Great Orion Nebula and the adjacent Running Man, NGC1980 and NGC1975) taken the night of the 11th December with one of my old trusty gold skywatcher ed80 Pro doublets with an Orion 0.80 focal reducer, UVIRcut Filter and a SVBony 405CC OSC Camera. This particular night I was using a HEQ5 mount ex Peter Sayers, ex ex Katina Edmunds. Once I get some clear nights to really establish its guiding performance (this night around 1 to 2 arcsecond variance) I plan to do a belt mod. I was also using 'in anger' for the first time, a mini PC with Nina, PHD2 and Carte Du Ciel to polar align, auto focus(with a Gemini Focuser), guide and capture. Studying and Learning from Cuiv The Lazy Geek's Video on how to remotely access a Mini PC via it's wifi hotspot from a nearby computer made removing a direct cable direct connection to the telescope possible. This will be handy for those sessions where I might like to sit inside in the warm just like you can with an ASIair setup. Why do this when I already have multiple ASIairs? Well just because I can? The image comprises 20 x 2 minutes frames and 20 x 0.5 second frames for the core around the Trapezium Stars, Processed and combined in Pixinsight and then further enhanced in Photoshop and Photoshop Raw. I am quite happy with the response of the colours and PixInsight's ability to hone in and enhance these mainly using the Curves Transformation function. Also I used the Local Histogram Equalization Function to further enhance the colour contrast.

 

The Iron Pot, Orion, Looking North 4am 1st December 2025.

RGB OSC Lagoon Nebula, Messier 8, 38x300 Second Images(Just Over 3 Hours of Data), Image Capture over 2 Sessions, 1st/2nd May and 13th August 2025. Sharpstar 100qii Refractor and ZWO ASI183 Cooled Astronomy Camera and Raw Image Postprocessing in Pixinsight

 

Prawn Nebula, OC9990, IC4628 in Scorpius taken 28th July 2025 with Sharpstar 100qii Refractor and ZWO ASI183 Cooled Astronomy Camera with a Dual Band Ha Oiii Filter, 6000 Light Years Distant. Continuing strongly here with the Astronomical 'Seafood' Theme. 27x300 Second(5 Minute Frames, 2 Hours 15 Minutes Total) Postprocessed in Pixinsight

OCI 1016 Lobster Nebula in the constellation of Scorpius, 8000 Lightyears distant. 26x300 second frames (130 minutes total) on the 5th September 2025 with a Sharpstar 100qii 10mm Refractor and an ASI183 Cooled Astronomy Camer. Frames combined and processed in Pixinsight.a

 Another Friday Night, this time 5th September 2025. I slewed to this random piece of nebulous sky thinking I was getting extra data on another nebula Sh2-54 that I had, from memory, been imaging the night before.

After about 2 hours of capture I realised my mistake and proceeded on to my intended target but it turns out this patch of nebulosity apart from its catalogue designation of OCI-1016 is also referred to as the Lobster Nebula. It has a similar theme and bearing to the Prawn Nebula in Sagittarius nextdoor.

String of Pearls Galaxy, NGC55, 6.6 Million Light Years Distant. Taken with Sharpstar 100Qii Refractor and ZWO ASI183 Astronomy Camera.

 

Howden Timelapse 9th November 2025

Madness took hold and the inspiration came after the end of Sunday Shift at work to pack up the cameras and drive 40 minutes south to the other side of the river and capture some clouds and stars setting on the western, albeit hilly, horizon.

 

10 minute startrail with Canon 760D and 11-14mm Tokina Lens

 

Spiral Galaxy NGC 300

Spiral Galaxy NGC 300.  With a hectic night of on call at work beckoning,(Friday), I captured some shots the night before,(Thursday), of this galaxy in the waxing moonlight, the final image being about an hours worth of exposure .

Distance: 6 Million Light Years away in the Constellation Sculptor.     Exposures 13 x 5 Minutes with a Celestron C8 SCT and ASI533 Camera, then resulting data processed in PixInsight.

Dual Band Ha/Oiii Tarantula Nebula and surrounds, Large Magellanic Cloud, 160,000 Light Years Distant and 1000 Light Years Wide. Vixen ED80 Doublet with 0.85 Reducer Flattner and Modified Canon 550D DSLR. Tracked on Skywatcher EQ6 Mount with an ASIair Mini, 50mm Guidescope and ASI120mc Guide Camera.

30 x 120 Second frames, Stacked and Post Processed in PixInsight. It was a good night relatively speaking with mostly sub-arcsecond guiding.

 

Helix Nebula (planetary nebula) NGC7293 23x5Minute Exposures ASI183MCPro and Sharpstar 100Qii Refractor. 26th August 2025 HaOiii Dual Band Forrax Pallet.

 

Cropped

Original FOV

Nebulosity in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Taken with ASI183MC Pro Camera and Sharpstar 100qii Refractor. 145 5 Minute Frames Stacked and Processed in PixInsight and Photo Shop

The nebulosity in this region doesn't seem to have specific designations, only the star clusters either contained within or in front or behind.

From left to right, starting at the top left, Star Cluster NGC330, middle left Star Cluster NGC 346,  middle right, NGC 371,  Next to the right NGC 395 with an area of deep red nebulosity, NGC 395 and just above it, Star Cluster IC1624.  Below a PixInsight anotated version which adds a few more in.

NGC 6188 in Constellation Ara, The Dragon's Head, 30 x 5 Minute Frames, 2 and a holf hours Integration. Taken with Celestron C8 HD Edge and ASI533MC Pro Camera. Processed in PixInsight and Photoshop.

 

Dwarflab2 Camera Images Stacked and Processed in PixInsight taken at a Sidewalk Astronomy Event, Mawson Place Hobart

Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae(Stack of 187 15 Second Images) Mawson Place Hobart Processed in PxInsight.

For comparison original stack from DwarfLab Camera below.

Jewel Box Open Star Cluster(Top Left) and Beta Crux(Lower Middle) Stack of 46 15 Second Frames. Processed in PixInsight.

Omega Centuri Globular Cluster (Stack of  over 200 15 Second Frames). Processed in PixInsight.

NGC 6604 (Star Cluster top,Left of Centre) and SH2-54(The Nebula) 5000 Light Years Distant. 40 Plus 300 Second Images Taken With a ZWO183MC Pro Camera and a Sharpstar 100 Qii Refractor

 

IC 4628 Bright Nebula in Scorpius, 2700 Light Years Distant, Sharpstar 100qii Refractor Telescope and ASI183MC Pro Camera, 27x300 Second Frames Stacked and Processed in PixInsight and Photoshop.

 Had some 'Mount Capers' to deal with before I did this test run on a bright nebula in Scorpius, IC 4628, some 2700 light years distant.

I had setup the mount and telescope a night or so before and found some of it's Auto Guiding (locking onto single stars to stop the mount slowly drifting off target) behaviour problematic.

With some spare time Saturday I proceeded to pull the offending DEC axis apart to inspect and clean the worm gear as pictured below. I also discovered a huge (relatively speaking) gouge in the metal rim where one of the worm adjustment grub screws, after being tightened too enthusiastically by myself at some time in the past, had dug into the metal rim that is supposed to hold it in place to go no further. Pictured too is the offending rim after a 'jury rigged' patchup with Loctite glue and a hard vinyl strip.

The long sad story cut short here sees a happy ending with the resulting image from last / yesterday (Sunday) night where I was quite happy with an improvement in tracking and guiding and took just over 2 hours of data ( 27x5 Minute Frames ). I have combined and enhanced them in PixInsight and Photoshop to bring out the vivid red colour of this emission nebula.

The last image is of the ASIAir (My imaging and Mount controll computer) App screen with a single raw frame and you might notice the red and blue wriggly graph lines at the top near centre which tells me how the mount is behaving while auto guiding. The closer and more superimposed those two lines and the smaller the numbers next to them are the better!

For my ancient 20 year old (albeit upgraded) Skywatcher EQ6Pro Mount. not too bad. If you have made it this far reading this thanks and hugs!!!

The Mysterious Weekend of Astronomy at Font Hill, somewhere near Oatlands, at the end of March 2023. Part One and Part Two!

 

Rho Ophiuchus and Surrounding Nebulae 20x600 seconds (10 Minute Exposures, 3 Hours in total) taken with Sharpstar 100Qi Telescope and ASI183MC Pro Camera. Post Processed in PixInsight and Phototshop

 

Globular Cluster NGC5286(35000 Light Years Distant) and Bright Star M Centauri(263 Light Years Distant) in the Constellation Centaurus. 40x30Second frames taken with Celestron C8 HD Edge Telescope and ZWO ASI533 Pro OSC Camera. processed in Pixinsight

 

Open Star Cluster, Gem Cluster NGC 3293(7600-8400 Light Years Distant) in the Constellation of Carina. 40 x 30 Second Frames taken with C8 HD Edge Telescope and ASI533 Camera RGB and Dual Narrow Band Ha Oiii processed in Pix Insight and Photoshop

This OSC RGB Image(Above) features blue reflection nebulosity that the OSC HaOiii Image(below) doesn't.  For more  https://www.joecauchi.com.au/nebulae/ngc-3293-the-gem-cluster-2/
 

Pavo Globular Gluster NGC 6752 13000 Light Years Distant. 93x10 Second frames. ASI533 Pro and Celstron C8 Edge HD. Post Processing Pixinsight and Photoshop

 

Messier 4/NGC 6121 Globular Cluster in Scorpius 7200 Light Years distant. 39 x 2 minute frames ASI533 Pro and Celstron C8 Edge HD. Post Processing Pixinsight and Photoshop

 

Trifid Nebula M20 in Sagittarius Dual Band Ha Oiii in Hoo and Forax Pallet and then RGB(no filter). Taken with C8 HD Edge Telescope and ZWO ASI533 Camera 20x120 Second Frames Processed in PixInsight and Photoshop[

 

Globular Cluster NGC 6749 in Altair 26th June 2025 Celestronc8 HD Edge and ASI533 10x300 seconds in PixInsight

 

NGC6188 Fighting Dragons of Ara Sharpstar 100qii ASI183 20x600sec in Pixinsight and Photoshop

 

DwarfLab2 and PixInsight Carina/Centaurus/Ara/Scorpius/Sagittarius/Serpens Cauda May 2025

M24 Sagittaruis Star Cloud NGC6231 and surounds in Scorpius NGC6188 in Ara Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius Running Chicken Nebula IC 2944 in Centaurus

Swan/Omega Nebula M17 in Sagittarius

War and Peace Nebula NGC 6357 in Scorpius

Trifid Nebula M20 NGC6514 in Sagittarius

Cats Paw Nebula NGC6334 in Scorpius

Eta Carinae NGC 3372 in Carina

Eagle Nebula M16 NGC6611 in Serpens Cauda

Centaurus A NGC 5128 taken using a Triband SV240 Filter with ASI183MC Pro and Sharpstar 100qii Refractor. 25 x 10 Minute Frames (2 Hours 10 Minutes) Intergration. Cloudy Skies.