Galaxies are the grandest stories in the night — entire worlds of stars shaped by gravity and time. Just beyond the doorstep, they become faint glows that reward patience and clear intention.
Under city skies, only the brightest reach through. But the camera gathers ancient light — photons that left their source millions of years before arriving here.
Integration: 60 minutes (120 × 30s)
Equipment: Askar FRA300/5.0 APO • ZWO ASI585MC-Air • Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-2
Filters: Optolong L-Quad Enhance
Acquisition: ASIAIR • ASIAIR Guiding
Processing: GraXpert • Siril • GIMP
Notes:
Captured on November 11, 2025. This was my longest integration so far. The moon was closer than ideal, and occasional wispy clouds drifted through. Seeing conditions were below average, so the final processing required patience to draw out detail from this faint object. Still, I'm satisfied enough to include it in the gallery—a benchmark to measure future attempts under better skies.
Integration: 10 minutes (20 × 30s)
Equipment: Askar FRA300/5.0 APO • Astro Mod Canon 70D • Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-2
Filters: SVBONY SV240 Multi Band Filter
Acquisition: ASIAIR
Processing: ASIAIR
Notes:
Captured on September 9, 2025. Even in the first handful of frames, Andromeda announced itself — bright, structured, unmistakable. This galaxy is so large and luminous that it rewards even the briefest attempt, and on this night it rose cleanly out of the background with almost no coaxing. The astro‑modified 70D and SV240 filter pulled in the core, dust lanes, and outer glow with surprising ease, a reminder that some targets don’t demand perfection or long hours — just a clear sky and a few minutes of generosity from the universe.
Integration: 21 minutes (122 × 10s)
Equipment: Seestar S50
Filters: Internal IR Cut
Acquisition: Seestar S50
Processing: Seestar S50
Notes:
Captured March 2, 2024. This was my first galaxy photo with the Seestar S50. M81 and M82 are a gravitationally interacting pair, and that interaction is what triggered the intense star formation in M82's core — visible as the red "starburst" region. I plan to revisit this target with different equipment in 2026.