Here you’ll find every astrophoto I’ve published since I started out in 2020 – in chronological order, from the most recent capture back to my very first attempts. Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, comets, planets and lunar shots line up night after night. Reading from the bottom up, you can follow how my equipment, workflow and image quality have evolved over the years. Individual objects are also sorted by type in the deep-sky catalog.
Across 5 sessions during an unusually long stretch of good weather, the new cooled system (UHC filter plus first light of the ultra-narrowband H-alpha filter) produced my deepest and highest-quality image of Messier 101 to date.
On the edge of the final adjustments to my camera, this image was created.
StellaVita and SkyEye24AC First Light/Night part 2.
The first of two objects of the night. In fact, the first attempt at a run using new equipment. StellaVita and SkyEye24AC.
First light for my Touptek SkyEye24AC and initial functionality test of the Touptek StellaVita.
The last photo before I officially kick off the new galaxy season and switch telescope (and camera).
The last color astrophotograph taken with my Canon EOS R?
A new object in my collection - the galaxy Caldwell 7.
3000 frames at the 1m telescope at Hoher List - my best planet shot yet.
I photographed the Rosette Nebula again after five years. Several attempts, incorrect framing, discarded color channels, and unfavorable lighting conditions turned the project into an adventure.
My final project of 2025. I also used an exciting combination of technologies here. A successful test for the future?
Finally, the full-frame Andromeda photo I set out to capture this year.
A next-level photo of Earth’s Moon! I tested several new techniques, and I’m really happy with the result.
Made optimal use of two nights. Quickly refreshed the collimation of the Cassegrain and completed the imaging session without any notable problems.
A single, crystal-clear evening. I felt like taking out my VC200L with the reducer and capturing another Caldwell object that was still missing from my collection.
Another comet for my collection. Once again it was a very close call - I had almost given up hope of getting a photo of it.
The “supermoon” in November 2025 — captured at the end of a rather late comet session.
The Andromeda Galaxy as an intermediate project. I still had 5 hours of luminance data from September, which I combined with the RGB data from 2021. Thanks to my current workflow, it looks really good.
Magical evening in Lahnstein: witnessing the total lunar eclipse with students, visitors & cameras – the Moon appeared right on time!
With the IRIX 15 mm f/2.4 and Canon EOS R: Milky Way over Fearnach Bay (Scotland, Bortle 2). Single shots without tracking.
41 hours of exposure over 14 nights – my most demanding astrophotography project yet: Sh2-119 in Cygnus.
Captured Caldwell 47 (NGC 6934) in Delphinus - 50,000 light-years away. My final globular cluster of the season.
Snapped M15-globular in Pegasus, ~33 600 ly out-on a single clear early-summer night with my VC200L & Canon EOS R(a). So worth it!
Just captured M13, the Hercules Globular Cluster - 25,000 light-years away in Hercules. A dense ball of 300,000+ stars!
Snapped the Sun at Aloha Beach, Zeeland, 400mm zoom—our star, 150M km away, shining in Gemini before sunset.
Stunning globular cluster Messier 92 in Hercules (~27 000 ly away), captured with faint background galaxies—June session highlight!
One of the oldest globular clusters in the Milky Way, ~25,000 ly away in Serpens. A true cosmic fossil!
Captured M71 in Sagitta—about 13,000 ly away—a loose, orange‑rich globular cluster that truly pops in color during our 2–4 AM session!
34,000 light-years away in Canes Venatici. Captured this globular cluster after midnight on May 16, 2025, during my May Messier tour.
Caught Messier 56 (~33,000 ly away in Lyra) on night 1 of my globular cluster run. Short exposure, decent guiding—solid result!
Captured M53 in Coma Berenices—58,000 light-years away. A dense globular cluster, imaged from home.
Check out my latest image of the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101), captured from home under a beautifully clear sky.
At the height of this year’s galaxy season, I finally captured my first image of the stunning Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51).
Messier 81 and surroundings in widefield! Luminance captured at Hohen List, RGB taken earlier in Koblenz. 6h20m total exposure – a great showcase of what this scope-camera combo can do.
Two perfect nights in March 2025 — one under the pristine skies of Hoher List Observatory, the other at home under my suburban sky. Luminance captured on-site, RGB from home. Couldn’t be happier with the result!
As so often, this photo of the Moon was also taken at the edge of a deep-sky session-this time, for a change, with a rather thin crescent.
In March, I added luminance data to my OSC Messier 97 image from 2023. I think the result is quite impressive.
In March, during a short astro session, I captured the bright open star cluster NGC 2281 in the constellation Auriga.
Messier 64 in March 2025 – captured with a focal length of 1800mm using the Vixen VC200L.
Jupiter time! It was the perfect opportunity to attach my planetary camera to the telescope in Tower 1 at Hoher List.
Galaxy Messier 106, the first single galaxy picture this galaxy-season. More data is waiting for integration.
Planet time! It was the perfect opportunity to attach my planetary camera to the telescope in Tower 1 at Hoher List.
Many open star clusters are great to capture with the 1800mm focal length and a full-frame camera. This was also the case with Messier 67.
After a long time, my Vixen VC200L and Canon EOS R(a) finally had the chance to be used under a starry sky again. A fantastic duo—perfect for galaxy season.
A spontaneous Moon photo with 1800mm focal length after collimating my VC200L and making use of several clear nights.
My first astrophotography project with my mono setup. A journey with ups and downs. In the end, a total of 22 hours of exposure time on truly rare and challenging objects: LBN 728 and LBN 729.
The first light of my first mono setup is finally done! I've been waiting for this moment for a long time... and the imaging session had a few surprises in store.
On a long full moon evening, marked by the significance of tilt adjustment, I had the opportunity to photograph our celestial companion in all its glory.
Messier 33, also known as the Triangulum Galaxy, is the third-largest galaxy in the Local Group, following the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way.
The Comet is a long-period comet from the Oort cloud that was discovered in early 2023 and made its closest approach to the Sun on September 27.
NGC 6940 - A beautiful open star cluster in the summer constellation Vulpecula, located about 2,500 light-years away.
The first result of my "Moon Cartography Project" – further versions of my moon map may follow.
Four open star clusters in Cassiopeia: among others, Caldwell 10 and Messier 103. A truly beautiful frame with simply stunning stars.
Sh2-236 material that I originally created for a "with OWB" vs "without OWB" filter test. Somehow, it feels like a shame not to develop an image from it.
A 22-hour project that fit almost perfectly on the full-frame sensor. The Cygnus Loop in Cygnus is a great late summer object.
A few open star clusters—M39, NGC 7082, NGC 7062—and an asterism, NGC 7071, in the constellation Cygnus. My result after just one night.
In August, there was quite a bit of activity on the Sun. I also tried my luck once.
I photographed the Elephant's Trunk Nebula again, achieving an enhanced image with better equipment and longer exposure time across four sessions.
A collage with 8 meteors from the Perseid meteor shower on August 12, 2024.
If he smiles at me so warmly at bedtime, I just have to take a picture of him. - Our Moon.
Processing Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was harder than expected. I still like the result.
My astrophoto of the rather rarely photographed globular cluster in the constellation Hercules: Messier 92. Now new: with session analysis!
After a long time without any chance to make use of the galaxy season I was able to capture my 1st set of photons coming right out of the Needle Galaxy.
My first astrophoto of the Sun with my Baader Travel Companion 580mm. Taken at 540nm wavelength.
My first aurora borealis ever. I am very happy that i had the chance to capture these photos.
Galaxy season has begun. This year, I'm kicking it off with the Surfboard Galaxy and the Baader Travel Companion.
Fresh photons for a classic! Messier 44 photographed this year with my Baader Travel Companion 95/580 Apo.
A latecomer of the last starry nights in January. The beautiful open star cluster Messier 37. The full frame at 1800mm focal length looks very nice to me here.
The first photo with a full-frame sensor on my VIXEN VC200L. The Double Cluster Caldwell 14.
In the year 1054, visible even during the day as a supernova, the remnant known as the Crab Nebula is now expanding visibly.
On the second consecutive clear night, the star cluster M34 was my companion until my main object of the week rose high enough above the horizon.
After months without clear skies, finally some fresh starry material. My first image with the #Vixen #VISAC #VC200L in a long time.
Astrophoto with legacy lens. One year after collecting the data the processing finally worked. This material was one of the hardest to process, yet.
My first try of the nearest Star Cluster to earth, the Hyades, with my legacy lens Olympus OM MC 135mm.
I found some unused material from M45 while reorganizing my data. The data is from 2021, the telescope has long since been sold, and I first reprocessed it in 2023, then revised it again in 2025 using a new workflow.
The Moon in mineral colors. The result of a short lucky imaging session.
The Open Cluster Caldwell 16, NGC 7243 in the constellation Lacerta. The result of a short evening.
Mare Crisium - Photo taken at 4500mm with VC200L using Televue Powermate 2,5x.
While waiting for Jupiter and the Moon there was still Saturn. This was the last Saturn for this year.
Too much Moon leads me to planetory imaging ... here my Jupiter. One month before opposition.
The Wizard Nebula or Harry Potter Nebula. 8h35' exposure time with my Baader Travel Companion.
Open star clusters are always welcome targets when it is clear that the weather will not hold in the coming days, and only a limited amount of exposure time will be available.
My 1st version of the beautiful Iris Nebula Caldwell4 with my Baader Travel Companion 95/580.
The Fireworks Galaxy and the Open Cluster NGC6939. The result of 4 awesome evenings of integration time.
Taken after clouds came in while testing some focus configuration with an OAG.
Reflection nebula embedded in HII. The newly processed data from my first astrophoto taken with my Baader 95/580 CaF2 Travel Companion APO in 2023.
Reprocessed 2024: My 2023 and 1st try ever of the 7000 LJ away nebula in the constellation serpens. And my only real Astrophoto with my Takahashi FS-60CB.
15 out of 35 pictures of the moon stacked with Autostakkert. It was a short session with a nice result.
My reprocessed version of the Dumbbell Nebula - Messier 27, data from 09/2022, using my revamped PixInsight Process.
A single shot of the Moon. It was the 1st light with my Takahashi FS-60CB at the end of march 2023.
My finished astrophoto of the 2.025 LJ away Owl Nebula M97 in the constellation Ursa Major. Collected some more light and new workflow (2024).
The Sun - 3 days after summer solstice close to the meridian.
Clearly rounder and less inflated stars. The development of the new material from last summer has paid off.
Reprocessed 2024: Now ... this reprocessing was really worth it. This one brought more galaxies to light than the one before.
My 2023 photo of the 21.000.000 LJ away Pinwheel Galaxy. Significantly sharper structures and rounder stars. These are the improvements of the new workflow.
Messier 97 - the first half, about 2 hours, of collected light with my VISAC at 1800mm.
Messier 3 - One of the bright globular clusters in spring. Here a one-hour-integration with my VISAC astrograph.
Messier 53 - As I found out, a very tough object to make the first steps using an OAG at 1800m. After all a very successful evening with an Astrophoto as a result.
hmmm … I am not a specialist in planetary photography. But still, here is my 1st Venus.
I wanted to do some mirror tests and I always wanted to create a small star collection.
My single shot, overexposed, picture of the Venus-Jupiter-Conjunction.
My very first astrophoto with my mobile Astrophoto-Camp.
In my new workflow, even the trapezium comes to light. I've added more color to my 2024 version of the picture.
One of my results of comet ZTF C/2022 E3 in february 2022. I like the bright greenish color of this version.
I used a short clear time frame in the morging hours to capture comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF).
I knew that the sun had a lot of sunspots these days. Luckily I had the time when the weather allowed a quick lucky imaging session on January the 17th 2023.
A reprocessed astrophoto with Mars and Pleiades using an Olympus legacy lens.
A single hole after weeks of clouds. Used the moment for a single shot with legacy lens Olympus Zuiko Auto-T MC 200mm.
In my eyes i reached the minimum goal this year, in the subject of making planetary photos. Neither more nor less.
My first Jupiter (sorry for copy/paste error) with a dedicated planetary camera. In my eyes a huge step forward.
My first Saturn with a dedicated planetary camera. A huge progress compared with my DSLM results.
My Solar Eclipse 2022 picture from Germany, Koblenz. One shot between the clouds! I had a time lapse video in my mind 🙂
Jupiter and the 4 Galilean Moons. Shot at Full Moon evening with APS-C and 4500mm focal length.
Some Lucky Imaging of the surface of the Moon at 99,9%, a few minutes before Full Moon with Barlow and APS-C.
I had a sky full of faint clouds. I had enough time to get a photo between them.
After endless struggling with my QHY, I decided to shoot Jupiter with my EOS.
In the course of reprocessing, the Dumbbell Nebula M27 is in focus today. This planetary nebula was my first serious deep-sky object with the VIXEN Cassegrain.
While reprocessing all my "old" material, this is the first picture I took with my Vixen VC200L. The difference is hard to believe.
A short evening with a result, but it could use at least double the exposure time.
One day, Sun full disc and details - Full Moon and details.
A single software plugin changed the astrophotography game. I had to reprocess the Eastern Veil Nebula another time. This is the version using BlurXTerminator in my process.
The new workflow shows his power also on duo-narrowband material. The picture combines HA/OIII nebula with RGB stars.
A simple picture of our Moon while waiting for the night, to collect some photons of a nebula.
A beautiful open star cluster. I reprocessed also this material.
Comet C/2017 K2 Panstarrs, 29th June 2022. This version was reprocessed in january 2024.
My Vixen ED80sf 2022 M13 data meets my 2024 processing workflow in PixInsight. Take a look at the side by side comparison.
Even this very special astrophoto looks better with the new workflow in 2024.
The 2024 workflow on the nicely framed Bodes-, Cigar- and Garland-Galaxy picture from 2022. The details are much clearer, especially on the Cigar Galaxy.
Rarely has the new workflow made such a difference. The small companion of the Milky Way, the dwarf galaxy Leo I. Barely visible next to the star Regulus, also known by the beautiful designation BD +12° 2149, according to the Bonner Durchmusterung.
A group of 5 galaxies. The frames were shot with an EOS M100(a) at a 600mm refractor telescope in march 2022. Reprocessed 01/2024.
Legacy Lens from the 1970th meets my new workflow in 2024. The reprocessed version of the Orion region.
On sunday the 27th (and the days around it) of March 2022 there was a very huge sunspot.
My 2024 reprocessed astrophoto of the open clusters Messier 35 and NGC 2158. I collected the data in early 2022.
I just re-processed my November-Data. My first Galaxy-Photo with DSLR OSC with H-Alpha Layer.
Here is my 1st making of article of a time lapse video i made of Comet Leonard.
Doing astrophotography, i make photos of millions of stars, but the most important one is always missing. This was the reason to purchase a herschelprism. After 1,5 months of clouds i finally wanted to test it for the first time.
My 2023 reprocessed version of the Horsehead Nebula data from december 2021 with duo-narrowband filter.
Comet Leonard C/2021 A1 was my first comet. Here is the 2023 reprocessed version with data from 2021.
My 2023 reprocessed version of my 2021 Andromeda Galaxy data. A comparion of both versions is worth a look.
Messier 39 - Reprocessed version (december 2023) based on data from october 2021.
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula in my 2024 reprocessed version with photons collected in september 2021.
The Moon in mineral colors. I saw this fascinating method of blue and brown colors in several astrophoto groups around the internet. I had to test this myself.
Clouds. Week after week! At the beginning of August i had to try Jupiter and Saturn at the same day. Even with bad seeing conditions.
The available data are not the best. Nevertheless, the step to use a flattener was very important for me.
A photo that is not worth this awesome cluster. A picture out ouf test shots while configuring flattener distance. But i achieved a different milestone.
At CS number 16 started something completely new. I shot with a piggyback camera. This evening was a horrortrip, at least i came out with something to show.
My 2023 reprocessed version. The Beehive Cluster or Praesepe. Marry Christmas to all who celebrate it.
The Pinwheel Galaxy - One of the famous Galaxies for Spring evenings. I had to ignore moon to practise more in astrophotography.
Bode's and Cigar Galaxy, two well known Galaxies on the spring sky. I really like the result for only 30 minutes total exposure.
Dear Monkey Head Nebula: I won! I tried it countless times. I was never successful to get a picture out of this material. Now, almost 3 years later I got a workflow (and the software) to handle this!
2023 reprocessed picture of Caldwell 49, the Rosette Nebula, based on the data from 2021.
Pleiades, again. This time with a lot more exposure time.
Some of my early collected light from 2021. Only 1h collected light is just not enough. Reprocessed in 2023. I like the stars much more, the rest is a question of masking and curves.
On the third evening i focused on the Andromeda Galaxy and I used PixInsight the 1st time in postprocessing. Part 2/2
On the third evening i focused on the Andromeda Galaxy and I used PixInsight the 1st time in postprocessing. Part 1/2
7 Days after my first evening with my Vixen ed80sf, on February the 20th 2021, i had another clear sky. Again, i had to test and try a lot. Part 1/3
7 Days after my first evening with my Vixen ed80sf, on February the 20th 2021, i had another clear sky. Again, i had to test and try a lot. Part 3/3
7 Days after my first evening with my Vixen ed80sf, on February the 20th 2021, i had another clear sky. Again, i had to test and try a lot. Part 2/3
The second deep-sky object I had the chance to marvel at was the Pleiades. Is there any better way to start this hobby than with the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades?
An evening in mid-February 2021. The first evening under a star-clear sky with my first APO. The first time out hunting, driven by curiosity for my first deep-sky object. The very first photo with a visible object was the Orion Nebula. It felt like a miracle.
Even before attempting deep-sky photography, I tried my hand at Mars. It’s hard to believe how decent this first result turned out to be.