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April Astrophotography Highlights in the UK

Welcome Galaxy Season! For the next few months I am looking forward to imaging such targets as the Sombrero Galaxy, Markarian’s Chain and the Leo Triplet.

Sadly, March was not kind to us with the number of clear nights we had, and so imaging opportunities have been limited. Nonetheless, I have taken every opportunity I can to get out and capture those photons!

Rig rundown:

New Kit

EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max Portable Power Station

This time last year I was in hospital having a hernia corrected and as such, whilst I am now fully recovered, I need to be careful about how much I lift.

So replacing the 22 kilos of leisure battery which I lugged about to power my telescope was important. I can say without a doubt that using the EcoFlow River 2 Max as my power source has not only saved the strain, but also lasts much longer than my old AGM battery. Fully charges in an hour, and after 3 hours of imaging I still have 75% left in the tank! I would strongly recommend everyone get one of these sorts of portable power stations — they are also much smaller and lighter too!

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified)

This camera is superb value, often found used for under £100 and can be modified for a few hundred quid (or if you are feeling brave, DIY!) It is amazing what it can do at this price point.

Sadly though, I am at the limits of its capabilities. I need to reduce noise, and to do that effectively and consistently I need to buy a cooled dedicated astronomy camera. I am not ready to get into the realms of using different filters with a mono camera, for two reasons:

• Firstly, our clear non-moonlit night skies are so few and far between here in the UK, spending 3 times longer capturing an image because of each filter isn’t practical, especially as I am still very much learning this craft.
• Secondly, enjoyment. I enjoy figuring out this discipline through trial and error, going through the stages at a pace that interests me and feels natural — not just jumping in with the very best kit but not knowing how to use it or really understanding why you need it, or what it brings to the image.

As such, I am looking to buy a ZWO ASI585MC Pro (Please call for pricing 01444 237070), which not only has zero amp glow, and a fan strapped to the back to keep the sensor at the same temperature, but also the acclaimed Sony IMX585 sensor. Being much smaller than that in the 500D, it will add a sort of zoomed-in effect to the images, and as such render more detail — putting off the need for a more powerful telescope for a while! Obviously this is very much the entry-level colour cooled dedicated astronomy camera, but I feel it is the right next step for me.

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm) with a 0.8x reducer/flattener (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

This is an entry-level telescope with the wonders of ED glass! Often compared to the Sky-Watcher 72ED which is very similar, it offers excellent imaging at a reasonable price.

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro Mount (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

I started out with just a tripod, a Manfrotto 290 Lite then bought a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i (Please call for pricing 01444 237070), which was great for that time in my journey. But as I realised my fascination was with Deep Sky Objects and not lunar/planetary or astro landscapes, I quickly outgrew this wonderful device. If I were in this position again, I would recommend going for the Sky-Watcher GTi. It has a lower payload than the EQ5 I currently have, but at half the price and with GOTO functionality, it bridges the gap between the SA 2i and EQ5 perfectly for only a few hundred pounds more. Well worth it!

Tripod: Sky-Watcher

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120MM-S (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

I bought this as it was the cheapest ZWO one I could find at the time. It serves the purpose very well, and if I ever do decide to do a bit of mono work

I shall use this as a test to see if I like it. At first I didn’t bother with guiding, but as soon as I wanted to take images over about 30 seconds, I realised that this was a necessity.

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f/4) (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Again a cheap scope, just enough to get good enough results for guiding.

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR Pro (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

To date, this little computer has been without doubt the best time-saving device I have bought for this hobby. I cannot stress enough just how good this is.

Yes, it means you can only use DSLR/Mirrorless and ZWO cameras with it, but the intuitive GUI makes it fun. Prior to owning this I would try my best to polar align manually, which isn’t easy if you are like me and need glasses for reading… and then try and manually locate the constellation of the object I was trying to photograph, which sounds easy, but it isn’t — I would spend literally hours taking an image, checking to see if it was in the right location, etc. If you are new to this hobby and have an EQ mount, get one without a second thought!

Lunar observation

Moon Phases: SpaceWeatherLive

Last month we saw two spectacles of our Moon: on 14th March a partial lunar eclipse, resulting in a vaguely faint pink shadow on the Moon as seen in our neck of the woods, and on 29th March a partial solar eclipse!

Bob Marshall, a friend from my Astro Club (https://www.worthingastronomers.org.uk/) has not only the interest but also the kit, and has been kind enough to share with us some breathtaking images of our closest neighbour. Here are some shots he has taken recently:

The Straight Wall (Rupes Recta)

This wonder of the lunar surface is best imaged on the 8th and 22nd days of the lunar cycle. This is because of the shadows cast by the orientation of the Moon and the Sun. It can be photographed at other times but it is harder to observe.

The Straight Wall is around 120 km long and around 250 m high. It is believed to have been caused by a portion of Mare Nubium succumbing to subterranean pressures in the lunar crust.

Copyright Bob Marshall 2025

Exif:

Telescope: Celestron Evo C8 HD (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Mount: Celestron Alt-Az mount

Camera: ZWO ASI178MC (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Method:

Lights: Exp 4.2ms / Gain 233 / ROI 800x600 / 114fps / 30% 13761 frames

Stacked in ASI Studio.

Northern extremity of the Mare Imbrium

Bob comments about this image:

“…with the quite stunning and relatively flat crater named Plato, after the Greek philosopher, as indeed most of the major craters are. It is over 100 km in diameter, with the surrounding crater wall 1000 metres high, with peaks of 2000 metres!

This was primarily the reason for me capturing the image, plus the surrounding area of the northern lunar highlands is so photogenic.

The large and fairly flat lunar crater near the bottom is named after Archimedes, while the two smaller craters to the right are named Autolycus and Aristillus respectively, and probably named after other Greek philosophers… I’m no lunar expert!”

Copyright Bob Marshall 2025

Exif:

Telescope: Celestron Evo C8 HD (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Mount: Celestron Alt-Az mount

Camera: ZWO ASI178MC (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Method:

Lights: Exp 4.2ms / Gain 233 / ROI 800x600 / 33.5203fps / 4022 frames

Stacked in ASI Studio.

Plato Crater

Bob comments about this image:

“…which nicely shows Mt Pico and Mt Piton. These are two rather isolated mountains, in the region of 2,300 metres high, and thought to be the scattered fragments of ejected material — the result of a huge meteoritic explosion which engendered the Mare Imbrium!”

Copyright Bob Marshall 2025

Exif:

Telescope: Celestron Evo C8 HD (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Mount: Celestron Alt-Az mount

Camera: ZWO ASI178MC (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Method:

Lights: Exp 4.2ms / Gain 233 / ROI 800x600 / 114.4775fps / 6886 frames

Stacked in ASI Studio.

Planetary

As we move away from the planetary alignment we saw in February, it is still very much possible to see many of them — although not all at the same time.

Venus is still as bright as ever, but is moving ever westward in our night sky and so will disappear from our view in the early evening. That means if you wish to see it, you’ll need to get up early! That’s assuming you haven’t been out imaging all night!

On the morning of 10th April, Mercury and Saturn will appear within 3 degrees of each other. Visible to the east about 30 mins before sunrise (~05:40), with Venus just above them.

On the morning of 28th April, Venus and Saturn will appear close to each other. Visible to the east about 30 mins before sunrise (~04:50), with Mercury rising not far after.

Deep Sky Objects

The California Nebula (NGC 1499) – 27th February 2025

A bright emission nebula located in the constellation of Perseus. It is so called because it looks like the US state of California. I’ll let you be the judge of that!

Located around 1,000 lightyears from us, it spans roughly 100 lightyears, which is massive in terms of nebulae. Its reddish glow comes from hydrogen gas being ionised by the hot, bright star Xi Persei.

EXIF:

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified)

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm)

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120MM-S

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f/4)

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR Pro

Method:

Lights: 14 x 300 second exposures @ ISO1600

Darks: Library

Flats: Library

Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker, StarNet++ for star removal. Stretched, recompiled and edited in Photoshop and Lightroom.

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) – 3rd March 2025

M51 is a spectacular spiral galaxy, located in Canes Venatici — or as we like to call it, the Plough, or Big Dipper. It is visible almost all year round in the Northern Hemisphere.

As you can see, it is interacting with a smaller galaxy called NGC 5195, which contributes to its whirlpool appearance.

EXIF:

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified)

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm)

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120MM-S

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f/4)

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR Pro

Method:

Lights: 19 x 300 second exposures @ ISO1600

Darks: Library

Flats: Library

Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker, StarNet++ for star removal. Stretched, recompiled and edited in Photoshop and Lightroom.

Monkey Head Nebula (NGC 2174) – 14th March 2025

This emission nebula, which actually resembles something like what it is called, is known for its face profile. Located in the constellation of Orion, it is some 40 lightyears across and about 6,400 lightyears from Earth.

On the night I decided to try and image it, I thought I had 2 hours of excellent data — but only when I turned my scope to look at the Moon, and couldn’t find the Moon despite it being full, did I realise that my dew heater had packed up, and the lens of the telescope was very wet. Consequently, the camera couldn’t make out a thing.

Upon reviewing the 24 images I had captured, only 7 were actually usable, and despite the tri-band filter I had in my astro-modded 500D, most of the OK subs had a lot of light pollution caused by the Moon. So despite all of these issues, I consider this a triumph!

EXIF:

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified)

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm) with 0.8x reducer/flattener

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro Mount

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120MM-S

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f/4)

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR Pro

Tablet: Cheap Android

Powerbank: EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max

Method:

Lights: 7 x 300 second exposures @ ISO1600

Darks: 12 x 300 seconds (library)

Flats: 30 x 1/30 second (library)

Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker, Siril used for photometric colour calibration, StarNet++ for star removal. Stretched, recompiled and edited in Photoshop and Lightroom.

The Great Orion Nebula (M42) and The Running Man Nebula (NGC 1977)

This is a farewell for the summer for these targets — a tribute, if you will — for these two wonders of our night sky!

Sadly, we won’t see them for a few months until they return to our view in the autumn. The Great Orion Nebula is a wondrous stellar nursery which spans nearly 24 lightyears across!

In the central region, which you can see is overexposed and blown out, I really need to take a set of subs which are a much lower ISO and exposure length so that I can capture the Trapezium of stars at the centre, and then add these to this image. These four stars are responsible for the vibrant colours being brought out from the surrounding cloud.

To the left of the image you can see the Running Man Nebula. Unlike M42, NGC 1977 is primarily a reflection nebula. This means it glows by reflecting the light from nearby stars. It is so called because it resembles a running man… I shall let you be the judge of that!

Both nebulae are around 1,400 lightyears away!

EXIF:

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified)

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm) with 0.8x reducer/flattener

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro Mount

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120MM-S

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f/4)

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR Pro

Tablet: Cheap Android

Powerbank: EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max

Method:

Lights: 36 x 300 second exposures @ ISO1600

Darks: 12 x 300 seconds (library)

Flats: 30 x 1/30 second (library)

Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker, Siril used for photometric colour calibration, StarNet++ for star removal. Stretched, recompiled and edited in Photoshop and Lightroom.

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By Jonathan Penberthy on 24/03/2025

Jonathan Penberthy

Cosmic Shutter Seeker and Star Programmer

Jonathan Penberthy is the Cosmic Shutter Seeker and Star Programmer at Park Cameras, with over 20 years of experience as a software engineer. His career journey has spanned industries, but a move to Park Cameras sparked a passion for astrophotography. Jonathan’s interest began while working on a lens selection app, leading him to explore the night sky with a Canon 7D. When he’s not programming or photographing the stars, he enjoys sailing and navigating by the cosmos. Learn more on his profile page.