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March Astrophotography Highlights in the UK

Images ©Jonathan Penberthy

March Astrophotography Highlights UK and NI

March sees us heading into Galaxy Season, with a last chance to image winter targets like Orion before they disappear from our northern hemisphere night skies for the summer. This situation is amplified by the fact that our imaging time is reduced due to the increasing day length.

The reason spring is referred to as Galaxy Season is because, during the night, Earth’s rotation in its orbit around the Sun faces outward from our Galaxy (Milky Way) into the Universe. This gives us a chance to image our wondrous galactic neighbours and peer deeper into the cosmos!

I’ve started warming up my galaxy imaging skills by photographing some of the galaxies visible now and our closest neighbours Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33).

Having been asked a lot recently about my kit, I thought it might be a good idea to go through my current setup:

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified)

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

Sadly though, I’m at its limits. To reduce noise effectively and consistently, I need to move to a cooled dedicated astronomy camera. However, I’m not ready to commit to using different filters with a mono camera for two reasons:

1. Time constraints – Our clear, non-moonlit nights are so few and far between here in the UK that spending three times longer capturing an image due to each filter isn’t practical, especially as I’m still learning.
2. Enjoyment – I enjoy figuring out astrophotography through trial and error, progressing at a natural pace. I don’t want to jump straight in with the best kit without fully understanding how to use it or why I need it.

For that reason, I’m looking to buy a ZWO ASI585-MC Pro (Please call for pricing: 01444 237070). This has zero amp glow, an active cooling fan, and the acclaimed Sony IMX585 sensor. Since it’s smaller than the sensor in the 500D, it will create a zoomed-in effect, resolving more detail, delaying the need for a more powerful telescope for a while!

Obviously, this is an entry-level colour-cooled astronomy camera, but I feel it’s the right next step for me.

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

This is an entry-level telescope with ED glass, often compared to the Sky-Watcher 72ED, which offers similar performance. Great image quality at a reasonable price.

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

I started with a Manfrotto 290 Lite tripod and then upgraded to a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i (Please call for pricing: 01444 237070).

This was great for its time, but I quickly realised Deep Sky Objects (DSOs) were my passion rather than lunar/planetary imaging or wide-field astrophotography. If I were in the same position again, I’d recommend the Sky-Watcher GTI. It has a lower payload than the EQ5 but costs half the price and includes GoTo functionality, bridging the gap perfectly.

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-S (Please call for pricing: 01444 237070)

I bought this as it was the cheapest ZWO guide camera I could find at the time. It does the job well, and if I ever decide to try mono imaging, I can test it with this before committing.

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

A budget guide scope, but enough to get solid guiding results.

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

Without a doubt, this has been the best time-saving device I’ve bought. Polar aligning manually is a pain, and finding targets was even harder before I had this. If you own an EQ mount get one!

Partial Solar Eclipse – 29th March 2025

Warning – NEVER look directly at the Sun through a telescope without a special filter. It will cause permanent eye damage.

The eclipse starts around 10:07 AM (varies by location), reaches maximum coverage by 11:05 AM, and ends by midday.

• Scotland: Up to 48% of the Sun covered
• Southern UK: Around 30% coverage

Lunar Observation

The best time for deep sky imaging is during the first and last weeks of the month, while the middle weeks provide excellent lunar observation opportunities.

Moon Phases: SpaceWeatherLive

Waxing Crescent Moon 12th May 2024 - Portslade, East Sussex.

EXIF:

• Camera: Canon 7D
• Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Telephoto Zoom
• Settings: 1/400 sec @ ISO 400 (handheld)

Planetary

Unfortunately this month we have had more than our fair share of cloud. All of February we have been blessed with a rare planetary alignment, and very little opportunity to see it.

So I have asked a friend from my Astro club (Rebecca Kent) to share some of her images that she has captured recently as she loves planetary:

Jupiter and her moons:

Curtousy of Rebecca Kent

Mars:

Courtesy of Rebecca Kent

Venus:

Courtesy of Rebecca Kent

EXIF

Telescope: Altair 115 EDT refractor (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Camera: SVBONY SV505c colour planetary camera (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Mount: Skywatcher EQM35pro (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

SVBONY UV/IR cut filter 1.25” (Please call for pricing 01444 237070)

Software used: AstroDMX capture and SIRIL

Deep Sky Objects

Jellyfish Nebula (1st Feb 2025):

This is my first attempt at the Jellyfish Nebula, it isn't half faint lol. Anyway 1hr 40mins of usable subs, I am very happy how this came out. If I get chance I shall add more data to it, as I really want to bring out some of the fainter regions.

EXIF:

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified)

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro Mount

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-s

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f4)

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR pro

Method: 

Lights: 20 x 300 second exposure @ISO1600.

Darks: 12 x 300 second (library).

Flats: 30 x 1/30 second (library).

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

Triangulum Galaxy M33 (30th Jan)

This is another 2 hrs data that I have added to my 1hr 20mins of Triangulum Galaxy data that I had from two other sessions. 

I feel it could do with a few more hours as it is still quite faint, and stretching it further isnt looking pretty!

EXIF:

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified by Paul Ibbitson)

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

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro Mount

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-s

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f4

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR pro

Frames:

Lights: 12 x 300 second exposure @ISO1600.

Darks: 12 x 300 second (library).

Flats: 30 x 1/30 second (library).

Processing:

Stacked in DSS. Photometric Colour Calibration, Background extraction and Star removal (via StarNet++) in Siril. Stretched, edited and re-compiled in Photoshop/Lightroom

Andromeda Galaxy M31 - 22nd Febraury 2025

Previous best attempt:

Current best attempt:

Those of you with sharp eyes will notice that I’ve only used 10 minutes of data in my best attempt. This was due to a lot of mist and fog in the air, so I had to be very selective with the subs I kept, only retaining those that were perfect. A fellow astro nerd from Worthing Astronomers, Andy Lee, once told me: “It’s not so much the quantity of the data you capture, but the quality of that quantity.” That really rings true for this image.

There’s literally no point in including sub-par subs in your stack, no matter how few you’re left with. On this night, I imaged for an hour, but only 10 minutes’ worth were any good. However, those 10 minutes were far better than any of the existing frames in my library, so I just went with them. The results speak for themselves!

EXIF:

Camera: Canon 500D (astro modified by Paul Ibbitson)

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

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro Mount

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-s

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f4

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR pro

Frames:

Lights: 5 x 120 second exposure @ISO1600.

Darks: 12 x 300 second (library).

Flats: 30 x 1/30 second (library).

Processing:

Stacked in DSS. Photometric Colour Calibration, Background extraction and Star removal (via StarNet++) in Siril. Stretched, edited and re-compiled in Photoshop/Lightroom

Next Month: April 2025

Looking forward to capturing:

• Sombrero Galaxy
• Markarian’s Chain of Galaxies
• More nebulae and deep sky objects

As always, wishing you clear skies!

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By Jonathan Penberthy on 04/03/2025

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.