Astrophotography

My recent astrophotography projects

Eagle and Swan Nebulae (M16 & M17)

Eagle and Swan Nebulae (M16 & M17)

2024-06-09

Camera Settings: 200mm f/5.6, ISO 800, 60 seconds lights, 90 Minutes Total Exposure

Gear: Nikon D7200, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI

Light Pollution: Bortle 2

Target: Eagle and Swan Nebulae

Processing: Integration of bias, darks, and flats frames, Stacked in DeepSkyStacker, processed in Siril and starnet++

Description: Captured in Bortle 2 skies in Wales, this 90-minute exposure of the Eagle and Swan Nebulae was taken with a Nikon D7200 and an 80-200mm lens. The processing involved the integration of bias, dark, and flat frames, bringing out the stunning details of these two neighboring nebulae.

North America Nebula (NGC 7000)

North America Nebula (NGC 7000)

2024-06-12

Camera Settings: 200mm f/5.6, ISO 800, 60 seconds lights, 1 Hour Total Exposure

Gear: Nikon D7200, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI

Light Pollution: Bortle 4

Target: North America Nebula

Processing: Integration of bias, darks, and flats frames, Stacked in DeepSkyStacker, processed in Siril and starnet++

Description: Captured from south of Bath, this 1-hour exposure of the North America Nebula was taken with a Nikon D7200 and an 80-200mm lens. Post-processing included integration of bias, dark, and flat frames, revealing the nebula's striking resemblance to the North American continent.

Sadar Region in Cygnus (IC 1318)

Sadar Region in Cygnus (IC 1318)

2024-06-08

Camera Settings: 200mm f/4, ISO 400, 60 seconds lights, 70 Mins Total Exposure

Gear: Nikon D7200, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI

Light Pollution: Bortle 4

Target: Sadar Region in Cygnus

Processing: Integration of bias, darks, and flats frames, Stacked in DeepSkyStacker, processed in Siril and starnet++

Description: Captured in Bortle 4 skies in Bath, this 70-minute exposure of the Sadar region in Cygnus was taken with a Nikon D7200 and an 80-200mm lens. I'm not happy with the stars or the editing, the folks over on the FriendlyCosmos Discord did a much better job with the data.

M101 Untracked

M101 Untracked

2023-05-31

Camera Settings: 200mm f/2.8, ISO 6400, 1.3 second lights

Gear: Nikon D7200, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Light Pollution: Bortle 4

Target: M101

Processing: 1,862 lights, 103 darks, 95 bias frames. Stacked in DeepSkyStacker with 2x drizzle (took over 14 hours), color calibration, background extraction, and stretching in Siril, starless processing in Starnet++, further editing in Darktable, and stars recomposed in GIMP

Description: Captured on 31st May 2023 from Bath, this untracked image of M101 was taken with a Nikon D7200 at 200mm (300mm effective). The total exposure time is ~40 minutes.

Rho Ophiuchi Untracked

Rho Ophiuchi Untracked

2024-05-27

Camera Settings: 50mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, 5 second lights

Gear: Nikon D7200, 50mm f/1.8 @ f/2.8

Light Pollution: Bortle 4/5

Target: Rho Ophiuchi

Processing: 1100 lights, 100 bias and dark frames. Stacked in DeepSkyStacker, stretching, background extraction, and color calibration in Siril, final processing in Darktable

Description: Captured on 27th May 2024 from Bath, this untracked image of Rho Ophiuchi was taken with a Nikon D7200 at 50mm f/2.8. The total exposure time is ~1h 30min in Bortle 4/5 skies.