Astrophotography For The Backyard Hobbyist
You are a beginner astrophotographer if:
-You enjoy keeping track of some of the things in the night sky
-You had a night sky poster over your bed that you bought yourself and was not a gift from well meaning Aunt Matilda so your mother made you put it up there
-You go out an watch when you find out there is an eclipse, or three planets lining up in a row, or when a once in a lifetime comet or meteor is scheduled to go by
-However: the only camera setting you use is Auto
-However: the only telescope you ever used is one you hold in both hands and move the eyepiece in and out to focus
You can be sure that any of the beautiful celestial images you see online, or in astronomy books were probably one of a hundreds of images taken, each one trying different settings, and minor adjustments here and there until the perfect shot was found. This is the way of an astrophotographer!
With the digital camera, you instantly see if your image works, and can delete it and try again with minor adjustments here and another one there. Over time, you will learn the best settings to begin your night time imaging sessions with, but to help you out, there is a discussion of each of the three levels of astrophotography that are best suited for a back yard hobbyist. There will be some photography tips along with some initial camera setting ideas to use as a starting point. It might be wise to include bug spray in your equipment list!
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