Astrophotography News | Prism Hobbies

Chuck's Astrophotography reveals comet 10P/Tempel's centuries-old dust trail

Chuck Ayoub’s new 10P/Tempel image pulled out a centuries-old orbital dust trail, using a Celestron RASA and ZWO ASI533MC to reveal material shed over hundreds of years.

Jamie Taylor•2 min read•04:35 AM

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Analysis

Guide scope surprises with clean wide-field deep-sky test

A rough backyard test turned a 52 mm guidescope into a real wide-field imager. It still delivered 41 clean 30-second subs and no purple fringing.

Sam Ortega5m read

Community

Cloudy Nights Goofi challenge opens on Sharpless 2-115 target

Cloudy Nights sent July’s Goofi imaging challenge to Sharpless 2-115, with one-image submissions, no general chat in-thread, and a random-draw winner.

Nina Kowalski2m read

News

Chuck's Astrophotography earns third NASA APOD selection this year

Chuck Ayoub’s third APOD selection of the year puts consistency on display, backed by a YouTube archive of about 1,400 videos and a public APOD credit dating to 2018.

Jamie Taylor2m read

News

Don Pettit captures Milky Way over Earth lights from the ISS

Don Pettit turned a Nikon Z9 and a homemade sidereal tracker into Milky Way frames from orbit, even with Earth’s city lights burning below.

Sam Ortega2m read

Analysis

Astrophotographer captures first Bortle 2 images after years of effort

The first five-minute frame under Class 2 skies made AGrayson’s years of gear-building feel worth it, with 31 exposures on M8 and M20 in one night.

Jamie Taylor1m read

News

Aleix Roig captures zodiacal light and the Southern Milky Way in Namibia

Aleix Roig packed zodiacal light, green airglow and the Southern Milky Way into one Namibian panorama, with Venus and Regulus anchoring the glow.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Releases

Tamron’s rumored compact f/2.8 ultra-wide zoom targets Sony astrophotographers

A leaked 12-20mm f/2.8 from Tamron could put a 12mm nightscape zoom in Sony hands at roughly half the price of Sony’s 12-24mm F2.8 GM.

Sam Ortega2m read

Analysis

One month to go: astrophotographers plan for the 2026 total solar eclipse

Astrophotographers are locking in totality sites, filtered exposure runs, and backup plans now, with Spain’s sunset eclipse window leaving little margin for clouds.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Analysis

APOD spotlights rare red sprites above the Tatacoa Desert

APOD framed a Tatacoa Desert frame around red sprites, a lightning form that flashes for milliseconds and rewards storm timing over expensive gear.

Sam Ortega2m read

Analysis

July deep-sky targets include NGC 6535 and VDB 123 in Serpens

Two Serpens targets do very different jobs in July: NGC 6535 is a clean globular for small scopes, while VDB 123 and V371 demand patience around EC 53.

Nina Kowalski4m read

Analysis

Nighttime camera catches bright meteor beside the Milky Way

A camera left running overnight caught a bright meteor beside the Milky Way, and EricTheCat estimated it near magnitude -3 after comparing it with Venus.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Analysis

Beginners discuss Saturn drift capture as thin rings return in 2026

A 10-inch Dob, no tracking, and only 1,500 frames still opened a useful Saturn workflow for beginners chasing the planet’s thinning rings.

Sam Ortega4m read

Updates

Extremely Large Telescope nears completion in striking Space.com image

The ELT’s 3,500-tonne structure rotated on its vertical axis for the first time, signaling that the 39-metre giant is edging toward first light.

Sam Ortega2m read

Analysis

Astrophotographer asks how to blend narrowband and broadband nebula data

Narrowband and broadband data can make a busy nebula field breathe, but only if you keep emission signal, dust, and star color from trampling each other.

Sam Ortega5m read

Analysis

Astrophotographers debate focal length, speed and mount load for deep-sky imaging

The best upgrade is not always the faster scope. In deep-sky imaging, target size, image scale, and mount steadiness decide whether 500 mm or 900 mm makes sense.

Sam Ortega4m read

Analysis

APOD spotlights Messier 24 as a wide-field Milky Way target

M24 shines when you frame the whole Sagittarius star cloud, not a single object. Its dark lanes, dust, and thousands of stars reward wide-field restraint.

Nina Kowalski4m read

Analysis

APOD spotlights NGC 474’s shells, revealing hidden galaxy mergers

NGC 474 turns galaxy imaging into archaeology, where deep exposures reveal shells, tidal debris, and merger scars hidden in a smooth elliptical.

Jamie Taylor5m read

Community

Can a tablet-run astrophotography rig work from Bortle 9 skies?

A tablet can run the mount, but Bortle 9 imaging still exposes the hard parts: guiding, capture software, and processing. The compromise works best when you know exactly where it stops.

Nina Kowalski5m read

Updates

ZWO ASIAIR V3.0 beta adds remote telescope control and safer imaging

ASIAIR V3.0 beta lets imagers monitor a rig remotely and adds safeguards against cable-wrap mistakes, while ZWO fixes guiding and drive-detection bugs.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Community

Astrophotographers weigh sharp, portable 135 mm lenses for travel rigs

Travel astrophotographers keep circling the Samyang/Rokinon 135 mm f/2 because it stays sharp, fast, and light enough for small trackers.

Nina Kowalski6m read

Community

AstroBin debate: one large observatory or several smaller ones

A single roll-off roof can be cheaper per rig, but smaller observatories buy you isolation, easier growth, and less ruin if one roof fails.

Jamie Taylor5m read

Analysis

Cygnus’ M29 offers an easy summer target for astrophotographers

M29 is a sparse Cygnus cluster that rewards disciplined framing and color work. It’s a clean summer test for short integrations in a crowded Milky Way field.

Nina Kowalski4m read

Analysis

Dawn alignment pairs crescent Moon, Mars, Aldebaran, and star clusters

A slim crescent Moon, Mars, Aldebaran and the Pleiades make a fast-moving pre-dawn frame, best caught with a clear east horizon and careful exposure balance.

Nina Kowalski4m read

Analysis

Astrophotographers weigh hosted dark skies against hands-on control at home

Remote observatories promise Bortle 1 skies and more clear nights, but the real tradeoff is whether you want data access or hands-on control.

Jamie Taylor4m read

Analysis

Moon and Venus lead a week of easy astrophotography targets

A crescent Moon, Venus, and Regulus give you the week’s easiest twilight frame, with Saturn’s moons and Mars in Taurus waiting for the pre-dawn crowd.

Nina Kowalski4m read

Analysis

Amateur imager stacks advanced tools to capture Crescent Nebula under moonlight

A 4.5-hour Crescent Nebula test under an 83% Moon shows how narrowband capture and layered processing turn a first pass into a technical critique.

Jamie Taylor4m read

Analysis

APOD spotlights the Cosmic Bat Nebula’s red hydrogen glow

The Cosmic Bat Nebula is a narrowband showcase: its red hydrogen glow, 12-light-year span, and hidden star formation reward careful H-alpha capture and restrained processing.

Jamie Taylor3m read

Community

AstroBin asks astrophotographers to share their most game-changing tip

Davide Fontana’s AstroBin thread drew 17 replies and 420 views fast, and it will feed the site’s bimonthly newsletter.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Analysis

APOD spotlights Mare Orientale in rare favorable lunar libration view

A favorable libration window on July 7 let APOD pull Mare Orientale into sharp view, exposing a basin that usually hides near the Moon’s limb.

Jamie Taylor2m read