The Virgo/Coma cluster of galaxies in negative B&W for easier viewing. This is a combination of a 12-frame mosaic taken with the original Hyperstar and H9C OSC CCD, and a 2-frame mosaic using the 200mm lenses and M26C OSC CCDs. This image contains 13 Messier objects.
But it isn’t quite as simple as that is it?
The fact that our mathematics doesn’t allow for an Absolute Infinite doesn’t mean that there isn’t a God that transcends our feeble mathematics and is of Absolute Infinite extent!
In fact it would make perfect sense if God WAS the Absolute Infinite as that would ensure we have no chance in understanding what God is.
Has actually been answered by Bertrand Russell.
If you have seen my past ramblings on this subject then you will have read that I concluded that God would exist if the Absolute Infinite existed, and I left it there. I left it there because I didn’t have a clue (or so I thought) whether the Absolute Infinite existed or not, and then, just a few days ago, the Russell Paradox came to mind.
Russell showed that there is no set of all sets. Oops. I knew this from my Uni days back in 1975 but thought no more about it. But thinking on it some 50 years later I think Russell has actually provided the answer to the BIG question.
If there is no set of all sets (Russell)
Then there is no Absolute Infinite
Then God does not exist (Cantor)
I believe that Godel “proved” that God DID exist by some logical argument. It’s a shame that he did not use a mathematical argument instead or he might just have come up with a different answer.
The aptly named Coathanger cluster. Around 6 hours of exposure time with a single Sky90 refractor and M25C OSC CCD.
The “Sword of Orion” region in the constellation Orion. This image comprises many hours with a single Sky90 refractor and M25C OSC CCD. In addition to the RGB data provided by the M25C, there were also several hours of infrared data added using an R72 filter on the M25C. Surprisingly the infrared data provided quite a lot of detail to this image.
Mu Cephei, the Garnet Star, many hours with the Sky90 array and the M26C OSC CCDs. Mu Cephei sits at the top of the huge emission nebula IC1396 which contains the dark nebula known as the “Elephant’s Trunk”. Although very red, Mu Cephei is NOT a Carbon star.
Why would you name a new observatory after someone who has openly plagiarised the work of Fritz Zwicky which he undertook way back in 1933?
Way back in 2015 I had an exasperating email discussion with a very persistent fellow wanting one of my images “on the cheap” for his publisher. I will reproduce the discussion below.
I have now had ANOTHER request for a freebie image from the same publisher, and this time the guy asking for an image has taken a slightly different approach. This person asked for permission to use the image to which I answered “No”. So he gets back a week later gently reminding me of his original email. You can see what’s happening here can’t you. He is suggesting that I didn’t reply to his email with a firm “No” so that he might possibly take other measures to illegally publish my image. So I wrote another email to him, with my original reply attached, saying that if he pretends he got no answer from me and publishes my image he will be dealing with my solicitors. As I am now incensed by the behaviour of employees of this publisher, I will now name names. The publisher is Dorling Kindersley. The original highly aggravating email discussion is reproduced below for you to see how this publisher thinks it is o.k. to do business.
UPDATE: I actually got a further reminder that I hadn’t replied (which I again answered) before a 4th email came through saying he found my replies in his spam folder. How very efficient. He then wanted to know why I didn’t want to send my images his way and I pointed him to the article below. I am pleased to say I haven’t heard back from him again, so hopefully that is it from this shower.
I have reproduced below an e-mail conversation from a rather persistent fellow representing a very well known Publisher. For obvious reasons the Publisher’s name is crossed out as is the guy I’m having the conversation with – but all the same I think you’ll get the gist of it.
Urgent Image Request Dear Sir,
I am XXXXXX XXXXX, Picture Researcher with XXXX.
XXXX publishers (part of the XXXXXX Group) would like to use an image of Gamma Cas on one of our spreads of our educational children’s book XXXXXXX.
We have really liked your image on NASA website http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091224.html. It would be great if you could give us the permission to use the image in our upcoming book.
XXXX always clears images for world, all language, all edition rights including E-books and Digital Spinnoffs of this book.
We have a very tight schedule so it would be great if you could get back to us on this as soon as possible.
Thanks and Regards
XXXXXX XXXXX
Dear XXXXXXXX,
My New Forest Observatory http://www.newforestobservatory.com/ does provide deep-sky images, non-exclusively for publication purposes. The images are not available for free.
Regards,
Prof. Greg Parker
Re: Urgent Image Request Thanks a lot for your urgent reply but we are interested in using the image in the link I have provided earlier. If you can provide us that image at A4 size at 300dpi we are happy to pay you 20GBP as this is what we have been paying to the well known agencies we are registered with.
We will also give you a credit in the book. I hope you will give us a chance to work with you and agree to our rights and rates.
Also, we might get in touch with you again for other images we like from your collection.
Thanks and Regards
XXXXXXX
Thank you – I understand what image you require, it is the one I provided from the NFO to APOD.
Your rate I’m afraid is insufficient for an A4 size at 300 DPI. Thank you very much for your interest.
Regards,
Prof. Greg Parker
We wish to use the image at 1/4th size. It is not the final rate we can surely negotiate the prices. This is the rate we have been paying to our agencies. Please let me know what rate you want to give us the image at if it suits our budget we can use the image. The size of the book is really small and we have a really low budget on this project.
Thanks and Regards
XXXXXXX
Books are always “really small” and budgets are always “very low” but the images that are requested take many hours to acquire with very expensive equipment and very expensive programs (and computers) – so it looks like we will always have an impass here 
Yesterday I sold a photomicroscopy image (about half the size of the image you are requesting) to Harvard Medical School for £196. They considered this a “low” budget. I think you can see that you will not be able to afford my image for your book, but thank you for your interest.
Regards,
Prof. Greg Parker
And finally, thank goodness, this totally pointless conversation mercifully came to an end.
Please can I ask you – if you want some “free” or “cheapo” deep-sky images, to kindly go elsewhere
I have taken many 2-frame mosaic images of Arcturus, but this is probably one of the better ones. Sub-exposure times need to be short as Arcturus is so bright, and that makes it difficult to bring out all the surrounding faint stars, unless you get PLENTY of subs. I still feel I can improve on this, so I will probably keep going back to image this one for a bit longer yet.
