Observatories

Observatory Oberallgäu Germany

• Observatory name: Observatory Oberallgäu Germany
• Location: Knottenried, Oberallgäu, Germany
• Coordinates: 47°36’13“ N, 10°11’24“ E (Google maps)
• Average sky darkness: SQM-L  21.00 - 21.54 mag/sqrsec
• Elevation: 1002 m
• Average seeing: 1.5'' - 3.0''

Telescopes

 

Telescope 1 Specification

• Model: Telescope Service TS 14"RC Ritchey-Chrétien
• Aperture: 355 mm (14 inches)
• Focal Length: 2845 mm, F-ratio: 8.0
• Mount: HPS 10Micron GM 3000
• Minimum elevation: 10-25 degrees

Telescope 2 Specification

• Model: Williams Apo Refraktor AP 110/770 FluoroStar 110 TMB
• Aperture: 110 mm (4.5 inches)
• Focal Length: 770 mm, F-ratio: 7.0
• Mount: HPS 10Micron GM 3000
• Minimum elevation: 10-25 degrees

Telescope 3 Specification

• Model: Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM I
• Aperture: 100 mm (4 inches)
• Focal Length: 300 mm, F-ratio: 2.8
• Mount: HPS 10Micron GM 3000
• Minimum elevation: 10-25 degrees

Camera Specification

• Model: Sony A7Ra (IMX094) astro modified
• Pixel Size: 4.88 μm
• Pixel Array: 7376 x 4928 px
• Pixel Resolution: 0.35 arcsec/pixel with TS 14"RC
  Pixel Resolution: 1.30 arcsec/pixel with Williams Refractor 110/770
  Pixel Resolution: 3.34 arcsec/pixel with Canon EF 300mm
• No Cooling: T sensor = +15 to 23°C in summer, -4 to +10°C in winter
• Field of View: 0.72 x 0.48 degrees with TS 14"RC 2845 mm
  Field of View: 2.67 x 1.78 degrees with Williams Refraktor 770mm
  Field of View: 6.85 x 4.58 degrees with Canon EF 300mm
• Filters: CLS-CCD
• Exposure times (in seconds): up to 120 mostly at ISO3200
• Available binning: 1

 

Remote Controlled Observatories

Since 2025, I have been using image data from the following remote controlled observatories in very dark regions in Chile, the USA, Spain, China, and Australia.

These telescopes are accessible to any astrophotographer via the internet. You can either rent them individually by the hour and adjust the parameters like exposure times, filters and coordinates of the desired objects directly, or you can use the raw data of the most popular objects from numerous telescope sessions and share the costs with other photographers.

This saves a lot of time, expensive equipment, and makes you independent of weather, moon phase, and artificial light pollution.

After downloading the raw image files, processing begins with specialized software. The raw data are mostly monochrome files acquired with RGB filters or narrowband filters for the spectral lines of Sulfur II 672 nm, Hydrogen-A 656 nm, Oxygen III 496 nm/501 nm, and Helium II 468 nm.
Each celestial object requires exposure times of one to 20 hours or more, typically 2 to 10 minutes per image. This means importing up to 100 individual images into the software, e.g., Siril 1.4.0. Here, you first create a master image of each color channel by registering, calibrating, stacking, and stretching. Finally, all master frames are combined into a finished RGB color image. This means red-green-blue to RGB or narrowband SII-Ha-OIII to RGB in the Hubble palette.

You then convert this RGB color image to a 32-bit RGB TIF file and start the workflow in Photoshop.
You edit individual object-related aspects such as the final histogram stretch, noise reduction, transparency, selective color adjustment, etc.

Finally, we export the image in the desired format and publish it for sharing with others.

So here are all the telescopes with which the raw data for my processed images were exposed:

El Sauce Observatory Chile (CHI)

 

• Observatory name: El Sauce Observatory
• Location: Río Hurtado, Coquimbo Region, Chile
• Coordinates: 30.472529° S, 70.762999° W (Google maps)
• Elevation: 1525 m
• Average seeing: 1'' - 1.5''
• MPC code: X02

Telescopes

CHI-1-CMOS

Telescope Specification

• Model: Planewave CDK24
• Aperture: 610 mm (24 inches)
• Focal Length: 3962 mm, F-ratio: 6.5
• Mount: Mathis MI-1000/1250 with absolute encoders
• Minimum elevation: 30 degrees 

Camera Specification

• Model: QHY 600M Pro ( QHY600 data sheet )
• Pixel Size: 3.76s μm
• Pixel Array: 9576 x 6382 px
• Pixel Resolution: 0.39 arcsec/pixel in BIN2
• Cooling: -10 degrees in summer, -15 degrees in winter
• Field of View: 31 x 20.7 arcmin
• Filters: Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, Halpha, SII, OIII, Sloan r, Sloan g
• Position angle: Up is 4.6 degrees E of N
• Allowed exposure times (in seconds): 30,60,120,180,240,300
• Available binning: 2

CHI-2-CCD
CHI-4-CCD (identical setup to CHI-2-CCD

Telescope Specification

• Aperture: 500 mm (19.6 inches)
• Focal Length: 1900 mm
• F-ratio: 3.8
• Mount: ASA DDM85 equatorial mount with direct drives
• Minimum elevation: 30 degrees

CMOS Camera Specification (CHI-1-CMOS, installed in January 2023)

• Model: FLI PL 16803 (data sheet)
• Pixel Size: 9 μm
• Pixel Array: 4096 x 4096
• Pixel Resolution: 0.98 arcsec/pixel
• Cooling: -25 degrees in Summer, -30 in Winter
• Field of View: 65 x 65 arcmin
• Filters (50mm square): Astrodon LRGB 2GEN, Ha (3nm), SII (3nm), OIII (3nm)
• Position angle: 270 degrees

CHI-3-CCD

Telescope Specification

• Aperture: 1000 mm (39 inches)
• Focal Length: 6800 mm
• F-ratio: 6.8
• Mount: ASA Alt-Az Direct Drive Mount
• Minimum elevation: 30 degrees

Camera Specification

• Model: FLI PL 16803 (data sheet)
• Pixel Size: 9 μm
• Pixel Array: 4096 x 4096
• Pixel Resolution: 0.27 arcsec/pixel
• Field of View: 19 x 19 arcmin
• Filters(50mm square): Astrodon LRGB 2GEN, Ha (3nm), SII (3nm), OIII (3nm), Sloan r, Sloan g, Sloan i 
• Available binning: 1, 2
• Position angle: This can vary depending on which guide star is used.

CHI-5-CCD, 10 CM F2.0 Refractor

Telescope Specification

• Aperture: 100 mm (3.94 inches), Focal Length: 200 mm, F-ratio: 2.0
• Mount: 10 Micron GM1000HPs German equatorial mount
• Minimum elevation: 32 degrees

Camera Specification

• Model: FLI ML 16200 (data sheet 16200)
• Pixel Size: 6 μm
• Pixel Array: 4500 x 3600
• Pixel Resolution: 6.3 arcsec/pixel
• Cooling: -20 degrees
• Field of View: 7.9 x 6.3 degrees (473 x 378 arcmin)
• Filters (50mm square): Astrodon LRGB 2GEN, Ha (3nm), SII (3nm), OIII (3nm)
• Position angle: Up is 179 degrees E of N

CHI-6-CCD

Telescope Specification

• Aperture: 200 mm (8 inches)
• Focal Length: 600 mm
• F-ratio: 3.0
• Mount: Astro-Physics 1200GTO Equatorial Head Specifications
• Minimum elevation: 32 degrees

Camera Specification

• Model: FLI ML 16200 (data sheet 16200)
• Pixel Size: 6 μm
• Pixel Array: 4500 x 3600
• Pixel Resolution: 2.06 arcsec/pixel
• Cooling: -20 degrees
• Field of View: 2.58 x 2.06 degrees (155 x 124 arcmin)
• Filters (50mm square): Astrodon LRGB 2GEN, Ha (3nm), SII (3nm), OIII (3nm)
• Position angle: Up is -90 degrees E of N

 

IC Astronomy, Spain (SPA)

Remote Observatory

• Site: IC Astronomy
• Location: Oria, Almería, Spain
• Coordinates: 37.4988 N,-2.42178 W (Google maps)
• Elevation: 1250 m
• Average Seeing FWHM: 1.5'' - 3.0''
• MPC code: Z08

 

Telescopes

SPA-1-CMOS, 10cm Refractor
SPA-3-CMOS, 10cm Refractor (both identical setups)

Telescope Specification

• Model: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4
• Aperture: 106 mm
• Focal Length: 382 mm
• F-ratio: 3.6 (with 0.73x focal reducer)
• Mount: Paramount MX+
• Minimum elevation: 30 degrees

CMOS Camera Specification (SPA-1-CMOS, installed in January 2023)

• Model: QHY 600M Pro ( QHY600 data sheet )
• Pixel Size: 3.76s μm
• Pixel Array: 9576 x 6382 pixels
• Pixel Resolution: 2.02 arcsec/pixel
• Cooling: -10 degrees in summer, -15 degrees in winter
• Field of View: 321 x 214 arcmin
• Filters: Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, Halpha, SII, OIII
• Position angle: Up is 179.9 degrees E of N
• Allowed exposure times (in seconds): 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300
• Binning: 1

 

SPA-2-CMOS, 70cm Reflector

Telescope Specification

• Model: Officina Stellare 700 RC
• Aperture: 700 mm, Focal Length: 5600 mm, F-ratio: 8.0
• Mount: Officina Stellare equatorial fork mount with absolute encoders and direct drives
• Minimum elevation: 30 degrees

CMOS Camera Specification (SPA-2-CMOS, installed in January 2023)

• Model: QHY 600M Pro ( QHY600 data sheet )
• Pixel Size: 3.76s μm
• Pixel Array: 9576 x 6382 pixels
• Native Pixel Resolution: 0.14 arcsec/pixel
• Cooling: -10 degrees in summer, -15 degrees in winter
• Field of View: 22 x 14.6 arcmin
• Filters: Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, Halpha, SII, OIII, Sloan r, Sloan g, Sloan i
• Position angle: Up is 179.0 degrees E of N
• Allowed exposure times (in seconds): 30, 60, 120
• Binning: 4 (read more about binning)

 

Heaven's Mirror Observatory, Australia (AUS)

Remote Observatory

• Name: Heaven's Mirror Observatory
• Location: Yass, NSW 2582, Australia
• Coordinates: -34.8285 N,148.8413 W (Google maps)
• Elevation: 530 m
• Average seeing: 1.5'' - 2.0''
• MPC code: Q56

 

Telescopes

AUS-2-CMOS, 10cm Refractor

Telescope Specification

• Model: Takahashi FSQ-106ED
• Aperture: 106 mm
• Focal Length: 382 mm
• F-ratio: 3.6 (with 0.73x focal reducer)
• Mount: Paramount MX+
• Minimum elevation: 30 degrees

CMOS Camera Specification (AUS-2-CMOS, installed in January 2023)

• Model: QHY 600M Pro ( QHY600 data sheet )
• Pixel Size: 3.76s μm
• Pixel Array: 9576 x 6382 pixels
• Native Pixel Resolution: 1.46 arcsec/pixel
• Cooling: -10 degrees in summer, -15 degrees in winter
• Field of View: 233 x 155 arcmin
• Filters: Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, Halpha, SII, OIII
• Position angle: Up is 172.2 degrees E of N
• Allowed exposure times (in seconds): 30,60,120,180,240,300
• Binning: 1

 

All pictures and specification datas of the remote observatories provided by Telescope Live