I've taken some amazing astrophotos this year and I wanted to share the equipment I used for those
shots my approach and even some of the processing tips behind these images. After all I know you're
super pumped about the images I take right? But the reality is if I can't provide you with
useful information that you can apply yourself to take your own images, what's the point of watching?
First up is the Seagull Nebula, this is an emission nebula that sits on the border of
the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major. I was really blown away with this one it was the first
project I completed with the new ZWO ASI2600 MM Pro. Until this camera, I had never used a high
resolution large monochrome CMOS sensor before and it was a real game-changer. The signal that's
collected especially with a narrow band filter is so strong, and so pure there is no comparison
when you look at each color channel from a one-shot color camera and this one. This camera is
still currently attached to the Sky-Watcher Esprit 100, the telescope used for this shot.
Only now that system lives in the Black Dog observatory. The filters that I use with this
camera are chroma 3 nanometer narrowband filters and it's really a dream setup for me. When you
have plenty of exposure time through each one of your narrowband filters you have the advantage of
being able to pull up those SII and OIII signals to match the dominant h-alpha. This is how you create
stunning well balanced in terms of color hubble palette images. Did i just give away the secret?
For many deep-sky objects, you'll need to double down on a particular wavelength, say OIII, and this is
where a quality filter and sensitive camera really prove their worth. I mean when I look at this image
I see those brilliant golds and the deep blues, something that's really hard to achieve if you
don't have enough signal in those SII and OIII channels. And if you've ever tried to create
that faux hubble palette look using a one-shot color camera, that's the most difficult part to
achieve this look. So if you really love these styles of images, go for a monochrome camera
and narrowband filters and build the image that way. That's how you can really get
this style of images. When I first saw this Seagull Nebula I thought to myself i finally
did it, this is how it's done. Next up, we have the M106 Galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici
and i'll say this right now taking galaxy photos like this in my backyard is really challenging.
The seeing sucks, I'm usually shooting through a thin layer of clouds or the moon is out. I guess
what i'm trying to say is the guy's downloading data from a remote setup in the desert will always
crush my galaxy images. But I'm still super pumped about this image, to capture a small galaxy like
this in detail has always been a dream of mine and it's a real thrill to see it come to fruition.
When I think back to the smudges I used to capture with my DSLR and small refractor back in the day
this is really special. This one was captured using the big Celestron Edge HD11 SCT and the
reason I use that one of course is for that long focal length. The native focal length of
that scope is 2800mm. I used my full frame mirrorless camera, the Canon EOS Ra and I
even used the reducer, the 0.7x reducer to bring the focal length back to 2000mm
but to bump up that light-gathering ability just a little bit. The image scale is a bit off in this
system and you can probably tell when you look at the image. I am oversampled, which means that
the stars and the details in the galaxy are a little soft. You can probably see that. Could I've
achieved a better result using a shorter focal length refractor, something like the Esprit 150
at 1000mm and just crop the image into the galaxy, it's possible. Either way the Edge
HD 11 is my long focal length scope that I use for anything small really, and it's a huge thrill to
pull in these small objects in for a closer look. Okay next up is the Sunflower Galaxy and again, I
use the Celestron Edge HD 11, but this time i use the ASI2600MM Pro dedicated astronomy camera in
place of my mirrorless. Because this is a broadband subject, galaxies are, I used LRGB filters with this
monochrome camera to create a full color image. I achieved a better result with this camera over my
mirrorless camera which shouldn't be so surprising. It actually has half of the exposure time of the
M106 image and I think there's a stronger signal overall. The moon was nearly full this night too,
so not a bad result from the city under these conditions. Because I took these images bin 1x1
the result is a little on the soft side but I was able to sharpen it up quite a bit in post. The
next time I shoot with this setup I'll definitely bin 2x2 to sharpen things up a bit and improve
the image scale. It'll be interesting to see if it makes a noticeable difference or not, I have a
feeling it will. I find that image scale becomes a lot more important as you increase the focal
length of your telescope. So if you're looking for a new scope, especially a longer reach one,
keep in mind the pixel size of the camera you're currently using. Okay we've gone from super-deep
now to ultra-wide. This is the Eagle Nebula, and the surrounding emission nebulae, in the constellation
Serpens. This one was captured using my Radian 61 apo refractor at 275mm in a full-frame
Canon EOS Ra. A full frame sensor at 275 can pull in a lot of space at once and for busy regions
like this, it is so interesting and I love it. The little Radian 61 was made for projects like this
and from the moment it arrived, I couldn't wait to point it towards the core of the Milky Way
like this. To capture images like this from my backyard I really need some serious filters to
cut through the light pollution of the light dome towards the center of the city. So for this one I
used the Radian Triad Ultra filter and it did a great job of separating the nebulous regions from
a light-polluted washed-out sky. In my experience I've found that the Canon EOS Ra with a multi-band
multi-bandpass narrowband filter is the sweet spot for this scope and the most practical way
to use it. The Radian Triad ultra and the Optolong L-eXtreme are the filters I reach for first when
capturing emission nebulae and supernova remnants from my backyard here in the city.
You get small stars, punchy dynamic highlights in the hydrogen regions and that washed out sky is
just gone - it's magic. Now this one really surprised me. This is the Pelican Nebula in Cygnus, and again
the ASI2600MM Pro monochrome dedicated astronomy camera was used, and only narrowband filters in ha
and OIII to be exact. So it's an HOO palette image and I just found the details to be extra sharp and
beautiful in this region. the HOO palette is simply hydrogen map to red and then OIII mapped to the green
and blue channels. It's a really nice look for a lot of objects especially this Pelican Nebula.
So this is what's possible using narrowband filters from the city, just look at those crispy details
in this object. Looking back it's actually a little too sharp for my liking and maybe you agree with
that, but if you're tired of bloated stars and soft images, maybe this is exactly what you're
looking for, this kind of look. It was also when I explored deconvolution in PixInsight for the
first time so maybe that had something to do with it. The telescope used for this shot was the Esprit
100, so focal length of 550mm, which is perfect for these mid-range, midsize targets
like the Pelican Nebula and nearby North America Nebula. If you're seeing a theme here,
I use the 2600 and the Esprit 100 for a lot of projects this year and I'm so happy with it, that's
why that's the rig that went into the observatory, at least for now. Okay, time to go in a completely
different direction - planets. To be specific, the big boy, the gas giant known as Jupiter. Planetary
astro or solar system photography is still largely unexplored for me simply because I didn't have a
telescope with enough reach to pull them in for a closer look until recently. If you're currently
a deep sky astro photographer like me, and you're thinking about tackling the world of planets...wait
did I go backwards? Get ready for a whirlwind of new techniques and new software to learn.
It's a completely different animal, even though it's still tracking and cameras and telescopes -
it's actually quite astonishing how different the overall experience is in planetary versus deep-sky.
All because instead of wide, long exposure images it's ultra long, short video exposure files.
My latest and best image of Jupiter was captured with a small planetary camera, the ASI 462MC.
It's a small, uncooled camera. It's essentially like a guide camera with a tiny sensor on it.
But this is the kind of camera you want to use for planetary imaging. Photographing planets is
essentially a game of recording video files of the planet under the best scene conditions with the
best focus possible. Small sensors, high frame rates and gigabytes of data bringing your PC to a crawl.
Once you capture these videos, the stacking and registration process is pretty straightforward
and actually fun and fluid. You can really get up to speed quickly in this aspect. In my experience
the processing isn't nearly as intense as it is in deep-sky. It's all a matter of making
sure you captured that beautiful, crisp video of the planet in as best seeing as possible. But as
you can imagine, finding and tracking these planets at, nearly 3000mm focal length in my case,
is very demanding of the accuracy of your telescope mount. I used the Sky-Watcher EQ8
for my photo of Jupiter and this mount has been downright flawless since the day it arrived. And
the impressive payload capacity allows me to mount large telescopes like this Edge HD 11.
Lastly, we have my current favorite rig. The rig I reach for even if it's supposed to be clear
for only an hour and a half. This photo of the Iris Nebula is somewhat of a bucket shot for
me. I've always wanted to capture this reflection nebula under a truly dark sky and I finally did it.
For deep images of dusty space like this, you can really create a dynamic scene by pulling up those
faint areas of nebulosity and minimizing all the stars in the field. Tools like StarNet++
and the 'Enhanced DSO' and 'Reduced Stars' action in the astronomy tools action set were made for
processing photos like this. The telescope used for this shot is the new William Optics Redcat 71. An
ultra flat, well-corrected imaging apo that was designed for wide-field deep-sky projects, just
like this.The camera used for this one was the ZWO ASI2400MC Pro, so a color camera with a
full frame sensor. This is essentially the cooled replacement for my mirrorless Canon EOS Ra. A full
frame allows me to utilize the native focal length of 350mm on the Redcat 71 and capture
these large swaths of space in a single shot, in full color. It's a beautiful thing. Remember using
a camera and telescope like this, this wide field, gradients and light pollution can be a real pain
if you don't deal with them correctly. Careful calibration frames, particularly your flat frames,
are essential to really even out that field and to be able to create a healthy intermediate image
for you to process further. I've been running this camera on the ASIAir Plus and I can officially
say I'm back on the ASIAir train. It is just way too reliable and painless to ignore. My laptop
is now reserved for imaging sessions that require more tools, such as planetary imaging, or situations
where I want to use a non-ASI camera. I hope the descriptions of the gear I used for each shot
and the reasons why have given you some useful insights that you can apply to your own progress
in astrophotography. Having the opportunity to test a wide variety of gear, cameras, and telescopes,
gives me an extra appreciation towards the tools that allow me to move towards the image in my mind
and not obsess over numbers on a screen. The clear winners in my mind this year were the ASI2600MM Pro
camera, which I should have mentioned did have the oil leak issue, but it was easy enough to clean
and get back into action. It's just a shame that that's happened to so many people. The Celestron
Edge HD 11 continues to deliver value to me in the form of my best images of planets and small
galaxies to date. The Sky-Watcher EQ6 and EQ8 mounts have been so reliable that I just simply don't
worry about things like tracking accuracy and guiding anymore. The only thing that sucks about
these mounts is that they're impossible to find in stock these days.
I wanted to thank all of you for watching my videos this year - whether you're new to the channel or a long time subscriber.
I'll end the video with a little 'best of 2021' montage and I hope the images remind you of some
of the stories and moments we shared together throughout the year. Until next time, clear skies!