Month: April 2025

  • Hickson 68 Galaxy Field

    So after a lot of research and help from my friends, a match was finally found on the Galaxy object that I was researching as potentially uncatalogued! While that is mildly disappointing, it’s all good and the entire research process was fun and interesting! I’m definitely going to keep looking for unidentified objects in my…

  • Cleaning Optics

    Crystal Clear Optics in Less Than 30 Minutes: A Step-by-Step Guide Achieving crystal-clear optics is essential for capturing stunning astrophotography images. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through a straightforward process to clean your telescope’s image train optics effectively and safely—all in under 30 minutes.

  • Possible uncategorized galaxy

    While imaging the Hickson 68 galaxy group on February 10, 2025, I noticed a faint, elongated object near pixel coordinates (504.5, 927.0) in my final stacked image. This object appeared distinct from stars, showing structure consistent with a small galaxy. What followed was a deep-dive into astrometric tools and catalogs to determine whether this was…

  • What is Plate Solving? Plate solving is a technique used to identify celestial objects in images taken through telescopes. Also known as astrometric solving, it compares the star pattern in an image to known catalogs and determines the exact celestial coordinates. This information is then used to align telescopes, frame targets precisely, and automate various…

  • Integrating NINA's Advanced API with Home Assistant: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Integrating NINA’s Advanced API with Home Assistant: A Step-by-Step Guide Astrophotographers continually seek ways to streamline their imaging sessions. Integrating NINA’s Advanced API with Home Assistant offers a powerful method to monitor and control your equipment seamlessly. In this guide, we’ll walk through the process, enabling you to enhance your astrophotography workflow.​