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UK Astrophotography Highlights September 2026

Images ©Jonathan Penberthy

We have so much to talk about this month, camping trip to a dark sky site, Solar Eclipse, up coming Lunar Eclipse and not to mention the normal array of astronomy wonders, and for me at least some very sad news!

Solar system 

Sun

In prep for the Eclipse I have been experimenting with a Lunt telescope. I have struggled to fully correct the Newtonian rings and so just accept them as part of the image. Here are my best two:

EXIF

Lunt 40mm Ha SolarScope and B400 Etalon.

ZWO ASI120mm Mini camera.

Juwei 17 Mount.

ZWO TC40 Tripod.

Method: 30 second video using SharpCap on my laptop. Stacked in AutoStakkert and colourised from Mono to RGB in Photoshop to taste.

EXIF

Same as photo above, but inverted the Mono image before colourising in Photoshop.

Solar Eclipse

When great events like the Solar Eclipse happen, it really sparks interest in astronomy. Here in the South of England we were blessed with almost completely clear skies in which to image this event. My fiancé and I pitched our gazebo at the celebration organised by Worthing Astronomers at Goring Gap, West Sussex. I am very pleased to say 1,000s came, and I feel like I spoke to everyone of them! We had the ambition of four rigs to be on the go, but due to a few operational issues this was reduced to 3. Don't worry if you missed it, you can see it again over the coming century...

Our Solar Imaging Station:

© Copyright Kayla Drummond

EXIF

Fujifilm X-T4

Viltrox AF 33mm

33mm f/1.4 1/500 sec ISO 160 EXP 0 No flash

The rigs:

1. Celestron 8SE with solar filter for visual. 

2. 40mm Lunt with B400 etalon (call for pricing), with a ZWO ASI120mm Mini Camera on a Juwei 17 Mount (similar), ZWO TC40 Tripod, connected to my laptop for live streaming

3. Canon 7D with EF-S 18-55mm lens on a Manfrotto 290 Lite tripod.

Celestron very kindly supplied the solar filter for the 8SE, and so many were able to observe the sun safely, in person at very close magnification. It really made the event. I will never tire of seeing peoples faces light up with amazement when they visualise something so spectacular with their own eyes... the 8SE is on display in the Burgess Hill store, so if you ever fancy seeing this wonder for yourself it can be arranged I am sure!

The Lunt performed amazingly well, and I am very grateful for having been loaned such an amazing piece of kit. I have to be honest I took hundreds of videos during the eclipse and am yet to process them all, but here is a sneak peak of the kind of results (please forgive the black spots which may or may not be sun spots - the people next to us (all 4000 of them) were having a BBQ!).

The mighty 7D was left to its own devices, I attached a solar filter which my friend had 3D printed, and an intervalometer, and took 1 exposure every 18 seconds for the entire duration of the eclipse, ISO 100, f8 1/800 sec at 35mm. 

Here is a timelapse video, superimposed on a static image I took at the end of the session. I kept the tripod kick in as a reminder to how busy it was!

A tripod kick corrected still image of the timelapse made from every 20th frame or so:

Added each frame as a layer in Photoshop and then used 'lighten' to superimpose it on the next.

If you would like to read further about how to capture it please read Nick's excellent guide here https://www.parkcameras.com/blog/tips-and-inspiration/guide-to-the-next-uk-solar-eclipse_sun06. 

Lunar

Some dear friends of mine got married in late July, and so I took this photo of the Moon to celebrate their union. They now have an A1 copy of this image hanging on their bedroom wall!

At the time of writing this blog, we are expecting to see a partial Lunar Eclipse on the night of the 27th - 28th August around 03:30 - 06:15. I captured the one we had last year, and you can read about the best way to capture it here https://www.parkcameras.com/blog/tips-and-inspiration/lunar-eclipse-photography-tips_tutorial-27-07-2018-1 and also how I personally go about capturing sharp images of the Moon here https://www.parkcameras.com/blog/tips-and-inspiration/lunar-photography-tips-from-jonathan-penberthy_lun-01

This time, cloud dependent, I intend to try and get some close up shots of it rather than the full disc everyone else does.  Here are a few of my practise attempts:

All lunar images capture as follows:

EXIF:

Camera: ZWO ASI585MC Pro. 

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm).

Mount: Juwei 17 Mount Similar:(https://www.parkcameras.com/shop/zwo-new-am5n-harmonic-drive-az-eq-dual-purpose-mount-head-only_9800939w)

Filter: Optolong L eNhance

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-s

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f4) 

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR pro

Method: 

Lights: 30s video.

Darks: 0

Flats: 0

Bias: 0

Stacked in AutoStakkert, tweaked in Photoshop. 

Milkyway

On route to our dark skies campsite in West Cornwall, we stopped off at Stonehenge, where I captured this image. However, I wasnt to know that this would be the very last Astro image I would capture with my 7D.

Exif

Camera: Canon EOS 7D

Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS.

Tripod: Manfrotto 290 lite 

Method: 

Lights: 20 x 10 secs, ISO 1600, f4 (for sharper stars).

Darks: 0

Flats: 0

Bias: 0

Stacked in Sequator, Stretched in Photoshop.

Sadly, a few days later the 7D suffered a catastrophic failure when I incorrectly inserted the CF card and managed to bend a few of the pins. Despite my best attempts to straighten them, the camera still shows an error. Sadly, the USB port on the 7D was already broken from a pervious incident when I kicked the tripod over in the dark and it snapped the lens clean off, with the USB cable and port taking the full brunt of the fall. Don't get me wrong, these were all accidents, I dearly love that 7D, it was my first proper camera, and one that I have used to take many a photo, Astro and otherwise alike.

It has drifted across the deck whilst out sailing, been completely soaked by a breaking wave or five, dropped it too many times to mention, and always it returned to service, but this was the last straw, I finally broke it. It shall now take its place on my desk as a paperweight and a reminder to the strength and durability of that model, and for the reason we all love cameras so much, the wonderful memories it captured. For anyone venturing into this hobby, I would beyond any doubt recommend the 7D as a starting place, well a working one I mean!

A replacement?

The knee jerk response is to treat myself to another 7D, but there are some things which despite its very capable feature list and extremely affordable price point, I would like to remedy. When out yacht racing for example, it was hit and miss whether I would get a sharp image, so something with quicker auto-focus, and may I dare to say, perhaps a full frame sensor and even step into the world of mirrorless. Of course the obvious choice is the Canon Ra, as much as I would love one, I need it for everyday photography too, and I know with a filter this can be achieved with the Ra, but I want something not too specialist, something that performs, is strong, not rare and fairly rugged, or as some might say Jonathan proof and above all not too expensive in case as I have with 2 drones, lose it overboard. A lot to think about, a lot of reading to do, and no doubt compromises to be made. So watch this space! 

Thank you for your service old friend, sorry to see you go, you will be sadly missed...

Deep sky

This month, with the abundance of clear skies I have been very busy, imaging some great targets...

Helix Nebula (NGC 7293)

Located approximately 650 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is one of the closest and most visually striking planetary nebulae to Earth.

Despite the historical name, planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets. The Helix is actually a preview of our own Sun's distant future—a dying, Sun-like star that exhausted its nuclear fuel, shed its outer gaseous layers, and left behind a dense, cooling white dwarf core. This is an image of that explosion.

EXIF

Camera: ZWO ASI585MC Pro. 

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm).

Mount: Juwei 17 Mount Similar

Filter: Optolong L eNhance / Askar Colour Magic C2

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-s

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f4) 

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR pro

Method: 

Lights: 30 x 120 sec Gain 251 - Optolong L eNhance

Darks: 0

Flats: 0

Bias: 0

Stacked in DSS, Processed in Pixinsight with RC-Astro Suite of tools. 

Iris Nebula (NGC 7023)

Located roughly 1,300 light-years away in the circumpolar constellation Cepheus, it is one of the most famous and striking reflection nebulae in the night sky. Unlike emission nebulae, which glow from ionized gas, NGC 7023 does not generate its own light. Instead, a central, massive variable star (HD 200775) acts as a powerful cosmic spotlight, illuminating a vast surrounding cloud of interstellar dust.

EXIF

Camera: ZWO ASI585MC Pro. 

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm).

Mount: Juwei 17 Mount Similar:(https://www.parkcameras.com/shop/zwo-new-am5n-harmonic-drive-az-eq-dual-purpose-mount-head-only_9800939w)

Filter: UV/IR Cut filter.

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-s

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f4) 

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR pro

Method: 

Lights: 67 x 240 sec Gain 120.

Darks: 0

Flats: 0

Bias: 0

Stacked in DSS, Processed in Pixinsight with RC-Astro Suite of tools. 

Sadr Region (Sadr star, Cygnus)

Situated right at the intersection of the Northern Cross in Cygnus, the Sadr Region (catalogued as IC 1318, or the Gamma Cygni Nebula) is a sprawling, chaotic complex of glowing gas, dark dust clouds, and rich star fields centred around the bright star Sadr. While Sadr appears directly in the middle of this glowing cosmic landscape, it is actually a foreground star lying roughly 1,800 light-years away, whereas the massive diffuse nebula complex sits much further back in the Cygnus spiral arm at a distance of around 3,000 to 5,000 light-years.

Exif

Camera: ZWO ASI585MC Pro. 

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm).

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro 

Filter: Optolong L eNhance filter.

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-s

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f4) 

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR pro

Method: 

Lights: 60 x 120 sec Gain 252.

Darks: 0

Flats: 0

Bias: 0

Stacked in DSS, Processed in Pixinsight with RC-Astro Suite of tools. Finishing touches in Photoshop.

The Heart of the Heart Nebula (LDN 1373)

Located roughly 7,500 light-years away in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way (in the constellation Cassiopeia), the Heart Nebula (IC 1805) is an immense emission nebula famous for its distinct, glowing cosmic heart shape.

While the nebula as a whole is designated IC 1805, LDN 1373 refers specifically to one of the prominent dark dust catalogue entries woven into its complex structure—a dense, opaque cloud of interstellar material carved out by stellar winds.

This was my first attempt at using the Weighted Batch Preprocessor in Pixinsight rather than Deep Sky Stacker, considering the lack of data and the conditions (it was very cloudy), I can say this is my chosen path now... it takes longer, but look at the results!

Exif

Camera: ZWO ASI585MC Pro. 

Telescope: Altair Astro 70ED Telescope (420mm).

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro 

Filter: Optolong L eNhance filter.

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120mm-s

Guide Scope: SVBony 30mm (f4) 

Computer: ZWO ASIAIR pro

Method: 

Lights: 48 x 120 sec Gain 252.

Darks: 0

Flats: 0

Bias: 0

Stacked using Weighted Batch Processing and Processed in Pixinsight with RC-Astro Suite of tools.

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By Jonathan Penberthy on 25/08/2026

Jonathan Penberthy

Cosmic Shutter Seeker and Star Programmer

Jonathan Penberthy is the Cosmic Shutter Seeker and Star Programmer at Park Cameras, with over 20 years of experience as a software engineer. His career journey has spanned industries, but a move to Park Cameras sparked a passion for astrophotography. Jonathan’s interest began while working on a lens selection app, leading him to explore the night sky with a Canon 7D. When he’s not programming or photographing the stars, he enjoys sailing and navigating by the cosmos. Learn more on his profile page.