DwarfLab Dwarf mini - Mosaic Mode

Introduction | First Experiences with the Mosaic Mode | Further Experiences with the Mosaic Mode | First Conclusions | Links

On this page, I describe my experiences with the mosaic mode of my electronic refractor telescope Dwarf mini 30 mm/150 mm (f/5).

See also:

 

Introduction

         

Photo: My Dwarf mini (Jan 2026)

The Dwarf mini has an IMX 662 sensor with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a field of view of 2.14° x 1.20°. On the one hand, this is quite large, but because of the "towel format" it is often unfavorable for many objects because they are at an angle or are too large for the image field. Luckily, the Dwarf mini also offers a mosaic mode, which allows you to achieve larger image fields. The image field can be extended in both directions up to a factor of 1.8.

The Dwarf mini's mosaic mode works completely differently than that of Vaonis: several "panels" are simply recorded, which are later stitched together and post-processed using Stellar Studio. You only get a so-called "preview" that still shows seams at the overlaps (this should change at some point in time...). Because of the overlap of the panels, only a factor of 1.8 is achieved instead of a factor of 2. According to my first experiences, joining the panels in Stellar Studio works very well - at least when it is available. I also had the case that Stellar Studio did not want to work due to server problems in China... Here is an example of the unedited final result - the "preview" - before editing with Stellar Studio, and to the right of it, the edited version (I continued editing it after that...)

    

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 - Sep 21, 2026, 2h, mosaic, DuoBand filter, unprocessed, original

 

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 - Sep 21, 2026, 2h, mosaic, DuoBand filter, processed with Stellar Studio, Original

For reasons of time, I have so far only recorded 2-panel mosaics with a ratio of 1:1.8, which then creates an almost square image field of a about 2° x 2° (a little more than that of my Vespera Pro, which has an image field of 1.6° x 1.6° in "normal mode")

There is one important point to keep in mind when it comes to mosaics: mosaics must be recorded in EQ mode! This requires a tripod with a corresponding tilt head (not a ball head!), such as the one from DwarfLab (which I own), or one with a wedge. So you cannot just place the Dwarf mini on the floor or an a table in EQ mode like you can in AZ mode... I cover EQ mode on page EQ mode, so I will not write anything about setting it up here. This is best done before you go into mosaic mode (it may not be accessible in AZ mode...).

To set up a mosaic, go to the Atlas. There is an icon for mosaic settings in the top right corner. If you click on it, a window will appear in which you can set the mosaic size.

Photo: setting the frame for a mosaic

I do not want to write more about mosaic mode, because it is explained in the Dwarf mini manual...

Below I present my first and some later mosaic photos!

 

First Experiences with the Mosaic Mode

Since mosaics are only optimally assembled with Stellar Studio, I do not show any unedited images. See First Conclusions for details.

I took my first mosaic images from January through March 2026. For these images, I exposed the individual frames (subs) for 15 or 30 seconds. The total exposure time was 25 minutes or 50 minutes, respectively, with 50 subs per panel. At that time, I had not yet dared to try longer individual exposure times or longer integration times...

Jan 21, 2026

I trained the EQ and mosaic modes on NGC 1499 and NGC 2024/B 33; the EQ mode did not succeed, but the observations were OK, why ever...

    

NGC 1499, processed with Stellar Studio and further processed, original

  

NGC 2024/B 33, processed with Stellar Studio and further processed, original

Feb 5, 2026

    

M 31, Feb 5, 2026 - 50 min, mosaic, processed with Stellar Studio, further processed, original

  

M 45, Feb 5, 2026 - 50 min, mosaic, processed with Stellar Studio, additionally post-processed and denoised (TP), original

Feb 7, 2026

    

M 42/43, 50 min, mosaic, processed with Stellar Studio, original

  

NGC 2264 with NGC 2261, 50 min, processed with Stellar Studio and additionally processed, original
 

NGC 2244, 50 min, processed with Stellar Studio, original

  

NGC 2244, 50 min, processed with Stellar Studio and additionally strongly processed, original

Feb 9, 2026

    

IC 405/410, 50 min, DuoBand filter, mosaic, gain 60, processed with Stellar Studio, original

  

IC 405/410, 50 min, DuoBand filter, mosaic, gain 60, processed with Stellar Studio and further post-processed strongly, original
    

IC 405/410, 50 min, DuoBand filter, mosaic, gain 120, processed with Stellar Studio, Original

  

IC 405/410, 50 min, DuoBand filter, mosaic, gain 60, processed with Stellar Studio and further post-processed, original
    

NGC 2237/2244, 50 min, DuoBand filter, mosaic, gain 120, processed with Stellar Studio, original

  

NGC 2237/2244, 50 min, mosaic, gain 120, processed with Stellar Studio and further post-processed, original
    

NGC 2264, 50 min, DuoBand filter, mosaic, gain 120, processed with Stellar Studio, original

  

NGC 2264, 50 min, DuoBand filter, mosaic, gain 120, processed with Stellar Studio and further post-processed, original

Feb 25 & 26, 2026: M 42/43, M 45

    

M 42/43, Feb 25, 2026 - 25 min, mosaic, processed with Stellar Studio, original

  

M 42/43, Feb 26, 2026 - 50 min, mosaic, processed with Stellar Studio, DB filter, original
 

M 45, Feb 26, 2026 - 50 min, mosaic, DuoBand filter, processed with Stellar Studio, post-processed, original

  

M 45, Feb 26, 2026 - 50 min, mosaic, processed with Stellar Studio, post-processed, original

March 12, 2026: M 46, M 47, M 78, IC 2177, Sh2-261

    

M 46, M 47 and more, Mar 12, 2026 - original, mosaic, 25 min, processed with Stellar Studio

 

M 78, Mar 12, 2026 - mosaic, 50 min, processed with Stellar Studio and further processed, original
 

IC 2177, Mar 12, 2026 - original, 50 min, DuoBand filter, processed with Stellar Studio and further processed

 

Sh2-261, 12.3.2026 - original (50 min), DuoBand filter, processed with Stellar Studio and further processed

 

Further Experiences with the Mosaic Mode

Since mosaics are only optimally assembled with Stellar Studio, I do not show any unedited images (there is one exception, see NGC 7000). See First Conclusions for details

From September through October 2026, I took another series of mosaic images, this time of nebulae. For these images, I exposed the individual frames (subs) for 60 seconds each. The total exposure time was 120 minutes, with 60 subs per panel, respectively (excluding discarded subs).

Sep 18, 2026: NGC 6960 (Western Veil Nebula; Cygnus)

    

NGC 6960, Sep 18, 2026 - original (118 (58/60) frames = 118 min), mosaic, processed with Stellar Studio

  

NGC 6960, Sep 18, 2026 - original (118 (58/60) frames = 118 min), mosaic, processed with Stellar Studio and post-processed

Sep 21, 2026: NGC 7000 (North America Nebula; Cygnus) and IC 5070 (Pelican Nebula; Cygnus)

    

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 - Sep 21, 2026, 2h, mosaic, DuoBand filter, unprocessed, original

 

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 - Sep 21, 2026, 2h, mosaic, DuoBand filter, processed with Stellar Studio, Original
 

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 - Sep 21, 2026, 2h, mosaic, DuoBand filter, processed with Stellar Studio and further processed, original

  

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 - Sep 21, 2026, 2h, mosaic, DuoBand filter, processed with Stellar Studio and further processed even stronger, original

Oct 5, 2026: IC 1318 (Butterfly Nebula; Cygnus)

    

IC 1318, Oct 5, 2026 - Original (2 h), mosaic, DB filter, processed with Stellar Studio

  

IC 1318, Oct 5, 2026 - original (2 h), mosaic, DB filter, processed with Stellar Studio and further, made brighter

Sh2-157 (Lobster Claw Nebula; Cassiopeia) - with NGC 7635 (Bubble Nebula) and NGC 7538 (Northern Lagoon Nebula)

    

Sh2-157, Oct 14, 2026 - original, mosaic, 2 h, DuoBand Filter, processed with Stellar Studio

  

Sh2-157, Oct 14, 2026 - original, mosaic, 2 h, DuoBand Filter, processed with Stellar Studio and further processed, made brighter

 

First Conclusions

Once you have learned how to set up the EQ mode, entering mosaic mode is easy, at least once you know which icon to click to set up the mosaic.

Out of convenience, I have so far only used mosaics with an 1:1.8 aspect ratio because this results in a nearly square image field of approximately 2° x 2° due to the "towel format" of the sensor. This gives me two "panels" that slightly overlap and are photographed alternately.

So far I have usually exposed for 30 seconds per individual frame (sub), which results in an integration time of 50 minutes for 2x50=100 exposures. The actual observation time is of course significantly longer for various reasons (dithering, skipped frames). In any case, these settings gave me a comfortable introduction to shooting mosaics!

Later in 2026, I increased the exposure time to 60 seconds per sub and usually took 120 frames, which meant that each of the two panels was exposed for about an hour. This allowed me to observe even fainter nebulae quite well. At least the results were acceptable after processing with Stellar Studio.

It is also important to note that you absolutely must post-process mosaics using Stellar Studio, because the panels are initially stitched together in such a way that the seam is clearly visible. In one instance, the two panels also differed significantly in brightness; however, Stellar Studio was able to compensate for this. Here is an example of the unedited final result before editing with Stellar Studio, and to the right of it, the edited version (I continued editing it after that...)

    

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 - Sep 21, 2026, 2h, mosaic, DuoBand filter, unprocessed, original

 

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 - Sep 21, 2026, 2h, mosaic, DuoBand filter, processed with Stellar Studio, Original

 

Links

 

An den Anfang   Homepage  
made by walodesign on a mac!
18.10.2026