Astrophotography

1
Astrophotography Digital Imaging

• Elizabeth Warner
• UM Observatory
• University of Maryland
• warnerem_at_astro.umd.edu

www.astro.umd.edu/openhouse www.astro.umd.edu/wa
rnerem
2
Handheld

• Any camera!
• Usually sun/moon rise/set pictures

3
Tripod

• Any camera with a bulb setting
• Shutter-release cable
• Star trails, meteor showers, aurorae, satellites,
  some eclipses

4
Tripod
date 24 November 2001, approx. 520am MST
location Warner/Pines Cabin, Westcliffe, CO
setup Canon EOS D30 film none, digital
exposure 10 _at_ 15sec each about 30sec apart
comments used Adobe Photoshop 6 and ImageReady
3.0 note the head of Draco rising!
http//www.astro.umd.edu/warnerem/Gallery/aurora/
Aurorae.shtml
5
Piggyback

• Any camera with a bulb setting
• Shutter-release cable
• Tracking telescope, piggyback mount
• Wide-angle constellation shots, comets

6
Prime-focus

• Any camera with a bulb setting and removable
  lens
• Shutter-release cable
• T-ring, t-adapter, other adapters
• Tracking telescope
• Telescope becomes the lens
• Close-up on moon, planets, other solar system
  stuff, deepsky

7
Afocal

• Usually point and shoot or small camcorders
• Either lots of stills to stack or movies
• Some kind of adapter to hold camera/camcorder
  over eyepiece
• Subject matter can be almost anything although
  moon and planets come out best

8
Afocal
9
Projection

• Any camera with a bulb setting and removable
  lens
• Shutter-release cable
• T-ring, t-adapter, other adapters
• Tracking telescope, eyepieces, guiding mechanism
• Close-up on moon, planets, other solar system
  stuff, deepsky

10
Film vs. digital

• Higher-res
• More durable, many are totally manual (power
  requirements!)
• Have to scan if you want to digitally manipulate
• Easier to setup

• New cameras are getting close!
• Immediate satisfaction
• Need dependable power source especially in cold
  weather
• Already digital
• Most astronomical ccd cameras are a pain to
  focus!
• Need a computer

11
Practice, Practice, Practice!
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Practice, Practice, Practice!
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Practice, Practice, Practice!
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Practice, Practice, Practice!
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Practice, Practice, Practice!
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Practice, Practice, Practice!
17
Success!
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Success!
19
Local AstroImagers

• John Settle
• http//mywebpages.comcast.net/jjs-cts/
• Greg Piepol
• http//mysite.verizon.net/gpiepol/index.html
• Jeff Forsyth
• http//WWW.TeamForsyth.com/
• Steve Robinson
• http//www.highenergyastro.homestead.com/
• Guy Brandenburg
• http//home.earthlink.net/gfbranden/GFB_Home_Pa
  ge.html
• Doug Healy
• http//www.dougsimages.com/
• Elizabeth Warner
• http//www.astro.umd.edu/warnerem/

20
Local AstroImagers

• Will Stewart
• http//home.earthlink.net/v_stewart/astro/Astro
  _gallery.html
• Fred Espenak
• http//www.MrEclipse.com/
• Charles Jones
• http//users.jagunet.com/cjones6/images_page/im
  ages_page.html
• Eric Beard
• http//members.aol.com/IC4703/photography.html