Photo Timeline

Earth’s Moon, Dec’25

Moon V17.1.1
A next-level photo of Earth’s Moon! I tested several new techniques, and I’m really happy with the result.

Sharpless 188, Nov’25

Sh2 188 V1.1.1 HR
Made optimal use of two nights. Quickly refreshed the collimation of the Cassegrain and completed the imaging session without any notable problems.

Caldwell 28, Nov’25

C28 V1.1.2 HR
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.

C/2025 A6 Lemmon, Nov’25

Lemmon v2.1.2
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.

Supermoon, Nov’25

Moon v16.2.1
The “supermoon” in November 2025 — captured at the end of a rather late comet session.

Andromeda Galaxy, Sep’25

P m31 v3.1.2 hr
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.

Lunar Eclipse, Sep’25

Lunar Eclipse 2025
Magical evening in Lahnstein: witnessing the total lunar eclipse with students, visitors & cameras – the Moon appeared right on time!
Milkyway_FearnachBay
With the IRIX 15 mm f/2.4 and Canon EOS R: Milky Way over Fearnach Bay (Scotland, Bortle 2). Single shots without tracking.

Sharpless 119, Aug’25

Sharpless 119 - 08-25
41 hours of exposure over 14 nights – my most demanding astrophotography project yet: Sh2-119 in Cygnus.

Caldwell 47, Jun’25

Caldwell 47 - 06-2025
Captured Caldwell 47 (NGC 6934) in Delphinus - 50,000 light-years away. My final globular cluster of the season.

Messier 15, Jun’25

Messier 15 - 06-2025
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!
Messier 13 - 05-2025
Just captured M13, the Hercules Globular Cluster - 25,000 light-years away in Hercules. A dense ball of 300,000+ stars!
2025 07 02 sunset aloha beach
Snapped the Sun at Aloha Beach, Zeeland, 400mm zoom—our star, 150M km away, shining in Gemini before sunset.

Messier 92, May’25

Messier 92 - 05-2025
Stunning globular cluster Messier 92 in Hercules (~27 000 ly away), captured with faint background galaxies—June session highlight!

Messier 5, May’25

Messier 5 - 05-2025
One of the oldest globular clusters in the Milky Way, ~25,000 ly away in Serpens. A true cosmic fossil!

Messier 71, May’25

Messier 71 - 05-2025
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!

Messier 3, May’25

Messier 3 - 05-2025
34,000 light-years away in Canes Venatici. Captured this globular cluster after midnight on May 16, 2025, during my May Messier tour.

Messier 56, May’25

Messier 56 - 05-2025
Caught Messier 56 (~33,000 ly away in Lyra) on night 1 of my globular cluster run. Short exposure, decent guiding—solid result!

Messier 53, Apr’25

Messier 53 - 04-2025
Captured M53 in Coma Berenices—58,000 light-years away. A dense globular cluster, imaged from home.
M101
Check out my latest image of the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101), captured from home under a beautifully clear sky.
M51
At the height of this year’s galaxy season, I finally captured my first image of the stunning Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51).
M81 Widefield
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.
Markarian's Chain, Virgo Cluster
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!

Moon, Mar 4 ’25

Moon v15.1.1
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.

Messier 97, Mar’25

Owl Nebula - Messier 97
In March, I added luminance data to my OSC Messier 97 image from 2023. I think the result is quite impressive.

NGC 2281, Mar’25

NGC 2281 - Melotte 51
In March, during a short astro session, I captured the bright open star cluster NGC 2281 in the constellation Auriga.

Messier 64, Mrz’25

Messier 64
Messier 64 in March 2025 – captured with a focal length of 1800mm using the Vixen VC200L.

Jupiter, Mar 19 ’25

Jupiter v7.2.1
Jupiter time! It was the perfect opportunity to attach my planetary camera to the telescope in Tower 1 at Hoher List.

Messier 106, Mar’25

M106
Galaxy Messier 106, the first single galaxy picture this galaxy-season. More data is waiting for integration.

Mars, Mar 19 ’25

Mars v3.2.1
Planet time! It was the perfect opportunity to attach my planetary camera to the telescope in Tower 1 at Hoher List.

Messier 67, Mar’25

Messier 67
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.

Leo Triplet, Mar’25

Leo Triplet 2025
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.

The Moon, Mar 05 ’25

Mond v13.1.1
A spontaneous Moon photo with 1800mm focal length after collimating my VC200L and making use of several clear nights.

LBN 728 and LBN 729, Feb’25

LBN 728 and LBN 729
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 new Image Train.
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.

The Moon, Jan 13 ’25

The Moon on 01/13/2025
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, Oct’24

M33 v2.2.2 hr
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.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - C/2023 A3
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, Sep’24

NGC 6940 - Melotte 232
NGC 6940 - A beautiful open star cluster in the summer constellation Vulpecula, located about 2,500 light-years away.

Map of the Moon, Sep’24

Full Moon "Map"
The first result of my "Moon Cartography Project" – further versions of my moon map may follow.
M103 v2.3.1 hr
Four open star clusters in Cassiopeia: among others, Caldwell 10 and Messier 103. A truly beautiful frame with simply stunning stars.

Sharpless 236, Jan’24

Sh2-236 - Sharpless 236
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.

Cygnus Loop, Aug’24

Cygnus Loop
A 22-hour project that fit almost perfectly on the full-frame sensor. The Cygnus Loop in Cygnus is a great late summer object.

Stars in Cygnus, Aug’24

Open Starclusters in Cygnus - Messier 39, NGC 7082, NGC 7062 and the asterism NGC 7071
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.
The Sun - 08/10/2024
In August, there was quite a bit of activity on the Sun. I also tried my luck once.
Elephant's Trunk Nebula - Sh2-131
I photographed the Elephant's Trunk Nebula again, achieving an enhanced image with better equipment and longer exposure time across four sessions.
Perseids Collage - 08/12/2024
A collage with 8 meteors from the Perseid meteor shower on August 12, 2024.

The Moon, Jun 29 ’24

Moon 06/29/2024 03:12
If he smiles at me so warmly at bedtime, I just have to take a picture of him. - Our Moon.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
Processing Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was harder than expected. I still like the result.

Messier 92, Jun’24

M92 - Messier 92 - Melotte 168 - NGC 6341
My astrophoto of the rather rarely photographed globular cluster in the constellation Hercules: Messier 92. Now new: with session analysis!
The Needle Galaxy - C38 - Caldwell 38 - UGC 7772 - NGC 4565
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.
Sun in Solar Continuum 540nm
My first astrophoto of the Sun with my Baader Travel Companion 580mm. Taken at 540nm wavelength.
Aurora Borealis - 05/10/2024 - Germany
My first aurora borealis ever. I am very happy that i had the chance to capture these photos.
Surfboard Galaxy - M108 - Messier 108 - NGC 3556 - UGC 6225, Owl Nebula - M97 - Messier 97 - NGC 3587
Galaxy season has begun. This year, I'm kicking it off with the Surfboard Galaxy and the Baader Travel Companion.
Beehive Cluster - Messier 44 - Melotte 88 - NGC 2632
Fresh photons for a classic! Messier 44 photographed this year with my Baader Travel Companion 95/580 Apo.

Messier 37, Jan’24

Open Starcluster M37 - Messier 37 - Melotte 38 - NGC 2099
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.

Caldwell 14, Jan’24

C14 v1.1.2 hr
The first photo with a full-frame sensor on my VIXEN VC200L. The Double Cluster Caldwell 14.
P m1 crabnebula v1.2.2 en
In the year 1054, visible even during the day as a supernova, the remnant known as the Crab Nebula is now expanding visibly.

Messier 34, Jan’24

M34 V1.1.2 HR
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.

Messier 103, Jan’24

M103 v1.1.1p
After months without clear skies, finally some fresh starry material. My first image with the #Vixen #VISAC #VC200L in a long time.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), Mars, Melotte 26 - NGC 1647
Astrophoto with legacy lens. One year after collecting the data the processing finally worked. This material was one of the hardest to process, yet.
C41 Hyades V1.1.2 HR
My first try of the nearest Star Cluster to earth, the Hyades, with my legacy lens Olympus OM MC 135mm.
M45 Pleiades V2.3.2 HR
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, Feb 10 ’23

The Moon in mineral colors
The Moon in mineral colors. The result of a short lucky imaging session.

Caldwell 16, Oct’23

Caldwell16 v1.1.3_en
The Open Cluster Caldwell 16, NGC 7243 in the constellation Lacerta. The result of a short evening.
The Mood - Mare Crisium - 09/30/2023
Mare Crisium - Photo taken at 4500mm with VC200L using Televue Powermate 2,5x.
Saturn 10/01/2023
While waiting for Jupiter and the Moon there was still Saturn. This was the last Saturn for this year.
Jupiter 09/30/2023
Too much Moon leads me to planetory imaging ... here my Jupiter. One month before opposition.
Sh2 142 wizardnebula v1.3.2 hr
The Wizard Nebula or Harry Potter Nebula. 8h35' exposure time with my Baader Travel Companion.
M29 - Messier 29 - NGC 6913
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.
C4_IrisNebula_V1.3.1
My 1st version of the beautiful Iris Nebula Caldwell4 with my Baader Travel Companion 95/580.
Fireworks Galaxy, Caldwell 12, NGC 6946 and Open Cluster NGC 6939
The Fireworks Galaxy and the Open Cluster NGC6939. The result of 4 awesome evenings of integration time.
Cloudy Moon 09/03/2023
Taken after clouds came in while testing some focus configuration with an OAG.
NGC 6914, VdB 131, VdB 132
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.
Eagle Nebula - M16 - Messier 16 - NGC 6611 - Sh2-49 - Sharpless 49 - Melotte 198
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.
Moon on 03/01/2023
15 out of 35 pictures of the moon stacked with Autostakkert. It was a short session with a nice result.
Dumbbell Nebula Messier 27
My reprocessed version of the Dumbbell Nebula - Messier 27, data from 09/2022, using my revamped PixInsight Process.
Moon on 03/30/2023
A single shot of the Moon. It was the 1st light with my Takahashi FS-60CB at the end of march 2023.
Owl Nebula - M97 - Messier 97 - NGC 3587
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 - 06/24/2023
The Sun - 3 days after summer solstice close to the meridian.
M13 - Messier 13 - Melotte 150 - NGC 6205
Clearly rounder and less inflated stars. The development of the new material from last summer has paid off.
Galaxy Group Abell 2151
Reprocessed 2024: Now ... this reprocessing was really worth it. This one brought more galaxies to light than the one before.
Pinwheel Galaxy - M101 - Messier 101 - UGC 8981 - NGC 5457
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 Owl Nebula.
Messier 97 - the first half, about 2 hours, of collected light with my VISAC at 1800mm.

Messier 3, Mai’23

Messier 3 Global Cluster
Messier 3 - One of the bright globular clusters in spring. Here a one-hour-integration with my VISAC astrograph.
Messier 53 Global Cluster
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.
Venus 03/11/2023
hmmm … I am not a specialist in planetary photography. But still, here is my 1st Venus.
A star-collection V1.
I wanted to do some mirror tests and I always wanted to create a small star collection.
Venus-Jupiter-Conjunction 2023
My single shot, overexposed, picture of the Venus-Jupiter-Conjunction.
Intergalactic Wanderer - C25 - Caldwell 25 - NGC 2419
My very first astrophoto with my mobile Astrophoto-Camp.
Orion Nebula - M42 - Messier 42
In my new workflow, even the trapezium comes to light. I've added more color to my 2024 version of the picture.
Komet ZTF C/2022 E3 - 02/08/2023
One of my results of comet ZTF C/2022 E3 in february 2022. I like the bright greenish color of this version.
COMET C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
I used a short clear time frame in the morging hours to capture comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF).

Sun – 01/17/2023

The Sun - 01/17/2023
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.
Mars and the Pleiades, Messier 45, M45.
A reprocessed astrophoto with Mars and Pleiades using an Olympus legacy lens.
Moon and Mars 03-01-2023
A single hole after weeks of clouds. Used the moment for a single shot with legacy lens Olympus Zuiko Auto-T MC 200mm.
Mars, 2022-12-12
In my eyes i reached the minimum goal this year, in the subject of making planetary photos. Neither more nor less.
Jupiter, 2022-11-01
My first Jupiter (sorry for copy/paste error) with a dedicated planetary camera. In my eyes a huge step forward.
Saturn, 2022-11-01
My first Saturn with a dedicated planetary camera. A huge progress compared with my DSLM results.

Solar Eclipse – 10/25/2022

Solar Eclipse 2022
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 Galilean Moons
Jupiter and the 4 Galilean Moons. Shot at Full Moon evening with APS-C and 4500mm focal length.

Moon – 10/09/2022

Moon - Kepler and Copernicus Crater
Some Lucky Imaging of the surface of the Moon at 99,9%, a few minutes before Full Moon with Barlow and APS-C.
Saturn 2022-10-04
I had a sky full of faint clouds. I had enough time to get a photo between them.
Jupiter 2022-09-30
After endless struggling with my QHY, I decided to shoot Jupiter with my EOS.
Dumbbell Nebula - Messier 27 - M27 - NGC 6853
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.
Pelican Nebula - IC 5070
While reprocessing all my "old" material, this is the first picture I took with my Vixen VC200L. The difference is hard to believe.
Pelican Nebula IC 5070
A short evening with a result, but it could use at least double the exposure time.

Sun and Moon – 08/12/2022

Sun and Moon 12. August 2022
One day, Sun full disc and details - Full Moon and details.
Eastern Veil Nebula - Caldwell 33 - C33 - NGC 6992
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.
Sharpless 86 - NGC 6823
The new workflow shows his power also on duo-narrowband material. The picture combines HA/OIII nebula with RGB stars.

Moon – 07/04/2022

Moon at 4th of July 2022
A simple picture of our Moon while waiting for the night, to collect some photons of a nebula.
Melotte 201 - NGC 6633
A beautiful open star cluster. I reprocessed also this material.
C/2017 K2_Panstarrs
Comet C/2017 K2 Panstarrs, 29th June 2022. This version was reprocessed in january 2024.
Hercules Cluster - M13 - Messier 13 - Melotte 150 - NGC 6205
My Vixen ED80sf 2022 M13 data meets my 2024 processing workflow in PixInsight. Take a look at the side by side comparison.
Supernova SN2022hrs in Galaxy UGC 7896 - NGC 4647
Even this very special astrophoto looks better with the new workflow in 2024.
Cigar Galaxy - M82, Bode's Galaxy - M81, Garland Galaxy - UGC5398
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.
Leo I Dwarf Galaxy, UGC 5470, Regulus, BD +12° 2149
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.
Messier 96, Messier 95, Messier 105, NGC 3384, NGC 3389
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.
Orion Region, Messier 42 - M42, Messier 43 - M43, Barnard 33 - B33, Flame Nebula, Running Man Nebula
Legacy Lens from the 1970th meets my new workflow in 2024. The reprocessed version of the Orion region.

Sun – 03/27/2022

Sun 2022/03/27
On sunday the 27th (and the days around it) of March 2022 there was a very huge sunspot.
Messier 35 - M35, NGC 2158
My 2024 reprocessed astrophoto of the open clusters Messier 35 and NGC 2158. I collected the data in early 2022.
M31 Andromeda Galaxy, H-Alpha RGB
I just re-processed my November-Data. My first Galaxy-Photo with DSLR OSC with H-Alpha Layer.
Comet_Leonard_Timelapse_making-of
Here is my 1st making of article of a time lapse video i made of Comet Leonard.

Sun – 02/12/2022

Sun with Herschelprism V1
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.
Horsehead Nebula - Barnard 33 - B33, NGC 2024 - SH2-277 - Sharpless 277 - IC 434
My 2023 reprocessed version of the Horsehead Nebula data from december 2021 with duo-narrowband filter.
Comet Leonard, C/2021 A1
Comet Leonard C/2021 A1 was my first comet. Here is the 2023 reprocessed version with data from 2021.

Andromeda Galaxy, Nov’21

Andromeda Galaxy, M31
My 2023 reprocessed version of my 2021 Andromeda Galaxy data. A comparion of both versions is worth a look.
Messier 39. M39
Messier 39 - Reprocessed version (december 2023) based on data from october 2021.
Elephant's Trunk Nebula -Sharpless 131 - Sh2-131
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula in my 2024 reprocessed version with photons collected in september 2021.
Moon in mineral colors
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.
Astrophoto Saturn Jupiter Clear Sky 19
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.
vdB 131, vdB 132, NGC 6914
The available data are not the best. Nevertheless, the step to use a flattener was very important for me.
M13 - Great Hercules Cluster
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.
Markarians Chain
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.
Beehive Cluster - Messier 44 - M44
My 2023 reprocessed version. The Beehive Cluster or Praesepe. Marry Christmas to all who celebrate it.
Astrophoto M101 Pinwheel Galaxy Clear Sky 14
The Pinwheel Galaxy - One of the famous Galaxies for Spring evenings. I had to ignore moon to practise more in astrophotography.
Astrophoto M81 Bode's Galaxy - M82 Cigar Galaxy - Clear Sky 13.
Bode's and Cigar Galaxy, two well known Galaxies on the spring sky. I really like the result for only 30 minutes total exposure.
Monkey Head Nebula - Sharpless 252 - Sh2-252 - NGC 2174
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!
Rosette Nebula - Caldwell 49
2023 reprocessed picture of Caldwell 49, the Rosette Nebula, based on the data from 2021.
Pleiades, Messier 45, M45
Reprocessing is worth it. I like the new result.
Triangulum Galaxy - Messier 33 - NGC 598
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.
M31 - Andromeda Galaxy
On the third evening i focused on the Andromeda Galaxy and I used PixInsight the 1st time in postprocessing.
M42 - Orion Nebula
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.
M42 - Orion Nebula
An evening in february in 2021. The first evening under clear skies with my new telescope. The first time hunting for deep sky objects. The very first photo with an deep sky object was the Orion Nebula. It felt lika a miracle.
Astrophoto Mars opposition 11/2020
Mars, my very first object i shot through a telescope.

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