There are many different types of telescopes available for those interested in exploring the night sky. The three main types of telescopes are refracting telescopes, reflecting telescopes, and catadioptric telescopes, with many variations and hybrid designs for each type.
A Dobsonian telescope with a healthy aperture is great for enjoying real-time views of the brighter objects in the sky, while a refractor telescope is best used with a camera attached, to photograph faint deep-sky objects.
The main goal of any astronomical telescope is to gather light. Therefore, the two most important factors when choosing a telescope will be your desired focal length (magnification) and aperture (how bright the object will appear).
These two factors will create a unique viewing experience based on the type of experience you are looking for (i.e. visual vs astrophotography).
I’ve taken some amazing astrophotos this year, and I want to share the exact equipment I used in my approach and even some processing tips. After all – I know you’re super pumped about the images I take – right? But in reality, if I can’t provide useful information about how you can do it…
Astrophotography is about more than just the pictures you take, it’s about an overall positive experience along the way. I don’t like seeing people quit because they’re frustrated and confused. It doesn’t have to be that way. When starting out, I think it’s important to choose a setup that is easy to use, and not…
Late last month, William sent me a William Optics RedCat 71 for review purposes. The Cat 71 was designed to be an ultra-flat, well-corrected imaging APO for modern DSLR/mirrorless and dedicated astronomy cameras. In this post, I’ll provide you with an overview of the telescope’s specs and a few sample images taken with it. Since testing…
The Radian Raptor 61 is a triplet apochromatic refractor telescope for astrophotography. It features a compact design with features custom-suited for wide-field, deep-sky astrophotography. Since the Raptor arrived in September, I have taken some of my best astrophotography images to date with it. In this review, I’ll share all of the image examples I have…
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…
The Celestron RASA 8 F/2 Astrograph is a modern astrophotography telescope with an optical design that allows you to collect deep sky images using short exposure times. Based on the popular 11″ version, the 8” model is the most affordable RASA (Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph) in Celestron’s lineup. The RASA optical system presents a modern and…
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…
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…
This week, I returned to my roots and enjoyed some deep-sky astrophotography using a DSLR camera and small telescope. Don’t get me wrong, dedicated astronomy cameras and heavy-duty mounts are great, but my latest imaging session in the backyard was a breath of fresh air. In this post, I’ll share my early results with a…
As the season transitions from summer to fall, the nights have become longer and cooler in the backyard. This is beneficial for deep sky astrophotography for many reasons, including more time to capture exposure time on incredible targets like the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula. For those who have been following my YouTube Channel you’ll know that I’ve been…
I am thrilled to tell you that I recently got my hands on a brand new Explore Scientific ED140 CF APO Triplet Refractor. If you’ve been following AstroBackyard for some time now, you’ll know how I feel about APO refractors in terms of astrophotography performance. The refractor telescope design has many unique advantages when it…
I’ve been given the unique opportunity to review a new Ritchey-Chrétien Telescope, the iOptron Photron RC6. This telescope has a longer focal length than any of my refractors, which I plan on putting to good use. The impressive 1370mm focal length means that this stocky red Ritchey-Chrétien is a perfect choice for astrophotography during galaxy…