iOptron Skytracker and Deep Sky Astrophotography

“By looking far out into space 

we are also looking far back into time, 

back toward the horizon of the universe, 

back toward the epoch of the Big Bang.” 

― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

The deep sky astrophotography can be done without telescope. You just need iOptron Skytracker. There are some photos which were done using iOptron Skytracker. Some of these photos done even in New York city with very high level of light pollution.

iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60Da Deep Sky Astrophotography Orion Nebula M42  New York City

 Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens;  f/2.8; ISO 320; Exposure 15sec x 204 - Total 51 min, Brooklyn NY

iOptron Skytracker Deep Sky Astrophotography without Telescope - Horsehead and Flame Nebulae - New York City

Canon 60Da with Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens and iOptron SkyTracker tripod.Exposure 10sec x 148 - about 25 min total. ISO-800, f/3.2

iOptron Skytracker Deep Sky Astrophotography Pleiades M45 Seven Sisters Melotte 22 with Canon EF 200mm Telephoto Lens

Canon 60Da, iOptron skytracker, EF200mm f/2.8L II USM, f/4.0; ISO 6400, Deep Sky Stacker 30 images x 20 sec, Upstate New York

Deep Sky Astrophotography iOptron Skytracker  Andromeda Galaxy Messier 31 Canon EF 200mm Telescopic Lens

Andromeda Galaxy Messier 31 Deep Sky Astrophotography iOptron Skytracker

Canon 60Da, Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM lens, iOptron SkyTracker trypod, ISO-6400, f/4, stacked in DeepSkyStacker 215 images x 19 sec, Upstate NY

iOptron Skytracker Deep Sky Astrophotography Northern America and Pelican Nebula

Canon 60Da, EF200mm f/2.8L II USM, f/4.0; ISO 6400, Deep Sky Stacker 29 images x 20 sec, New York upstate

iOptron Skytracker Deep Sky Astrophotography Milky Way and  Orion at Culebra Island

Canon 60Da, Wide Angle EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens, F/4.0, ISO 3200, 2 min, Culebra Island, Puerto Rico

M42 Orion Nebula using iOptron SkyTracker in NYC

This is my first test of iOptron SkyTracker. Orion Nebula M42 is in the list of top 10 deep sky objects for amateur astronomers. So I choose it for first test. I tried exposer 15 seconds. For fixed tripod with Canon Telephoto Lens EF 200mm f2.8 L II USM it gives star trails. With iOptron SkyTracker even without precise alignment stars looks like points. Weather was good but NYC light pollution, plus it was 3 / 4 Moon near Orion nebula. So I use small ISO (Urban astrophotography). There are results:

M42 Orion Nebula one single file from NY City

Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens, Exposure 15 sec; f/2.8; ISO 320, New York City

Using DeepSkyStacker stacked multiple images. Every Canon Row CR2 image first updated in Canon Row 7 saved as Tiff file and later stacked in DeepSkyStacker. Post processing after that was done in Photoshop.

Orion Nebula M42 from New York City Backyard - 8 photos iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60Da

Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens;  f/2.8; ISO 320; Exposure 15sec x 8 - Total time 2 min, New York City

M42 Orion Nebula NYC 36 photos iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60da Canon 200mm

Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens;  f/2.8; ISO 320; Exposure 15sec x 36 - Total time 9 min, New York City, Messier 42 or NGC 1976

iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60Da Orion Nebula M42 Astrophotography 204 photos

 Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens;  f/2.8; ISO 320; Exposure 15sec x 204 - Total 51 min

Final Thoughts

Capturing deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula (M42) from Brooklyn, New York City—a location with some of the worst light pollution in the world—is normally very challenging. In NYC, even bright stars are often barely visible to the naked eye.

Yet with a tracking mount and 204 stacked exposures, it’s possible to overcome heavy urban skyglow and reveal nebula details that most people only see from dark-sky locations.

This project proves that urban astrophotography is absolutely possible, even under strong New York City light pollution, when you combine good technique, accurate tracking, careful stacking, and thoughtful post-processing. Anyone with patience and the right workflow can capture real deep-sky images—even in a city that never sleeps.

Related Astrophotography Posts

• iOptron SkyTracker Astrophotography Equipment
• iOptron Skytracker and Deep Sky Astrophotography 
• The Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024 during totality, seen from Westport, New York
• The Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024: An HDR Revelation of the Sun's Corona from Westport, New York
• Annular Solar Eclipse - October 14, 2023 | Odessa, Texas

 

iOptron SkyTracker Astrophotography Equipment

Equipped with his five senses,
man explores the universe around him
and calls the adventure Science.
--Edwin Hubble

Some dreams eventually become reality — and this one arrived in the form of the iOptron SkyTracker.

Before acquiring the SkyTracker, I was already tracking the night sky at home using a piggyback setup on my Celestron 4SE. While effective, that configuration was simply too heavy and impractical for long trips, especially when flying to remote dark-sky locations.

The iOptron SkyTracker solved that problem elegantly. It is compact, lightweight, and designed specifically for portable astrophotography. Despite its small size, it performs the same essential task — accurately following the rotation of the sky — allowing longer exposures and cleaner night-sky images.

This portability completely changed how I approach travel astrophotography. Flying to dark-sky locations now means I can capture more stars and the Milky Way in a single exposure without transporting a full telescope mount.

In practice, the SkyTracker easily handles my typical setups: Canon EOS 60Da paired with either the ultra-wide Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM or the telephoto Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM.

All photographs below were taken during the daytime and are shown for equipment demonstration purposes. They illustrate the SkyTracker with various camera and lens configurations (except the final image, which shows the SkyTracker alone).

Astrophotography Equipment iOptron Sky Tracker Canon 40D Canon EF 16 35mm f2.8L II USM

iOptron SkyTracker Astrophotography Equipment dslr

iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60Da and EF 200mm f2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens

SkyTracker for Astrophotography

Astrophotography Equipment Sky Tracker iOptron

iOptron Sky Tracker.

Sky Tracker Astrophotography Gear

Why a Portable Star Tracker Matters

While star trackers are often associated with wide-field astrophotography, their importance becomes even greater for deep-sky astrophotography. As focal length increases — whether using telephoto lenses or small refractors — Earth’s rotation causes stars, nebulae, and galaxies to drift rapidly across the sensor. In these cases, accurate tracking is essential to preserve fine structure and detail.

Star tracking is equally valuable for other types of astrophotography. During solar and lunar eclipses, a tracker allows the camera to follow the Sun or Moon across the sky, keeping the subject centered during long sequences or time-lapse imaging. It is also critical for photographing comets, conjunctions, and other moving objects, where precise tracking significantly improves image sharpness and framing stability.

For traveling astrophotographers, portability is critical. The iOptron SkyTracker strikes an excellent balance between accuracy, weight, and simplicity, making it ideal for airline travel and remote locations.

Related iOptron SkyTracker Astrophotography

The iOptron SkyTracker has been used extensively in real observing conditions — from deep-sky nebulae photographed with telephoto lenses to transient celestial events and travel astrophotography. The following posts demonstrate its practical performance across multiple astrophotography disciplines.

• M42 Orion Nebula using iOptron SkyTracker in New York City — deep-sky astrophotography under urban skies using tracking.
• Pelican Nebula Astrophotography (IC 5070 & IC 5067) — narrow-field nebula imaging requiring precise tracking accuracy.
• iOptron SkyTracker and Deep-Sky Astrophotography — extended discussion of SkyTracker performance for deep-sky targets.
• Puerto Rico Astrophotography — travel astrophotography using a lightweight tracking setup under dark skies.
• Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) Visible in New York City — comet imaging with tracking to preserve structure and motion.
• Total Solar Eclipse — April 8, 2024 (Westport, New York) — tracking used to follow the Sun during totality and extended eclipse sequences.