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This was my first time seeing—and imaging—a comet. Facing directly toward O'Hare airport, the light pollution was intense, yet the comet revealed itself through the camera even when invisible to the naked eye. A reminder that the sensor often sees what we cannot. Handheld at 80mm, I experimented with multiple exposure settings and found 1/3 second to be the sweet spot—long enough to capture the comet's glow, short enough to minimize motion blur. Several frames were needed to get a steady shot without a tripod. A once-in-a-lifetime visitor, and a fitting first entry for the Comets page. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1768937496425-JM6HQF5CVWAK91IVKABS/IMG_0372.jpg Home - Comets - Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) Integration: 6 minutes (13 × 30s) Equipment: Askar FRA300/5.0 APO • ZWO ASI585MC-Air • Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-2 Filters: IR Acquisition: ASIAIR • ASIAIR Guiding Processing: ASIAIR Notes: Captured on October 26, 2025. This was my second attempt to capture Comet Swan with the FRA300 rig—the previous night's session failed due to manual focus issues. The green glow is what I expected, though I had hoped to capture a visible tail. I cut the session short at 6 minutes when I noticed the star trailing, thinking something was wrong—but that may simply be the result of the ASIAir tracking the comet's movement rather than the stars. Still learning what's normal when imaging comets. https://bortle9astro.com/home/nebulae monthly 0.5 2026-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1772223961707-GMW9W7E5JS849UA6AN7K/HOO_finalRosette.jpg Home - Nebulae https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1772800390117-HF7W9BGGT3H29U16ZTII/SHO_final.jpg Home - Nebulae https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1772036265625-OJNHOT7Q54N3AIUD0B6S/Siril_GIMP_Rosette_v2_2.25.26.jpg Home - Nebulae - NGC 2237 Rosette Nebula & NGC 2244 Satellite Cluster Integration: 16 minutes (16 x 60s) Equipment: Askar FRA300/5.0 APO • ZWO ASI585MC-Air • Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-2 Filters: SVBONY SV220 7nm Dual Band Acquisition: ASIAIR • ASIAIR guiding Processing: GraXpert • Siril • GIMP Notes: Captured on February 11, 2026. Just 16 minutes of integration—proof that strong emission nebulae deliver fast under Bortle 9. The larger aperture and dual-band filter reveal significantly more detail in the petals and dark rifts than the Seestar S50 version (also in this gallery). 60s subs at gain 250 with dithering (10px every frame). Captured same night as the Horsehead Nebula. The top image was created using an HOO palette, the middle image was created using a derived SHO (Hubble-style) palette both with custom Siril scripts - from the same integration data as the bottom image. Field Notes ”Painting with Light You Can’t See” have been published to detail the methodology. A free download of the custom Siril python script for HOO/SHO processing is also in this Field Note. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1772380493085-1IUWOV88P8HDYQ3K18HN/HOO_Horsehead.jpg Home - Nebulae - IC 434 Horsehead Nebula ntegration: 60 minutes (60 x 60s) Equipment: Askar FRA300/5.0 APO • ZWO ASI585MC-Air • Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-2 Filters: SVBONY SV220 7nm Dual Band Acquisition: ASIAIR • ASIAIR guiding Processing: GraXpert • Siril • GIMP Notes: Captured on February 11, 2026. The faint IC 434 curtain comes through cleanly with dual-band. Best captured early evening while Orion is high. 60s subs at gain 250. First successful test of new dithering settings (10px every frame). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1767818282974-BCFT1C7QCTX0N7NLYASN/Stacked30_NGC%252B6992_60.0s_Bin1_20251016-210300.jpg Home - Nebulae - NGC 6992 Eastern Veil Nebula Integration: 30 minutes (30 x 60s) Equipment: Askar FRA300/5.0 APO • ZWO ASI585MC-Air • Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-2 Filters: SVBONY SV220 7nm Dual Band Acquisition: ASIAIR • ASIAIR guiding Processing: GraXpert • Siril Notes: Captured on October 16, 2025. This has become my favorite image so far — the blue‑green OIII filaments rose out of the city glow with a delicacy I didn’t expect. Under urban skies the OIII signal sits just above the noise floor, asking for restraint: gentle noise reduction, careful color balance, and patience. With a disciplined workflow, faint threads become structure. The Veil is a reminder that even here, in the bright city, persistence can reveal what the sky tries to hide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1767558185037-8471ZVPWY0HLM2X7MDAQ/IMG_0329.jpg Home - Nebulae - NGC 7000 North America Nebula Integration: 5 minutes (10 x30s) Equipment: Askar FRA300/5.0 APO • Astro Mod Canon 70D • Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-2 Filters: SVBONY SV240 multi-narrowband Acquisition: ASIAIR Processing: ASIAIR Notes: Captured on September 26, 2025. This began as a quick SV240 test on the North America Nebula, only a few minutes of sky. Yet even with such a short integration, the continent shape and the dark Gulf rose cleanly from the frame. The result was surprisingly clean and aesthetically pleasing, enough to include in the gallery. It’s a small reminder that the night doesn’t need to be perfect to offer something beautiful — only generous enough to let a little light through. Why this test worked so well. This frame was captured with an astro‑modified Canon 70D and the SVBONY SV240 multi‑narrowband filter. The 70D’s internal IR‑cut filter was removed, so it can record not only H‑alpha and OIII, but also the extended red and near‑IR light that the SV240 passes beyond 700 nm. That extra sensitivity gives the North America Nebula a surprising boost—faint emission and structure rise out of the background much faster than they would on a one‑shot color camera with a built‑in IR‑cut window. The result is that even a quick 5‑minute test (10×30 s) was enough to reveal the continent shape and the dark Gulf cleanly. It’s a nice reminder that the right combination of filter, sensor, and sky can turn a “throwaway” test into a keeper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1767727373624-R7CA35AOX0SRXMBXDAD5/1747571069607%7E2.jpg Home - Nebulae - NGC 2237 Rosette Nebula & NGC 2244 Satellite Cluster Integration: 16 minutes (31 × 30s) Equipment: Seestar S50 Filters: Internal Dual Band Acquisition: Seestar S50 Processing: Seestar S50 Notes: Captured on April 6, 2025. While the resolution isn’t on the level of a dedicated astrophotography rig, the Seestar continues to impress within the limits of its small 250 mm optics and integrated camera. It’s remarkable how many deep‑sky objects this little system can record with minimal effort. What makes the Rosette especially meaningful for me is that the Seestar is what launched me onto my current path. Its simplicity and surprising capability showed me what was possible, and it pushed me to build a more intentional, modular imaging setup. My FRA300 at 300 mm, paired with the ASI585MC‑Air, guided on the iEXOS‑100‑2, mirrors the Seestar’s wide‑field approach but with better optics, a larger sensor, and the flexibility of interchangeable filters. The result is a system that costs about four times as much, but delivers performance on an entirely different level: cleaner stars, deeper signal, and far more control over acquisition and processing. Still, the Seestar deserves a lot of credit. It’s a reminder of how far compact, all‑in‑one astrophotography has come—and how a small, approachable tool can open the door to a much larger journey. It’s fitting that the Rosette — a nebula shaped by stellar birth — marks the beginning of my own path in astrophotography. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1767985049619-MBLBYRRJMJZA2U6IQ4CD/Orion.JPG Home - Nebulae - M42 Orion Nebula Integration: 5 minutes (280 × 10s) Equipment: Seestar S50 Filters: Internal Dual Band Acquisition: Seestar S50 Processing: Seestar S50 Notes: Captured on January 31, 2024. This was my very first astrophoto with the Seestar S50. When the image appeared on my phone, I thought it was pulled from the internet — it looked that good. The Orion Nebula is a classic first target for new astrophotographers, and now I understand why. https://bortle9astro.com/home/galaxies monthly 0.5 2026-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1767915257519-0GFI18GJFBY56POGST93/M33%2B11.12.25%2BFinal.jpg Home - Galaxies - M33 Triangulum Spiral Galaxy 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1768674934570-3ZB55ZK1RU7W5K2VK1JZ/IMG_0328.jpg Home - Galaxies - M31 Andromeda Spiral Galaxy 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1767997712216-8FXQDUAI4ISPWIH6NULM/M81%252B%252526%252BM82.jpg Home - Galaxies - M81 Bode's Spiral Galaxy & M82 Cigar Starburst Galaxy 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. https://bortle9astro.com/home/stars monthly 0.5 2026-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694b02a3042a213313b3027e/1768053995961-Q8PEIIJCVOAXYI8EVSWT/Stacked60_M%2B45_60.0s_Bin1_gain201_20251123-213759_0.0C_graxpert_obj_decon_graxpert_denoised.jpg Home - Stars - M45 Pleiades 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 Notes: Captured November 23, 2025. A bright cluster rising above Chicago’s glow, where the blue reflection dust pushes through even under Bortle 9 skies. Short exposures and careful gradient control help preserve the delicate nebulosity without overwhelming the stars’ structure.