Stephen Li Photography

08/23/2026

Perseid Meteor Shower
August 12-13-2026
Mt. Pinos

Last year I had hardly saw three meteors with the Moon up but this time around with clear skies and a new Moon, the skies were much darker where I was able to see over 50 throughout the night. I had the Canon M6 II with an 18mm lens on a tripod shooting 10 sec exposures continuously hoping to capture some. Here is the first of two sets of photos. With 166 photos, three were from the radiant of the Perseids with one big bright one that was from a totally different direction perpendicular to them. Facing northwest, with the Milkyway overhead, prominent nebulae can be seen at the center, the North America Nebula, Pelican Nebula, Sadr Region, and less visible are the Crescent Nebula and the Cygnus Loop.

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https://www.instagram.com/astro626photos

Gear
Canon M6 II
18-55mm
Untracked on a tripod

EXIF
166x10 photos
18mm
f/3.5
ISO 3200

Processed in PixInsight

08/06/2026

I am excited to represent LA and the Los Angeles Astronomical Society for this event. I had attended the LAAS Centennial Party for New Members and met the Vice President of the Denver Astronomical Society

Since I arrived right before the party was over due to coming from the first ever LA Metro D Line Evening Market by LACMA and the Peterson Automotive Museum, with nothing for the potluck, I gave out signed art prints of my work to whoever was still there. She got the Ring Nebula I captured from Mt Wilson Observatory 60 inch with 4 minutes of data with my astronomy camera.

She mentioned since there was no speaker for August, I asked if I could volunteer to share my experiences from the challenges of LA astrophotography, getting into the LA art scene as well as connections with the rich space industry and community in the area. She was quite interested, so I'm excited and thankful for this first public presentation! One thing I've learned is that you never know where your passion will take you and what doors are open if you just ask.

I'll update with the YouTube link once it's recorded. It will be on their page.
https://www.denverastro.org/events/general-meeting-9/?occurrence=2026-08-10

08/06/2026

Excited to represent LA and the Los Angeles Astronomical Society for this event. I had attended the LAAS Centennial Party for New Members and met the Vice President of the Denver Astronomical Society

Since I arrived right before the party was over due to coming from the first ever LA Metro D Line Evening Market by LACMA and the Peterson Automotive Museum, with nothing for the potluck, I gave out signed art prints of my work to whoever was still there. She got the Ring Nebula I captured from Mt Wilson Observatory 60 inch with 4 minutes of data with my astronomy camera.

She mentioned since there was no speaker for August, I asked if I could volunteer to share my experiences from the challenges of LA astrophotography, getting into the LA art scene as well as connections with the rich space industry and community in the area. She was quite interested so I'm excited and thankful for this first public presentation! One thing I've learned is that you never know where your passion will take you and what doors are open if you just ask.

I'll update with the YouTube recording in this post. It will be on their page.
https://www.denverastro.org/events/general-meeting-9/?occurrence=2026-08-10

08/04/2026

I'm honored to be chosen as the speaker of the month for the Denver Astronomical Society on August 10th 6:15-8 PM PDT (7:15 PM MDT) I'll be Zooming in to the in-person meeting at the Secular Hub.

DAS runs the public outreach for Chamberlin Observatory owned and operated by the University of Denver that houses the 20-inch Alvan Clark-Saegmuller, AKA the 20-inch Clark. It is the largest refractor of its kind from 1894. It was once the 5th largest in the world.

General Meeting: “Piercing The Veil Under the LA Sky Skyline: Adventures In Breaking Barriers of Art and Science in Backyard Astrophotography” This meeting is FREE and open to all. Open to members and non-members alike, our Monthly General Meetings feature club announcements, members’ observat...

08/02/2026

"Buck Moon"
7/30/2026
The second full moon of astronomical summer, it got its name from when bucks start growing their antlers. I did not plan to capture it, but a follower mentioned if I was capturing it. I thought, why not? Even though I may not be motivated to, my followers would be looking forward to it. So, here it is after midnight when clouds started to roll in, and you see this halo effect with the water molecules giving a prism effect. Even though I missed the deeper color when it was low, the halo is just 🤌🏼

Lately, I've been using my smallest 2.5" widefield scope, but since fall and nebula season is coming, I switched back to my trusty 4" workhorse for a deeper field of view.

Gear:
Astro-Tech AT102ED Doublet Refractor
OGMA AP26CC OSC Camera (Sony IMX571)
IR/UV Cut Filter
Proxisky UMi 17R with FRAM
Svbony SV165 40mm Guide Scope
ZWO ASI120MM MINI Guide Camera

EXIF
Single shot
Unguided
1/100 second
F/7

Captured with N.I.N.A.
Processed with PixInsight