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Carlos Espada APO

@carlosespadaapo

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Carlos Espada Astro Photography Obseratory.
Making astrophotography when you can only move your eyes (due to ALS - Lou Gehrig´s disease -)
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I wasn’t ready for this… 🌌 It’s already been 8 weeks since I received my dream setup, and we still haven’t managed to align our schedules with two consecutive nights of good atmospheric conditions at my observatory (Guadalajara, Spain). But as soon as the sky allows it… I’ll show you the unboxing and the first light of this setup: 🔹 Askar SQA130 Petzval Quintuplet 🔹 Skywatcher EQ8-RH 🔹 ZWO ASI2600MM Duo 🔹 ZWO CAA 🔹 ZWO EAF Advanced 🔹 Antlia LRGB V Pro + SHO Edge 4.5 nm 🔹 Askar 52 mm Super ED + ASI290MM mini Now comes the dilemma… There’s no space in my observatory for three large telescopes, so one of these two guys has to go 😢 👉 Which one would you keep? 🔭 Skywatcher ESPRIT 120ED + 0.77x  (f/5.4 · 647 mm) Extremely high quality in any situation. A classic recognized among astrophotographers for its reliability, robustness and quality. Zero maintenance. 🚀 Celestron C11 Edge HD + Hyperstar v4  (f/1.9 · 540 mm) Extremely fast  (1h at f/1.9 ≈ 13.5h at f/7), but very demanding in terms of collimation, backfocus and tilt… And here’s the key point: all these tasks, although simple for anyone who can use their hands, are not simple in my case… as due to ALS I can only move my eyes. 🎬 This video was created by @izanmediaprod — thank you, son ❤️ 🙌 The hands you see belong to @elnocturnario, who is responsible for maintaining the observatory… and enjoys fixing what I “break” with my eyes 😄 To be continued… --- @astrobackyard @nebulaphotosdotcom @dylan_odonnell_ @cosmozoom_official @astronycc @astrocatinfo @Astrotivissa @zwoastro @sharpstaroptics @telescopiomania @cuivlazygeek @deepskywolf_official @richards_astrophotography @stars_over_bucks @astro_davido @astro_jester_72 @projectregulus @natural_portraits @momentofeternity_photografie @astrophoto_ygk @astrofotos2022 @astrofoteo @astroblender @astro_polarex @aztronoob @explorelpa @parcastroprades @orioncampamento @elnocturnario @nl.fotografia @rahusga @mako.wolf @carlosnache @tiempodemisterio @neuralactivity #astrophotography #astrophoto #astronomia #astrofotografia #deepsky #nightsky #spacephotography #astroimaging #telescope #telescopio #refractor #askar #askarsqa130 #zwoastro #asi2600mm #eq8 by @carlosespadaapo
The Orion Nebula and its entire neighborhood are finally here! One of the most photographed and inspiring objects in our galaxy. We aimed to highlight the complexity of every element that makes up Orion’s Sword: the Orion Nebula (M42), the De Mairan’s Nebula (M43), the Trapezium Cluster, the Running Man Nebula (NGC 1977), as well as the surrounding clouds and filaments of cosmic gas and dust—all transformed into an explosion of color and detail. As usual, the superb processing was done by my partner and friend Raúl López. Thank you so much @tiempo_de_misterio HD link. https://www.astrobin.com/954qb1/mpo Technical details of the captures. Acquired by me at my remote observatory in Guadalajara, Spain (Bortle 3): We gave it our all in the acquisition phase. We collected over 40 hours of exposure using both the ESPRIT 120ED and the C11 HD + Hyperstar v4, each equipped with ASI2600MC cameras and working with a combination of broadband and dual narrowband filters. We ultimately selected and stacked the highest-quality 20 hours. Processing summary. Processed by Raul López from Gran Canaria, Spain: We worked on the image in three main blocks: broadband RGB, Ha/OIII data, and final integration. We first produced a clean RGB base (cropping, star correction, gradients, color, and noise), separating stars and nebula so we could stretch only the nebula with controlled background. In parallel, we processed the dual-band data (Ha+OIII), extracting both channels and stretching them more aggressively to reveal faint filaments and emission regions. We then combined the RGB with the Ha/OII by replacing the red channel and using masks, integrating only the useful narrowband information to reinforce structure without losing a natural look. We finished with fine HDR tuning, local contrast adjustments, and color refinement through masks, and processed the stars separately before reintroducing them into the final image. @jjlodge @astrobin_com @astrobackyard @astronycc @mako.wolf @astrofalls @rahusga @astrobatch @projectregulus @lawtips @aztronoob @rruizphoto by @carlosespadaapo
The Rosette Nebula. 5,000 light-years from Earth, in the constellation of Monoceros (Unicorn), lies this beautiful rose-shaped emission nebula, NGC 2237. It also includes the star cluster NGC 2244 in the central region, with young stars so bright they are visible from Earth with binoculars. This astrophotograph is a personal milestone because it is the first I have taken using the full combined power of my telescopes, my own remote observatory "Somewhere in La Mancha", and my Bortle 3 sky. Superbly processed, once again, by my friend and teammate Raúl López @esmuysimple @tiempo_de_misterio Thank you very much, colleague! Total exposure time: 30 hours = 24h f/5 + 6h f/1.9 Location: own remote observatory, Somewhere in La Mancha, Spain. Bortle 3. ESPRIT 120EDD + ASI2600MC Pro. f/5. 140 x 300s subs. HII + OIII. Askar D1 150 x 300s subs. SII + OIII. Askar D2 Celestron C11 Edge HD + Hyperstar v4 + ASI2600MC Pro Duo. f/1.9. 130 x 120s Optolong L-enhance 60 x 120s IDAS LPS D1 Making astrophotography when you can only move your eyes (due to ALS - Lou Gehrig´s disease -) @astrocity.es @astro_polarex @esmuysimple @aztronoob @ @hannahgracerochford @rruizphoto @richards_astrophotography @jjlodge @infinitalavita @astrobin_com @astrobackyard @explorelpa @astronycc @mako.wolf @astrofalls @stars_over_bucks @astrobatch @projectregulus @rahusga @dylan_odonnell_ @natural_portraits @apod.nasa @apod_astronomia @nasa_apod @nebulaphotosdotcom, @elnocturnario @cosmozoom_official by @carlosespadaapo
First of all, I do want to thank my son Izan for recording and editing this beautiful video. More on his channel / @izanmediaprod My son was one year old when I was diagnosed with ALS and given three years to live. Now beeing 19, he makes video reports in his spare time. I really appreciate you visiting his channel,. Likes, comments, and followers, are very welcome. That will greatly encourage his passion. After a successful career as an engineer and Partner Director at the Telekom division of the consulting firm NTT Data, I was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in 2007 at the age of 33. ALS, which we all associate with the image of Dr. Stephen Hawking, is a terminal disease with no cure or treatment. It causes rapid quadriplegia and death by asphyxiation within an average of three years. This wasn't the case for me, although since 2012, after five years of illness, I am only able to move my eyes,. No other part of my body. So everything I do is done through my computer and an eye-tracking system. • Proyecto UBIMIND Team Espada (by ever... Under these conditions, in 2012, along with my two friends Pedro Berrendero and Manuel Domínguez, we founded Team Espada, a running team. To date, we've run 20 marathons to raise awareness about ALS. https://www.facebook.com/TeamEspadaCo... Pursuing my frustrated vocation to become an astronaut, in 2017 I began studying astronomy and astrophotography. In 2020, I was searching for an area in Spain with extraordinary skies and minimal light pollution. In the Starlight area between Guadalajara and Teruel, I found an astronomy world-class sky. Here I built my own observatory, which I control remotely. From 250 km away, I operate the observatory, the telescopes, and their computers with my eyes, which are the only things I can move. • Haciendo astrofotografía cuando de to... Once the observatory was built, I set out to create a oasis around it. In this area of ​​extremely cold climate, known as "Spanish Siberia", I have my organic garden and my organic farm, all wheelchair-accessible. This is the result. • La Finca. Mi último desafío. by @carlosespadaapo
Valentine's day is coming. The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) is located 7,500 from us in the constellation Cassiopeia, in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way. It is an emission nebula. A mixture of bright interstellar gas and dust clouds, about 200 years in diameter, whose main element is hydrogen, hence the predominant red and pink tones, although oxygen and sulfur are also present, which give it the bluish and ochres tones. At the heart of the Heart Nebula is the Melotte Cluster 15, formed by young supergiant stars that shine millions of times brighter than the Sun and are responsible for the interstellar winds and clouds of dust and gas that give the shape to the nebula. 16 hours exposure time taken from my remote observatory "Somewhere in La Mancha" (Bortle3), which I operate with my eyes, which is the only part of the body I can move due to my disease, ALS. The photo was wonderfully processed in Pixinsight by my friend and team mate Raúl López @tiempo_de_misterio . Thank you so much Raúl! Location: own remote observatory, Somewhere in La Mancha, Spain. Bortle 3. Picture integration: 120 x 300s subs. HII + OIII. Askar D1 70 x 300s subs. SII + OIII. Askar D2 Setup. Skywatcher ESPRIT 120ED APO Skywatcher AZEQ6R Pro ZWO ASI2600MC Pro HD image https://www.astrobin.com/ily8gl/ @astrocity.es @astro_polarex @esmuysimple @aztronoob @projectregulus @hannahgracerochford @rruizphoto @richards_astrophotography @jjlodge @infinitalavita @astrobin_com @astrobackyard @telescopiomania @explorelpa @astronycc @mako.wolf @astrofalls @stars_over_bucks @astrobatch @projectregulus @rahusga @dylan_odonnell_ @natural_portraits @apod.nasa @apod_astronomia @nasa_apod @nebulaphotosdotcom @luca_fornaciari_photography @elnocturnario @cosmozoom_official by @carlosespadaapo
M16. The Eagle Nebula. At some point in my childhood I was amazed by the 1995 Hubble Space Telescope photos of the Eagle Nebula, specifically of the gas columns, which seem small in the immensity of the nebula, but the columns alone measure several light years length . Hubble named this beautiful photo "The Pillars of Creation", and it undoubtedly awakened in me a passion for the universe. Today, from my wheelchair and with my eyes as the only work tool, I am pleased to share with you my own The Eagle Nebula and The Pillars of Creation photo, What do you think? The photo was wonderfully processed in Pixinsight by my friend Raúl López. Thank you very much Raúl! Total exposure time: 25 hours. Location: own observatory, Somewhere in La Mancha, Spain. Bortle 3. Picture integration: 100 x 300s subs. HII + OIII. Askar D1 100 x 300s subs. SII + OIII. Askar D2 100 x 300s subs. Optolong UVIRCUT. Setup. Skywatcher ESPRIT 120ED APO Skywatcher AZEQ6R Pro ZWO ASI2600MC Pro @astrocity.es @astro_polarex @esmuysimple @aztronoob @projectregulus @hannahgracerochford @rruizphoto @richards_astrophotography @jjlodge @infinitalavita @astrobin_com @astrobackyard @telescopiomania @explorelpa @astronycc @mako.wolf @astrofalls @stars_over_bucks @astrobatch @projectregulus @rahusga @dylan_odonnell_ @natural_portraits @apod.nasa @apod_astronomia @nasa_apod @nebulaphotosdotcom @luca_fornaciari_photography @elnocturnario @cosmozoom_official by @carlosespadaapo
The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7536). Located in the Cassiopeia Costellation, more than 7000 light years from us, here we find this beautiful soap bubble 7 light years diameter. Which is actually an emission nebula generated by 2000 km/s cosmic winds emitted by a blue supergiant star, thousands times brighter than the Sun and 55 times more massive than our star! This photograph is the result of 26 hours of exposure time from my Astro Photographic Observatory, somewhere in La Mancha, Spain. The photo has been magnificently processed by my friend Marc Abelló, @astrotivissa content creator and founder of https://www.youtube.com/@Astrotivissa Thank you very much! 102x300s Askar Colormagic D1 HII+OIII 6um 102x300s Askar Colormagic D2 SII+OIII 6um 102x300s Optolong UVIRcut Skywatcher ESPRIT 120ED APO Skywatcher AZ-EQ6R Pro ZWO ASI2600MC Pro Carlos Espada's AstroPhotography Observatory. Bortle 3.5 @astrocity.es @astro_polarex @astrocity.es @esmuysimple @aztronoob @projectregulus @hannahgracerochford @rruizphoto @richards_astrophotography @jjlodge @infinitalavita @astrobin_com @astrobackyard @telescopiomania @explorelpa @astronycc @mako.wolf @astrofalls @stars_over_bucks @astrobatch @projectregulus @rahusga @dylan_odonnell_ @natural_portraits @apod.nasa @apod_astronomia @nasa_apod @aztronoob @nebulaphotosdotcom @luca_fornaciari_photography @elnocturnario @cosmozoom_official by @carlosespadaapo
The beautiful spiral galaxy M106´s size is equivalent to the great Andromeda galaxy, but it is much further, 24 million light years away, and moving away from us at more than 550 km/s. It is a Seyfert-type galaxy, which means it hosts a black hole. In this case, based on measurements made in the X-ray spectrum, it is the largest black hole measured so far. We have all seen the most iconic M106 astrophoto, made by Hubble, plus ground-based amateur astrophotographers, it is fabulous. With the dream of getting closer to it or perhaps seeing something unnoticed by other astrophotographers, I decided to take 27 hours of shots, 1/3 of them with the SII+OIII dual filter. Unfortunately, these shots contributed practically nothing to the masterfully processed image. Once again he was my friend Raúl López, who made his art. Thak you so much Raúl (@esmuysimple). This SII non contribution was totally predictable... But the challenge was too tempting! 108x300s Askar Colormagic D1 HII+OIII 6um 108x300s Askar Colormagic D2 SII+OIII 6um 108x300s Optolong UVIRcut Skywatcher ESPRIT 120ED APO Skywatcher AZ-EQ6R Pro ZWO ASI2600MC Pro Carlos Espada´s Astrphotograph Observatory. Somewhere in La Mancha. Bortle 3.5 @richards__astrophotography @jjlodge @infinitalavita @astrobin_com @astrobackyard @telescopiomania @explorelpa @astronycc @mako.wolf @astrofalls @stars_over_bucks @astrobatch @projectregulus @rahusga @dylan_odonnell_ @natural_portraits @apod.nasa @apod_astronomia @nasa_apod @aztronoob @nebulaphotosdotcom @luca_fornaciari_photography @elnocturnario @cosmozoom_official by @carlosespadaapo
Hello friends! After 5 months of inactivity for different reasons, the new optical train finally debuted. I chose a relatively small galaxy (11 arcminutes) at my brand new FOV of almost 3 degrees, to increase the difficulty. The captivating Crocodile Eye Galaxy, or M94. Located 15 million light years away and with a diameter of 30,000 light years. A starburst galaxy, which means it has a much higher star creation rate than other larger galaxies. Hence its outstanding magnitude of 8.6. A spiral galaxy that also has several rings around a bright core, thanks to which it obtains the nickname Crocodile's Eye Galaxy, or Cat's Eye Galaxy. 90 x 300s Askar Colormagic D1 (6um Ha-OIII) 90 x 300s Optolong UV IR Cut This 15-hour exposure photograph has been masterfully processed by my friend Raúl López. Once again infinite thanks @esmuysimple bringing out the best of the best in my photos! Setup. Scope. Skywatcher ESPRIT 120ED APO + Reducer/Flattener 0.77 Mount. Skywatcher AZ-EQ6R Pro. Camera. ZWO ASI2600MC Pro Guiding. Lunatic EZG60 + ZWO ASI290MM Mini Somewhere in La Mancha. The wait was worth it. by @carlosespadaapo
Cigar Galaxy (M82). This captivating galaxy, located 12 million light years away, was dramatically affected by its neighbor Bode´s Galaxy (M81), whose gravitational influence produced a starburst, meaning that for possibly hundreds of millions of years its rate of star creation It was enormous, ten times the Milky Way´s. The elongated core of brilliant sky blue color is actually formed by a large number of globular clusters, each containing millions of stars. Resulting in M82 shining 5 times brighter than the Milky Way. While huge jets of fiery-looking hydrogen shoot out from the center of the galaxy. My picture was made integrating 19 hours exposure time across 5 cold and humid nights from my observatory somewhere in La Mancha: 100 x 300s Optolong UVIR cut. 100 x 300s Optolong L-enhance. 36 x 300s Askar Colormagic D2 (6um (SII + OIII)). The setup: Skywatcher ESPRIT 120ED + 0.85x reduzer. Skywatcher AZEQ6R Pro. ZWO ASI533MC Pro ZWO ASI290MM Mini + EZG-60. Once again he was my friend Raúl López (@esmuysimple) who made this beautiful proccessing, getting the best of my pictures. THANK YOU VERY MUCH Raúl, for going beyond where my eyes can reach. by @carlosespadaapo
NGC 6946. Fireworks galaxy. It is a relatively close spiral galaxy (22 million light years), difficult to photograph because it is aligned with our galactic plane, so its light has to pass through a large amount of cosmic dust to reach Earth. It presents a very high occurrence of supernovae, multiplying by 10 the average in much larger galaxies. Hence the nickname fireworks. However, the color is not due to the death of stars but rather to the very high birth star activity, which is especially visible in the Halpha spectrum. This photo includes a total exposure time of 14 hours Once again, where my eyes cannot reach, comes Raúl López who carried out the difficult processing of this galaxy. Thank you very much Raúl! (@esmuysimple ). Astrophoto and setup details Frames: 90 x 300s UVIRCut + 66 x 300s L-enhance Telescope: Skywatcher ESPRIT 120ED Mount: Skywatcher AZEQ6R pro Camera: ZWO ASI533 MC Pro Software: NINA, PHD2, DSS, Pixinsight Location: Molina de Aragon, Guadalajara, Spain Note that 2nd picture has a different color ballance to emphasize core structure. Carlos Espada, Computing Sciencist and MSc in Telecommunication Engineering. Partner Director at NTT Data. In 2007 I was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, although nowadays everyone associates the disease with the image of Dr. Stephen Hawking. ALS is a terrible and devastating terminal disease, with no cure or treatment, which causes rapid tetraplegia and death from asphyxiation within three years on average. In my case, because ALS I'm quadriplegic since 2012. Since I can move only my eyes, everything I do is through my computer and an eye-tracking system. In these conditions I decided to start learning astronomy and astrophotography in 2017. In 2021 I built my own observatory, which I control remotely. 180 miles away I manage the observatory, my telescopes and computers, and all the software programs in order capture quality light and calibration frames. Just moving my eyes. Unfortunately, I don´t get yet to manage processing software like Pixinsigh with my eyes. Because of that they are Friends of mine who kindly process my pictures. by @carlosespadaapo
IC 410. Tadpole Nebula (by eye tracking) This beautiful emission nebula is located in the Auriga constellation about 12,000 light years away in our galaxy. I took the photos over 6 especially turbulent nights, with bad seeing and a lot of jetstream, which forced me to accumulate up to 20 hours exposure time, distributed as follows: 6 hours UVIRcut, 7 hours Optolong L-enhance, and 7 hours Askar D2 (SII OIII). All 300s lights. For those of you who don't know me, I suffer from ALS (Lou Gehrig´s disease) , due to which I am quadriplegic and since 2012 I can only move my eyes. With them, a laptop and the eye tracking system (see 2nd picture) I can do almost everything. In the case of astrophotography, I can easily handle all the programs to control my observatory, the telescopes, NINA, PHD2, SSD, ASCOM platform... So I can define and monitor the sequences to take the lights and the calibration shots. However, I can't manage Pixinsight by eye tracking ( my eyes don´t have enough resolution to handle so tinny options) so I can't do the processing (yet...) and this task is done for me by astrophotographer friends. In this case it was Marc @astrotivissa who exquisitely processed my photos, obtaining this beautiful final picture. THANK YOU VERY MUCH Marc! @astrotivissa by @carlosespadaapo

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