2023 Astro Gear Recommendations
February 14, 2023
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2 Comments
2023 Astro Gear Recommendations I'm going to start off this article by listing my recommended gear for 2023. If you've been following me for a while, then most of this will actually look pretty familiar. I don't update my gear that often, especially when I find something that works well.
ZWO AM5 with tripod
ASIAir Plus / ASIAir Mini
William Opti...
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Fornax LightTrack II Review
January 11, 2022
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2 Comments
Initial Impressions I've spent the last 4 years using almost every star tracker on the market, with one notable exception - the Fornax LighTrack II. I had seen this tracker here and there on the internet, but never had a chance to actually try one out. Thankfully, one of my supporters, Kip, had this mount and was willing to lend it out for a few mo...
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Focus On Stars - Wide Angle Bahtinov Mask | Review
June 17, 2021
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2 Comments
If you've read my previous article on the Kase SharpStar Filters, then you know a Bahtinov Mask is a great way to focus at night! However, there's one problem - these filters don't work well with wide angle lenses (35mm and wider). The wider the focal length, the less visible the diffraction spike becomes. This is where Gábor Takács' Focus On Stars...
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Kase Filters AstroBlast Review
June 08, 2021
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3 Comments
If you've been doing Milky Way photography for a while now, you might be getting a bit bored with the same old results. I know I was getting tired of the same small, sharp stars in all of my Milky Way photos. There are some great astrophotographers out there that create really dreamy looking nightscape images. There are two different ways to create...
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Kase Filters Bahtinov Mask Review
March 11, 2021
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1 Comment
Whether you've been doing astrophotography for one week, or 10 years, you've likely had trouble focusing your telescope / lens. This is especially a problem on some older DSLRs, where you can hardly see the stars on Live View. Usually, the best you can do is slowly rotate the focus ring until the star looks as small as possible. Not exactly precise...
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Dithering with a DSLR and Star Tracker
September 21, 2020
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Dithering with a DSLR and Star Tracker Dithering is a special process that should allow you to fix some annoying problems in your astro images. Many sensors produce fixed pattern noise, which can include hot pixels, banding, color mottle, and purple glow. Canon cameras tend to have very bad banding issues, along with color noise. Nikon cameras ofte...
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Nikon D780 Review - Astrophotography
April 05, 2020
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11 Comments
Nikon D780 Review - Astrophotography
The Nikon D780 is the long-awaited replacement for the popular D750. I've been using a Nikon D750 for the past 5 years for all of my astrophotography, landscapes, wildlife, portraits, and more. The camera has done a phenomenal job, but it was starting to show its age. There were also a few small problems with t...
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A Guide to Astrophotography Filters
February 19, 2020
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18 Comments
Astrophotography Filters In this article we’ll be looking at the different astrophotography filters and how to properly use them. These filters are mainly designed for monochrome camera users. If you have a color astro camera or DSLR, then you won’t get the full benefits of using narrowband or LRGB filters. You could go for some unique light pollut...
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Choosing your first Dedicated Astro Camera
February 12, 2020
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Choosing your first Dedicated Astro Camera If you are considering purchasing your first astro camera, you’re probably overwhelmed! Do I want a monochrome or color camera? What brand should I go with? Do I need filters? How do I even use this camera? We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started!
*Before we get into all the details, I want to ment...
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Pairing a Camera with a Telescope / Lens
December 28, 2019
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27 Comments
Pairing a Camera and Lens / Telescope for Astrophotography Astrophotography is a fairly complicated hobby, and there's a lot to learn! One of the most important aspects of astrophotography is picking the correct camera for your lens or telescope (and vice versa!) For all my fellow photographers out there, we are very familiar with focal length, and...
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William Optics High Latitude Base Review
November 24, 2019
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9 Comments
William Optics High Latitude Base Review
While I was reviewing the Space Cat, AgenaAstro was kind enough to send me a William Optics Latitude Base to test out. This base comes in two different configurations – High Latitude (32-59) and Low Latitude (7-34). You should choose the base depending on your shooting location. For example, I normally ta...
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William Optics Space Cat Review
November 24, 2019
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25 Comments
William Optics Space Cat Review
For the past two years I’ve done most of my deep space astrophotography with an iOptron SkyGuider Pro, Nikon D750, and a Tamron 150-600mm lens. This combo works surprisingly well, and I like the versatility it offers. However, I have been looking to upgrade to a real telescope for some time now. The clear choice for...
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MoveShootMove Star Tracker Review
October 07, 2019
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26 Comments
First Impressions This is a very small, lightweight, and portable star tracker. It's so portable that I can even fit it inside my pocket! For those of you who already have a star tracker, like the Star Adventurer, you are probably tired of lugging that thing around! The Star Adventurer itself weighs over 2lbs, and that's not including the latitude...
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Light Pollution Filters for Astrophotography
August 05, 2019
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11 Comments
Quick Recap - Electromagnetic Spectrum Before we begin, I wanted to make sure we are all on the same page. The electromagnetic spectrum is a large range of wavelengths, including Ultra-Violet, Infrared, Visible Light, X-Ray, and more! Our eyes and cameras are only capable of detecting a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This narrow ran...
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Auto-Guiding with the SkyGuider Pro
April 03, 2019
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49 Comments
What is an Auto-Guider? Last Updated: April 26, 2020
An auto-guider is a small camera that sends commands to your star tracker, drastically increasing the tracking accuracy!
In order to use the auto-guider, you'll also need a guide scope. This guide scope is just a small lens that allows the auto-guider camera to see the stars. Once you have an a...
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