Deep Sky Imaging Session - February 27, 2025

The sky this evening is clear and I setup my Dwarf 3 Smart Scope to try IC 434 Horsehead Nebula in the constellation of Orion using Dwarf 3's Astro Filter which is a broad band filter to try to get some other colors other than all red when I use the Narrowband Duo Filter. I was able to get 120 minutes total exposure (120 x 60 sec) at Gain 60. I was also planning to test the stellar studio feature of Dwarf 3 new beta update but I forgot to log in thus missed out updating the firmware to version 1.3 thus wasn't able to test the feature. Anyway, use my standard image processing on my computer instead.

Solar Imaging Session - February 22, 2025

The sky this afternoon is partly clear but seeing condition is poor. AR4000 & AR3998 Region are a joy to view and image in both Ha and whitelight wavelength. I just do a quickie session as still having a bad flu. Also got whitelight full disk with Dwarf 3.

Deep Sky Imaging Session - February 17, 2025

The sky this evening is clear after a hard rainfall this afternoon. I took this opportunity to image SH2-308 Dolphin Head Nebula in the constellation of Canis Major . I was able to image this nebula before also under the light polluted sky of Manila last March 2023 but my image processing skill was very novice. With some added knowledge in the coming years, I attempted again this faint nebula in the city of Manila once again using 3 hours total exposure using my trusty ZWO ASI294MC PRO Astro Camera on Borg 76ED Refractor with 1x Flattener and SVBony SV220 Duo Band Filter at -5 deg C. I know I need to give justice to this beautiful faint nebula by adding more integration time in the future. Nevertheless, I'm very happy with the output.

Deep Sky & Lunar Imaging Session - February 16-17, 2025

The sky this evening is clear so I also setup my Dwarf 3 Smart Scope beside my usual Borg 76ED imaging rig. I was trying out its mosaic mode to try to give some room in imaging NGC2244 Rosette Nebula in the constellation of Monoceros. I try to increase the FOV by 1.5x on both sides to see how it goes. Unfortunately, my imaging session was cut short by suddenly appearance of large cloud cover thus ending my session with a mere 13 minutes of total exposure only. I was also able to image afterwards through small cloud opening the Waning Gibbous Moon before I packup.

Deep Sky Imaging Session - February 16-17, 2025

The sky this evening is clear so I once again try to image NGC2359 Thor's Helmet Nebula in the constellation of Canis Major and was lucky enough to get a 2 hour worth of data before I got clouded out again.

Solar Imaging Session - February 16, 2025

The sky this afternoon is very cloudy and seeing condition is not that good. I only image full disk through small opening on the cloud with the Dwarf 3 Smart Scope and didn't image high resolution for this session.

Deep Sky Imaging Session - February 15, 2025

The sky this late evening is partly clear so I quickly setup to image NGC2359 Thor's Helmet Nebula in the constellation of Canis Major. But my luck runs out as I was only able to get a total exposure of only 36 minutes as clouds suddenly covered the entire sky thus ending my short session :( Nevertheless I still was able to get some decent detail on this nebula and I hope to be able to get a full exposure of this nebula in the days to come.

Lunar Imaging Session - February 12, 2025

The sky this evening is clear but the Full Moon dominates the whole sky so no DSO imaging for me tonight. I use my Dwarf 3 Smart Scope at Astro Mode with VIS Filter at AZ mode to image at Full Moon using stacked 50 images at 1/1000 sec exposure at Gain 0.

Solar Imaging Session - February 12, 2025

The sky this afternoon is clear and seeing condition is very good. 3 moderate sized sunspot groups are visible on the Sun's disk. In Ha wavelength, AR3987 Region has some flaring activity in its core while the rest of the region are very quiet. Giving life to the solar view in Ha are 3 nice large prominences visible in the SE, NW and SW limb. I was also able to get a white light full disk using Dwarf 3 smart scope.

Deep Sky Imaging Session - February 9, 2025

The sky this evening is partly cloudy but I want to test the mosaic mode of Dwarf 3 to see how it is being done. Unfortunately, as I was starting to test image on IC434 Horsehead Nebula in the constellation of Orion, clouds started to cover the entire sky and I was only able ton get a measly 18 minutes of original frame as the mosaic mode turns out slightly distorted a bit so I will redo it next time there is some clearing. Need to test if it is worth doing it under dark skies. Nevertheless I only process the 18 minutes of IC434 Horsehead Nebula with Dwarf 3 Smart Scope at Astro Mode with Duo Filter at EQ mode despite a bright Waxing Gibbous Moon nearby. Total exposure of 18 minutes (18 x 60 sec) at Gain 60.

Deep Sky Imaging Session - February 5-6, 2025

The sky this evening is mostly clear so I proceeded to image IC2177 Seagull Nebula in the constellation of Monoceros. The wind was also very strong tonight but my imaging rig was able to withstand the wind and I was able to get a 122 minute integrated exposure using ZWO ASI294MC PRO Astro Camera on Borg 76ED Refractor with 0.8x Reducer / Flattener and SVBony SV220 Duo Band Filter at -5 deg C. I was also able to get a short 15 mins exposure of M44 Beehive Glactic Star Cluster in the constellation of Cancer. Due to strong wind that is jarring my Dwarf 3 tripod, wasted half of the planned 30 minutes integration of this cluster.

Lunar Imaging Session - February 5, 2025

The sky this evening is very cloudy but there are some small cloud opening for me to image the First Quarter Moon using Dwarf 3 Smart Scope at Astro Mode with VIS Filter and AZ Mode. 10 stacked image of 1/125sec exposure at Gain 0.

Deep Sky Imaging Session - February 4-5, 2025

The sky this evening is partly cloudy and I use the Dwarf 3 to capture a short 30 minutes worth of data on M42 Great Orion Nebula in the constellation of Orion before getting clouded out .

Deep Sky Imaging Session - February 2-3, 2025

Last February 2, Joaquin Fajardo and I decided to go to Viewscape Nature Park in Tanay, Rizal to do some deep sky imaging session. We left Manila to Viewscape at around 2:30pm and arrive at the site at around 5:30pm. We quickly setup our telescopes to prepare for a whole night of deep sky imaging. Joaquin brought along a very portable ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Scope while I brought my Borg 76ED Refractor with ZWO ASI294MC PRO Astro Camera mounted on a sturdy ZWO AM5 mount. I also brought along another smart scope in Dwarf 3 Smart Scope to do simultaneous imaging on both scopes. After a setup and polar aligned my scopes, I started to image the faint IC2118 Witch Head Nebula in the constellation of Eridanus with my Borg 76ED setup. My thoughts on this nebula is that it is a challenge to image it as it is a fainty reflection nebula but to my surprise, it was easy to capture and after 2 hours of integrated exposure, I shifted my target to another faint SH2-308, the Dolphin Nebula in Canis Major. Unfortunately, clouds started to cover up the sky and it was after another hour of clouds before it started clearing up but I had to abandon this object as Canis Major is already nearing the western horizon which has a bad city glow toward Manila. I then go after a bright emission nebula in Carina, NGC3372, the Keyhole / Eta Carina. I prioritize this object because it is too low from my Manila vantage point and are obstructed by tall buildings. But after getting an hour worth of exposure, It was also clouded out on the southern horizon so I ended the capture. I then saw the northern side of the sky is clear so I took that opportunity to capture the beautiful but small M51 Whirpool Galaxy in Canes Venatici and was able to get 2 hours worth of data before I capture the bright and beautiful NGC5139 Omega Centauri globular star cluster in Ophiuchus. I only manage to expose for 20 minutes as it was already near sunrise time! :) As for my Dwarf 3 smart scope, I started of image M78 Casper Nebula in the constellation of Orion then followed by Markarian's Chain of Galaxies in Coma Berenices, HD147888 Rho Ophiuchi Region in the constellation of Scorpius. AT sunrise, we both cooked our breakfast as well as sipping our hot coffee discussing my imaging experience as well as plan our next imaging session again at Viewscape Nature Park. We left the site at around 8:30am feeling happy and also sleepy as I didn't sleep the whole imaging session till sunrise! :) LOL