Winter Imaging of the Leo Triplet — Seestar S50 | Rockwood, TX | January 17, 2026

It is a good night for imaging at Starfront Observatories using my Seestar S50. My broader objective is to conduct systematic observations under Bortle 1 skies in Texas and compare those results with equivalent observations obtained under Bortle 7 skies near my home in Columbia, Missouri.

Tonight’s session will focus on the Leo Triplet—M65, M66, and NGC 3628—in the constellation Leo, with the goal of assessing galaxy structure and detail under dark-sky conditions.

At present, the Seestar S50 is the only instrument available to me at Starfront Observatories, which limits direct Bortle 1–to–Bortle 7 comparisons to this platform. In Columbia, however, my comparative imaging program will expand across multiple systems, including the Seestar S30, Seestar S50, Dwarf 3, Dwarf Mini, Celestron Origin, Unistellar Equinox 2, and my dedicated astrophotography rig. The goal is to evaluate relative performance across varying sky conditions, with particular emphasis on angular resolution, sensitivity, and fine-detail recovery.

Planned Targets by Constellation

Auriga
Flaming Star Nebula, Tadpole Nebula, Spider Nebula, Fly Nebula, M36, M37, M38

Canis Major
M41

Gemini
Jellyfish Nebula, Shoe-Buckle Cluster, IC 444, Eskimo Nebula

Leo
Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC 3628)

Monoceros
Rosette Nebula, Christmas Tree Cluster, Cone Nebula, Seagull Nebula, M50, IC 447, IC 448

Orion
M42 (Orion Nebula), Flame Nebula, Horsehead Nebula, Witch Head Nebula, Monkey Head Nebula, M78

Perseus
California Nebula, Double Cluster, M34, M76, NGC 1491, NGC 1579

Taurus
Pleiades, Crab Nebula, Spaghetti Nebula, Hyades

Virgo
Markarian’s Chain (M84, M86, NGC 4402, NGC 4387, NGC 4388, NGC 4407, NGC 4425, NGC 4438, NGC 4431, NGC 4458, NGC 4473, NGC 4477, NGC 4468, NGC 4459)