Category: Astrophotography

All posts featuring astronomical photos

Stargazing Sites near NCR

We’ve visited a number of stargazing sites just 50 km from Manila where one could camp out, stargaze, and do some astrophotography. Bring your own tent and telescope, and lots of food!

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Milky Way | Bacoor

Milky Way imaged from a heavily light-polluted skies of Bacoor, Cavite, just 18 km from Manila. Taken with a Canon 1100D DSLR with kit lens on a DIY tracker. This photo is a stack of 5 frames at 90 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 7.5 minutes, ISO 400, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
Related link: How To Take Photos of the Milky Way

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

M33 Pinwheel Galaxy

M33 Pinwheel Galaxy imaged with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Canon 450D DSLR on a motorized mount with DIY controller. This photo is a stack of 2 frames at 90 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 3 minutes, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

M81 Bode’s and M82 Cigar Galaxy

M81 Bode’s and M82 Cigar Galaxy imaged with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Canon 450D DSLR on a motorized mount with DIY controller. This photo is a stack of 4 frames at 240 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 16 minutes exposure time, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

M27 Dumbbell Nebula

M27 Dumbbell Nebula imaged with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Canon 450D DSLR on a motorized mount with DIY controller. This photo is a stack of 5 frames at 90 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 7.5 minutes, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Flame and Horsehead Nebula

Flame and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion, imaged with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Canon 450D DSLR on a motorized mount with DIY controller. This photo is a stack of 6 frames at 180 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 18 minutes, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

M1 Crab Nebula

M1 Crab Nebula, imaged with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Canon 450D DSLR on a motorized mount with DIY controller. This photo is a stack of 6 frames at 100 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 10 minutes, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

M31 Andromeda Galaxy

M31 Andromeda Galaxy, imaged with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Canon 450D DSLR on a motorized mount with DIY controller. This photo is a stack of 6 frames at 180 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 18 minutes, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

M42 Orion Nebula

M42 Orion Nebula, imaged with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Canon 450D DSLR on a motorized mount with DIY controller. This photo is a stack of 10 frames at 360 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 60 minutes, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy imaged with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Canon 450D DSLR on a motorized mount with DIY controller. This photo is a stack of 8 frames at 240 seconds sub-exposure, for a total of 32 minutes exposure time, processed in IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Saturn | April 2021

Saturn is now a little bit higher in the early morning sky. While still considerably dimmer than Jupiter, it registers quite well with a web camera. A hint of the ring’s Cassini division and Saturn’s cloud bands are visible in this photo captured with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and an SPC900NC web camera.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Related links:
Web Camera for Imaging Planets
Dash Camera for Imaging Planets

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Mars Occultation

The moon is also known to eclipse planets, and one such event involving Mars occurred on April 17, 2021, a relatively rare astronomical event visible in the southern part of the country. I was able to observe and photograph Mars before it was eclipsed or hidden from view by the moon, from Bacoor City, Philippines. Mars’s red hue and some lunar craters are visible in this photo.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Related link: Lunar Occultation of Jupiter

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Europa’s Shadow on Jupiter

Europa casts a shadow on Jupiter, imaged on April 17, 2021 at 4:30 am local time (20:30 UTC, April 16) using a 4 in f/9 refractor and an SPC900NC web camera. This photo is a stack of 1000 frames from a 4-minute video of Jupiter, processed using IRIS.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Related links:
Transit of Callisto
Transit of Io

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

International Space Station | April 2021

International Space Station (ISS) imaged in Bacoor, Cavite, on April 12, 2021, 6:24 pm local time (10:24 UTC), as it orbits at a height of 420 km above the Philippines. The main body, radiator fins, and the solar panels of the satellite are visible in this photo. Image taken with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a Polaroid N302 dash camera. To watch a video on how this image was taken, click here.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Related link: International Space Station | March 2012

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Transit of Callisto | April 2011

Jupiter’s moon Callisto appearing as a dark dot against the bright planet’s disc, was seen transiting Jupiter on April 4, 2021, 5 am local time. Another Jupiter’s moon, Io, the cloud bands, and the great red spot, are also visible in this photo. Very bad seeing conditions made it difficult to capture sharper views of the planet. This image was captured with a 4 in f/9 refractor and a dash camera.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Related links:
Transit of Io
Transit of Venus

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Saturn Imaged with a Dashcam

Saturn is also now visible in the early morning sky. It is considerably dimmer than Jupiter. A hint of the ring’s Cassini division is visible in this photo captured with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and a dash camera.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Related link: Dash Camera for Imaging Planets

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Jupiter | April 2021

Jupiter is now visible in the early morning sky. It is still low in the horizon making it very difficult to image. Jupiter’s cloud bands are visible in this photo captured with a 4 inch f/9 refractor and an SPC900NC web camera.

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
Related link: Dash Camera for Imaging Planets

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Lunar Craters | 2021

  • Moon Craters | Sky-Watcher 4 in f/9 refractor
  • Moon Craters | Sky-Watcher 4 in f/9 refractor
  • Moon Craters | Sky-Watcher 4 in f/9 refractor
  • Moon Craters | Sky-Watcher 4 in f/9 refractor

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
Related link: Dash Camera for the Imaging the Moon and Planets

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Earthshine and Planetary Grouping| March 2021

Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, and the crescent moon formed a celestial grouping on March 11, 2021, visible to the unaided eye. Also observed was the moon’s earthshine, in which the crescent moon’s darker surface is illuminated not directly by the Sun, but by sunlight reflected off the Earth.

  • Moon’s Earthshine
  • Mercury (left), Jupiter (center), and Saturn (top right) form a celestial grouping with the crescent moon

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.
Related link: Moon | February 2021

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Sunspot AR 12192 | October 2014

This is an image of the Sun showing the sunspot AR 12192, the largest sunspot of the solar cycle 2010 to 2020. This image was taken at solar maximum when the sun is most active during a cycle. It was imaged in October 2014 in Quezon City using a 4 in f/9 refractor and a Baader ND 5 solar filter. The textured surface of the Sun and a number of sunspots are visible in this photo. Never observe or image the Sun without the proper solar filters.

  • Sunspot AR12192 | Sky-Watcher 4 in f/9 refractor
  • Sunspot AR12192 | Sky-Watcher 4 in f/9 refractor

For a complete list of astrophoto images, click here.

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)