My Gear

When I returned to astronomy a few years ago, I assumed bigger was better. My first serious purchase was a Celestron CGX 800 EdgeHD—an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain with superb optics and a rock-steady equatorial mount. On paper, it was more than capable. In practice, it was more than I could manage.

The 2000mm focal length excelled at planets and distant galaxies but couldn't frame the wide nebulae I wanted to capture. The mount, built for stability, was too heavy to set up casually. I spent more time carrying equipment up from my basement than I spent under the sky. Before long, the telescope sat unused—and so did the hobby.

A year later, I tried something different: a newly released ZWO Seestar S50. With my very first image—the Orion Nebula, still featured on this site—I was back. The Seestar taught me that constraints can clarify. Its 250mm focal length and integrated design made doorstep imaging not just possible but enjoyable. For anyone exploring astrophotography for the first time, it remains a remarkable entry point.

But I eventually wanted more control—over filters, focus, and sensor performance—without losing what made the Seestar work: portability and a field of view suited to the targets I pursue.

I built a second rig around an Askar FRA300, a compact 300mm quintuplet refractor. Paired with a lightweight Explore Scientific iEXOS mount, a ZWO ASIAir controller, and an astro-modified Canon 70D, it gave me flexibility while staying portable enough to set up just beyond the doorstep. Over time I added a ZWO electronic focuser and eventually a ZWO ASI 585MC Air—a cooled camera with an integrated guide camera and controller—which pushed the setup beyond what the Seestar could offer while keeping the same essential approach.

Most images on this site come from one of these two configurations. Different tools, same philosophy: practical, portable, and shaped by the realities of imaging under bright city skies.

Coming soon: ZWO has announced the Seestar S30 Pro, with a wider 160mm focal length and the same Sony 585 sensor I use in my FRA300 rig. I have one on order and plan to run a comparison across all three setups—S50, S30 Pro, and the FRA300 rig—to see how they perform under Bortle 9 conditions.