First Light on M31: My Andromeda Galaxy Astrophotography Debut
It's an exhilarating milestone for any aspiring astrophotographer: capturing your very first deep sky target. Last year, I dipped my toes into this incredible hobby with some basic gear, and this image marks the culmination of that initial learning curve – my first deep sky target, M31, the magnificent Andromeda Galaxy.
This particular session was intended as a test, a way to see what my setup could achieve. I'm genuinely thrilled with the outcome, especially considering the relatively short integration time and my still-developing workflow. For anyone starting out, seeing a target like M31 resolve from the data is incredibly rewarding!
Acquisition Details
- Date: 2025-06-30
- Location: Seligenstadt, Germany (Bortle 5 skies)
- Integration Time: Approximately 15 minutes (46 x 20s lights)
- Lights: 46
- Darks: 11
- Flats: 19
- Bias: 20
Gear Used
My setup is fairly entry-level, proving that you don't need the most expensive equipment to start capturing the wonders of the night sky:
- Camera: Canon EOS R6 (unmodified)
- Lens: Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 G2 (shot at 200mm, f/3.5)
- Mount: Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
- Guiding: None used for this session
Processing Workflow
I kept the processing relatively straightforward, focusing on the core steps to bring out the detail:
- Stacking & Stretching: Performed using Siril.
- Background Extraction & Denoising: Handled by GraXpert.
- Final Adjustments: GIMP was used for crucial tweaks like contrast enhancement, cropping, and color balancing.
Looking Ahead
This first attempt has certainly fueled my enthusiasm. My plan is to revisit M31 once the nights become darker and longer. I'm aiming for a significantly longer integration time, perhaps 60-90 minutes, to capture even more detail and reduce noise further. The journey into astrophotography is a continuous learning process, and I can't wait to see what comes next!
