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zwestfall 🇨🇦

@zwestfall.bsky.social
325 followers 97 following 61 posts

Software Engineer and dabbler in astronomy/nature photography

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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
NGC 7023 (Iris Nebula) shot from my suburban yard over a few recent nights. ~500x60s (8.25 hrs), Bortle 7, Redcat 51/AM3N/ASI 2600 MC Pro. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Eastern Veil or "Bat" Nebula, captured last week before the smoke rolled in and ruined my remaining plans for the summer. :( Redcat 51/L-Enhance/ASI 2600 MC Pro, 8 hours total. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Sadr and the Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318), shot from my deck over a few evenings this week. I had fun playing with this one - love all those little dust lanes, Bok globules and other whatsits. :) Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/L-Enhance, 5 hours total. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I made it to my favourite dark place this week to try out a few ideas. Heart of Cygnus, Nikon 50mm 1.8G/D5600a/SGPro. 74 minutes total. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
M13 - first test with the shiny new astronomy camera! I was blown away by how close I could crop and still get a decent result. This is just 11% of the original image. 😀 Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/3+ hours integration. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Yes it was on a Skyguider Pro mount.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex - I'd been itching to try out the old macro lens on this target for a while & finally got out to my favourite dark site this weekend. Happy with how the lens performed! :) (Nikon 105mm f/2.8G @f/4, D5600a, 2.5 hours) #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
A look into the Virgo Cluster (including Markarian's Chain), taken from my front deck over three evenings. There are more than 500 galaxies visible in this image! Redcat 51/Nikon D5600/7.5 hrs. #astrophotography
Markarian's Chain is in the upper right portion of the image; below it lies Messier 87, one of the largest galaxies in the local universe.
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Reposted by zwestfall 🇨🇦
Jordan Maples @maples-astro.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
With all the downtime I had this winter, I was starting to think I’d fully miss out on the Orion targets. Either way, after 2 months of hardware problems here’s the Horsehead! I’ve always wanted to shoot this one but just never had a good opportunity in the pnw. #astrophotography #photography
The horse head and flame nebulae are shown on the right and left sides of the image respectively. The horsehead appears as a dark, profile view of a horses head in a deep red field of dust. Between the flame and the horsehead is a very bright star named Alnitak. Alnitak is a massive pain to work around due to just how bright it is. The flame nebula has lots of dark structures running through its core, giving it the appearance of fire.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Ha! Never thought of it like that. It does have a “yin & yang” kind of appearance to me.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Flaming Star (IC 405) and Tadpoles (IC 410) nebulae in the Auriga constellation, shot from my front deck over a few recent evenings. Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 10 hours total exposure. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Hey, a clear night in November! Managed to get about 90 minutes on the Double Cluster in Perseus last night. Redcat 51/Nikon D5600a 🔭
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) in constellation Boötes, Oct 21, 2025. (Redcat 51, 1 hour stacked) #astrophotography #comets
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
IC 1396 (w/ Elephant's Trunk Nebula) in HOO palette. The dead street lamp outside my house really helped... hope they never fix it! 12.5 hours, Redcat 51, L-Enhance, Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
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Reposted by zwestfall 🇨🇦
Bernd Flachsbart @bflachsbart.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
WR 134 captured from my patio on 14 nights in July & August 😊🔭 This nebula around the star WR 134 was shot on the EdgeHD 8 for a total integration time of 58 h in mono with Ha and OIII narrowband filters and merged with RGB stars. #Astrophotography @kat-astro-bot.bsky.social‬ what do you see?
WR 134 is a dying Wolf-Rayet star about 6000 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus. The surrounding structure is formed by WR 134 blowing off massive amounts of its shell and its intense radiation. WR 134 is the second from right of the four lined up stars in the centre.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
North America and Pelican Nebulae, captured from my front deck (Bortle 7) over several nights last week. 8 hours with dual narrowband filter + 1 hour without (for stars). Redcat 51, L-Enhance, Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
I’m fine with people using my images (for whatever purpose) as long as I’m given credit! Feel free to DM me if you want a higher resolution version of any of these. - Zach
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
Thanks so much George! I really appreciate it.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
A bit of ‘low hanging fruit’ from a recent trip into the North Cascades, BC, Canada. M8 & 20 (Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae), 90 minutes with Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Just over one hour on the Rho Ophiuchi region using a 'nifty fifty' lens. :) Taken last week from a very dark beach on Vancouver Island. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Made it to my favourite dark site for the first time in a while! My intended target was behind puffy clouds, so I changed plans and pointed north. Milky Way from Cassiopeia to Aquila, 1 hour stack @11mm. #astrophotography #MilkyWay
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
Life has been really getting in the way of hobbies this year, but I'm finally finding some free time again. Here is a neat little waterfall I discovered last week on Vancouver Island! I took this using a neutral density filter and a 4 second long exposure. #nature #waterfalls
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros - giant cedars in my neighbour's yard always make this one a challenge, but I got a few more hours on it this year. Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 7 hours narrowband + 1 hour broadband. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
NGC 1499 (California Nebula) - January has been kind to us this year on BC’s ‘wet coast’; I managed to get 11 imaging nights in total! Happy for the opportunity to dig in to a bonus winter project. :D Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14 hours integration #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Very nice!
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
IC 1805 (Heart Nebula) - this "preschooler’s valentine" made for a fun January project, and I ended up spending quite a bit more time on it than I'd planned. 😉 Redcat 51/Optolong L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14.5 hours integration #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Thanks Darren - much appreciated :)
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Thank you so much! :)
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
There's a large amount of stuff in this one. 😀 Cygnus to Scutum, taken from my favourite Bortle 2 mountain perch (summertime). #astrophotography #MilkyWay
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Please add me :)
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
M45, the pretty Pleiades ✨ Imaged January 2024 and reprocessed recently with PixInsight. Nikon 300mm f/4D with step-down filter ring, D7200, 5.5 hours integration. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Thank you Peter. I’ve been trying out PixInsight for the first time, using the first workflow in this video: youtu.be/XCotRiUIWtg?...
youtu.be
MASTER PixInsight FROM SCRATCH in ONE VIDEO (Really🤯) - LEVEL UP your astro images! + data provided
YouTube video by Cuiv, The Lazy Geek
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
I’ve been having a bit of fun this week going back to some old datasets and reprocessing them with newer & better tools. It’s a wonderful time to be getting into this hobby! 😀 Nikon 300mm f/4D + D7200, 6 hours integration #astrophotography #Andromeda #galaxies
M31 (Andromeda Galaxy)
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
Thanks Chris! :)
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
Cygnus Loop (aka Veil Nebula) - this was my most ambitious #astrophotography project of 2024. I spent a total of 9 summer evenings absorbing these faint photons... :) Redcat 51/L-Enhance Filter/Nikon D5600a, 16 hours integration. 🔭
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 28/12/2024
Kemble’s Cascade and the Golden Harp Cluster (NGC 1502) - this neat and colourful asterism can be found in the northern constellation Camelopardalis. 🔭 Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600. #astrophotography
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
Planet Mercury rising above Boundary Bay, BC, early Monday morning. Have a peaceful holiday! 🎄🔭
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
A wide field view of IC 434, Flame and Horsehead Nebula. This is one of my favourite 'backyard projects' to date! Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600a, 7 hours integration. #astrophotography #deepspace
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Rough-legged Hawk, Southwest BC, Canada #birds #raptors
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
Star trails over the Coast Mountains, Dec 11, 2024. #nightscapes #stars #nature
Polaris, our North Star, is currently about two-thirds of a degree from the North Celestial Pole (the center of the vortex).  At the bottom below it lies the Big Dipper; the bright cluster at top right is constellation Auriga.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) - I’ve been itching to get to this one for a while, and I was finally able to give it a try earlier this week. Redcat 51 with L-Enhance dual narrowband filter, Nikon D5600a, 3 hours total. #astrophotography #deepspace
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
Snowy Owl in Southwest BC, Canada (2022) #birds #owls
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
A look at Mars from each morning as it swings by the Beehive Cluster, Dec 1-6 (top). Would love to keep going with this for a few more days, but it seems our streak of good weather has come to an end! 🔭
The changing position of Mars over 6 days as it shifts into apparent retrograde motion.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
250mm worked well for me with Nikon APS-C sensor.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Caught it this morning! Hoping to get a few of these over the next 2 weeks and make a gif showing the retrograde. :)
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Thanks! :)
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
I look forward to being able to do stuff like this again (we are now into week 6 of nothing but clouds!) Sagittarius and the Dark Horse Nebula, summer 2024 #astrophotography #milkyway
Looking towards the center of our galaxy.
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
#addBirder
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) spots something tasty and pounces… Southwest BC, Canada (2019) #birds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #owls
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zwestfall 🇨🇦 @zwestfall.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Thank you!
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