zwestfall 🇨🇦
@zwestfall.bsky.social
Software Engineer and dabbler in astronomy/nature photography
Eastern Veil or "Bat" Nebula, captured last week before the smoke rolled in and ruined my remaining plans for the summer. :(
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/ASI 2600 MC Pro, 8 hours total. #astrophotography
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/ASI 2600 MC Pro, 8 hours total. #astrophotography
August 16, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Eastern Veil or "Bat" Nebula, captured last week before the smoke rolled in and ruined my remaining plans for the summer. :(
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/ASI 2600 MC Pro, 8 hours total. #astrophotography
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/ASI 2600 MC Pro, 8 hours total. #astrophotography
Sadr and the Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318), shot from my deck over a few evenings this week. I had fun playing with this one - love all those little dust lanes, Bok globules and other whatsits. :)
Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/L-Enhance, 5 hours total. #astrophotography
Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/L-Enhance, 5 hours total. #astrophotography
July 26, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Sadr and the Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318), shot from my deck over a few evenings this week. I had fun playing with this one - love all those little dust lanes, Bok globules and other whatsits. :)
Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/L-Enhance, 5 hours total. #astrophotography
Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/L-Enhance, 5 hours total. #astrophotography
I made it to my favourite dark place this week to try out a few ideas. Heart of Cygnus, Nikon 50mm 1.8G/D5600a/SGPro. 74 minutes total. #astrophotography
July 17, 2026 at 10:39 PM
I made it to my favourite dark place this week to try out a few ideas. Heart of Cygnus, Nikon 50mm 1.8G/D5600a/SGPro. 74 minutes total. #astrophotography
M13 - first test with the shiny new astronomy camera! I was blown away by how close I could crop and still get a decent result. This is just 11% of the original image. 😀
Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/3+ hours integration. #astrophotography
Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/3+ hours integration. #astrophotography
June 27, 2026 at 5:25 PM
M13 - first test with the shiny new astronomy camera! I was blown away by how close I could crop and still get a decent result. This is just 11% of the original image. 😀
Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/3+ hours integration. #astrophotography
Redcat 51/ASI 2600MC Pro/AM3N/3+ hours integration. #astrophotography
Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex - I'd been itching to try out the old macro lens on this target for a while & finally got out to my favourite dark site this weekend. Happy with how the lens performed! :) (Nikon 105mm f/2.8G @f/4, D5600a, 2.5 hours) #astrophotography
June 14, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex - I'd been itching to try out the old macro lens on this target for a while & finally got out to my favourite dark site this weekend. Happy with how the lens performed! :) (Nikon 105mm f/2.8G @f/4, D5600a, 2.5 hours) #astrophotography
A look into the Virgo Cluster (including Markarian's Chain), taken from my front deck over three evenings. There are more than 500 galaxies visible in this image! Redcat 51/Nikon D5600/7.5 hrs. #astrophotography
April 14, 2026 at 9:58 PM
A look into the Virgo Cluster (including Markarian's Chain), taken from my front deck over three evenings. There are more than 500 galaxies visible in this image! Redcat 51/Nikon D5600/7.5 hrs. #astrophotography
Reposted by zwestfall 🇨🇦
With all the downtime I had this winter, I was starting to think I’d fully miss out on the Orion targets. Either way, after 2 months of hardware problems here’s the Horsehead!
I’ve always wanted to shoot this one but just never had a good opportunity in the pnw.
#astrophotography #photography
I’ve always wanted to shoot this one but just never had a good opportunity in the pnw.
#astrophotography #photography
February 21, 2026 at 2:33 AM
With all the downtime I had this winter, I was starting to think I’d fully miss out on the Orion targets. Either way, after 2 months of hardware problems here’s the Horsehead!
I’ve always wanted to shoot this one but just never had a good opportunity in the pnw.
#astrophotography #photography
I’ve always wanted to shoot this one but just never had a good opportunity in the pnw.
#astrophotography #photography
Flaming Star (IC 405) and Tadpoles (IC 410) nebulae in the Auriga constellation, shot from my front deck over a few recent evenings. Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 10 hours total exposure. #astrophotography
January 18, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Flaming Star (IC 405) and Tadpoles (IC 410) nebulae in the Auriga constellation, shot from my front deck over a few recent evenings. Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 10 hours total exposure. #astrophotography
Hey, a clear night in November! Managed to get about 90 minutes on the Double Cluster in Perseus last night. Redcat 51/Nikon D5600a 🔭
December 1, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Hey, a clear night in November! Managed to get about 90 minutes on the Double Cluster in Perseus last night. Redcat 51/Nikon D5600a 🔭
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) in constellation Boötes, Oct 21, 2025. (Redcat 51, 1 hour stacked)
#astrophotography #comets
#astrophotography #comets
October 25, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) in constellation Boötes, Oct 21, 2025. (Redcat 51, 1 hour stacked)
#astrophotography #comets
#astrophotography #comets
IC 1396 (w/ Elephant's Trunk Nebula) in HOO palette. The dead street lamp outside my house really helped... hope they never fix it! 12.5 hours, Redcat 51, L-Enhance, Nikon D5600a.
#astrophotography
#astrophotography
October 18, 2025 at 8:53 PM
IC 1396 (w/ Elephant's Trunk Nebula) in HOO palette. The dead street lamp outside my house really helped... hope they never fix it! 12.5 hours, Redcat 51, L-Enhance, Nikon D5600a.
#astrophotography
#astrophotography
Reposted by zwestfall 🇨🇦
WR 134 captured from my patio on 14 nights in July & August 😊🔭
This nebula around the star WR 134 was shot on the EdgeHD 8 for a total integration time of 58 h in mono with Ha and OIII narrowband filters and merged with RGB stars.
#Astrophotography
@kat-astro-bot.bsky.social what do you see?
This nebula around the star WR 134 was shot on the EdgeHD 8 for a total integration time of 58 h in mono with Ha and OIII narrowband filters and merged with RGB stars.
#Astrophotography
@kat-astro-bot.bsky.social what do you see?
September 1, 2025 at 4:37 PM
WR 134 captured from my patio on 14 nights in July & August 😊🔭
This nebula around the star WR 134 was shot on the EdgeHD 8 for a total integration time of 58 h in mono with Ha and OIII narrowband filters and merged with RGB stars.
#Astrophotography
@kat-astro-bot.bsky.social what do you see?
This nebula around the star WR 134 was shot on the EdgeHD 8 for a total integration time of 58 h in mono with Ha and OIII narrowband filters and merged with RGB stars.
#Astrophotography
@kat-astro-bot.bsky.social what do you see?
North America and Pelican Nebulae, captured from my front deck (Bortle 7) over several nights last week. 8 hours with dual narrowband filter + 1 hour without (for stars). Redcat 51, L-Enhance, Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
August 9, 2025 at 4:44 PM
North America and Pelican Nebulae, captured from my front deck (Bortle 7) over several nights last week. 8 hours with dual narrowband filter + 1 hour without (for stars). Redcat 51, L-Enhance, Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
A bit of ‘low hanging fruit’ from a recent trip into the North Cascades, BC, Canada.
M8 & 20 (Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae), 90 minutes with Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
M8 & 20 (Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae), 90 minutes with Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
August 2, 2025 at 6:30 PM
A bit of ‘low hanging fruit’ from a recent trip into the North Cascades, BC, Canada.
M8 & 20 (Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae), 90 minutes with Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
M8 & 20 (Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae), 90 minutes with Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600a. #astrophotography
Just over one hour on the Rho Ophiuchi region using a 'nifty fifty' lens. :)
Taken last week from a very dark beach on Vancouver Island. #astrophotography
Taken last week from a very dark beach on Vancouver Island. #astrophotography
July 26, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Just over one hour on the Rho Ophiuchi region using a 'nifty fifty' lens. :)
Taken last week from a very dark beach on Vancouver Island. #astrophotography
Taken last week from a very dark beach on Vancouver Island. #astrophotography
Made it to my favourite dark site for the first time in a while! My intended target was behind puffy clouds, so I changed plans and pointed north.
Milky Way from Cassiopeia to Aquila, 1 hour stack @11mm. #astrophotography #MilkyWay
Milky Way from Cassiopeia to Aquila, 1 hour stack @11mm. #astrophotography #MilkyWay
June 30, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Made it to my favourite dark site for the first time in a while! My intended target was behind puffy clouds, so I changed plans and pointed north.
Milky Way from Cassiopeia to Aquila, 1 hour stack @11mm. #astrophotography #MilkyWay
Milky Way from Cassiopeia to Aquila, 1 hour stack @11mm. #astrophotography #MilkyWay
Life has been really getting in the way of hobbies this year, but I'm finally finding some free time again. Here is a neat little waterfall I discovered last week on Vancouver Island! I took this using a neutral density filter and a 4 second long exposure.
#nature #waterfalls
#nature #waterfalls
June 1, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Life has been really getting in the way of hobbies this year, but I'm finally finding some free time again. Here is a neat little waterfall I discovered last week on Vancouver Island! I took this using a neutral density filter and a 4 second long exposure.
#nature #waterfalls
#nature #waterfalls
The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros - giant cedars in my neighbour's yard always make this one a challenge, but I got a few more hours on it this year.
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 7 hours narrowband + 1 hour broadband. #astrophotography
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 7 hours narrowband + 1 hour broadband. #astrophotography
February 16, 2025 at 8:28 PM
The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros - giant cedars in my neighbour's yard always make this one a challenge, but I got a few more hours on it this year.
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 7 hours narrowband + 1 hour broadband. #astrophotography
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 7 hours narrowband + 1 hour broadband. #astrophotography
NGC 1499 (California Nebula) - January has been kind to us this year on BC’s ‘wet coast’; I managed to get 11 imaging nights in total! Happy for the opportunity to dig in to a bonus winter project. :D
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14 hours integration
#astrophotography
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14 hours integration
#astrophotography
January 31, 2025 at 9:55 PM
NGC 1499 (California Nebula) - January has been kind to us this year on BC’s ‘wet coast’; I managed to get 11 imaging nights in total! Happy for the opportunity to dig in to a bonus winter project. :D
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14 hours integration
#astrophotography
Redcat 51/L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14 hours integration
#astrophotography
IC 1805 (Heart Nebula) - this "preschooler’s valentine" made for a fun January project, and I ended up spending quite a bit more time on it than I'd planned. 😉
Redcat 51/Optolong L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14.5 hours integration
#astrophotography
Redcat 51/Optolong L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14.5 hours integration
#astrophotography
January 23, 2025 at 10:18 PM
IC 1805 (Heart Nebula) - this "preschooler’s valentine" made for a fun January project, and I ended up spending quite a bit more time on it than I'd planned. 😉
Redcat 51/Optolong L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14.5 hours integration
#astrophotography
Redcat 51/Optolong L-Enhance/Nikon D5600a, 14.5 hours integration
#astrophotography
There's a large amount of stuff in this one. 😀
Cygnus to Scutum, taken from my favourite Bortle 2 mountain perch (summertime). #astrophotography #MilkyWay
Cygnus to Scutum, taken from my favourite Bortle 2 mountain perch (summertime). #astrophotography #MilkyWay
January 17, 2025 at 9:51 PM
There's a large amount of stuff in this one. 😀
Cygnus to Scutum, taken from my favourite Bortle 2 mountain perch (summertime). #astrophotography #MilkyWay
Cygnus to Scutum, taken from my favourite Bortle 2 mountain perch (summertime). #astrophotography #MilkyWay
M45, the pretty Pleiades ✨
Imaged January 2024 and reprocessed recently with PixInsight.
Nikon 300mm f/4D with step-down filter ring, D7200, 5.5 hours integration.
#astrophotography
Imaged January 2024 and reprocessed recently with PixInsight.
Nikon 300mm f/4D with step-down filter ring, D7200, 5.5 hours integration.
#astrophotography
January 12, 2025 at 5:18 PM
M45, the pretty Pleiades ✨
Imaged January 2024 and reprocessed recently with PixInsight.
Nikon 300mm f/4D with step-down filter ring, D7200, 5.5 hours integration.
#astrophotography
Imaged January 2024 and reprocessed recently with PixInsight.
Nikon 300mm f/4D with step-down filter ring, D7200, 5.5 hours integration.
#astrophotography
I’ve been having a bit of fun this week going back to some old datasets and reprocessing them with newer & better tools. It’s a wonderful time to be getting into this hobby! 😀
Nikon 300mm f/4D + D7200, 6 hours integration
#astrophotography #Andromeda #galaxies
Nikon 300mm f/4D + D7200, 6 hours integration
#astrophotography #Andromeda #galaxies
January 10, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I’ve been having a bit of fun this week going back to some old datasets and reprocessing them with newer & better tools. It’s a wonderful time to be getting into this hobby! 😀
Nikon 300mm f/4D + D7200, 6 hours integration
#astrophotography #Andromeda #galaxies
Nikon 300mm f/4D + D7200, 6 hours integration
#astrophotography #Andromeda #galaxies
Cygnus Loop (aka Veil Nebula) - this was my most ambitious #astrophotography project of 2024. I spent a total of 9 summer evenings absorbing these faint photons... :)
Redcat 51/L-Enhance Filter/Nikon D5600a, 16 hours integration. 🔭
Redcat 51/L-Enhance Filter/Nikon D5600a, 16 hours integration. 🔭
December 31, 2024 at 9:32 PM
Cygnus Loop (aka Veil Nebula) - this was my most ambitious #astrophotography project of 2024. I spent a total of 9 summer evenings absorbing these faint photons... :)
Redcat 51/L-Enhance Filter/Nikon D5600a, 16 hours integration. 🔭
Redcat 51/L-Enhance Filter/Nikon D5600a, 16 hours integration. 🔭
Kemble’s Cascade and the Golden Harp Cluster (NGC 1502) - this neat and colourful asterism can be found in the northern constellation Camelopardalis. 🔭
Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600. #astrophotography
Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600. #astrophotography
December 28, 2024 at 9:48 PM
Kemble’s Cascade and the Golden Harp Cluster (NGC 1502) - this neat and colourful asterism can be found in the northern constellation Camelopardalis. 🔭
Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600. #astrophotography
Redcat 51 + Nikon D5600. #astrophotography