. Right now, you’ll just see a “Coming Soon” banner.)

But they came out surprisingly good, so I thought I’d share…

Hercules Globular Cluster / Messier 13 / NGC 6205 (globular cluster in constellation Hercules):

I often refer to M13 simply as the Hercules Cluster, but that’s the common name for a galaxy cluster in the region–very much not a globular cluster!

Messier 22 / NGC 6656 (globular cluster in constellation Sagittarius):

Swan Nebula / Omega Nebula / Messier 17 / NGC 6618 (HII region in constellation Sagittarius):

Ring Nebula / Messier 57 / NGC 6720 (planetary nebula in constellation Lyra):

Dumbbell Nebula / Messier 27 / NGC 6853 (planetary nebula in constellation Vulpecula):