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…
Deep Sky Sessions
Session reports from actual DWARF 3 imaging runs on deep sky targets including galaxies, emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, and star clusters. Each post documents the target, capture settings, sky conditions, processing workflow, and what the data revealed.
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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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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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Capturing M42 Orion Nebula with DWARF 3: Cold Weather and Long Integration Tips
Capturing the Orion Nebula (M42) with the DWARF 3 requires a balance between preserving the bright Trapezium core and revealing the faint outer gas clouds. In cold weather (approx. 20°F), the DWARF…