Photographing The Moon And The Sea

In this detailed tutorial article, we dive deep into the worlds of celestial and topological photography, learning and discovering some really cool ways to make our photographs come alive.

In this article, we are going to focus on two special photographic choices, the moon, and the sea, and figure out how to capture them in a way that is their most realistic portrayal.

We will also be talking about night photography and how to photograph at night and otherwise low light conditions.

And in the end, we will talk briefly about processing images so that your dimly lit images too can be stunning with the right color corrections.

Table of Contents

Shooting the moon.

Figuring out how to photograph the moon has for quite some time been one of the best delights of a photographer’s journey in learning.

For a long time the moon has enthralled individuals, provided guidance and given us visual pleasure and wonderment.

Being the most splendid object in the night sky, it’s something picture takers of all levels can shoot, and is one of the first things photographers learn how to capture.

5 Tips for photographing the Moon.

Video made by The Photo Show

As the most brilliant and biggest object in the night sky, the moon is an incredible subject to use as a prologue to astrophotography.

The moon is huge to the point that you can undoubtedly shoot it with an ordinary zooming lens, and it’s additionally brilliant enough that you can use a fast shutter speed that negates the need to have a tracking mount.

The best camera gear for moon photography.

A protected base and workstation for your camera are fundamental to capturing the moon and evading camera shake. While you might probably pull off a decent picture hand holding your camera, your best outcomes will, unquestionably, originate from mounting your camera on a tripod. See our article called – Budget Tripods Under $150 you can find it here.

Long-range lens. So as to help fill the edge and appropriately capture the moon, the more drawn out your long-range lens the better. You don’t really require the quickest lens, since you’ll be on a tripod, yet it’s ideal to utilize anything 200mm or more. In the event that you don’t have a lens that long, you should think about utilizing shorter lenses yet consolidating closer view components to the shot. We have written an article about the best lens for under $200 it also recommends a zoom lens. You can find the article here.

Shutter release cable. Or on the other hand a remote if it’s a possibility for your camera model. This isn’t a required piece, however it’s pleasant to have and keeps away from camera shake. In the event that you don’t have one you can cheat and utilize the self-timer function on your camera.

While practically any camera will work, point and shoots hardly ever produce top quality photographs of the moon, for the most part because of the little size of the sensor and it overheating during longer exposures bringing about digital noise.

A DSLR is favored here with a long lens on it. Mirrorless cameras are additionally reasonable. Camera with littler sensors makes it difficult.

The best camera settings for photographing the moon.

No preset or auto function of your camera will almost certainly appropriately meter the moon, so preferably you ought to think about shooting in full manual mode. In any event, pick Aperture Priority mode. Likewise, your geological area and the current phase of the moon will affect what your settings will be and you should alter for the period of year and clearness of the sky.

Digital cameras ought to be set to 100 or lower, film shooters should shoot film of 100 ISO or slower to wipe out noise and grain.

Since you’re after fresh, clean shots, taking shots at f/11 to f/16, contingent upon your lens, will be the best spot to begin. Research your lens’ sweet spot to locate the sharpest aperture point.

Shutter speed. The factors are numerous and incorporate those referenced before, for example, the stage the moon is in, topographical area and wanted to be shot, however on a crisp evening beginning at around 1/60th to 1/125th ought to be the perfect starting point.

Moon photography – choosing a location.

A word about where you shoot. Picking a spot to shoot the moon is one of the most significant factors in accomplishing a quality shot.

In a perfect world, on the off chance that you need to exhibit the moon itself you will need to dodge some other encompassing light, including road lights and traffic.

This may force you to go off on a remote street or into open park nightfall – your lawn may not be the best area for these sorts of shots.

Despite what might be expected, in the event that you are attempting to incorporate a city horizon under your moon shot, you’ll have to discover a spot that takes into consideration the twinkling lights underneath and do further test shots to nail the presentation appropriately for both the closer view and the moon.

Post-processing moon photographs.

Post-processing your photographs are extremely simple and by and large, an auto white balance will be enough to get your composition just right. However, black and white moon pictures also look stunning and can be attempted.

So think about how you need the result to look – have a play around in Lightroom and see what looks best – color or b/w?

On the off chance that you have shot only the moon when you import into Lightroom, you are likely going to need to concern yourself basically with the contrast and clearness sliders.

These ought to get you a good processed picture without any hiccup.

In the event that you have included components of the foreground in your moon picture, at that point you will likely have sectioned your shots and will, consequently, have some work to do in Photoshop.

Order you copy of lightroom on Amazon here.

Photographing the sea.

One of the most dramatic subjects for your lens is the ocean. It’s quiet, amazing, apparently perpetual, and regularly changing relying upon the lighting.

With each one of those attributes, you need to make sure that your excursion to the ocean with your camera is a satisfactory one which is why in this section, we are going to focus on how to capture the ocean beautifully.

Pick a focal point.

Everybody wants to photo the sea and shoreline, and everybody needs their photographs to look unique.

However, most of them end up looking exactly the same since most of them are doing the exact same thing to set up their photographs.

Which is why it merits calling attention to the significance of picking a decent focal point. Finding a point of focus will shield you from taking the same old boring and flat holiday photo.

The sea is vast and unending which can pose a challenge to photographers since they can be confused about what to focus on. So its very important for you to find a subject first before attempting a sea photo.

Choosing a subject such as a lighthouse will massively transform an otherwise mundane photo since now you have a subject that has character and pops out.

The shoreline is brimming with such intriguing focal points if you glance around.

Choose anything from a castle made with sand to rocks, boats or a lighthouse.

In the event that you go at low tide, your opportunities significantly open up, for example, tide pools and more rocks and shells.

B/W photography.

Nothing adds character to your photo than black and white, and with the drama of the sea, you just can’t go wrong.

I realize a great many people need the “dark blue ocean” or the “turquoise sea,” yet on a cloudy or foggy day, changing over to b/w is only the ticket to a magnificent photograph.

Include an incredible point of focus, as we just talked about, set up your tripod and see what you can capture.

Black and white pictures will in general capture the essence of a day better than colored ones.

While you need to shoot in color, when you are home and transferring your pictures, test drive a portion of the sensational ones in black and white and see for yourself how awesome they turn out.

9 Quick tips for better Black and White photos.

Rule of thirds: what’s on the horizon.

It isn’t unprecedented to have a shoreline photo destroyed by an absence of a fascinating point of focus and right technique.

The classical photograph of the ocean and sky meeting with the skyline is fundamentally down the middle is about as boring as it gets, right? In order to battle that, utilize the skyline as your divider for the standard of thirds.

You need the skyline to utilize its lines to attract the eye to your subject.

Even if this picture isn’t substantially more fascinating, my point is sharing it is that the skyline is separating the picture into the standard of thirds by setting it in the top third of the picture.

Furthermore, the sand begins in the base third.

This consequently draws the watcher’s eye around as opposed to being dormant in the center. The surface in the forefront assists with making it more fascinating, as well.

Mists and fog.

The expression “picture perfect” does not imply that each shoreline photograph must be a consummately bright day. Truth be told, on some occasions it’s quite the opposite.

A clearing storm can add the right touch of clouds that add dramatic effect to our pictures.

Fog can make up for beautiful moody scenes. Rain makes glistening beads on rocks and dispersing rings in pools. Search for the unforeseen in a coastline or ocean view.

Moving waves.

Don’t forget that shutter speed will be a big factor at the beach. The waves create movement that you will either want to freeze or allow blurring.

If it’s a huge, crashing wave, I recommend bumping up the shutter speed to freeze it just as its curl is at its peak.

If the tide is low and the waves are rolling in around rocks with the sun setting behind them, slow down your shutter speed to blur the water’s movement.

Best Star Charts For Stargazing

A decent star atlas gives a guide of the sky. Thusly, it can begin you on an experience that will last as long as you can remember.

The objects it features and the data it contains will manage you on your tours through the night sky that, once you understand how to, will make you fall in love with it.

How to use a Star Chart.

Video made by Astronomy magazine

Here, I list the highlights of some of my favorite atlases.

Key element number 1: All of them are great. All things considered, which one is best for you? That relies upon your experience, your objectives, and your telescope.

In case you’re simply beginning your experience into space science, pick an atlas that shows the stars you can see without an optical guide. Such atlases show stars to about magnitude 6.

Apprentice atlases likewise demonstrate a wide swath of sky on each page and may incorporate constellation diagrams.

These atlases additionally limit the quantity of plotted profound sky objects to just those unmistakable through a 4-inch telescope.

That rundown incorporates the 109 Messier objects, chosen objects from the New General Catalog (NGC), and the most splendid and most vivid double and variable stars.

Beginner’s atlases.

The Edmund mag 6 star atlas check on Amazon here.

My first pick is certifiably not a regular star atlas. All things considered, for four decades, the Abrams Planetarium Sky Calendar has advanced the cause of fundamental skywatching.

As its name suggests, the sheet for every month appears as a schedule. Charts track the Moon’s movement past the planets and splendid stars alongside remarkable groupings of sky objects.

The Sky Calendar is an incredible reference for beginner and intermediate space experts alike.

The other side of the sheet demonstrates the month’s mid-night sky for scope 40° north, which makes it valuable anyplace in the mainland United States.

And keeping in mind that the greater part of the star atlases in this story contain a large number of stars, the Sky Calendar demonstrates just the most brilliant 400 or so, contingent upon the month.

That number functions admirably for novices or for the individuals who see under moderate light contamination.

Abrams Planetarium distributes the Sky Calendar in free leaf structure and sends it quarterly (3 months for every mailing).

The Mag 6 Star Atlas distributed by Edmund Scientific Company of Barrington, New Jersey, first showed up in 1982. This 66-page work contains 12 graphs, each with a file of objects. You can find it here on Amazon.

Generally speaking, the atlas contains around 7,000 stars to magnitude 6.2, the independent human eye’s estimated point of confinement from a dull site. The atlas likewise plots almost 1,000 double stars, variable stars, and profound sky objects.

Swarmed locales in Orion, Virgo, and Sagittarius have point by point close-up diagrams that make it simpler to disclose to one object from another.

The most seasoned atlas on my rundown is Norton’s Star Atlas and Reference Handbook.

The primary version dates to 1910, and in 2003, Benjamin Cummings Publishing discharged the twentieth release. Norton’s contains eight diagrams.

Two roundabout diagrams demonstrate the sky to 40° away from every one of the celestial poles. Six rectangular diagrams partition the sky into sections 4 hours of right climb wide.

Each demonstrate the sky between declinations 60° to –60°. Every one of Norton’s maps are two-page forms.

Norton’s showcases roughly 8,800 stars to magnitude 6.5. It likewise indicates many double and variable stars, and in excess of 600 profound sky objects. Each diagram has two pages of records and notes about that guide’s most fascinating objects.

After numerous releases imprinted on typical paper, Norton’s presently print on glossy stock, which doesn’t retain dampness like prior manifestations. That implies the pages don’t get as wet when you see where the humidity is high.

The main part of Norton’s close to 200 pages examines sorts of divine objects, time, heavenly positions and coordinates, cosmic equipment, and how to watch. The solar system part incorporates maps of the Moon and Mars.

Another most loved atlas in the amateur classification is the Bright Star Atlas by Wil Tirion. Mainly published for clients with the smallest telescopes, the Bright Star Atlas shows stars to magnitude 6.5.

It additionally incorporates around 600 double stars, variable stars, and profound sky objects.

The Bright Star Atlas isolates the sky into four polar and six equatorial zones.

The maps incorporate constellation limits yet no constellation figures. Amplified inset diagrams demonstrate the Pleiades (M45) and the locale around Orion’s Sword.

A keyed arrangement of six discoverer diagrams indicates perusers how the atlas maps identify with the present night sky.

Wil Tirion additionally made the more comprehensive The Cambridge Star Atlas 2000.0, which includes around 900 profound sky objects to maps that plot stars to magnitude 6.5.

The 20 diagrams that make up The Cambridge Star Atlas 2000.0 demonstrate the sky in different hues: Stars are dark, the Milky Way is blue, star bunches are yellow, nebulae are green, and worlds are red.

The hues make this an alluring atlas when utilized during the day (for arranging sessions or to survey an earlier night’s perceptions), and they don’t degrade its value around evening time.

Online resources and apps for star charts for stargazing.

So far we’ve only talked about star maps and atlases that are available in print. But moving on with time, modern cosmology has evolved to be completely digitized and now can be accessed with ease right from your smartphone.

Many of the companies develop and publish their maps online for users so that it is easier for a potential beginner to quickly glance through the resource when he needs it.

A lot of these applications are also available offline which means you can still access the data without a working internet connection, making it great for people that are looking to travel for a night of joyful stargazing.

And the best part is, it can all be accessed from your phone which means that there is no need for you to carry additional things like the physical charts which can easily get misplaced, damaged or lost.

In the following section, I list some of my favorite mobile applications, many of whom are free, which you can use as your star atlas.

SkyView (Android, IOS: Free)

Terminal Eleven’s SkyView (Android, iOS) gives you a fair understanding of what’s in store if you choose to use a good sky guide app.

SkyView utilizes your telephone’s screen and sensors to give you an enlarged reality perspective on what’s up in the sky.

Clients can transform their cell phones and tablets into AR viewfinders for distinguishing stars, planets and constellations; the application can show an object’s track in the sky just as data on select objects, planets, and satellites.

AR Critic

SkyView additionally incorporates a “time travel” mode that enables you to see the sky as it would have shown up previously or will show up later on, in light of what we are aware of each object’s developments.

Night Sky (iOS: Free)

Night Sky on iOS is another dazzling application that exploits Apple’s push for AR applications to convey an extremely pleasant looking expanded reality sky map.

Clients can see a great many stars, satellites, planets and constellations; Night Sky takes things further with Apple Watch bolster that brings the sky guide down to your wrist.

Arvin Haurab

Clients can hold up the Apple Watch to distinguish objects in the sky, or look down to see a “heavenly compass” that gives a review of objects unmistakable today around evening time.

Another expansion with the presentation of ARKit in iOS 11 a year ago is the AR Grand Orrery that shows a virtual model of the solar system that you can hover around and see.

SkySafari (iOS: Free)

SkySafari has since long given great sky guide applications to beginners and experts alike, and the most recent rendition of this lead application has adopted a freemium strategy.

The new form offers up a rich disconnected database of stars, planets, and other divine objects that you can see on an AR star diagram, total with vivified perceptions and information about the history, folklore and science behind these heavenly objects.

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The $2.99 Cosmos Collection in-application buy opens extra highlights, for example, described voyages through the sky, orbit mode and systems to see.

Much further developed variants, SkySafari Plus and SkySafari Pro, incorporate an extended database and more highlights, for example, support for WiFi-controlled telescopes. Android clients can in any case go to the more established Sky Safari 5.

Pocket Universe (iOS: $2.99)

Pocket Universe is another incredible across the board sky viewing application that gives both a versatile sky map just as an abundance of additional items like increased reality modes.

Clients can see a guide of the sky above, complete with marks and constellations, just as track individual objects and planets (with a “show me” mode to control your point).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eaU53qfsUc

Madplanetguy

An increased reality orrery gives you a chance to see the solar system in your very own living room, and the application incorporates additional exercises and assets like tests and Wikipedia connections to different objects.

SkyWiki (Android: Free)

SkyWiki gives clients a basic pack of accommodating highlights for stargazing, including a GPS-helped starmap, a schedule of heavenly occasions, compass, and a “periscope” diagram that presents fundamental data.

The Skymap naturally adjusts dependent on your gadget area, demonstrating to you an anticipated night sky; focus show where your telephone is indicated at right currently help situate your survey.

The periscope likewise gives dawn and dusk times, just as elevation and heading information, and a comparative spread of realities about noticeable planets and the sun and moon.

An accommodating night mode changes most content and UI components to red so as to protect your night vision.

Best Telescope Mounts For Astrophotography

Astrophotography would be so a lot simpler if the Earth didn’t rotate on its axis.

Anyone who has ever taken that “impeccable shot” just to discover loads of little tails on the stars like tadpoles will recognize what I am discussing!

The inability to make up for the movement of the night sky is the reason such a significant number of novice space experts require a tropical mount to observe celestial pictures.

When considering astrophotography, even the smallest tracking inaccuracies will be uncovered in your shots.

Regardless of whether you are simply beginning this exciting journey of astrophotography or are looking to upgrade to a better mounting setup, we have your back with this buyer’s manual for the best telescope mounts for astrophotography.

Table of Contents

What type of mount should you consider for astrophotography?

When you first begin taking a gander at mounts for your telescope and astrophotography you will frequently experience terms like equatorial or altazimuth.

The two major mount types.

Video by epicfantasy

These basically allude to the two most basic kinds of mounts accessible, however which is the best mount for astrophotography?

Most astrophotographers will suggest equatorial mounts for astrophotography, yet why? Most likely anything with an embedded computer that focuses and moves the telescope for you is great, correct?

I discovered this difficult to comprehend when first beginning but I will try to simplify it for you.

But first, let us look at the different mounts you have the option to choose from.

Altazimuth or non-equatorial mounts.

How to choose an Altazimuth Telescope.

Video by Orion Telescopes & Binoculars

The most straightforward sort of non-equatorial mount is the altazimuth mount, which permits movement in two axes and pointing toward any path.

The azimuth axis enables the telescope to move on a level plane, while the elevation empowers the scope to move vertically.

Ideal for review of the night skies and planets above, you will frequently discover camera tripods utilize this sort of mount as well. They take into account simple aiming of your scope, an unfaltering viewing experience and are agreeable to utilize.

It’s a basic system which takes into account pointing your telescope toward any path and is appropriate for easy stargazing.

Mechanized altazimuth mounts are utilized by numerous individuals of the prominent GoTo telescopes which can track the stars as the Earth turns. Objects will remain in the focal point of the eyepiece for consistent perception.

Be that as it may, the geometries included will make the remainder of the field of view turn, which can be an issue for long exposure shots.

Equatorial mounts.

How does a Equatorial mount work?

Video made by Junk Pile

Equatorial mounts are intended to make up for the rotation of the Earth and to follow the movement of stars and other celestial bodies.

The Earth plays out a full rotation in 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds, however, luckily, most heavenly objects you will watch are so far away that this development is scarcely perceptible to the human eye.

With regards to astrophotography, particularly long exposure shots, that development may leave a motion blur, which will show up as star trails.

Equatorial mounts will utilize a polar axis, or right rising axis, which is adjusted to a similar axis of the pivot as the Earth. In blending with a declination axis running parallel to the polar axis, you can point your scope at any part of the sky.

Once locked on to an object you need to just watch as the polar axis will go on to track the object.

When an equatorial mount is polar adjusted, the mounted telescope can be pointed utilizing setting hovers on the two axes.

Mechanized drives on the two axes take into account the exact situating of the scope, while the polar or right climb (RA) axis will pursue the turn of the globe for tracking an object.

The advantages of equatorial mounts for astrophotography.

In spite of the fact that you can point an altazimuth mount at any part of the sky, you will need to move it both on a level plane and vertically to follow. This will make the field of view turn in the eyepiece as you track the star.

Altazimuth mounts can be perfect for easygoing stargazing, yet will be unreasonably erroneous for astrophotography.

Setting circles on an equatorial mount will take into account the user to physically position the scope utilizing an organizational system.

Practically like zip codes, as long as you probably are aware of the directions of the object you wish to see, you can without much of a stretch discover the object.

You can follow an objective physically by turning the correct RA handle, albeit equatorial mounts come with motors. Engines on one of the two axes will take into account tracking a star without repositioning the scope inevitably.

You could undoubtedly watch your objective for a few minutes or hours without making any alterations—perfect for long-exposure astrophotography.

Some altazimuth mounts may have mechanized mounts for star following, however, the picture will turn in your eyepiece.

Plan for the future when buying the amount.

When you are picking your first mount for astrophotography, you ought to consistently get ready for what’s to come.

Shoddy equatorial mounts might almost certainly hold your present telescope and hardware stable, yet shouldn’t you plan ahead for your next telescopes?

Astrophotography can be addictive and you may consistently end up moving up to a bigger, all the more dominant scope.

Telescopes are expensive instruments, therefore I’m not advocating another mount as well.

Increasingly costly and better quality mounts will have a more prominent payload limit, and you ought to consistently go for one with a least twofold the heaviness of your gear.

On the off chance that an appraised payload is 30 pounds, does that incorporate the stabilizers as well, or simply your camera and telescope? You would need to answer that too before considering a mount for yourself.

The best telescope mounts for astrophotography.

With such a significant number of various mounts accessible, it tends to be difficult to tell which is best for your telescope. Try not to be shocked by the expense of a few; no one said astrophotography will be cheap.

You may see modernized GoTo telescopes selling for less than a decent mount, however most will utilize the AZ mounts which are not advanced for astrophotography.

A decent astrophotography mount will ultimately determine whether astrophysics becomes your lifelong hobby or just another bunch of equipment sitting in the garage gathering dust.

Here are my preferred five telescope mounts for astrophotography that you can purchase in 2019.

Best Overall – Orion 10010 Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount.

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

Carrying a 44-pound payload, this overhauled Orion Atlas mount underpins four pounds more than the mainstream unique Atlas EQ mount.

It likewise weighs less as well, at just 46.7 pounds, about three pounds lighter than its ancestor. Could you ask for anything better, other than the high cost?

Features – Orion Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G mount.

This mount comes as standard with an overhauled belt-driven engine drive, which can situate more than 42,000 celestial objects with precision.

What I truly loved was the optical encoders which enable you to adjust the scope and when moved and pointed in an alternate bearing, the mount still knows precisely where it is without requirement for change.

Pros.

Liberal 44-pound payload limit.
It can likewise be controlled from a handset, your PC or by means of a cell phone with an extra Wi-Fi unit.
Three-in-one mount which can be utilized as AZ mount for casual observation or terrestrial viewing.
Smooth yet vigorous scope modification for polar arrangement and incorporates polar degree.

Cons.

Handheld control isn’t as instinctive as utilizing a PC or telephone application.
Less affordable than numerous different models.

Best German Equatorial Mount – Celestron CGX Computerized German Equatorial Mount And Tripod.

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

The other enormous name in cosmology, Celestron, makes what is outstanding among other German Equatorial mounts, which flaunts a payload limit of 55 pounds.

Introducing the Celestron CGX.

That additional load of a telescope is going to require something to adjust it on the polar axis, which is the reason German EQ mounts highlight stabilizers at the far edge.

This is one hearty mount with a huge, steadier tripod than numerous different mounts, and a high torque belt drive engine system.

A NextStar PC handheld controller has a 40,000-object database that controls the telescope and a mechanized focuser.

The CGX mount likewise incorporates all-new Polar arrangement programming with simple to-utilize arrangement handles.

Pros.

A mechanized EQ mount with a gigantic 55-pound payload limit.
Spring-stacked worm riggings make it one of the calmest telescope mounts in operation.
Internal routed cable links for a tidier and more secure appearance.
Scope of 3 to 65 degrees, with sliding mount head, is more extensive than other EQ mounts.
Amazing CelestronGoTo programming, including polar arrangement.
The tripod is stable and looks to have longevity.

Cons.

A genuine financial investment, yet one which should last.
Overwhelming, with a mounting head of 44 pounds and stabilizers of 11 pounds each.
It can be a struggle to lift the head on to the tripod.

Best Budget Astrophotography Mount – Orion AstroView EQ Mount and EQ-3M Motor Drive Kit.

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

An equatorial mount from Orion, this isn’t really the least expensive mount they make.

That respect goes to the Orion EQ1 equatorial telescope mount, however, that has a fairly unobtrusive payload limit of 7 pounds that you will before long exceed and it does exclude an engine as standard.

Orion AstroView EQ Mount overview.

Video by Orion Telescopes & Binoculars

Rather, taking into consideration as much as 12 pounds of payload for your telescope and camera gear, this mount is perfect for littler refractors.

It is anything but a mechanized GoTo system yet rather includes a following engine, which keeps your scope concentrated on the object you at first pointed it at.

Pros.

An economical and lightweight alternative for beginners. Extraordinary for transportation in vehicles to set up mid-field.
12 pounds payload ought to be sufficient for most 80mm refractors.
Precision EQ-3M is smaller than a normal engine for the programmed following of celestial objects.
Removable 8-inch bird plate for fast connection of a telescope with no instruments.
An electronic handheld controller is anything but difficult to use, with eight speeds and pause controls.

Cons.

12-pound payload limit can restrict which extensions or cameras you use.
No GoTo programming, which can make long exposure astrophotography progressively troublesome.
Just a section level mount.

Best Astrophotography Mount for Beginners – Celestron Advanced VX Mount.

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

The Celestron Advanced VX Mount ups the game by supporting a liberal 30-pound payload, way over the Orion Astroview’s pitiful 12 pounds.

Despite everything it comes in at a decent cost, be that as it may, and is the perfect learner tripod for beginner astrophotographers who may have, or expect to move up to, a heavier telescope.

Celestron Advanced VX EQ Mount.

Video made by Woodland Hills Camera & Telescopes

Tipping the scales at 47 pounds, it’s significantly heavier than comparatively estimated mounts, however, it underpins that heavier payload.

It does, in any case, additionally incorporate a polar extension, and Celestron’s astounding NextStar controller, which makes it extraordinarily worthwhile.

A refreshed modern structure offers greater steadiness and less flexure, making it perfect for astrophotography.

Pros.

The 30-pound limit ought to be all that could possibly be needed for beginner and intermediate stargazers.
German EQ design with stabilizers for more equalization.
Integer gears with programmable intermittent error correction to counteract the following mistakes.
A wide scope of scope from 7 to 77 degrees.
Improved hardware in the CelestronNextStar+ hand control, with expanded memory for future extensions.
New improved engine lodgings offer imaging over the meridian without impedance.
Incorporates polar degree and All-Star polar arrangement.

Cons.

The provided stabilizers at 11 pounds and with 5-inch breadth can be unreasonably huge for some littler scopes.
It can be hard to set up, and customary recalibration of the GoTo programming is required.

Best Portable Equatorial Mount for Astrophotography—Orion Min-EQ Tabletop Equatorial 9055

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

Normally I wouldn’t prescribe going anyplace close to a little mount like this one. It just allows telescopes as much as 7 pounds and doesn’t include any GoTo programming.

Be that as it may, at just 10 pounds in weight and 14 inches in height, it’s an extraordinary amount to toss in a rucksack.

Features of the Min-EQ Tabletop Mount.

Video by Orion Telescopes & Binoculars

This tabletop tripod includes a tough metal EQ-1 equatorial mount, with a petite tripod with string on legs.

It would be a fantastic expansion for wide-field astrophotography on any medium-term outdoors outings, and you can even purchase an engine drive for it as well. Simply ensure your telescope isn’t too enormous.

Pros.

Economical, even with an extra engine unit.
Lightweight and conservative, yet tough.
Double moderate movement control links for manual following and scope alteration.
A solitary, 4.8-pound stabilizer is incorporated for equalization.
Ultra-portable and perfect for outdoor trips.

Cons.

An extremely constrained payload limit—might be better with a DSLR camera instead of a telescope.
The manual following handle will need turning at regular intervals—long exposures will require the extra engine drive.
Needs a firm surface, extremely troublesome, near on difficult to connect to some other tripod.

Best Dew Heaters For Telescopes

What is a dew heater?

A dew remover system is designed to eliminate dew from telescope optics by keeping the optics slightly warmer than ambient, or above the dew point. Power is applied from a dew controller via flexible dew heaters, usually wrapped around the telescope tube, near to the cell housing the optics.

Dew is one of the stargazer’s most noticeably awful foes. On the off chance that no precautionary measures are taken – dew can pretty much ruin an ideal watching night, as it shapes on mirrors and focal points.

All telescopes are liable to “the dew issue”.

Open cylinder reflectors (for instance Newtonians) have some favorable position over refractors or catadioptrics since their fundamental mirror is all around secured. Anyway their auxiliary mirrors get dewed effectively.

Along these lines it’s required for pretty much every beginner space expert to have some sort of dew control solution for his gear.

Table of Contents

The Theory of dew heaters for telescopes.

Dew can frame on surfaces when they get cooler than the surrounding temperature, beneath a specific “dew point” (which relies upon dampness).

At the point when a surface is pointed up, into the sky, it emanates its warmth away (for the most part by means of infrared) however gets nothing consequently.

Accordingly its temperature can drop low enough for the dew to frame. A surface which is pointed down, into the ground, likewise emanates. Anyway the ground emanates back superficially, and some kind of harmony is come to.

That is the motivation behind why dew is framed all the more effectively on unshielded surfaces pointing upwards (in spite of the typical conviction that dew “gradually tumbles down” like a downpour).

The Solution – Dew Heater.

How to keep telescopes warm.

Video by Jeff Lucas Astrophotographer

Thousand Oaks Four-Channel Digital Dew Heater Control Unit.

Find customer reviews and price on Amazon here.

Each heater output is controlled independently and has a full range of adjustment from 0-100%.This eliminates the problem of overheating or not reaching desired temperature regardless of heater size and combination.

Thousand Oaks 1″x 15″ Heater Band (.94amp) for 2.5″ to 4″ Telescopes, used with 4-Channel DDHC Digital Heater Control Unit.

Find all the customer reviews and latest price on Amazon here.

Use with 2.5-4″ (60-102mm) Telescopes
Requires Dew Heater Controller DDHC or similar
Consumes 0.94 amps @ 12 Volts DC

There are a few ways to deal with dew control: Dew shields or dew tops, blowing air from time to time, and so forth. I’m utilizing the third methodology, which is the best one: Heating the optical surface over the dew point.

Dew Heater Strips (With and Without)

Video made my Chuck’s Astrophotography

There is a lot of solutions commercially available for warming, of different costs and sophistication. A few of the organizations which offer them are “Astrozap“, “Kendrick”, “Thousand Oaks”, “Dew Buster”.

I’ve went for a straightforward, home-made arrangement, which intently takes after “Astrozap” items.

My system depends on PWM 4 channel dew controller, 10Ah Lithium-Ion battery, and a few warming components utilized for: Newtonian auxiliary mirror, 2″ and 1.25″ eyepieces, discoverer and the objective focal point of 80mm refractor.

The controller itself is anything but an obligatory segment, since the warmers can be connected straightforwardly to any 12v power source. Anyway it’s valuable to have variable power.

The general expense of segments for making this arrangement (barring the battery) was roughly $25. Comparable commercial arrangements would be around 250-300$.

Nichrome Heating Straps:

I utilized nichrome warming straps, as a superior option in contrast to resistors. Nichrome is a compound with high electrical obstruction, and regularly utilized in warming components.

The thought is to utilize circles of the Nichrome wire of explicit length (a “warming circle”). Each circle has a particular resistance and will draw a particular current from a 12V source.

It’s essential to ensure that the wire doesn’t get excessively hot. In the event that you require more power however the calculations demonstrate you are getting high temperatures – simply join two longer circles in parallel.

You can utilize the accompanying table that is available with your package for various warming components for a 33 and 26 AWG wires, which guarantees that the wires will stay under 60°C at room temperatures.

Regardless, after you assembled the heater, it’s a smart move to test it at full power and ensure it’s not setting your telescope ablaze.

Stage 1:

I put a channel tape of required length on a table, with the sticky part confronting upwards. At that point deliberately put the pre-cut Nichrome wire on it, ensuring that there are no covers.

The circle should start and end at a similar side of the stripe. In the event that there is trouble to protect portions of the circle from one another – another layer of duct tape can be connected.

Stage 2:

Cut another stripe of tape and spread the wires with it. Ensure the two stripes are solidly held together.

Stage 3:

I like to fold the entire thing over with tape once again.

Stage 4:

Connect the copper wires to nichrome – this can be somewhat dubious. I made a little “V” overlays on both copper and the nichrome, hooking them together and squeezing the endings.

After that I fastened the intersection. Note that the wire can accompany a type of “covering” and should be cleaned with a sharp blade, or a sand paper, before the patching methodology.

Stage 5:

At the end of my cable I associated a RCA plug (the sort which is utilized for segment video).

Stage 6:

It’s ideal to sew a textured fabric strap with some sort of “pocket” for the warming component, and fix it with some velcro stripes. Utilizing a wipe protection (on the external side of the warming component) is a smart move to anticipate heat misfortunes that might occur.

In the event that there is no sewing choice – basically glue velcro stripes to the warming component.

It’s a smart move to test the strap for a couple of minutes on full power, to ensure it doesn’t overheat. In the event that it does – utilize longer circles and ensure the wire is all around protected inside the strap and doesn’t cover.

In the event that you are extremely worried about setting your telescope ablaze – apply a layer of protecting tape over each circle of the wire.

PWM Dew Controller.

The PWM 4 channel controller I made is extremely straightforward. PWM (pulse width moderation) is a productive method to control. There are a ton of variations of dew controller schematics over the web.

Mine is practically like the controller made by Astrozap, and is perfect to their radiators.

AstroZap AstroZap Dual Channel Controller for Telescope Dew Heaters.

On Amazon here.

It highlights 4 yield stations, with two sets controlled independently, On/Off switch and a 6V yield attachment (which I required for my past telescope).

It depends on a 556 double clock chip, 2 TIP31 and 2 2N2222 transistors, 2 red LEDs, 6 RCA female connectors, control switch, two potentiometers, a little project box and a couple of discrete parts. Circuit is assembled on a little wire-wrap board.

What you need:

Input: 8-18V (suggested 12V).
Output: same as input, pulse.
Connector type: RCA (segment video type).
Most current for each pair of channels: 3A (1-2A prescribed).

Notes:

H1-H2 and H3-H4 channels are combined. The LEDs for each channel pair will squint gradually, as indicated by provided control.

At the point when the LED is consistently “on” – at that point full power is provided to warmers in comparing channel pair.

Since this controller has no input (no temperature settings) – a consideration ought to be taken not to overheat the optics.

Likewise i’ts exceptionally prescribed to utilize a 3-5A fuse. I’m utilizing this controller for quite a long while now.

Dew controller Ebay alternatives.

As of late some extremely inexpensive (~5$) 12V dimmers and different controllers wound up to be readily accessible on eBay.

You can look for the accompanying catchphrases: “12v PWM controller” or “12v dimmer”.

They are additionally founded on PWM strategy (don’t waste power) and can be utilized as an option in contrast to commercial or home-made dew controllers.

Simply ensure that the yield current rating (Amperes) is sufficient for the majority of your warmers.

Warming straps from resistors.

On the off chance that you can’t discover a nichrome wire – you can utilize a “ladder” of resistors as a warming component. Generally speaking radiator control between 1 to 4 watts ought to be sufficient, contingent upon conditions.

You can utilize information from commercially available warming straps so as to decide the required power.

Power (P) of a resistor “ladder” is determined the accompanying way:

P = (Supply voltage ^ 2) / (resistor value in Ohm/number of resistors).

Number of resistors and their worth may shift as per size of the ties, connected voltage, and anticipated encompassing temperature.

To counteract overheating – ensure that genuine power on every resistor doesn’t approach their most extreme evaluated control (generally 0.25 or 0.5 W). The genuine power is determined by partitioning the general intensity of warmer component by number of resistors (on the off chance that they are associated in parallel).

Optional Mirror Heater.

There are 2 different ways of warming the optional reflection of Newtonian telescope: Attach a type of warming component to back of the mirror itself, or wrap a warming tie around mirror holder.

I chose to for all time append a warming tie with a power connector to the mirror holder, in a way it doesn’t meddle with telescope’s aperture.

Warming component can be produced using nichrome wire, in a way referenced above, or from resistors. I’ve utilized both of these strategies for various telescopes.

I additionally put some flocking paper around the strap, so as to keep away undesirable reflections from the tape.

An increasingly exquisite method for driving the warmer is to conduct electricity straightforwardly through the spider vanes, anyway this requires protecting atleast one of them.

How To Take Amazing Astrophotography Pictures

Astrophotography is a higher art that requires discipline and the utmost dedication. How many times have you come across a photo of the Milky Way or the moon and wondered in awe how they managed to capture it?

The answer to that is a disciplined approach to astrophotography and very deep understanding of the camera and how it works to capture frames.

With this article, we hope to introduce you to the steps and techniques that you would have to master to capture something as scintillating as published on the magazines.

And although it is beyond the scope of this article to go in depth about camera mechanics, we would discuss optics too for you to get a holistic understanding of how astrophotographs come to be.

Table of Contents

Creating star trails

North Star Trails – Time lapse in HD.

Video by Jamie E

Star trail photos are made up of hundreds (sometimes even thousands) of images taken across the course of a night. This tutorial will cover the shooting and editing process from start to finish.

One small error can render eight hours of shooting worthless, so hopefully this tutorial will help you to avoid any such errors.

The process for shooting a star trail image starts with shooting a single image during twilight to capture the shadow details in the foreground under the softest light possible.

When the sky is completely dark we can start the process of shooting the hundreds of individual frames that will be later combined to create the star trails.

Once the shooting is complete we’ll move onto editing in Photoshop to combine all the star images together.

We’ll then combine the result with the single image shot during twilight, using the best parts of each image.

You’ll need:

DSLR camera with battery grip. Find our review for the BEST CAMERAS FOR UNDER $300.

Wide-angle lens. Check out our budget Camera Lens review for under $200 here.

Stable tripod and head. Find our review for Best Budget Tripods Under $150 here.

Programmable shutter release. Find it on Amazon here.

Powered dew heater or chemical warmer sachets. Find the latest price on Amazon here.

Photoshop. Find the latest price on Amazon here.

Large memory card. Find the latest price on Amazon here

Steps:

PLAN.

Scout the location before the shoot. Learn where the celestial pole will be and work out your composition – if you aim in the wrong direction you can’t correct it later.

Check on the Moon phase and path across the sky – a new Moon is best. Use The PhotoPills app to plan as it has an augmented reality mode.

FOCUS.

Set the focus so that all foreground elements are sharp, not on the stars themselves. Stars that are slightly out of focus will result in smoother and slightly thicker trails.

Do not adjust focus during the shoot or it will cause problems in the editing stage.

DLSR Camera focus tips.

Video by steeletraining

SHOOT THE FOREGROUND.

Shoot the foreground after sunset so it’s evenly illuminated by soft light. ND or graduated ND filters can be used if needed, but be careful not to move the camera when removing any filters.

Use a small aperture for depth of field. Set the camera to its base ISO to maximize dynamic range and image quality.

PROGRAM THE REMOTE RELEASE.

Make sure the camera is set to Bulb mode.

Set the remote shutter release to take 40-second images with the shortest possible interval. For most remotes this will be one second, though there are some that can do 0.1-second intervals.

CAMERA SETTINGS.

Make sure long-exposure noise reduction is switched off in the camera menu. We recommend settings of 40 seconds, at f3.5, ISO 800. Shoot RAW (14-bit lossless if possible), White Balance set to Sunlight.

If shooting under a Moon that is between 1/4 and 1/2 illuminated, drop the ISO to 400.

SHOOT THE TRAILS.

When the sunset afterglow has faded and the stars are visible we can begin shooting the trails. Make sure you know the run times of all your batteries. The lens heater will usually require one or two battery changes during the shoot, as batteries will be depleted faster in colder weather.

Editing steps:

CHOOSE STACKING SOFTWARE.

There are a few different programs that can be used for stacking. Using RAW files in Photoshop is best.

STACK IN PHOTOSHOP.

Load the images into a stack. You can remove any unwanted trails by painting over them with a black brush. When the images are clean use the Lighten blend mode, flatten and save as a 16-bit TIFF.

When you’re done load all the stacked images into a stack and repeat.

BLEND.

Load the final stacked star image and the twilight foreground into layers.

Create a Contrast mask to blend in the foreground elements from the twilight image, replacing the silhouetted foreground elements from the stacked star shots.

Blending your spiral star trails with photoshop.

Video by Milky Way Mike

ENHANCE.

Use the Contrast mask to apply Exposure/Levels/Curves adjustments to the two individual layers. Bring out the colours by pushing the Saturation and Vibrance sliders up.

Shooting the Milky Way.

A huge amount of planning is required before you can attempt to shoot the Milky Way.

You should start by checking the weather forecast to make sure that the skies are clear with no moon between the months of April and September when the Milky Way is visible in the Northern hemisphere.

The other issue is light pollution, which can blot out large portions of the Milky Way and other stellar formations.

Having found a dark spot, you want a good foreground: a good shot needs an earthbound anchor such as abandoned buildings, trees or water.

Steps:

SET UP.

Get on site in plenty of time, with a head torch, warm clothes and a sturdy tripod with cable release. As dusk deepens, start working out your shot composition.

The sky is your priority, but here, the rocks gave us a good start on the rule of thirds principle.

As astronomical twilight ends, you should just be able to make out the Milky Way as a faint diagonal, leading leftwards up the skyfrom the compass reference Sky Guide hasgiven you.

To capture it, you need a camerawith a good high-ISO capability and a very wide-angle lens.

Focusing is a major issue, but theheadtorch can be used to light a physical object like a rock and focus on that. You can use Live View to manually focus. On some lenses infinity is perfect.

TAKE A SHOT.

As the dusk fades, take test shots using the 500 rule, dividing 500 by the focal length of your lens (include your crop factor of 1.5 or 1.6 if shooting APS-C).

The Sigma lens is the world’s fastest 14mm lens, and when I tried it, my aim was to shoot at f/1.8 and keep my ISO down.

We’d normally shoot the Milky Way between ISO 4000 and 6400, but we were getting clean results at ISO 2000. What we wanted to make sure of was that we had a perfect diagonal as a leading line away from the rocks.

You can light-paint your foreground or have it as a silhouette; in our case, though, the late dusk light lit the rocks.

DO INITIAL ADJUSTMENTS.

With Milky Way shoots, the RAW file is only ever the starting point.

The human eye is limited in what it can see at night, but your full-frame sensor has a much better dynamic range.The RAW file looks dull and flat, as it should.

First, do some overall adjustments in Lightroom. Use Exposure to push your histogram to the right, and add some Contrast. Bring Shadows up to work on your foreground and add an S-shaped Tone Curve to pop the contrast.

The Milky Way is still quite pale – but don’t worry!

OPEN IN PHOTOSHOP.

The photo is now coming together, so it’s a good time to add in some Photoshop extras. With your edited image exported and open in Photoshop, add a new layer then go to Filters >Sharpen >Unsharp Mask.

If you want to, add a layer mask and erase the mask over your foreground. The aim is to make the stars pop. You can run the Unsharp Mask again for extra impact.

Make a lunar analemma.

The solar Analemma over Edmonton.

Video made by Luca

An analemma is a composite picture of usually the Sun, taken over the period of a year, which shows its shifting position in the sky as the seasons progress. It can take a year to create a picture like this, so as you can imagine, it takes some dedication.

However, you can create the same effect with the Moon in just 29.5 days, if you’re lucky enough to have a month of clear night skies!

The image gives you an extended figure of eight pattern and can make a very attractive picture.

As with the Sun, an analemmaonly exists as an abstract idea and as a compilation of images within one photograph, and this is the only way to see it.

The trick to creating a lunar analemma is to understand that the Moon returns to the same position in the night sky around 51 minutes later each day.

Therefore, if you image the Moon around 51 minutes later each successive day over the course of one lunar month or 29.5 days, it will trace out the figure of eight curves when the images are combined.

This pattern is due to its elliptical orbit and its tilt.

You’ll need a good, sturdy tripod and a way of marking its position so that you can put it in the exact same spot each day.

You’ll also need some image processing software and a little skill in its use to get a good final image, especially as the thin crescent phases will need to be taken in daylight, or at least bright twilight.

Use the wide-angle lens for the background shot and to get the positions of the Moon in each phase, as this will be the image upon which you will build your composite.

An attractive building or mountain range can look good for the background, but remember to leave plenty of room in the sky in which to superimpose your lunar images.

The telephoto lens is used to get more detailed images of the Moon. During image processing these shots will be superimposed onto the background in exactly the right spots.

If you don’t get a whole month of clear skies, you can always take a shot of the correct phase the following month and work that into your final image. Bearing this in mind, it may still take some time to build up your final analemma, but it will be worth it.

Building the composite.

Use a wide-angle lens for the background and Moon position shots and then swap to the telephoto lens or ‘zoom in’ and take some more detailed images of the Moon.

You’ll use your image processing software to superimpose these details onto the position of the Moon in your wide-angle image later on. The reason for this is to make the Moon look more real.

In the wide-angle shots it will seem very small and insignificant. You’ll also need to vary the length of exposure to cope with the differing light conditions.

Take a few images in various settings to increase your chances of getting a good shot each day.

Steps:

TAKE A BACKGROUND IMAGE.

Choose a good location and background for your image and take some well-composed shots. Be sure to leave plenty of sky in the images, as this will be filled with your analemmaover time.

KEEP TRACK OF THE TIME.

Keep an observation diary of the exact time of your first shot and note down the phase of the Moon each night. This will help keep track of your shots and assist while creating the composite later on.

EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR SETTINGS.

Take multiple images each night and vary the settings of the exposure time and ISO each time you photograph the Moon. This will ensure you get at least one good shot per night for your analemma.

ADJUST YOUR VIEWING TIME EACH DAY.

Don’t forget to add 51 minutes to the time of viewing for every successive day that you photograph the Moon during the lunar month. Your observation diary will help with keeping track of this.

GET MORE DETAIL.

Use a telephoto or zoom lens to get more detailed images of the Moon. These details will be superimposed onto the position of the Moon in your wide-angle shot later on. Don’t make the lunar disc too large though.

EDIT YOUR IMAGES.

Once you’ve got all of your shots across the lunar month and selected the best ones, combine all of the images into a composite using computer software such as Photoshop. This will show up the analemma.

Mastering Deep Space Photography

So far we’ve looked at astrophotography as a whole, explored essential kit and discussed wide-field astrophotography.

The next natural step would be to venture into the vast expanse of deep space photography.

It might seem unattainable and the spectacular imagery produced from deep space imaging can be daunting.

The images you can produce are literally out of this world and like nothing else you would ever be able to capture on Earth. What deep space photography, also called astroimaging, offers us a personal glimpse into that mysterious realm outside of our sphere of life.

It is difficult to imagine a hobby where you will be peering thousands, millions and tens of millions of years into the past – with a chance of discovering something never discovered before.

Deep Sky Astrophotography How To.

Video by AstroBackyard

But, that is exactly what Astro-imaging allows. Deep space imaging is, at the most basic level, the use of a telescope, mount, and camera to take photographs of deep space objects, such as galaxies, nebulae or star clusters, just to name a few.

The galaxies can either be our very own Milky Way, or other distant galaxies far beyond our own. In short, deep space is considered anything outside of our Solar System. This article will try to delve deeper into the basics of deep space astro imaging and how to get started.

Choose a deep space subject.

Image by NASA

Depending on your location on Earth, including which hemisphere and the time of year, you will have some decisions to make.

In general, during the summer at the location described in this article(United States), many hydrogen emission (HII) targets (aka, nebulae) are visible as the edge of our Milky Way crosses into our night sky.

As winter approaches, there are somewhat more galaxies available.

Considering what you enjoy the most, or have the most interest in, can be the biggest driving factor.

Planetarium software, such as Stellarium, will set the date/time based on your computer’s time, and you need only set your location.

Once set, you can go forward (or backward) in time to see what will be rising that night and when it sets again on the opposite horizon.

Using Stellarium, you can then look for deep space objects, select them and read the information – such as the name of the object, size in arc seconds, and magnitude/brightness.

Stellarium Tutorial.

Vidoe by Emily Welch

If the object would reasonably fit into the field of view (FOV) based on the camera/telescope combination and would be high enough above the horizon for several hours, then that would likely be a target.

In general, imaging two objects in one night is a normal procedure, waiting for them to cross the celestial meridian so that the scope will be on the east side of the mount, and track to the west as the object sets.

This helps to prevent the camera and back of the scope from impacting the tripod legs, for example.

Deep Space Photography what you can image and when.

Although differences in months for seasons may vary between countries, here are some targets for the general seasons in the United States of America.

Spring: Galaxies to image include M100, M64, NGC 4565 and M81/M82, just to name a few. Nebulae include M27 and NGC 6820.

Autumn: Autumn in the United States is somewhat similar to summer, in that the mosquitoes are still a problem. Galaxies to image include M31. Nebulae include NGC 7635 (Bubble Nebula).

Summer: Summer is generally tough as the high temperature will not allow the camera to cool down to a lower CCD temperature.

In addition, for the location discussed in this article, summer normally means mosquitoes, so another consideration for an imaging night. As for targets, there are many nice objects to the image in both galaxies as well as nebula categories, and even clusters (not described in detail here).

Summer is also great for wide-field (DSLR) images of the Milky Way.

Galaxies to image include our own Milky Way, as well as M31 (which overlaps between seasons for this location) and NGC 4565. Nebulae/Clusters include M16, M27, NGC 6995, and M13.

Winter: Generally the best season for imaging for the United States in terms of weather. Normally dry and cool, which implies good weather conditions due to the dry air, plus lower temperature setting (-15C) for the camera CCD due to the lower ambient temperature (also, no mosquitoes!).

Thus, many of the images you can see on popular magazines and on the web are from this season.

Galaxies to image include NGC 7331, Stephan’s Quintet, M33 and NGC 3184.Nebulae include IC 434 and M33 (Horsehead Nebula), NGC 2664, NGC 7000 (North America Nebula), M42 (Orion Nebula) and IC 5070 (Pelican Nebula).

Getting set up for deep space photography.

A deep space setup can be quite involving and time consuming, but in order to shoot the best possible imagery you should make sure that you prepare well in advance.

For imaging using anastroCCD, multiple steps are required to ensure that long exposures of deep space objects are possible. Following physical setup of your equipment, you must undertake several other steps before you begin collecting image data.

First you must polar align your mount. This varies between different kits – with the Takahashi EM-200 mount, the polar scope is built into the mount.

Use the user’s guide, which describes how to do the polar alignment – align the GE mount with Polaris.

Takahashi Telescope EM-200 Mount.

Using your software, connect the camera, guide camera, filter wheel, and telescope mount. When connecting the mount, the Takahashi portion of the ASCOM driver will prompt for scope position.

For the scope position prompt from the ASCOM software, make sure scope/counterweights are vertical, and then select ‘Scope pointed at the pole, CW down’ and the connection will be made. Use the polar scope to find the North Star.

Then, using your camera software, take a very short three-second image and find the North Star in the FOV of that image.

Then, switch to the Focus mode, select that same star, and the focus will update the image at some frequency (normally two seconds or so, depending on the brightness of the star).

Make sure you make a large-enough window so you can move the star and see it move, then move your mount using your software until you have the North Star close to the centre of the main FOV.

Take another test image to see where it is at. Repeat the process until the North Star is very close to the center of your image frame.

Next, pick one of the ‘smaller’ stars near Polaris and near the centre. Finding a centre star is not too important for me (as the scopes have very flat fields), but in cases of outer coma, you will want to use a star near the centre.

Set the exposure on the camera at 1-3 seconds, with Focus mode binned to 2×2 or 4×4 (depends on camera). Poor seeing conditions will require that you use shorter exposures so as to not confuse poor seeing with poor focus.

Use your focus method (motorized or manual) to bring your focus star to as close to 1×1 pixel as possible (many dependencies here, but this is in general). A three- (or more) point alignment is required when using a portable setup.

This allows your mount to have a reference when slewing to a particular target. Using your software (e.g. a ‘Goto’ list that can be created and loaded into Astroart), select Polaris, and Goto it.

It is important that you provide the correct information when youconnect the mount e.g. ‘counterweights down/ scope pointing at pole’). Next, select a star that you know is visible – have the mount Goto that star, then centre the star in the FOV of the camera – and ‘Sync’. Do this for one more star (or common object,e.g. M31 if visible).

At this point outside, you will have already decided what you will image for the night (per previous section). Using the Goto of your mount, now move to your target, which should be close to the FOV for your image frame.

Take some test images to better centre your target. Then, re-sync your mount (in case you need to find this exact same position again, e.g. a glitch – reboot and tell the mount to ‘keep last sync’ and you will not have to redo the three-point alignment).

Now set up your autoguide; this differs depending on setup, but in general, the corrections will differ depending on whether your scope is on the east or west side of the celestial meridian.

Once auto-guide is running properly, you are set for your LHaRGB (or other filters) exposures – so, you are now set up to start imaging!

Capturing a deep space object.

About 12 million light years from Earth lies one of the most beautiful galaxies in the entire night sky.

Bode’s Galaxy, also known as M81 or NGC 3031, can be found in the constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear) and shares its region of the sky with another galaxy of completely different shape, known as the Cigar Galaxy, cataloged as M82. What makes Bode’s Galaxy outstanding is its glorious spiral arms.

It is almost face on to us, so we get a very good view of the entire galaxy. The galaxy itself is interesting, as it is thought to contain a supermassive black hole at its centre.

It is, without doubt, a very photogenic object in the night sky. It is therefore a very popular object for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers. If you plan to image this galaxy in all its glory for yourself, there are a few things you’ll need before you begin.

First of all, you’ll need a telescope; between 85mm and 100mm aperture for a refractor, or between 150mmand 200mm aperture for a reflector are good sizes.

Of course, an even larger aperture will make imaging the galaxy and its spiral arms even easier. A tracking mount is also essential and an equatorial mount is preferable with a drive or a GoTo system.

You’ll also need a DSLR camera and an adaptor to fit it to your telescope. A useful device to have here is a remote shutter release, as this helps to minimize vibrations when opening and closing the shutter on the camera.

Depending on the focal length of your telescope, you may need to use a Barlow lens to increase the magnification and to fit the galaxy comfortably into the frame of the picture.

Even though the galaxy is quite bright, you’re still going to need to use long exposures to capture it well. You’ll also need to be able to set your camera to manual settings to do this and adjust the ISO setting to get a good image.

It is a good idea to use a series of shorter-exposure shots and then stacks them together in software, rather than taking one long-exposure image.

This helps to minimize the risk of something going wrong during the exposure and can also help to increase the contrast in the final image.

Take lots of exposures and check for good focus regularly, and adjust where necessary. Once you’re happy with your shots you can process the images in Photoshop or similar software. Want to know more find our Mastering Deep Space Photography post here.

Image processing.

The primary steps for image processing are almost as involved as the setup and capture. The first step for image processing is the calibration phase.

The normal calibration frames are flats, darks, flat darks and bias – in the data library for the images in this feature, ten of each of these calibration frames are used to create a master for each by combining through software.

Details of how to collect these calibration frames and combining them are beyond the scope of this article, but are well documented on the web and other sources.

For the application of the calibration frames, Astroart handles this through the Preprocessing feature, where it enables you to add your ‘light frames’ (the data images), as well as each of the calibration frames.

Following calibration, the stacking of the data is performed. The stacking is accomplished through the Astroart Preprocessing feature. In some rare cases (Ha data), a test can be done with a SigmaAverage result (rather than just Average that is shown) to remove ‘cosmic ray’ strikes on the sensor that are picked up at such a low signal level, as is the case with a Ha filter.

Use hotpixel removal (single and groups) in case there is a hotpixel that the dark frame master did not pick up. Once the stacking is run, save the result as both a FITS file and a PNG (the latter for use in importing into PS).

Generating colours from each of the Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) channels is considered the RGB combine step.

The RGB combine within Astroartis the method Color → Trichromy and allows the combining of same-size images from each of the three channels. There are a few different options provided before the combine, such as coefficient, white balance and colour balance.

Each target is different, so experimenting with the different selections is normally the best process.

Once adjusted, save each channel as a ‘master’ FITS as well as a PNG file. For RGB, also sometimes applied is AA’s Gradient Removal feature – depending on the target and if the target was in an area that had significant LP.

Once theLum and/or Ha are saved as PNG files, they are then imported into Photoshop. First, run levels and then later curves – always paying attention to the histogram so as to not clip data at either end. You can also use GradientXTerminator(Photoshop filter) to help reduce gradients from light pollution.

Once the RGB is saved as a single master PNG, it is imported into Photoshop. Similar to Lum/Ha, run levels first and then later curves (again, paying close attention to the histogram), and possibly the GradientXTerminator and/or Hasta La Vista Green (HLVG) Photoshop filters. Once the majority of processing is done to Lumand/or Ha and RGB, use Photoshop to combine.

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5 Tips for photographing the Moon.

The best camera gear for moon photography.

The best camera settings for photographing the moon.

Moon photography – choosing a location.

Post-processing moon photographs.

Photographing the sea.

Pick a focal point.

B/W photography.

9 Quick tips for better Black and White photos.

Rule of thirds: what’s on the horizon.

Mists and fog.

Moving waves.

Related questions.

Should I get a tripod for my beach photos?

Which neutral density filter should I opt for?

How to use a Star Chart.

Here, I list the highlights of some of my favorite atlases.

Beginner’s atlases.

Online resources and apps for star charts for stargazing.

SkyView (Android, IOS: Free)

Night Sky (iOS: Free)

SkySafari (iOS: Free)

Pocket Universe (iOS: $2.99)

SkyWiki (Android: Free)

Related questions.

What is a star chart?

What type of mount should you consider for astrophotography?

The two major mount types.

Altazimuth or non-equatorial mounts.

How to choose an Altazimuth Telescope.

Equatorial mounts.

How does a Equatorial mount work?

The advantages of equatorial mounts for astrophotography.

Plan for the future when buying the amount.

The best telescope mounts for astrophotography.

Best Overall – Orion 10010 Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount.

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

Features – Orion Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G mount.

Pros.

Cons.

Best German Equatorial Mount – Celestron CGX Computerized German Equatorial Mount And Tripod.

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

Introducing the Celestron CGX.

Pros.

Cons.

Best Budget Astrophotography Mount – Orion AstroView EQ Mount and EQ-3M Motor Drive Kit.

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

Orion AstroView EQ Mount overview.

Pros.

Cons.

Best Astrophotography Mount for Beginners – Celestron Advanced VX Mount.

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

Celestron Advanced VX EQ Mount.

Pros.

Cons.

Best Portable Equatorial Mount for Astrophotography—Orion Min-EQ Tabletop Equatorial 9055

Find the latest price and customer reviews on Amazon here.

Features of the Min-EQ Tabletop Mount.

Pros.

Cons.

Related questions.

What is an equatorial mount?

The Theory of dew heaters for telescopes.

The Solution – Dew Heater.

How to keep telescopes warm.

Thousand Oaks Four-Channel Digital Dew Heater Control Unit.

Find customer reviews and price on Amazon here.

Thousand Oaks 1″x 15″ Heater Band (.94amp) for 2.5″ to 4″ Telescopes, used with 4-Channel DDHC Digital Heater Control Unit.

Find all the customer reviews and latest price on Amazon here.

Dew Heater Strips (With and Without)

Nichrome Heating Straps:

Stage 1:

Stage 2:

Stage 3: