UNCOMPLICATED ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY Bill Weaver
WHAT CAN YOU REALLY SEE & CAPTURE? Star Party Marvel
OVERVIEW OF PHOTOGRAPHIC DEVICES Discuss and display fundamental equipment, techniques & factors for simple astrophotography & nightscapes Digital Single Lens Reflect (DSLR) Point and Shoot Cell Phone Video Charge-coupled Device (CCD)
OVERVIEW OF IMAGING DEVICES Discuss and display fundamental equipment, techniques & factors for simple astrophotography & nightscapes Binoculars Refractor Newtonian/Dobson Schmidt Cassegrain
FULL-SIZE BINOCULARS Full-Size (common specs: 15x70, 10 x 50) Disigned for astro-viewing. Capture more light and perform better in low-light situations. Must use solid platform. Wide Field of view Very Portable Two barrels collect more light
WHAT CAN YOU SEE WITH FULL-SIZE BINOCULARS The Moon Satellites and Meteors Jupiter Saturn The Beehive Cluster (M44) ½ of Moon The Lagoon Nebula (M8) 3X > Moon The Orion Nebula (M42) 1+X Moon The Pleiades (M45) Andromeda Galaxy (M31) 6X > Moon The Milky Way
WHAT CAN YOU SEE WITH TELESCOPES Small: 70-80 mm Newtonian reflector, 50-80mm refractor. Moon, planets, double stars, the Sun & large deep sky objects. Medium 150 mm Newtonian, 80-100mm refractor, 90-130mm Schmidt Cassegrain. Solar system and numerous deep sky objects. Large 200-300 mm reflector, a quality 120-150mm refractor or a 200-250 mm Schmidt Cassegrain. Virtually unlimited deep sky objects. Newtonian Schmidt Cassegrain Refractor
CELL PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY Cell phone holder typically clamps to a telescope eyepiece with a bracket holding phone in place. Must filter eyepiece to reduce brightness of object.
CELL PHONE PHOTOS Jupiter with no eyepiece filter Jupiter with eyepiece Moon filter
CELL PHONE PHOTO Snapshot taken with cell phone & Moon Filter
CELL PHONE BRACKET Will also hold a Point & Shoot Camera
DSLR PHOTOGRAPHY Prime Photography with remote shutter release Eyepiece Projection Photography
DSLR MOUNTED ON TELESCOPE
NIGHTSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH MOTORIZED TRACKING Binoculars Cell phone Point & Shoot DSLR
NIGHTSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY NO TRACKING Binoculars Cell phone Point & Shoot DSLR
DSLR MOUNT ON TOP OF TELESCOPE Will also hold a Point & Shoot Camera
DSLR AS A TELESCOPE
BASIC EQUIPMENT/KEY FACTORS Mounting bracket on a tripod is a must. Alternate: bean bag, sand bag, rice bag, etc. Solid foundation Remote shutter release or exposure delay Camera T-ring and eyepiece adapter for DSLR camera Eyepiece filter for bright objects
BASIC EQUIPMENT/KEY FACTORS Key Factors to consider: Earth rotates about.5 degree (or ½ width of a pinky finger ) per minute Camera Zoom (10X zoom object will move.5 degree in 12 seconds) Camera settings guidelines (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) Manual focus (do not use auto-focus).
BASIC EQUIPMENT/KEY FACTORS Preparations: Make sure the camera battery is fully charged and the memory card offers enough space. Reduce the brightness of the camera display to minimum. This helps to maintain night vision. Mount the camera on a tripod or other solid structure.
BASIC EQUIPMENT/KEY FACTORS Shooting: Choose your object If possible set your camera to the highest ISO speed. Manually focus to infinity. Set exposure delay to 2 (or more) seconds or use remote shutter release.
BASIC EQUIPMENT/KEY FACTORS Shooting (cont.): Set exposure time (Tv) to 5 sec. Take your first test shot. You can see if the object is framed right and the image is in focus. You might need to play with ISO and exposure time to optimize image resolution. Once done and you are satisfied, take a series of at least 10 images of your object (recommended 30-50).
REFERENCE MATERIAL General internet browsing by specific subject. Limitless video demonstrations and how-to on YouTube. Instruction books Amazon, Kindle, book stores. This presentation will be placed on the lhag.org website. Bill Weaver: hamweaver@wavecable.com