Community project · winter 2026–27 · proposal

One sky, together

Many telescopes, one picture that belongs to everyone. Through the winter, everyone shoots the same part of the sky with whatever kit they have. The target is still to be agreed; Orion is the first suggestion. The frames are gathered in one place, processed bit by bit, and the finished picture is published in the spring, credited to everyone who took part.

0contributors

0hours of data

Springthe reveal

The idea

Light adds up

One shared target

Seestar, Dwarf, Draco, Vespera, a camera lens or your own telescope and camera. From a dark site or the back garden, any clear night this winter.

Frames are combined

Every frame is checked and each person's set is stacked on its own. Then all of them are aligned, weighted by quality and built into one picture: close-ups fill in detail, wide fields fill in the setting.

Everyone counts

One frame that ends up rejected or a hundred hours of top-quality data: you've still contributed, and you're on the credits.

The target: to be agreed

Open for discussion

The first suggestion is the Orion region: it's easy to find, rides high on winter evenings, and has something for every kind of kit. The final choice is for the group to agree. Within Orion, people can pick the part that suits their gear:

Close-up: M42, the Orion Nebula, with M43 and the Running Man. Ideal for Seestars, Dwarfs and small refractors
Middle: The Flame and the Horsehead, round Alnitak; also M78
Wide field: Barnard's Loop and the whole constellation, with a camera lens or a short refractor

If the group prefers another target, the same plan works for that.

What to shoot

Your part

Amount: Whatever you can. More is better, over as many nights as you like
Filters: Any: no filter, light-pollution or dual-band. Just say which when you upload
Core frames: For M42: optional but valuable, 20–50 short frames (5–10 s) for the bright core, which burns out in long exposures
When: Through the winter. The darkest runs are about 4–13 Nov, 2–12 Dec, 30 Dec – 9 Jan, 1–10 Feb and 3–12 Mar; filtered frames are fine in moonlight
Files: Your individual frames as FITS files (.fit or .fits), not the telescope's own stacked picture. Flats help a lot if you have them

Sending your frames

How to take part

Uploads open once the target is agreed; the project code will be shared then. Put Together plus the target and your part (for Orion: M42, Horsehead, wide field…) as the target. Another night or a set of short core frames can go in a second upload with the same name and target.

What you get

For everyone who takes part

The finished picture at full size, to keep, print or share with the credit.
A free night report on your own frames: focus, cloud, guiding and more, as plain observations.
Your name, or the name you choose, on the credits list on this site.
Progress pictures through the winter as the data builds up.
An invitation to the reveal in the spring, in person and online for those further away.

The fine print

Fair terms

Your frames stay yours. They're used only for this project and deleted 30 days after the reveal.
The combined picture belongs to all contributors and is credited to each by the name they choose (full name, initials or handle).
The picture may be shown on this site and on social media. It isn't sold; if prints are ever offered, that's agreed with contributors first.
Locations are shown at county or country level only.
Combining adds depth, not sharpness: the picture is as sharp as the better telescopes and nights allow.