Lost Photons Deep Sky Archive
Gear

The tools behind the photons.

This is the equipment and software stack behind the images — collected slowly over years of learning, field nights, upgrades, and the occasional hard-earned lesson.

Current rig Full history Software
Explore Scientific FCD100 127mm telescope at Cherry Springs State Park
My gear at Cherry Springs State Park in April 2021.

Gear questions are the ones I hear most — from friends who know nothing about the hobby and from club members who want every detail. This page is the honest answer.

I did not buy all of this at once. The list has grown over more than a decade and still changes. Current equipment is marked clearly; retired and former pieces stay here because they are part of how I learned.

Current rig at a glance

What I use today.

A quick snapshot of the active imaging train. Scroll down for the full history, older gear, and software workflow.

Telescope

Explore Scientific FCD100 127mm Carbon Fiber Triplet APO

Example frames: Andromeda Galaxy

Filters

Chroma 36mm Ha, OIII, SII, and LRGB (ZWO EFW 7×36mm)

Example frames: Soul Nebula

Focuser / rotator

MoonLite NiteCrawler

Example frames: Wizard Nebula

Guiding

ZWO off-axis guider + ASI290MM Mini

Example frames: M81 and M82

Control / power

PrimaLuceLab Eagle 4S, Powerwerx PSU, Bioenno field battery, and MEGAbox

Example frames: California Nebula

How the rig evolved.

Three eras, three different problems to solve. Each step taught something the next build depended on.

2014–2018

Early rig

Orion Atlas mount, ED127 Essential refractor, and the ASI071MC one-shot-color era.

Lesson learned: A modest setup can still teach polar alignment, guiding, and processing — but a shaky mount will fight you on every sub.

2019–2022

Mount and optics upgrade

CEM60, FCD100 refractor, and the transition toward longer integrations and better optics.

Lesson learned: Better tracking and sharper optics buy you time: fewer ruined frames and more confidence to stretch acquisition.

2023–present

Current stack

ASI2600MM Pro, Chroma narrowband and LRGB filters, MoonLite NiteCrawler, and Eagle 4S field control.

Lesson learned: Mono narrowband and automation pay off only after power, cabling, and guiding are boringly reliable.

What I learned the hard way.

The gear list is only half the story. These are the practical lessons that actually changed how I run a night.

The mount matters more than beginners think

Tracking quality shows up in every frame. A better mount often improves results more than a bigger telescope.

Cable management can save a night

Snags, loose USB runs, and dew-soaked connectors end sessions quietly. Label cables and strain-relief early.

Reliable power is critical in the field

Voltage drops and loose DC connections cause random failures that look like software bugs until you fix the wiring.

Mono imaging is powerful but adds complexity

Filters, focus shifts, and longer total integration time reward patience. OSC cameras are still a great way to learn.

Automation only helps once the fundamentals are stable

Sequences are wonderful after polar alignment, balance, guiding, and power are already boringly repeatable.

Do you need this much gear?

No — and I did not start here. This setup was built slowly across many seasons, upgrades, and mistakes.

A starter kit can be a sturdy mount, a modest telescope or lens, a cooled or uncooled camera, and free or inexpensive software. You can produce satisfying images long before narrowband filters, a rotator, or a field computer.

Treat this page as a trail map, not a shopping list. Buy for the problems you actually have after you have spent time under the stars.

The full equipment history.

Current pieces sit beside older equipment that helped build the system. Badges mark what is in use today versus what has been retired.

Product links are for identification and reference only. They are not endorsements, and your best choices depend on your budget, site, and goals.

Mount

The mount holds the telescope steady and tracks the sky so stars stay round during long exposures.

Processing PC

A separate workstation stacks, calibrates, and polishes raw frames into the finished images on the site.

Software by workflow.

Hardware is only half the stack. These tools plan the night, run capture at the telescope, and turn raw data into finished images at home.

Guiding

Locking onto a guide star and sending small corrections to the mount during exposure.

Sync & remote utilities

Moving data between field and home machines and keeping remote access simple.