Andromeda.
A galaxy in detail.
M31, photographed by CaliSky. Follow the dust lanes across its luminous disk, with companion galaxies M32 and M110 in the same field.
The “easy” target I kept putting off.
I had wanted to photograph M31 for a long time, but I kept telling myself it was too easy a target. Somehow, that meant I never actually did it. This year, I finally stopped putting it off—and after 25 hours of color data, this is the result.
What drew me in was the detail: the dark dust lanes, the faint structure across the disk, and the little companion galaxies sharing the frame. A familiar target, but finally my own view of it.
Andromeda is about 2.5 million light-years away. The light captured here began its journey long before we ever pointed a camera at the sky.
- Total integration
- 25 hours of color data
- Imaging camera
- ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
- Telescope
- William Optics RedCat 51 · original version
- Mount
- Celestron CGX-L
- Guide scope
- William Optics 50 mm
- Focusing
- ZWO EAF
- Acquisition control
- ZWO ASIAIR Plus
- Processing workflow
- GraXpert · Photoshop · starless processing
Why the CGX-L for a RedCat 51? I was also using my William Optics FLT 132 on the same mount at the time.
The 2026 lunar eclipse, start to finish.
A complete time-lapse of the Moon moving through Earth’s shadow—captured, processed, and presented by CaliSky.
California among the stars.
CaliSky follows the night sky with a practical, curious eye—from first light and field setup to long exposures and the final image. The goal is simple: explore, capture, and inspire.