Whirlpool Galaxy M51 with the DWARF 3: 8h 14m Across Three Sessions
The first time I pointed the DWARF 3 at M51 was August 14th last year. Eight and a half minutes, Alt-Az mode, gain 60, Astro filter. Both galaxies showed up and the…
PRACTICAL TIPS · REAL IMAGING EXAMPLES
Blog
Find settings to try, processing techniques to learn, and real sessions to guide your next night under the stars. Explore DWARF 3 advice and our expanding Draco coverage.
Settings & Calibration · Processing · Imaging Sessions · Draco
Latest posts
-
-
One Bad Dark Frame Almost Ruined My M13 Hercules Cluster
At 4:22 in the morning my phone showed me something I couldn’t explain in my M13 Hercules Cluster image. 561 frames of M13, the Hercules cluster, nearly at zenith, 9.74 GB of…
-
Maximize Sharpness with DWARF 3 Techniques
What You Will Learn In this post I cover why DWARF 3 deep-sky images can look soft when zoomed in, what the telescope’s optics and image scale actually mean for resolution, how…
-
Borrowed Light: Capturing M78 Nebula with the DWARF 3
What You Will Learn In this post I share my February 2026 DWARF 3 image of M78 nebula (aka the friendly ghost nebula), a reflection nebula in Orion. I cover what makes…
-
I Pointed an iPhone 17 Pro at the Moon Through a NexStar 8SE. Here Is What Came Back.
Most people assume that serious lunar or moon photography requires a dedicated astronomy camera, a laptop running capture software, and a workflow that takes more time to set up than the session…
-
M63 Sunflower Galaxy with the Dwarf 3: 4h 50m from Bortle 6
A 4 hour 50 minute integration of M63, the Sunflower Galaxy, from a Bortle 6 backyard using the DwarfLab Dwarf 3 in EQ mode with Astro filter and temperature-matched dark frames.
-
Helix Nebula NGC 7293 with the DWARF 3
A 1 hour 46 minute DWARF 3 session on the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) using the Duo-Band filter under Bortle 6 skies. Documents the altitude constraint of imaging a southern target from…
-
Heart Nebula IC 1805 with the DWARF 3
A 3 hour 52 minute DWARF 3 session on the Heart Nebula (IC 1805) in Cassiopeia using the Duo-Band filter under Bortle 6 skies. Documents the challenge of imaging a large emission…
-
Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula with the DWARF 3
A 2 hour 54 minute DWARF 3 session on the Horsehead Nebula (B33) and Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) using the Duo-Band filter under Bortle 6 skies. Documents the challenge of imaging a…
-
Star Trails with the Dwarf 3: First Test of Star Trail Mode (720 × 30s)
DwarfLab recently added a dedicated Star Trail Mode to the Dwarf 3 app. This is my first test of it. 720 frames at 30 seconds each, six hours total, stacked in real…