Morristown, NJ · Bortle 7

Capturing the ancient light above our heads

A nonprofit amateur astronomy collective exploring the cosmos through astrophotography, education, and affordable gear.

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About the Observatory

Where Curiosity Meets the Cosmos

Washington Valley Observatory is an amateur astronomy collective on a mission to explore the cosmos through astrophotography and education. We specialize in capturing breathtaking images of deep-space objects using affordable, off-the-shelf telescopes and free, open-source software.

From helping a beginner find their first celestial object to teaming up with schools for STEM education, we are a place where anyone can connect with the stars. All of our imaging is done from light-polluted suburban skies in northern New Jersey, proving that remarkable results are possible anywhere.

25+
Deep Sky Objects
7
Imaging Rigs
B7
Bortle Zone
100%
Open Source
M45: The Pleiades (Alternate View)
New · Observatory Tools

Plan the whole night with the Observatory Toolkit

Homegrown tools for the imaging community. The new Sky Atlas is a full planetarium in the browser: 41,000 stars to magnitude 8, three thousand deep-sky objects, planets and lunar phase on a sky you can scrub through time, with survey imagery fading in as you zoom and one click to carry any target into the FOV Viewer. The FOV Viewer frames any target over real survey imagery: resolve it by name, compare rigs side by side, then copy the coordinates straight into ASIAir or NINA. The Sky Conditions Planner scrubs forecast cloud cover across a live map, hour by hour into the future, with seeing and transparency estimates, darkness windows and moonrise for any site. The Sampling Calculator matches a camera to a telescope and draws the star on your actual pixel grid. And the new Astro Calculators hub answers the rest: sub-exposure length for your sky, backfocus chains, focus zones, untracked limits, planetary Barlow picks, plus moon-interference and polar-alignment advisors.

Sky Atlas → FOV Viewer → Sky Conditions → Sampling → Calculators →
Object Study

The NGC 7000 Complex

One target, three framings. The North America Nebula sprawls across more than four full moons of sky in Cygnus — big enough that every focal length tells a different story about it. Drag the slider to trade oxygen for hydrogen.

NGC 7000 complex in H-alpha and OIII
NGC 7000 complex in H-alpha only
Hα only Hα + OIII
← Drag to reveal →
Wide-field · SVBONY SV220 dual-narrowband · Parsippany, NJ (Bortle 7)
Closing In on the Wall
Cygnus Wall at 250mm
The Cygnus Wall · 250mm
WhiteCat 51 · Jul 2026
Dual Narrowband
Cygnus Wall at 416mm
The Cygnus Wall · 416mm
Askar 65PHQ · Jul 2026
Dual Narrowband
Equipment & Imaging Stations

My Rigs

Seven active imaging stations, each optimized for a specific use case, plus the retired rigs that earned their keep. Sensors now span the IMX585 platform and APS-C.

01
Primary 416mm Rig
Askar 65PHQ
416mm f/6.4 (flat-field astrograph)
  • ZWO ASI585MC Air (shared w/ WhiteCat 51)
  • ZWO EAF
  • Juwei-17 EQ Mount
The new workhorse. Flat-field optics and 416mm of reach for compact nebulae and galaxy fields alike.
02
Mobile 300mm Rig
Astro-Tech AT60EDP
300mm f/5 (Petzval quadruplet)
  • ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
  • ASIAir Plus (dedicated)
  • Juwei-17 EQ Mount
Wide-field master rig. The APS-C sensor drinks in huge swaths of sky at 300mm.
03
Primary 250mm Rig
William Optics WhiteCat 51
250mm f/4.9
  • ZWO ASI585MC Air (shared w/ 65PHQ)
  • Askar Rail
  • Juwei-17 EQ Mount
The everyday 250mm workhorse. Fast Petzval optics, grab-and-go on the Juwei-17 — front yard or Stokes dark site.
04
Ultralight Portable
Askar FMA180
180mm f/4.5 (w/ reducer) / 220mm f/5.5 (native)
  • ZWO ASI585MC Pro
  • Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i (ASIAir Mini)
The lightest rig. The Mini lives permanently in the 2i battery compartment. Second simultaneous mount at Stokes. Tracking only, no goto.
05
Backup 366mm Rig
Takahashi FS-60CB
366mm f/6.1 (fluorite doublet + flattener)
  • ZWO ASI585MC Pro
  • ZWO AM5 Mount (ASIAir Mini)
  • Tak flattener + custom M52/M48 spacer stack
Permanent home station. Fluorite glass and a validated flattener chain make this the sharpest small refractor in the fleet — the Mini rides on the AM5 itself.
06
Backup Mobile Rig
Apertura 60EDR
360mm f/6 (ED doublet)
  • ZWO ASI585MC Pro
  • Juwei-17 EQ Mount
  • ASIAir Mini
Backup and secondary mobile rig. Pairs with the Juwei-17 for grab-and-go when the primary mobile rigs are deployed.
07
Ultralight Automated Portable
Sharpstar 50EDPH
231mm f/4.6 (w/ 0.84× reducer)
  • ZWO ASI585MC (non-Pro, dedicated)
  • ZWO EAF
  • ASIAir Mini (dedicated)
Built for winter. Full automation end to end — dedicated camera, focuser and Mini mean the whole rig runs unattended while the cold stays outside.
08
Primary 350mm Rig
Retired
Astro-Tech AT72ED II
~344mm f/4.8 (w/ 0.8x reducer)
  • ZWO ASI585MC Pro
  • Juwei-17 EQ Mount
  • ASIAir Mini
The former go-to setup for fast-deployment wide-field deep sky from the driveway. Succeeded by the 65PHQ.
09
Galaxy Season
Retired
Astro-Tech AT102ED
~571mm f/5.6 (w/ 0.8x reducer)
  • ZWO ASI585MC Pro
  • ZWO AM5
  • Touptek guidecam
  • Raspberry Pi + CCDCiel
Indoor window station for galaxy season. RPi-driven due to Gemini focuser + Touptek incompatibility with ASIAir.

Cameras

  • 1x ASI2600MC Pro (APS-C)
  • 1x ASI585MC Air
  • 2x ASI585MC Pro
  • 1x ASI585MC (non-Pro, 50EDPH)

Mounts

  • ZWO AM5 (home)
  • Juwei-17 (travel)
  • SA 2i (tracking only)
  • Juwei-14 (OnStep) Retired
  • SA GTi Retired

Filters

  • SVBONY SV220 3nm NB
  • SVBONY SV220 7nm NB
  • SVBONY SV240 Multi-NB + NIR
  • Askar Duo-Narrowband D2
  • Astronomik L-3
  • Antlia Triband Retired

Visual Scopes

  • Meade MTS-SC8 8" SCT
  • Meade LX85 6" ACF
  • Orion XT6 Dobsonian
  • Orion XT10 Dobsonian
  • ES AR102 Refractor
  • William Optics Z61