I’ve been busy this summer going back and taking pictures of objects that I had shot the previous year. On top of some much needed equipment upgrades, I’ve also leaned a great deal since my first attempts.

Every failed shot is a learning experience. Here are a few of mine:

The Andromeda Galaxy

My first attempt only managed to capture the galactic core without any other details.

My second and third attempts were much better. I used a focal reducer, and a proper guide camera to get a longer exposure.

Using data from both my second and third attempts, along wih some help from more seasoned astrophotographers, I was able to compile a much nicer image. Colour correction was applied and here is the result:

The Pinwheel Galaxy

My first attempt. My wife and I headed out to the L&A Dark Sky viewing area and shot this:

I was pleased to have picked up as much detail as I did, but was unhappy with the star trailing.

Here is my second attempt using a guide camera and focal reducer:

M92 Globular Cluster

My first attempt was slightly out of focus.

On my second attempt, I used a guide camera, focal reducer, and a Bahtinov mask for focusing:

M92 Globular cluster

On this site I like to share my successes and my failures. I’ll never claim to be an expert. I’m learning as I go.

My advice to anyone who is new to astrophotography is this:

• Keep at it and don’t be discouraged by your first few terrible pictures. There’s a good chance that they’ll be as bad as mine.
• Seek out advice from others who have been doing it longer. Most of them will be happy to help where they can.
• Watch lots of instructional videos on Youtube
• Do lots of research on equipment before you purchase it (there’s another story there, but I’ll save that for another time)
• Sometimes the cheep solution is just as good as the expensive one (My wife made me a Bahtinov Mask from material that she found at the Dollar store)