My favorite picture I captured during the Moon/Mars occultation of December 2022. Captured with an Orion Skyquest XT8 8 inch Dobsonian and Nikon 1 J1 mirrorless camera.

In the individual frames you will see detail too. From very dark places, the Milky Way looks incredible even with your naked eye. This is a picture I took with my smartphone while visiting some of the darkest skies in the US

I got a Dobsonian telescope in summer 2020 (second hand 8 inch from Orion for about $320). After the breathtaking experience of observing Jupiter and Saturn from my backyard in the city, I immediately wanted to capture what I was seeing. Dobsonians are meant primarily for visual observing rather than astrophotography, but I fell in love with the challenge of trying to get good photos on a budget. Looking back at all the long nights, freezing cold, mosquitos, and hours spent holding the telescope steady as Jupiter quickly moved out of the field of view, I remember being so proud of each of these photos. My post history has the full equipment and processing details for the four pictures, taken in October 2020, July 2021, August 2022, and October 2022.

Yep, you can see Orion's belt, Orion's sword, and Betelgeuse towards the top.