Blog
Articles on workflow and processing, experiences with equipment, or just general stories related to astronomy or astrophotography.
Solar Eclipse in the cloud
Solar eclipses are rare, and if they occur, clouds are often in the way. This time was no different, although we could get a small glimpse from it from time to time through the clouds.
Astroplanner bug for MacOS Ventura fixed
MacOS Ventura caused Astroplanner to crash. Read here how to obtain an updated version of the software that has fixed the bug.
KStars 3.6.1: Step towards dual-rig support?
On the heels of KStars 3.6 released in July of this year, an updated version 3.6.1 has now seen the light. Main new feature is the definition of ‘Optical Trains’. Currently mainly a convenience feature, but maybe this is laying the groundwork for future dual-rig support.
New ZWO planetary camera’s
A total of 4 (!) new ZWO-ASI planetary cameras have been announced, one monochrome and three OSC. All new cameras benefit from the latest in sensor technology, resulting in zero amp-glow.
PixInsight WBPP 2.5, New Caching system
The new version of the PixInsight WeightedBatchPreProcessing script is 2.5. A new caching system makes it very easy to apply changes and re-run only those processes that are affected.
KStars v3.6.0 released
KStars/Ekos has released version 3.6.0. A new and much faster autofocus algorithm and an improved polar alignment tool using plate solving are two of the main new features.
Perseid Meteor shower 2022
A lucky capture of two meteors during this years appearance of the Perseid meteor shower over the Belgian Ardennes.
Choosing a Solar Imaging setup
Inspired by the view through a H-alpha telescope during a partial eclips, the search for a solar imaging rig started. This was more complex than anticipated. For anyone interested in solar, this blog may help understand the tools and concepts in this special field of astrophotography.
ASI533MM Pro - First Impressions
The brand new ZWO ASI533MM Pro promises the latest sensor technology in a compact body. It looks like this will be a worthy successor to the ZWO ASI1600MM Pro that has been a workhorse in the observatory for many years.
A handy pointer tool for Polar Alignment
A 3D printed pointer tool makes the rough alignment of the DEC axis to the north just that little bit easier. Those who have experienced the limits of the azimuth adjustment knobs will appreciate this simple yet practical tool to align within a degree or so without hassle.
Apple Silicon and legacy command-line software
The new M1 Macs are a marvel when it comes to performance and power usage. But running legacy command-line software, such as Mountwizzard 4, can be a challenge. Luckily there is an easy workaround
Tilt Correction with the Gerd Neumann CTU
Bigger camera sensors and faster telescopes can result in partial unsharp images due to sensor-tilt. This blog describes the installation of a Camera Tilting Unit in the optical train, with good success to eliminate the sensor tilt.
Nova discovered in Cassiopeia
A new nova (V1405 Cas) has been discovered in Cassiopeia. Bright novae are relatively rare, and may not last too long, so if there is an opportunity, now is the time to photograph it.
Six most important improvements in WBPP 2.0
The WeightedBatchPreProcessing script in PixInsight has been an invaluable tool to calibrate frames. The recently released version 2 is a massive update with a lot more customisation options and transparency. Read here about the six biggest improvements.
The ASI6200MM Pro - First Light
After an initial first impressions review of the new ASI6200MM Pro camera, weather situations were finally allowing some proper imaging. Read how the real-world experience with this camera has been during its First Light (spoiler alert: very good).
Web-site launch
After three years of astrophotography, finally here is the launch of my website AstroWorldCreations. Descriptions of images, equipment, workflows and regular updates with new images and blog-posts.
An easy way to make a horizon profile
Making a horizon profile for your favourite planetarium program or mountmodelling program such as MountWizzard can be tedious. Here is a simple method to make this work a lot easier.
ASI6200MM Pro - First Impressions
The observatory has been upgraded with the ASI6200MM Pro full frame camera. In this blog you can read first impressions, and of course a first light image.
Updating UTC/Earth rotation data
Approximately twice each year, the 10Micron mounts need to be updated with new data on UTC/Earth rotation. This is a simple process, but with some counterintuitive steps. This blog describes in three simple steps how to perform the update.
Noise Reduction using MMT
There are many ways to reduce the noise in an image. MultiscaleMedianTransform (MMT) provides a straightforward approach that gives very good results most of the time.