Spencer Collins Astrophotography

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Spencer Collins Astrophotography Deep space astrophotography and astronomy from the light polluted skies of Fort Myers, Florida. Follow here or on IG !

- The Setting Moon 10/14 -Grabbed a shot of the Moon just after sunset tonight. Best 20% of 15k frames, single .5sec exp...
10/15/2026

- The Setting Moon 10/14 -

Grabbed a shot of the Moon just after sunset tonight. Best 20% of 15k frames, single .5sec exposure for the background. Swipe to see the night side of the lunar surface partially illuminated by earthshine - our planets own reflected sunlight.
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SkyWatcher USA Esprit 150
SkyWatcher USA CQ350
ZWO_astronomy 533mm Pro
Antlia R filter

Rain cleared up in time for a brutally humid and windy day, with a special guest appearance from a coyote.
10/10/2026

Rain cleared up in time for a brutally humid and windy day, with a special guest appearance from a coyote.

Not going anywhere, just branching out a bit. I'll be back to posting astro images when the skies allow it. The astronom...
09/29/2026

Not going anywhere, just branching out a bit. I'll be back to posting astro images when the skies allow it.

The astronomy community helped push me through the difficult early stages of the hobby and turned what could have otherwise been a very lonely hobby into a worldwide community. Here’s to hoping for the same with skating 🤞

A couple months ago, my goal was to complete a half marathon (13.1 miles) by November. When I first put skates back on, ...
09/27/2026

A couple months ago, my goal was to complete a half marathon (13.1 miles) by November. When I first put skates back on, I was gassed after a couple miles. Since then, I’ve worked my way up to 5 miles, then 8, then 10 - and today, 16. It's nothing special, but it felt like a huge personal victory.

There was a time recently when I wasn’t sure my kidneys would hold out for me to be this active again. It was legitimately depressing, there's really no other way to say it. But, it was also an easy excuse to be inactive. My kidneys are currently functioning around 25%, so I'm close to skating on borrowed time, but feeling good for now. At some point soon, I'll be forced to take a break and look for a living kidney donor. Until then, onward!

Huge thanks to my wife Audrey Collins for encouraging me to take advantage of my health now, and to my kidney doc for helping me do it safely.

Half marathon? ✔️
Full marathon next. 🤞

Competed in an indoor speed skating race yesterday for the first time in 18 years. We don't have a team locally or a ska...
09/21/2026

Competed in an indoor speed skating race yesterday for the first time in 18 years. We don't have a team locally or a skateable indoor floor, so I went into today with a total of 90 minutes of indoor practice. Placed 3rd in our long race, and 2nd in the sprint.

Started the morning off by smashing into a pillar off a wall coming out of a turn on the second lap of our first race. Blew out the wall with my shoulder and forearm, sent myself to the ground, and the race was stopped and restarted a few minutes later. Huge shoutout to one of the other competitors, who happens to be a doctor, for taking a minute to check me out and checking in with me throughout the day.

All things considered, I feel pretty happy with how I skated and feel confident that it will be a competitive season. Thanks to the rink for letting me keep part of the wall that I broke 😂. Also, it was pure cosmic irony that I was able to skate for a team named "Astro Speed". Thanks for letting me join in Astro Speed Team Pinellas Park Florida - onto the next.

Here's the Moon sinking low just after sunset a couple nights ago. Love capturing these lesser illuminated phases 🌒 ____...
08/20/2026

Here's the Moon sinking low just after sunset a couple nights ago. Love capturing these lesser illuminated phases 🌒
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🔭 SkyWatcher USA Esprit 150
📷 ZWO_astronomy 533mm Pro
📈 Best 20% of 8k stacked + .25sec exposure for glow

The Eagle 🦅 Here's a 30 hour shot of the Eagle Nebula using the Esprit 150 & Vixen 8" Newtonian combo. Very satisfying t...
08/19/2026

The Eagle 🦅

Here's a 30 hour shot of the Eagle Nebula using the Esprit 150 & Vixen 8" Newtonian combo. Very satisfying to have both scopes running smoothly after months of hibernation.

This one is mostly hydrogen (red), with oxygen (blue) more prevalent at center surrounding the Pillars of Creation. Thankful to live where this target is within reach, even if during the worst months of the year.
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🔭 SkyWatcher USA Esprit 150
🔭 Vixen R200SS w/ Tele Vue Optics Paracorr 2
📷 ZWO_astronomy 533mm Pro
🎨 Antlia 3nm Ha & Oiii, V-Pro RGB
⏰ 24hrs Ha, 6hrs Oiii, 1hr RGB stars

Hey astro world 👋 It's been a rough few months of clouds here, but we lucked out with a clear night last night. Probably...
08/18/2026

Hey astro world 👋
It's been a rough few months of clouds here, but we lucked out with a clear night last night. Probably a couple more months to go before we get any recurring clear skies, so I'll take what I can get. Hope everyone is doing well.

SkyWatcher USA Esprit 150
SkyWatcher USA CQ350
ZWO_astronomy 533mm Pro
Best 20% of 7k frames

24hrs of the Eagle Nebula 🦅 This is the first combined dataset from my Esprit 150 & Vixen 8” Newtonian. Each scope bring...
05/08/2026

24hrs of the Eagle Nebula 🦅

This is the first combined dataset from my Esprit 150 & Vixen 8” Newtonian. Each scope brings something special to the table and I couldn't be happier with how well they've paired together. I must say, being able to double data each night really feels like a cheat code.

Also, huge shoutout to for repairing my CQ350 recently - he was an absolute life saver and the Esprit 150 is happy to be back on its throne. Hope everyone is doing well 🤘
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🔭 Esprit 150 (f5.4) & Vixen R200SS (f4.6)
⚙️ CQ350 & EQ6 mounts
📷 533mm Pro
🎨 Antlia 3nm Ha

Here's the Moon shining bright yesterday morning while was on the final leg of its trip home. Can't wait to see what th...
04/11/2026

Here's the Moon shining bright yesterday morning while was on the final leg of its trip home. Can't wait to see what the next few years hold for space travel 🚀
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🔭 Esprit 150
📷 533mm Pro
⚙️ CQ350

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