Dave Eagle

Close-up view of the Trapezium area in Messier 42, the Great Orion Nebula. Image taken 2nd March 2026.

As the nights get shorter and spring approaches, I have created a discount code for my books.
Please use the code "Spring" to apply a £2:50 discount on any order from my secure online store.
www.star-gazing.co.uk/shop
This will be active until BST starts on the 29th of March.

Another couple of images taken last night.
If you want to see more, I've posted them on my Flickr site:
www.flickr.com/eagleseyeont...

The Moon and Jupiter were looking wonderful tonight. I haven't done any Moon or planets for ages. It felt good to be out there again. Lots of images to process now. It'll take a while.

Were you as fed up with the hype about Comet 3I last year as I was?
Here's my breakdown of what did, and didn't, happen.
www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/3i-a...

For anybody interested: I am starting a free sun science newsletter (on Substack) titled "Sunny Sci'd Up". With the first post coming soon, the newsletter will contain monthly updates on solar flare activity, solar cycle progression, relevant mission updates, and more. (Link below)

My astrophotography image processing guides are available to purchase from my secure online store.
star-gazing.co.uk

Now I know why we haven't seen the Sun for a while.
It's hiding in Peterborough Cathedral. 😂

A clear night again last night. Late to get set up, and managed an hour and a half before clouds scudded through and I gave up. This is the very faint, challenging emission nebula Sharpless- 204. Some folks call it the Brontosaurus Nebula, probably because it's thin at one end, and what it is too! 😉

Unexpected clear sky in the imaging zone last night. I took advantage to capture another rarely captured nebula, the Northern Trifid, Sharpless-222 in Perseus. Lies about 2,000 light-years from Earth.

It's been three months since Canva's Affinity 3 was released, and it's now completely free.
Here's what I think of it, and why Adobe should be worried.
www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/shop...

Are you struggling to get the best out of your images?
If so, my astrophotography image processing books, available from my secure online store, will guide you through some easy-to-follow workflows:
www.star-gazing.co.uk/shop

ZWO has made some data available from the new SeeStar Pro. I couldn't resist having a very quick dabble with them. It produces lovely images and has two nice fields of view.

Sorry to hear that Sky at Night stalwart, historian of English astronomy, high powered lecturer and friend to astronomy societies everywhere Allan Chapman has died. He’ll be much missed.

I have received another very nice testimonial for my new Affinity guide from a very satisfied customer in Finland. 😃
My astrophotography image processing guides are available from my secure online shop.
www.star-gazing.co.uk/shop

I finally had a chance to process some images from Tuesday night. It still needs a lot more data, but here's an image of the Horsehead Nebula. Not too bad for a bright Moon in the sky.

Very nice. 🤩

Yay! I've seen a lovely review of my new Affinity Astrophotography Image Processing book on First Light Optics Web page.
www.firstlightoptics.com/books/affini...
It is available from FLO or directly from my Web site:
www.star-gazing.co.uk/shop

Oops!

Last night was possibly my last session out with a telescope for 2025, as tonight looks iffy. Boy, it was cold, so I wasn't out for too long.

That's like all star-like objects. We can't resolve their disks, as they are too far away, but pick up the light they emit.

Yay!! I've finally cracked the publishing side of Affinity. It's so different from Word and also has its own idiosyncrasies. However, I now know enough to use it to publish my planned books.

I used a StellaLyra 8" f/8 M-LRS RC and an uncooled ZWO ASI585MC, with an Antlia RGB Ultra Filter.

A more careful reprocess of my Messier 1, Crab Nebula, image taken a couple of nights ago, to help reveal the pulsar at the centre of the expanding cloud of material from the supernova.

I might give myself a nice ongoing winter project to see if I can capture changes in Hubble's Variable Nebula.

Nebulosity close to the bright star Mu Geminorum, captured in Ha.

Sharpless 264 and the reflection nebula, Cederblad 51, located in northern Orion.

The Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, captured last night.

Part of Barnard's Loop, captured last night.

Northern Lights Norway Cruise Fred Olsen, Go Stargazing Cruise, In Search of The Northern Lights. 13th - 27th of November 2025. It's not easy taking images from a moving ship.

If anyone is interested in seeing some pictures taken during our Go Stargazing, Fred Olsen, Chasing The Northern Lights Cruise last month, I have started posting them here:
www.flickr.com/photos/eagle...
Have a great Christmas and a fantastic 2025, everyone.