Aaron Stevens Photography - Astrophotography

After trying my hand at some basic astrophotography with a camera, telephoto lens, and tripod, in the spring of 2024 I finally convinced myself to get set up with proper gear to photograph the night sky. I got familiarized with my gear just about 2 weeks before the great American eclipse. These are some of my best shots since then.

I am currently using a Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount, an Askar 103APO Refracting telescope, and various other accessories. Most of these were taken from my backyard in central Arkansas under a Bortle 7 sky. I am still learning a ton, and learning the hard way that there's no substitute for more exposures.

Early Work and the Eclipse

My first real astrophotography project ended up being the American Eclipse of 2023. Previously I'd only gotten mild success following the Nico Carver method with a tripod and intervalometer, although at the time I thought it was awesome. Soon after I was starting to image galaxies, nebulae, and clusters. As of mid-2026 I have imaged over 150 targets and collected nearly a month worth of exposures.

These images were mostly collected using a standard Canon 250D, the same one I use for all my other photography. Towards the end of this section is when I upgraded to a ZWO ASI183MC cooled color astronomy camera, around fall of 2024.

Sunspots - 250D - 103APO

Eclipse Composite - 250D - 103APO

Prominence - 250D - 103APO

Of Course It's Cloudy - 250D - 103APO

Totality Evolution - 250D - 103APO

Tsuchinshan-ATLAS C-A3 - 250D - 50mm

Sombrero - 183MC - 103APO

Elephant Trunk - 183MC - 103APO

Whale - 183MC - 103APO

Saggittarius - 183MC - 103APO

Andromeda 2x3 Mosaic - 183MC - 103APO

Western Veil - 183MC - 103APO

Lio Triplet - 183MC - 103APO

Improving

Towards the end of 2025, I had become experienced enough with astrophotography to start getting really serious about some of my captures. Many of these were edited to be more artistic, had upwards of 15 hours of total integration, and received greater care during processing. Around this time I was also able to develop some custom software that automates the processing through Siril, which has allowed me to work on much more complex multi-night projects. I also picked up an Askar V at some point, allowing me to capture wider field targets.

The core of Andromeda - 183MC - 103APO

Triangulum - 183MC - 103APO

Crescent Nebula - 183MC - 103APO

Rosette - 183MC - V

Jellyfish - 183MC - V

Bode and Cigar Galaxies - 183MC - 103APO

Western Veil - 183MC - V

Thor's Helmet - 183MC - 103APO

Seagull - 183MC - 103APO

Flaming Star - 183MC - V

Ghost of Cassiopeia - 183MC - 103APO

Aurora Borealis, at this time of year, localized in my town!

Getting more advanced

These are some of my images that I feel took the most effort, and represent some of my best work. Notably, the last four were captured on a ZWO ASI183MM Pro, the monochrome version of my first astronomy camera, that I picked up in early 2026. Having both versions means I can get rather clever with how I build the various layers of my images, and I look forward to getting as much use as possible from it. Narrowband imaging in SHO has been a really fun challenge as I learn the ropes of a new style of capture.