Astrophotography - When It All Goes Right!

When you stop and think about it, there are a lot of things that have to go right to capture a decent image of a celestial object, no matter what type of astrophotography you do.  As amateur astronomers, it's amazing that we ever manage to get even one decent image considering all the variables we have to juggle.  Let's consider some of those variables for a moment.

• We need a location with a decently clear, dark, transparent sky and optimally good "seeing"
• We need clothing that will keep us dry and comfortable all night long
• We need sufficient time to capture the object of interest.  Sometimes this could take all night and/or multiple nights
• Our mount has to be correctly polar aligned and able to track with the fewest possible errors
• Our telescope has to reach ambient temperature with the outside air
• Our optics have to be well collimated
• We need to be able to power cameras, dew systems, telescopes, laptops and a plethora of other hardware for an entire night
• Our hardware and software has to function properly for the duration of our imaging session
• Our focusing must be spot-on and remain that way for the entire imaging session
• We can't let dew form on our optics during the session
• We have to capture our image multiple times at the correct exposure each time
• We need to capture many BIAS, Dark Frames, Subs, and Flats for later processing
• We must have the technical knowledge to process the images we capture
• We must have the artistic ability to make the images we capture look good

I'm sure I've missed a few things, but when you consider all these variables, how do we do it?  And more importantly, WHY do we do it?  Even with all these variables, for me, sitting under the stars and capturing images is relaxing.  It's an escape from the daily stresses of the mundane world.  It provides clarity of mind and allows me to focus on doing something that I love.  It gives me perspective about the wonders of the universe that surrounds me and provides time for contemplation of the "bigger" picture.  If I happen to get a decent image in the process, well that's the icing on the cake. 

What about you?  What do you get out of this hobby and why do you do it?

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