Bronco Loco Photography, Saint George, UT (2026)

10/30/2025

Determined

This image is of C/2025 A6 (Lemmon). I imagined this last Friday. Currently, it’s a pretty bright comet that’s shining at a magnitude 5. From the city and urban areas, it’s not naked eye visible, but from a dark sky site it can be seen through binoculars and long exposure photography.

This image was a challenge for me to get. After setting up my rig and powering everything on, I discovered the ASIAIR couldn’t detect my guide camera. At the time I couldn’t figure out why the guide camera wasn’t working. That meant I either couldn’t lock onto a guide star or I would have to manually dither. I was determined to make this image work especially since I paid an entrance fee of $15 to get into the local state park. I ended up setting an auto run sequence of 3 (30 second) exposures. After each auto run sequence I moved the framing ever so slightly in the sky atlas of the ASIAIR app. I repeated this until I got about 35 minutes worth of data. To top it off, the area I was set up gets a little breezy as the night goes on. So, some of the frames werent exactly sharp. Nevertheless, I managed to get enough data to build an image. Later, I discovered my USB cord for the guide camera was bad. The next day I ordered spare USB cords for my rig so I didn’t have another dilemma again.

Image Detail:
- 17 minutes of total integration time (30 seconds, gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
Equipment:
- SVBONY SV503 80ED
- Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- ZWO ASIAIR Mini
- ZWO EAF
- ZWO 120MM guide camera
- ZWO guide scope

Software:
- PixInsight
- Adobe Photoshop
- RC Astro Blur Xterminator
- RC Astro Noise Xterminator
- RC Astro Star Xterminator

09/13/2025

Orion Nebula:

This is an image that I’ve had for a little while. This is the Orion Nebula (M42). It’s located in the constellation of Orion. It’s a stellar nursery that’s approximately 1,344 light years from Earth. In the winter months this can be seen with the naked eye.

My image of the Orion Nebula was imaged in late December 2024 and early January 2025. I’ve been trying to figure out the post-processing for this image on and off for the last 9 months This is the final iteration that I’ve finally settled on.

I had a tough time post-processing this image. One of the reason why it was tough to post-process was because I didn’t know how to incorporate the RGB data with the narrowband HA data in Photoshop. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Craig Stocks’ (Utah Desert Remote Observatory) contunium subtraction tutorial on YouTube that I finally figured out how to process this image. I know one can do continumium subtraction pretty easily in PixInsight but I prefer to do my post-processing in Photoshop as it’s a little more flexible and edits aren’t baked in and can be edited later.

Image Detail:
- 20 hours of total integration time (300 seconds, gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
- 10 hours of HA/OIII narrowband data
- 10 hours of RGB data

Equipment:
- SVBONY SV503 80ED
- SVBONY SV220 HA/OIII dual narrowband filter
- SVBONY SV226 filter drawer
- Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- ZWO ASIAIR Mini
- ZWO EAF
- ZWO 120MM guide camera
- ZWO guide scope

Software:
- PixInsight
- Adobe Photoshop
- RC Astro Blur Xterminator
- RC Astro Noise Xterminator
- RC Astro Star Xterminator

07/07/2025

The Toughest Thing:

This is the Iris Nebula (NGC 7023 or Caldwell 4). It’s a reflection nebula surrounded by dust and gas. The blue (right side of the image) comes from scattered light from the nebula’s central star. The gaseous petals stretch 6 light years across. The Iris Nebula is located in the constellation Cepheus. I started imaging this over several nights in early May from my backyard.

I’m an experienced landscape and portrait photographer and have about 17 years of experience doing those types of photography but I haven’t to admit astrophotography is one of the most challenging and toughest photography mediums I’ve ever done. It took me about 10 iterations of this composition to finally get the right look and processing that I was envisioning.There’s myriad ways of stretching an image and processing one can do but sometimes it takes much trial and error to get the right look. I tried a few different tricks and techniques to bring out the cloud of gas.

Image Detail:
- 13 hours of total integration time (300 seconds, gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
- 13 hours of RGB data + IR cut filter

Equipment:
- SVBONY SV503 80ED
- SVBONY SV226 filter drawer
- Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- ZWO ASIAIR Mini
- ZWO EAF
- ZWO 120MM guide camera
- ZWO guide scope

Software:
- PixInsight
- Adobe Photoshop
- RC Astro Blur Xterminator
- RC Astro Noise Xterminator
- RC Astro Star Xterminator

06/01/2025

Bernard’s Loop:

This image is a portion of Bernard’s Loop, M78 (lower right corner), and NGC 2071 (located just above M78) which all lie in the Orion Constellation. Bernard’s Loop is an emission nebula which takes the form of a large arc if viewed from a wider perspective. The loop is approximately 518 light years from Earth. M78 and NGC 2071 are reflection nebulas located approximately 1350 light years from Earth.

I imaged this in late December 2024 and early January 2025 over the span of a few nights. To create this image I captured about 20 hours of narrowband Ha, OII and SII. I furthered captured about another 10 hours of RGB data to get the M78 and NGC 2071. I decided to use the forax color palette to make it a little unique.

In hindsight, I would’ve moved the composition a little lower and to the right to get more of M78 and NGC 2071. I’ll probably add more data to this image by adding another 1-2 mosaic panels. That’s going to be another project this winter!

Image Detail:
- 30 hours of total integration time (300 seconds, gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
- 10 hours of HA/OIII narrowband data
- 10 hours of SII/OIII narrowband data
- 10 hours of RGB data

Equipment:
- SVBONY SV503 80ED
- SVBONY SV220 HA/OIII dual narrowband filter
- Askar C2 SII/OIII dual narrowband filter
- SVBONY SV226 filter drawer
- Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- ZWO ASIAIR Mini
- ZWO EAF
- ZWO 120MM guide camera
- ZWO guide scope

Software:
- PixInsight
- Adobe Photoshop
- RC Astro Blur Xterminator
- RC Astro Noise Xterminator
- RC Astro Star Xterminator

03/17/2025

The Message:

This is the Horsehead Nebula (IC 434). It’s located in the Orion Constellation and is approximately 1,375 light years from earth.

I imaged this in late November over a span of 5 nights. Luckily, living in the US desert southwest makes imaging this in the winter less of a chore due to clear skies most of the time.

I originally shot this a year ago using a Nikon DLSR but because of the lack of sensitivity of the camera’s sensor the results weren’t what I was envisioned. I decided to try the Horsehead Nebula again this last winter. I was blown away by the detail my dedicated astro cam in conjunction with HA, OIII and SII filters provided.

I decided to use a different color palette than what’s commonly used where the HA (hydrogen alpha) gas is traditionally red. Although, it’s getting too late in the season to image this, I’ll give this another shot this coming winter and focus on other parts of this nebula.

Image Detail:
- 18 hours of total integration time (300 seconds, gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
- 10 hours of HA/OIII narrowband data
- 8 hours of SII/OIII narrowband data

Equipment:
- SVBONY SV503 80ED
- SVBONY SV220 HA/OIII dual narrowband filter
- Askar C2 SII/OIII dual narrowband filter
- SVBONY SV226 filter drawer
- Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- ZWO ASIAIR Mini
- ZWO EAF
- ZWO 120MM guide camera
- ZWO guide scope

Software:
- PixInsight
- Adobe Photoshop
- RC Astro Blur Xterminator
- RC Astro Noise Xterminator
- RC Astro Star Xterminator

02/27/2025

Flaming Star:

I haven’t been posted on social media for a few long months for various reasons but despite that I’ve been busy with many astrophotography projects over the winter.

One such image which I started on in early November was the Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405). The image was the result of about 18 hours of narrowband data. I decided to use the Forax palette on this image as it made the nebula look like it’s on fire.

Image Detail:
- 18 hours of total integration time (300 seconds, gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
- 10 hours of HA/OIII narrowband data
- 8 hours of SII/OIII narrowband data

Equipment:
- SVBONY SV503 80ED
- SVBONY SV220 HA/OIII dual narrowband filter
- Askar C2 SII/OIII dual narrowband filter
- SVBONY SV226 filter drawer
- Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- ZWO ASIAIR Mini
- ZWO EAF
- ZWO 120MM guide camera
- ZWO guide scope

Software:
- PixInsight
- Adobe Photoshop
- RC Astro Blur Xterminator
- RC Astro Noise Xterminator
- RC Astro Star Xterminator

10/31/2024

Close Encounter:

Getting a detailed and closer view of C/2023 A3 had been a little bit of a challenge for me. The first few days it was visible didn’t pan out as I didn’t have enough time to properly get the astrorig going. Either it took too much time to get the focus routine going or I had issues with the guiding calibration. In any case, last Sunday, October 20 I was finally able to properly image the comet.

After stacking the comet images and getting it into post-processing in Photoshop, I still wasn’t satisfied with it. I had seen pictures of the comet’s tail showing detail. For some reason, my image wasn’t showing detail despite a fairly decent amount of exposure time. I finally figured out how to pull out the detail in the comet tail (see below for details). The detail was there but hidden! I’ve also seen pictures of a partially green nucleus. I still haven’t figured out how other astrophotographers have got that to show. I’m going to try one more time this week to shoot the comet and hopefully get a partially green nucleus.

Image Detail:
- 25 minutes of total integration time (gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
- 20 minutes of 30 second sub-exposures for the comet’s tail
- 5 minutes of 15 second sub-exposures for the comet’s nucleus
- Stacking and initial edits in PixInsight
- Created a composite of the comet in Adobe Photoshop. Blended the stacked comet tail and stacked nucleus to recover the nucleus highlights (the stacked nucleus image didn’t have blown highlights). Lowered the comet tail layer opacity to taste.
- Duplicate the tail layer, use the color range tool and select highlights to pull out the detail in the comet’s tail. Once the highlights are selected, add a layer mask to hide everything else.
- To pull out even more detail use Camera RAW within Photoshop. Add clarity and add a touch of texture.

Equipment:
SVBONY SV503 80ED
SVBONY SV193 focal reducer and field flattener (560mm down to 420mm)
Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
ZWO ASIAIR Mini
ZWO EAF
ZWO 120MM guide camera
ZWO guide scope

10/24/2024

Well! Shoot!

Up until a few days ago I thought shooting the Milky Way Galaxy this late in the year wasn’t really worth the effort as Milky Way season was past prime time. Then I saw a few pictures online of comet C/2023 A3 with the Milky Way in the composition. I thought to myself:

“Well. Shoot!”

With that being said I went out Sunday night on a whim to see what I could get. Luckily, a few days prior I scouted a few locations at the Snow Canyon Overlook near St. George, UT. I decided on this composition as it was the most interesting and had the best view.

That night the moon didn’t rise until later in the evening which also meant plenty of stars in the sky would be visible and the Milky Way would be clearly visible. Also, I wouldn’t have a day time looking nightscape with harsh shadows as the moon wouldn’t be out yet.

Everything worked out as the Milky Way Galaxy and C/2023 A3 lined up mostly well in the composition. Even the lack on moonlight worked in my favor.

Equipment:
- Nikon D800e
- Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED

Software and Processing:
- Initial edits in Adobe Lightroom
- Shot 4 images during blue hour at different focus points for focus stacking. Stacked in Helicon Focus. (14mm, f/10, ISO 100, 1” second exposures)
- Shot 10 exposures for the sky and Milky Way about an hour after sunset (14mm, f/2.8, ISO 2500, 4 second exposures
- Shot 10 dark frames for the sky with the lens cap on the lens
- Stacked and aligned the sky and dark frames in Starry Landscape Stacker
- Ran the sky composite through Blur Xterminator in PixInsight to sharpen the stars
- Ran the sky composite through Noise Xterminator in PixInsight
- Final post-processing in Adobe Photoshop (combined foreground and sky into a single composite, adjusted curves, orton effect, saturation boost, burn, dodge, added slight vignette, sharpen)

www.broncoloco.com
www.instagram.com/thebroncoloco
www.flicker.com/broncoloco
Van Phetsomphou
www.youpic.com/broncoloco

10/20/2024

NGC 7000 better known as the North American Nebula is a nebula located in the constellation of Cygnus. It’s an emission nebula that’s about 2,590 light years from earth. If it could be seen with the naked eye, it’s as wide as 10 full moons.

I started imaging this about mid September over the course of 4 nights for about 13 hours of intergration time. This was actually one of the first nebulas I imaged when I first started down the astrophotography route a year ago. I love how this region of Cygnus is almost like an abstract painting. The hydrogen alpha (Ha) and sulpher II (SII) gases form intricate patterns while the oxygen III (OIII) contrast.

Image Detail:
- 13 hours of total integration time (300 seconds, gain 100, camera cooled to 14 degrees)
- 8 hours of HA/OIII narrowband data
- 5 hours of SII/OIII narrowband data

Equipment:
- SVBONY SV503 80ED
- SVBONY SV220 HA/OIII dual narrowband filter
- Askar C2 SII/OIII dual narrowband filter
- SVBONY SV226 filter drawer
- Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- ZWO ASIAIR Mini
- ZWO EAF
- ZWO 120MM guide camera
- ZWO guide scope

Software:
- PixInsight
- Adobe Photoshop
- RC Astro Blur Xterminator
- RC Astro Noise Xterminator
- RC Astro Star Xterminator

www.broncoloco.com
www.instagram.com/thebroncoloco
www.flickr.com/broncoloco
www.youpic.com/broncoloco
www.facebook.com/broncoloco

Bronco Loco Photography

10/30/2025

09/13/2025

07/07/2025

06/01/2025

03/17/2025

02/27/2025

10/31/2024

10/24/2024

10/20/2024

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category