“An Epic Milky Way Summer: 16 Nights, 2000 Photos & a New Star Tracker Under South West Skies”

“A summer of Milky Way photography across Devon, Dorset & Cornwall. New MSM Nomad tracker, coastal night shoots, lessons learned and plenty of biscuits.”

My Epic Milky Way Summer: Ten Nights, nearly 1000 photos, and, frankly, an alarming number of biscuits

Hello everyone - hope you’re all doing well. 

Some of you have noticed I’ve been MIA for a few weeks. Sorry about that. 

In my defence, I’ve been busy astrophotographing. Is that a word? Probably not, but let’s pretend it is.

This summer turned into a full‑blown Milky Way marathon: ten nights in July, six in August, and a couple more planned for September. What started as a vague idea on the cliffs at Durdle Door back in May/June somehow evolved into a personal “epic astro summer session”. Sitting above that iconic arch, watching the Milky Way lift itself over the horizon like a celestial curtain call, I realised how lucky I am to live within two hours of some of the most dramatic coastlines in the UK. And so, the plan was born:

Photograph the Milky Way across four no‑moon windows in June, July, August, and September 2026.

A New Tracker, A New Adventure

Part of the motivation came from the arrival of my new MSM Nomad Star Tracker - a tiny device that has completely changed the way I shoot. Compared to my old Star Adventurer 2i, the Nomad is like swapping an old pedal bike for an electric one. I can now arrive at a location, set up in six minutes, capture tracked sky frames and separate landscape foregrounds, and be heading to the next spot within half an hour.

It’s transformed my time management and opened up multiple‑location nights I simply couldn’t attempt before. I posted my first‑impressions review here:

https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-move-shoot-move-nomad-star-tracker.html

I’ll update that review soon with everything I’ve learned during this astro‑summer.

Why These Wild Places Matter

My time on the cliffs at Durdle Door also nudged me into thinking more deeply about why these rugged coastlines feel so good for the soul. What is it about standing alone under a sugar‑sprinkled sky, listening to the wind and waves, that feels grounding and restorative? And why do I keep gravitating toward National Trust locations?

I’ll share those reflections in a future post - it deserves its own space.

But in the meantime .......

Where I’ve Been: A Summer Under South West Skies

Devon

• Wembury Beach & Mill Café House — National Trust
• Wembury Point & Heybrook Bay — National Trust
• Dartmouth Daymark
• Bigbury‑on‑Sea & Burgh Island
• Soar Mill Lookout Station — National Trust
• Bolberry Down — National Trust

Dorset

• Durdle Door

Cornwall

• Mullion Cove — National Trust
• Cape Cornwall & Priest Cove — National Trust
• Lizard Point — National Trust
• Kynance Cove — National Trust
• Botallack Mines — National Trust
• Goonhilly Earth Station

The Aims (Nothing Too Grand or Philosophical)

Every adventure needs a rationale - even the small ones. Mine were simple:

• Capture one well‑composed, well‑edited Milky Way landscape image with a clear focal foreground. Tracked, stacked, blended  - the usual astro‑parlance.
• Get properly familiar with the quirks and benefits of the MSM Nomad tracker.
• Improve my understanding of the ISO/aperture/shutter speed relationship for both sky and foreground, especially during blue hour.
• Explore and articulate why being out under the stars feels so deeply restorative.

The Numbers Behind the Nights

• 1000+ photographs
• 40+ hours under silky‑smooth, sugar‑sprinkled, black‑velvet skies
• Countless miles driven
• Countless cups of tea brewed
• Biscuits consumed in quantities that probably require a medical disclaimer

I’ve genuinely improved my landscape composition (not hard, given my starting point). I’m learning how many frames to take, how to read a histogram without squinting like its hieroglyphics, and how ISO can be used more creatively.

I’ve also changed how I process Milky Way skies and landscapes - experimenting with Sequator, SIRIL, and Affinity Photo, mixing things up to see what emerges. Some results have been surprisingly good; others… well, let’s call them “learning opportunities”.

Over the next month or two, I’ll share everything - the wins, the mistakes, the workflow tweaks, and the inevitable misadventures. I’ll also update my Milky Way processing workflow pages.

A Little Taster

Here are two images from this summer. I hope you’ll agree they show real progress in my understanding of what makes a quality Milky Way landscape image.

"Reflecting on my place in the cosmos"

Taken at Wembury Point, South Devon

Equipment: astromodded Canon 800D with Samyang 14mm F/2 lens on a Move Shoot Move Nomad Star Tracker attached to a William Optics equatorial wedge on a Benbo Mach 3 Carbon Fibre Tripod

The photo is a tracked stacked blend comprising:

foreground shot at F/4.5  Iso 200 and 90" shutter speed with light painting for 5" towards end

sky: F/2.8 Iso 1600 @90" x 12

Stacked in Affinity photo, edited in Siril, finished in affinity photo 

"Just after sunset"

Taken at Wheal Owles, Botallack, far west Cornwall - tin mining country

Equipment: astromodded Canon 800D with Samyang 14mm F/2 lens on a Move Shoot Move Nomad Star Tracker attached to a William Optics equatorial wedge on a Benbo Mach 3 Carbon Fibre Tripod

The photo is a tracked stacked blend comprising:

foreground shot at F/4.5  Iso 200 and 60" shutter speed with light painting for 5" towards end

sky: F/2.8 Iso 3200 60" x 16

Stacked in Affinity photo, edited in Siril, finished in affinity photo 

I am genuinely proud of both these images - they demonstrate huge progress in my understanding of the ISO-shutter-aperture relationship, improved compositional skills and my first proper attempts at light painting. They are still works in progress and no doubt I will come back to them during the winter months and try and improve them some more. They do show that finally, and yes folks I know, its been some time coming, buit yes, finally, I am beginning to understand how to use layers and masks in Affinity! 

And Finally … I Joined Instagram

Yes, really. I am no longer a luddite. I’m catching up with Generation Z - slowly, cautiously, and with the digital equivalent of stabilisers.

You can find me at:

#plymouthastroboy

If you feel like it, drop me a like, or better still, a constructive comment.

Until Next Time ....... 

Clear skies, stay safe, and never forget to look up - and sideways - to appreciate both the celestial heavens and the magnificent landscape you’re standing in.

Catch up soon, 

Steve 

aka

#Plymouthastroboy

The Move Shoot Move Nomad star tracker

 The MSM Nomad: The Star Tracker that's a pocket-sized time machine

If you’ve ever stood on a windy cliff in South Devon, staring at your camera and muttering “Why do my stars look like they’re trying to escape the frame?”, the Move Shoot Move Nomad might just be your new best mate. It is certainly becoming mine. 

This little tracker is basically the astrophotography equivalent of a very polite but determinedly helpful butler or PA:“Don’t worry, sir, I’ll rotate the Earth for you. You just press the shutter and then step back.”

It’s tiny, it’s light, and it’s surprisingly capable - like a proper equatorial mount got shrunk in the wash but came out still fully functional.

Sounds unbelieveable? Well, let’s dive in and take a look. to be transparent - I have had the MSM Nomad tracker for around six weeks now; and no I'm not being paid or sponsored in any way at all. 

First night out with the MSM Nomad star tracker.              

This is at Wembury Point on the South Devon coast. A tracked, stacked and blended photography comprising a tracked and stacked sky shot and then a separate foreground landscape selfie with a little light painting and illumination 

Are the stars pinpoint? No not quite. Is this the fault of the tracker? No! Its my failing eyesight - even when using live view x 10. And, its also the silly design opf the Samyang 14mm lens with its stupid petal surround that prevents secure use of a bahtinov mask. 

What is the MSM Nomad?

The Move Shoot Move Nomad is a compact star tracker designed for nightscape photographers who want longer exposures without lugging around a heavier mount like the Skywatcher Star Adventurer. Its particulary good, as I have been finding out, for milky way landscape photography. 

It weighs around 400–450g, supports roughly 3.2kg, and seems happiest with wide-angle to short telephoto lenses (14–50mm). Powered by an internal battery - USB‑C charging - it has a run time around 5 hours, uses a laser for polar alignment, and is built for travel, hiking, and those “I don’t want to carry a SkyWatcher across Dartmoor” situations.

Is it the Swiss Army Knife of star trackers?  

Well, it’s not the biggest, probably not the strongest, not the most versatile in one sense because it can't do some of what my skywatcher star tracker does - but it is incredibly handy, portable and always there when you need it -especially for milky way landscape astrophotography. 

St. Michael's Chapel on Rame Head in SE Cornwall

Tracked and stacked sky; separate foreground

Canon 800D astromodded with Samyang 14mm on the MSM Nomad and William optics equatorial wedge. Benbro Mach 3 CF tripod. 

Stacked in Sequator; edited firstly in SIRIL and then finished in Affinity Photo 1

So, what can it be used for?

Milky Way Photography

This is where the Nomad shines. Expect 1–4 minute exposures with crisp stars and dramatically cleaner files. This seems to be the Nomad’s sweet spot. Photographers reviews routinely report achieving 120–240 second exposures with crisp stars, even on full‑frame bodies and f/2.8 lenses - and I can confirm after a few months using it - 3 to 4 minutes is achieveable with good laser polar aligning. 

To me, from my limited experiences with it thus far, the tracker seems perfect for:

• Milky Way arches
• Tracked sky + untracked foreground blends
• Reducing ISO from “grainy soup” to “actually quite lovely”

Travel, hiking and a little more ...... 

If you’ve ever tried stuffing a Star Adventurer into a backpack, you’ll appreciate the Nomad’s “I’ll just slip into this side pocket, cheers” attitude. It really, really is lightweight and compact. However, add in a ball head and a base swiss-arc plate on the bottom and it starts to bulk up a little. 

Laser alignment means you don’t have to squint through a polar scope - something I have always found rather 'back breaking' on my my other two trackers.  A polarscope with mount iis an optional extra set up from MSM and this is where I start to have reservations. With the SWSA2i and my ipton skytracker - you get everything you need. With MSM - its the tracker base unit and then you have to start paying for the extras - the wedge; then the laser pen; don't forget the polarscope and its holder; oh and the phone holder; and should you desire some heavier lenses - then the counterweight system. 

It is endless! And it all adds up to a hefty price tag. 

Another tracked, stacked blend of separate sky and foreground images shot on the same night at the same locaiton using same equipment as previous photograph

Strengths & Weaknesses

Based on my experiences thus far (and you can read about these in future posts) -

Strengths

• Ridiculously portable - perfect for travel, hiking, and spontaneous Milky Way sessions.
• Laser alignment - fast, intuitive, and brilliant for beginners. From arrival at location to shooting images takes me around five to eight minutes max; and the laser alignment removes the steep learning curve of traditional polar scopes. 
• Great for wide-angle Milky Way - consistently sharp stars at long exposures.
• Short Telephoto Deep-Sky Attempts can be done with the counterweight system - dabble in 85–135mm deep-sky shots, but remember the Nomad is not a full-blown astrophotography mount. It’s more “dabble politely” than “go full nebula hunter”. 
• Affordable compared to bigger mounts - if you restrict ytour spending on accessories and just go with the basics - the tracker and the laser pen. 
• Plenty of free 3d printer plan downloads for phone holders etc - you can use various apps to actually polar align accurately - when for example you have a restricted viewing of Polaris and so can't sight on it. You can also get 3d free download printer plans for the polarscope holoder as well. 

Weaknesses

• Low payload capacity - heavy cameras or long lens are a no-no - although to be fair I haven't tried the otional counterweight kit
• Not for serious deep-sky - no autoguiding, and I suspect, only limited torque.
• Laser restrictions - some locations frown upon lasers; polar scope is extra, as is a smartphone holder – as I mentioned above - you can use a polar alignment app – so there is versatility
• Battery life ~5 hours -  fine for a session, but bring a power bank for all-nighters.
• Panoramas can be tricky - rotation geometry isn’t ideal for multi-panel Milky Way mosaics.

Verdict

Reviewers say the MSM Nomad is one of the best ultra-portable star trackers for nightscape photographers, especially those who hike, travel, or simply don’t want to carry a mount that weighs more than their enthusiasm; and I concur with most of this.

It is also a relatively budget‑friendly entry point for photographers who want to improve their night sky images without investing in heavier, more expensive mounts.

I am amazed at how many really professional phtographers on social media use one and get astonishing images. It has a beginner friendly design – helping new astrophotographers get better milky way images, longer exposures and cleaner files, much more quickly than perhaps with other star trackers.  

It’s not a deep-sky rig, but for wide-angle astrophotography, it’s a joy - simple, reliable, and capable. So, if your shooting style involves wandering across the South West coastline at silly o’clock, like me, then the Nomad fits right in. 

Now, I have tried to put a summary table together – but don’t hold me to complete reliability for some of the statistics – hope it helps though in working out where the MSM Nomad sort of sits in the world of trackers:

 

Comparison Table (Now Including the SkyWatcher Star Adventurer 2i)

Wide‑Angle & Lightweight Star Tracker Comparison (2026)

Feature / Reviewer Insight	MSM Nomad	SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Mini (SAM)	iOptron SkyTracker Pro	SkyWatcher Star Adventurer 2i
Weight	0.45 kg — ultra‑light, pocketable	0.65 kg — portable	1.1 kg — heavier	1.3 kg — significantly heavier
Payload Capacity	3.2 kg	3 kg	3 kg	5 kg — best in class
Best Focal Length Range	14–50mm	14–85mm (can push to 135mm)	14–85mm	14–200mm+ — proper telephoto capability
Polar Alignment	Laser alignment (fast, intuitive)	Polar scope	Polar scope	Excellent polar scope + wedge
Ease of Use	Beginner‑friendly	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate–Advanced (more parts)
Battery Life	~5 hours (USB‑C)	~24 hours (AA)	~24 hours	~24 hours (AA)
Deep‑Sky Suitability	Low	Medium	Medium	High — can handle small refractors
Portability	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor–Moderate (heavier, bulkier)
Reliability (2026)	Much improved	Very reliable	Very reliable	Very reliable
Price	£170–£220	£250–£300	£250–£300	£330–£380
Best For	Travellers, hikers, beginners, nightscape shooters	Beginners wanting more capability	Users wanting stability + portability	Serious nightscape + entry‑level deep‑sky
Worst For	Heavy setups, long lenses	Heavy setups, long lenses	Ultralight travel	Backpackers, travellers, minimalists

 

Postscript update

I have now used the Nomad for a total of 15 nights out under the stars. 

I LOVE it! 

It is a Ronseal tracker - "does exactly what it says on the tin".

So portable and easy to set up and there are some quick fixes you can do to speed up this process further:

• On my tripod I have a circular, rotating swiss arc clamp - into which I clamp a William Optics Equatorial Wedge. This give the whole outfit great stability. More importantly, it also allows me to quickly rotate the wedge to line up with Polaris - no twiddling knobs here to rotate the wedge - its is done instantly. 
• The tracker is attached to a slightly longer swiss-arc plate which fits better into the Williams optics wedge and allows me to keep the centre of gravity of the entire rig directly over the central column of my tripod - so better stability. 
• On the tracker itself, I have an Alyn Wallace 'Z' bracket which gives me all sorts of flexibility and positioning. On top of this is my ball head. The bracketr helps with panoramas line up.

I have yet to find any difficulty positioning the camera in any angle of viewpoint I want - it is dead easy to keep the weight of the camera and lens over the centre of gravity of the tracker. This gives more accurate tracking and sharper stars. 

The tracker with 'Z' bracket and ball head stays assembled in its own little purpose made bag. 

On arrival at site - set up tripod and level it; attach equatorial wedge and rotate it to align with Polaris. Slip the tracker onto the wedge, do laser alignment with Polaris. Attach camnera - check alignment once more. Orientate camera to shooting position and bumph - first test shots in the bag. 

Fast time I have done this in? Six miniutes from unzipping my camera bag! Seriously!  Game changer! 

Over the next few weeks I will share some of my recent trip details and also the images I have taken along with a revised workflow for processing my milky way images. 

For now, take care out there, stay safe, and as always, don't forget to look up! 

Steve 

#plymouthastroboy

“Wacom One Graphics Tablet Review: First Impressions for Astrophotography Editing”

 “Went to PC World for a microwave… came home with a graphics tablet. Turns out the Wacom One is brilliant for astrophotography editing. Here are my first impressions!”

First Impressions of the Wacom One: The Graphics Tablet I Definitely Didn’t Mean to Buy

You know those days when you pop into PC World for something sensible and grown‑up — like a microwave — and somehow walk out with a completely different gadget that absolutely wasn’t on the shopping list?
Yeah. That happened.

Maggie (a.k.a. The Boss) left triumphantly with a shiny new microwave to replace our dearly departed ten‑year‑old model.
I, on the other hand, walked out with a One by Wacom  graphics tablet that had been sitting all lonely in the “last one available” bin – the digital equivalent of a puppy at the rescue centre giving me the look.

It was heavily discounted. It called to me. And honestly — it would’ve been rude not to.

 

copyright Wacom

What Is the ‘One by Wacom?’

The One by Wacom is an entry‑level, screenless graphics tablet designed for beginners, hobbyists, and people like me who didn’t know they needed one until they were halfway to the checkout.

It plugs into your laptop or desktop and lets you draw, paint, or - in my case - edit astrophotography with far more finesse than a trackpad or mouse ever could.

Mine came with:

• A lightweight stylus
• USB cable
• Three replacement nibs
• A nib‑removal tool
• A quick‑start guide that was… well… more “quick” than “guide”

Thankfully, Wacom’s website has proper manuals, drivers, and setup videos. I downloaded the driver, plugged it in, and hey presto — instant plug‑and‑play success.

 

“But Steve… Why Buy One?”

Excellent question.
I asked myself the same thing while Maggie compared microwave wattages.

A quick bit of research revealed that graphics tablets are brilliant for:

• Selections and masking
• Brush work
• Fine detail adjustments
• Anything requiring precision

Basically, all the fiddly bits of editing Milky Way shots in Affinity Photo that make a mouse feel like trying to paint the Mona Lisa with a potato cut.

I’m no artist - this isn’t for sketching dragons or designing logos.
This is purely a tool to improve my astrophotography editing workflow.

And after a few sessions… I’m genuinely impressed.

 

 Strengths (So Far)

✔️ A bargain find

Discounted, affordable, and great value — especially compared to online prices.

✔️ Ridiculously simple setup

No buttons, no fuss. Plug it in and start drawing.

✔️ Lightweight and travel‑friendly

Slim, portable, and sturdy enough to survive being thrown into my rucksac.

✔️ Battery‑free stylus

Uses EMR technology - no charging, no batteries, no faff.
The nibs will eventually wear down, apparently, but I’ve no idea how long that takes.
Feels a bit like using my favourite mechanical pencil – without the push button bit at the top.

✔️ Feels like drawing on paper

Once your brain adjusts to “draw down here on tablet, look up there at screen”, it becomes surprisingly natural.
Hovering the pen moves the cursor; tapping the surface clicks.
Accuracy is excellent.

✔️ Plenty of online tutorials

If you get stuck, YouTube has your back.

 

Weaknesses (Because Nothing’s Perfect)

❌ No Bluetooth

You’re tethered by USB.

❌ No shortcut buttons

Some tablets have customisable buttons for quick actions - this one doesn’t. I’m ambivalent about this.

❌ The hand–eye adjustment period

Drawing on the tablet while looking at the screen feels odd at first.
If your hand‑eye coordination is good, you’ll adapt quickly.
If not… practice helps.

❌ The pen feels a bit plasticky

Not fragile, but not premium either.
The two side buttons? Still not entirely sure what they do.

❌ Limited drawing area

When editing near the bottom of my laptop screen, I run out of tablet space and end up repositioning my hand constantly. At times my hand rests on the desk, my pen on the bottom edge of the tablet – uncomfortable!

 

Final Thoughts (For Now)

For the price I paid, the One by Wacom is absolutely worth it.
It’s simple, compact, and has already improved my astrophotography editing workflow - - especially for masking and fine brush work.

It’s definitely a beginner‑friendly or budget‑friendly tablet.
Perfect for photo editing, perhaps a bit limited for serious sketching.

In a few months, I’ll revisit this post with real examples of how it’s performed during Milky Way season and whether it’s earned a permanent place in my editing toolkit.

For now?
I really like it.

Getting to Grips with Affinity Photo: Editing the Milky Way images from Wembury Beach (Workflow, Lessons & Mistakes)

 Ever tried editing a Milky Way shot and ended up arguing with your software? Same. Here’s how my Wembury Beach images survived Affinity Photo — just about.

Do you remember my Milky Way session at Wembury Beach last month?

If not, you can relive the sandy, slightly chaotic adventure here:
https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2026/05/photographing-milky-way-on-wembury-beach.html

Well… I finally sat down with a mug of tea, opened Affinity Photo, and attempted to turn those raw files into something presentable. What followed was part science experiment, part detective work, and part “why won’t you just do what I’m telling you?”
In other words: a normal night of astrophotography editing.

This post walks through what worked, what didn’t, and what I’ll do differently next time — because if astrophotography teaches us anything, it’s that progress often looks like two steps forward, one step sideways, and one step into a bramble bush.

 

 Where Things Started Going Wrong (On the Night Itself)

Let’s get the confession out of the way:
I should have shot at ISO 3200, not ISO 1600.
My Milky Way band came out far darker than I expected.

But hey — we learn, we adapt, and we try not to cry into our rucksac.

 

 The Great Stacking Experiment

Before diving into Affinity Photo, I decided to run a little three‑way showdown:

• DeepSkyStacker
• Sequator
• Affinity Photo’s own stacking

Think of it as The Great British Stack Off — except nobody gets a handshake and everything smells faintly of dew and seaweed.

Winner this round: Sequator.
Cleanest output, least noise, and the stars behaved themselves.

 

My Affinity Photo post editing Workflow (Step-by-Step)

Below is the full workflow I used — the good, the bad, and the “why is this happening to me?”

 

 1. Layer Setup: Building the Editing Sandwich

1. Opened the Milky Way image and duplicated the background layer three times.
• Background Sky
• Horizon Glow
• Milky Way Band
2. Turned off the Horizon and Milky Way layers.
3. Highlighted the Background Sky layer.

 

 2. Selecting the Milky Way Band

4. Used the Selection Brush Tool in Add mode (soft brush, snap to edges ON) to select the Milky Way.
   Used Subtract mode to clean up stray sky bits.
5. Refined the selection:
• Radius: 1%
• Feather: 0.8 px
• Matte edges: ON
• Output: Selection
6. Turned on the Milky Way layer → clicked Mask → Milky Way isolated.
7. Inverted the pixel selection → turned on Background Sky → clicked Mask.
   Now the sky shows, but the Milky Way band doesn’t.

A neat little cosmic jigsaw.

 

 3. Fixing the Horizon Glow

1. Switched on the Horizon Glow layer.
2. Added an HSL Adjustment:
• Reds: –100% saturation
• Yellows: –100% saturation
3. Used the Gradient Tool (Linear) to draw a gradient from below the glow to above it.
   Turned this into a mask.
4. With a soft white brush, gently painted over the glow area to tame the orange cast.

Think of it like ‘applying concealer to a horizon that partied too hard’ is what a friend suggested when I was describing my frustration with not understanding how to do the procedure well to her. I suspect she was having flash backs to her college days!

 

 4. Enhancing the Milky Way Band

1. Turned off Background Sky + Horizon layers.
2. Selected the Milky Way layer + mask.
3. Added adjustments:
• Curves (midtones boost)
• Levels (tighten blacks)
• HSL (blue tone tweaks)
• Clarity Live Filter
• Denoise Live Filter

This is the part where the Milky Way started to look like the Milky Way again, rather than a ‘smudge’ from a toddler’s pastel crayon.

 

5. Working on the Background Sky

1. Turned off Milky Way layers.
2. Selected Background Sky + mask.
3. Adjustments:
• Curves (darken midtones)
• Levels (deepen blacks)
• HSL (correct colour cast)
• Denoise Live Filter
• Clarity Live Filter

At this point, both sky components looked decent individually…
Which is exactly when everything fell apart.

 

Where It All Went Wrong (The Editing Meltdown)

You know those moments when your brain just packs its bags and leaves the room?
That was me.

I wanted to blend the sky and foreground more realistically — brightness, colour, transition edges — but Affinity Photo had other ideas. No that isn’t fair actually – Affinity Photo knew exactly what it wanted to do and how to do it – it was its idiot user that lost the plot!

❌ Attempt 1: Matching Brightness

Tried lowering opacity → no joy.
Tried curves → nope.
Tried whispering encouragement → still no.

❌ Attempt 2: Softening the Horizon Transition

Tried a black brush on the Milky Way mask → nothing.
Tried Gaussian blur → absolutely nothing.
Tried glaring at the screen → surprisingly ineffective.

Eventually, I admitted defeat.
Sometimes the best editing tool is the “Close Program” button and a consolation biscuit.

 

Final Thoughts (and the Images)

Despite the hiccups, I’m actually pleased with the progress.
Every session — whether under the stars or in front of the monitor — teaches me something new.

These images reflect where my skills are right now:
improving, imperfect, and heading in the right direction.

Much more to learn, much more to try, and many more nights under the South West skies ahead.

Poorly exposed foreground

Wrong exposure 

Like the composition on this one - as this is something I struggle with constantly

Pleased with this one

Quite like this one

Overcooked the milky way and sky; didnt expose the foreground correctly - on both the one above and the one below

In this image - you can see a grey line between foreground and sky - I have no idea what I did wrong during the refine selection process - but I suspect it was there that this line originated. 

Some nights things just don't go right - a failed attempt at imaging the cygnus region of the milky way

 From the back garden

With views restricted only to looking North west to East (steep garden, woodland, houses, bright lights - you name it - I'm surrounded by it), astrophotography from the garden can be tricky and restrictive.

However, I have spent the last two nights trying to capture the Cygnus region Milky Way. 

So here are the details of these back garden micro-adventures. 

Target:

• The milky way in the Cygnus region stretching from Deneb down towards Altair

I tried to frame it with Deneb in the top left hand corner down to Altair in the right hand corner of my frame - but that didn't work - bits of house, bits of trees and bushes. The best I could get was it going semi horizontally across the frame - not ideal but hey ho - sometimes you just have to go with the flow. 

Equipment:

I thought I'd give CoPilot AI a go and get it to recommend to me what equipment I should use and what settings as well given the date, bortle sky area and moon phase. And, surprisingly, it wasnt far out! 

• Astromodded canon 800D
• Samyang 14 mm F/2.8 lens
• SWSA 21 with William Optics wedge
• Benbro Mach 3 carbon fibre tripod
• MSM green laser pen for polar alignment
• Two power banks - one for camera and one for dew heater band
• Samsung A10 galaxy tablet for white screen for flats 
• Aoelan intervalomneter - wireless remote 
• GoPro Hero 9 action cam with small cvub light and amazon basics tripod for videoing

Settings:

Cloudless skies from 0030 and light winds. Temperature around 15C throughout the night. Moon at 53% and growing larger following night. 

Taking all this into account - my initial test shots and histogram review suggested:

• ISO 800
• shutter speed 30"
• aperture F/2.8
• best shooting times 0030 to 0230

And, CoPilot - got all that right! Go figure! 

I ended up with 100 useable light frames, 25 darks, 30 biases and rubbish flats which I had to reject - they came out a horrible orange colour and I have absolutely no idea why - so they have been ditched. 

However, I also came out with some terrible coma and star trailing at the edges - and again I have no idea why.

Some sessions just work well. Others, well they serve up a horrible  'porridge' of mistakes and errors. Still, the best learning comes from analysing our mistakes, doesn't it. 

Below is the final image - full of mistakes: 

So, what are the errors? 

• A lack of sharpness to the stars - it was very evident that there were some coma issues on all of the images - particularly around the edges - and there was nothing I could do to sort it
• I think my Ball Head was slipping through the night - very slow, almost unperceptible, creep
• I think my star adventurer 2i tracker clutch may not have been tight enough

Since then, I have checked over the tracker, sorted and repaired the ball head, and checked my samyang lens focus.

This really is a poor image and I just can't account for the disasters you can see in it.