Stargazer95050's articles

As you browse through telescope selections, you inevitably come across all kinds of telescopes and may wonder why I never mention these. Here I'll talk about the differences between VISUAL OBSERVATION and ASTRO- PHOTOGRAPHY. Visual observation is just as amazing as astrophotography and I suggest you do BOTH. The requirements for visual observation are more relaxed compared to astro-photography and if photos are your main goal, you always can swap the camera for an eye-piece and go visual. The opposite move, using a telescope setup intended for visual use to do photography, isn't that easy.

Observing stars becomes easier if you don't have to constantly make adjustments. This is even more important, if you want to make long-exposure photos of the sky. The solution is simple & elegant -- the Earth rotates around it's axis and if you counteract that rotation, you keep looking at the same position in the sky. There are different names for solutions to do that, most notably an "equatorial mount". Barndoor- and other star-tracking accessories all use the same principle and require the same preparation steps -- THE POLAR ALIGNMENT

In the previous blog entry, I talked about the GOTO capabilities and the usefulness of computers to provide sky maps and provide easier accessible telescope controls. All those solutions are "blind" and here I will explain how to setup a combination of tools that will utilize your existing mount+camera setup and provide you with feedback on the telescope's actual position. And also automatically correct the position..

Today's GOTO telescopes are a great help to novice stargazers and a timesaver to more seasoned astronomers. Pushing a couple of buttons and you can command the telescope to move from one star to the next nebula. Yet that hand-controller interface isn't very intuitive to use to beginners and it would be a lot nicer if you could simply use star maps and point & click

A standardized image format is something most users take for granted -- JPG, GIF, PNG and even TIFF are household names when it comes to (web)-images & editing. If you use a dSLR, you have gotten used to adding a tool or two, to process the Nikon or Canon RAW formats. With the astronomy cameras, the formats & necessary conversions become a real mess -- especially if you use a one-shot color "OSC" camera.

Here is the "dream" solution" a high-capacity Li-Ion battery with regulated & protected 9V output capable of delivering 5A and a connector to match the Nikon body (that package would need to include a small AC-adapter to recharge the battery) Compare that to the most practical, cheapest yet easiest & most reliable solution : /stargazer95050/31956033 any 12V battery -- preferably _NOT_ Li-Ion because most of these batteries have limited output current and require very special charge…

For this article, I use the eclipse on April 15th 2014 as an example and as a location I have picked San Francisco. The path of the moon & the timing is dependent on your own location and you will have to make adjustments for that. Here are some examples and a bit of background of the various attempts : www.ipernity.com/doc/stargazer95050/album/389379

PLANNING is in my opinion one of the best ingredients to any successful venture, astrophotography & otherwise. And in another article, I wrote about the WHERE / LOCATION. The right timing of WHEN also is important If I have to explain to you WHY stargazing is great, you're at the wrong page SCOUTING WHERE to shoot is one important step : /stargazer95050/657919 DECIDING WHAT objects to photograph : /stargazer95050/704191 PLANNING WHEN to shoot is another : /stargazer95050/659063 DECIDING WHAT equipment suits the task best : PRACTICE HOW to shoot is just as important : /stargazer95050/657921 POST-PROCESSING of the captured results :

GOOD PREPARATIONS are in my opinion some of the best ingredients to any successful venture, astrophotography & otherwise. If I have to tell you WHY you want to look at the stars, you've comet to the wrong place to find an answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. SCOUTING WHERE to shoot is one important step : /stargazer95050/657919 DECIDING WHAT objects to photograph : /stargazer95050/704191 PLANNING WHEN to shoot is another : /stargazer95050/659063 DECIDING WHAT equipment suits the task best : PRACTICE HOW to shoot is just as important : /stargazer95050/657921

Supernovae are among the most powerful events in our universe and they emit unimaginable amounts of energy. And long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away that has happened but it took 11.5 million years and only now does this energy reach us, some of it visible to our eyes. Look up at the sky & search for the M82 "Cigar Galaxy" -- it will be over in a few weeks.

There are many different ways to enjoy the beauty of the night sky and in this series of articles I want to share some of my experiences. From simple visual observation to increasingly challenging astro-photography setups.

The tools like Vixen POLARIE, iOptron SKYTRACKER and the ASTROTRAC all have their use and fans. And they are capable to move a small camera setup and effectively eliminate startrails. They are small and comparatively easy to use but are quite expensive for what they can do. They also have limitations and here I want to point to the benefits of a real EQ mount. Some of these mounts cost about as much as any of these devices once you add up all the costs for the additional accessories.

Hooking up a SLR to a telescope can yield good images. But they still can be improved. And using a more specialized CCD-camera for astronomy is one possibility to do that. Here some of the challenges that will await you.

[UPDATE 2013/12/20] Predicting the position of the Sun & Moon isn't all that difficult with a bevy of apps & websites to help you. Predicting satellite positions, incl ISS, is more specialized. Several tools of the SOFTWARE TOOLCHEST come in handy and I will have to add some new ones for this task. Once you know WHEN & WHERE it will happen, the next task is to figure out HOW. Especially when you aim to shoot a transit in front of the Sun, extra precaution is needed.

Collimating a reflector telescope may not be a "want to" but more of a "have to do" task to get better results. This article is a summary of my experiences and not an all-out instruction on how to handle each & every scope. If you find any mistakes or have corrections & suggestions feel free to comment or email me

It is not enough to understand astronomy -- I can't think of any other photography subject so depended on good weather. Guess why astronomers wish each others "Clear skies". To avoid unnecessary trips only to find the sky cloudy, it is useful to learn how to read various weather reports & maps. And if you are lucky, you may even find a suitable weather webcam nearby.