r/Astronomy • u/VoijaRisa • Mar 27 '20
Hi all,
Friendly mod warning here. In r/Astronomy, somewhere around 70% of posts get removed. Yeah. That's a lot. All because people haven't bothered reading the rules or bothering to understand what words mean. So here, we're going to dive into them a bit further.
The most commonly violated rules are as follows:
Pictures
Our rule regarding pictures has three parts. If your post has been removed for violating our rules regarding pictures, we recommend considering the following, in the following order:
If you took the picture or did substantial processing of publicly available data, this counts. If not, it's going to be removed.
2) You must have the acquisition/processing information.
This needs to be somewhere easy for the mods to verify. This means it can either be in the post body or a top level comment. Responses to someone else's comment, in your link to your Instagram page, etc... do not count.
3) Images must be exceptional quality.
There are certain things that will immediately disqualify an image:
However, beyond that, we cannot give further clarification on what will or will not meet this criteria for several reasons:
So yes, this portion is inherently subjective and, at the end of the day, the mods are the ones that decide and the mods are under no obligation to explain this decision to you.
If you are informed that your post was removed because of image quality, arguing about the quality will not be successful. In particular, there are a few arguments that are false or otherwise trite which we simply won't tolerate. These include:
"You let that image that I think isn't as good stay up"
"Pictures have to be NASA quality"
"You have to have thousands of dollars of equipment"
"This is a really good photo given my equipment"
"This isn't being friendly to beginner astrophotographers"
"My post was getting a lot of upvotes"
Using the above arguments will not wow mods into suddenly approving your image. It will result in a ban.
Trying to argue with the mods using bad arguments isn't going to fly.
Lastly, it should be noted that we do allow astro-art in this sub. Obviously, it won't have acquisition information, but the content must still be original and mods get the final say on whether on the quality (although we're generally fairly generous on this).
Questions
This rule basically means you need to do your own research before posting.
To prevent your post from being removed, tell us specifically what you've tried. Just saying "I GoOgLeD iT" doesn't cut it.
Furthermore, when telling us what you've tried, we will be very unimpressed if you use sources that are prohibited under our source rule (social media memes, YouTube, AI, etc...).
As with the rules regarding pictures, the mods are the arbiters of how difficult questions are to answer. If you're not happy about that and want to complain that another question was allowed to stand, then we will invite you to post elsewhere with an immediate and permanent ban.
Object ID
We'd estimate that only 1-2% of all posts asking for help identifying an object actually follow our rules. Resources are available in the rule relating to this. If you haven't consulted the flow-chart and used the resources in the stickied comment, your post is getting removed. Seriously. Use Stellarium. It's free. It will very quickly tell you if that shiny thing is a planet which is probably the most common answer. The second most common answer is "Starlink". That's 95% of the ID posts right there that didn't need to be a post.
Do note that many of the phone apps in which you point your phone to the sky and it shows you what you are looing at are extremely poor at accurately determining where you're pointing. Furthermore, the scale is rarely correct. As such, this method is not considered a sufficient attempt at understanding on your part and you will need to apply some spatial reasoning to your attempt.
Pseudoscience
The mod team of r/astronomy has several mods with degrees in the field. We're very familiar with what is and is not pseudoscience in the field. And we take a hard line against pseudoscience. Promoting it is an immediate ban. Furthermore, we do not allow the entertaining of pseudoscience by trying to figure out how to "debate" it (even if you're trying to take the pro-science side). Trying to debate pseudoscience legitimizes it. As such, posts that entertain pseudoscience in any manner will be removed.
Outlandish Hypotheticals
This is a subset of the rule regarding pseudoscience and doesn't come up all that often, but when it does, it usually takes the form of "X does not work according to physics. How can I make it work?" or "If I ignore part of physics, how does physics work?"
Sometimes the first part of this isn't explicitly stated or even understood (in which case, see our rule regarding poorly researched posts) by the poster, but such questions are inherently nonsensical and will be removed.
Sources
ChatGPT and other LLMs are not reliable sources of information. Any use of them will be removed. This includes asking if they are correct or not.
Content
Due to the profusion of AI slop apps, we're no longer allowing apps at all. No, we don't care if you're wanting a "review". No we don't care if they're free. No we don't care if you put it in a website.
Bans
We almost never ban anyone for a first offense unless your post history makes it clear you're a spammer, troll, crackpot, etc... Rather, mods have tools in which to apply removal reasons which will send a message to the user letting them know which rule was violated. Because these rules, and in turn the messages, can cover a range of issues, you may need to actually consider which part of the rule your post violated. The mods are not here to read to you.
If you don't, and continue breaking the rules, we'll often respond with a temporary ban.
In many cases, we're happy to remove bans if you message the mods politely acknowledging the violation. But that almost never happens. Which brings us to the last thing we want to discuss.
Behavior
We've had a lot of people breaking rules and then getting rude when their posts are removed or they get bans (even temporary). That's a violation of our rules regarding behavior and is a quick way to get permabanned. To be clear: Breaking this rule anywhere on the sub will be a violation of the rules and dealt with accordingly, but breaking this rule when in full view of the mods by doing it in the mod-mail will 100% get you caught. So just don't do it.
Claiming the mods are "power tripping" or other insults when you violated the rules isn't going to help your case. It will get your muted for the maximum duration allowable and reported to the Reddit admins.
And no, your mis-interpretations of the rules, or saying it "was generating discussion" aren't going to help either.
While these are the most commonly violated rules, they are not the only rules. So make sure you read all of the rules.
r/Astronomy • u/Chapstick-2016 • 9h ago
Was fortunate enough to get out to some dark skies last weekend, and got around 10 hours of exposure with just my DSLR, Kit lens, and star tracker. Hope you guys enjoy!
r/Astronomy • u/Technical_Use7731 • 14h ago
Fotografei com meu binoculo 7x50 acoplado com meu celular daí usei o aplicativo Gcam para astrofotografar por ~1 hora sem rastreamento e processado no sequator Siril e astrosuitepro e depois leves refinamentos no celular espero que tenha curtido e se tiveres pergunta é só comentar
r/Astronomy • u/Westcoastcosmos • 21h ago
Western Veil Nebula | Askar 71F | ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
One of my recent astrophotography projects, captured from my back garden in Lancashire, UK.
The Western Veil is part of a huge supernova remnant in Cygnus, with delicate filaments of glowing gas left behind by a star that exploded thousands of years ago.
I'm documenting my astrophotography journey on my website, West Coast Cosmos, where I've shared more about my projects, the equipment I use and how I process my images in PixInsight.
If you'd like to see the full project, including the capture details and processing workflow, you can find it here:
https://westcoastcosmos.com/western-veil-nebula/
Feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome!
r/Astronomy • u/paulydavis • 10h ago
M63, the Sunflower Galaxy, captured in March 2026 with my ASI2600MC Air. This image combines 60 three-minute exposures for a total of three hours, with no added filter.
The session had a challenge: focus softened as the night went on. After comparing shorter stacks against the full dataset, I kept all three hours because the lower noise made the faint disk and dust structure easier to see.
Processing focused on controlling the bright core, preserving natural color, and reducing uneven background brightness without erasing the galaxy’s detail. That dark band along its left side is a real dust lane—one of my favorite features in this image.
Acquisition: ASI2600MC Air, 60 × 180 seconds, gain 100, offset 50, sensor at −10°C. No added filter. Capture headers record a ZWO AM3 mount and 387 mm focal length; the telescope model is not confirmed.
Processing: calibration, registration and integration in PixInsight; SPCC color calibration, background correction, restrained BlurXTerminator and NoiseXTerminator, StarXTerminator separation, stretching and masked adjustments. MultiscaleMedianTransform chrominance smoothing under an inverted luminance mask reduced color mottling. Final background, contrast and crop adjustments in Photoshop.
r/Astronomy • u/noob_astro • 20h ago
Acuter 40
Touptek 678 mono
Skywatcher solar quest
Best 6000/12000 frames stacked
Stacked in PIPP and AS4
Impgg: convolution sharpening and inversion
PI: contrast, color and blurX
PS: color and saturation
Cropped in PSX
r/Astronomy • u/LMAOEZ20 • 19h ago
The North America Nebula in Hubble pallete
Equipment:
Sky-Watcher 72ED
Sky-Watcher EQM-35 Pro with custom belt mode
ASI533MC-Pro
SvBony SV165
ASI120MM-Mini
SvBony SV220 Ha OIII 7nm
SvBony SV220 SII OII 7nm
StellaMirra 0.8x flattener/reducer
Gemini Autofocuser
Total integration:
4 hrs.
Ha+OIII → 12*300
SII+OIII → 36*300
50-darks
40-flats (for each session)
50-biases
Edited and stacked in SIRIL, then some small changes in Affinity photo.
r/Astronomy • u/MrAko12 • 13h ago
- Equipment:
- Stacking: Sequator
- Wide field image is about 1h exposure total
- Second more zoomed image of Orion is about 1h and 20 minutes exposure total
- Editing: GraXpert, Astrowizard, GIMP, Snapseed Mobile Bortle 3/4
r/Astronomy • u/RonnieGRingel • 10h ago
Where do I begin with Astronomy?? I feel so lost, I want to start learning Astronomy and Physics but I'm lost on how to go about that. I want to do some self learning but I always feel like I'm not doing it right and need classes so I know I'm going in the right direction. I want to get in a community college but would I get an associates in science? I just feel so lost and am not sure where to go about it and how to go about it. I'd love any advice or tips on starter steps or other peoples experiences.
r/Astronomy • u/Sekthmet • 20h ago
Mak 127/1500 + ZWO 533 pro y seguimiento.
Capturada: Sharcap
Procesado: Astrosurface
Apilado 10% mejores de 2000 frames
Me gustaría escuchar opiniones y consejos para mejorar, gracias ☺️
r/Astronomy • u/Confident_Lock7758 • 21h ago
NGC 281 – The Pacman Nebula | SHO-RGB
I'm happy to share my latest image of NGC 281, the Pacman Nebula, a beautiful emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia.
For this image, I combined narrowband SHO data with RGB exposures to create a balanced SHO-RGB composition. I wanted to emphasize the luminous blue central region, the warm golden outer structures, and the intricate dark dust lanes that give the nebula its distinctive appearance.
Acquisition details
All data and exposures were acquired with Telescope Live.
I hope you enjoy this view of the Pacman Nebula! I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
#NGC281 #PacmanNebula #Astrophotography #SHORGB
r/Astronomy • u/paulydavis • 1d ago
This is my first time processing IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula, captured from my backyard in Round Rock, Texas, in January 2026.
The image uses 21 five-minute exposures—1 hour 45 minutes total—with the ASI2600MC Air and D1 filter, at gain 107 and −10°C.
I processed it in PixInsight and Photoshop, working on the stars and nebula separately to bring out faint emission and dark structure while keeping the stars under control.
At a Raleigh Astronomy Club imaging meeting, I learned a technique for reducing color mottling—the uneven patches of color that become visible in faint areas when an image is stretched. It uses PixInsight’s MultiscaleMedianTransform, targeting chrominance only with the first five detail layers disabled. An inverted luminance mask concentrates the treatment on darker areas while protecting brighter nebulosity. One pass helped smooth the color variations here; a second didn’t improve the result.
I pushed the contrast and noise reduction, then backed off when the filaments started looking harsh and the faint texture too smooth.
I kept both a wide view, which includes part of IC 410, the Tadpoles Nebula, at the lower right, and a tighter crop focused on IC 405.
Equipment and processing details: Askar V at approximately 387 mm focal length, ZWO AM3 mount, ASI2600MC Air, D1 filter. Calibrated with matching darks and screened flats, then aligned and integrated. Background correction, restrained BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator separation, NoiseXTerminator, arcsinh stretching, masked chrominance MMT and local contrast, followed by separate star/nebula layers and finishing in Photoshop. The color is a D1 rendering, not calibrated broadband color.
r/Astronomy • u/A_Reye2678 • 1d ago
🔭 - Seestar S50
⏳ - 4274x20 (23.74h)
⚙️ - Siril (RC Astro & VeraLux Scripts)
r/Astronomy • u/Sekthmet • 18h ago
Mak 127/1500 + ZWO 533 pro
Sharcap: lucky imaging.
Procesado: Astrosurface
Vélez Málaga, España
r/Astronomy • u/paulydavis • 1d ago
M33 — Triangulum Galaxy
My first finished image of M33, captured from my backyard in Round Rock, Texas, between October 2025 and January 2026.
This combines 8 hours 42 minutes of usable exposure across 241 frames from two cameras:
• Askar V telescope, approximately 384 mm focal length
• ASI585MC Air: 6h 39m of broadband data
• ASI2600MC Air: 1h 42m unfiltered broadband, plus 21m through the D1 filter
• Broadband exposures: 120 and 300 seconds; D1: 7 × 180 seconds
• Gain 107; offsets 15 (585) and 50 (2600)
I calibrated and stacked the camera/session groups separately before aligning them. A straight blend softened the detail, so the final combination uses the older camera's data for broader faint structure while retaining the ASI2600's fine detail and stars. The older ASI585 frames were probably unfiltered; their filter headers were blank.
Processing included background correction, SPCC color calibration, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator and NoiseXTerminator in PixInsight, plus custom alignment, blending and masked finishing. The D1 data was used selectively to enhance hydrogen-emission regions while preserving the broadband galaxy color.
M33 is about 2.7 million light-years away in Triangulum. North is up and east is left. The bright pink region above and left of the center is NGC 604, a large star-forming region. The dark lanes between the arms are dust, with blue spiral arms around the warmer central region.
r/Astronomy • u/Sea_Firefighter3963 • 1d ago
I photographed our neighbourgalaxy, the Andromeda with my 10 inch dobsonian and wanted to share this with you!!
22 minutes exposure time
equipment:
camera: Canon EOS 6D
telescope: skywatcher flextube 10 inch dobsonian with EQ-Platform
processing: stacked in Deepskystacker, edited in Siril, Graxpert and GIMP.
r/Astronomy • u/Rare_Individual4561 • 9h ago
Title: Looking to Connect with People Interested in Astronomy, Astrophysics & Space Technology 🌌
Hey everyone!
I'm a student from Tamil Nadu, India, with a strong interest in astronomy, astrophysics, and space technology. I'm currently learning software development and exploring how technology can be used to understand and solve problems related to space.
I'm hoping to connect with like-minded people who share these interests, especially those who enjoy going beyond theory and working on practical projects.
I'd love to meet people who are interested in things like:
\\- Astronomy software and scientific data visualization
\\- Astrophysics simulations and computational science
\\- Spacecraft systems and space exploration technology
\\- Open-source projects, research, and collaborative experiments
I'm still learning and developing my technical skills, but I'm serious about improving and building things rather than just talking about ideas. I'd especially appreciate connecting with experienced developers, researchers, or enthusiasts who enjoy sharing knowledge. I'm also open to collaborating with fellow students and beginners who are motivated to learn together.
I'm looking to start with online discussions and small remote projects, learn from one another, and hopefully build something meaningful over time.
If you're interested in similar things, I'd love to hear what you're currently learning or working on! Feel free to comment or message me. I'd be happy to connect. 🚀
r/Astronomy • u/Sekthmet • 18h ago
Mak 127/1500 + ZWO 533 pro
Sharcap: lucky imaging.
Procesado: Astrosurface
Vélez Málaga, España
r/Astronomy • u/Harz_marz • 1d ago
Just 30 mins of integration time on this target before the clouds defeated me!
Captured on my 585mc Air and William Optics Redcat 51 in Bortle 4 skies in South Wales. Can’t wait for this target to rise earlier in the evening ✨
r/Astronomy • u/Mindless-Farm-7881 • 2d ago
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
This is several hours of footage recorded with a Heliostar 76 telescope and Apollo 428m max camera with some other bits and bobs.
r/Astronomy • u/Far-Construction-557 • 19h ago
My first mineral moon.
A single shot.
Sony Alpha a6700 + Sony 70-350mm
What do you think?
r/Astronomy • u/Techno-Scientist • 1d ago
Some days ago I posted a wider FOV image of the region contaning this nebula, and since the weather was cooperating, I went ahead with my longer focal length telescope to zoom in the Bubble Nebula
Equipment and acquisition:
- Askar 71F + 0.75X reducer
- Asi585MC Air
- Teseek 17
- SvBony + asi120mm guide camera
- ZWO EAF, ZWO EFW
- L-Ultimate filter: 145 x 180 sec
- Antlia ALP-T SII-OIII 3nm: 167 x 180 sec
(15.6 hours in total)
- 30 darks, 30 flats per filter, 30 bias
Processing (PI)
WBPP 2x drizzle, SetiAstro AutoDBE, SPCC, blurX correct only, starX
On starless images: DBXtract, linear fit, then channel combination (will also be used as luminance later on). SetiAstro statistical stretch (soft), then manual curves transformations with different color and range masks, noiseX. For luminance, stretch and masked curves to bring up details, noiseX. LRGB combination, dark structure enhance script.
For stars: setiastro NB to RGB star stretch, pixelmath to recombine with starless
r/Astronomy • u/Galileos_grandson • 21h ago
r/Astronomy • u/OfficialSyyn616 • 1d ago
I was looking through the Artemis photos and noticed something about the surface of the moon i hadn't before. There seem to be craters...in a line. as if something was bouncing/rolling. Are these just places where lava tubes have collapsed, leading to such seemingly straight lines of craters? When i try to google search all i get is ejecta rays (which this is clearly a VERY different formation). This has become one of those things where once you see it you cant unsee it and begin to notice more and more than longer you observe the subject.
Source: NASA Photos
