Unfortunately my mount failed me, and I had to use a "backup" setup manually tracking the sun (hence the "jumps" in the video).
Still really nice experience, lots of friendly people around too.
Special guest the jet plane flying in front of the sound towards the end ✈️
Difficult object to capture "properly" in narrowband only, as it's both an emission and reflection nebula, and the OIII data is almost non existant.
I managed to get enough OIII data to somewhat highlight the areas that would be part of the reflection nebula (and even then, the OIII data is stretched to the limit).
Shot between the 3rd and the 9th of January 2025.
Palette: HSS, with OIII added in a second stage with a blue-ish tint.
IC 405 - Flaming Star
I managed to get enough OIII data to somewhat highlight the areas that would be part of the reflection nebula (and even then, the OIII data is stretched to the limit).
Shot between th...
A first glimpse of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) from Box Hill.
Not terrible, considering I forgot my tripod home 🤦
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan–ATLAS from Box Hill
Not terrible, considering I forgot my tripod home 🤦
Stacked 4 shots of 1/10th of seconds each, handheld
Stacked 4 shots of 1/10th of seconds each, handheld
After missing it the first time, the Aurora came back, visible even here in southern England.
I managed to grab an almost night long timelapse, with a few selected highlights.
Aurora Borealis in Surrey
I used the "revisions" mechanism to upload 3 different frames, but please check out the full timelapse as well.
Aurora Borealis in Surrey
Weather was mostly cloudy or veiled, but I managed to get a few clean frames between the clouds
Partial Solar Eclipse
Partial Solar Eclipse
The Great Orion Nebula, M42, in narrowband. Two processing versions, using HOO palette (more natural looking) and SHO (more detailed, as it also includes Sulfur).
M42 - first narrowband attempt
This started mostly just as a test session, since the first part of the night was cursed with passing clouds right in front of my target. I also had some problems with the autofocuser (that just stopped working at some point), and balancing issues.
All things considered, not too bad...
I processed the image in both HOO palette (more natural looking) and SHO.
M42 - first narrowband attempt
This started mostly just as a test session, since the first part of the night was cursed with passing clouds right in front of my target. I also had some problems with the autofocuser (that just stopped working at some point), and balancing issues.
All things considered, not too bad...
I processed the image in both HOO palette (more natural looking) and SHO.
California Nebula
Conditions weren't exactly ideal: light pollution, obviously, then clouds rolled in just when I was ready to start my sequence, shortening capture time by a couple of hours.
Also, the nearly full moon was very close to the target, causing some nasty reflections on the (now cropped out) border of the image.
Overall I'm quite satisfied by the result though, the Optolong L-Enhance filter seems to be doing a really great job.
Mars getting smaller, a few weeks after its opposition.
Mars, 26/10/2020
Images taken with my SkyMax 180 and ASI178MM with RGB filters.
A couple of close up of the Moon, around the craters Copernicus and Plato.
Moon, Copernicus Crater area
Nearby is also visible the crater Eratosthenes.
Shot with my SkyMax 180, ASI 178MM
Moon, Plato crater area
Above it, slightly to the left, there's Cassini, a medium sized crater with two smaller craters inside (Cassini A and B).
Separating the two, the Montes Alpes, with the Vallis Alpes within, then Mont Blanc.
To the far left, another two big craters, Aristotelest (the biggest) and Eudoxus.
To the top/right, the vast plain of Mare Imbrium.