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.

Equipment Software
Explore Scientific FCD100 127mm telescope at Cherry Springs State Park
My gear at Cherry Springs State Park in April 2021.

Let's talk about gear. This is one of the most common things I get asked about. I get these questions from friends who know nothing about the hobby and get even more detailed questions from amateur astronomers and club members.

I did not just buy all this gear one night. I've been growing my collection over the last 10 years, and it will continue to evolve. This list reflects the equipment page as of June 2022, with retired gear shown struck through.

The imaging train, mount, power, and control stack.

Current pieces sit beside the older equipment that helped build the system. Retired items are kept here because they are still part of the learning trail.

Acquisition, guiding, solving, and processing.

Hardware is just the beginning. To make the system work together, acquisition and processing software carry a lot of the night.