Desert Astronomer

Sunday Skies ✦ Captured by Brendan Mitchell | Processed by Luke Shepard Luke Shepherd Astrophotography

M45, the Pleiades, is one of the most recognisable star clusters in the night sky but beneath its brilliant blue stars lies an intricate web of faint interstellar dust.

That electric-blue glow isn’t emission, but reflection. The hot young stars of the cluster illuminate surrounding dust clouds, scattering shorter wavelengths of light and revealing delicate filaments that stretch far beyond the core.

With careful integration, the often-overlooked brown dust surrounding the cluster begins to emerge subtle, textured, and incredibly expansive. It’s a reminder that even familiar objects still hold depth when you take the time to look.

Rokinon 135mm f/2 in a Starpoint Lens carrier
QHY268M, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R, Starpoint Focus Controller
Antilia LRGB pro
LRGB combination

Total integration: 8 hrs
L 300s × 26 | R 300s × 24 | G 300s × 24 | B 300s × 22

Nearly two years since I last captured photons from my own backyard… and it felt like plugging straight back into the universe ✨🌌

I finally pointed a camera at the sky again—this time running a full OHS palette on the Large Magellanic Cloud 🌌✨ Big shoutout to for keeping the mission alive while my gear’s been on loan… and for tossing me the absolute weapon that is the Rokinon 135mm f/2 to make this shot happen 🚀📸

Data haul for the nebula-hungry:
33× SII (2h 45m) 🔴
30× Ha (2h 30m) ❤️
28× OIII (2h 20m) 💙
All 5-minute subs through a QHY268M cooled to –5°C ❄️📷
Total integration: 7 hours 35 minutes of pure cosmic goodness 🌠

Feels good to be imaging at home again under southern skies 🔭✨

Embarked on a celestial journey this weekend and captured the enigmatic beauty of dark nebula NGC1788 in a dance with the cosmos. Endured winds of over 50km/h over a couple of nights, putting the Octans Observatory tent to the ultimate test. 🌌


.hunter

Taken from Bortle 1 Skies
Total: 5hrs

Equipment
Mount: NEQ6 Hypertuned by Astronomy Academy Perth
🔭: Skywatcher 10” F4 Quattro CF with TS-Wynne 68
📷: QHY268M @ Gain 56 Offset 50 HGM
Filters: Antlia 4.5nm SHO and LRGB Pro 36mm filters
Programs: Pixinsight, Photoshop CC and Lightroom

Some amazing things to come in the future from these legends! Starpoint Australis

Evening Star Gang! Thanks for following us in our next journey with the launch of Starpoint Australis. Brendan has been meaning to jump on here to introduce himself and let you all know about how the rebrand came about and what's to come in the next 12 months. However the universe had other plans for him and he has been given an opportunity to collaborate with one of the best to do an Astro trip for a secret mission. I'm sure after this weekend he may be able to fill in some details but for now I would just like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for jumping ship from the Astronomy Academy page and Welcome to the new folks who may be following us for the first time. Until next time - Jess