In this article, I’ll explain why I built a backyard observatory, and how the entire project took shape this spring. Officially named “Black Dog Observatory” this structure will become the epicenter of my astrophotography operations in the backyard. Below, is a photo of me standing in my new SkySked POD XL5 observatory. I expect many…
The AstroBackyard Backyard of the Week highlights astrophotography setups from around the world. A “backyard” can be a balcony, driveway, garden, or wherever else you set up astrophotography equipment at home. By taking a behind-the-scenes look at the equipment amateur astrophotographers use to take deep-sky images, you can get a better understanding of the process….
The Big Dipper is one of the most recognizable and easily found patterns of stars in the night sky. It includes seven bright stars from the constellation Ursa Major with four stars forming the bowl and three stars forming the handle. Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a large constellation that includes more…
Thank you to everyone who embraced the re-launch of the AstroBackyard Backyard of the Week! It was great to receive so many responses from the AstroBackyard community, and I am excited to share some really great astrophotography equipment profiles with you in the coming weeks. Be sure to fill out the form to submit your…
On this website, I do my best to share information and astrophotography tips that provide value. I could pat myself on the back about all of the great astrophotography images I took this year, but it is of little interest to anyone if I don’t explain how I took the shot. In this article, I’ll…
If you are looking to build your own deep sky astrophotography kit that includes a proven apochromatic refractor telescope and reliable equatorial mount, the following information should be very useful to you. For an idea of what you can expect with a rig like this, have a look at the image of the Sadr region…
The Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro is a computerized equatorial telescope mount with GoTo capabilities. This equatorial (EQ) mount is capable of providing precise, accurate tracking of the night sky, and is suitable for long-exposure astrophotography. The core specifications of this equatorial mount include having a built-in ST-4 autoguider port, a payload capacity of 44 pounds, and…
Thor’s Helmet is an emission nebula with an ionized HII region in the constellation Canis Major. The name of this nebula stems from its striking resemblance to the helmet of the famed Norse God of thunder and lightning. Thor’s Helmet is composed of cosmic dust and gas, which is revealed to have a blue-green appearance…
Thanks to my friends at Ontario Telescope and Accessories, a brand new Altair Hypercam 183C arrived at my door last week. The striking purple exterior color of this one-shot color CMOS camera makes a bold statement, but it’s the deep sky imaging capabilities of the cooled sensor that have captured my attention. There are many…
The Leo Triplet is an interesting group of 3 galaxies that are often observed and photographed within a single field of view. The Leo Triplet includes spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628. This group of galaxies is also known as the M66 group, and is found in the constellation Leo. Each one of the…
Right now is the absolute best time of the year for backyard astrophotography. The days are warm and the nights are clear, summer star gazing is here! The core of our Milky Way galaxy has returned to our night sky here in the Northern Hemisphere, and with it comes many celestial delights such as the…
M81 – Bode’s Galaxy Messier 81, also known as Bode’s Galaxy is a grand design spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. M81 is one of the brightest galaxies in our night sky, as seen here on Earth. Its size and well-defined spiral arms make it an enjoyable sight through almost any telescope or even…