A Glimpse of the North America Nebula: A Newbie's Astrophotography Journey
It's always exciting to see new people diving into the incredible world of astrophotography, and this post is a perfect example of that enthusiasm! Our fellow stargazer recently got their hands on a new ASI2600MC Pro camera and, after battling some persistent clouds, finally had a chance to test it out this past weekend.
Instead of focusing on a single, perfect shot, the plan was to get familiar with the camera's controls and the ASIAir system by "target hopping." While guiding proved to be a bit of a puzzle (a common hurdle for many!), the results from just 3.5 minutes of total exposure time (broken down into 30-second subs) were astonishing. The difference compared to their previous DSLR setup is, as they put it, "blown away."
This initial capture of the NGC 7000, the North America Nebula, showcases the impressive capabilities of dedicated astronomy cameras. Even with what the photographer describes as imperfect guiding, the stars in this image are surprisingly round. It seems that sometimes, turning off the guiding might be the solution when things aren't behaving, especially if the guide scope setup isn't quite dialed in yet.
The acquisition details shared mention the use of an ASI2600MC Pro on a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI mount. For processing, DeepSkyStacker (DSS) was used for stacking, followed by basic editing in Siril. While DSS is a reliable workhorse, it's worth noting that Siril also offers stacking capabilities that can be explored with a little practice (and perhaps a helpful YouTube tutorial!).
This is a fantastic start for someone new to the hobby. The journey of astrophotography involves a lot of learning, experimenting, and troubleshooting. Getting the guiding sorted is often a key step towards capturing those longer, more detailed exposures that reveal even fainter celestial wonders. We're excited to see what "real" pictures this photographer will share once they've ironed out the kinks!
