Category Archives: Astrophotography

One of the most common questions I get is “what portable power source do you use for astrophotography”. This is a hot topic in the astrophotography community, and there are many options to consider for powering your gear at night. 

When deciding on an off-grid power station, you need to think about things like battery life, power output, power input charging, and the number and types of output ports. There is no one-size-fits-all option, as budget and weight come into play as you explore the higher-end options.  

If you’ve ever browsed the Portable Power Stations on Amazon, you’ll know that there are literally hundreds of options to choose from. However, choosing the right one for your telescope and astrophotography purposes requires a slightly different approach.

Which portable power station is best for astrophotography in the field?

Whether charging via solar panels when you are off-grid is important to you, or you need a unit that can save your butt during a power outage – there is an option for you. If you enjoying comparing features and prices, selecting the best portable power station for your astrophotography needs is actually kind of fun.

In this article, I’ll describe my experiences using a premium portable power station, and provide a number of alternatives suggested by astrophotographers around the world. 

Feel free to leave a comment describing the portable power station you use, to help create a complete resource for astrophotographers. Just like everything else in this hobby, there are many options to choose from at various price points. 

The Need for a Portable Power Station

When taking pictures of space from the backyard, I plug into household AC power, but what about when I travel to a dark sky location? Milky Way photography with a DSLR and star tracker is one thing, but running a robust deep-sky imaging kit away from home is another.

There is a good chance, that if you’re an amateur astrophotographer, at some point you will need to invest in a quality portable power station. Something that can reliably power your astronomy telescope and accessories throughout the night.

Portable power stations are essential while camping. 

Visual observers sometimes need power for a goto computerized mount and maybe a few dew heaters, but astrophotographers? We need to power anywhere from 3 to 17 devices (or more) and if even one of them fails, you can kiss your precious picture goodbye.

Thankfully, today’s portable power stations are equipped with many output ports, including dedicated AC and DC ports and multiple USB types. Some of them even include integrated wireless charging areas to charge your phone. 

Here are some of the potential devices you will need to power on your astrophotography setup:

Powered Devices for Astrophotography

In the following video, I provide an overview and real-world experiences using the brand new Anker 757 Portable Power Station. Anker asked that I provide an “astrophotographer’s perspective” of their new mobile power station.

This is a great option to consider if you need a serious power station that can handle a wide variety of devices. If you are running a simple setup in the field, this type of portable power may be overkill for your astrophotography needs.

This large 1500W power station can power a robust setup for multiple nights.

Portable Power Station vs. a DIY Solution

The Anker 757 Portable Power Station is a fantastic unit, capable of powering several devices for an extended period of time. However, many amateur astrophotographers believe that it is more cost-effective to just “build your own” DIY power supply using a deep cycle marine battery. 

There are some serious cost savings if you take this route, and there are many great how-to tutorials available online to build one. To build one you will need:

• A sealed deep cycle marine batteries
• DC to AC power inverter
• Smart Charger/Maintainer
• Inverter Cable

Unfortunately for me, I have not had much luck with a DIY deep cycle marine battery unit (yes, I built one several years ago). My poor experience taking this route is likely due to the fact that I have zero experience in the field of electrical or mechanical engineering. It seems that I am the exception in the astrophotography crowd. 

As I mentioned in the video, bulletproof reliability is critical to me, and I am willing to pay a little extra for it. The all-in-one package that Anker has created is impressive and is a smart option for anyone willing to pay the added cost. 

Here is an example of someone who built their own portable power station using a mix of components. If you’re up to the task of taking on projects like this, you can really save some money. Again, this is beyond my personal skill set, but it’s an option.

Video: How to Make a Portable Power Station

 

A Portable Power Station for your Telescope

To me, the most important feature of a portable power station for astrophotography is reliability. It also has to have enough power to go at least an entire night (or 2) before needing to be charged.

It also needs to have enough output ports for all of the astrophotography accessories I need to plug in from USB-powered dew-heaters to my laptop charger.

If the portable power station is not up to the task of providing a constant source of power to my rig for an entire night without interruption, it’s useless to me. Even a brief outage means I lose the connection to my telescope mount, the autoguiding goes nuts, and I squander a precious clear sky.

I’d rather run a 200-foot extension cord than risk a battery that flickers in and out. I’ve had this happen before, and it’s absolutely infuriating. The good news is, that most of the astrophotography gear we all use does not consume a lot of power, with a few exceptions of course. 

Anker 757 PowerHouse

I tested Anker’s flagship 1500 Watt power station to run my deep-sky astrophotography rig, the 757 PowerHouse. It’s pretty heavy (44 pounds), but the built-in handles make it a lot more manageable.

The 757 uses premium LFP (LiFePO4) batteries, and it can charge from 0% to 80% in about an hour. It’s a slick package made with an automotive-grade aluminum frame. It’s vibration and temperature resistant, and here’s an important one, it’s silent.

The Anker 757 PowerHouse is a 1500W (1228Wh) power station with LPF (LiFeP04) batteries and 13 ports to connect various devices. 

There are 13 ports in total to power everything you need for your astrophotography imaging rig. There is 1 “car-socket style” DC port which you might use for your computerized telescope mount.

I still use a DC connection for my Sky-Watcher EQ-6 Pro equatorial mount, so I was pleased to see it there. The rest of my astrophotography equipment is powered by the AC and USB outputs on the power station.

I like to plug in things like a 12V 4A power supply for my ASIAIR Plus, or Celestron NexStar 8SE into the AC output ports. The USB-A ports are perfect for my USB-powered dew heater bands, although you’ll need to make sure that you have long cords to reach the power station from the objective of the telescope.

Those of you with laptops, cooled dedicated astronomy cameras, and autofocusers will have more than enough power to play with for about 2 straight nights (depending on usage and temperature). 

When running an advanced astrophotography setup including my Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro mount, cooled camera, and dew heaters, the 757 PowerHouse had 45% power left after 1 full night.

One thing I should note – if you’re using the power station to power your rig, do not use “power-saving mode”. This is designed to turn off when your device is fully charged, which is not applicable when powering your equatorial mount for an entire night.

Anker 757 Power Station Specs

• Rated Capacity: 51.2V 24000mAh / 1228.8Wh
• AC Input Voltage: 100-120V~ 12A Max, 50Hz / 60Hz
• AC Input Power (Charging): 1000W Max
• AC Input Power (Bypass Mode): 1440W Max
• XT60 Input: 11-30V⎓ 10A (300W Max)
• USB-C Output 1: 5V⎓3A/ 9V⎓3A/ 15V⎓3A/ 20V⎓3A 20V⎓5A (100W Max)
• USB-C Output 2: 5V⎓3A/ 9V⎓3A/ 15V⎓3A/ 20V⎓3A (60W Max)
• AC Output (Bypass Mode): 100-120V~ 12A Max, 50Hz/60Hz, 1440W Max
• AC Output (Inverter Mode): 110V~ 13.64A, 50Hz/60Hz, 1500W Max
• USB-A Output: 5V⎓2.4A ( 2.4A Max Per Port )
• Car Charger Output: 12V⎓10A
• Discharging Temperature: -4°F-104°F / -20°C-40°C
• Charging Temperature: 32°F-104°F / 0°C-40°C

The light bar is handy to have when you’re off-grid, and I am happy to see that it is a warm color temperature and that it is soft. A lot of the lights on portable battery packs use hyper-white, blinding LEDs. This one is a warm, orange color. 

However, I wish that there was a red light option to protect your night vision even better. I also wish that clicking the display button for a second time (when it’s on) turned it off, but it doesn’t. So, you may want to cover this up with tape if you are at a star party or a gathering where any amount of light needs to be shielded.

The manual states that the operating temperatures should be between 32 and 100 Fahrenheit – or 0 – 40 Celsius. That definitely puts a limit on the times of year you can use this power station, and it’s something to consider.

I use a portable power station to run my Celestron NexStar 8SE while camping.

Smaller Options for Astrophotography

Jackery Explorer 500

If you’re on a budget and prefer to keep your power station light and portable, the Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station is a great option to consider. This power station weighs just 13 pounds and is one of the lightest and most portable rechargeable lithium battery generators on the market.

Jackery Explorer 500

The Jackery Explorer 500 has a 518 watt-hour (24Ah, 21.6V) lithium-ion battery pack and a pure sine wave inverter. It includes 1 AC outlet, 3 USB-A ports, 2 DC ports, and 1 car socket. Jackery also offers a smaller version with less wattage (Explorer 240) for maximum portability.

Bluetti EB3A Solar Generator

The Bluetti EB3A is another portable power station to consider. This one only weighs 10 pounds, yet it has a 268.8Wh capacity and features an impressive 9 output ports. This unit was named the “Best value portable power station” on CNET’s list of Best Portable Power Stations. 

This power station can be charged using the optional Bluetti solar panel, and even has a dedicated mobile app to monitor battery levels and output information. The Bluetti EB3A is an impressive unit that I hope to experience firsthand in the future.

Bluetti EB3A

If you need a lot of power, have a look at the Bluetti AC200P. This monster weighs 60 pounds and offers a whopping 2000 watts of power!

Togo Power Advance 350

The Togo Power Advance 350 was specifically designed for charging laptops, mini-cooler, drone, and other outdoor electronics. With 330W, it has more than enough power to handle running your astronomy gear for an entire night. 

The AC pure Sine Wave outputs will provide clean power to your devices. It features 8 output ports in total, including 2 handy 12V 10A DC ports for powering your astrophotography devices like the ZWO ASIAIR, and/or dedicated astronomy camera.

This unit can be charged using a solar panel in about 5-8 hours on the road, and also features a 10w wireless charging area for your smartphone. 

Togo Power Advance 350

Final Thoughts

There have never been so many great portable power stations available to choose from. The price, wattage, and the number of ports on these units vary widely. The Anker 757 PowerHouse is an excellent choice, in my opinion, if you’re willing to pay extra for a heavy-duty power station. 

The car battery booster-style packs I purchased from the hardware store in the past, were a huge letdown. All of them would hold less and less of a charge over time, and would unexpectedly shut off in the middle of an imaging session. Thankfully, portable power stations have come a long way since then, and are much more reliable. 

I know that a lot of you have built your own DIY power supply consisting of a marine battery, and an inverter. If you enjoy that type of thing (and know what you’re doing), by all means, go for it. You’ll likely save some money and get to work on a fun project. 

If you are more comfortable in the office than in the shop (like me), one of the many fantastic pre-built portable power stations is likely a better fit, and worth the added cost.

Be sure to choose a unit that has dedicated output ports for the astrophotography equipment you use most, and that it can reliably power your rig for at least 1 entire night before requiring a recharge. 

For now, I’ll continue using the Anker 757 PowerHouse on my astrophotography and camping adventures, and plan on getting a lot of use out of it for several years. I hope that this article was useful to you and that you have a better understanding of the options available in 2022. 

Even More Options to Consider

Here is a list of options provided by the AstroBackyard community on YouTube and Facebook:

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Cliff de Wit, a former Microsoft South Africa director and now chief technology at Altron’s Netstar, is passionate about many things: skills development, the internet of things, artificial intelligence … and even astrophotography.

He joins TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio for a wide-ranging — and fascinating — discussion on some of the latest technologies Netstar is exploring that take the company’s offerings well beyond the traditional tracking and recovery of vehicles it’s traditionally known for.

Well known in developer circles — he maintains a keen interest in software development as well as in education and skills development from his Microsoft days — De Wit chats about how Netstar is taking the vast amount of information the company collects daily, and refining it into something forward-looking, useful and actionable.

He also takes us into the world of astrophotography, and much more besides.

Don’t miss the discussion — and do subscribe to TC|Daily if you haven’t already done so (details below). The full-resolution Milky Way image taken by De Wit that he speaks about in the interview can be found here.

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To subscribe to any of TechCentral’s shows, including Everything PC, TC|Daily or Impact Series, please use the links below:

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Once you click on the image it may take 15 seconds or more to render!

What some have come to call the Rainbow Mountain is at Old Paria, or Pahreah, which is a ghost town on the Paria River in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in central Kane County, Utah, United States. It was inhabited from 1870 to 1929, and later used as a filming location. it’s on Highway 89 between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona. Although a regular vehicle can make this drive rather easily do not attempt it if rain is in the forecast or if it has rained recently. The road turns into an impassible slime pit for hours.

Paria is one of the oddest places on earth. If you like geology, you are going to LOVE Paria! There are more colored layers of rock here than you can shake a stick at. Here you can see the layers of the area that were laid down in beautiful colors over millions of years. Many other places you can see bits and pieces of the rock layers, here they are all exposed in one spot to gape at.

The Outlaw Josey Wales was filmed with Clint Eastwood here in the 1970s. There was a cool old town till some dimwits burned it down about 10 years ago,

80 images cropped a bit. a very large panorama! Once you click on the image it may take 15 seconds or more to render!

This very interesting region in Norma contains many HII features as well as many other interesting objects. Below you can see an annotated version with the most clearly visible objects identified, except for the HII region in the bottom left corner. I couldn’t find out what this is called, so if anyone knows please let me know in the comments below
Somehow these objects and this fov get rarely imaged, which made it all the more interesting for me to try and get a nice image out of this.

Most eye catching are the RCW objects, which are different types of objects. Let’s have a more detailed look at each of them.

RCW 103 Supernova Remnant

RCW 103 is the brightest region of hydrogen gass in this image. It is a supernova remnant of a star that went supernova around 2000 years ago at a distance of 9000 light years from earth.
It (probably) has a very interesting neutron star in the center: This might very well be the slowest rotating pulsar we currently know of.
“The source exhibits properties of a highly magnetized neutron star, or magnetar, yet its deduced spin period is thousands of times longer than any pulsar ever observed.” http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2016/rcw103/

RCW 104 and Wolf-Rayet 75

Wolf-Rayet stars are extremely hot stars. Their surface temperatures range from 30,000 K to around 200,000 K, hotter than almost all other stars. They have broad spectra, but lack in hydrogen. They cause strong stellar winds, thus shaping their environment and feeding it with material.
In this case we can see such a star (WR 75) in the middle of the HII region known as RCW 104 which is shaping and ionizing the surrounding hydrogen gass.

RCW 106

RCW 106 is a cloud of hydrogen gass and dust. In fact, it contains so much dust that much of hydrogen gass and a lot of stars are hidden from sight in the visible light. RCW 106 contains some very massive O-type stars. These stars (probably) form in the most dense areas of the gass and dust cloud and they live only briefly. They burn through their fuel in tens of millions of years.

RCW 102

RCW102 is another interesting gass cloud that’s a mixture of ionised hydrogen gass and dust. Neighbouring RCW 102 we can find the bright planetary nebula RCW101, Menzel 3 or the ‘Ant Nebula’.

RCW 101, also known as Menzel 3 and the Ant Nebula

Menzel 3 is a young bipolar planetary nebula that is composed of a bright core and four distinct high-velocity outflows. It is expanding at a rate of 50km/s and located at around 8000 lightyears from earth.

Open star clusters

There are numerous Open Clusters like NGC6115, Ruprecht 116, Ruprecht 176, Pismis22 and many more.
Ruprecht 176

Pismis 22

NGC 6115

Planetary nebulae

Apart from the Ant nebula there are two more planetary nebulae that can be seen in this image. They are Pe1-4 and WRAY 17-74.

Acquisition details

Image taken with monochrome Nikon D600 on a APM107/700 with Riccardi reducer and modified Nikon D600 on a TS Quadruplet 480/80, mounted on Fornax 51 and guided with MGEN.

Ha 22x12min ISO400
RGB 20x12min ISO400

Location: Astrofarm Kiripotib, Namibia

Siguiendo con la presentación de sus últimas cámaras de nueva generación QHY ha presentado el modelo QHY5III585C una cámara a color enfocada a astrofotografía planetaria y guiado con una sensibilidad al infrarrojo cercano similar a la QHY5III462C pero con mayor rango dinámico que ésta.

La QHY5III585C trae un generoso sensor de 1/1,2 pulgadas y un excelente desempeño con nulo amp-glow. Con esta cámara se incluye un filtro de corte UV/IR y un filtro IR850nm.

En estos nuevos sensores, la parte del fotodiodo del pozo de píxeles es físicamente más profunda que en los modelos anteriores. Esto permite que los fotones de longitudes de onda más largas penetren más profundamente en el sustrato lo que aumenta enormemente la sensibilidad del sensor a la luz roja e infrarroja cercana alcanzando sensibilidades similares a la de la luz visible.

Con esta cámara tendremos un alto rango dinámico (HDR) de 88 dB, aproximadamente ocho veces más que el sensor IMX485 de la generación anterior. 

Con su pixel de 2.9um de tamaño esta cámara es perfecta para astrofotografía planetaria y con un sensor de 3856*2180 píxeles nos presenta la posibilidad de realizar grandes capturas en fotografía lunar de 8.4 Megapíxeles.

Al igual que el resto de cámaras de esta segunda generación incorpora un puerto USB 3.2 de tipo C más robusto que los anteriores de tipo B.

La ampliación de memoria desde los 256MB hasta los 512MB DDR3 es otra de las mejoras de esta nueva gama de cámaras.

La QHY5III585C ya está disponible en algunas tiendas con un precio aproximado de unos 418€.

Don Machholz left us on August 9th, 2022

Unfortunately, with big sadness I just found out that one of our members is no longer among us. This is what Don Machholz’s wife announced on Don’s Facebook page:

It is with profound sadness that I share with everyone that my beloved husband, Don Machholz, passed away unexpectedly and swiftly from COVID at 3:15 AM on Tuesday, August 9, 2022. He was a very kind, gentle and loving soul, we love each other from the moon and back.

Don was a world famous comet hunter. He discovered as many as 12 comets during his lifetime and never gave up his passion. Until very recently Don would continue his comet hunting though visual observation.

Don spent more than 9,000 hours comet-hunting in a career spanning over 50 years. These comets include the periodic comets 96P/Machholz, 141P/Machholz, the non-periodic C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) that were visible with binoculars in the northern sky in 2004 and 2005, C/2010 F4 (Machholz), and C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto). In 1985, comet Machholz 1985-e, was discovered using a homemade cardboard telescope with a wide aperture, 10 inches across, that gave it a broader field of view than most commercial telescopes. ^{Don utilized a variety of methods in his comet discoveries, in 1986 using 29×130 binoculars he discovered 96P/Machholz.}

^{Don Machholz was one of the inventors of the Messier Marathon, which is a race to observe all the Messier objects in a single night.}

We have just returned from a memorable astrophotography trip at a Bortle 1 dark sky site. The event was an annual star party hosted by the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club known as the Okie-Tex Star Party.

After a few location changes during the first several years, the star party found its home at Camp Billy Joe near the small town of Kenton, OK, not far from the Oklahoma/Texas border. The name ‘Okie-Tex’ was selected to show the collaborative efforts of the two states. 

Aside from taking some amazing astrophotography images through our telescopes, the event opened our eyes to the experience of being under a truly dark sky. 

Arriving at the Okie-Tex Star Party 

Camp Billy Joe is a very remote location away from all city light pollution. This also means that depending on where you live, you might have to drive (or fly) a long distance to get there. 

We flew from Toronto to Dallas/Fort Worth where we boarded our connecting flight to Amarillo, Texas. From there, we rented a car and drove approximately 2.5 hours to the star party site. 

When you arrive, you can check in (if registration is open) and then set up anywhere on the field. Like most star parties, your chances of getting a better spot are higher the earlier you arrive. 

Travel Tips:

• When traveling to the star party by car, there are significant distances between each of the small towns along the way. You’ll want to make sure you always have a lot of gas to avoid running out before the next gas station. There is no gas station in Kenton and the closest gas station to the star party is either Boise City, OK (36 miles) or Clayton, NM (43 miles).
• It is always nice (and often easiest) to arrive at a new location in daylight. For our travel, we arranged for an early morning flight to arrive around dinner time to get settled and set up the first night. For our flight home, we made sure to book an afternoon flight to accommodate the long drive from the star party back to the Amarillo airport.

Where to Stay for the Okie-Tex Star Party

Like most star parties, camping is your easiest option for enjoying the star party. You can set up your gear outside your camper or tent and enjoy all the other activities and events on-site.

If you’d prefer a little more shelter or a bed while at Okie-Tex, they do have a limited number of bunkhouses available on a first come first serve basis. This includes a separate bunkhouse for men and women, as well as a family option. 

Aside from the above options, there are limited alternatives for sleeping arrangements outside Camp Billy Joe. There is a small bed and breakfast nearby that we heard books up early.

As a speaker at the event, they arranged for a mobile home rental for us in the small town of Kenton, OK. This meant we had to drive the short distance (3 mins) to and from the star party and park outside the gates, which closed at 9 p.m. to avoid headlights or any type of white light once it was dark out.

A view of the Okie-Tex Star Party from the rock formation nearby.

Meals and Food Options

When you are so far removed from city amenities, the logistics for running a star party are more complicated. 

In terms of food, there is catering available for those who are in a tent or staying offsite. There is a separate registration process and cost associated with this, so keep an eye out for this when completing registration. 

If you’re looking for a late-night snack, the Cosmic Cafe is also available on-site each night from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.

If you are camping, please note that open flames are not allowed for cooking (to discourage smoke and fire issues) but cookstoves are okay. 

And if you’re up for a bit of a drive (approximately 45 minutes), there are also food options available in Boise City OK, and Clayton, NM. 

Events at Okie-Tex Star Party

There are a lot of activities to do at the Okie-Tex Star Party besides astronomy or astrophotography. 

There are plenty of great speakers lined up throughout the week and some additional workshops you can register for. There is also a swap meet, vendor tents, and some pretty awesome giveaways. 

If you’re up for a little adventure, there are some other sightseeing activities that you can do in the area, including hiking the Black Mesa Summit, walking along a dormant volcano, and checking out preserved dinosaur tracks. 

South View on top of Black Mesa Summit

Black Mesa Summit

We hiked the Black Mesa Summit which is only a short 10-15 minute drive from the star party. You can use Google Maps to get you to the parking lot and follow the trail to the top. Be sure to bring a backpack with water to keep you hydrated for the 9 mile trek and be on the look out for rattlesnakes. 

Fun fact: Cimarron County, OK, which includes the Town of Kenton and the summit, is the only county in the U.S.A to touch 4 different states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, & Kansas). 

Summit tips:

• You will want to make sure you leave plenty of time before dusk to complete the entire journey. It took us three hours to finish the 9-mile (14-kilometer) hike.
• You will hike a long way (approx. 2 miles) before reaching the point of the hike where you actually start to ascend the Mesa.
• Be sure to get your photo at the top of the summit, which is signified by a granite column. This is where you will see information about the 4 different states.
• There is apparently a logbook at the base of the column as we later saw on social media. We did not sign it as we could have sworn the case it was in said ‘do not open’.
• If you want the best view (and a view of the star party) but sure to follow a small path to the south. This will take you near the edge marked by two large wooden crosses. You can spot Kenton and to the left, the field of the star party. Again, be on the look for rattlesnakes that apparently like the tall grass.

Black Mesa Summit Column.

Bortle 1 Skies 

As a Bortle 1 site, the skies at Okie-Tex were incredible. We were lucky enough to have two crystal clear nights under the darkest skies I have ever seen.

Unfortunately, one of those nights was the day we arrived and we were, of course, exhausted from travel. With a half-day workshop the next day, I had to pack it in early. But the following night was also great. 

We were told by the regular attendees of the Okie-Tex Star Party that some years have been very windy, but this was not the case for our trip. The skies were calm, cool, and most importantly, dark. 

A 25-second exposure of the Milky Way, Ash, Okie, and Tex.

The scenic, rolling landscape at the Okie-Tex Star Party is well-suited for nightscape photography. Our host (Andy) spent much of his time at the party taking incredible nightscape images with creative compositions (including this incredible 360-degree view of the night sky).

I tried to capture as many Milky Way nightscape-style images as I could with my stationary tripod and filming camera (a stock Canon EOS R6). The following image is a single, 25-second exposure at ISO 3200 of the Milky Way from our campsite. 

A single 25-second exposure of the Milky Way from our campsite.

Deep-Sky Astrophotography Setup

Even though we flew, we were able to bring a fair amount of gear with us to take advantage of the dark skies. Because this was our first time under Bortle 1 skies, I did want to bring a little more focal length than I typically bring to a star party.

Below is the breakdown of the rig that I brought in my carry-on luggage and personal item (backpack). We did have to check one bag as our tripods did not fit in any of our carry-on bags. It also came in handy for packing some warmer clothing for at night.

Trevor (left) and Ashley’s (right) setup

My Setup:

Ashley’s Setup:

I chose to photograph the Embryo Nebula in Perseus in LRGB. Unfortunately, the clearest nights of our trip landed at times when I had to present in the morning, and I didn’t run the rig as long as I wanted to. 

My final image includes just 2.5 hours of total exposure time, using a ZWO ASI6200MM Pro camera and LRGB filters. 

The Embryo Nebula in Perseus. 

(Ashley has not yet processed her images of the Cave Nebula, but we will add those to the post when ready!)

When you are flying to a star party, you realize there are lots of other things that you typically bring to make things more comfortable, that you wouldn’t be able to given the circumstances – things like chairs, a table, a blanket, etc. Thankfully, Andy, from the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club had us covered, and brought all those things for us, including extension cords.

He even brought and set up a sky-box for us to have a little place to go during the star party, which also doubles as protection from the wind, which is common at Okie-Tex. He also kept an eye on our gear, so we could leave it set up, while we traveled to and from the town where we were staying. Thanks, Andy!

Sky Box for Astrophotography

Star Party Speakers

In 2022, I was a speaker at the Okie-Tex Star Party. They expressed interest in having me attend in 2021, but due to the pandemic and the lockdowns between the Canada and USA border, it was arranged for the following year. 

I presented on two topics: a half-day workshop on wide-field Astro imaging, and as per the request of the star party organizers, a presentation on the ZWO ASIAIR. Both talks went well and attendees seemed to be engaged in the information. 

In addition to myself, there were other presentations from folks like Jonathan Talbot and Rick Fienberg on the topics of ‘Leveraging New CMOS Technology’, ‘Pixinsight Beginner Imaging’, ‘The New Era of Professional-Amateur Collaboration in Astronomy’ and ‘The Great North American Solar Eclipses of 2023 & 2024’.

ASIAIR Presentation at Okie-Tex Star Party

Rules at Okie-Tex Star Party

As far as rules go, Okie-Tex is a pretty laid-back star party. They do have a few rules to follow, mostly pertaining to white light which is normal for a star party:

• No white light after dark (laptops, cars, cell phones, etc.)
• No laser pointers
• Dim red light only and aim it at the ground
• Anticipate your vehicle lights (opening and locking doors) and take the appropriate steps to make sure there are no issues with light
• Park outside the gates after 9 p.m. if you are not staying overnight and park facing away from the star party 
• Pets are allowed but they must be leashed and contained at all times. Be sure to clean up after them.

Okie-Tex Star Party Impressions

This is a very relaxed and casual star party that doesn’t impact the amazing Bortle 1 skies. People just ‘get’ the rules (i.e. no white light) so all you need to do is show up, set up, and enjoy yourself. 

The Oklahoma City Astronomy Club are great hosts. Being in such a remote location, it can be easy to feel a little uneasy, but they really do make sure you have all the comforts and necessities at the site – washrooms, showers, catering, power, etc. The star party is well organized and runs like you think a star party that has run for 30+ years would run – like a well-oiled machine. 

The Okie-Tex Star Party from above. 

There are a lot of seasoned attendees at this star party that make it a lot of fun. You can join in on the conversation, and get the scoop on their stories from the many years they have spent attending the star party and make new friends.

You’ll also want to be sure to hike to the top of the nearby rock formation adjacent to the star party to see Okie and Tex, the official flamingo mascots of the star party.

Overall, we had such a great time at the Okie-Tex star party and can definitely see ourselves returning in the future. A big thanks to the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club for the invite and for taking such good care of us!

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I took my first two Ha images of Sh2-216 back in January 2017 and followed them up with some more in November. The initial results were shown here: http://andrewluck.me.uk/?p=1269.

Due to the extreme faintness of the object I’d opted to use 1 hour exposures for a total of 10 hours. Initial processing was enough to show detail in the nebula but the background showed some processing artifacts.

Fast forward to September 2020 and some clear sky opportunities lead to my acquiring another 7 hours of Ha exposures. As some online images showed some OIII in the nebula as well I added 17 hours of OIII images (1 hour images) and to complete the set a further 12 hours of RGB images (20 minutes each).

To combine the images I created an RGB image and then used the PixInsight NBRGBCombination script to blend in the Ha and OIII.