astrophotography equipment

Askar SQA55 Review

Askar SQA55 Full Review

Key Takeaways The Askar SQA55 uses high-quality optics to produce astrophotography images that are sharp, flat, and well-corrected. It features an innovative design with a variable aperture, similar to a camera lens with a manual focus ring. The small aperture (55mm) and short focal length (264mm) mean it is unsuitable for planetary imaging or photographing…

Sky-Watcher Wave 150i Strain Wave Mount Review

Sky-Watcher Wave 150i Strain Wave Mount Review

The Sky-Watcher Wave 150i strain wave mount is the latest equatorial tracking telescope mount from a brand known for its reliable astrophotography mounts. For the first time in Sky-Watcher’s history, this mount doesn’t require a counterweight.  Strain wave gear telescope mounts are designed to be compact, portable, and lightweight. In fact, the Sky-Watcher Wave 150i…

astrophotography introduction

Introduction to Deep-Sky Astrophotography

There is nothing like taking your first deep-sky astrophotography image. You’re taking pictures of objects that lie thousands or millions of light-years away. Galaxies, nebulae, and star-forming regions are out there, and there’s an endless supply of new targets to capture.  The best part is that you can see way more in an image than…

deep-sky astrophotography how-to

Deep-Sky Astrophotography How-To

While I have several videos discussing this topic of deep-sky astrophotography how-to on my YouTube channel, I realized it was time for a thorough walkthrough of my entire current process (2023) of capturing deep-sky images with a camera and telescope.  This article aims to accomplish that goal by providing a step-by-step roadmap to follow to…

ZWO AM5 Review

ZWO AM5 Full Review

The ZWO AM5 is the astrophotography mount I didn’t think I needed. Yes, it perfectly matches the color of my existing ZWO cameras (and ASIAIR Plus), but do I really need a tracking telescope mount that doesn’t require a counterweight? I have casually observed a number of harmonic drive telescope mounts appear in the astrophotography…

portable power station for astrophotography

Choosing a Portable Power Station for Astrophotography

One of the most common questions I get is “what portable power source do you use for astrophotography”. This is a hot topic in the astrophotography community, and there are many options to consider for powering your gear at night.  When deciding on an off-grid power station, you need to think about things like battery…

Photographing Thor's Helmet

Photographing Thor’s Helmet from the City

In this post, I’ll walk you through my process of photographing a jaw-dropping nebula in the night sky known as Thor’s Helmet. As usual, there were a number of challenges in my way, but it wouldn’t be astrophotography without a little stress now would it? I am using an imaging setup that I have used…

best astrophotography images

My Best Images & The Gear Used

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…

astrophotography images

The Gear Behind My Best Astrophotography Images

In this post, I’ll share my 10 best astrophotography images of the year, and the complete list of gear used to take them. I completed roughly 40 projects this year, and it was difficult to choose my favorite 10 images from the bunch.  The selection process involved remembering why each photo was so special. Why…