Equipment

The astrophotography equipment category is a useful resource for beginners that want a better understanding of the gear needed for astrophotography.

The type of astrophotography equipment needed for each area of interest can change dramatically, but in general, a tracking mount, a camera, and a telescope/camera lens are the bare minimum.

For those that like to remain portable, and take nightscapes from dark sky locations, a star tracker is recommended. They allow you to maximize the amount of light collected through your camera and lens, and present new creative opportunities.

If you are hoping to collect detailed pictures of nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters, a more robust tracking mount and a telescope are better options.

My primary interest lies in deep-sky astrophotography of galaxies and nebulae, using a refractor telescope on a tracking equatorial telescope mount. If you’re looking for a fantastic astrophotography telescope to get started with, you can’t go wrong with the William Optics RedCat 51.

astrophotography telescope

I typically use wide-field instruments to capture large nebulae in the night sky using specialized filters, but you may be interested in other types of astrophotography including being able to photograph a planet up close.

For this type of imaging (planetary astrophotography) the equipment profile changes quite dramatically from a wide-field nebula setup. A telescope with much more focal length is recommended (2000mm) and a dedicated astronomy camera with a high frame rate.

A popular camera for solar system photography is the ZWO ASI290mm Mini, thanks to its 2.1 MP monochrome sensor. This is the camera I used to photograph Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Useful Equipment Links

refractor telescope for astrophotography

Why You Should Start with a Refractor Telescope

If you’re getting started in deep-sky astrophotography, I believe that a compact apochromatic (APO) refractor telescope is the best possible choice. A compact APO refractor is portable and lightweight, making it a smoother transition from the camera lenses you may be used to. In fact, in many ways, a high-quality apochromat is very much like…

Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro

Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro (First Impressions)

The Sky-Watcher EQ8-R is an observatory-grade astrophotography mount with a massive 110-pound maximum payload capacity. It comes in two versions, the EQ8-R (the one I have), and the advanced Sky-Watcher EQ8-Rh model with encoders. A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to receive a very large package in the mail, the Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro….

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Review

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Review

The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i is an extremely popular portable star tracker designed for astrophotography. It provides a simple way to track the motion of the stars, allowing you to take long-exposure images of the night sky.  It uses AA batteries, making it ultra-portable and travel-friendly. It’s an excellent miniature equatorial tracking mount designed for smaller…

Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro

Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Review

The Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro is a computerized equatorial telescope mount with GoTo capabilities. This equatorial (EQ) mount is capable of providing precise, accurate tracking of the night sky, and is suitable for long-exposure astrophotography.  The core specifications of this equatorial mount include having a built-in ST-4 autoguider port, a payload capacity of 44 pounds, and…

QHY PoleMaster Review

QHY PoleMaster Review

The QHY PoleMaster electronic polar scope was designed to make your polar alignment routine easier, and more precise. No matter which camera tracker or equatorial telescope mount you’re using, when it comes to astrophotography, accurate polar alignment is critical. If you have ever struggled to polar align your telescope mount with the north or south…

Astrophotography in Costa Rica (Carina Nebula)

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…

RedCat 51

William Optics RedCat 51 Review

William Optics is a company known for creating high-performance apochromatic refractors and constantly updating and refining their designs. The RedCat 51 Petzval APO is the latest creation from the company that can’t sit still, and it is bound to shake up the industry once more. I am fortunate enough to have been granted early access…

Celestron CGX-L computerized mount

Celestron CGX-L Telescope Mount – First Look

The Celestron CGX-L is a robust, professional-grade computerized equatorial mount with an impressive 75-lb payload capacity. The deep sky astrophotography potential of the Celestron CGX-L is obvious, and I intend to experience this benefit first-hand. The CGX-L is the largest equatorial telescope mount I have ever used for astrophotography, with payload capacity that surpasses the…

Canon EF 300mm F/4L

Using A Canon 300mm Lens for Astrophotography

If you watched my video about Comet 46P Wirtanen, you may have noticed that my imaging gear included a Canon EF 300mm F/4L USM Lens. This may have seemed a little odd to those that are used to seeing me use a telescope for astrophotography, but a camera lens like this can be a great…