Mars is a funny planet.  What you see is not what you get.  Most maps of Mars show the features of Mars as seen by NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars.  What most astronomers actually see from Earth is the albedo...

Photographing each planet has their own challenges.  I find it useful to divide the planets into three sets: Inner Planets (Venus and Mercury), Outer Bright Planets (Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), and Outer Small Planets (Uranus and Neptune).  I've already...

SharpCap allows users to add Python scripts to setup and control captures and perform other functions.  I recently wrote a Python script to capture Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars.  Specifically for Mars, it prompts the user to manually select an...

Seeing is the scintillation of the sky that causes star to twinkle.  As wonderful as twinkling stars are, bad seeing causes astrophotos to be less sharp.  Here is a link to a webpage called StormSurfing.  If you live in...

I created two videos that cover my methods and best practices to capture and edit Venus and Mercury. Check them out!

My friend Loyd O recorded my CMOS astrophotography presentation from the North Houston Astronomy Club meeting. Here it is in three parts in all its glory. Feel free to share with your friends. Enjoy! Part 1 - https://youtu.be/WjW3bUWmEek Part 2 - https://youtu.be/5Nj5e-Ggr0E Part 3...

I started a gallery of my photographs that were captured and edited using the techniques taught in the Texas Star Cave videos.  These were all captured in under one hour in my backyard Bortle 8 skies.  Let me know...

Astrophotography Edit Best Practices Capture - Calibrate - Stack - Edit Editing HyperStar Nebulae in Affinity Photo   In DSS, balance color, increase saturation and save with adjustments; open in Affinity Photo Apply curves for each channel to balance colors.  Attenuate...

One of the best ways to learn a new subject is to watch someone do it. In this video, I go through the major steps of editing the Rosette Nebula, an emission nebula, under heavily light-polluted skies. We learn...