Guidance for an Amazing Hobby
Planetary photography is a totally different art than deep sky photography. Solar system objects including the planets, sun and moon are also favorite targets for astrophotographers, especially when you can tease out detail, such as the bands of Jupiter or rings of Saturn. Planetary imaging is not quite the same as DSO imaging, though. Getting … Read more
What is Plate Solving? Plate solving is comparing an astronomical mage with a known database to determine the exact coordinates to which the telescope is pointing. Plate solving is done either with a local database on the users computer or by sending the image to an internet database. As accurate as the pointing is for … Read more
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere (June through September) is a great time for astrophotography since the nighttime sky is pointing directly into the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. This part of the sky is rich in bright and colorful nebulae. This applies to both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Many of these objects are … Read more
What is signal-to-noise ratio and why is it important? The simplest definition would be the ratio of captured digital signal vs the captured noise acquired during the imaging process. In general, it is a measure of the quality of the image. Today’s digital cameras generate noise simply from the electronics inside the camera. Ideally, when … 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
Do you really even need autoguiding? Serious astrophotographers know that autoguiding, although very useful is not always necessary. There are some mounts that are extremely accurate at tracking for short periods of time, even up to 5 minutes without the need for autoguiding. There are also some who would argue that dozens or even hundreds … Read more
Choosing astrophotography equipment can be confusing due to the many choices available. When matching a telescope with a camera for astrophotography, there are several things to consider to make sure you have the best match. It is much more than just thinking about budget and what looks nice. Image circle Many beginner astrophotographers fail to … 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
What is a Messier Object? Let’s start with what Messier objects are. The Messier Catalog, also known as the “Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters”, is a list of 110 astronomical objects that was first compiled by the French astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th century. What is the Messier Catalog? The catalog contains a … Read more