Welcome!
This is my first entry into my RPhotoz Astrophotography Blog. I have been into astronomy since 1996 and started doing astrophotography in 1997. I started with a modest Olympus OM1-n and 50mm Zuiko lens and have been upgrading ever since.
I have struggled over the years to keep working in this hobby but find myself coming back to it over and over. I mostly lost the will because of the time and effort it took to haul out the heavy equipment, get it all setup, align, and image for hours. All this had to be done on a night that I had plenty of time and the skies were dark and clear. I found my self not imaging for years and even then the images were poor due to lack of familiarity with the equipment.
In 2012 I found iTelescopes.net. I purchased some time on their telescopes and was amazed at the quality of the results I got. Time is pretty expensive on their bigger telescopes but the experience led me back into the hobby.
I have been interested in the Paramount ME for years but when the MX version was released, I knew I had to get one. Once I had the mount I knew I had to eliminate the variables that kept me away from imaging. In the summer of 2013 I built the Noel Observatory. It is a modest backyard observatory but I can now image within 10 minutes of deciding to do so.
I will try to publish often and hopefully others will find the articles helpful. I will write about what I know and what has worked for me but others may have different approaches and opinions. I urge you to look around and decide for yourself as that is the true way to knowledge.
