Guidance for an amazing hobby
There are other objects to photograph other than galaxies and nebulae, also known as deep sky objects (DSO’s). 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 … Read more
Manufacturer: ZWO Introductory Price: $399 Have you been wanting to dip your toes into the fun hobby of astrophotography, but are intimidated by the complex equipment choices, high prices and steep learning curve? Well astronomy and imaging equipment manufacturer ZWO has come up with an innovative, reasonably priced way to produce some quality images that … Read more
Manufacturer: QHY Price $2399 (bundles are a bit more) The QHY 268M 26 MP is a monochrome astrophotography camera that features a 26-megapixel back-illuminated Sony IMX571 sensor. Because of the back illumination, the quantum efficiency is very high and the dark noise is very low. The sensor also has a large full well capacity of … Read more
Our weather in Southern California has been persistently cloudy and gloomy. Typically, this time of year we get cloudy nights that clear to sunny days. But for months now the sky has not cleared during the day, and the nights have remained cloudy and sometimes drizzly. Weather naturally contributes to our ability to enjoy the … Read more
Unistellar eQuinox2 Smart Tracking Telescope Price: $2499 Have you ever looked through a telescope expecting to see beautiful celestial objects in full and vivid color? Have you been disappointed when everything looks dim and fuzzy with no real color? Do you live in a city with a lot of light pollution that makes seeing … 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
Product: Takahashi FSQ-106ED4X Manufacturer: Takahashi Price: $7330 as of the time of this review The Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4EDX4 is a high-quality, apochromatic refractor telescope that is designed for astrophotography and visual observing. It is a redesign of the venerable FSQ-106 telescope. It has a compact size and a relatively large aperture of 106mm, making it an … 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
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
There are a number of free astronomy software products. NINA (Nighttime Imaging ‘N’ Astronomy) is free, open-source astrophotography software designed to help amateur astronomers and astrophotographers capture and analyze astronomical images. Most every aspect of capturing astronomical images can be controlled and even automated by N.I.N.A. Currently N.I.N.A is only available for Windows operating system. … Read more