01/15/2026 – M81 and M82
January 16, 2026Very cool, fairly clear… a few thin clouds here and there early in the night, over all a very nice night to look up. Before dark I cooled the camera to -10 C and shot some new bin1 3 minute darks. Once…
Tag: SV503
SVBONY SV503 Optical Tube Assembly
Been a bit… 01/12/2026 M42 The Orion Nebula
January 13, 2026It has been a good while since the last time I was able to capture any far off photons with the SV503. I broke the scope down and stored it away in the Astro Shed just before we went down to Ocracoke…
04/27/2025 – Hickson 44 Galaxy Group
April 28, 2025Wow! I did not realize it had been so long. I have not gathered any light through the scope in nearly 2 months. Glad we got a nice clear night to change that. I decided to try for Hickson 44 which is…
03/03/2025 – The Leo Triplet
March 4, 2025Little warmer than last night, but still cool in the mid-to-upper 30s. Bit more of the waxing Crescent Moon, but not enough to be a bother. Earlier in the day I swapped out scopes on the mount, putting the SVBONY 102ED back…
09/10/2024 – A Coat Hanger, a Dumbbell, and a Drunken Dragon
September 11, 2024Another clear night, that’s three in a row! Clear, cool, a little dryer than the past two nights (not as much dew). The Waxing First Quarter Moon was around 50% but it was in the SW and set before midnight. I created…
09/09/2024 – The Triangulum Galaxy
September 10, 2024Another clear night. That’s two in a row! Clear and cool, a little bit of haze off to the east, that cleared up a bit later. Another nice night to look up. This is the first time I have done an “unattended”…
09/08/2024 – Couple Hours of the Bubble Nebula
September 9, 2024Nice clear night, a little on the cool side for this time of year with the temperatures in the low 60s. A 29% waxing crescent Moon was setting. First time in a couple months I have had the SV503 102ED out, I…
06/18/2024 – The Black Eye Galaxy
June 19, 2024Mostly clear, highs in the upper 60s, and a light breeze. A nice night even with a very bright 91% Waxing Full Moon. Despite the Moon I really wanted to capture some light. 06/19 is a holiday, so I could stay up…
06/07/2024 – Eyes of Frustration
June 8, 2024The forecast for the night was not great, but it was fairly clear just before dark. The temperature was in the mid-70s and the humidity was not quite as bad as it has been. I uncovered the scope hoping to capture a…
05/31/2024 – M 94, The Cat’s Eye Galaxy
June 1, 2024Very nice clear night with no Moon and temperatures in the upper-to-mid 50s F. This was my first night out using NINA to control the gear and the imaging sequence. It was also the first night out after tuning up the EQ6-R…