Welcome

AstroBackyard

• Choosing a Portable Power Station for Astrophotography July 12, 2022
  One of the most common questions I get is “what portable power source do you use for astrophotography". This is a hot topic in the astrophotography community, and there are many options to consider for powering your gear at night.  When deciding on an off-grid power station, you need to think about things like battery […]
  Trevor
• Celestron NexStar 8SE Telescope Review June 12, 2022
  The Celestron NexStar 8SE computerized telescope is one of the best-selling telescope packages of all time. It features a large aperture optical telescope and a computerized GoTo mount. The NexStar series of SCTs have been around for over a decade, and I was finally able to experience this beginner-friendly telescope for myself. I was impressed […]
  Trevor
• My Latest Portable Astrophotography Build May 27, 2022
  Are you looking to build a full-featured (GoTo, autoguiding, etc.) portable astrophotography rig for this summer? If so, I think I have found the perfect "template" to follow (with plenty of room for substitutions, of course). The major difference between this setup and the portable rigs I've shared on this site before is that this one […]
  Trevor

NASA Solar System & Beyond

• NASA Administrator Statement on Agency Authorization Bill July 28, 2022
  NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released this statement Thursday following approval by the U.S. Congress for the NASA Authorization Act of 2022, which is part of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act of 2022.
• NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Roman Space Telescope July 19, 2022
  NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, California, to provide launch service for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission.
• La NASA revela las primeras imágenes del telescopio Webb de un universo nunca antes visto July 12, 2022
  El amanecer de una nueva era en la astronomía ha comenzado mientras el mundo ve por primera vez las capacidades completas del telescopio espacial James Webb de la NASA, en asociación con la Agencia Espacial Europea (ESA, por sus siglas en inglés) y la Agencia Espacial Canadiense (CSA, por sus siglas en inglés).

Sky & Telescope

Phil’s Astronomy Blog

• Hello out there? October 12, 2021
   Anybody still coming here?
  Phil
• Markarian's Chain in Virgo April 13, 2018
  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 iteration […]
  Phil
• M51 Whirlpool Galaxy April 9, 2018
  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 […]
  Phil