Deep Sky Workflows

06/18/2026

Of course, the ridge has more to offer than just beautiful night skies. The sunset wasn't bad at all, and I certainly can't complain about the morning view.

06/18/2026

Zooming into Rho Ophiuchi at 350mm with a high-quality telescope reveals much more detail and structure ... and that some of those stars aren't stars, but clusters of stars!

Full story: https://www.dswgalleries.com/post/first-light-at-sky-fire-ridge-observatory

06/18/2026

The "leading edge" of the Milky Way is a complex structure of dust and colorful "stars" called the Rho Ophiuichi complex. The "stars" form a distinctive pentagram shape. This is a 50mm camera shot.

Full story: https://www.dswgalleries.com/post/first-light-at-sky-fire-ridge-observatory

06/18/2026

I captured this shot at a high quality, high resolution - in fact, I had to shrink it by 25% for social media to accept the image! The ridge I shoot from and the car that has faithfully carried my gear and I since I began the hobby.

Full story: https://www.dswgalleries.com/post/first-light-at-sky-fire-ridge-observatory
Prints: https://www.dswgalleries.com/product-page/sky-fire-ridge-observatory-first-light-the-journey-5

06/18/2026

The Milky Way looked fantastic at 14mm. So, I decided to get a little closer. Here it is at 50mm.

Full story: https://www.dswgalleries.com/post/first-light-at-sky-fire-ridge-observatory

06/18/2026

When the skies are this clear, the Milky Way is a point-and-shoot target. But oh, what a target.

"Home (our galaxy)"
Blog: https://www.dswgalleries.com/post/first-light-at-sky-fire-ridge-observatory
Print: https://www.dswgalleries.com/product-page/sky-fire-ridge-observatory-first-light-home-our-galaxy-on-demand-print

06/17/2026

I'm often asked if I ever see anything "weird" or unexplained during my late-night astrophotography sessions. My answer is typically, "no."

That has changed after reviewing the footage from my latest visit to central Oregon. I usually set up a GoPro to take 360-degree timelapse shots so I can show my equipment configurations and catch things like aurora or meteors I might not be looking for.

I'm not jumping to any conclusions, but this footage is strange to me and I'm definitely not sure what the object was. I'm busy finishing my set up in twilight with a red headlamp, so I'm completely oblivious to the fact there is something approaching my clearing.

What gave me goosebumps was noticing that the moment I stood up and walked towards the car, the object appears to rapidly accelerate and shoot off into the sky.

What do you think this is?

06/12/2026

Tomorrow, a new chapter for DSW Galleries begins.

06/08/2026

If you are interested in exploring the deep reaches of space or taking pictures of distant galaxies, but don't want to invest thousands or can't lug around heavy equipment, take a look at the See Star. I did, and here's what I think:

The See Star S50 is light, portable, and inexpensive. But can it truly reach the stars? Will it replace your expensive dedicated astrophotography rig?

06/06/2026

The sunset was beautiful to watch as I waited for the planets to appear. They did not disappoint. I was surprised to see Venus so bright its reflection was clearly visible on the ocean. The bright one is Venus, and to the left and slightly up from Venus is Jupiter.

Both shots were taken with my Sony A7R IV with a Sigma 14mm f/1.4 lens.

Sunset: f/1.4 1/8000s 100 ISO
Venus: f/1.4 25s 100 ISO (not tracked).