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…
PRACTICAL TIPS · REAL IMAGING EXAMPLES
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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
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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…
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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…
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M101 Pinwheel Galaxy: 6 Hours on a Face-On Spiral with the DWARF 3
A single-session DWARF 3 imaging project on M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major. 6 hours and 18 minutes of total integration at 60-second sub-exposures, gain 50, Astro filter, Bortle 6. Documents…
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Astrophotography Insights: 15 Hours on M106 and Its Companions
A three-session DWARF 3 imaging project on M106, a Seyfert galaxy in Canes Venatici. 15 hours and 31 minutes of total integration, four companion galaxies in the field including NGC 4226 at…
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Processing the Pleiades on the DWARF 3: Why I Add a Snapseed Step After Stellar Studio
A 30-minute M45 Pleiades capture on the DWARF 3 reveals why running denoise, star correction, and Auto in Stellar Studio then finishing in Snapseed with Adjust, Dehaze, Curves, and White Balance produces…
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M81, 15 Hours, and a Hidden Galaxy: What Longer Exposures Taught Me on the DWARF 3
A 15-hour DWARF 3 imaging project on M81 and M82 comparing short versus 60-second sub-exposures under Bortle 6 skies, with background galaxy UGC 5210 detected at magnitude 14.88.
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Rosette Nebula (C49) from Monaco — DWARF 3 EQ Duo-Band (60s, Gain 90)
The Rosette Nebula from Monaco with the DWARF 3 in EQ mode using the Duo-Band filter. 210 captured frames became 141 stacked frames for 2h 21m of integration from one of the…
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White-Light Solar Imaging with the DWARF 3: Observing and Measuring a Large Sunspot Group
A documented DWARF 3 solar imaging session from December 3rd, 2025. Covers what white-light solar imaging can and cannot show, how sunspot size was measured using DraftSight, and what the observation can…
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DWARF 3 Guided EQ Mode: How to Capture 60-Second Exposures (M42 Orion Nebula)
To capture 60-second exposures with the DWARF 3, you must use Guided EQ Mode. By aligning the telescope with the Earth’s celestial pole, you eliminate field rotation and quadruple your light collection…