Imaging session on NGC 1499 The California Nebula

 A Night in the Back Garden Under the Stars

Target: NGC 1499, the California Nebula
Mood: Mischievous Backyard Astronomer

There are glamorous observatories on mountaintops… and then there’s my back garden: a patch of grass with a steep incline above it, and a band of trees that act like they own the southern horizon. A slice of sky that runs from the northwest around to the east. Everything else? Hidden behind a wall of woodland darkness, as if the universe pulled a curtain halfway across the stage. Frustrating? Absolutely. But also, oddly charming.

I often joke that imaging from the back garden is lazy astronomy—as if I’m somehow cheating the grand tradition of freezing atop windswept hillside car parks. Yet, every time I do it, I feel delightfully wicked, like a child raiding the biscuit tin when no one was watching. No packing the car. No driving at ungodly hours. Instead, I get to nip inside for a cuppa or catch a bit of TV while the mount gently whirrs away outside under the stars. The nightscape? Hooting owls, prowling cats, and the occasional fox strolling down from the woodland like it’s popping by to check on my guiding graph.

Shamefully luxurious behaviour… and I adore it.

A few months ago, in the spirit of “back garden decadence,” I upgraded the observing area. I installed three perfectly spaced patio slabs for my tripod. Then I brought some colourful 12mm children’s foam jigsaw mats to lay across the decking. Functional? Extremely. The deck turns into something between a skating rink and a death trap this time of year, and those mats keep me from performing accidental gymnastic routines while carrying expensive optics.

So, a few weeks back, on a crisp moonless night, I finally aimed for NGC 1499. From the kitchen table (aka mission control), I could see the mount through the window while stirring hot soup and basking in the warm red glow of my head torch. I seem to feel the cold more these days—an unexpected betrayal, considering how many winters, long ago, I spent stomping through snowfields or dangling from an ice axe on frozen waterfalls. Back garden astrophotography, therefore, feels like a snug loophole in the universe’s rules.

Despite the suburban light pollution, I managed several solid hours on the nebula over two nights. Below is the kit list for anyone curious—or for future me, when I inevitably forget which power bank ran what.

 

Equipment

• Canon 800D with clip-in Optolong L-eNhance filter
• William Optics Zenithstar 61II with 61A field flattener
• Sky-Watcher EQM-35 Pro mount
• Guiding: ASIAir Mini + ZWO 120mm guide cam + RVO 32mm guide scope
• Celestron Lithium Pro power tank
• Dew bands on main and guide scope
• Two small power banks dedicated to dew bands
• Dummy battery + power bank for the Canon 800D
• MSM green laser pen with polar alignment adapter
• Sky-Watcher right-angled polar viewer
• Neewer intervalometer

 

Imaging Data

Night One

• 30 × 360" lights
• ISO 1600
• 12 darks
• 20 bias
• 30 flats

Night Two

• 43 × 360" lights
• ISO 1600
• 15 darks
• 20 bias
• 30 flats

Guiding behaved surprisingly well for an un-serviced, third-hand mount. The RA axis is a little stiff – a bit like me – a ‘sometimes’ reluctant older bloke getting out of a comfortable chair. Nothing disastrous with guiding - RA hovered around 0.80, DEC around 0.90. Honestly, not bad considering I’m still getting acquainted with the ASIAir Mini and its app.

This was my very first rough post edit of the data and I’ll update this post further once I process the images properly; and I will share my full workflow - warts, wonders, and all. Stay tuned for a hopefully better edited California Nebula in all its crimson glory!

As always, collecting thge data is the easy bit

Post editing is a dark, dark art though! 

I am still getting to grips with how SIRIL v1.2.6 works. Throw in GraXpert and then also learning how to use Affinity Photo 2 - and it all fries my brain.

As always, the same issues are cropping up in my post editing work flow - over stretching, noise etc. 

On the bright side? Two years ago I knew absolutely nothing about photography, astrophotography, basic astronomy - so I am making some progress - all be it is small baby steps!