40 Years Under the Stars: Alessandro Cipolat Bares’ Journey from Film to ZWO CMOS

Hi, my name is Alessandro Cipolat Bares, I’m 72 years old , I live in Aosta, in the Aosta Valley, a mountainous region in the heart of the Western Alps. I’ve been practicing astrophotography for about 40 years, but my passion for the sky and its wonders dates back to my youth.

1. How It All Began

It was the 1960s, the years of the first space trips, the Gemini and Vostok spacecraft, and this had deeply impressed and fascinated me, but the beginning of my astrophotography activity began in 1986 with the arrival of Halley’s Comet, fantastic! And then in the following years the brightest comets of the last century, Hyakutake and Hale Bopp.
It was the time of analog photography, every single image had a story, then slowly, with the advent of the first digital sensors, I moved on to the first CCDs, the first DSLRs, and finally, in recent years, to CMOS.

Comet Hyakutake taken with Nikon FM2 and TP2415 film

Comet Hale Bopp taken with Nikon FM2 and PJM film

Comet Lemmon taken with Askar500, ZWO ASI 2600MC, ZWO ASI AIR, ZWO AM5

Comet Pons Brook, taken with Askar500, ZWO ASI 2600MC, ZWO ASI AIR, ZWO AM5

2. The Setup

I currently use two astrographs: an Artec 200Ez Artesky, 200mm in diameter and a focal ratio of F/4.4. It’s a fantastic telescope designed and marketed by Artesky, a brand made in Italy.
As a second astrograph, I use a high-performance Askar 500, 90mm in diameter and F/5.6. The imaging camera is, of course, a ZWO ASI 2600MC, the guider is a ZWO ASI 220, and the mount is a ZWO AM5.
The ASI AIR completes the setup.

ARTEC 200Ez ARTESKY, ZWO ASI 2600MC and AM5

ASKAR 500, F/5.6, ZWO ASI 2600MC, AM5

I started using an analog camera in the 80s, then I moved on to a CCD and a few years ago I started with a CMOS ASI 2600 MC, this was definitely an important change. For night landscape photography, I use a Canon 6d.

The Moon and Mercury set on the bottom of Mont Blanc….Aosta Valley region

3. Under the Stars

Living in the high mountains I’m fortunate to have perfect locations for observing and photographing the night sky, sky and mountains, a perfect balance! It’s not uncommon, during these nocturnal sessions, to have pleasant encounters… roe deer, fawns, owls, deer, and… wolves, fantastic!!

The night is magical here in the unspoiled nature, the beauty of the mountains and the nature that surrounds me is pure magic. I periodically travel to Namibia, to the Kalahari Desert, to a farm equipped with astronomical equipment, and under one of the darkest skies on Earth I not only photograph but above all observe and contemplate the Cosmos!

M94, ARTEC 200Ez, ZWO ASI 2600MC,ASI AIR

WR134, ARTEC 200Ez, ZWO ASI 2600MC, ASI AM5

VdB 150, Askar 500 , ZWO ASI 2600MC

I periodically travel to Namibia, to the Kalahari Desert, to a farm equipped with astronomical equipment, and under one of the darkest skies on Earth I not only photograph but above all observe and contemplate the Cosmos!

Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Namibia

Tarantula Nebula, AP155, ZWO ASI 2600MC, Antlia filter

4. The Challenge

Being a travelling photographer, and living here in the high mountains, the most intense situations are when I spend the long, freezing winter nights, where, however, the sky is more transparent. Contact with the night sky, with its wonders, makes you aware of the beauty of Nature, of this planet on which we live… but unfortunately we humans seem not to understand it.

Andromeda Galaxy, Askar 600, ZWO ASI 2600MC, ZWO AM5

5. The Processing

My processing is quite simple, the first part, related to calibration, integration, color calibration, etc., is done in PixInsight, the second part with Photoshop, a software that I have been using since the film days. The film was scanned and processed, very superficially, with Photoshop, later with the CCD and CMOS shots I started using different software but, absolutely, the best is P.I.

6. The Achievement

The images I collect under the southern sky are absolutely those I care about a lot as they are experienced first hand, it is pure passion, the contact with the sky is fundamental for me, I could not do astrophotography without this.

Corona Australis Nebula, FSQ106, ZWO ASI 2600MC, APOD NASA June, 2023

I don’t have any particular favourite objects, but one of the areas of the sky that I love is definitely the Scorpius constellation, with its wonderful nebulae rich in colours.

Rho Ophiucus, FSQ 106, ZWO ASI 2600MC

Dust and clouds in Scorpius

7. The Vision — Looking Ahead

Currently, given my age, I am satisfied with the equipment I have, the ZWO shooting setup I have is fantastic, it has made everything easier for me, so I will remain on this standard, not liking remote shooting. I will always spend peaceful nights under the stars.

8. The Connection — ZWO in Your Journey

I have to thank my dear friend Stefano Seveso, manufacturer of the renowned ARTEC ARTESKY astrographs, who convinced me to use ZWO products a couple of years ago. Now I have a 2600MC, ASI AIR, and AM5. This equipment has changed my approach to astrophotography, absolutely for the better! Simplicity, compactness, efficiency, portability, and more! And now many of my other astrophotography friends are following this path.In the future, you at ZWO will surely update and expand the product range for the better. Thanks!