Over 100 globular clusters orbit the center of the Milky Way. This one, found in the constellation Hercules, is the grandest we can see from the northern hemisphere. 25,000 light years away, it comprises several hundred thousand stars which photograph in a pleasing mix of blue and gold.
Tech stuff: Questar 3.5" telescope/ ZWO ASI 533 mono camera/ livestacked 4-second unguided exposures totaling 15 minutes for each of R, G, and B filters, processed with PixInsight. From my yard in Westchester County 10 miles north of New York City.

Tags:   Messier 13 M13 M13 Cluster questar Urban Astrophotography astrophotography

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It's hard to lay off of this spring target given the visual drama of the two intersecting galaxies. Here I've used a sensitive monochrome astro-cam to squeeze a lot of detail from a small scope in my suburban yard.

Tech Stuff: Questar 3.5"/ ZWO ASI 533MM/ RST-135E mount/ 85 minutes of 4 second exposures, captured with SharpCap Pro and processed with PixInsight. From my Bortle 7 yard 10 miles north of New York City.

Tags:   questar astrophotography galaxy M51 Messier 51 Whirlpool Galaxy

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22-25 million light years away with not just any black hole but a "supermassive" black hole at the center. Dwarf galaxy NGC 4248 stands by on the upper right.

Tech Stuff: Questar 3.5"/ ZWO ASI 533 MM/ RST-135-E mount. 100 minutes total of livestacked 8-second exposures, captured in SharpCap Pro and processed in PixInsight. From my yard in Westchester County, 10 miles north of NYC.

Tags:   astrophotography galaxy questar M106 Messier106

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A monochrome capture of M63, 400 billion stars 29 million light years away. One of the more prominent Messier objects in the winter sky. Here I've used my 3.5" Questar telescope on a robotic strain wave mount to facilitate capture during what has been a difficult season for imaging.

Tech Stuff: Questar 3.5"/ ZWO ASI 533 MM/ RST-135-E mount. 2 hours total of livestacked 8-second exposures, captured in SharpCap Pro and processed in PixInsight. From my yard in Westchester County, 10 miles north of NYC.

Tags:   astrophotography galaxy questar Sunflower Galaxy Messier 63 M63

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The moon passed in front of Mars on Monday night. This brief timelapse of the moment of "occultation" and re-emergence shows the view through a small but powerful backyard telescope married with contemporary imaging gear. I am pleased to see sufficient detail on the surface of Mars to note how much the planet rotated during the hour and a quarter it was hidden by the moon.

Tech Stuff:
Questar 3.5"/TV 2.5X PowerMate/QHY 5iii 178 camera. Captured in SharpCap, processed with PIPP, AstroSurface, and Luxea Pro video editor. From my yard in Westchester County NY.

Tags:   questar Moon and Mars

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