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Ian Alfano Photography

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08/05/2026

The Lion Nebula (Sh 2-132)

I usually have a list of targets I want to photograph. Some I can’t yet because they are too small and I need a larger telescope, some its not the season for it, and some I don’t have a good view of from where I currently am usually set up.

The Lion Nebula was not on that list. The next target I wanted to shoot was going to be without a filter but the moon would have interfered, so I had to look for something else. I am happy this one came to mind.

Shot in HOO, it’s a cool looking target with its red and blue sections. Total integration over 20 hours.
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-132

07/27/2026

The Western Veil (NGC 6960) & Pickering’s Triangle

This is a revisit to the Cygnus Loop area but with my longer scope this time, so I focused in on the Western Veil side. It is also known as the Witch’s Broomstick for it uniquely looking like one.

I framed this to include Pickering’s Triangle (bottom left) since I had the space to spare in the frame.

Total integration just over 14 hours. Annotated view on the swipe.
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07/21/2026

The Milky Way

When you are in a sky dark enough to see the Milky Way it’s pretty awing the amount of stars you can see in the sky. I fell in love with dark skies the first time I saw the Milky Way, back in 2012.

I was pretty disappointed that for nearly the whole visit (2 weeks!) to Colorado I couldn’t see the Milky Way. I’ve seen and photographed it at the very spot we were. Again, the moon and clouds were robbing me of this spectacular view that I chase and cherish every chance I get.

The last night we were out in Colorado it was supposed to be a clear night again but I expected what I was getting most clear nights on the trip - “clear” skies that were being muddied by smoke. To my surprise it was a perfectly clear night! There was my view and I soaked it in.

I took this shot with my camera while my telescope was shooting the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. I stacked 13 shots of 8 seconds.
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07/15/2026

Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex

This colorful area of the sky is something I have wanted to photograph for a while! Getting those dark clouds to show up is something you need darker skies for.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to capture this target. With the moon and smoke it was looking unlikely - but I was in luck! The last night we were in Colorado the smoke completely cleared and BAM - there was the Milky Way! This area of the sky is just to the right of the Milky Way so if I could see the Milky Way I knew I could shoot this.

The moon wouldn’t be rising until after 12:30am, giving me enough time to capture a few hours of this target unhindered by the moon. I kept shooting until it was obstructed from view.

As with other targets I wish I had more time (another night in this case) to shoot this target. Nonetheless I am happy with how it came out! Total integration of just under 3 hours.

Swipe for annotated view.
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07/14/2026

IC1396 including the Elephant Trunk Nebula

When preparing for this trip out to Colorado I planned out five targets to attempt to capture over 6 days. Since it was a family trip I knew I wouldn’t be able to shoot every night and it is always better to go in with a plan instead of trying to decide on the spot.

Despite planning, the full moon, wildfire smoke, and some cloudy days made me have to change things up a little. I had one night that was clear enough to shoot but the targets I had left on my list would not work. I wanted to take advantage of the night so I started looking for something else to shoot.

Enter IC1396. Most people focus on the Elephant Trunk Nebula (top right corner) because it is the most interesting part of this target. With my wide field telescope I captured the whole thing.

Total integration is just over 5 hours. It could have used more time, and if I hade more time it would have been a nice target to shoot in the SHO palette.

Swipe to see a close up crop of the elephant trunk and an annotated version.
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07/13/2026

The North American Nebula and Pelican Nebula

This was the second nebula group I photographed while out in Colorado. This one required a couple of nights because I was shooting with two different filters to achieve the SHO/Hubble palette look.

Again, I was dealing with the full moon which made things a bit difficult. Working with filters helps some, but doesn’t completely negate the effects. That said, I was able to pull out enough information for a good image! The Hubble palette really makes this image look stunning.

Total integration is just under 12 hours.

Swipe to see an annotated version of the photo.
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07/12/2026

The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula)

My family and I just got back from a trip to Colorado to visit family. We were out there for two weeks - the majority of the time in a very dark location! I decided to bring my small telescope and take advantage of the opportunity. This was the first time having a telescope in a very dark sky location.

Since this trip was not centered around astrophotography, the timing was far from ideal - I was working around a full moon that would be out pretty much every night. To make matters worse there have been lots of fires in Colorado and Utah creating smoky conditions. Despite it all I was able to capture some good images!

First on the list - The Cygnus Loop is a supernova remnant of a star that exploded 5 to 15 thousand years ago. Most people focus of either the Western Veil (top right portion) or Eastern Veil (bottom left portion) but with my wide field telescope I captured the whole area.

Total integration is just under 3 hours. I wanted to capture more, but the night I photographed this clouds came in later in the evening and I needed to use the other nights for other targets.

Swipe to get a better idea of where each parts of the Veil nebula are located!
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06/02/2026

The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)

I haven’t had the opportunity to shoot too many galaxies yet. Since I do the majority of my shooting in my backyard and my backyard’s view of the sky is limiting I miss out on some targets. Also many galaxies are very tiny and you need a long focal length to be able to capture them. This target is near the limit of being too small to be worth shooting at my current focal length.

I photographed this target back in early April. Over 12 hours of total integration time.

Swipe for a closer look!
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03/26/2026

The Rosette Nebula (Caldwell 49)

It’s always fun coming back to targets I’ve photographed in the past with new skill, technique, or gear to see what improvements I’ve made. Last time I photographed this I made a faux SHO (Hubble palette) photo by taking an HOO image and editing it to look a certain way.

Now that I have an Sii + Oiii filter along with the Ha + Oiii filter I can do a more realistic SHO photo by shooting with both filters, breaking them apart into their RBG components, and reassembling in such a way to represent SHO - unlike with a mono camera where you would just shoot each band filter separately and combine.

For this shot I took just over 14 hours of Ha + Oiii and a bit over 13 and a half hours of Sii + Oiii at 3 minute subs. Combined total integration of almost 28 hours.
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01/30/2026

The Cave Nebula (Sh 2-155)
This is a reprocessing of older data, which I decided to revisit due to some interest in the photo. With better tools and improved processing skills, I was able to get a much stronger final result.

Four minute sub exposures for a total integration time of about 38 hours.
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-155 astrophotography astrophotos darksky apertura zwo

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