By Wido Oerlemans June 17, 2026 If you were watching the live streams today, you saw history happen. At 13:53 CEST (08:53 local time in Kourou), Arianespace pulled off flight VA269. The heavy-lift Ariane 64 configuration blasted off using its brand-new, upgraded P160C solid rocket … Continue readingWhat the New Amazon LEO Mega-Constellation Means for Amateur and Professional Astronomy
There is a specific moment in every astrophotographer’s journey that changes everything. You’ve spent months, maybe years, shooting wide nebula fields with a crisp triplet refractor. You’ve mastered the Orion Nebula, tracked the Pleiades, and captured the vast tendrils of the Veil. But then, late … Continue readingThe Ultimate Celestron EdgeHD Buying & Astrophotography Guide
Few pieces of equipment have completely reshaped the landscape of modern astrophotography quite like the William Optics RedCat 51. When it first launched, it shattered the unwritten rule that serious deep-sky astrophotography required a massive, frustratingly complex, multi-thousand-dollar optical system. Instead, the community was handed … Continue readingThe Ultimate William Optics RedCat 51 Guide: Every Version Explained, Real-World Pros & Cons, and Buying Guide
If you’ve ever wanted to see a piece of the most famous comet in history with your own eyes, tonight is your chance. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is peaking over the next 48 hours (May 5–6, 2026). While Halley’s Comet won’t return to our … Continue readingHalley’s Comet Returns (Kind Of): How to Watch the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower Tonight
Field Report: April 15, 2026 Comet C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS) By Wido Oerlemans | Utrecht, NL Individual frames (45x60s) showing local sky conditions Session Snapshot (04:30 – 05:30 AM) Distance at Capture 110M km Approx. 0.73 AU Velocity 64 km/s ~230,400 km/h Peak Altitude 20° Morning … Continue readingComet C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS) Captured!
In this comparison, I take a deep dive into two of the leading entry-level smart telescopes on the market in 2026: Dwarflab’s DWARF Mini and ZWO’s Seestar S30. I’ll be breaking down the technical specifications, the overall value proposition, and the real-world ease of use … Continue readingSeestar S30 vs. DWARF Mini Smart Telescope: Which Should You Buy?
Live Tracker: C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) 🔴 Live Update: Position, Distance & Brightness C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) may become visible as a naked-eye comet for the upcoming weeks in April 2026 in the early morning sky at mid-northern latitudes, just before sunrise. COORDINATES RA: Loading… DEC: Loading… … Continue readingHow to See April’s Naked-Eye Comet: C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS)
LANGUAGE / TAAL: Nederlands English No family should have to sleep on a dirt floor under a roof made of branches. This summer, I am traveling to Guatemala with Willemijn and our two daughters, Vivienne and Emilie, to get our hands dirty and personally build … Continue readingHelp Us Build a Home in Guatemala!
In this blog, I’m sharing my first full night with the StellaVita Smart Astrophotography Controller (formerly the AstroStation). Huge thanks to ToupTek for sending this unit over for an independent and unpaid review. My goal: see if this device can truly act as a “universal … Continue readingToupTek StellaVita Smart Astrophotography Controller Review (v2.05)
It’s early March, and a brilliant Full Moon is lighting up the night sky. For many astrophotographers, that much moonlight makes capturing faint deep-sky objects feel like a lost cause. But with a monochrome narrowband setup, you can block out most of that unwanted glare … Continue readingBeating the Full Moon: First Light with the ToupTek ATR585M on the Tadpoles Nebula