The year 2023 has not been a very good year for me realted to anything astro. Weather has been consistently bad day and night where I live in Miami, Florida. It also seems life has been particularly demanding this year as well. But, there were occasions when everything seemed to come together and I was able to capture something worthwhile. These are my better images of 2023: View attachment 8297 Orion's Sword and Nebula - January 1, 2023 View attachment 8301 Comet C 2022... My 2023 Astro Photo Showcase ..read more

It's been a productive year for me and astrophotography and I need your help in choosing my best photo of the year. You can only choose one: Mars (ASI 224mc) View attachment 8283 Comet ZTF (prime focus) View attachment 8284 The Orion Nebula (prime focus) View attachment 8285 Venus & Jupiter conjunction (prime focus) View attachment 8286 Venus clouds in UV (Astromania filter, ASI 224mc) View attachment 8289 Saturn (ASI 224mc) View attachment 8292 ... Looking for my Best Astrophoto of 2023 ..read more

It was quite a challenge, but I was up for it, and with a clear night calling I couldn't resist! Same setup: 180mm Mak, ASI 224mc, Celestron 2x Barlow, Firecapture, Registax 6, and Photoshop. The most difficult part was getting such a dim target (especially using Barlow) onto the sensor: View attachment 8281 For comparison, here is the recent image of Uranus using the same setup: View attachment 8282 To the ice giants! Reggie ..read more

Here are some prime focus images of Uranus over the past few years in conjunction with some other famous luminaries. I used my Orion 127mm Mak and Nikon D3200: View attachment 8274 View attachment 8275 ..read more

I never tried very hard to image Uranus except when it was in conjunction with a much brighter planet using my DSLR. This particular night I decided to try my luck with the ASI 224mc/Orion 180mm Mak combo. Getting the tiny disc of light on the sensor (and with a Barlow, no less) was a bit of a challenge but doable. I wasn't expecting to get any detail but hopefully a well-resolved bluish-green disc. I think I succeeded: View attachment 8273 ..read more

I woke up Thursday morning to this striking apparition of the waning crescent moon and Venus. I couldn't resist a shot! View attachment 8265 ..read more

Here are some images of Jupiter a few days past opposition with the GRS and Io transit visible! I used the usual gear - Orion 180mm Mak, ASI 224MC, captured with Firecapture and processed in Registax 6: More aggressive wavelets View attachment 8263 Less aggressive wavelets View attachment 8264 Reggie ..read more

Last night everything came together. I was up at 11:00pm and the sky was simply gorgeous. I didn't feel tired and decided to image Jupiter with the TV-85. It didn't take me that long to get everything set up and running. After taking three videos I switched to visual and admired the beauty of Jupiter and its moons for a while. This morning I processed the videos. The first and shortest one turned out to be the best. I tried several different ways, but the simplest processing gave the... FINALLY!!! - Jupiter 31 October 2023 ..read more

I was able to capture some nice images of Jupiter as it approaches opposition with the GRS visible, an Io transit (along with a distinct shadow), and Callisto nearby. Jupiter was at high elevation, almost directly overhead, with excellent seeing. Orion 180mm Mak-Cass, ASI 224mc, Firecapture, Registax 6, Photoshop Io was completing its transit as the GRS was rotating into view. Callisto is off to the right in this image: View attachment 8256 The GRS is near the center of Jupiter... Jupiter GRS, Io & Callisto ..read more

A night of good seeing resulted in a nice shot of Jupiter with the GRS visible and Io nearby. Shot with the 180mm Orion Mak, ASI-224mc, captured with Firecapture and processed in Registax 6: View attachment 8255 Regards, Reggie ..read more