These albums track my progress since 2018 using cameras for stargazing. My original aim was not perfect pictures but rather to see things and put them into scientific context while learning to capture useful images. Most sessions are at my home under light-polluted suburban skies. Digital imaging (a.k.a. electronically assisted astronomy, live stacking) provides a superior viewing experience over visual (eyepiece) observing in suburban settings, since light pollution prevents my eyes from becoming dark adapted. The GOTO mount points the telescope at small dim targets my naked eyes cannot see, and the camera not only intensifies the image for real time viewing on screen but saves it as a digital file for further processing and analysis.

A rewarding project has been documenting observations of 400 deep sky objects to earn the Astronomical League Herschel 400 certification. Initially I used the shortest exposure times needed to plate solve a target, which facilitated observation of dozens of targets in a single night, however, this produced unsatisfying mediocre galaxy images. Thirty minutes yields a much better image, although not as remarkable as a long exposure color image. Goal is to obtain AL certification in 2026 (one target remains as of 9 Jan 2026). In October 2023 I began using PixInsight (vice Photoshop) as the primary tool for DSO image processing.

By necessity I do strive for perfect pictures of the planets. There is little useful info in a mediocre planet image. In 2022 I began observations of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in our solar system (in conjunction with the ALPO) and more distant variable stars (in conjunction with the AAVSO) in support of scientific research. This required mastering different methods for image capture and processing, than for making beautiful DSO pictures. My planet imaging setup is a Celestron 11inch Edge HD SCT on an Atlas mount.

In January 2026 I began broadband and narrowband imaging using an ASIAir-based system, on a ZWO AM5 mount which carries either a wide-field (FL 250mm) Redcat51 refractor or a long focal length (750mm) Stellarvue SV80/9D achromatic refractor with a mono camera. The ASIAir modular 'smart telescope' setup is a joy to use compared to earlier imaging systems. To a greater extent I will tailor image capture and processing to the characteristics of each specific target. For example, broadband (LRGB) imaging is generally more effective for galaxies than narrowband imaging but can be enhanced by adding NB data -- some galaxies (M31, M101, etc) contain HII regions. Ha data can be combined with RGB data to produce a more useful image.

The images and observations are my own, except the few noted images. Information from Wikipedia and other sources provide context as noted.

All the Best! Dave Stokes