As we are sure you are aware, there are lots of different brands of mounts out there, each with different ways of connecting to a computer. This has caused a lot of confusion with needing different cables, adapters and software to run mounts.

However, ZWO have the perfect solution, the ASIAIR. Compatible with the four major methods of connecting mounts to a computer (serial port, EQMOD, WIFI and USB).

1. Serial port connection method

CEM25P/EC, ZEQ25, iEQ30, iEQ45, etc. When using serial port connection, two data cables are required to connect ASIAIR and equatorial mount hand controller (as shown above). Select the corresponding equatorial mount model in ASIAIR’s equatorial setup with a baud rate of 9600.

Note: ZEQ25 must stay on the menu page and accept the command connection successfully. After entering the menu, it cannot receive the control command from the serial port.

Mounts like the CEM60 also uses two serial port cables, shown above. The difference between this mount and the previous is that you can bypass the hand controller and instead plug directly into the mount.

In the ASIAIR setup, select CEM60 in the equatorial mount model selection screen and set the baud rate to 9600.

2. EQMOD connection method

EQMOD has some advantages over the previous examples, being that you only need one cable and no hand controller.

Simply select EQMOD in the ASIAIR setup screen. You can straight away use the mount without even doing a 1-star alignment.

3. WiFi connection method

To use a wifi connection you must first set the WiFi parameters in the SynScan App. After this you can connect the mount the ASIAIR’s WiFi and select the static IP address, 10.0.0.11.

In the ASIAIR setup, again you select EQMOD protocol and connect via port 11880 UDP.

4. USB connection method

Similar to the EQMOD, this method only requires one cable and no hand controller.

In the ASIAIR setup screen, you select the mount model and then the baud rate which for the CEM120 is 9600 and the CEM40 is 115200.

Urke is the winner of ZWO 2019 ASIWEEK #34 and has brought us many extraordinary astronomy photos. To make our ZWOers know this excellent astrophotographer better, we make this interview. Let’s all take a look now.

Q1: At first, congratulation that your nice image wins #ASIWEEK. Can you introduce yourself to us?

Thank you very much and hello! Friends call me Urke. I’m 34 years old and since always been interested in the night sky. I’m from Slovenia and this is where I mostly observe. Besides my family, job and astronomy I find time to catch some beats on turntables and fill my child’s passion towards RC cars.

Field preparations, year 2011

Galaxy cluster NGC5363, NGC5364,.. 1,3 hours integration, 10” newton, ASI1600MM Pro, year 2019

Q2: When did you start to like astronomy? And when did you have your first telescope? What’s the feeling in first observing?

The interest towards astronomy became stronger in my teenager days, wondering and learning about the Universe. Then on my 19th birthday, I received a gift from my parents, a 70mm refractor – that’s when things went uphill very fast! After viewing Moon, Jupiter and Saturn I was so excited – immediately started duct taping an old webcam into the scopes focuser.

I was so thrilled by my earliest results that it pushed me into astrophotography soon after.

Earliest results from years 2005 to 2008, Comet Lulin, Moon, M27 and Saturn, 80ED, 150MAK, DSLR

Q3: When did you start DSO imaging? Can you remember your first DSO image? What’s the feeling?

This December will pass 14 years since I did my first deep-sky astrophoto with 80ED APO and DSLR on a tracking mount. The feeling was fantastic, it didn’t bother me that it was freezing outside and I was amazed by the details and colors on photos. Since then astrophotography became my passion. I knew there was no way back and a beautiful journey began.

Galaxy Andromeda, BabyGraph newton, DSLR, 4 hours integration, year 2010

Q4: We know DSO imaging is hard, you need dark sky, good mount & scope, good camera to capture, stable guiding, post-processing skill, what is the most difficult part for you? what is the most important part for you?

Astrophotography has quite a steep learning curve. The most difficult part is when you engage into certain problems that take a lot of patience and concentration to solve them by analyzing and applying trial/error methods. The most important part is to constantly gain knowledge about every segment in astrophotography i.e. astronomy, photography, computing, mechanics, electronics, weather, etc.

Observatory remote control view

Q5: Astrophotographer usually travel long distances to the darkest places to do DSO imaging, can you tell us about your past unforgettable experience?

Indeed, you need to get away from light polluted areas so I traveled around country, mostly when nights were clear or we had a star party. There were nice experiences when I achieved something new that I learned recently or when I met with friends and together observe the universe and talk about it or just have fun telling jokes.

Sky on my location, average SQM 21.40, 800metters above sea level

Q6: What equipment are you use currently? Can you show us some images of your setup?

Here is my main setup mounted in an observatory: mount EQ6-R, telescope 10” f/4,7 newton with DSD autofocuser, RCC coma corrector, autoguider Lodestar, main camera ZWO ASI 1600MMPro, filter wheel ZWO EFW with ZWO filter set. Acquiring is now mostly done automatically with robotic observatory via planned sequences. After finished night I do a remote preprocess of all images and then transfer main stacks to a home computer where I do all postprocess and final images.

Q7: What kind of telescope is your favorite? Why?

I mostly use newton reflector type of telescopes simply because they have the best price/performance ratio, once you master collimation they’re easy to handle.

I enjoy tweaking and optimizing equipment. I also like to invent stuff, so I constructed myself a prototype imaging scope “BabyGraph” newton, astrograph with 364mm focal length – 24mm corrected image circle at f/4 for widefield astrophotography.

Q8: When did you know about ZWO? And what’s the first ASI camera you have? Can you tell us your feeling when you get your first ASI camera?

About three years ago I made a decision to invest into a dedicated astro imaging camera, as I was still imaging with a DSLR camera. By the time there were many images and reviews out there, so I’ve decided to get a complete set from ZWO. My first and only ASI camera is 1600MM pro. It is well build and really like that it is a mono one, as LRGB and narrow band imaging have opened a new chapter in my astrophotography.

Comparison between an old photo with DSLR (above, y.2011) and a new one with ASI1600 (below, y.2018)

Q9: Which ASI camera is your favorite? And why do you choose it? Do you have any user experience share to users who wish to buy an astro camera?

The one I have now, haha. I had to calculate the field of view and system resolution for certain focal lengths and types of sensors, so the choice was an ASI1600MM Pro camera. I would go for a mono sensor anytime, except I’ve noticed that when I image faint galaxies, I would be better off with a color sensor.

Part of nebula Sh2-108 in Cygnus, BabyGraph f/4, ASI1600MM Pro, 6 hours integration, year 2018

Q10: Did you know our ASIAIR? If yes, what features do you like? Any new features you like to add?

I am aware of ASIAIR and it’s features, great solution for imaging, eliminates the need for a laptop. As a feature it would be cool maybe something like controlling a dome/roof with USB relay.

Nebula NGC1499, 5 hours integration, BabyGraph newton, ASI1600MM Pro, year 2018

Q11: What’s your impression of ZWO?

I’ve noticed ZWO has to offer many interesting products that inspired our local astrophotographers. I think simplicity and accessibility is the main impression.

Nebula M16, H-alpha mono channel, 1.4 hours integration, 10” newton, ASI1600MM Pro

To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 38th edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Chuck Ayoub and his target NGC 7000 captured with ZWO ASI1600MM that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Chuck Ayoub

Target: NGC 7000

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro, QHYCCD PoleMaster, Orion ED80T CF

NGC 7000 is also known as the North America Nebula, it is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb (the tail of the swan and its brightest star). The remarkable shape of the nebula resembles that of the continent of North America, complete with a prominent Gulf of Mexico. It is sometimes incorrectly called the “North American Nebula”.

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Jeremiah Sorrells

Target: NGC 7635

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM, Explore Scientific 127CF

NGC 7635 is also known as the Bubble Nebula. It is an H II region emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies close to the direction of the open cluster Messier 52. The “bubble” is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8.7 magnitude young central star, SAO 20575. The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow. It was discovered in 1787 by William Herschel.

Photographer: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes

Target: the Moon

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM, Esprit 150mm

Photographer: Andy Marjama

Target: M33

Equipment: ZWO ASI183MM Pro, Skywatcher Evo 72ED, ZWO ASI120MC

M33 is also known as the Triangulum Galaxy, it is a spiral galaxy 2.73 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is catalogued as Messier 33 or NGC 598. The Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. It is one of the most distant permanent objects that can be viewed with the naked eye.

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What software should you use to image the planets? If you are a user of ASI cameras, then you are lucky, today we will show you the automatic shooting planet function of ASICAP, the original shooting software of ASI camera.

The auto guiding and plan shooting function in ASICAP is very easy to use! Look at the main interface first.

The auto guiding function is similar to the guiding in deep space astrophotography, which can correct tracking error at real time through the ST4 port. First, you need to set the parameters of the ST4 Auto Guide.

ST4 Auto Guide Setting

Connect the ST4 port of the equatorial mount to the ST4 port of the camera with the ST4 guide star line (requires camera support), click the telescope button, or the setting button, and then click the ST4 Auto Guide option, as shown below:

Guider cycle time (ms): The frequency at which the target is deviated, i.e. how often it is detected.

Correction time (ms): Controls the movement time of the equatorial mount.

Tolerance (pixel): If the number of pixels from the target position is less than the set value, the correction is considered successful.

Swap direction: Reverse the horizontal direction (Flip X), reverse the vertical direction (Flip Y). When the star is automatically guided, if the direction of the equatorial motion is found to be incorrect, the corresponding direction reversal is required.

Show target cross: Marks the target position of the guide.

After applying the above settings, you are free to experience the auto guiding function then.

Start Guiding

After clicking the telescope button in the shortcut bar, in the upper right corner of the image display area, the panel of the automatic guide star is displayed, as shown below:

Click the play button in the middle to start the automatic guide star, as shown below:

When the guide is started, a crosshair is marked at the center of the target. When the target center is offset from the crosshair, the equatorial mount is controlled and the target center is pulled back to the crosshair. Click the red stop button to stop the automatic guide.

With the automatic guide star, you can track the target for a long time without worrying about the target drifting out of frame. Now let’s move to next step.

Sequencing (Auto Run)

Click the button to pop up the Auto Run window, as shown below:

Auto Run panel with filter wheel

First select the appropriate filter and set the parameters such as exposure, gain, and number of frames. When you start shooting, the filter wheel will rotate to the preset mirror position.

If the computer is not connected to the ASI motor filter wheel, the filter column will not be displayed. Just set the exposure and gain, as shown below:

Planning the shooting panel (when there is no filter wheel)

Exposure: In milliseconds (ms), set the exposure time of the camera when shooting starts.

Gain: Set the camera’s gain when you start shooting.

Limit: Set the shooting limit when starting shooting.

Between Delay: The unit second(s), the delay between shots.

Click the blue add button to add a shooting plan and click the button red subtract to remove the last shooting plan.

All Capture Plans Progress: Shows the overall progress of all shooting plans.

Repeat Rounds: The number of times all shooting plans are repeated.

Image – Video: Select the type of scheduled shot, grab an image, or record a video.

Delay First: When checked, when the scheduled shooting starts, the time is set after the delay is set.

Click the run button to start Auto Run. The planning process is as follows:

Click the stop button to stop the scheduled shooting.

The planned shooting is completed, as shown below:

In the ASICAP version 1.6, we have made some operational optimizations for this program, which is more convenient to use than before.

Muhammad Ali is the winner of ZWO 2019 ASIWEEK #35 and has brought us many extraordinary astronomy photos. To make our ZWOers know this excellent astrophotographer better, we make this interview. Let’s all take a look now.

Q1: At first, congratulation that your nice image wins #ASIWEEK. Can you introduce yourself to us? 

Hello, my name is Muhammad Ali. I am a 50-year old Pakistani-American from California and a software quality assurance engineer by profession. I consider myself a newbie in the field of astrophotography. My other interests are traveling, fishing, cooking, vinyl record collecting and photography.

With my son at Grand Canyon National Park

Q2: When did you start like astronomy? And when did you have your first telescope? What’s the feeling in first observing?

In my high school days when I was a teenager living in Pakistan, I watched the original Cosmos TV series by Carl Sagan which got me fascinated about space and astronomy. Having very few resources and almost no place to buy a telescope, I decided to build my own by grinding a 6-inch glass blank. It took me almost a year to turn that glass blank into a mirror and build a 6-inch Newtonian reflector. It was a great experience to see Saturn’s rings and moons of Jupiter. Later on, when I moved to US in late 90’s, I bought my first telescope which was an 8-inch Meade SCT LX-50.

Q3: When did you start DSO imaging? Can you remember your first DSO image? What’s the feeling?

My very first DSO was Andromeda galaxy which I shot with a DSLR and a 200mm lens. I knew very little about image stacking and post processing so that wasn’t a very good photo. I started serious DSO imaging about 2 years ago after I went to see and photograph my fist total solar eclipse of 2017 in Madras, Oregon. That experience changed my life and I decided to invest in this hobby and learn the art and science behind DSO imaging.

Solar eclipse 2017 – Meade LX-50 .6x reducer, Canon 5D Mark III, solar filter

Q4: we know DSO imaging is hard, you need dark sky, good mount & scope, good camera to capture, stable guiding, post-processing skill, what is the most difficult part for you? what is the most important part for you?

Yes, DSO imaging is hard. You need a good setup for sure but even after buying good quality products, you are still at the mercy of nature. I would say that guiding has been the most difficult part for me especially when I am using a longer focal length telescope. A little bit of wind gust can throw your guiding off. I usually end up throwing away 30% of subframes when I am shooting with my Edge11HD (1960mm focal length with .7x reducer) and less than 10% with my Esprit 100ED (550mm focal length) telescope.

M31 Ha+LRGB, Esprit 100ED+ASI1600MM-C, 12.2 hours, Bortle 6

Q5: Astrophotographer usually travel long distances to the darkest places to do DSO imaging, can you tell us about your past unforgettable experience?

I mostly image from my backyard, a Bortle 6 suburban sky but I have been to a Bortle 2 dark site in North-Eastern California which is a 5-hour drive from my home. This location is amazing and you see so many stars that it becomes difficult to point out the constellations. On clear moonless nights in summer, one can even see the shadow of objects on white surfaces cast by Milky Way and starlight.

NGC 7635 Ha+OIII+SII, Edge11HD+ASI1600MM-C, 12 hours, Bortle 2 Dark Site

NGC 281 Ha+OIII+SII, Esprit 100ED+ASI1600MM-C, 18.7 hours, Bortle 6

Q6: What equipment are you use currently? Can you show us some images of your setup?

My main setup is Skywatcher Esprit 100ED telescope with ASI1600MM-C v2 camera for widefield. I switch to Celestron Edge11HD for smaller DSOs. For both telescopes I use Software Bisque Paramount MyT and accessories like ZWO OAG and Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2 for guiding. My filter set includes Astrodon 36mm LRGB, Astrodon 36mm 5nm Ha and OIII and ZWO 36mm 6nm SII. The filters are all mounted on ZWO EFW 7x36mm filter wheel. I also upgraded my focuser on Esprit 100ED to Moonlite CFL 2.5 for refractors and added Moonlite CFL 2.5 for SCT for my Edge11HD. For image capture I use SGP and SkyX and for guiding, PHD. Image processing is done with PixInsight, Lightroom and Photoshop.

IC 434+NGC 2024, Ha+LRGB, Esprit 100ED+ASI1600MM-C, 9.4 hours, Bortle 6

Q7: What kind of telescope is your favorite? Why?

I am most happy when I am imaging with my Esprit 100ED refractor. It has a shorter focal length and is easier to handle than Edge11HD. For galaxies and smaller DSO, Edge11HD is definitely better but requires good guiding and collimation which I am still learning how to do properly.

IC 1805 Ha+OIII+SII, Esprit 100ED+ASI1600MM-C, 18 hours, Bortle 6

Q8: When did you know about ZWO? And what’s the first ASI camera you have? Can you tell us your feeling when you get your first ASI camera?

When I was researching for cameras, I read good reviews about ZWO and decided to purchase ASI 1600MM-C. I absolutely love this camera! Even with my Edge11HD, which many consider not a good match for this camera due to oversampling, I get great results.

M82 Ha+LRGB, Edge11HD+ASI1600MM-C, 10.5 hours, Bortle 6

M51 LRGB, Edge11HD+ASI1600MM-C, 4.5 hours, Bortle 6

Q9: Which ASI camera is your favorite? And why do you choose it? Do you have any user experience share to user who wish to buy an astro camera?

I chose ASI1600MM-C after reading customer feedback on various forums. If you are looking to buy a mono cooled camera at an affordable price, the later version, ASI1600MM Pro is your best bet.

NGC 6888 Ha+OIII, Edge11HD+ASI1600MM-C, 7.2 hours, Bortle 6

Q10: Did you know our ASIAIR? If yes, what features do you like? Any new features you like to add?

Yes, I’ve read a bit about ASIAIR but haven’t dug deep enough to form an opinion about this product.

Q11: What’s your impression of ZWO?

My experience with ZWO products has been awesome so far! I absolutely love ASI1600MM-C camera. The ZWO OAG and EFW work flawlessly for me. ZWO’s other ASI cameras have great reviews as well. They have a huge selection of cameras for novice as well as skilled astro photographers at a very reasonable price point.

Yangshik Kong is the winner of ZWO 2019 ASIWEEK #37 and has brought us many extraordinary astronomy photos. To make our ZWOers know this excellent astrophotographer better, we make this interview. Let’s all take a look now.

Q1: At first, congratulation that your nice image wins #ASIWEEK. Can you introduce yourself to us?

Thank you for choosing my work for ASIWEEK. My name is Yangshik Kong. I am a husband to my lovely wife and father to two young children living in Korea. I majored in fine art photography in college, worked as a photographer for a fashion magazine, and now I’m running a portrait photo studio. I am flattered and very honored for this because I am just a beginner in astronomy photography. Although it hasn’t been long since I started, I am enjoying it with a great passion, and I’d like to expand not only DSO, but also to broader areas including discovering new celestial bodies.

Q2: When did you start like astronomy? And when did you have your first telescope? What’s the feeling in first observing?

My first telescope is a 60mm refracting telescope I got as a present when I was 11 which was almost like a magnifying glass. The crater and the rings of Saturn made the little boy’s mouth smile like a crescent. That image stayed with me even after 30 years and led me back to the night sky. And I can still see that little boy in the night sky through my telescopes.

Q3: When did you start DSO imaging? Can you remember your first DSO image? What’s the feeling?

I started DSO imaging in 2018 summer with NGC6995 (East Veil Nebular) using KAF-8300 mono sensor. When I first did DSO I was thrown into complete confusion. All those difficult softwares and error messages.. Also processing the images took longer than capturing them. But when I completed my first DSO through the process, it was enough to forget all those pains.

First_DSO_NGC6995_8300ccd_Aug2018

Q4: we know DSO imaging is hard, you need dark sky, good mount & scope, good camera to capture, stable guiding, post-processing skill, what is the most difficult part for you? what is the most important part for you?

None of those you mentioned is insignificant for me. However, since I already have a good camera, mount, and scope, I could say firstly good sky and secondly good post-processing skills. In my case I have to drive 2 hours to barely see Bortle 4 sky. And recently I got a chance to see the original image that was taken by a friend in Bortle 1, at ‘Dark Sky New Mexico.’ I was shocked to learn that the parts that can be expressed through hours of exposure in Korea was possible only with 10 minute exposure.  Not only that, I noticed the background and the signals are completely separated, and how much easier it is to capture various DSO.

Post-processing skills are also important to me. I think it is a significant part of expressing the night sky as a photographer, apart from just taking pictures of the celestial bodies.

1600mm_LDN1235_LRGB_20hr_Sep2019

Q5: Astrophotographer usually travel long distances to the darkest places to do DSO imaging, can you tell us about your past unforgettable experience?

I always crave for darker skies, and in the fall of 2018, I was searching for extremely dark places. There were many stars in the newly discovered places but it was hard to get out of the car because I heard a lot of wild animals crying. However thanks to the dark sky, I discovered a new asteroid, and it made the day unforgettable. I’m also planning a trip to Australia next year to experience darker skies and look forward to see the stars in the Southern Hemisphere, which I have never seen in Korea.

Q6: What equipment are you use currently? Can you show us some images of your setup?

I use ZWO ASI1600mm, TAKAHASHI FSQ106 and RainbowAstro RST-135 mount.

I want to differentiate my images from other DSO image with long exposures.

However, my backyard is very luminous, so I go search for the dark night sky every night.

I always keep my equipment in the car so whenever there is a chance to see a clear sky, I am ready to travel. Therefore, I prefer equipment that is light and small in volume so it can be set quickly.

I use ZWO ASI1600, which has no trouble during the capture, Petzval type refractor telescope with no stress on adjusting distance, and RainbowAstro’s innovative weightless mount, which shows a small and complete guide.

These devices are good friends who lead me to the night sky.

Q7: What kind of telescope is your favorite? Why?

Many colleagues waste their time setting optics such as adjusting distance and optical axis.

I don’t want to miss out on limited chances of clear skies, and because I’m not proficient enough to solve those optical problems, I prefer a Petzval type refractor telescope.

But when I get to do backyard observation or remote observatory, I’ll plan to move on to  Newtonian telescope with a bigger aperture.

1600mm_M16_HaLRGB_14Hr_Jun2019

Q8: When did you know about ZWO? And what’s the first ASI camera you have? Can you tell us your feeling when you get your first ASI camera?

I was using KAF-8300 mono sensor. This camera was so old that it had mechanical and software problems in every shoot. I found out that there is a camera with the same sensor size but a higher resolution, and that was ZWO ASI1600mm.

The first light target of asi1600mm was the Horsehead nebula. It was very satisfying. I value the stable drivers and image capturing of the camera compared to the one I used before. This is one of the reasons why I love the ASI camera at the expense of the micropattern problem of the 1600 sensor.

First_1600mm_shot_B33_HaLRGB_39hr_Feb2019

Q9: Which ASI camera is your favorite? And why do you choose it? Do you have any user experience share to users who wish to buy an astro camera?

I think the CMOS camera of mono sensor with high resolution of APS-C or H size and high full well is the most ideal. And the closest camera to this is asi1600mm. But if you want a higher resolution, there is ASI183mm, but its sensor size is too small. I share information with asi users in Korean celestial photographers’ community, and many of them have switched to ASI cameras. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming ASI6200, except for the pricewise.

1600mm_M81_82_HaLRGB_49hr_Mar2019

Q10: Did you know our ASIAIR? If yes, what features do you like? Any new features you like to add?

I saw my colleague using it, and I immediately went to the Internet on the site and clicked the purchase button. I think that the way it’s possible to do polar alignment using main camera is as revolutionary as when Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone. I no longer have to dedicate my precious knee to the cold floor to align the polar axis, and it helps to align the polar axis quickly and accurately. I really want to applaud for the stable GOTO system and the fast SkySolve. I think ASIAIR is a product that represents the identity of ZWO company. It’s the easiest and most perfect way to do a very difficult DSO capture. If there’s a feature I wish to be added, it would be one mount being able to control two cameras at the same time. (With Dither Sink)

1600mm_M101_HaLRGB_27Hr_Apr2019

Q11: What’s your impression of ZWO?

Not only me but also many of my colleagues are finding it difficult to shoot DSO. ZWO is guiding us into the night sky at reasonable prices, reliably and easily, and many of my colleagues are aware of this. And I’m also very happy that ZWO is working on the side of an amateur astronomer through these interviews. I hope you will continue to be a great company for many celestial photographers.

To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 39th edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Tim M Timrawi and his target IC 1848 captured with ZWO ASI1600MM that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Tim M Timrawi  

Target: Soul Nebula

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro, Explore Scientific 80mm ED, Orion Atlas Pro AZ, ZWO ASI290 Mini

Soul Nebula is an emission nebula located in Cassiopeia. Several small open clusters are embedded in the nebula: CR 34, 632, and 634 (in the head) and IC 1848 (in the body). The object is more commonly called by the cluster designation IC 1848.

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Ross Clark  

Target: M31

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MC, ZWO ASI120MM-S, Lacerta 72mm, Starwave 0.8 reducer f4.9 APO

M31 is also known as the Andromeda Galaxy. It is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs (2.5 million light-years) from Earth, and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.[4] The galaxy’s name stems from the area of the Earth’s sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda.

Photographer: Vinicius Martins  

Target: Saturn

Equipment: ZWO ASI290MC, 8″ newtonian F/5, TV barlow 3x

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius about nine times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; however, with its larger volume, Saturn is over 95 times more massive. Saturn is named after the Roman god of wealth and agriculture.

Photographer: Young Joon Byun  

Target: NGC 7000

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM, ASI290MM, Takahashi Epsilon-130D, Hobym CRUX170HD

NGC 7000 is also known as the North America Nebula. It is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb (the tail of the swan and its brightest star). The remarkable shape of the nebula resembles that of the continent of North America, complete with a prominent Gulf of Mexico.

Photographer: Jordan Ragsdale  

Target: Stephan’s Quintet

Equipment: ZWO ASI178MM, C14, ap1100gto

Stephan’s Quintet is a visual grouping of five galaxies of which four form the first compact galaxy group ever discovered. The group, visible in the constellation Pegasus, was discovered by Édouard Stephan in 1877 at the Marseille Observatory. The group is the most studied of all the compact galaxy groups. The brightest member of the visual grouping is NGC 7320 that is shown to have extensive H II regions, identified as red blobs, where active star formation is occurring.

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Tim Timrawi is the winner of ZWO 2019 ASIWEEK #39 and has brought us many extraordinary astronomy photos. To make our ZWOers know this excellent astrophotographer better, we make this interview. Let’s all take a look now.

Q1: At first, congratulation that your nice image wins #ASIWEEK. Can you introduce yourself to us? 

Thank you for the opportunity you have created with #ASIWEEK, challenging the community to put their best work forward for others to be inspired by the collected images.

My name is Tim Timrawi. I’m originally from Lebanon and currently live in Las Vegas, NV. I’m an IT Professional and run a hosting company with over 20 years experience. I’ve always been drawn to astronomy but never had the chance to put my interest into practice until 2016 when I purchased my first telescope.

Before pursuing this interest I was never drawn to photography and never touched software like Photoshop. My nocturnal nature and my geekiness coupled with my drive for perfection and the wonderous universe made this a perfect hobby and I find I can take advantage of my IT knowledge and my love to troubleshoot unique problems.

I started astronomy around three years ago, and the moment I first saw the rings of Saturn with my own eyes, I was absolutely hooked. The first thing that came to my head is “how can I capture this?!”, and that is when my journey into astrophotography started, slowly into planetary imaging.

Q2: Why do you like astronomy? Can you tell us what astronomy means to you?

We are an infinitesimally small part of a wonderous and a vast beyond-our-ability-to-comprehend universe. The capability to peek through time and space, crossing the vast distances while viewing galaxies that are millions of light years away and the ability to capture the breathtaking beauty of nebulas in our galaxy is extraordinary. The difficulty of this hobby what with battling so many different variables and problems and always feeling like you can do better in acquiring data and processing your image is very appealing to me. In the two years I’ve been in this hobby, I still feel like an amateur with a lot to learn still, and I’m always looking forward to bettering my techniques.

M31, captured with ZWO ASI071MC Pro

Q3: When did you start astrophotography? What equipment did you use then? How about now? Can you show us some images of your setup?

I made the biggest rookie mistake when I first started, but at that point I was completely unaware of where this hobby would take me. I purchased a Celestron Nextstar 8SE then added to that a NexImage10 camera and started working on planetary imaging.

I quickly grew out of planetary imaging due to the limited time window, and the heavily light polluted skies of my area. My next step was upgrading my mount to the Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G, a refractor Explore Scientific 102mm Triplet FCD1, and an ASI183MC; that is the moment I truly think I got into the hobby. The moment I saw M42 Orion Nebula, I was absolutely hooked.

Now I still have my mount which has been an excellent companion, EdgeHD 9.25, ES 80T FCD100, ASI290MM, ASI290MC, ASI1600MM-P, ASI071MC-P.

Q4: We noticed that you do both planetary and deep-sky photography, can you tell which one do you prefer now? And what are the major differences between them you think?

I am more inclined toward deep-sky photography. They are two entirely different types of photography. I find these days planetary visual observations, especially with guests, is a lot more intriguing than imaging. I still enjoy lunar imaging once a while. The major difference I believe is the consistency of your results. You can be sure of the quality of DSO data you are acquiring on the spot.

M20, captured with ZWO ASI071MC Pro

Q5: What’s the most difficult part of planetary imaging for you? And that of DSO imaging? How do you conquer these problems? 

My critical self and trying to impress a difficult audience (my wife) to allow my next upgrade! Las Vegas is one of the most light-polluted cities in the world, but we are blessed with clear skies, very low humidity levels and short travel distance to dark sites away from light pollution. For planetary imaging my most difficult part is re-adjusting my setup from DSO to Planetary, and the frustration the next day with the quality of my data! For DSO light pollution is definitely a big issue, but now with better filters and Narrowband filters make light polluted imaging possible even from areas like mine. I generally image nebulas from my backyard these days and keep my galaxy imaging for my dark-site trips.

IC 1805, captured with ZWO ASI1600MM Pro

Q6: Have you ever traveled to a very dark place to do astrophotography? How was that like? And if not, what’s your favourite place for astrophotography?

Yes! One of the best things we have here in Las Vegas is the ability to get to dark sites within an hour or two travel time. One of my favorite activities is heading out with friends for an astrophotography session at a dark site near Lake Mead. The ability to acquire full RGB data and the ease of the acquisition, or battling some problems and sharing knowledge with friends is always a fun experience over a beer.

M45, captured with ZWO ASI071MC Pro

Q7: As to your winning image, the soul nebula, would you please tell how did you capture it? Would you like to share with us some detailed camera settings?

One of my favorite nebulas, all the data was taken for this image from my backyard under a bortle-6 heavily light polluted skies. I recently acquired an ASI1600MM-Pro replacing my ASI183MM-Pro and an Orion Reducer for my 80mm refractor. I was very pleased to see that I’m able to fit the whole nebula in my image field. Using Optolong Narrowband filters SII, Ha and OIII, I started acquiring 5-minute exposures in Ha during breaks in unusually cloudy skies. After a two-week long trip I came back to my data set and added more exposures and finally was comfortable enough with the quality of my data to finalize. Using Hubble Palette SHO brought out the incredible beauty of the nebula, I kept on going back over my data trying to make it just a bit better. I use a computer stick mounted to my telescope that manages my setup and data acquisition and SharpCap for image capturing. For data processing I use PixInsight and Photoshop. For camera settings I usually setup my camera at -10c, at unity gain and keep brightness at 10 in SharpCap. I enjoy using SharpCap as it helps me ascertain the quality of my data, and it gives me a rough idea on how my data is looking.

Soul Nebula, captured with ZWO ASI1600MM Pro

Q8: When did you know about ZWO? And what’s the first ASI camera you have? Can you tell us your feeling when you get your first ASI camera?

After my first planetary stint and my drive to dive deeper into astrophotography, my first camera was the ASI183MC. This camera genuinely gave me a taste of the beauty of this hobby. The community support, and the consistency of ZWO ASI cameras was absolutely a no-brainer to continue with the ZWO ASI product-line.

Rosette Nebula, captured with ZWO ASI183MM Pro

Q9: Which ASI camera is your favorite? And why do you choose it? Do you have any user experience share to users who wish to buy an astro camera?

That is a very difficult question. I enjoy my ASI1600MM-Pro, also very much enjoy my ASI071MC-Pro, and can definitely see the benefits of ASI183MM-Pro. Each camera has its own set of specialties making it impossible for me to decide on a clear favorite. I generally would use the ASI1600MM for my narrowband imaging, and the ASI071MC for my dark skies imaging.

My advice is being realistic on your main use of the camera, using online tools like https://astronomy.tools/ is your best path to find out which camera fits your setup and what you are mainly going to image best.

NGC7293, captured with ZWO ASI071MC Pro

Q10: Did you know our ASIAIR? If yes, what features do you like? Any new features you like to add?

Yes, I purchased the unit when it first came out. I think it’s an excellent tool for beginners because it would significantly ease your process. My biggest problems with it was cross-vendor compatibility for focusers for example. I hope one day ASIAIR would be available for X86 based systems preferably Windows to be able to use more robust hardware on the system to take advantage of the power available in compute sticks these days.

NGC6888, captured with ZWO ASI071MC Pro

Q11: What’s your impression of ZWO?

ZWO seems to be driven by passionate people able to find smart ways to stream-line products and provide consistency. The least problematic part of my setup is my ZWO camera. Once I’m over the learning curve of a new camera, the camera always performs to its specs and I’ve never had any issues with the cameras. I only hope one day ZWO would open an office in the US to handle RMA to make it a quicker process of repairing a beloved camera! Looking very much forward to the ASI6200 series.

M27, captured with ZWO ASI071MC Pro

To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 40th edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Erez Buyom and his target M42 captured with ZWO ASI071MC Pro that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Erez Buyom

Target: M42

Equipment: ZWO ASI071MC Pro + Celestron RASA 11 + iOPTRON CEM60

The Orion Nebula is one of the most scrutinized and photographed objects in the night sky, and is among the most intensely studied celestial features. The nebula has revealed much about the process of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust. Astronomers have directly observed protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, intense and turbulent motions of the gas, and the photo-ionizing effects of massive nearby stars in the nebula.

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Muhammad Ali

Target: NGC 7822

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM + Skywatcher Esprit 100 + Paramount MyT

NGC 7822 is a young star forming complex in the constellation of Cepheus. The complex encompasses the emission region designated Sharpless 171, and the young cluster of stars named Berkeley 59.

Photographer: Yan Nick

Target: IC 1318

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro + Celestron RASA 8″ + Baader F/2 Highspeed Filter

The Sadr region, or IC 1318, is the diffuse emission nebula surrounding Sadr at the center of Cygnus’s cross. The Sadr region is one of the surrounding nebulous regions; others include the Butterfly Nebula and the Crescent Nebula. It contains many dark nebulae in addition to the emission diffuse nebulae. Sadr itself has approximately a magnitude of 2.2. The nebulous regions around the region are also fairly bright.

Photographer: Rutger Bus

Target: M42

Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro + William Optics GT71 + iOptron CEM25P

“46m40s of data on the Orion-nebula….It’s just peaking above the trees here in the early morning hours, so I will have to wait a bit more until I can image it from 8 o’clock PM to gather more and better data.” said Rutger Bus.

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To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 41st edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Andrea Vanoni and his target Solar System captured with ZWO ASI174MM and ASI120MM-S that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Andrea Vanoni  

Target: Solar System

Equipment: ZWO ASI174MM + ZWO ASI120MM-S + Meade ’12 SC, Newton 300mm, Newton 400mm

Normally it’s easy for us to watch the planets from the eyepieces, but not easy to capture a high-quality planetary picture for we have so many things that need considering, like the height, the weather, atmospheric transparency, atmospheric visibility, and, of course what equipment/camera setting should we use. It’s very amazing that Andrea can capture all planets with ASI cameras. He must spend a lot of time in this hobby!

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Roberto Marchena Isla  

Target: NGC 281

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM + Newton 200/f5.

NGC 281 is a bright emission nebula and part of an H II region in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia and is part of the Milky Way’s Perseus Spiral Arm. Colloquially, NGC 281 is also known as the Pacman Nebula for its resemblance to the video game character.

Photographer: Night Sky Dan  

Target: M42 and Sh2-279

Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro + Celestron RASA 11″ scope + Losmandy G-11 mount

M42 is also known as Orion Nebula, probably the most popular deep sky nebula. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky.

Sh2-279 is also known as Ring Man Nebula, it’s an HII region and bright nebulae that includes a reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion. It is also a popular target for amateur astrophotographers, as it lies close to the Orion Nebula and has many nearby guide stars. 

Photographer: Andrea Andreotto Maggi  

Target: M33

Equipment: ZWO ASI294 + Telescope Artec 200 mm f 3.8

The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy 2.73 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is catalogued as Messier 33 or NGC 598. The Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. It is one of the most distant permanent objects that can be viewed with the naked eye.

Find us on Facebook for delicate astronomical images.

Facebook Page: https://buff.ly/2GN9ASW

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To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 42nd edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is John Robinson and his target Wizard Nebula captured with ZWO ASI1600MM Pro that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: John Robinson

Target: Wizard Nebula

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro + Skywatcher Esprit 120ED APO Triplet + SkyWatcher EQ6R Pro

NGC 7380 (also known as the Wizard Nebula) is an open cluster discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. William Herschel included his sister’s discovery in his catalog, and labelled it H VIII.77. It is also known as 142 in the 1959 Sharpless catalog (Sh2-142). This reasonably large nebula is located in Cepheus. It is extremely difficult to observe visually, usually requiring very dark skies and an O-III filter.

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Marty Tan

Target: Vela Supernova Remnant

Equipment: ZWO ASI071MC Pro + Samyang 135mm F2@F2.5

The Vela supernova remnant is a supernova remnant in the southern constellation Vela. Its source Type II supernova exploded approximately 11,000–12,300 years ago (and was about 800 light-years away). The association of the Vela supernova remnant with the Vela pulsar, made by astronomers at the University of Sydney in 1968, was direct observational evidence that supernovae form neutron stars.

Photographer: Maple Guy

Target: M42

Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro + Z61 APO

The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion’s Belt in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky.

Photographer: Paweł Radomski

Target: NGC 6611

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro + Newton 8″ f/5 + AZEQ6

The Eagle Nebula (catalogued as Messier 16 or M16, and as NGC 6611, and also known as the Star Queen Nebula and The Spire) is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens, discovered by Jean-Philippe de Chéseaux in 1745–46. Both the “Eagle” and the “Star Queen” refer to visual impressions of the dark silhouette near the center of the nebula, an area made famous as the “Pillars of Creation” imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. The nebula contains several active star-forming gas and dust regions, including the aforementioned Pillars of Creation.

Photographer: Mathieu Levêque

Target: M51

Equipment: ZWO ASI178MM

The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus. It lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Its distance is estimated to be 23 million light-years away from Earth.

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Facebook Page: https://buff.ly/2GN9ASW

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To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 43rd edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Night Sky Dan and his target Soap Bubble Nebula captured with ZWO ASI1600MM Cool that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Night Sky Dan

Target: Soap Bubble Nebula

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Cool + Celestron RASA 11”+ Losmandy G-11 mount + Ha and OIII

11 hours total integration time (217 x 120-seconds for OIII, and 115 x 120-seconds for Ha).

The Soap Bubble Nebula, or PN G75.5+1.7, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Cygnus, near the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888). It was discovered by amateur astronomer Dave Jurasevich using an Astro-Physics 160 mm refractor telescope with which he imaged the nebula on June 19, 2007 and on July 6, 2008.

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Tommaso Massimo Stella

Target: IC 5070

Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro + TS PhotoLine 102 @ f/5,5 + Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 GT + ASI224MC + Optolong L-Pro

48x300s @ 150 Gain (-5°C), 41 Dark, 21 Flat

The Pelican Nebula (also known as IC 5070 and IC 5067) is an H II region associated with the North America Nebula in the constellation Cygnus. The gaseous contortions of this emission nebula bear a resemblance to a pelican, giving rise to its name. The Pelican Nebula is located nearby first magnitude star Deneb, and is divided from its more prominent neighbour, the North America Nebula, by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust.

Photographer: SJ Richard

Target: M31

Equipment: ZWO ASI294MCPro + Telescope-SkyRover 80mm f6 Triplet APO with 0.8x Reducer + Telescope-SkyRover 50mm + ZWO ASI120MC-S + iOptron CEM25P + 2” Optolong L-Pro

Total integration of 4 hours (120s for each frame at 120Gain cooled at 5Degree)

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224 and originally the Andromeda Nebula (see below), is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs (2.5 million light-years) from Earth, and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. The galaxy’s name stems from the area of the Earth’s sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda.

Photographer: Ross Clark

Target: IC 1396

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MC Pro + Canon EF L 70-200mm f/2.8 at 200mm f/5 + iOptron CEM25P + ZWO ASI120MM-S + Altair Astro 2” Triband OSC filter

51x300s images stacked with Darks, Flats and Dark Flats in PixInsight, processing done predominantly in Photoshop

The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The piece of the nebula shown here is the dark, dense globule IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant’s Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim.

Photographer: Chuck Ayoub

Target: Horsehead Nebula

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro + Orion ED80T CF + Orion.8 + Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro +  ZWO ASI224MC + ZWO 60mm Guide Scope

Frames: Optolong Ha: 47×180″ (gain: 139, offset: 21)

Integration: 2.35 hours

The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33) is a small dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The nebula is located just to the south of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. It appears within the southern region of the dense dust cloud known as Lynds 1630, along the edge of the much larger HII nebula region called IC 434.

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It is the season when the cold air is raging, while my ASI071MC was returned for maintenance, I am honored to get an invitation from ZWO to test the latest one-inch color cooled camera.

What is ASI533MC-PRO?

The core of a camera is the sensor and the one used on ASI533MC-PRO is Sony IMX533 sensor. It is the 5th generation CMOS sensor launched by Sony this year, which is widely used by many major manufacturers on 360-degree 4K panoramic cameras.

While in the field of panoramic cameras, the transmission frame rate, sharpness, sensitivity, and low noise have always been the most important indicators.

The sensitivity and low noise sound familiar to you, right? This is exactly what astrophotography needs! Meanwhile, the square CMOS sensor makes it more convenient when doing photographic .

There is no need to turn the camera significantly to make the long side conform to the direction of an elliptical galaxy, which will avoid causing problems throughout the system. A slight rotation of the square sensor within 45 °can be enough for finding the best framing direction.

Unboxing

Official delivery from ZWO is very attentive with price insured every time. The SF deliveryman who arrived at the community site at 6:00 am is also very efficient, he called me to sign for it when I was in bed. I unpacked to enjoy this camera as soon as returning home from work.

This camera comes with Ferrari Red housing equipped with a USB 3.0 high-speed interface.

Simultaneously, the two USB 2.0 HUB interfaces of this camera can be easily switched to guide cameras, equatorial mounts and other devices without too much wiring.

On the front of the camera is the M48 female thread with a 17.5mm CMOS back focus. The black part can be disassembled into M48 male thread with 6.5mm CMOS back focus.

After removing the M48 female thread adapter, the M48 male thread can transfer digital camera lens adapters and other third-party equipment more easily.

On the side face is the Integrated TEC cooling.

Installation

Since ZWO cameras adopt standard design of screw thread, I can easily use them on my entire stable ASI071MC optical system.

The back focus of ASI533 MC camera is 55mm with same interface, which can be easily installed on this entire shooting system.

ZWO OAG is used as off-axis guider, and ZWO ASI290mini with high sensitivity is used as the guide camera. Then use the original USB2.0 to Type-C cable, connecting to the ASI533MC USB HUB.

I want to emphasize that Off-axis guiding is refracted by a triangular prism on the optical path that replaces the guider scope.

Like the 071MC camera I used before, a little inclined when the camera is installed; Triangular prism covers the CMOS chip which finally makes cropping necessary on pictures.

As ASI533MC camera has square CMOS, situation above will never occur. I can rotate the camera as I want.

Look at the side of this camera, it’s compact but with strong performance.

Take a photo of the entire optical system. Next, connect the camera to the computer and run a test with the software.

Software test

As an astrophotography cooling camera, the first thing we need to pay attention to is the driver.

SGP and NINA have identified this latest camera through the driver for the first connection, right after downloading the latest v1.0.3.26 ASCOM driver from ZWO official website.

For the astronomy cooling cameras, “cooling” is another most important feature.

Cooling can keep all the pictures taken under the same working environment, while the SIGNAL NOISE RATIO of the captured pictures will not be lost and the entire set of pictures will still be valid when performing the post-processing.

Connect the camera to a 12V 40Ah lithium battery, the environment temperature is 18 ° C, humidity at 70%, cooling at minus 15 ° C, and the cooling power stable at 87% in the room.

4 seconds of Master Focus Dark at Bin 2 * 2. The dark current is very uniform, which is why there is no horizontal stripes or vertical stripes of short exposure of digital cameras.

This focus dark field is used on the camera, The result of superimposing 100 biases and 100 dark field calibrations on Bin 2 * 2 by default【Unity Gain】 (100 gain 70 biases 40 USB readout speed). Shooting focus dark field helps the software to evaluate the accuracy of the star HFR after auto-focusing through EAF and automatic shooting software during field shooting.

Right after testing the cooling and shooting the focus dark field, the next day happened to be sunny. All equipment was packed and put in the trunk, waiting to be operated for the First light.

First light

Gathering local astrophotography lovers, everyone drove to the top of the mountain successfully. without clouds.

The altitude here is 1463m, and it is in the dark space zone of Bortle 3. The southwest wind was at level 0-1 before midnight, while the northwest wind was at level 1-2 after midnight. Temperature 10-6 ℃, humidity 95% -60%, zenith seeing 0.7 ~ 0.8, zenith sky light 21.45 ~ 21.75 mag, 11.8% of the moon rose from the east after 3:40 a.m. in the next day. It was a pretty good astrophotography winter night. It seems that there is no law of first experience for testing a new camera.

After setting up the equipment, we adjusted the level as well as the balance, connected the power and data wiring, hidden in the trunk of the car, connecting the computer and turned on the setting up, waiting for darkness.

I’ve heard from many antecessors that if 1inch sensor equipped with long focus lens, little stars can be seen because of the small field of view. Performing declination rotation analysis on polar axis through shooting software is not available.

I tried it tonight, but found that a single 10-second exposure using bin 2 * 2 can easily align the polar axis to within 20 arc seconds, as long as it is not more than 5 ° from the North Star.

Time is valuable during outreach. Polar axis alignment ends now as the darkness comes.

Let ’s do the camera pre-cooling and prepare to execute the scheduled shooting plan.

At this moment, as the high-pressure with warm air is above us, the outdoor temperature/ the humidity/ the air pressure and the wind speed are 14.1 ° C / 92% / 853.00hPa and 0.8m accordingly. ASI533MC is cooled directly to minus 15 ° C by using rapid cooling, Power stabilized at 52-53%.

After shooting the bias, we start the focusing.

The focus setting is at 4 seconds Bin 2 * 2 [UnityGain] dark field, the same setting as shot indoors at -15 ° C the day before.

Best HFR is obtained on the 800mm F4 Newton reflector.

Start shooting, now!

Note: The following pictures use camera defaults「Unity Gain」（100 gain 70 off set 40 USB readout speed）, the Readout noise is 1.53e-, picture at Bin 1*1. Meanwhile, the dark field, bias, and flat field calibration haven’t been performed due to time reasons, and no post-stacking has been performed, either. Please kindly note all images below are screenshots.

M45 as the first target, shot at 5 minutes each frame, 1 hour’s shooting in total. When the image came out and kept as original without debayer, I was already shocked!

The shooting software showed as below at that time:

5-minute single picture. Here’s what it looks like in PixInsight after doing only debayer and stretch. The blue stars and clouds of the M45 Pleiades are already very clear.

Besides, ” Microlens Diffraction Effect ” of bright stars like Pleiadess on chips such as IMX183 did not appear during a 5-minute exposure.

Second target-M42 Orion Nebula. Since the center of this nebula is very bright, we took two sets of pictures, one for one-minute per frame and one for five-minute per frame.

Total exposure time at 1 hour and 20 minutes and then get prepared for subsequent post-compositing HDR images, so that you can have the details of the central bright area, as well as the details of the dark areas of the edge.

Wow! !! Wow! !! Wow! !! After I got the first 1-minute image, I was so excited and my shouts woke up other photographers nearby.

The capturing software showed as below at that time:

Here’s what it looks like in PixInsight after doing only debayer and stretch. It is only 1 minute for this single picture that the Big scallop details are basically shown out, the sky background was so net and clean.

You can hardly see any random red, green and blue thermal noise that has been criticized on color sensors.

All of a sudden, I had the illusion that I was processing the post image of a mono camera.

The third goal was the IC434 Horse Head Nebula shot at 5-minute per frame. Plan was to shoot from mid night to 5:40 AM.

I had covered the quilt and fell asleep in the trunk, but the screen record of my computer still recorded amazing shooting pictures.

The recording screen in the capturing software was like this.

Here’s what it looks like in PixInsight after only doing debayer, stretch and DBE. 5 minutes per frame.

Seeing the original image in black and white without debayer, there’s a kind of instant vision when using a mono camera and a H α narrowband filter on shooting a narrowband channel.

The astronomical morning twilight is about to up. Following the computer’s shooting ending, the alarm was on and awakened me with sleepy eyes.

At this blue moment, I shot 100 frames on the spot when the moon rose to about 40 °.

9.5ms per frame, without debayer or calibration, nor stretch. The light & shade transition is comparable to a mono camera.

Conclusion

As the deadline of this review article is approaching, I’m not available to take enough dark field for main dark field calibration. The superimposed images may be shown in the next article, in the comparison of the three chips IMX533, IMX071, IMX294 and the comment of pictures.

I can’t help but think of a problem when I see the single image after doing only stretch and debayer.

If you only shoot with LRGB instead of narrowband filters, is it really necessary to input two or three times the money, energy and time to buy mono Pro cameras under the current trend of extremely low readout noise and high sensitivity of the sensor chip?

End.

Maple Gao

To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 44th edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Sergey Trudolyubov and his target NGC 772 captured with ZWO ASI183MM Pro that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Sergey Trudolyubov 

Target: NGC 772

Equipment: ZWO ASI183MM Pro + 250 mm f/4 Lacerta PhotoNewton + Orion HDX110 EQ-G

L: 76x300s (gain 0, bin 1×1)

R: 27x300s (gain 53, bin 1×1)

G: 25x300s (gain 53, bin 1×1) 

B: 25x300s (gain 53, bin 1×1)

Total Exposure Time: 12.8 hours

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Gennaro Raia 

Target: IC 434 (Horsehead Nebula)

Equipment:  ZWO ASI294MC Pro + ZWO ASI178 MC + Optics SharpStar 107ph at f5 + EQ6 Pro + Optolong L-Pro filter

Photographer: Ian Barredo 

Target: NGC 7380 (Wizard Nebula)

Equipment: ZWO ASI183 + William Optics Zenithstar 103mm + ASI120 mini + Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 + ASIAIR + 7nm 6.5nm SHO set

Total exposure time: 15 hours

Photographer: Deddy Dayag 

Target: M31 (Andromeda Galaxy)

Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro + ASI178MC + Celestron CPC-1100 + Alt-Az + Optolong OIII 6.5nm + Optolong SII 6.5nm + Optolong Ha 7nm

“I used the regular mount of the scope on a wedge (which essentially, turns the alt-az mount into an equatorial mount).

After taking about 50 exposures at 32 seconds of RGB data using my color cam ZWO asi294mc, I took about 30 exposures using a 2 inch H-Alpha filter to capture the nebulousity of Andromeda (these red areas). Later I processed abnd combined the data in Photoshop.”

Find us on Facebook for delicate astronomical images.

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To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 45th edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Muhammad Ali and his target Melotte 15 captured with ZWO ASI1600MM Pro that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Muhammad Ali

Target: Melotte 15

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro + Skywatcher Esprit 100ED + Paramount

Astrodon Ha 5nm 111 x 240s

Astrodon O3 5nm 156 x 240s

Astrodon S2 3nm 124 x 240s

About the camera:

ASI1600MM Pro $1280.00

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Rob Brayton

Target: M42 (Orion Nebula)

Equipment: ZWO ASI183MC Pro + Celestron 11 + Optolong L-eNhance

60 x 15s + 40 x 120s (Gain: 120)

Photographer: Gennaro Raia

Target: M45 (Pleiades)

Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro + SharpStar 107ph + EQ6 pro + Optolong L-Pro

Lights 35 x 300s (Gain: 120)

Photographer: Ian Barredo

Target: NGC 281

Equipment: ZWO ASI183MM + WilliamOptics Z103mm + ASI120 mini + AZ-EQ6 + ASIAIR

Ha: 11.8 hours, OIII: 6 hours, SIII: 4 hours

Photographer: Tommy Russell

Target: NGC 7293 (Helix Nebula)

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro + Orion ED80 + Orion SkyView Pro + Astrodon 5nm Ha + 3nm OIII

Ha: 203 x 300s (Gain: 300)

Ha: 49 x 600s (Gain: 300)

OIII: 74 x 300s (Gain: 300)

Total exposure time: 31 hours and 15 minutes

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How to connect ASI6200MM Pro, 2″ EFW and M68 OAG to get the best back-focus-length-solution of 55mm?

Basically it’s like what the diagram showed below:

ASI6200MM Pro camera (12.5mm）+ 2”EFW（20mm）+ M68 OAG（17.5mm）+ sensor tilt adapter（5mm）=55mm

And here are the detailed steps:

1) Disassemble the 5mm sensor tilt adapter on the main camera with the help of a screwdriver:

2) Remove the back cover of EFW:

3) Disassemble the filter wheel carousel (Note: Please do not disassemble or move the central screw of this carousel, otherwise the EFW will be damaged):

4) Align the four screw holes of EFW with these in the four corners of the camera chip as shown below:

5) Tighten the screws at the interface between the EFW and the main camera:

6) Install the filter wheel carousel:

7) Fix the M68 OAG to the back cover of EFW(Note: You may reposition the prism to make sure it would not block the sensor):

8) Fix the 5mm sensor tilt adapter to this M68 OAG:

9) Attach the back cover of EFW to the front cover:

10) Installation completed.

Note: Please make sure the prism does not block the sensor or your telescope.

Adjust the focal length of a guide camera by using the guide knob.

Would be better if you finish the above steps during daytime, as it is very difficult to adjust it accurately at night.

To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 46th edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Matej Mihelčič and his target Transit of Mercury captured with ZWO ASI174MM that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Matej Mihelčič

Target: Transit of Mercury

Equipment: ZWO ASI174MM + AS150@3870mm

About the camera:

ASI174MM $599.00(Sale Now: $539.10)

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Amrit Seecharan

Target: Transit of Mercury

Equipment: ZWO ASI224MC + Celestron 9.25 SCT + 2X Teleconverter + Baader 5.0 solar filter

Photographer: Kong Yangshik

Target: IC 405(Framing Star Nebula)

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM + RainbwoAstro RST-135 + Baader LRGB, Astronomik Ha 6nm + ASI120MM mini

Ha : 300s x 44 (Gain: 200, -20ºC)

L : 180s x 143 (Gain: 76, -20ºC)

RGB : 180s x 159 (Gain: 76, -20ºC)

Total exposure time: 18hr 46m

Photographer: Chuck Ayoub

Target: Sharpless 2-240 (Spaghetti Nebula)

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro + Orion ED80T CF + EQ6-R Pro + ZWO 60mm Guide Scope + ZWO ASI224MC + Orion 0.8x Reducer

Optolong Ha: 159×240″ (gain: 139, offset: 21)

Optolong OIII: 130×240″ (gain: 75, offset: 15)

Darks: 50, Bias: 200, Flats: 50

Total exposure time: 19hr 27m

And A Good News:

We are planning to make an Astrophotography Calendar for the year 2020. All images included in the calendar will be from the ASIWEEK event. It will be available soon if everything works fine, please stay tuned!

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Introduction

ZWO have been synonymous with creating high quality, yet affordable cameras, since their entry into the astro imaging world in 2011.

Since then ZWO have taken the market by storm with their renown red anodised CMOS cameras and there will not be many in astrophotography who either don’t own a ZWO product, or, are at least very familiar with the product range.

I have been a long-time user of ZWO products and have found Sam Wen’s team to be fabulously supportive and responsive to requests for new features and new product ideas. So much so that after a visit by him to New Zealand, Sam and I struck up a dialogue on how some active imagers could help support his efforts and so I got involved with the ZWO product development team.  

So, for complete transparency, I will say that I am a member of the ZWO product development team and I, along with a small number of other active astro imagers, alpha/beta test a lot of ZWO’s products to ensure they deliver the best possible product on release. A prime example of that is the ASIAIR and the test and development work that has gone into that, with many hundreds of hours committed by the test team even before the ASIAIR software releases are put into production.

I will also add that I did not get paid in dollars or in kind for this review, I and the others provide our input as we enjoy the ZWO product set and are keen to ensure they include the features that any active astro imager would want.

When I heard from Sam about the ASI GT range, I asked if could test them before release and Sam kindly invited me to help test the ASI1600GT which is very familiar to me as I use an ASI1600MM as my main mono CMOS camera.

The GT Range Gets Released

ZWO launched in September 2012 with the now famous planetary camera, the ASI120. The camera took the astrophotography world by storm thanks to the high sensitivity and low read noise of the chosen ASI120 sensor. It became the first planetary CMOS camera which could truly outperform a CCD sensor.

May 2016 marked another major milestone for ZWO and arguably the biggest to date, with the release of the ubiquitous ASI1600 series of cameras. Without a doubt the ASI1600 has changed the deep sky imaging world thanks to it Panasonic sensor’s amazingly low read noise and dark current.

The ASI1600 series cameras are the first cooled CMOS cameras suitable for DSO imaging and a game changer as sales pushed the ASI1600 into the leading position, overtaking the sale of CCD cameras for DSO imaging.

With the recent announcement that KAF CCD devices have ceased production, CMOS camera are now the de facto choice for astro imagers.

Indeed, today you cannot pick up an astronomy magazine or visit an astro imaging webpage without seeing stunning pictures from the ASI1600 and ASI183 cameras using a variety of LRGB or narrowband filters and almost invariably integrated with ZWO’s EFW filter wheel and Off Axis Guider. This truly winning combination is seen on many selected Images of the Day and for good reason.

Never one to stand still, ZWO have created an improved version of the ASI1600 and ASI183 monochrome cameras with the release of this, their latest design, the ASI1600GT and ASI183GT. These cameras feature an all new integrated design with built in filter wheel, a first for ZWO.

What’s New?

For those new to these ZWO mono cameras, the two new GT cameras are based on the original ASI1600 and ASI183 models respectively and nothing has changed around the electronics and sensors from the originals, but don’t let that fool you. There is a lot more to the GT range than a simple re boxing.

The ASI1600GT is a mono CMOS camera based on the 16.4mpx Panasonic MN34230 chip. This 4/3” chip measures 17.1mm x 13.4mm has a resolution of 4656 x 3520 pixels at 3.8um.

This extremely well-known CMOS chip has a read noise of 1.2e, QE of 60% and full well of 20000e.

The latest ZWO version has a 256MB DDR3 buffer to improve transmission speeds, transfer reliability  and reduce USB noise.

The ASI183GT has a much smaller pixel size which should be taken into account when reviewing these two cameras side by side.

The ASI183GT uses a SONY IMX183 chip with a 1” diagonal size (13.2mm x 8.8mm) – the smaller chip has a much higher pixel density however and runs at 5496 x 3672 resolution with a tiny 2.4um pixel size. It has a read noise of 1.6e and QE of 84% and full well of 15000e. Like the ASI1600 it also uses a 256MB DDR3 buffer.

Both cameras come with the standard USB3 connection and inbuilt USB hubs which has been a feature of ZWO ASI cooled cameras for some time. I was glad to see this has been retained even with the compact size GT cameras.

The first thing that is striking is the new look. The ASI GT range now features an all new compact body that houses an integral 5 position filter wheel capable of carrying 1.25” mounted and 31mm unmounted filters. Its beautifully compact and beautifully constructed.

Important Note: The thickness of the 1.25” filter cannot exceed 7mm (without threads), and the thread must be shorter than 2.5mm to avoid the filter wheel striking the camera housing.

Access to the filters is via the front cover plate which is held in place by 4 screws. Unlike other integrated filter wheels, the ASI GT range wheel is not removable, so adding a second wheel fitted with a different set of filters isn’t possible sadly.

The cover plate has a 42mm T thread fitted to it and the housing is milled out of aluminium and is nicely anodised, yet remains relatively light weight, thanks to the use of modern high-grade aircraft aluminium.

The new integrated design is a squarer package than the normal soda can sized ASI cameras and measures 110mm x 110mm x 60mm and weighs just over 800g.

The red anodised rear face now houses 2 maglev fans which are set into the cooling fins and this improved heatsinking has created an a much-improved cooling capacity which has now increased to -45c below ambient. I found the camera cooled down much faster and that is due to the improved cooling capability of the GT style body. The cooling device fitted hasn’t been changed – just the heatsinking and additional of a second fan, which has led to this welcome improvement.

The bottom face houses the standard ASI style connections. Users will be pleased to note no change to the inclusion of the integrated USB hub which has been retained, along with the USB3 connector.

The 12V DC connector has now been named 12V IN and has a companion pass through outlet, which can be used to power other 12V devices. This is rated at 3A dependant on the DC power supply being capable of supply the camera and this connector at the same time.  I utilised this to power my ZWO EAF auto focuser which requires around 1A, a handy way to reduce yet another cable and a nice touch.

Installation & Operation

Installation of the filters is similar to the process on the EFW filter wheel but requiring removal of the front plate and either screwing in the 1.25” filters or, in the case of the 31mm unmounted versions, mounting the filter using the small screws supplied in the kit.

One of the great things I love about ZWO cameras is that everything you need is included in the box and the ASI GT range are no different, with a set of filter masks and screws are included in the kit.

Mounting the camera was easy with the included adapters. ZWO cleverly include adapters and extension tubes to reach the most common back focus distance of 55mm.

The GT cameras weigh in a 100

g or so less than the ASI1600/EFW combo although we do lose the extra 3 positions on the filter wheel, something I can personally live with as much of my imaging is narrowband.

Initial bench testing showed that the improved cooling works well, easily reaching -20c sensor temperature, even in my warm office with the cooler running at 60% to maintain it. Something the ASI1600 would struggle to do.

Darks showed no issues with noise or patterning and cooling was faster and able to reach temperature quickly even indoors.

Longer dark tests revealed a nice clean frame and no signs of noise. There is slight amp glow in the right hand side as found in the ASI1600 range but my sample tests suggested that this was slightly less than my ASI1600 (V3), that might be due to the DDR buffer or improved cooling but it was quite noticeably reduced on my supplied test sample.

First Light

After taking a set of darks using SGP I installed the ASI1600GT onto my trusty ES102 FCD100 and was pleasantly surprised by the look and feel.

It feels much more compact and less obtrusive as the smaller footprint does not protrude as much as my 8 position EFW. Which isn’t any real surprise, but I was interested how much difference it would make.

I liked the square neat design and found the 12V outlet means less cable clutter. Of course, as the filter wheel is integrated there is also no USB cable for the wheel required – again less cable mess as this sticks out a little on the ASI1600/EFW combo. I found that most of the time the ASI1600GT did not foul my tripod at all whereas with the standard camera/EFW combo I did need to be a little more careful.

Overall, it looks remarkably neat and even though I own an ASI1600 I found myself drawn to the compact design of the GT range. The build quality is nice and of course it all comes with the necessary hardware in the box. One thing missing in the GT range is the padded case, I assume as this format did not fit the round ASI style.

The weather has been very poor this winter, so test time has been limited but I have been extremely impressed by the ASI1600GT in the time I have been able to use it.

Its performance is in line with that expected of the ASI1600 range, but I really liked the improved cooling on warm spring nights and as I was able to cool down quickly even on warm humid nights. It really helped that I could get to -20c on the bench too it really helped in my test and setups.

In use the ASI1600GT performed as expected, the inbuilt filter wheel was quiet and was plug and play with the same drivers as my EFW which made for an easy installation with Sequence Generator Pro. Performance was on par with the 1600 but as I mentioned much quicker to get to operational temperature even on a warm night with the improved cooling.

The images from the ASI1600 need little introduction. I would suggest any prospective buyer browses the images at sites such as Astrobin for some sample images across varying scopes, filter types and combinations of data.

Conclusion

At first glance you might be forgiven for dismissing the GT range as nothing more than a physical reconfiguration of the original ASI1600/183 cameras with little else to show for the change, but I did not find this to be the case at all.

The new integrated design is a welcome addition to the ZWO range and even though the filter wheel cannot be changed out I still found the smaller compact size of the GT cameras to be beneficial.

The smaller size has benefits in that the cable count is reduced and a 12V pass through means less clutter at the camera end of my scopes.

The improved cooling is a big plus and was immediately obvious when doing darks in my warm office, something I could have not achieved with my ASI1600 (v3).

Overall there is a lot to like about the GT cameras and I think they will be as popular as the standard ASI1600/183 range. A upside of these new cameras might be an influx of good second-hand cameras as users trade up so it’s worth keeping an eye on the markets as it becomes available.

The GT cameras will be released at the end of November 2019 from the normal dealer channels, many who are already taking pre orders.

To enhance our amateurs’ abilities of astro-observation and astrophotography, to stimulate the public’s imagination and creativity, and to better feel the beauty of the stars, universe and science. We have the ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST now. We sincerely invite global astronomers and photographers to participate.

Here are the fantastic works from the 47th edition of 2019 ASIWEEK ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Let’s take a look!

It is Janco Moolman and his target Tarantula Nebula captured with ZWO ASI1600MM that won the championship.

The winning entry:

Photographer: Janco Moolman

Target: Tarantula Nebula

Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM + Celestron 9.25 EDGE HD + 0.7x Reducer + ZWO EFW + ZWO Filters Ha 7nm、OIII 7nm + ZWO ASI290MM + ZWO OAG + Moonlite Focuser

Ha : 900s x 23 (Gain: 200, -15ºC)

OIII : 600s x 18 (Gain: 200, -15ºC)

About the camera:

ASI1600MM Pro $1,480.00–$1,639.00

Entries from other photographers:

Photographer: Mike Shapiro

Target: M42

Equipment: ASIAIR + ZWO ASI294MC Pro + ASI224 + STC Duo Narrowband + RASA 8 at F2

Photographer: Mike Shapiro

Target: M42 and Horsehead Nebula

Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro + STC Duo Narrowband filter + ASI224 + RASA 8 at F2

Photographer: Jakub Szyma

Target: Barnard 150

Equipment: ASI294C + RASA 11″  + CEM120EC

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Lukasz Sujka is the winner of ZWO 2019 ASIWEEK #48 and has brought us many extraordinary astronomy photos. To make our ZWOers know this excellent astrophotographer better, we make this interview. Let’s all take a look now.

Q1: At first, congratulation that your nice image wins #ASIWEEK. Can you introduce yourself to us? 

Well, thank you very much. I was little surprised because that was my first post and first photo shared on the group. It’s very nice that it was so warmly welcomed.

My name is Lukasz Sujka I’m 36-years old guy living in small village in central Poland together with my family.

I really love astronomy, astrophotography and running – so I’m trying to take care of this hobbies during some of my free time after work which is not really connected with it.

Lukasz Sujka inside Stefanik Observatory (Petrin, Prague)

Q2: Can you tell why do you like astronomy? What does astronomy mean to you?

Astronomy is my “companion” since 2008 when I bought my first telescope. It was Celestron 114/900 and I really remember first views of Satrun and The Moon from it. I started to spend more and more time on studying night sky and finding knowledge about equipment in the web. Astronomy started to be my real passion of life. And it stays with me until now – as my primary and most important hobby.

I love it because it’s giving me some rest from daily routine tasks and also possibility to feel this mystery of unknow, which is surrounding us when we are looking on a stars under really dark sky.

Q3: Do you still remember the first time you do astrophotography? How was your feeling then?

Yes, I rember it quite well. It was in September 2009 during star party in southern Poland (Jodłów). I used Canon 350D camera with old Revuenon 200mm/f3,5 on Meade LXD55 mount.

It wasn’t really advanced photography – just few shots to catch some most known objects like Pleiades (M45), Orion Nebula (M45) and Andromeda Galaxy (M31). I was focused and enjoyed of looking to different scopes which we had on observation field. Later when I downloaded pictures to computer at home, and when I saw results, I was really excited and happy how much I caught.

My first images of deep space objects – it made me happy and more dedicated to that hobby.

My first astrophoto from 2009. M31 using Canon 350D and Revuenon 200m f/4 objective

Q4: What equipment do you use? Can you show us some images of your gear?

Now I have three telescopes – 10” Sky Watecher Newtonian telescope 250/1200 (f/4,8) for DS imaging, Quartz Dall-Kirkham Cassegrain 190/3560 (f/19) for planetary imaging and Bresser 150/1200 with H-alpha modification (using Lunt etalon) for Sun imaging.

All of this is riding on Sky-Watcher modded NEQ-6 equatorial mount.

Of course very important piece of this setup is ZWO ASI 178MM-C camera with proper set of filters: Baader LRGB, Baader U (for Venus clouds) and some of different IR filters (680, 742 and 850nm)

Solar photography setup – Bresser 150/1200 Lunt mod (for h-alpha imaging)

Q5: What type of telescope is your favorite? Why?

It’s hard to say which one is favourite, because every telescope contruction have it’s pros and cons. For examle it will be really hard to use reflector telescope for solar h-alpha imaging. On the other hand, I love to use big 10-16” reflectors in deep space astrophotography where it can collect a lot of light and allow us to make pictures of small and unusual objects.

Q6: Which one do you prefer? Planetary imaging or deep-sky imaging?

Well, this is one of my favourite questions. What I’m trying to do, is to be universal astrophotographer. That’s why I’m making photos of Sun in h-alpha band, deep space objects using short exposure (lucky imaging) technique, planets and our Moon including some extra phenomenons like conjunctions or transits.

You can look on my works on my facebook page if you like:

https://www.facebook.com/lukasz.sujka.astronomy/

Composition of galaxies from 2018 (all made using SW Newtonian 250/1200 on EQ6 and  ASI178 MM-C)

I cannot say which I prefer. I love to do all. Different objects demand different attitude and different technique – and this makes this photography so fascinating, demanding but als brings a lot of fun.

Composition of different photos from 2018

Q7: What’s the most difficult part of astrophotography for you?

There are two things I think – challenging weather and night I love sleep – ant it’s really demanding from me to stay up late during night and to be active and in good mood next day.

And the second is weather – and this is something which we cannot influence unfortunately.

In Poland we don’t have a lot of clear nights, so you need to be flexible and plan well if you want to be successful in astophotography on our latitude.

The rest is managable

Q8: Have you ever traveled to a very dark place to do astrophotography? How was that like? Any picture taken in there?

I’m travelling to that kind of places quite often. Well, maybe not extremly dark but much darker than my usual area of living.

3-4 times a year we have our star parties in Polish Bieszczady mountains where we have solid Bortle 2 sky conditions. This kind of sky allow to see much more than in central Poland and also to make astrophotography more efficient by delivereing better contrast and photo range. For example – luminance for that photo of NGC891 was collected under this kind of nice sky conditions – thanks to it – I was able to reveal some really thin and nice detail of galaxy dust belt and also to reach nice contrast between object and background.

NGC891 in Andromeda. Photo made under Bortle 2 sky. Newton 250/1200, ASI 178MM-C, Baader LRGB (luminance 350 x 10s)

Q9: As to your winning image M51, would you please tell how did you capture it? Would you like to share with us some detailed camera settings?

This is something which can be interesting I think.

For this image I used short-exposure astrophotography technique (somtetimes people call it also lucky-imaging which can be a little tricky because clear lucky imaging is when we are using really short subs like for planetary imaging – 5-10ms).

Composition of planetary nebulas made in 2018 using short exposure astrophoto technique

In that technique we need low readout noise camera – ASI 178, ASI 290 or ASI 224 are perfect for this purpose – and we are registering a lot of subs (200-300 minimum, around 1000 is fair ok) using high gain settings (80-85% of scale) and short exposure time (5-10 sec, max 20 sec).

What is important – this is unguided photography – so one problem less in setup

Then we can make selection of best frames – using software or manually.

Manual attitude is of course more time consuming but much more effective at the end. After selection we are stacking them to reveal detail and achieve nice s/n ratio which will allow us to stretch photo and show big, sharp and clear detail at the end.

For Messier 51 photo I used setup and settings like below:

Newton 250/1250 on NEQ-6 + ASI 178MM-C + Baader LRGB

L – 1000 x 10s (gain at 420 – maximum for ASI 178MM is 510)

RGB – 250 x 12s per channel

NGC 7331 – spiral galaxy in Pegasus. Newton 250/1250 on NEQ-6 + ASI 178MM-C  + Baader LRGB // L – 1100 x 15s (gain 82%), unguided // RGB – 300 x 20s (gain 82%) per channel

Q10: How do you like the ZWO camera that you used to take the winning image? And do you use any other ZWO products?

I really enjoy ZWO ASI 178 MM-C (cooled) which I’m using now. It has good parameters – really fits my needs in short exposure astrophotography. Low redout noise allows to reveal a lot of details even from short subs and small pixel create nice scale (0,41”/pix) allowing me to show lot of detail in most known objects but also to make pictures of tiny galaxies or planetary nebulas.

In my setup I also have ZWO  EFW 8-position filter wheel and IR filter 850nm for planetary imaging.

In past I used  ASI120MM and ASI178MC cameras. But I decided to move to mono and cooled one finally.

Photos of different Venus phases in UV and IR. Newton 400/1800 + ASI120MM camera

Q11: What do you think is the biggest advantage of ASI cameras? And what do you care most while buying an astro camera?

I will be liar If I say that price is unecessary. It is. But in that ZWO has really good “price to quality” ratio.

Aside price – I like products from ZWO because I didn’t have any problems with it. It’s plug&play, always working and have support in majority of astro software. And in ZWO offer there  is also a nice selection of cameras with low readout noise which is the most important parameter for me which I’m considering on the first place. Then of course resolution, senstivity and full well, but readout noise is most important.

NGC 6543 – Cats Eye Nebula in Draco. Almost 20000 subs stacked! Newton 250/1250 on NEQ-6 + ASI 178MM-C  + Baader LRGB // L – 10000 x 500 ms (gain 76%), unguided // RGB –   3000 x 500 ms (gain 84%) per channel

Q12: One last question: what’s your impression of ZWO? Do you have any feedback and suggestions that want to speak to us?

To be honest the first though, when I’m talking about ZWO, is “plug & play”. This is only brand where I didn’t have any issues with connections, stability and it worked with every software I used. Astro equipment is really demanding in case of connecting, creating setups and configuration so it’s really valuable when you are just connecting camera or filter whell and it’s working.

It’s also very nice that ZWO is sharing all of technical data of their products. It’s very important for advanced users who wants to create some nice setup.

You’re doing great job delivering very innovative and fresh products for our small astro market. Please don’t stop doing that

For future – I will be very happy if there will be some mono camera in offer of ZWO, with 10MPix resolution and readout noise below 0,8 e- or less. That would be really cool equipmnet to play with short exposure astrophoto.

ARP 319 Stephane’s Quintet in Pegasus – group of tiny colliding galaxies