An astrophotography update

 To help you navigate our blog more easily - this link - https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com/2025/06/how-to-navigate-our-blog.html will take you to a summary page detailing all our blog posts. Clicking on a link will open that post in a new browser window. To return to the home current page just close the browser page and return to the post you were reading beforehand. 

If you have been a regular reader of our blog, you will know that I have taken up astrophotography. It is a steep learning curve to say the least. I have been lugging around a large 6" diameter telescope, its heavy tripod and its WIFI GOTO mounting system, along with a big power bank and assorted eyepieces, barlow lenses etc. 

My first ever image of the Orion nebula taken last year 

It all lived in a big crate and a huge shopping bag in the shower in Bryony! And, as you might expect, whilst brilliant to take on our trips, it was a pain to be constantly moving it about. 

Well I have finally bought a good astrophotography travel rig comprising

• zenithstar 61ii with field flattener - for both visual and imaging work
• samyang 135mm F/2 lens
• skywatcher star adventurer 2i wifi pro star tracker 

It will all team up with my canon 800d dslr and my Benro mach 3 carbon fibre tripod. 

This packs down into one bag only and it is a far lighter package. I can put it all in a rucksack as well for portability. This is the new rig that will be accompanying us on our travels from now on. 

We get to go to some fabulous dark sky areas 

Astrophotography is new to me. It is a huge steep learning curve. I am getting to grips with the tracker and the image taking. The actual post processing is a dark art which I continue to grapple with and I feel I am making little progress in that area. 

So here are my very first images using the new rig, not really yet understanding how to set it up properly. The skies above my garden last week: