NGC 925: First Light with the ASI533MC Pro

It's always a thrill to get a new piece of equipment and put it to the test! This image of NGC 925 marks the very first light for my ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera, and despite less-than-ideal conditions, I'm quite pleased with the results.

The Target: NGC 925

NGC 925 is a beautiful barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Triangulum. It's a popular target for astrophotographers, and as one commenter noted, it's a challenging one to capture well. Its structure, with prominent spiral arms and hints of star-forming regions, makes it a rewarding subject.

Technical Details

Here's a breakdown of the gear and settings used for this capture:

• Object: NGC 925 (Barred Spiral Galaxy in Triangulum)
• Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro (First Light)
• Telescope: Celestron NexStar 8SE (with focal reducer)
• Mount: Wedge-mounted alt-az setup
• Location: Bortle 4 skies

Acquisition:

• Approximately 200 light frames at 60 seconds each, totaling about 3.3 hours of integration time.
• Calibration frames (darks, flats, and bias) were applied.
• No filters were used.
• Conditions were less than ideal due to a 92% moon.

Processing:

• Stacked and calibrated using Siril.
• Post-processing was carried out in Photoshop.

First Impressions

Even with the significant light pollution from the moon, the ASI533MC Pro sensor managed to pull out some really nice detail in the galaxy's spiral arms. You can even see subtle hints of its star-forming regions. This is a promising start for this new camera, and I'm eager to revisit NGC 925 under darker skies and with more integration time to capture even more of its stunning detail.

It's always a learning process with new equipment, and I'm excited to see what more the ASI533MC Pro can do!