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.

Scroll to explore

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
6
Imaging Rigs
B7
Bortle Zone
100%
Open Source
M45: The Pleiades (Alternate View)
New · Observatory Tools

Introducing the Field of View Viewer

Plan your framing before you ever uncap the scope. Stack any telescope, reducer and camera combination and watch each sensor's frame fall over real survey imagery of the night sky — drag to pan, scroll to zoom, right-drag to rotate, and share a link to any setup. Built for our imaging community.

Launch the FOV Viewer

My Rigs

Five 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/ RedCat 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
  • Juwei-17 EQ Mount
Wide-field master rig — the APS-C sensor drinks in huge swaths of sky at 300mm.
03
Mobile 250mm Rig
William Optics RedCat 51
250mm f/4.9
  • ZWO ASI585MC Air (shared w/ 65PHQ)
  • ASIAir (built-in)
  • Juwei-17 EQ Mount
Dark site kit for Stokes State Forest. Fast Petzval design, grab-and-go on the Juwei-17.
04
Ultralight Portable
Askar FMA180
180mm f/4.5 (w/ reducer) / 220mm f/5.5 (native)
  • ZWO ASI585MC Pro
  • ZWO ASI585 (non-Pro) — winter
  • ASIAir Mini
  • Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i
The lightest rig. Second simultaneous mount at Stokes dark site. Tracking only, no goto.
05
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.
06
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.
07
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 ASI585 (non-Pro)

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