Author Archives: paul

The Ultimate Astronomy Power Bank?

I’ve recently switched to using a mini-PC to drive my portable rigs. It is Intel N100 based so it is energy efficient but it consumes more power than the equivalent ASIAIR or a Raspberry Pi running Astroberry. I like N.I.N.A. … Continue reading

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The Horse Head Nebula (Barnard 33) and Flame Nebula

This is just part of the fascinating region of space in the constellation of Orion. I’ve stretched the image just enough to hint at the surrounding dust but in the forefront we have amazing reflection, emission and dark nebula all … Continue reading

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M42 the Great Orion Nebula and Running Man Nebula

This is probably the first object I ever looked at in the night sky and it is something I have always wanted to image in detail. Unfortunately it isn’t possible to see it from my observatory but my neighbour has … Continue reading

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The Pacman Nebula NGC 281, SH 2-184

The Pacman Nebula is a bright Ha and O3 emission nebula in Cassiopeia. The image below was captured over three nights in August. For this image I used the Svbony SV220 dual band filter with the Touptek AR533C. Integration time … Continue reading

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Touptek 54mm 2″ filter draw – initial review.

There is no information about this filter draw on Touptek’s website although I did find a reseller with basic outer dimensions and an installation video by Touptek! – none of it linked to by Touptek’s own website. That being said, … Continue reading

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Touptek ATR533C – IMX533 Cooled DSO Colour Camera. An Un-Boxing and First Light

(Updated with first light results 06/08/24)) Touptek cameras are very good performers and they seem to get rebranded by almost everyone. They are also priced very competitively, particularly if you buy direct. Finding out what you get in the box … Continue reading

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M101 Supernova SN2023ixf

In May of 2023 a new supernova was reported in galaxy M101. M101 is easy to image from my house and is big enough in the sky that a lot of detail can be resolved. Supernovas often appear brighter than … Continue reading

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Society and “truth”, Peter and Pete – a sad reflection

Growing fear/distrust leads to sad outcomes such as Peter & Pete. Continue reading

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The Whale and the Hockey Stick

This is NGC 4631 and NGC 4656-7 better known as the Whale and Hockey stick galaxies. Imaged over several nights 21-25th April 2022, I managed only a few hours total due to bad weather.

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The Sadr region – first light for my Samyang 135mm F2 lens and home brew mount.

This is a “first light” image taken with my new wide-field setup. Here we have the star Sadr in the constellation of Cygnus. Using narrowband Ha (56mins) and Oiii (30mins) filters I’ve captured the glowing dust in the region surrounding … Continue reading

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