By this point, I’ve realized that cloudy nights outnumber clear skies. Since this is my first year owning a Seestar, this frustrating situation has become more apparent – I wasn’t counting starless nights in previous years until now. This month, I visited two locations with slightly better forecasts:
M42, IC 434 at Daxi 大溪, Taoyuan
- Bortle: 5
- Campsite: 綠境農場
- Date: Nov 8, 2025
I started right after sundown, collecting more data on the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) since it was positioned nicely in the dark sky above my head. My colleague stayed with me for an hour, then I moved to another target.
At this time, the Orion constellation was clearly visible in the sky, so I decided to collect data on:
- M42, Orion Nebula
- IC 434, Horsehead Nebula (new target!)
M78, M33, IC 1805 at Bitan Riverside 碧潭
- Bortle: 6/7
- Date: Nov 15, 2025
Although it was late for Halloween and I was continuing to target the Orion constellation, I pointed my scope to a new target:
- M78, Casper the Friendly Ghost
Then I collected more data on the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) and the Heart Nebula (IC 1805) in the Cassiopeia constellation to be processed later with Siril and Graxpert.
M45, NGC 281, and the Milky Way Galaxy in Xitou Nature Education Area 溪頭自然教育園區
- Bortle: 4
- Date: Nov 22-23, 2025
On the first night, as usual, I started by collecting more Andromeda Galaxy (M31) data – I’m definitely gathering quality data whenever I can. Then I continued with the Cassiopeia constellation, collecting more Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) data.
On the second night, we returned to University Pond and waited from sunset to shoot the Milky Way Galaxy. I shot with a GoPro 13 while my sister used her Samsung S25+!
GoPro 13 Configuration
- Night Lapse Video
- 16:9 | 4K | Wide
- Interval: Auto | Shutter: 15s
- Bit Rate: High | White Balance: 5000K | ISO Min: 100 | ISO Max: 1600 | Sharpness: Low | Denoise: Low
December will be a busy month with year-end reviews and 2026 planning, but I’ll squeeze in stargazing during my upcoming trips. I’m heading out on a week-long business trip and might bring my Seestar S30 along. We’ll also be traveling to Alishan during Christmas and will definitely be carrying our scope again.
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Stay tuned for more stargazing location hunting in Taiwan!
🌹
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