The Apennines Mountains
Posted by jmeriaux in Astrophotography, Moon on May 25, 2026
Taken using my 150mm Rumak-Maksutov and the same ZWO ASI 432MM camera I used for the previous Sun picture.
I added a 2x Televue Barlow in the imaging train.
Taken on 2026 May 25th at 4:12 UTC.
It was processed in Photoshop from two pictures, each stacked from about 500 frames.
About the Image
This view looks across the eastern shore of Mare Imbrium. The Montes Apenninus — the lunar Apennines — form the rugged range sweeping across the lower half of the frame, marking the southeastern border of the mare. A few landmarks worth picking out:
- Archimedes — the large, smooth-floored crater near the centre, at the northwestern foot of the Apennines.
- Aristillus and Autolycus — the pair just above and to the right of Archimedes, with Aristillus showing bright ejecta and central peaks.
- Cassini — above and right of centre, recognisable by the smaller crater sitting on its flooded floor.
- Plato — the dark-floored crater at upper left, on the northern shore beside the terminator.
- Vallis Alpes (the Alpine Valley) — the straight cleft slicing through the Montes Alpes near the top.
- Aristoteles and Eudoxus — the prominent crater pair along the right edge.
Sun Observation – 2026-05-24
Posted by jmeriaux in Astrophotography, Sun on May 25, 2026
Taken at 20:05 UTC on 24th of May 2026.
Captured in H-Alpha using my William Optics 60mm refractor with a Daystar Quark filter and a ZWO ASI 432MM camera. The final image is a mosaic of 4 panels, each stacked from about 500 frames.
Vespera Pictures – July 2025
Posted by jmeriaux in Deep sky objects on March 27, 2026
These pictures were taken from Mount Diablo, California on the night of July 25, 2025, using a VAONIS Vespera 2 smart telescope.
The Setup on Mount Diablo
The setup for the night included two telescopes, with the Vespera 2 among them, ready to capture the summer sky from one of the Bay Area’s best vantage points.
Lagoon Nebula (M8)
The Lagoon Nebula was captured by stacking 247 exposures for a total exposure time of 2,470 seconds (~41 minutes). Shot at 250mm f/5.0 with the ULD quadruplet lens.
Swan Nebula (M17)
The Swan (Omega) Nebula was captured by stacking 290 exposures for a total exposure time of 2,900 seconds (~48 minutes).
Moon First Quarter – December 2025
On the night of December 29, 2025, I captured the Moon at first quarter from Concord, California. Conditions were favorable for lunar imaging, and the result is this composite assembled from three separate pictures.
Equipment & Capture Details
The image was taken using an iOptron 150mm Rumak-Maksutov telescope paired with a ZWO ASI 432MM monochrome camera. Each of the three panels was captured with 500 frames, which were then stacked and sharpened using AutoStakkert. The final composite was assembled at 02h51 UTC.
North America & Pelican Nebulas
Posted by jmeriaux in Astrophotography, Deep sky objects on October 7, 2024
ZWO Redcat 70mm with Radian quad-band filter and MC 2600 Asi Camera on 2nd of September 2024 – Concord CA
- 26 light frame 40 sec
- 8 dark frame 40 sec
- 17 Bias
- 30 Flat frame 1 sec 2 sec 3 sec
- Bin 1×1
The stacking was done using the ZWO stacking software and additional processing was done with PixInsights.
Sun 1st of September 2024
Another day of strong solar activity. This is captured in H-Alpha using my William Optics 60mm Refractor, with a Daystar Quark Filter. This is a mosaic of 4 images made from 300 frames each. The Camera used was a ZWO ASI 432MM. Image was captured the 1st of September 2024 at 19h43 UTC from Concord, CA.
Below is a zoom on the large protuberance from the image taken with the William Optics 60mm refractor.
As a comparison, here is a picture of the Sun taken earlier the same day by the National Solar Observatory Integrated Synoptic Program (NISP).
Sun: 1st of June 2024
The large Sun spot group I observed earlier in May is back now (Region 3697) and emitted flares today. There is a very large Solar filament across the south-east part of the disk. This is captured in H-Alpha using my William Optics 60mm Refractor, with a Daystar Quark Filter. This is a mosaic of 4 images made from 200 frames each. The Camera used was a ZWO ASI 432MM. This was taken on 6/1/2024 at 19h52 UTC from Concord, CA.
Below is a detail on Region 3697, with a reduced exposure time and an ZWO ASI 290MM camera. The Camera used was a ZWO ASI 432MM. This was taken on 6/1/2024 at 19h44 UTC from Concord, CA.
Astrophotography in Urban Environment 