There is nothing like taking your first deep-sky astrophotography image. You’re taking pictures of objects that lie thousands or millions of light-years away. Galaxies, nebulae, and star-forming regions are out there, and there’s an endless supply of new targets to capture. The best part is that you can see way more in an image than…
If you followed along with our adventure to Star Stuff III in Byron Bay, then you know we traveled to Uluru as part of our two-week stay in Australia. Not only did we want to see and experience the outback, but we wanted the best chances for clear, dark skies in the desert to see…
The Milky Way in the Southern Hemisphere is a sight to behold for any stargazer or casual observer. Not only does it contain constellations, nebulae, and stars not found in the northern hemisphere sky, but it also showcases the bright galactic center of the Milky Way overhead. From a dark sky location without the interference…
I recently took an incredible picture of a distant galaxy using my backyard telescope. While many of you have seen me do this often on YouTube, this time, the experience was a little different. The rules of this galaxy photography challenge were simple. I could prepare my camera and telescope equipment beforehand, but I only…
We are often asked how we fly with our astronomy gear when we travel to new locations for astrophotography. While traveling to a dark-sky site with our telescopes is exciting, it also involves a lot of planning. Traveling with any photography equipment can be challenging, but there are some added considerations when flying with items…
The ZWO ASI2400MC Pro is a full-frame, one-shot-color dedicated astronomy camera. It features a large 24-megapixel CMOS sensor with a pixel size of 5.94 microns. It is a great option for owners of astrophotography telescopes with a full-frame image circle (48mm+), as you will be able to fully utilize the large sensor across the entire…
Let’s be honest, when you’re starting something new there is always loads of new terminology to learn. The hobby of astrophotography is no different and it can be especially difficult if you also happen to be new to photography. To help you with this new territory and to accelerate your learning, we have put together…
In late 2023, William Optics announced the Pleiades 68 Astrograph. A compact, 7-element astrograph design featuring Super 3 ED lenses and FPL-53 glass. The biggest selling features of the William Optics Pleiades 68 Astrograph are its fast focal ratio of f/3.8 and innovative WIFD focuser design. I had the pleasure of testing one of the…
If you are like me, you spend most of your time photographing deep-sky objects from your backyard. While I love a good dark sky trip, the backyard is where the majority of my astrophotography projects take place. The backyard is a convenient option for an impulsive night of astrophotography, but what are we missing out…
After rejection a year ago, the Scientific and Technical subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) has agreed to add the issue of satellite constellations as an agenda item for further discussion. It will be addressed as ‘Dark and Quiet Skies, astronomy and large constellations: addressing emerging issues…
The Winter Star Party is held under Bortle 3 skies in the Florida Keys during the February new moon. It is hosted by the Southern Cross Astronomical Society and has just celebrated 40 years of operation. This premier star party boasts an appealing climate and a unique location for star lovers. I’m not sure there…
A dual narrowband filter is an astrophotography filter that allows only two specific bandpasses of light to pass through. The most common wavelengths isolated in a dual narrowband filter are h-alpha (656nm) and OIII (500.7). This type of filter is intended to be used with a color astronomy camera, or, a ‘one-shot-color’ (OSC) camera. When…