Astrophotography is the art of capturing the unseen, of travelling back in time.
Selected Images
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NGC6888 Crescent Nebula
ASI071MC-Pro (Unity gain, -5C), TS INED70 with TSOptics 1.0 flattener, Altair Quadband Filter:
Imaging Info: 400xLights (180s), 20x darks, 20x flats, 20x bias -
Horsehead & Flame Nebulas in Orion
ASI071MC-Pro (Unity gain, -5C), TS INED70 with TSOptics 1.0 flattener, Altair Quadband Filter.
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Pelican Nebula
ASI071MC-Pro (Unity gain, -5C), TS INED70 with TSOptics 1.0 flattener, Altair Quadband Filter.
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FIshhead, Heart & Soul Nebulas
This was taken with my wide field rig.
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Veil Nebula
This was taken with my wide field rig. The shot encompasses the entire visual portion; The Eastern Veil (left) and Western Veil (right) as well as Pickering’s Triangle and other components.
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Andromeda Galaxy, M31
ASI071MC-Pro (Unity gain, -5C), TS INED70 with TSOptics 1.0 flattener.
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NGC 7000 North America Nebula
ASI071MC-Pro (Unity gain, -5C), TS INED70 with TSOptics 1.0 flattener, Altair Quadband Filter:
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Whirlpool Galaxy, M51
Captured with the Dwarf 2.
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Pleiades, M45
imaging info coming soon
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M81, M82, NGC 2976, NGC3077
This has great sentimental value as it was my fist ever picture taken with the Dwarf2 smart telescope. I remember being next to a train station so there was a lot more light pollution than Bortle 6. Note the image artifacts in the corners caused by field rotation as it is an AltAzimuth telescope. 4 galaxies in one picture!
Imaging info: 51x15 secs, 80 gain, binned (lower resolution). -
Sun (D2)
Taken by the Dwarf 2 clamped to my balcony while I was having a beer (alcohol-free). Setup time was only 2 minutes. Great for spur of the moment photography . Imaging info: Telephoto lens, single image 1/100 sec, White balance daylight., ND1,000,000 filters over both lenses. The filters come with the Deluxe pack and are highly recommended.
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Moon (D2)
A clean shot, directly imported from Dwarf 2, clamped to a balcony rail.
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Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks (D2)
Direct from the D2. This is amazing for the fact that it was taken from a floodlit sports ground car park The Dwarf 2 had to fight through floodlights as well as Bortle 6 light pollution.
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Horsehead & Flame Nebula (D2)
Direct from D2. Another amazing shot by the Dwarf 2 taken from a floodlit school playground in Bortle 6 conditions.
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M33 Triangulum Galaxy (D2)
Direct from the Dwarf 2. This was an experiment just to see if it could be done. The D2 was clamped to a balcony so there is field rotation with some stacking artifacts. A great attempt though; the D2 didn’t let me down.
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M45 Pleiades (D2)
A rough capture and edit (color is not balanced) of 200 or so 15 second images from the Dwarf 2. Note the heavy field rotation in the bottom right corner as it was very high in the sky.
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M13 Hercules Cluster (D2)
Taken with Dwarf 2 from my balcony. I clamped it to a rail and fired away.
Imaging Info: 828x10s, Gain80, IR Cut. No Binning. -
Andromeda Galaxy, M31 (D3)
First picture with new D3, taken in Alt-Az mode. 700 × 15 seconds with Astro filter from my balcony. The gradient at the bottom was caused by light leaking under the dining room shutter.
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California Nebula, NGC1499 (D3)
Taken in EQ mode. 999 × 15 seconds from Bortle 6 zone. Dual-Band Filter
Equipment
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Deep Sky (Big Rig)
Telescope: William Optics ZenithStar 110 APO (TMB) Triplet (f4, 110mm aperture, 770mm focal length)
Flattener: William Optics AFR-IV (0.8 reduction)
Finderscope: SVBONY SV106 (f4, 60mm aperture, 240mm focal length)
Camera: ASI1600GT/ASI2600MC Pro
Guide camera: ASi220MM Mini
Mount: Proxisky UMi17S strain wave mount -
Deep Sky
Note: Before cable tidying
Telecope: TS Optics INED70 Carbon Fibre Apo (f6, 70mm aperture, 420mm focal length)
Flattener: TS 1.0 flattener
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Finderscope: ZWO 30f4 Mini Guide Scope
Camera: ZWO ASI071MC Pro
Guide camera: ZWO ASI220MM Mini
Filter tray: ZWO 2” filter tray
Mount: Skywatcher Star Adventurer GTI
Tripod: Skywatcher 2’ Stainless Steel tripod
Computer: ASIAIR Plus 32Gb
External Battery: BRESSER Portable Power Supply 100 Watt (lasts the whole night in the summer/autumn) -
Widefield
Lens: Samyang 135mm, f2. Canon EF mount
Lens mount: Astrodymium with EAF focuser and ASIAIR plates on SVBony Vixen bar
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Finderscope: SVBony SV165
Camera: ZWO ASI183 MC Pro
Guide camera: ZWO ASI 120MM Mini
Filter tray: ZWO 2” Filter Drawer for EOS lenses
Mount: Skywatcher AZ-GTI
Tripod: Innorel RT90CG Carbon Fiber with ER40C Center column
Computer: ZWO ASIAIR Mini 32Gb
External battery: Elecaenta EM200 -
Visual/Planetary
Telescope: SVBony MK105 Maksutov-Cassegrain (f13, 105mm aperture, 1365mm focal length)
Diagonal: SVBony SV188P
Eyepieces: SVBony 68degree 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, 20mm, SV170 10-30mm zoom
Finderscope: SVBony SV182
Camera: ZWO ASI224 MC
ADC (Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector): SVBony SV199
Barlow: SVBony SV213 (3x), SV137 (2x)
Tripod: Innorel ST254CF Carbon Fiber
Telescope mount: Skywatcher AZ-GTI/StarPal Alt/Az manual mount -
D2 Smart Telescope
Equivalent:f4 ,675mm (Tele). f2.4, 48mm (Wide)
Physical: 24mm aperture, 100mm focal length (Tele).
Weight: including bag, less than 2kg
External Battery: Anker PoweCore Speed 20100mAh (For multi-night shooting) -
D3 Smart Telescope
Equivalent: f4.3 ,675mm (Tele). f1.9, 48mm (Wide)
Physical: 35mm aperture, 150mm focal length (Tele),3.4mm aperture, 6.7mm focal length (Wide).
Weight: 1.3kg
External Battery: Anker PoweCore Speed 20100mAh (For multi-night shooting). -
VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 Power Station
VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 Power Station that can reliably supply a stable current and handle multiple rigs at once over several nights of shooting. It has a capacity of 1548Wh utilising LiFePo4 battery technology so it won’t lose power quickly. It weighs just under 19kg so don’t drop it on your foot! Operating Temperature:
14°F~113°F(-20℃~55℃) -
BRESSER Portable Power Supply 100 Watt
Good for travelling light. Uses lithium ion battery technology so it’s only really suited for running 1 rig in warmer climates or summer/autumn.
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Elecaenta EM200
Very small and light power station that uses LiFePo4 battery technology so there are no problems using it in very cold conditions. Can be easily recharged with a modest-sized solar panel.
More about my equipment choices (why I don’t have very big scopes).
I live in an apartment located in a Bortle 7 zone, close to an international airport. The apartment has a small west-facing balcony but the view is very obstructed due to being situated next to a forest. To get to a site that is darker or with better visibility I often need to travel by car. Everything needs to be very portable and consume less than 1.5 cubic m floorspace when stored at home.
Tip: While astronomy equipment represents a significant investment, strategic purchasing decisions can help manage costs effectively. The hobby's inherent appeal often leads enthusiasts to pursue increasingly advanced equipment, from larger aperture telescopes to sophisticated imaging technology. To optimize your budget, consider acquiring pre-owned equipment from experienced astrophotographers, who typically maintain their gear meticulously. This approach not only reduces initial costs but also provides greater flexibility in selecting optimal image scales for your observing goals.
Cameras
ZWO: ASI1600GT (LRGBHa/SHO), ASI2600 MC Pro, ASI071 MC Pro, ASI183 MC Pro, ASI224MC
Controllers
ASIAIR Plus, ASIAIR Plus 256GB, ASIAIR Mini
Filters
ZWO Duo Band 1.25”
Used for Dwarf 2 Smart Telescope.
SVBony UV/IR cut 1.25“
Used for visual and Dwarf 2 Smart Telescope
SVBony SV128 Variable Filter 1.25”
For moon observation/photography when the moon is too bright.
ZWO LRGB + Ha Filter set 1.25” (7 nm bandpass)
For imaging with ASI1600GT mono camera for revealing higher details in DSOs.
ZWO SHO Filter set 1.25” (7 nm bandpass)
For imaging with the ASI1600GT in Sulfur-II, Hydrogen-alpha and Oxygen-III, matching the Hubble Palette.
SVBony UV/IR cut 2”
Used for Galaxy photography on Big and Widefield Rigs to reduce star bloat (stars appearing overly large due to accumulated UV/IR captured during long exposures..
SVBony SV220 Astro Dual Narrowband 7nm 2”
Used for Nebula photography to reduce light pollution and enhance nebulosity.
The filter allows OIII (500.7nm) and H-Alpha (656.3nm) nebula emission lines to be highly transparent, strongly isolates
the nebulae's emissions into H-Alpha (red) and OIII (green-blue), and drastically reduces the effect of light pollution. It performs well and is good value for money.
SVBony SV240 Multi Narrowband filter
This is a combined galaxy and nebula filter for colour cameras. The filter blocks urban light pollution up to Bortle 8 and is designed to capture Ha, OIII, and H-Beta wavelengths with high transmittance.
SVBony CLS Filter EOS: Used for astrophotography on Canon EOS 600D DSLR.
Altair QuadBand OSC CCD 2" Filter: For tackling moderate light pollution with skyglow, typically found in suburbs. It combines Sii AND Ha into a red zone, and H-beta + Oiii into a green/blue zone. This is typically used with color cameras.
Software
Siril - Free. Great all-rounder, fast stacking and good processing. Even better with the StarNet plugin.
AffinityPhoto 2 - Cheaper than PhotoShop. Can perform astrophotography stacking and some processing.
Topaz PhotoAI - Use minimally for DSO and never for planetary imaging as it can introduce false artifacts with poor settings.
RegiStax - Free. Planetary stacking (Windows run in Wine for MacOS)
WaveSharp - Free. Planetary stacking (Windows run in Wine for MacOS)
AutoStakkert! - Free. Planetary stacking (Windows run in Wine for MacOS)
Image Analyzer 1.43 - Free. Image editing, enhancement and analysis software. (Windows run in Wine for MacOS)