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Dave

@photonphanatic.bsky.social
960 followers 670 following 114 posts

I shoot astrophotographs for fun. Retired/recovering engineer. Husband, dad, stepdad, granddad, bird dad, snowbird.

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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
After a couple of years of use, I wrote about my experience with the Sky-Watcher Wave 150i: photonphanatic.com/2026/09/03/t... #astrophotography
photonphanatic.com
Thoughts on the Sky-Watcher Wave 150i
The Sky-Watcher Wave 150i is an excellent mount for light-duty astrophotography.
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I photographed the Pinwheel Galaxy with my 6" scope: photonphanatic.com/2026/08/18/t... #astrophotography
photonphanatic.com
The Pinwheel Galaxy With My 6″ RC - Dave's Astrophotography Blog
How I photographed and processed the Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101)
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to organize my astrophotography data, and I wrote about it in my blog: photonphanatic.com/2026/07/27/o... #astrophotography
photonphanatic.com
Organizing Your Astro Data - Dave's Astrophotography Blog
My approach to organizing my astrophotography data to streamline preprocessing with PixInsight's WBPP script.
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
After two months of cloudy nights, I finally got a few relatively clear, dark nights to shoot. This is the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101), shot in LRGB + Ha using my 6” RC. A total of 12 hours of exposures using an ASI533MM Pro camera. More tech info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/s8mu2p #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
After two months of crappy skies, I finally got a break with three nights of clear skies. Tonight is the third night shooting the Pinwheel Galaxy and all is going smoothly. Sub 0.5-sec guiding tonight with my 6" f/9 RC. Seems like I remember how this goes... #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Read about my successes (and failures) collimating my 6" Ritchey-Chretien telescope. You can really see the difference between bad and not-so-bad collimation. photonphanatic.com/2026/04/21/r... #astrophotography
photonphanatic.com
RC Collimation: the Struggle is Real - Dave's Astrophotography Blog
I unwittingly demonstrated to myself the importance of good collimation which can only be confirmed under the stars.
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Shot this with my 6" RC, which I'm still figuring out. 7 hours in LRGB and Ha with an ASI533MM Pro camera. Not as sharp as I would like, and I've since reconfigured and recollimated. Waiting for a chance to fine tune the collimation under the stars and shoot again. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
My super high-tech equipment for shooting flats: photonphanatic.com/2026/04/18/m... #astrophotography
photonphanatic.com
My (Mostly) Pain-Free Method for Shooting Flats - Dave's Astrophotography Blog
My high-tech method for shooting reliable flats, using nothing more than a white T-short and an embroidery hoop.
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
@deepskydetail.bsky.social recently posted a neat tool for estimating minimum sub exposure times. I played around with it and wrote some general thoughts on noise and subs. photonphanatic.com/2026/04/12/a... #astrophotography
photonphanatic.com
Are Your Subexposures Long Enough? - Dave's Astrophotography Blog
How long should my subexposures be? I'm not sure how many of us put a ton of thought into this. I myself have some rules of thumb that seem to work reasonably well for me. I've done a little reading o...
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
You can get a great bargain on a great small refractor thanks to Sky-Watcher discontinuing their Esprit ED line of refractors. (No financial interest here--wish I could have bought mine at this price.) photonphanatic.com/2026/04/04/s... #astrophotography
photonphanatic.com
- Dave's Astrophotography Blog Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED on Clearance!
Sky-Watcher has discontinued its Esprit ED line of refractors, but you can still purchase the 80ED at a clearance price.
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Barnard 18, a dark nebula in Taurus. About 10 hours of integration in LRGB back in January using my SW Esprit 80ED f/5 refractor and ASI2600MM Pro camera on a Wave 150i mount. Details on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/u/PhotonPhan... #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Another galaxy I was able to image last week--NGC 2403, a spiral galaxy about 10 Mly away in Camelopardalis. Shot with my 6" f/9 RC telescope and ASI533MM Pro camera in LRGB+Ha. 13.5 hours of exposures. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/64hn5z #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Trying to make hay while the skies are clear and dark. M106, a galaxy in Canes Venatici. Shot with my 6" f/9 RC and an ASI533MM Pro camera on an iOptron GEM45 mount. Shot in LRGB + Ha. About 6.5 hours of exposures. More technical info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/q3z2l0 #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Shakedown cruise for my 6" f/9 Ritchey-Chretien telescope last night. Was able to get 5.25 hours on M81 in LRGB+Ha with an ASI533MM Pro camera. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/u/PhotonPhan... #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Another recent shot--this time the Orion Nebula, shot in LRGB using my SW Esprit 80ED refractor on my Wave 150i mount. Shot with an ASI2600MM Pro camera. 3.4 hours total integration. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/lvm6s9 #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Wide field shot of M81, M82, and companions. Note the wispy integrated flux nebula throughout. 26 hours of exposures in LRGB + Ha through my SW Esprit 80ED f/5 refractor. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/9qkpit #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
NGC 7822, an emission nebula in Cepheus. Shot in narrowband (plus RGB for stars) with my SW Esprit 80ED reduced to 260 mm FL using a Starizona Apex ED-S reducer. 11 hours total integration. Hubble palette. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/jwte1m #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
The Christmas Tree Cluster, shot in narrowband using my Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED refractor. I initially processed this in HOO, and then blended in SII data as a shade of green, yielding the gold color you see. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/fqwgeh #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Dark nebula LDN 1452. 18 hours of data. Shot in LRGB with my SW Esprit 80ED refractor, ASI2600MM Pro camera, SW Wave 150i mount. I tried out the new Veralux Hypermetric Stretch tool on this image, and it did quite well on the nebulosity. More on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/f0ln5e #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
This is a quick-and-dirty version of a dark nebula image I shot over the past week. This is about 18 hours of data, processed in true color. Veralux Hypermetric Stretch kept popping up on my radar, so I tried that with this image. Space is a dusty and dirty place. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
The California Nebula (NGC 1499), shot in narrowband (RGB for the stars) and processed in the Hubble pallette. About 13 hours of data shot over two evenings. Shot with my 80-mm f/5 refractor. More details on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/fbhw1e #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
A couple hours on the Perseus Double Cluster in LRGB last night, using my 80-mm f/5 refractor and ASI2600MM Pro camera. Not the most spectacular target, but worth a couple hours. Details on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/bf4f1r #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Shooting astro from the middle of an RV resort around Christmas presents some extra challenges. At least we're past full moon. Trying out a Pegasus Falcon V2 rotator this evening. Shooting the Double Cluster in Perseus for a couple hours, then moving onto the California Nebula. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
The Seagull Nebula (IC 2177), shot at 260 mm FL in narrowband using my Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED f/5 refractor with a Starizona Apex ED-S 0.65x reducer, riding on a Sky-Watcher Wave 150i strain wave mount. More equipment and exposure details on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/xtfoe5 #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Another couple of clear nights gave me a chance to collect about 12 hours of photons on M33. Shot in LRGB + H-alpha with my SW Esprit 80ED 80-mm f/5 refractor and ASI2600MM Pro camera. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/4tmgil #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Managed 5 hours on the Andromeda Galaxy last Friday (Nov 14). Shot with my 80mm f/5 refractor. LRGB + Ha. Seems I shoot this one every year. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/95kz13 #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
A redo of my Heart and Soul Nebulae image from a few days ago. I think the color and contrast in this one is a bit better. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Redo of my North American Nebula data from a few days ago. This time I used the approach that Adam Block recently published for narrowband processing. Started with SOO and then blended Ha in across mostly the R and G channels. Maybe SH-OH-O? Definitely still false color. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
The Heart and Soul Nebulae, shot over four nights using my Esprit 80ED refractor shortened to 260mm FL using a Starizona Apex ED-S reducer. SHO with RGB stars. More info on equipment and exposures is on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/t38a7c #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
The North American Nebula (NGC 7000) and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) captured in a wide field image, shot at 260mm FL with a SW Esprit 80ED f/5 refractor reduced to f/3.25 with a Starizona Apex ED-S reducer. Hubble palette with RGB stars. About 10 hours of integration total. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
The last few years we've been wintering in our 5th wheel in AZ, and I always drag along some travel-friendly imaging gear. In previous years the gear I've brought along as not met expectations. Not so this year. This hardware has exceeded my expectations (1/4): #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
This is what I get almost immediately when I follow back indiscriminately on Bluesky. All bots, no doubt. (Yes, I knew they were bots when I followed them back.)
My chat window showing all the bots that messaged me after I followed them back
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Another image I processed using Telescope Live's data. This is M66, a galaxy about 31Mly distant, shot with a 27.5" scope. I processed this using PixInsight and Affinity Photo. More on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/076cr4 #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Another image using data from Telescope Live, processed by me using PixInsight and Affinity Photo. The Fighting Dragons of Ara--too far south to shoot myself. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/v5081t #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
NGC 253, The Sculptor Galaxy. Too far south for me to shoot myself so this data is from Telescope Live, processed by me with PixInsight and Affinity Photo. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/tnmpnm #astrophotography
The Sculptor Galaxy is seen nearly edge-on so it appears as oval-shaped. Its center is bright and it has spiral arms that show dust and nebulosity.
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
This one's too far south for me to shoot myself. The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, data from Telescope Live in Chile (24" scope!), processed by me in PixInsight. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/u/PhotonPhan... #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
The Dolphin Nebula (SH2-308). I used data from Telescope Live's observatory (20" telescope!) in Chile to create this image in HOO. Would like to shoot this myself someday, but it's tough to shoot where we are right now. More on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/u/PhotonPhan... #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
Old data, new image. M 51, shot in Apr 2023. This time I added the H-alpha data I originally shot but never used. Less than 3 hours on this target, barely does it justice. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/e10t0a?r=D #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
Another new image from old data. Shot in March 2022. Bode's Galaxy (M 81) and the Cigar Galaxy (M 82). Shot with a color camera through my 100-mm f/5.5 refractor. More info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com?i=f7osza #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
More old data, this time from June 2023. The Sunflower Galaxy (M 63), shot with a color camera through my C8. About 4 hours of exposures. Could have used more time on target. Technical info on this image can be found on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/zy3dzq?r=B #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Recycling data from a year and a half ago. NGC 7331, this time with H-alpha added. Shot with my C8 in LRGB + Ha. More tech info on Astrobin: app.astrobin.com/i/xi9ffk?r=B #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
In between shooting astro images I've been dabbling in silversmithing. Today I finished this silver ring with chrysocolla stone and inlay. The local rock and gem club has a nice metal shop for doing this kind of stuff. Maybe for my next project I'll figure out something astronomy-themed.
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Image from last night's first light for the new SW Wave 150i mount. Adding more data tonight. Shot using a SW Esprit 80ED f/5 refractor and ASI2600MM Pro camera. SHO with RGB stars. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
First night with the new SW Wave 150i strain wave mount. Changed a few guiding settings and getting 0.6 - 0.7" guiding with an OAG through my 80mm f/5 refractor. Pretty pleased so far. Shooting the Rosette. First sub in H-alpha. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
My iOptron GEM28 mount has been chronically flakey--sometimes it works great, sometimes it's cantankerous. I decided to try one of the new strain wave mounts--a Sky-Watcher Wave 150i. Seems like a nice piece of hardware. Hoping to try it out sometime in the next few nights. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
I reshot the Jellyfish a few nights ago with my relatively new ASI2600MM Pro camera and SW Esprit 80ED refractor. One of my favorite targets. Shot in narrowband (Hubble palette) with RGB stars. More info on Astrobin: www.astrobin.com/qtxzxf/ #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
Time to shoot again. Familiar target, but with newer equipment. The Jellyfish, but this time with a 400mm FL refractor and ASI2600MM Pro camera on an iOptron GEM28 mount. Nice compact setup for shooting while traveling in the RV. Shooting narrowband, but RGB first for the stars. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
More data recycling. I shot the Lobster Claw (SH2-157) back in Sept 2023 but my original image didn't really have the Hubble-like colors I wanted. This one is much closer. #astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Another retread. Captured Thor's Helmet (NGC 2359) a year ago--it was lousy data so I was avoiding this redo, but glad I gave it another shot today. #Astrophotography
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Dave @photonphanatic.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Sunset this evening in Quartzsite, AZ, our refuge from cold and snow for a few months.
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