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Key Takeaways The Askar SQA55 uses high-quality optics to produce astrophotography images that are sharp, flat, and well-corrected. It features an innovative design with a variable aperture, similar to a camera lens with a manual focus ring. The small aperture (55mm) and short focal length (264mm) mean it is unsuitable for planetary imaging or photographing... […]

Key Takeaways The ASI2600MC Air is a 3-in-1′ smart camera’ that combines a dedicated astronomy camera with a guide camera and a WiFi controller that runs on the ASIAIR mobile app. The design dramatically reduces the amount of cables and accessories needed to run a complete deep-sky astrophotography imaging session. Critiques dislike that this ‘niche... […]

The Sky-Watcher Wave 150i strain wave mount is the latest equatorial tracking telescope mount from a brand known for its reliable astrophotography mounts. For the first time in Sky-Watcher’s history, this mount doesn’t require a counterweight.  Strain wave gear telescope mounts are designed to be compact, portable, and lightweight. In fact, the Sky-Watcher Wave 150i... […]

Oct. 1, 2024 Three-time Spacewalker Josh Cassada to Retire from NASA NASA astronaut Josh Cassada retired Oct. 1, after 11 years of service to the agency across multiple programs, including 157 days in space and three spacewalks. Cassada also is a retired United States Navy captain and naval aviator with more than two decades of […]

NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are returning to Earth after months aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. The four launched on March 3 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. […]

From Aug. 19-20, ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission made history with a daring lunar-Earth flyby and double gravity assist maneuver, a spaceflight first. As the spacecraft zipped past our Moon and home planet, Juice’s instruments came online for a dry run of what they’ll do when they reach Jupiter. During […]

Come along on a guided tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during October. Ponder the Moon’s whereabouts; spot four planets and a fast-moving comet, and watch for meteors shed by Halley’s Comet. The post October Podcast: The Moon’s Waxing and Waning appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The Clinton B. Ford Observatory, once used for variable star observations, has fallen to wildfires. The post Historic Amateur Observatory Destroyed in California Wildfires appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

On these moonless evenings, Cassiopeia shows some of its inner workings. The Circlet of Pisces offers a very red star next to a little-known cross. From Vega, Lyra points away from the head of Draco. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 27 – October 6 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

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My own Hubble View! These galaxies lie between 10 to 50 million light years away. How many galaxies do you see? A pretty tricky part of the sky to image, really. You're utilizing almost your entire field of view with an 80mm scope, so dealing with all that comes with wide-field. This is the best […]

A nice clear night last night until around 12:30 when clouds rolled in. Managed to get this image of the lovely M51 Whirlpool galaxy. It lies around 23 million light years away and it is interacting with a smaller galaxy (yellow~ish bulge to the left). Three supernova (star explosions) have been detected in this galaxy […]