Astrophotography—it’s more than just taking pictures of the night sky. It’s an art that asks for patience, precision, and a deep connection with the cosmos. For Luca, the creative force behind the Space Koala channel, it’s also a calling. Her journey blends careful planning, multiple telescope setups, and a love for those fleeting, clear nights we all chase.
She’s based in the southern part of Switzerland, where the skies hold both beauty and challenge. From her balcony observatory—humble, but open—she captures what she can, though the glow of city lights always lingers. But when the stars align, quite literally, she packs up and heads for the mountains. Out there, far from the noise, under skies so dark they feel untouched… that’s where the magic happens.
The answer depends on the situation. For a single night of astrophotography, two telescopes are a manageable number, allowing for efficient data collection without becoming overwhelming. However, during an extended trip with multiple clear nights, setting up as many telescopes as possible maximizes productivity. Luca strategically used four telescopes to target different celestial objects, each with unique focal lengths and filters to optimize imaging conditions. While managing several telescopes requires additional setup time and monitoring, automation tools like ASIAIR help streamline the process. The key is ensuring that the workload remains manageable, too many telescopes can become a burden if troubleshooting issues arise. In short, the right number of telescopes depends on experience, available time, and the specific astrophotography goals of the session.
Switzerland does not offer an abundance of clear nights for astrophotography. Weather conditions and the phases of the moon often dictate when Luca can take her telescopes out. Twice a year, a window of opportunity presents itself, with forecasts promising clear, moonless skies for an entire week. When that happens, she seizes the moment by finding an affordable Airbnb in a location that offers dark skies, though not as dark as those at higher altitudes. The compromise of staying in such a location is that it provides essential amenities such as heat, a kitchen, and fast Wi-Fi, which allows her to work remotely during the day while focusing on astrophotography at night.
The reasoning behind setting up multiple telescopes for a single astrophotography trip is simple, opportunities like this do not come often. When the weather is right and the skies are clear, Luca maximizes her time by setting up all the equipment she owns. Given the unpredictability of future weather patterns, she aims to capture as much data as possible during this short window. The previous spring, for example, was particularly unfavorable, with only a single clear night in May, which happened to coincide with a massive aurora event. After that, she endured 56 days of clouds and rain. Such experiences have taught her to make the most of every rare opportunity.
On this particular trip, Luca had a week of mostly clear skies. The first night had partial cloud coverage, followed by four nights of completely clear skies. The following night had some passing clouds, as did her final night, but the conditions were still suitable for capturing high-quality astrophotography data. Being prepared for unexpected weather is crucial, so she brought telescope covers in case of rain. The smaller telescopes could be quickly moved inside, while the larger ones could be covered for protection.
Luca's setup included an impressive collection of telescopes, each assigned to a specific target. Luca’s Artec 250/1000 Newtonian telescope was paired with the ASI 2600 MM camera and dedicated to imaging the Galaxy M63. The goal was to capture an extremely faint halo around the galaxy, a challenging feat that required extended exposure times. The telescope was mounted on a Warpassed WD 20, with a counterweight added for additional stability. Although Luca brought dew shields for all her telescopes, she found that the altitude of 800 meters above sea level prevented excessive humidity from affecting her equipment.
Another telescope in her arsenal was the RASA telescope mounted on a ZWO AM3. While this setup pushed the limits of the mount, it still performed well under controlled conditions. During the first few days of her trip, she used this telescope to capture images of the Scorpion Nebula in Taurus, a project she had started in February. Since dark nebulae like the Scorpion Nebula are best captured under moonless conditions, she carefully timed her sessions to optimize image quality. As the moon entered its first quarter phase, she switched to an F2 L-extreme filter and continued working on the Spaghetti Nebula, a mosaic project she had started earlier in the year.
With astrophotography, choosing the right targets based on the focal length of each telescope is crucial. For the second half of the night, Luca focused on the Coma Galaxy Cluster, alternating between filtered and unfiltered imaging to extract the H-alpha data. During galaxy season, finding targets for telescopes with a 400mm focal length can be challenging, making careful planning essential. If it hadn’t been for the first half of the week’s optimal conditions, she might have left this particular telescope at home.
In addition to traditional astrophotography, Luca experimented with a Polaroid camera, attempting long-exposure images of the night sky. While the idea was intriguing, the results were disappointing. The images lacked detail, and the camera’s limitations became apparent. Though she initially considered making a video about the experiment, the poor results led her to abandon the idea.
Among the more advanced pieces of equipment in her setup were the Seestar smart telescopes, which she tested in equatorial mode. She also had an Askar FRA 600 telescope mounted on a ZWO AM5, equipped with a reducer and paired with an ASI 1600 MM Pro camera. The primary target for this telescope was a mosaic of the Rosette Nebula and an adjacent supernova remnant. During the latter part of the night, she aimed it at a region near Polaris, a part of the sky she had not previously explored in depth.
The largest telescope in her collection was the Celestron C14 EdgeHD, which she used at its native focal length of 3,910mm, paired with a full-frame ASI 6200 MM camera. Her target for this setup was NGC 3718, a peculiar galaxy known for its unique structure. Given the long focal length, the seeing conditions were not optimal for long-exposure imaging. However, she planned to use re-sampling techniques to adapt the data to the conditions, making the most of her high-resolution sensor.
Many viewers questioned why she placed her telescopes so close to a wall. The answer was a combination of terrain and power considerations. The ground sloped downward, making it risky to set up the equipment anywhere else. If a telescope were to fall, retrieving it from the valley below would be a daunting task. Additionally, the availability of power dictated where she could position her equipment. Extension cords stretched as far as they could go, but limitations in power access required strategic placement of the telescopes.
Handling multiple telescopes simultaneously might seem overwhelming, but Luca had a system in place. Each evening, she spent about 20 minutes setting up each telescope, including polar alignment, planning, camera rotation, and guiding setup. Once operational, the telescopes were automated using ASIAIR, allowing her to monitor their progress remotely. Throughout the evening, she checked on each setup periodically until midnight or 1 a.m., at which point she would go to sleep and hope that everything continued running smoothly until morning. While managing multiple telescopes was time-consuming, it was a worthwhile effort given the rare opportunity to capture extensive data.
Viewers also inquired about the financial aspect of her astrophotography setup. While owning multiple high-end telescopes may seem expensive, Luca acquired most of her equipment secondhand. She found exceptional deals on telescopes like the RASA and C14, purchasing them at auctions for less than half their retail price. Her ability to source used equipment significantly reduced the overall cost of her collection, making her passion more affordable than it might initially appear.
During the final moments of her trip, as she glanced up at the sky, she noticed a parachutist near the moon. Hoping to capture this rare sight, she quickly attempted to track and record it. However, a combination of challenges, including a narrowband filter, a slow USB2 connection, and the absence of a finderscope, made it difficult to capture the moment effectively. She lost sight of the parachutist against the clouds, marking the end of her adventure.
Through this experience, Luca demonstrated the level of dedication required for astrophotography. Her meticulous planning, technical expertise, and ability to adapt to unpredictable conditions highlight the complexity of this field. As she packed up her equipment, she reflected on the success of the week, hoping that the data collected would sustain her through the coming months. For now, she looked forward to sharing her results and continuing to explore the cosmos, one clear night at a time.
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