North America Nebula

30. May. 2025

Gear used

• Telescope: Samyang 135mm cameralens at f/2.8
• Filter: Optolong L-enhance
• Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC pro
• Guidescope: Uniguide 32
• Guidecamera: ZWO ASI220MM Mini
• Mount: ZWO AM5N
• Controls: ASIAIR Plus

Data collected

• Sky: Bortle 4 to 5
• Lights: 118 x 120s
• Biases: 30
• Darks: 30
• Flats: 30

A Tiny Setup for a Huge Nebula

As we move further into summer in the northern hemisphere, the bright, expansive emission nebulae of the Milky Way once again grace our night skies. Unfortunately, the nights are also getting shorter. With only about three hours of darkness, and the weather being as uncooperative as ever, I had to find ways to maximize my imaging time.

To make the most of these limited opportunities, I prepared in advance by getting an adapter that lets me mount my Samyang 135mm camera lens to my cooled astronomy camera. Even though this imaging setup looks almost comically small on the large AM5N harmonic drive mount, it's incredibly capable. The lens captures light at a fast f/2.8 and delivers razor-sharp results.

As soon as the skies cleared, even briefly, I aimed this tiny setup at one of the largest nebulae visible, the North America Nebula. I managed to collect nearly four hours of integration time before the clouds returned. Thanks to the fast optics, that was more than enough to produce a stunning image of this massive nebula and its surroundings.