Optics and acquisition

Astrophotography

I enjoy astrophotography as much for the process as for the finished image. Each target involves setting up and tuning the optics, mount, camera, guiding, and acquisition software, then calibrating and stacking many hours of data to improve SNR before processing the image. Small errors add up, which is as frustrating as it is rewarding when the final image comes together.

View gallery YouTube channel

Featured observation

Solar H-alpha: partial eclipse

Notes from the 12 August 2026 partial solar eclipse, captured in H-alpha with a dedicated solar telescope.

YouTube channel

H-alpha isolates the chromosphere, so etalon tuning matters: disc texture, limb structure, and prominences trade contrast as the bandpass shifts.

Technical log

12 August 2026, Switzerland
Lunt 40 H-alpha solar telescope
ZWO ASI120MC camera
Etalon tuned for disc, limb, and prominence contrast

Solar imaging requires a certified, purpose-built optical path from aperture to sensor.

H-alpha solar telescope and camera on a tracking mount at sunset

Eclipse video

Watch the partial eclipse observation

Gallery

Selected targets

Lunar and planetary images, narrowband emission nebulae, broadband galaxies, and wide-field targets.

Full solar disc in H-alpha showing chromospheric texture, sunspots, and prominences along the limb — Solar disc in H-alpha Solar

Detailed lunar surface along the Moon's terminator against a dark sky — Moon: terminator detail Lunar

Jupiter with several visible moons against a black sky — Jupiter and its moons Planetary

The Dumbbell Nebula, Messier 27, surrounded by a dense star field — Dumbbell Nebula (M27) Narrowband

The Black Eye Galaxy, Messier 64, with a dark dust band across its bright core — Black Eye Galaxy (M64) Broadband

The Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula, Messier 16 — Pillars of Creation (M16) Narrowband

The Orion Nebula, Messier 42, with red and green structure around the bright core — Orion Nebula (M42) Narrowband

The Whirlpool Galaxy, Messier 51, interacting with a smaller companion galaxy — Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) Broadband

Telescope setup in a garden under a magenta night sky — Telescope under aurora Setup

Dense Milky Way star field with golden dust lanes — Milky Way wide field Widefield

Faint spiral galaxy with nearby stars and a smaller galaxy — Spiral galaxy field Broadband

Current imaging train

Imaging setup

Optics

12" Meade SCT with a Starizona IV reducer/flattener, ZWO filter wheel, and Optolong L-eXtreme for H-alpha/OIII emission targets.

Mount and Guiding

Sky-Watcher EQ8-R with a ZWO off-axis guider and ASI120M guide camera for long integrations.

Sensor

ZWO ASI2600MC cooled APS-C color CMOS camera, with exposure plans set by target brightness, sky conditions, and SNR.

Focus and Control

Pegasus Prodigy electronic focuser, regular focus checks, and calibration with darks, flats, and bias or dark-flat frames.

Related engineering work

My computer-vision and scientific-imaging projects deal with many of the same concerns: acquisition, calibration, signal quality, and making processing steps inspectable. My bachelor thesis on astronomical image processing covers calibration, registration, stacking, and processing in a configurable desktop application.

Selected work YouTube channel X updates