I have recently started my astrophotography journey, inspired by the 2024 Solar Eclipse that crossed the continental US. Armed with a 200-600 Sony lens and a 2x teleconverter, I've captured the eclipse as well as the moon, sun, and planets! With the help of a Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTI, I'm able to take many long exposure shots of deep space objects. I use Siril and Photoshop for image processing.
In February of 2025, all planets were visible in what is called a Parade of Planets. See the resulting panorama below - one with text labels and one without. Taken along the icy shores of Lake Michigan in St. Joseph, MI. Which do you like better?
In order to learn the sky, I've started a constellation-photography project that you can find here. By photographing each constellation individually, I'm hoping to learn more about where deep space objects are in the sky and to learn the mythology surrounding them.
M31 - Andromeda - 8/31/24 - 600mm - 30*60sec - f/6.3
M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy - 9/3/24 - 1200mm - 20*60sec - f/13
Saturn - 8/10/24 - 1200mm + cropped in quite a bit. I believe this is as good as I'll be able to get with my current equipment.
Jupiter and 4 Moons
Diamond Ring Effect
Orion's Belt
