Guidance for an Amazing Hobby
Astrophotography is a very rewarding hobby. Many really good images are being taken all around the world from less-than-ideal night skies, in or near major cities by taking advantage of today’s technology. But there really is no substitute for a pristine, dark night sky for getting the absolute best photos or for just taking in … Read more
A rare treat is in store for the three major countries of North America on April 8, 2024, when a total solar eclipse follows a path making landfall starting near Mazatlán, Mexico, traveling through the south-central part of the U.S. and tracking northeast until it leaves the U.S. near Caribou, Maine. Many people in … Read more
Summer in much of the world brings warm temperatures and often times brings nighttime dew. Dew accumulation can ruin a night of astrophotography by decreasing and diffusing the light that reaches the eyepiece or camera sensor. To fight dew on a telescope, you can employ several methods and tools to minimize or eliminate its impact … Read more
What can an astrophotographer do when the sky is cloudy? As we all know, this often happens right after we get a new piece of equipment! When faced with a cloudy night, amateur astronomers can still engage in several activities that don’t require clear skies for observing celestial objects. Here are a few things you … Read more
The M42 thread, also known as the T-thread, is a standard thread size widely used in astrophotography and camera lens connections. It is named after its metric size, which is M42x0.75. The “M” stands for metric, indicating the thread is measured in millimeters, while “42” represents the major diameter of the thread in millimeters. The … Read more
Why do astronomers use red lights at night? It is because of the complexity of the human eye. Unlike a digital camera which has pixels of relatively equal light sensitivity, the human eye is composed of two types of light sensitive cells, rods and cones. Cones allow us to see color in bright light. Rods … Read more
How do we find objects in the sky? Right Ascension (RA) and Declination (Dec) are two important celestial coordinates used to do this. What is Right Ascension? Right Ascension (RA) is similar to longitude on the Earth’s surface, except that it is measured in hours, minutes, and seconds rather than degrees of angle. RA is … Read more
If you are purchasing a telescope, you may ask yourself “what is the best type of telescope?”. There is no single answer to this question. Let’s start out by giving the characteristics of each type. There are three main types of telescopes The three primary types of telescopes are refractor telescopes (also called refracting telescopes), … Read more
Spring is a great time for astrophotography as there are many interesting targets visible in the night sky. Spring is also known as “galaxy season” to astrophotographers, since so many of the best objects during this time of year are galaxies. Here are a few suggestions for what’s happening in the sky tonight in the … Read more
Who am I? My name is Patrick. I grew up in suburban Ohio. It was never possible to truly see the Milky Way, but I have always had an interest in astronomy. I remember looking at my first view of Saturn in a telescope and being disappointed, hoping to see these magnificent, colorful … Read more