Deep Sky Imaging Session - March 7, 2026

The sky this evening is clear so despite my tired body after a long work ride, I didn't hesitate to still setup and image IC417 Spider Nebula with NGC1931 Fly Nebula in the constellation of Auriga despite the fact it is getting low in the NW horizon a bit using ZWO ASI294MC PRO camera on Borg 76ED Refractor with 1x flattener and SVBony SV220 7nm Duo Filter on ZWO AM5 mount. Exposure of 94 minutes (47 x 120 minutes) at -5 deg C . I also use my Dwarf 3 Smart Scope at Astro Mode with Duo Filter at EQ Mode with exposure of 120 minutes (240 x 30 sec) at Gain 60 to capture NGC 2467 Skull and Crossbones Nebula in the constellation of Puppis. Not bad for me despite the limited integration time that I have after coming home late.

Total Lunar Eclipse Imaging Session - March 3, 2026

The sky this early evening was very cloudy and we miss Moonrise which occurred at around 5:58pm PST. The Moon started to play hide and seek with the clouds till around 6:45pm PST before it started to show some clearing through thin clouds thus allowing us to get some decent shot of the Moon almost nearing totality phase already. My son and I setup our imaging rig at the roofdeck of my buddy friend Charles Tiu who generously allowed us to setup on his roofdeck. I setup 2 imaging rigs with ZWO ASI294MC Pro on Borg 76ED Refractor on ZWO AM5 mount as well as Dwarf 3 Smart Scope on sturdy tripod. We stayed up until the Moon exits penumbra at around 10:23pm PST. KC on the other hand setup using Canon EOS M6 mirrorless camera on Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS L lens set at 400mm f/8. Lots of data to process but I will post an initial image of the Moon at Maximum Totality phase which occurred at around 7:34pm PST using the ZWO ASI294MC PRO camera on Borg 76ED Refractor with 1x Flattener and SVBony UV-IR Filter on ZWO AM5 mount. Stack of 50 images at 100msec at Gain 475 as well as a composite image of this eclipse. Another one was also at Maximum Totality phase using Dwarf 3 Smart Scope at Astro Mode with VIS Filter at AZ Mode with stack of 20 images at 2 sec exposure at Gain 0 as well as another composite image from the Dwarf 3 compilations.

Solar Imaging Session - March 3, 2026

The sky this afternoon is partly cloudy and seeing condition is fair. AR4378 as well as incoming AR4384 Region are the larger groups that are visible on the Sun's disk now. No large prominences are visible on the solar limb as well.

Lunar Imaging Session - March 2, 2026

The sky this early evening is clear so I use this opportunity to do a dry run of my 2 setups to image tomorrow's March 3, 2026 Total Lunar Eclipse. One setup uses the Dwarf 3 Smart Scope and the other one is using ZWO ASI294MC PRO camera on Borg 76ED Refractor. Images comes out decent IMHO. Clear skies to all!

Lunar Imaging Session - March 2, 2026

The sky this late evening till past midnight was very cloudy and got to get a quickie shot of the Waxing Gibbous Moon through passing clouds using my Dwarf 3 Smart Scope at Astro Mode with VIS Filter at AZ Mode. Stack of 20 images at 1/125sec exposure at Gain 0. Got to test also KC setup for the upcoming lunar eclipse this Tuesday early evening March 3, 2026. Here again is the March 3, 2026 total lunar eclipse time and circumstances for the event.

Solar Imaging Session - February 28, 2026

The sky this afternoon is clear but seeing condition is poor. The Sun is alive again after 4 days of spotless Sun. There are 4 active groups on the Sun's disk with AR4378 Region as the largest group.

Lunar Imaging Session - February 27, 2026

The sky this evening is slightly hazy but clear. I test my planned lunar eclipse setup using ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera this time instead of my usual Canon EOS M6 mirrorless camera with Canon EF100-400mm L lens which will be use by my son for the event. So far looking good and will be testing some more before the event which will happen on March 3, 2026. I use my ZWO ASI294MC Pro on Borg 76ED Refractor with 1x Flattener on ZWO AM5 mount. Exposure of 1/200 sec exposure at Gain 120 was used on the image.