Night Sky in Focus

DIY Parallelogram Mount

I’ve built a simple binocular parallelogram mount for my 10×50 binoculars, to provide precise and smooth motion during extended visual observation. A repurposed desktop lamp mount was sturdy enough to support the weight of a small binoculars. It can be moved around freely and remain in place when pointed at a specific part of the sky.

The parallelogram mount attaches to a Vixen altitude-azimuth mount. It allows fine adjustments through the motion control knobs. The DIY mount connects directly to a standard binocular mount. It uses springs to provide balance instead of a counterweight, with short parallelogram bars and tighter fastening screws for better stability.

I’ve tested the parallelogram mount for lunar observations and for scanning starfield such as the Milky Way. With this DIY mount, the binoculars can be pointed at any target from horizon to zenith with comfort and ease, eliminating the strain and shakiness associated with unmounted binoculars.

Leo Triplet Galaxies | 628 mm

Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628), three bright galaxies in the vicinity of Leo imaged with a 4 in refractor at 628 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, with an ASI 174MM guide camera. The trio galaxies are bright and visible with small telescopes in relatively dark skies. Two bright stars in Leo can be used to easily find this galaxy group. Imaged from a recreation site in Caliraya, Quezon, in March 2023.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Orion Nebula | 628 mm

Orion Nebula M42 imaged with Sky-Watcher Equinox 100ED with DIY reducer at 628 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, and a dual band H-alpha and O-III filter. This image was tracked using a Vixen GP mount with DIY controller and an ASI 174 guide camera on a DIY off-axis guider (OAG). Imaged from a recreation site in Caliraya, Quezon, in March 2023.

Related link: Orion Nebula | 900 mm

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Omega Centauri | 628 mm

Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) imaged with a Sky-Watcher Equinox 100ED with DIY focal reducer (at 100 mm f/6.2), an ASI 533MC astronomy camera, and an ASI 174 mm off-axis guider. This target was imaged from a recreation site near lake Caliraya, Quezon, in March 2023.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Lagoon Nebula | 628 mm

Lagoon Nebula M8 imaged with a 4 in refractor at 628 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera. This is a test image taken with a DIY focal length reducer.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Partial Solar Eclipse | April 2023

Together with the UP NISMED Observatory and local astronomy enthusiasts, I streamed live video of the 20 April 2023 Partial Solar Eclipse from Quezon City, Philippines. I used a 114 mm Vixen R114 reflector with a Baader ND 5.0 solar filter and a Vixen GP mount. I used an ASI 533 astronomy camera connected to a laptop with a streaming platform. The eclipse lasted for about 2 hours and was visible anywhere in the Philippines.

To watch the livestream, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Lagoon Nebula | 1200 mm

Lagoon Nebula M8 imaged with a Meade AR-6 AT (152 mm f/8) achromatic refractor at 1200 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC astronomy camera, and an ASI 174 mm off-axis guider. I used a ZWO duo nebula filter to enhance the contrast by blocking out all light except the light coming from emission nebula. M8 is visible even with binoculars or small telescopes.

Related link:
Lagoon Nebula 565 mm
Lagoon Nebula and Trifid Nebula

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Whirlpool Galaxy | 628 mm

Whirlpool Galaxy M51 imaged with a Sky-Watcher Equinox 100ED refractor at 628 mm focal length and an ASI 533MC astronomy camera. M51 is relatively bright and may be visible through a small telescope. Use the stars of the Big Dipper to find M51.

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, 5.6 hours exposure

Related link: Whirlpool Galaxy M51 | 900 mm

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Crab Nebula

Crab Nebula M1, a supernova remnant in the constellation Taurus, imaged with a Sky-Watcher Equinox 100ED refractor at 628 mm focal length on a DIY reducer, an ASI533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual-band H-alpha and O-III filter, and an ASI 174MM guide camera. This photo was imaged and tracked using a Vixen GP mount with DIY go-to telescope controller.

To find the Crab Nebula, locate Auriga first and then scan the region south of Auriga, near the bright star in Taurus. A narrowband filter helps in increasing the contrast between the nebula and the sky (such as using a 12 nm OIII for visual use, or 6 nm dual-band OIII and H-alpha for photography). Due to the nebula’s small angular size, a telescope with 4 inch aperture or larger with relatively long focal length is recommended for this target.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Flame and Horsehead Nebula

Flame and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion imaged with a Sky-Watcher Equinox 100ED refractor at 628 mm focal length on DIY reducer, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, a dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, and an ASI 174MM guide camera. Tracking was done using a Vixen GP mount with DIY controller.

C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) imaged in January 24, 2023 from Bacoor, Cavite, using a Sky-Watcher 100ED with a DIY focal reducer, ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, a UV-IR filter, and a motorized Vixen Grand Polaris mount. I have observed this comet to be at about the same surface brightness and apparent angular size with the M51 galaxy. It is barely detectable visually using a 10 by 50 binoculars or 8 by 50 finder scope.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Rosette Nebula

Rosette Nebula imaged with a Sky-Watcher 100ED with a DIY focal reducer, ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter. Guided tracking using an ASI 174MM with DIY Off-Axis Guider and motorized Vixen Grand Polaris mount.

To find Rosette Nebula, point the telescope to Procyon and then lock the declination axis. While looking through the finder scope and moving the RA axis only, swing the telescope westward until you see the central stars of the nebula.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Thor’s Helmet Nebula

Thor’s Helmet Nebula NGC 2359 in the constellation Canis Major imaged with a Vixen R114 reflector at 900 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, a dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera. This is a very faint target that requires a relatively large telescope with long focal length to frame properly and reveal details. This target is easy to locate using the three bright stars to the east of Sirius.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

DIY Portable Star Tracker

I have built a lightweight portable DIY star tracker for DSLRs. It uses a worm drive from an unused equatorial mount I have found in a local surplus shop. I used a geared stepper motor and an Arduino controller to spin the RA axis at the correct tracking rate to match the apparent movement of the sky. The setup was housed in a metal box that fits in a small camera bag. It mounts on a standard camera tripod. I have tested it to track accurately with a DSLR with an 80 mm to 210 mm telephoto lens.

Lightweight portable DIY star tracker for DSLRs

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Horsehead Nebula

Horsehead Nebula IC 434 in the constellation Orion imaged with a Vixen R114 reflector at 900 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera. The nebula is not visible in small telescopes and requires a camera sensitive to H-alpha to reveal the deep-red ionized hydrogen gas obscured by an opaque cloud of dust and gas.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Orion Nebula | 900 mm

Orion Nebula M42 imaged with a Vixen R114 reflector at 900 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera. M42 is visible even with binoculars or small telescopes.

Related link: Orion Nebula | 628 mm

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Total Lunar Eclipse | 08 November 2022

Totally-eclipsed moon imaged with a 114 mm f/7.8 reflector and an ASI 533MC astronomy camera on 08 November 2022 in Bacoor City, Philippines. The bright object near the moon is the planet Uranus during its conjunction with the moon coinciding with the total lunar eclipse. The moon and Uranus appear close together in this photo due to a chance alignment of Uranus, the moon, and the Earth. Uranus is much farther behind the moon, by a distance of about 2.7 billion kilometers.

Totally-eclipsed moon with Uranus imaged with a 114 mm f/7.8 reflector and an ASI 533MC astronomy camera on 08 November 2022 in Bacoor City, Philippines. To watch our guided lunar eclipse observation (livestream), click here.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Jupiter | November 2022

This is my first test image of Jupiter using a Vixen R114 telescope on a tracking mount. I used a stack of two 2x Barlows to magnify the image. This is a stack of 2000 frames imaged with an ASI 533 camera and a UV-IR filter.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Triangulum Galaxy

Triangulum Galaxy M33 imaged with a 4 in refractor at 565 mm focal length, ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera with UV-IR filter, and an ASI 174MM guide camera. Use the three prominent stars of the Triangulum constellation to find M33.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

Pleiades

Pleiades M45 star cluster imaged with a 4 in refractor at 565 mm focal length, ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera with UV-IR filter, and an ASI 174MM guide camera. This target is very prominent and can be seen very easily with the unaided eye, binoculars, and small telescopes.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus 
© Anthony Urbano | Bacoor, Philippines

	Eteny on DIY Pier Extension
	Ggreybeard on DIY Pier Extension
	Ggreybeard on Laser Pointer Finder
	Ggreybeard on Carina Nebula \| 565 mm
	Chris A Mahar on DIY Planetary Camera
	Eteny on DIY Electronic Focuser \| …
	Ggreybeard on DIY Electronic Focuser \| …
	Eteny on DIY Guide Scope Rings
	Bruce Lathrop on DIY Guide Scope Rings
	Eteny on DIY Planetary Camera
	Riccardo Aeritel Giu… on DIY Planetary Camera
	dev soi on DIY Planetary Camera

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this:

Like this: