Haleakalā vs Home: Bortle 1 vs Bortle 6 — Do Filters Still Matter?
I hauled a small, travel-friendly astrophotography rig to the top of Haleakalā to answer two beginner questions:
Is traveling to truly dark skies worth the hassle?
And if I do travel… do filters still make a difference?
This was also a “real life” trip: I was working near a bright Moon, which makes filters extra interesting.
Watch the video:
https://youtu.be/UMT7J3xFFw8
What “Bortle 1 vs Bortle 6” actually means
The Bortle scale is a 1–9 rating of night-sky brightness (light pollution). Class 1 is the darkest; higher numbers mean brighter skies. In this video I’m comparing my dark-sky travel data against my light-polluted home data — but through the lens of “what travel gear matters” and “do filters still matter if you go somewhere dark?”
The travel gear I relied on
Traveling with an astro rig is less about “fancy gear” and more about reliability, power, and setup speed. Here’s the core of what mattered on this trip:
Stable tripod + mount (wind and vibration matter more than you think)
Simple power plan (fewer adapters, fewer failure points)
One-cable philosophy: reduce dangling cables that snag while slewing
Fast polar alignment workflow (because travel time is limited)
Warm layers — the summit gets cold fast
Links I used on this trip (affiliate)
USB Type C to 12v 65w
https://amzn.to/48FL2rr
SV240 multi narrowband filter
https://www.svbony.com/products/sv240-multi-narrowband-filter?ref=Deepskylab&utm_source=goaffpro
SV220 Dual Narrowband filter
https://www.svbony.com/products/sv220-dual-band-7nm-nebula-filter?ref=Deepskylab&utm_source=goaffpro
Travel CF Tripod
https://amzn.to/4aENkJL
AZ-GTi USB Cable
https://amzn.to/48Ipt9J
The filter test: what I compared
I tested two popular “city-friendly” options that are designed for one-shot color astrophotography.
SVBONY SV220 (dual-band, narrow)
Best for emission nebulae (H-alpha / OIII heavy targets)
Dual-band design that isolates H-alpha and OIII (7nm)
The big question: does a narrow dual-band still help when you travel to dark skies — especially with moonlight?
SVBONY SV240 (multi-band, more general)
A multi-band approach designed to reduce background while still keeping more “natural” color flexibility
The big question: if I’m traveling and can only bring one filter, does a multi-band make more sense than a strict dual-band?
How to think about the results (even before you pixel-peep)
Here’s the mental model I want beginners to have:
Dark skies help everything. Your background is lower, so you’re not fighting gradients as hard.
The Moon changes the game. Under moonlight, filters can matter even at dark sites.
Target type matters more than brand. Dual-band filters shine on emission nebulae, but they’re not magic for galaxies or reflection nebulae.
Travel adds new failure modes. Wind, cable snags, polar alignment speed, and guiding stability can dominate the outcome even in Bortle 1.
My travel-rig checklist for your next dark-sky trip
If you’re planning your first “serious” travel astro night, here’s what I’d recommend:
Do a full setup rehearsal at home (including power and cables)
Pack spares: USB cables, Allen keys, dew straps, and a backup power option
Bring a red light + gloves (cold fingers ruin fine adjustments)
Keep your packing modular:
one bag for optics/camera
one for mount/tripod
one for power/cables
If it’s windy: prioritize stability over perfection (lower the tripod, block the wind, keep cables tidy)
The beginner takeaway
This video isn’t “dark skies vs home skies” as a flex — it’s a practical reminder that:
Dark skies make imaging easier and more efficient
Filters can still matter (especially with moonlight or when you’re trying to isolate emission)
And travel is its own skill: the more reliable and simple your setup is, the more of the night you’ll spend collecting good data instead of troubleshooting
Got a question you want me to test next?
Drop it in the comments on YouTube — I’m building the next Versus videos around what you all ask for.
Support Deep SkyLab
If these beginner-first experiments help you, you can support the channel here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/deepskylab
Business contact:
francisco@deepskylab.org
