Imaging The Andromeda Galaxy with the SkyGuider Pro

The Andromeda Galaxy is one of the most impressive spiral galaxies in the night sky. Even at a distance of 2.5 million light years its massive central core takes up about as much sky as a full Moon. This image captured over 1 hour worth of light from Andromeda’s 1 trillion stars and took about […]

A Trip to Jupiter

Io casting an impressive shadow as it moves between Jupiter and the Sun. Tracking these transits across the surface of Jupiter is a really interesting observing opportunity and shows the ever evolving dance between Jupiter and it’s many moons.

The Summer Portrait is Complete

Tonight, I completed my imaging goal for the summer. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have all been filmed, stacked and processed using a DSLR camera. All three of these images were captured at f/11.8 which means the images above are at accurate scale to each other as viewed through the Orion Xt8i. Mars was the last […]

A Late Night Out

June 7/8, 2018: Those Summer Nights Summer is not a favorable season for amateur astronomy. The nights are short, dew sneaks up on you and the insects are annoying. On this night, the skies were clear, the dew point was reasonable and the insects were not biting, at least not that bad. With the moon […]

Getting Started in Astrophotography

Astrophotography can seem like an overwhelming addition to amateur astronomy. Over the past several weeks I have attempted to photograph the night sky and will show you what has worked best for me using some entry level equipment and a little bit of research. Step 1: Buying a Camera and Lens While I didn’t buy […]

Astrophotography Coming to Late Night Astronomy

With my wife and I purchasing our first DSLR camera from Canon, I am taking my first steps into DSLR astrophotography. A new page has been added to the website where I will post my attempts at tripod long exposure astrophotography and eventually imaging through my telescope of the Moon and Planets.

Bringing Detail to Jupiter and the Moon

In 2015, I detailed my “Small Steps into Astrophotography”. Since then, I have done little with imaging and processing. That is, until this week. I’ve returned to the complicated, yet rewarding, world of astrophotography. To start, I focused on two great targets for beginners, Jupiter and the Moon. Jupiter, which is near opposition, is as big as it will get […]

Small Steps into Astrophotography

Since the invention of the telescope in the 17th Century, an astronomer’s limit of what can be viewed through the eyepiece has always come down to the sensitivity of the eye peering through the lens. With the invention of photography in the early 19th century and the digital revolution of the late 20th century, the limits of […]

Photo Stacking-Easter Sunday: April 4, 2010

Easter Sunday The morning of Easter Sunday found my sister Abby and I sitting in Church when the reverend asked all the children to come up to front. Abby, who like me, can be as shy as she is outgoing, decided to stay back with me and watch. The reverend talked for a few minutes […]