The Gear

Five rigs. One balcony. Bortle 4.

The Observatory

Location

Chiusanico, Liguria

43.98° N · 7.98° E · ~500m ASL

Sky Quality

Bortle 4

SQM ~20.99 mag/arcsec²

Azimuth Window

NNE → S (31° – 180°)

Targets on rising arc only

Altitude Range

+18° floor · ~57°+ ceiling

No meridian flip required

Shooting from a residential balcony with a restricted sky window — every target is planned around the rising arc. The constraint shapes every imaging decision: filter order, session length, target selection.

Imaging Rigs

RIG 01

Askar FRA400

Narrowband & LRGB — primary deep sky

Specs

Telescope: Askar FRA400 — 400mm f/5.6
Camera: ToupTek ATR585M (mono) — 2.9 µm — 3840×2160
Mount: Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO
Pixel scale: 1.50 "/px
Field of view: 1.60° × 0.90°
Gain / Offset: 100 / 300
Cooling: −10 °C
Binning: 1×1

Filters

Hα 6.5nmOIII 6.5nmSII 6.5nmR / G / B / L

Accessories

ToupTek AFW-M 8×1.25" filter wheel
ZWO EAF

Software

N.I.N.A. 3.2PixInsight

The workhorse. Most targets in the gallery were shot with this setup.

RIG 02

Askar SQA55 + ASI2600MC

Widefield colour & dual-narrowband

Specs

Telescope: Askar SQA55 — 264mm f/4.8
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro (colour) — 3.76 µm — 6248×4176
Mount: Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi + WO Equatorial Wedge
Pixel scale: 2.94 "/px
Field of view: 5.10° × 3.41°

Filters

Optolong L-QEF 2"Optolong L-Ultimate 3nm 2"Svbony SV220 2" dual-bandOptolong L-Pro 2"

Accessories

ZWO 5-slot 2" EFW
ZWO ASIAIR Plus
ZWO EAF
WO High Latitude base

Guiding

William Optics UniGuide 30mm f/4 (FL 120mm)
ZWO ASI 120MM Mini (mono)

Software

PixInsight

L-Ultimate captures Hα+OIII simultaneously. SV220 adds the SII channel. Combined in PixInsight for full SHO from a colour camera.

RIG 03

Celestron C8 XLT

Planetary & compact deep sky

Specs

Telescope: Celestron C8 SC XLT — 2032mm f/10 native
Reducer: Celestron 0.63× → 1280mm f/6.3
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro (colour) — 3.76 µm — 6248×4176
Mount: Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO
Pixel scale: 0.61 "/px
Field of view: 1.05° × 0.70°

Filters

Optolong L-Ultimate 2"

Accessories

Celestron Off-Axis Guider
ZWO EAF

Software

N.I.N.A. 3.2PixInsight

Highest resolution setup. Intended for galaxies, globular clusters, and planetary nebulae.

RIG 04

Sky-Watcher Quattro 200P

Fast Newtonian — galaxies & fine structure

Specs

Telescope: Sky-Watcher Quattro 200P — 800mm f/4 native
Coma corrector: Artesky 0.95× → 760mm f/3.8
Camera: ToupTek ATR585M (mono) — 2.9 µm — 3840×2160
Mount: Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO
Pixel scale: 0.79 "/px
Field of view: 0.84° × 0.47°

Filters

Astronomik L-3 Luminance UV/IR Block 2"Hα 6.5nmOIII 6.5nmSII 6.5nmR / G / B / L

Accessories

ToupTek AFW-M 8×1.25" filter wheel
ZWO EAF

Software

N.I.N.A. 3.2PixInsight

Fast and wide for the aperture. f/3.8 with the corrector makes short-exposure LRGB feasible.

RIG 05

Askar SQA55 + ATR585M

Widefield narrowband — large complexes

Specs

Telescope: Askar SQA55 — 264mm f/4.8
Camera: ToupTek ATR585M (mono) — 2.9 µm — 3840×2160
Mount: Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO
Pixel scale: 2.27 "/px
Field of view: 2.42° × 1.36°

Filters

Hα 6.5nmOIII 6.5nmSII 6.5nmR / G / B / L

Accessories

ToupTek AFW-M 8×1.25" filter wheel
ZWO EAF

Software

N.I.N.A. 3.2PixInsight

Same optics as Rig 2 but with the mono ATR585M — for full SHO narrowband on large targets.

Field of View Comparison

Rig	Scale	FOV	Best for
SQA55 + ASI2600MC	2.94 "/px	5.10° × 3.41°	Widefield colour, dual-narrowband
SQA55 + ATR585M	2.27 "/px	2.42° × 1.36°	Wide SHO, large nebula complexes
FRA400	1.50 "/px	1.60° × 0.90°	Deep sky SHO & LRGB
Quattro 200P	0.79 "/px	0.84° × 0.47°	Galaxies, planetary nebulae, globulars
C8 + 0.63×	0.61 "/px	1.05° × 0.70°	Compact objects, planetary