mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06
Five clear nights during an unusually long stretch of good weather yielded my deepest and highest-quality image of Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, to date. Three sessions used the UHC filter on the RGB sensor, with two more marking the first light of my new ultra-narrowband H-alpha filter.
▼ Vixen VC200L | ToupTek SkyEye24AC, SkyEye62AM
https://astrocamp.eu/en/pinwheel-galaxy-apr26/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #nightsky #astroimaging #telescope #clearsky #space #photography
The Hamburger Galaxy, NGC 3628, is a magnificent unbarred spiral galaxy located 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. Seen edge-on from Earth, its distinctive shape and dust lane give it its appetizing nickname. This distant spiral reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight in early March, making it a prime target for northern hemisphere observers during spring evenings.
https://astrocamp.eu/en/ugc-6350-hamburger-galaxy/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #nightsky #space
Messier 65 is a spiral galaxy in Leo, ~35 million light-years away. Part of the Leo Triplet, it shows signs of tidal interaction with its neighbors and reveals intricate dust lanes through a telescope.
https://astrocamp.eu/en/messier-65-2/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #nightsky #telescope
Messier 66 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo, located
approximately 36 million light-years away. It reaches its annual
culmination at astronomical midnight and is best observed in early March.
Part of the famous Leo Triplet, M66 features distorted spiral arms shaped
by gravitational interaction with neighboring galaxies.
https://astrocamp.eu/en/messier-66/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #nightsky #astroimaging #telescope #space
M101 – the Pinwheel Galaxy in widefield. Captured on April 16 from Koblenz, Germany, using 15 frames at 300s each. This session doubled as a backfocus calibration run for a new camera – and still delivered a result worth sharing. The annotated version reveals the rich cosmic neighborhood surrounding this grand spiral.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | ToupTek SkyEye24AC
https://astrocamp.eu/en/m101-widefield-apr26/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #nightsky #astroimaging #telescope #space
Messier 81 - I photographed this beautiful galaxy last year, in March 2025. This picture is a mono version of the of my original LRGB image.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | SkyEye62AM
https://astrocamp.eu/en/bodes-galaxy-messier-81/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
Fresh Astrophoto: Needle Galaxy 2026
StellaVita and SkyEye24AC First Light/Night Love-Storie Part 2.
▼ Vixen VC200L | ToupTek SkyEye24AC '26
https://astrocamp.eu/en/needle-galaxy-mar26/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
The Albert Einstein Science Park on Potsdam’s Telegrafenberg is a unique site where science, history, and architecture meet.
Landmarks like the Einstein Tower and the Great Refractor reflect its role in advancing modern physics and astronomy, while preserving a remarkable scientific heritage.
Just finished my final #Pleiades, #M45 image of 2025! Mixed RGB from my Canon R(a) with mono luminance to push detail + color. Winter skies never disappoint.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | SkyEye62AM, Canon EOS R(a) ’25
Full version: https://astrocamp.eu/en/pleiades-dec25/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
Messier 97 — the Owl Nebula (NGC 3587) — is a planetary nebula located about 2,030 light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Two jets of dusty material from its central dying star create the distinctive dark “eyes” that earned it its name. The glowing greenish-blue shell spans roughly 3 light-years and is estimated to be around 8,000 years old. Best observed near March 8th.
https://astrocamp.eu/en/messier-97-owl-nebula/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #nightsky #space
Messier 45 - The Pleiades
My last project of 2025 — over 10 hours of exposure across three evenings.
Here is my „release candidate“ ;)
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky
NEW #Astrophoto: Jupiter
#Jupiter time!3000 frames at the 1m telescope at Hoher List – my best planet shot yet.
Full story: https://astrocamp.eu/en/jupiter-mar-03-26/
▼ 1m Hoher List | EOS R
#astrophotography #nightsky #space #astronomy #telescope #clearsky #photography #nature
I photographed the Rosette Nebula again after five years. Several attempts, incorrect framing, discarded color channels, and unfavorable lighting conditions turned the project into an adventure
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | SkyEye62AM ’26
https://astrocamp.eu/en/rosette-nebula-feb26/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
Headphone Nebula - The first of two objects of the night. In fact, the first attempt at a run using new equipment. StellaVita and SkyEye24AC.
▼ Vixen VC200L | ToupTek SkyEye24AC '26
https://astrocamp.eu/en/pk-16431-1-mar26/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
#Andromeda Galaxy:
Finally, the full-frame Andromeda photo I set out to capture this year.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | SkyEye62AM, Canon EOS R(a) ’25
© Thomas Hanrath '25 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
https://astrocamp.eu/en/andromeda-galaxy-dec25/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
A new object in my collection - the galaxy Caldwell 7 – shot in March. Here in a starless mono version. Check the blog for more details.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | Canon EOS R(a)
https://astrocamp.eu/en/caldwell-7-2/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
Messier 108 is a barred spiral galaxy located approximately 46 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around early-March.
Here in a starless monochrome version, captured in 2024.
I invite you to check out more information about the object itself and my capturing sessions.
https://astrocamp.eu/en/messier-108-surfboard-galaxy/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
Messier 82 – an unbelievably beautiful galaxy.
I took this photo together with 3 other galaxies in March 2025. Here this is a starless mono version of the LRGB picture.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | SkyEye62AM
https://astrocamp.eu/en/cigar-galaxy-messier-82/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
Galaxy Messier 96 - First light for my Touptek SkyEye24AC and initial functionality test of the Touptek StellaVita.
Check the blog for more details.
▼ Vixen VC200L | ToupTek SkyEye24AC
https://astrocamp.eu/en/messier-96-mar26/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
LBN 728 - another very faint nebula in Ursa Major.
I collected these photons in January 2025 at Observatory Hoher List with my mobile Apo setup.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | SkyEye62AM
https://astrocamp.eu/en/lbn-728/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
NGC 2419, also known as the “Intergalactic Wanderer,” is a globular cluster located in the constellation Lynx, approximately 270,000 light-years away from Earth.
I captured this picture in February 2023.
▼ Vixen VC200L | Canon EOS M100(a)
The picture in full quality in RGB, the object and the capturing session can be found here: https://astrocamp.eu/en/intergalactic-wanderer-ngc-2419/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
NGC 2976 - the first galaxy of the year.
I photographed this galaxy together with M81 and M82 in March 2025. That photo was one of my first successful LRGB pictures. Here in a starless mono version.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | SkyEye62AM
https://astrocamp.eu/en/ngc-2976/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
After 9 months of research and countless conversations with fellow astrophotographers, I finally pulled the trigger: the WarpAstron WD-20P. Direct drive instead of encoders, 22 kg payload, open OnStep ecosystem, and guiding values between 0.3" and 0.5". The mount is the foundation of everything — and this one is built to last.
Part 1 of 3 is now live on the blog.
https://astrocamp.eu/en/warpastron-wd-20p-the-decision/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #mount #harmonicDrive #WarpAstron
astrocamp planner
Planning my astrophotography sessions used to mean juggling Excel spreadsheets. I turned one of my own planning files into a WordPress plugin: the Astrocamp Planner.
Right now, you can use the plugin on my webpage but you can not install it on your own wordpress.
Feedback, bug reports, and suggestions are very welcome.
Here on mastodon or as a comment on the blog.
A single mono and starless snippet of my latest photon-collection-session this week.
A part of the Rosette Nebula, Sharpless 175.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂ | SkyEye62AM
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
LBN 729 is a beautiful but very faint nebula.
January and February are nice months to photograph this object in Ursa Major.
This picture is a mono, starless version of the data i collected one year ago in 2025.
▼ Baader Apo 95 CaF₂
https://astrocamp.eu/lbn-729-2/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
The Dragonfly Cluster (NGC 457) is a bright open star cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia at a distance of roughly 5,200 lightyears, and it reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight and is best observed mid October.
▼ Vixen VC200L | Canon EOS R(a) '25
© Thomas Hanrath '25 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
https://astrocamp.eu/en/dragonfly-cluster-caldwell-13/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
NGC 2281 is an open star cluster in the constellation Auriga, located about 1,720 light-years from Earth.
I captured this picture in March 2025.
▼ Vixen VC200L | Canon EOS R(a)
The picture in full quality in RGB, the object and the capturing session can be found here:
https://astrocamp.eu/en/ngc-2281-2/
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
A spontaneous visit to the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg today.
Such an inspiring place.
#Astronomy #Heidelberg #MaxPlanckInstitute #Science #Research #Space #astrophotography
Finishing my 2025 Pleiades project at −5 °C with my Baader Travel Companion. Can‘t wait to start processing when i come home.
More contrast under suburban skies — my real-world experience with the Baader UHC-L Booster Filter (50.4 mm).
Three projects, challenging conditions, and an honest technical conclusion from my backyard in Koblenz.
#astrophotography #astronomy #nature #deepsky #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #telescope #photography #space
Taking flats for my Pleiades project in Bavaria at −5 °C after finishing the 1st Lum-Session.
New blog post: How to calculate the correct ADU target for flat frames
Flat frames correct vignetting, dust shadows and uneven illumination. But what ADU level should you actually aim for?
The answer depends on your camera's bit depth and offset value. The formula: ADU Target = Offset + (Max ADU - Offset) x 0.50
Examples for 12-bit, 14-bit and 16-bit cameras included.
https://astrocamp.eu/en/how-to-calculate-the-correct-adu-target-for-flats/
My first attempt with the Minitrack LX3 was very promising. This small mechanical tracking mount has the potential to become my permanent travel companion on vacations.
I think a blogpost might follow.
#astrophotography #nature #astroimaging #nightsky #clearsky #photography