SNC Astro - Photo

Home
United States
Providence, RI
SNC Astro - Photo

Astronomy & Photography -
Photographs from New England (and around) of the night (and sometimes daytime) sky.

10/02/2025

M45 - The Pleiades
After taking images of the Iris Nebula, I switched to the Pleiades. Naturally I added this to images I had taken 2 years ago. I then asked myself if I could add data taken from a different telescope, so I made the attempt and it worked.
This is over 20 hours on the M45 using my Meade 80mm and the Raptor 61, using the same camera across both scopes. All in all I used almost 1,300 light frames and hundreds of calibration frames.
For full details and the highest resolution, visit https://app.astrobin.com/i/vhb12z
Link is also on my profile

09/29/2025

The Iris Nebula - NGC 7023
I've heard a thousand times to not try and shoot broadband (lighter filters) from inside the city (Bortle 8), but there are several targets I have a hard time saying no to trying when I have the opportunity to shoot them, this is one of them.
Since getting back into astrophotography, I've been testing my setup and filters to get back into the flow of things. Last night it was time to do broadband. I was able to take four hours on the Iris Nebula before switching over to the Pleiades. I then added those four hours to eight hours that I took two years ago with the same set up but a different filter. I stacked in DeepSkyStacker, did the hard processing in Pixinsight, then took it over to Photoshop for some light work
480 x 60s - Optolong L-Pro filter
240 x 60s - Antlia Triband RGB Ultra Filter
Full details and high resolution on Astrobin, link here or on profile: https://app.astrobin.com/i/xlk1q9
Radian Raptor 61
ZWO ASI 2600MC-Pro
Sky-Watcher EQR-6 Pro
Providence, RI - Bortle 8

09/24/2025

M31 - 4 Panel Mosaic of the Andromeda Galaxy
Three years ago I began to experiment with making mosaics of some of my targets. I began with the Sadr region in Cygnus, then eventually moved to the Andromeda Galaxy. Because I was shooting in broadband, getting a good blend at the edges was difficult, so I gave up and moved on. Now that my motivation to do astrophotography is back, I went back and reprocessed it from scratch. I still had some issues, but I was able to fix them to my satisfaction.
120 x 60s x 4 Panels (2 hours per panel, 8 hours total)
Gain 0 - Offset 50 - Temp -10C
Providence, RI - Bortle 8
Full resolution and details at astrobin, link here or in profile: https://app.astrobin.com/u/jzholloway?i=0q2w8z
Meade Series 6000 80mm
ZWO ASI 2600mc
Optolong L-Pro filter
Sky Watcher EQR-6 Pro

09/20/2025

Elephant Trunk Nebula - IC 1396
It's been awhile! Almost two years since I've taken the telescope out and taken photos. It felt really good to be out at night again. I'm thankful that all my equipment worked and that I only had to do some light cleaning, and a little bit of rust removal on my mount's tripod.
I'm a little rusty on my processing skills, but hopefully that will become refined again in time. I was able to shoot for 4.5 hours last night, and hope to grab some more time tonight.
Providence, RI - Bortle 8
45 x 360s
100 Gain / 50 Offset / Temp -10C
Radian Raptor 61
Sky Watcher EQR-6 Pro
ZWO asi2600mc-pro
Antilia ALP-T dual narrowband filter

12/29/2023

California Nebula - NGC 1499
Final image for 2023! It has been an up and down year for astrophotography, but I feel like I ended the year strong. Here is to 2024!
Full resolution and details at Astrobin, link in Bio or here: https://www.astrobin.com/6xmfvj/
80 x 360s
100 Gain, 50 Offset, & -10° C Cooling
Providence, RI - Bortle 8
Radian Raptor 61
ZWO asi2600mc-Pro
Antlia ALP-T 5nm Dual Narrowband filter
Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
ZWO 30mm f4 MiniScope
ZWO asi224mc
#2023

12/23/2023

Christmas Tree Cluster | Fox Fur & Cone Nebula
The only target I feel like I have a deadline on! Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Full resolution and details at Astrobin, link in Bio or here: https://www.astrobin.com/1tan5n/
100 x 360s
100 Gain, 50 Offset, -10° C Cooling
Providence, RI - Bortle 8
Radian Raptor 61
2600mc-pro
Antlia ALP-T 5nm Dual Narrowband filter
Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
ZWO 30mm f4 MiniScope
ZWO asi224mc

12/16/2023

M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy
Imaging from Bortle 8 skies typically requires the use of light pollution filters. I've been trying to find the "right" filter for what we call broadband imaging for years, and finally gave myself the opportunity to test two different filters - the Optolong L-Pro filter and the Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter. I was able to get 5+ hours on each filter, and the end results were similar enough to me that I decided to combine the data to give me my longest integration time on the Andromeda Galaxy. The one thing I was not happy with in both image sets was the chromatic aberration caused because of the telescope. Thanks to the most recent update to the BlurXterminator deconvolution tool in Pixinsight, I was able to deal with that in a way that satisfied me. For those wanting to know which filter I preferred, I liked the Antlia filter more. However, both it and the L-Pro by Optolong did a wonderful job.
Full resolution and details at Astrobin, link in Bio or here: https://www.astrobin.com/sx9d1x/
345 x 60s - Optolong L-Pro filter
0 Gain, 50 Offset, & -10° C Cooling
310 x 60s - Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter
100 Gain, 50 Offset, & -10° C Cooling
Providence, RI - Bortle 8

12/11/2023

Heart Nebula -
Using Astro Pixel Processor, I stacked and separated the Ha and Oiii channels to be able to create a simulated SHO image. In Pixinsight, I used the two separated channels plus a simulated Sii channel to create a "traditional" SHO image as well as a ForaxXSHO image, which I then combined.
Full resolution and details at Astrobin, link in Bio or here: https://www.astrobin.com/0nin2c/
80 x 360s
Gain: 100, Offset: 50, & Cooling: -10C°
Providence, RI - Bortle 8
Radian Raptor 61
ZWO asi2600mc-Pro
Antlia ALP-T 5nm Dual Narrowband filter
Sky Watcher EQ6-R Pro
ZWO 30mm f4 MiniScope
ZWO asi224mc

12/05/2023

Flaming Star Nebula & The Tadpoles
I was blessed enough to have a few clear nights in Novemeber and decided to end it on some targets that I love to shoot and process. Along with the Heart and Soul Nebula, I used this data to work on processing techniques that were both expedient and consistent, making a more efficient process to get images out that not only had a good look, but felt "right" and not over processed. For those wanting a full breakdown of that workflow, let me know, and I'll begin working on a primer.
Full resolution and details at Astrobin, link in Bio or here: https://www.astrobin.com/s6h2yp/
70 x 360s
Providence, RI - Bortle 8
Radian Raptor 61
asi2600mc-Pro
Antlia ALP-T 5nm Dual Narrowband filter
Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
ZWO 30mm f4 MiniScope
ZWO asi224mc

12/01/2023

Address

Providence, RI
02905

Website

http://www.sncastro.com/, https://solarroseimaging.pixieset.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when SNC Astro - Photo posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to SNC Astro - Photo:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Photography Service in Providence?