astroaf

02/22/2026

New Video Published!
https://youtu.be/dS3XDJH1ufM

In Part 3 of my astrophotography pier build, we bring everything together — mechanical assembly, leveling, power, Ethernet, mount setup, rough alignment, and first light preparation.

If you haven’t seen the earlier stages of the build:

Building My Dream Astrophotography Pier – Part 1
https://youtu.be/ZZBbORby3Vg

Building My Backyard Astrophotography Pier! – Part 2
https://youtu.be/XbPxWeFsOEk

This project has been about more than just pouring concrete. It’s about building a permanent imaging platform that supports long-term stability, repeatable polar alignment, clean cable routing, and reliable power and networking for remote and unattended astrophotography.

A huge thank you to my friend Jay for helping bring this pier to life. Jay is an incredibly talented machine and body shop specialist who restores classic cars for a private collector. He handled all of the welding and finish work on this pier, applying the same level of craftsmanship and finishing techniques he uses in high-end automotive restoration. The result is something that looks intentional, durable, and professionally built.

You can check out Jay’s channel here:
‪‬
https://www.youtube.com/

Cheers!
Doug

In Part 3 of my astrophotography pier build, we bring everything together — mechanical assembly, leveling, power, Ethernet, mount setup, rough alignment, and...

02/17/2026

Here's my image from the last video on the Player One Xena 585M.
https://youtu.be/2lI7b9DMGok

IC 410 – The Tadpole Nebula

Located in the constellation Auriga, IC 410 lies approximately 12,000 light-years from Earth. This emission nebula surrounds the open star cluster NGC 1893, whose hot, young stars energize the surrounding hydrogen gas.

The famous “tadpoles” are dense globules of gas and dust being sculpted by intense stellar radiation — each one stretching roughly 10 light-years long.

Discovered in 1892 by Max Wolf, IC 410 continues to be a stunning example of star formation in action.

Integration 26h 35m:
Ha: 33 × 900s = 8h 15m
OIII: 24 × 900s = 6h 00m
SII: 38 × 900s = 9h 30m
Total Narrowband: 23h 45m

L: 8 × 300s = 40m
R: 10 × 300s = 50m
G: 8 × 300s = 40m
B: 8 × 300s = 40m
Total LRGB: 2h 50m

Captured in NINA
Processed in Pixinsight

Gear:
​ Player One Astronomy Artemis-M Pro | Xena 585M
​ Astroasis Oasis Filter Wheel and Focuser
​ Celestron EdgeHD 8 (.7x 1440mm) | OAG
​ Sky-Watcher USA HEQ5 Pro
Svbony SV227 SHO 5nm Filters
​ Optolong Astronomy Filter LRGB Filters

02/16/2026

New Video Published!
Player One Xena 585M - My First Light Experience!
https://youtu.be/2lI7b9DMGok

Astrophotography guiding changed for me the night I replaced my long-time guide camera with the Player One Xena 585M. Same mount. Same telescope. Same focal length. Same sky. The only variable that changed was the guide camera — and the results completely reset my expectations.

In this video I share my real-world first guiding session using the Player One Astronomy Xena 585M on an HEQ5 Pro with an EdgeHD 8 at 1440mm focal length. This is practical astrophotography — not lab testing, not synthetic comparisons — just actual imaging conditions, PHD2 calibration, live guiding graphs, and star performance.

Cheers!
Doug

Player One Xena 585M product page:
https://player-one-astronomy.com/product/xena-585m-usb3-0-mono-camera-imx585/

Player One Astronomy Dwarf Planet guiding camera lineup:
https://player-one-astronomy.com/guiding-camera/

1.25 Inch Parfocal Rings Set of Three:
https://amzn.to/3ZHoMt5

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Astrophotography guiding changed for me the night I replaced my long-time guide camera with the Player One Xena 585M. Same mount. Same telescope. Same focal ...

02/08/2026

Hey Friends! New Video Published!
https://youtu.be/pUJI16hSdoE

Astrophotography isn’t just about collecting photons — it’s about listening to what your gear is already telling you. In this video, I take a data-driven look at polar alignment using logs that NINA already generates, and show how those logs can reveal real, measurable behavior in a pier-mounted astrophotography system over time.

This started as simple curiosity: how far off is my polar alignment at the start of each session, how much correction is actually required, and which axis is really doing the work — altitude or azimuth? Like many imagers, I had strong assumptions based on feel and ergonomics. The data told a very different story.

Using NINA’s TPPA (Three Point Polar Alignment) plugin, I enabled session logging and wrote a small Python script to extract only the meaningful states: where alignment started, where it finished, and how much effort it took to get there. From that, I built a repeatable workflow that turns polar alignment into something measurable instead of subjective.

Cheers!
Doug

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Astrophotography isn’t just about collecting photons — it’s about listening to what your gear is already telling you. In this video, I take a data-driven loo...

02/02/2026

Hey Everyone! New video published!
https://youtu.be/j1kU8n9MVoA

Astrophotography setups often live outdoors year-round, and protecting mounted equipment from weather, heat, and moisture is critical. In this video, I take a hands-on look at the TeleGizmos 365 Series cover, showing it both in real-world outdoor use and in the studio while walking through its design and materials.

This video combines on-site footage of the cover protecting my outdoor-mounted telescope with a closer breakdown of how the 365 Series is built. I cover the dual-layer construction, including the radiant heat barrier inner liner and the heavy, weather-resistant outer shell, and explain why those details matter for equipment that stays outside between imaging sessions.

The TeleGizmos 365 Series is designed specifically for continuous outdoor exposure. The reflective inner liner helps reduce radiant heat buildup and adds moisture protection, while the acrylic-coated woven polyester outer layer is built to resist UV exposure, wind, rain, abrasion, and long-term weathering.

TeleGizmos 365 Series covers and additional product information:
http://www.telegizmos.com/

Cheers!
Doug

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Astrophotography setups often live outdoors year-round, and protecting mounted equipment from weather, heat, and moisture is critical. In this video, I take ...

01/30/2026

The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33)
One of the most iconic dark nebulae in the night sky, the Horsehead was first identified in 1888 by Williamina Fleming on photographic plates at Harvard. It lies about 1,375 light-years away in the constellation Orion, silhouetted against the glowing hydrogen emission of IC 434.

This image was captured under a bright Moon, which meant no detectable O III signal
in my framing. Rather than force it, I worked with the data I did have and created a synthetic blue channel derived from H-alpha, letting the structure and contrast of the Horsehead take center stage.

Integration
H-alpha: 8 × 900s — 2h
S II: 6 × 900s — 1h 30m
Total integration: 3h 30m

Gear
Celestron EdgeHD 8 @ 1440 mm
Player One Astronomy Artemis-M Pro
Astroasis Oasis focuser & filter wheel
Svbony SHO filters
Sky-Watcher USA HEQ5 Pro

Processed in PixInsight

Cheers!
Doug

01/29/2026

The Moon had other plans for me tonight!
Since deep sky was off the table, I leaned into a mineral Moon instead.

This is a waxing gibbous with subtle color enhancement to reveal real compositional differences:
Iron-rich maria in blues, older highlands in warmer tones. No false color—just enhanced contrast to show what’s already there.

When the moon photobombs your deep sky plans.. well, if you can't beat 'em.. as they say...

Cheers!
Doug

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01/26/2026

New Vid! Player One Xena 585M | Your Guiding Level Up?

https://youtu.be/VlXxz3kxEN4

New Vid! Player One Xena 585M | Your Guiding Level Up?
AstroAF is among the first, if not THE first, to feature the Player One Astronomy‬ Xena 585M camera introduction!

The Xena 585M is part of Player One’s Dwarf Planet Series, a lineup designed for both guiding and imaging. It features a 1/1.2” mono sensor, 2.9µm pixels, STARVIS 2 technology, HDR mode, and a compact 1.25” form factor that works well for guide scopes and off-axis guiding.

Xena 585M: https://player-one-astronomy.com/product/xena-585m-usb3-0-mono-camera-imx585/

In this video I feature the Player One Xena 585M, focusing on an unboxing, physical design, and a detailed walkthrough of the camera’s specifications. A follow-up video will cover real-world guiding and imaging performance once the camera is on the sky.

Cheers!
Doug

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Astrophotography guiding cameras continue to evolve, and in this video I’m taking an early first look at the Player One Astronomy Xena 585M — a brand-new gui...

01/23/2026

I got pier pants!!
I get a lot of questions about leaving my rig out 24/7/365 and how i ensure it stays protected and dafe from elements. So, keep an eye out for my upcoming video on just that topic, featuring TeleGizmos365.

01/15/2026

Work-In-Progress (but wind is not playing well)

01/08/2026

Orion Nebula (M42 & Running Man)
A stellar nursery carved out of a vast molecular cloud ~1,350 light-years away in the constellation Orion.

What looks like an “explosion” is actually a blister nebula — intense UV radiation from the Trapezium stars ionizing gas and pushing outward where the surrounding cloud is thinnest. The dark lanes are dense dust still resisting that pressure, sculpting the nebula’s dramatic shape. New stars are forming here right now, even as radiation erodes the cloud around them.

This region has been observed since antiquity and cataloged by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc in 1610, but modern narrowband imaging reveals just how dynamic and layered it really is.

Integration
H-alpha: 6 × 900s — 1h 30m
O III: 8 × 900s — 2h 00m
S II: 7 × 900s — 1h 45m
Total integration: 5h 15m

Gear
Celestron EdgeHD 8 @ 1440mm
Player One Astronomy Artemis-M Pro
Astroasis Oasis Focuser and Filter Wheel
Svbony SHO
Sky-Watcher USA HEQ5 Pro

Processed in PixInsight

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