Planets are celestial bodies that orbit around our Sun. There are eight planets in our Solar System, many of which can be enjoyed visually or photographed with a camera and telescope.
You can shoot wide-angle shots with a DSLR camera and lens where the planet appears as a bright star, or high magnification views using a dedicated astronomy camera that reveals surface detail.
Certain planets (such as Saturn) have a profound effect on the observer. The first time someone sees the ringed planet through a telescope is often the start of a lifelong passion for astronomy.
The Planet Jupiter photographed through my backyard telescope.
I’ll get straight to the point. I’m going to walk you through how I took a detailed picture of the planet Jupiter through my telescope. Compared to photographing deep-sky objects, like galaxies and nebulae like I normally do, photographing planets is a breath of fresh air. I am not a planetary imaging expert by any…
You may have started to notice a bright “star” in the night sky in the east. Today, my sister asked me “what is that bright red star I see every night? Is it a planet? It sure is, it’s the red planet Mars. The reason it is so bright is that is nearing its closest…
I woke up at 5:30 am this morning to attempt to photograph the 5 visible planets at dawn. This astronomical event is rather rare, and will only be possible for about 2 more weeks. Seeing the 5 brightest planets simultaneously has not been possible since 2005! The first week of February is the absolute best…
On June 5th, 2012, I witnessed the Planet Venus transit the Sun from my backyard. I used an Orion 4.5″ Skyquest Dobsonian telescope with a homemade solar filter to observe the event. My parents joined me to watch with their solar glasses on. I remember the feeling of watching the Sun up close through the…