Chasing the Stars: My Astrophotography Journey

My journey into astrophotography began in 2020, during a time when I wasn’t very confident with computers. I remember joining online astrophotography communities, full of hope and questions—but instead of encouragement, I was often dismissed. Some even told me I wouldn’t be able to do the hobby at all. That criticism gave me a point to prove—not to others, but to myself.

My first setup was modest: a William Optics Z73 telescope paired with a Canon Mark III camera. I spent countless hours watching YouTube tutorials, determined to teach myself everything I could. Eventually, I made the trip down to the dark skies of Kerry, Ireland. It was there that I met Steven Hanley, a fellow enthusiast from Dublin. After we returned, Steven introduced me to his friend Carl O’Beirnes, an experienced astrophotographer who had been capturing the night sky for years. Their support and mentorship were a turning point in my journey.

That same year, I had one of my proudest moments—seeing one of my images, featuring a comet and noctilucent clouds, published in a magazine. These rare clouds, visible only in a few countries, appear during the short summer nights in Ireland when the sky never gets fully dark. It was a surreal experience.

As I continued learning, I discovered the ASIAIR, which completely transformed how I worked. I invested in the ZWO ASI2600MC camera shortly after its release, along with the ZWO 120 autoguiding camera and a William Optics guide scope. The ability to auto-guide improved my imaging significantly. Living under Bortle 9 skies—just ten minutes from Dublin City Centre in Ballyfermot—made astrophotography a challenge, but not an impossible one.

Thanks to the support of the ZWO community, particularly one member named Tom, and through countless hours of learning from YouTube creators like Shawn from After Dark Astronomy in Canada, I picked up Pixinsight with ease. I even completed one-on-one sessions with Shawn to refine my processing skills.

Despite Ireland’s often cloudy skies and heavy light pollution, I was proud to have one of my images earn an APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) and be featured in BBC Magazine. Still, I knew I needed darker skies to truly take my work to the next level.

So I worked long hours, saved up, and eventually made the move to a remote setup in Trevélez, in northern Spain. There, I received fantastic support from Ronan and Tom, who helped me get started under truly dark skies. I upgraded to the ZWO FF130 refractor telescope with a reducer, paired once again with the trusty ZWO ASI2600MC Pro. That camera has never let me down in over five years of use.

One of my most rewarding projects was capturing the Dumbbell Nebula using this setup. With a focal length of 730mm at f/5.4 (with the reducer), I captured the nebula over several clear nights in 2024. Each sub-exposure was five minutes long, totalling between 32 to 36 hours of integration, using an L-Extreme filter. The result was one of my finest images to date.

Reflecting on this journey, I’m deeply grateful to everyone who helped me along the way—from Ireland, the USA, and Canada. This article is my way of saying thank you. Special thanks to ZWO—not just for the innovative equipment that made this all possible, but for the ongoing support from their community and team.

To those just starting: Don’t listen to the doubters. Keep learning, keep shooting, and let your passion guide you. If I can go from zero computer knowledge to capturing deep-sky wonders under Bortle 9 skies, so can you.

— Joey Desmond