06/25/2026
The Ring Nebula
June 13, 2026
TLDR: I captured this using the historic Mt. Wilson 60” George Hale telescope with my OGMA AP26CC cooled, color astronomy camera. Integrated 4 minutes of data using 30 sec exposures (Longer exposures were even blurrier with average to below average seeing and transparency of the sky. With poor skies, the white dwarf at the center was not visible and the larger nearby star was also blurry despite the best attempts on focusing.
https://www.instagram.com/astro626photos
Having an astrophotography art booth at the weekly Monrovia Street Fair, I’ve come across many interesting people and opportunities. Back in May, a lady mentioned to me she knows someone who works at Mt. Wilson and that she will tell him about how I capture deep space objects from my backyard in the heaviest light pollution under the Los Angeles skyline. The next day, Saturday, I got a call from Tom Mason, a Session Director and telescope operator, to go up with a private group to observe for a deeply discounted price. Since I have never been there and many at the street fair through the last 3 years were also surprised I've not been up, I jumped on this lifetime opportunity.
I asked him if I could connect my astronomy camera and gear to the telescope and he agreed with an exception since it is a historical instrument and that it is typically not allowed but he had the final say to let me try it out. The catch is that I can do astrophotography after everyone in the private group had looked through it for the night.
Tom and his wife came to my art booth the next Friday to check out my work and I was glad to show him my images. He seemed impressed enough that I knew what I was doing and I think that solidified his decision to let me image through the 60”.
With my astronomy camera, dual narrowband filter and my mini-pc to control it, it took 4 people to be able to get these images. Tom adjusted the 4” focuser and held my mini-pc, I held the screen with my left hand while the right hand controlled the mouse on my right thigh, someone held the keyboard inputting the exposure settings and John Fisanotti was operating the scope at the console. Continued in comment
