Tutorials and practical guides for observing the sky, using your equipment, and processing your images.
A comprehensive tutorial on processing an LRGB galaxy image in PixInsight: combining the RGB layers, color calibration, stretching, masking, local retouching, and adding the luminance layer. Step-by-step, for beginners and intermediate users.
Deconvolution was developed in 1990 to salvage blurry images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Today, BlurXTerminator makes it accessible to amateurs through machine learning. It’s not cheating—it should be used sparingly.
A Barlow lens shifts the focal plane backward. If your focuser doesn't have enough travel, focusing becomes impossible. Three solutions, from TeleVue to Powermate.
Connected telescopes let you photograph the deep sky without having to master every step of astrophotography right away. The instrument handles alignment, tracking, and image stacking. As the observation progresses, a galaxy or nebula appears on the phone’s screen. This simplicity, however, doesn’t prevent you from taking your own […]
Collimation of a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope: the complete guide (Celestron NexStar Evolution) | Deep Space Astronomy Practical guide - Astrophotography How to collimate a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope Star test, secondary mirror adjustment and all our advice to give your Celestron NexStar Evolution a perfectly sharp image. Level: beginner to advanced Reading: approx. 9 [...]
On some Sky-Watcher Stargate motorized Dobson telescopes, notably the Sky-Watcher Stargate 400P GoTo, it can happen that the altitude drive belt gradually shifts as the telescope climbs towards the zenith. The symptom is fairly typical: at low altitude, everything seems to be working normally; at around 45°, the belt starts to shift; near [...]
You've just unpacked your brand new Dobson GoTo Sky-Watcher - perhaps a 200, 250 or the famous 305P FlexTube SynScan - and you can't wait to discover the wonders of the deep sky without searching for your targets for hours. You launch the alignment, carefully center your first star... and then, when the telescope starts [...]
For years, with my old CCD and its small 11×11 mm sensor, I didn't ask myself too many questions. I'd shoot as many exposures as possible, throw it all into integration, and leave PixInsight to clean up afterwards. A few corrections here, a little gradient there - I was good to go. Then I [...]
Introduction The Moon has fascinated mankind since the dawn of time. Visible to the naked eye as the brightest star in the night sky, it has long been the stuff of legend and curiosity. However, it wasn't until 1609 that Galileo first observed the Moon's contours using an astronomical telescope. Since then, the Moon has never ceased to be [...]
The best places for stargazing in Switzerland Introduction Switzerland offers unique conditions for stargazing, combining sumptuous tourist landscapes with relatively unspoilt skies. Thanks to its high mountains and remote regions, the country ranks among the best astronomical sites in Central Europe. At altitude, [...]
