🔭AstroBackyard

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula 📷 Here is an amazing astrophotography target you need to try this year with your wide-field refractor telescope. Cepheus is full of killer astro targets, but IC 1396 is the grand daddy of them all; it's absolutely massive. I took this picture from my backyard in 2022, using narrowband filters to cut through the light pollution and reveal this intricate structure. This image was processed in the SHO palette, with SII mapped to red, Ha to green, and OIII to blue for that dramatic false-color look. A monochrome camera is recommended, and it was a total game-changer for me on targets like this. Good luck, and clear skies! Gear Used: Camera: bit.ly/4nPzzeF Telescope: bit.ly/4fcYsxa Mount: bit.ly/4fAWbvQ Photo Details: 🟢60 x 240s Ha 🔵45 x 240s OIII 🔴50 x 240s SII Total: 10 Hours, 20 Minutes

@NebulaPhotos Congrats Nico!!

My image of 'The Tadpoles of IC410' is today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day! Check it out here: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260317.… #Astrophotography

Are You Ready for GALAXY SEASON? These are my top astrophotography targets for March-May, with example photos and tips for each one! astrobackyard.com/8-deep-sky-tar…

The Trapezium ✨ See those 4 tiny stars right in the middle? That's the 'Trapezium Cluster' at the heart of the Orion Nebula. I used several short exposures (5-seconds) to preserve the brilliant group of young stars in Orion’s luminous core. I thought it would be cool to capture a shot like this as a nice 'send off' to Orion for another year. 👋 Camera: bit.ly/4aofGaA Telescope: bit.ly/3YxGbTA Filter: None!

@hoodigainer @DEFCFC 🤣

@DEFCFC Forgot him

Top 50 players in the nba rn

The telescope used (Ashley for scale)

This is a real galaxy... captured through my telescope

My telescope doing its thing...

3 Galaxies In Single Shot 🤯 My latest picture from the backyard is the 'Leo Triplet', a collection of galaxies 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It's officially 'Galaxy Season' for us astrophotographers - and I'll be taking as many photos as possible over the next 2 months🙂 To capture this image, I focused my camera and telescope on this tiny patch of the sky for 2 nights straight. In total, I collected 8 hours of exposure time (60 x 120s each for LRGB filter) with my reflector telescope. (Gear pic in the comments) Equipment Used: Camera: bit.ly/4nPzzeF Telescope: bit.ly/3IKurJv Mount: bit.ly/47DkiI6

The Tulip Nebula 📸 Here is my latest take on the stunning Tulip Nebula in the constellation Cygnus, a bright emission nebula about 6,000 light-years from Earth. This version includes 9 hours of total exposure time through my 8-inch Newtonian telescope in the backyard (over 3 nights) in October. This is one of the first nebulae I like to go after in the spring when Cygnus returns (the Crescent Nebula is another good one in this area!) I am really excited to go after some galaxies in March/April using this setup, as it has a larger aperture and longer focal length than I am used to with my refractors! Gear Used: Camera: bit.ly/4nPzzeF Telescope: bit.ly/3IKurJv Mount: bit.ly/3WNMemz Photo Details: 3 Hours in each SHO filter (9 hours total) Processing in PixInsight and Photoshop

The 'Shrimp Nebula' 📸 Here is a neat little planetary nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia that you can try this year. This object is catalogued as Sharpless 188 (Sh2-188), and is relatively small compared to other nebulae in Cassiopeia. I took this picture from the backyard last fall using a longer-focal-length telescope and a color astronomy camera. The image includes a whopping 13 hours of total exposure time - which is a LOT by my standards! It's one of many successful test images using the 'Smart' version of the popular ASI585MC Pro - and I hope to run it again soon! IMAGE DETAILS: 160 x 300s (over 4 nights) 13 Hours, 20 Minutes Total Processing in PI and PS GEAR USED: Camera: bit.ly/4gYAnMk Telescope: bit.ly/3YxGbTA Filter: bit.ly/3EnvQ3t

I trusted the AM7 not to drop my heaviest telescope - Ashley wasn't so sure. 😅 You can see the whole thing play out in today's video: youtu.be/te7ImlewEAA?si…

The M78 Reflection Nebula in Orion 📷

Hydrogen Clouds in a Deep Freeze 🥶 I set up my telescope in the freezing cold (-20°C) last night to capture this vibrant nebula in the constellation Perseus. Known by astronomers as the 'California Nebula', this deep-sky emission nebula lies about 1,500 light-years away from Earth. This is a great beginner astrophotography target to try (even from the city). It's big, bright, and straightforward to process compared to other targets out there. Despite the serious imaging power of this system, I can easily bring it out of my garage in a hurry on a surprise clear night (About 40 pounds in total) This was another much-needed night of testing the new AM7 mount, which was clearly built for my Canadian winters! 😄 Image Details: 75 x 4-minutes (5 Hours Total) Gear Used: Camera: bit.ly/3CaQWUI Telescope: bit.ly/46iImQK Mount: bit.ly/46vKN1F Please share your images of the California Nebula in the comments so others can get some inspiration for their next project. Clear skies, everyone

The Jellyfish Nebula 📷 Here's one I took last year from the backyard - the incredible 'Jellyfish Nebula' in the constellation Gemini. I captured this supernova remnant using a small telescope/lens called the SVBONY SV555 under a nearly full moon. The image includes 7.5 hours of total exposure time, and to be honest, it could have used another 7 to process it correctly! Although my copy of the SV555 had some optical anomalies, others have praised it for its sharpness. I'll give it another chance later this month. Maybe I am missing something! 🤷‍♂️ 90 x 300-seconds (using a dual-narrowband filter) Camera: bit.ly/3CaQWUI Lens: amzn.to/4a68W1g Mount: bit.ly/4oCFfcJ

The Tadpoles 📸 Here is my latest picture from the backyard using a portable deep-sky telescope setup! This is a great winter astrophotography target you can capture this month, as Auriga is still nice and high in the sky. The 'Tadpoles of IC 410' are globules made of dense gas and dust, and are around 10 light-years long. While these guys are the stars of the show, the nebula as a whole looks amazing. I captured this on a recent clear night with my color camera and compact refractor telescope. It was incredibly cold that night, so a quick and simple setup was a must (or I wouldn't have even gone out!) Image Details: 100 x 4-minutes (6.5 Hours Total) Processing in PI and PS Gear Used: Camera: bit.ly/4gYAnMk Telescope: bit.ly/4ah6uDI Mount: bit.ly/4oCFfcJ (picture of my setup in the comments) 🤓

@DanielFVigil dual narrowband - Optolong L-eXtreme!

@AstroBackyard Is the true color or filter / narrow band? Currently imaging this in SHO.

The Rosette Nebula 📷 My latest picture from the backyard is the dynamic Rosette Nebula in Monoceros. A stunning emission nebula that spans 130 light-years across. The Rosette Nebula is the official astrophotography target of February! Okay, I made that up, but it is a great target for this month. This is my 'first light' testing the new ZWO AM7 mount - the largest model in their harmonic drive lineup. I am happy to report it does indeed perform flawlessly in -20C weather 😄 I have a lot more to share about this setup soon! IMAGE DETAILS: 67 x 5-minutes (5.5 Hours Total) Processed in PI and PS GEAR USED: Camera: bit.ly/3CaQWUI Telescope: bit.ly/46iImQK Mount: bit.ly/46vKN1F

@AstroGiff Veralux!

@AstroBackyard Are you using the new MAS tool in PixInsight? It is almost taking all the fun out of stretching.😎

NGC 281 🌌 My latest project from the backyard is the 'Pacman Nebula' in Cassiopeia - and it's one of my absolute favorite objects. I used my color camera with a dual-bandpass filter to isolate this dynamic nebula from the city sky (it's nice and bright!) This is one of those objects I keep coming back to, and it keeps getting better as I learn new processing techniques. The data is actually from last fall, but I spent the morning reprocessing it. 🤓 If you're in the northern hemisphere with a clear view to the north-western sky, you can capture this object right now - or wait until late spring to get it rising in the northeast! Gear Used: Camera: bit.ly/4aofGaA Telescope: bit.ly/3YxGbTA Filter: bit.ly/3EnvQ3t 120 x 4 minutes (8 hours total) Processing in PixInsight and Photoshop