Astrophotography in Costa Rica (Carina Nebula)
I’ve just returned from a vacation to Costa Rica with the goal of capturing some astrophotography images from the resort. Being so close to the equator, the night sky featured many new southern hemisphere deep-sky targets I had never seen before. Aside from astrophotography (including an impromptu Facebook Live stream from our balcony) my wife and I also enjoyed a private birding tour and some much-needed relaxation. The average temperature from home in Canada was around -10 degrees Celsius, in Costa Rica, 33. Despite the pleasant temperatures and an impressive number of clear nights d…
Astrophotography Gear Update
Despite the excitement of a moving into a new house under Bortle Class 6 skies, I've had a rough start to the new year in terms of astrophotography. The weather has not been friendly, from -30 C nights to consecutive weeks of precipitation and clouds. However, this has given me some time to get my astrophotography gear organized in the garage for my next imaging session. My weather app shows that Saturday has a chance of clear skies for about 2 hours, and I'll be ready. In this post, I'll provide an update as to the astrophotography gear I'll be using next. My goal is that you find some…
Orion Image Gallery: Your Astrophotos
As we approach the Full Moon in March, we have to accept the fact that the stunning winter deep-sky astrophotography objects have faded into the West for another year.  Galaxy Season is upon us, with new and exciting imaging opportunities for your camera and telescope.  Before I dive into some of the Spring deep-sky targets on my agenda, I've decided to honor the amazing images captured by fellow amateur astrophotographers from around the world over the winter. I reached out to the AstroBackyard community on Facebook, asking everyone to share their images of Orion this winter.  I am h…
Unseasonably Warm, Cloudy Nights
These cloudy nights have kept my garage door closed, and my telescope inside. Â I don't usually like to make a blog entry without having some new astrophotography images to show, but at this point, I felt an update was needed. Â Time is running out to add more exposures to my winter astrophotography projects. [caption id="attachment_5001" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The Orion Nebula, Rosette Nebula, and Horsehead Nebula this winter[/caption] Despite the unfriendly weather, the AstroBackyard community continues to grow on Facebook and YouTube. Â Never in a million years did I think t…
Winter deep sky astrophotography
November is an exciting month for backyard astrophotographers as we transition into a new season of fantastic winter deep-sky targets. These constellations contain some of the best nebulae and star clusters the sky has to offer. The colder temperatures mean less noise in your images, which is great news for DSLR camera owners. The image of the Horsehead Nebula above is combined data from 2015 and this month. View the complete photo details here. The winter deep-sky targets in the Orion constellation are arguably the best of the Northern Hemisphere. With my recent addition of…
What’s new in 2016?
I usually like to wait until I've got a new astrophotography image to share before I make a post, but today I just felt like sharing some thoughts about where I am at with this blog. Astrobackyard.com is still in it's early stages, but I have had quite a few vistors as of late and I am truly honored that you have decided to take a moment out of your busy day to view my astronomy images. The Winter Blues The skies have been painfully clouded over for what seems like the last 3 months, and I really haven't got any decent imaging done since photographing the Horsehead Nebula in December. …
Astrophotography Video Tutorial
Astrophotography Video Tutorial In my first ever astrophotography video tutorial, I take a crack at the Rosette Nebula using data collected in February 2014. I have plans of shooting a video about light frame acquisition in the future, but this one is about what happens after you have already captured your data. This astrophotography video tutorial may be useful to anyone who has questions about the stacking process, and processing the created .TIF file in Adobe Photoshop. I must admit, I learned a lot about how I could improve upon these videos in the future duri…
Astrophotography by Trevor Jones
What is Astrobackyard.com? This astrophotography blog creates an outlet for me to share images, information and tips about my favourite hobby. I received lots of help when I began this hobby in 2011, and it's my turn to pay-it-forward to the next wave of astrophotographers. I have watched the hobby grow in the short years that I have been involved. There are more options and information out there now than ever before. The one aspect that does not change is a love for the night sky. The story behind the sites name is that the backyard is where I began my journey, and where I still spend the…
