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.
Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) 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. This target is best imaged with a large aperture telescope to better resolve the individual stars. I used an 8 by 50 finder scope to spot this target.
Omega Centauri, 45 minutes exposure
For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
Seagull Nebula IC 2177 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.
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.
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.
Crab Nebula, 1 hour exposure
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.
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) 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.
C/2022 E3 (ZTF), stack of 3 images at 180 sec each
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.
Rosette Nebula, 2 hours exposure
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.
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.
Thor’s Helmet Nebula, 3 hours exposure
For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
Eta Carinae Nebula (Carina Nebula) imaged with a 4 in refractor at 390 mm focal length, an ASI 533MC cooled astronomy camera, dual band H-alpha and O-III filter, with an ASI 174MM guide camera. I am still testing the DIY focal reducer I’ve made using the objective lens of a Celestron Travel Scope 70.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jupiter, 2000 frames stacked
For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
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.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy, 44 minutes exposure
For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
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.
M45 Pleiades, 1 hour exposure
For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
This is an image of the Sun showing two prominent sunspots AR 3057 (upper right) and AR 3059 (lower left), imaged with a Vixen R114 reflector, ASI 533 MC camera, and a Baader ND 5 solar filter. Never observe or image the Sun without the proper solar filters.
Sunspot AR 3057 and AR 3059
For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
I’ve built an electronic automatic focuser (EAF) for my Tamron 80 to 210 mm telephoto (zoom) lens for automated and precise focusing. The focuser was built with a stepper motor, an A4988 stepper motor driver, an Arduino Uno, and a repurposed azimuth adjustment mechanism of an old Vixen mount.
DIY microfocuser for a telephoto lens
Vixen’s alt-az mount azimuth lock mechanism happens to be wide enough to fit a telephoto lens. It allows fine movement using the fine adjustment knob attached to a stepper motor with 60:16 pulley and belt system. It features a clutch mechanism that allows for manual focusing. The lens and the camera are held in place with mounting rings from an old 80 mm Vixen refractor. An aluminum baseplate is used to mount together as a unit the lens, camera, focuser, finder scope, and guide scope. The controller for the focuser was housed in a project box. A dovetail bar connects the whole assembly to the telescope mount.
I have tested the focuser on several imaging runs now and it appears to be working fine, especially with wide-field targets such as the Lagoon and Veil Nebula. To watch a video showing the microfocuser in action, click here.
Night Sky in Focus 