May Updates from Nebula Photos

Hello all! After a great time at NEAF, it's been fairly rainy and cloudy since I got back with just a few pockets of clear sky here and there for me to do some testing. I don't mind too much as there aren't too many nebulae up right now for most of the night. I am eager for my favorite constellations for nebula hunting, Cepheus and Cygnus, to rise earlier and earlier. Currently, they get high enough to start shooting around 1:30AM, but by the end of May that will be 11:30PM! Announcements and updates follow. ~Nico

Nebula Photos Sunday Chat #25
The next open Q&A / Discussion Sunday Chat will take place this coming Sunday, May 7th at the usual time of 2pm ET, 18:00 UTC. I will send a reminder. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89034039619?pwd=YXpsRUVsRWk1emFqT2dOMFR6OUJCUT09

Nebula Photos Themed Chat #2
The next themed chat will be on the topic of using portable star trackers for astrophotography, and will take place on Tuesday May 23rd at 8pm ET, 12:00 UTC. I will give a brief presentation, and then it will be open discussion and Q&A on the topic of star trackers including experiences with different brands, tips & tricks, and best practices. I will send out a reminder. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86012735653?pwd=ZnlkMitwSkZvcHRhbnRueG4wN1pvUT09

Upcoming Videos
I am currently working on a fairly short (hopefully under 20 minutes) review of the new Askar V modular telescope. It's a pretty interesting concept, and is actually executed better than I expected. I have another telescope shootout review on the horizon - finally doing one with no Askar telescopes! It will cover four imaging refractors in the 85-90mm aperture range. I also have another 'budget' astrophotography video or video series in the works where I will limit myself to $400 to spend on gear. And lastly, I'm still hard at work on the big critique video (or livestream) that I accepted image submissions for back in November. It's taken so long because I got over 300 submissions, and I want to critique them all.

New Patreon Tiers / changes to end credits
As mentioned last week, I've been working on refreshing the tiers here on Patreon. I forgot to mention that I will be segmenting the end credits on long videos by tier now with the associated nebula in the background under the names. So if you don't see your name right away, keep watching!

I have added new rewards to some current tiers and I’ve added some high-end tiers with new rewards to help fund big projects I want to work on with the channel and business. If you want to change your current tier (up or down), you can do so here at any time: https://www.patreon.com/nebulaphotos/membership Please don't feel any pressure to change to a higher tier. I appreciate ALL the support! 

For anyone that has already signed up for Crescent Nebula or Squid Nebula - Thank you! The first batch of signed prints will be mailed out by the end of the week, and you should have already received a message from me asking for your preference.

Here is a summary of the rewards for the refreshed tiers:

Orion Nebula 

• Access to my Patreon where you can ask questions via the messages feature, share your photos, participate in contests to win gear, and attend  monthly chats over Zoom
• Access to the Patreon-only channels on my Discord server and a monthly imaging contest organized there
• Your name in the credits of all future videos over 20 minutes long

Horsehead Nebula

• Everything from the previous tier, plus a digital wallpaper pack of my astrophotography!

Seagull Nebula

• Everything from the previous tiers, plus ad-free versions of new videos!

Crescent Nebula

• Everything from the previous tiers, plus a care package in the mail including your choice of signed print!

Squid Nebula

• Everything from the previous tiers, plus you will be the first to receive a signed copy of my book when it comes out, as well as other exclusive extras and sneak peeks at what I’m working on!