What’s In The Sky Tonight

What’s in the Sky Tonight -Early Spring Northern Hemisphere

The following are interesting objects that are perfect for capturing in the early spring in the Northern Hemisphere. They must be large enough and bright enough to be doable even from light polluted skies for beginners. They must also be high enough in the sky for a prolonged period before midnight. My recommendations only include focal length ranges for the 2 most common digital camera sensors: full frame (24mm x 36 mm) and APS-C (varies, approximately 15mm x 23 mm). These recommendations are based on framing the image so that is within range of typical focal lengths of commonly used telescopes.

Galaxies:

M81 and its companion M 82

Recommended focal lengths:

Full Frame 1000-1500 mm

M 53

Recommended focal lengths:

Full Frame >2000 mm

APS-C 1500-1800 mm

Many reflectors or Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes natively have long enough focal lengths. For refractors, the focal length is usually less than 1000 and a Barlow lens will be necessary to achieve a high enough focal length. These are only recommendations for framing depending on the object and its interesting features. If you attempt to capture these objects with shorter focal lengths, it is possible, but be careful in blowing up the images to try to improve the framing. The more you blow up the image, the more granulated it will appear. To get a customized look at what an image would look like with your equipment, check out Telescopius.com.