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/mondo_generator • 7h ago
I've attempted to image this for years but it's always got the better of me. I'm happy with this attempt, though.
Telescope: Apetura Carbonstar 150
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro
Camera: ZWO ASIAIR 294MC PRO
42*300 second exposures. Stacked in Autostakkert and processed in Pixinsight.
r/Astronomy • u/Mindless-Farm-7881 • 4h ago
This post is to give you an idea of where some of my favorite deep space targets reside within the Milkyway. From top to bottom we have:
r/Astronomy • u/AdSpecial1321 • 2h ago
Can anyone explain the strange glare on that image?
Telescope coordinates +03 58 57.89 +35 47 27.5
r/Astronomy • u/gabagoo3 • 15h ago
Taken with my iPhone 16 pro; 30 second exposure; minimal editing in the Lightroom app
r/Astronomy • u/Confident_Lock7758 • 5h ago
NGC 3603 – A Closer Look at a Stellar Powerhouse | SHO
I wanted to take a closer look at NGC 3603, one of the most spectacular star-forming regions in our Galaxy, by zooming in on the central star cluster and bringing it into the foreground.
Surrounded by an intricate landscape of glowing gas, dark dust lanes and delicate nebulous structures, the cluster stands out as a brilliant concentration of stars embedded in a turbulent stellar nursery. The SHO palette reveals the different structures of the nebula, with contrasting shades that emphasize its complex morphology.
This image is the result of 2 hours and 30 minutes of total integration, captured through Hα, OIII and SII filters and processed in PixInsight.
Acquisition details
I hope you enjoy this closer view of one of the Milky Way's most fascinating stellar nurseries.
What do you think of this close-up and the way the central cluster stands out against the surrounding nebulosity? Clear skies! ✨
r/Astronomy • u/Correct_Presence_936 • 1d ago
I drove over halfway to another country at 4 AM this Sunday to position myself in the path of a celestial event I’ve been anticipating for nearly two years: the International Space Station transiting Jupiter.
Captured from Burlington, Washington, at 6:03 AM PDT, this image contains seven human beings onboard the ISS (Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk, Sergey Teteryatnikov, Pyotr Dubrov, Anil Menon, and Anna Kikina) in the same frame as the surface of Jupiter. In the full frame image on my Instagram (@aj.smadi), the Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) are also visible.
With this long-awaited capture complete, Mercury remains the only planet outside the distant ice giants left to photograph for my ongoing “ISS Meets” series.
Equipment: C9.25, ZWO ADC, UV/IR cut filter, ZWO ASI662MC.
r/Astronomy • u/Techno-Scientist • 1d ago
I don't see this one very often so I decided to go for it with a wide FOV from my Parisian balcony - I also captured the Bubble Nebula, M52, cluster NGC 7510 and Northern Lagoon Nebula. I quite like the result!
Equipment and acquisition:
- Askar FMA180Pro
- Asi585MC Air
- Teseek 17
- SvBony + asi120mm guide camera
- ZWO EAF, ZWO EFW
- L-Ultimate filter: 205 x 180 sec
- Antlia ALP-T SII-OIII 3nm: 253 x 180 sec
(Almost 23 hours in total)
- 30 darks, 30 flats per filter, 30 bias
Processing (PI)
WBPP, 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.
For stars: setiastro NB to RGB star stretch, pixelmath to recombine with starless
r/Astronomy • u/Aggressive_Rush_7906 • 1d ago
Last night I took 110 15 second exposures at 800 ISO using the SVBony SV545 & a Canon Rebel EOS 6Ti, one-shot color, no filters. I used StackingWizard & AstroWizard for processing.
For tracking I used the original Sky Adventurer on a rickety tripod, which I hope to replace at some point.
I live in a Bortle 7/8 area and I have NEVER viewed M31 with either a telescope or unaided eye, though I might have been pointed in the wrong area.
This is how I hoped it would turn out. I've been in astrophotography for a short time.
WOW!!! I DID THIS!
r/Astronomy • u/jcat47 • 1d ago
✨EXPOSURE DETAILS 🌌
🎯 Target: Clamshell Nebula, SH2-119
🔭 Telescope: William Optics Spacecat51 V1
📷 Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC - Pro
🏗️ Mount: ZWO AM5 w/TC40
🎯 Guide Scope and Camera: William Optics UniGuide + ZWO 290mm mini
🌈 Filters: Optolong L-eXtreme
🌌 Bortle Scale: 4
Social: https://www.instagram.com/lowell_astrophotography?srtk=M3FjZXEycTUyZGg5
⏱️ INTEGRATION TIME
⚪ 180 sec x 175
Total Integration: 8h 45m
💻 Control: ASIAIR Plus
⚙️ Editing: PixInsight + Lightroom
r/Astronomy • u/ExerciseOwn4186 • 7h ago
2015 BP519 is now known as Geyagugv.
Discovery: 2015-01-17 / Dark Energy Survey / Cerro Tololo / W84 Geyagugv ( ᎨᏯᎫᎬ ) is a Cherokee metaphysical being called upon during a prayer as a ᎦᎸᎾᏘ messenger to aid in healing and wellbeing. Geyagugv is known to reside in the highest level, galvnati ( ), the sky-vault. This being is one of the many messengers between the Cherokee people and the Creator.
r/Astronomy • u/adamkylejackson • 1d ago
Moon photo taken with Nikon Z8 and Takahashi TSA-120 telescope. One frame processed in Photoshop.
r/Astronomy • u/jamesgamingrb • 2d ago
Unusually faint, it has a weird tilt and a retrograde orbit. They say it’s 7-17 earth masses but since it’s unusually faint we can narrow it down to 7-14 earth masses. It is also impossible for random noise to act like a planet so it may be real. What can explain its retrograde orbit is that it is the 5th giant that didn’t get fully ejected due to some debris. Link: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/planet-9-iras-akari-survey-evidence
r/Astronomy • u/noob_astro • 1d ago
Acuter 40
Touptek 678 mono
ZWO EAFN
Skywatcher solar quest mount
Best 6000 of 12000 frames stacked
Stacked in PIPP and AS4
Impgg: convolution sharpening and inversion
PI: solar tools - contrast and color, BlurXT ML5
PS: color, contrast and saturation
r/Astronomy • u/Ok-Tough6649 • 21h ago
I had a few questions about a couple recent findings. So Dark matter might be tiny primordial black holes rather than undiscovered subatomic particles? If so, how would that fit with the reported dark-star findings, since those stars are proposed to be powered by dark-matter particles? If black holes explain the gravitational effects attributed to dark matter and the accelerating expansion attributed to dark energy, why retain those hypothetical explanations instead of identifying black holes as the cause? Would that confirm the hypotheses or replace them? And if dark matter is black holes, why would only some black holes drive cosmic expansion would primordial black holes have the same relevant interior physics, and if not, what physically justifies the difference?
r/Astronomy • u/nculotta69 • 1d ago
Hey guys, first post here so obligatory how’s everyone’s day/night going?
I am going to Cherry Springs State Park this weekend and they have a mandatory red light only rule in place for obvious reason. I was just wondering if my phone’s built in red hue is enough to abide by the rule or should I just do a red light filtering screen protector and call it a day? Trying to save as much money as possible since the Airbnb wasn’t cheap lol. Thanks in advance
Edit: provided a picture of my settings so whoever has an iPhone can try it out and let me know
r/Astronomy • u/Dizzy_Driver9205 • 1d ago
La voie lactée plonge dans les côtes de la manche
Bortle 6 avec quelques nuages
S25 ultra
1h30 (poses 20s)
Iso 800
r/Astronomy • u/TheFakeKevKev • 2d ago
Have always wanted to get a shot of Orion with its beautiful red H-alpha (Hα) emission. Usually, my schedule doesn’t line up well for the winter Milky Way season because of the frigid temperatures and college, but this weekend the clear skies and perfect conditions were too tempting, so I drove 6 hours out to shoot this beauty. And I’m super glad I did.
Now this is my first time capturing Orion the way I’ve always envisioned it. When I first got into astrophotography, it was during the winter of 2024. Orion was one of my first targets I shot, and I always wonder how people shot those red burning flames surrounding the constellation. I kept trying to get that shot with my stock Canon R6, and it would never work out. Little did I know, it required using a modified camera and an Hα narrowband filter to get that signal fully.
Looking back now, I’m glad I was faced with all those dead ends and kept learning. I wouldn’t have appreciated the craft if I knew all the answers right away. The most fulfilling part of astrophotography is that it’s an endless masterclass that always brings me back for more.
So now, I present to you Orion, in all its glory, reflecting off Pharaoh Lake in the Adirondacks.
📸 Shot on my Astro-modified Canon R+ EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II
Sky: 2x3 panels| f/2.8 | 60s | ISO 1600
Hα: 4 frames stacked | f/2.8 | 240s | ISO 3200
Foreground: 3 panels | f/2.8 | 180s | ISO 1600
Processed using Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Pixinsight, Auriga Registar, and ASTAP
Check out more of my work on my Instagram and website!
Remember to Leave No Trace :)
r/Astronomy • u/CuriousLeiLei • 20h ago
Does anyone know why the relation between the small circle arc and the great circle arc is CD=AB Cos(AOC)?
I have tried to look it up and I don't use AI so I am struggling a bit
r/Astronomy • u/Creative_Drummer_425 • 17h ago
Hi, hope this fits the rules as I couldn’t find any other community.
But has anyone joined the RGM telescope astronomy courses or the membership and if so would you recommend it? I have been wanting to learn more about astronomy and i don’t have a telescope so looking out for any in london
Thanks
r/Astronomy • u/UniversityofArizona • 1d ago
r/Astronomy • u/jbaltusastro • 1d ago
Astrobin Top Pick
Taken from Bortle 6 Location on the nights of October 2 and 4, 2026
Equipment and Imaging Details: - ZWO ASI2600MC Air - ZWO Electronic Automatic Focuser (2025) - Apertura CarbonStar 200 (with Primary Mirror Mask) - Apertura 2" Coma Corrector - Apertura Dew Shield - ZWO AM5N - ZWO CAA - Gain 100 - -10° C cooling - 196 x 180" light exposures (82 + 114), 30 x biases, 60 x flats (30 each night)
PixInsight Processing: - WeightedBatchPreprocessing - BlurXTerminator (Correct Only) - SpectrophotometricFluxCalibration - MultiscaleGradientCorrection - SpectrophotometricColorCalibration - BlurXTerminator - StarXTerminator - MultiscaleAdaptiveStretch (separate HistogramTransformation and ScreenTransferFunction for stars only image) - CurvesTransformation - NoiseXTerminator - PixelMath (recombine stars only and galaxy images)
r/Astronomy • u/Photon_Pharmer1 • 2d ago
Total integration: 8h 40m
Integration per filter:
- Hα: 4h 10m (50 × 300s)
- SII: 3h 40m (22 × 600s)
- OIII: 50m (5 × 600s)
Equipment:
- Telescope: Explore Scientific ED APO 152mm f/8 FCD1 ED
- Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
- Mount: 10Micron GM2000 HPS II
- Filters: Chroma H-alpha 5nm Bandpass 50x50 mm, Chroma OIII 3nm Bandpass 50x50 mm, Chroma SII 3nm Bandpass 50x50 mm
- Accessories: Explore Scientific 3" 0.7x Reducer (FFFR507X-00), PrimaLuceLab EAGLE4S, Starlight Xpress Maxi USB filter wheel, WandererAstro WandererCover V4-EC
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight, Stefan Berg Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA)
r/Astronomy • u/SnooRevelations1419 • 1d ago
I live in the city where there's too much light pollution. But I took a vacation out to a bortle 1 sky under the recent new moon phase and decided to try to capture Pleiades's reflection nebula with my camera. I know this isnt as detailed as most thats posted on here. But I'm quite proud and happy with my results.
Camera: Canon R5
Lens: Canon ef 75-300mm F5.6 (cheapest Canon lens) w/rf converter
Star Tracker: MSM Nomad on top of my tripod
Took 100 2 min exposures. 87 were deemed ok by me. 13 had some issue with the heavy winds we had that night that left a fur ball of star trails around the stars.
Stacked in deepskystacker. No dark/bias frames (totally forgot to do them).
r/Astronomy • u/Pulse_26 • 1d ago
Hi all!
I’m a student at West Virginia University performing a very basic study about the effects and implications of radio frequency interference (RFI) from satellite constellations on radio astronomy. I put together a short survey about this topic, and I’m looking for respondents who have experience in radio astronomy or with RFI. All questions are optional, and it’s not a very difficult or long survey.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated and would significantly help my study. The survey is linked below.