Polaris, the North Star or Pole Star, in Ursa Minor. Light haze added the natural star glow effect. Taken from home Nov. 25, 2016 with the 130mm AP f/6 apo refactor with the 6x7 field flattener and Canon 6D at ISO 1600 for a stack of 4 x 3 minute exposures. Star diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools Actions.
Polaris, the Pole Star or the North Star, as shot through a telescope with a field of about 4 x 2.5 degrees. Polaris is both a double star and a Cepheid variable star with small amplitude in light variation. This is a stack of 18 x 1.5 minute exposures at ISO 3200 with the Canon 6D and TMB 92mm apo refractor with the Hotech field flattener. Many short exposures at high ISOs used to minimize trailing from rotation around the guide star shooting so close to the Pole, indeed at the Pole.
A closeup of Pollux in Gemini, taken in moonlight, with the 130mm f/6 apo refractor. This is a stack of six 2-minute exposures and three 30-second exposures to reduce the core brilliance, with the short exposures blended in with a luminosity mask. All with the Canon 6D MkII at ISO 800. The diffraction spikes were added with Astronomy Tools Photoshop actions.
