A handy guide to stargazing and astrophotography
[ for Beginners and Professionals ]
A blog on the universe and the cosmos above and the nature of it determined by great scientists.
- What is Stargazing and Astrophotography
- Stargazing basics
- Astrophotography basics
- Tools needed for astrophotography :
What is Stargazing and Astrophotography :
Stargazing and astrophotography are basic terms related to space. Tough they are not rocket science, they can be valuable for space research.
Stargazing : Stargazing is not just to sit and gaze the stars, but to learn from them. If you are in favorable conditions with god visibility, low brightness, and all other such factors which are mentioned below then on average you can see about 4000 - 5000 stars which is a crazy experience.
Astrophotography : Astrophotography is a kind of hobby that many people like to practice. As you may have guessed, astrophotography means to click pictures of celestial events and celestial bodies. Though stargazing and astrophotography can be done side by side, you can also do a ton of photography during the sunny hours.
Sometimes it is quite easy to take photos of astronomical objects, but that doesn't hold true each and every time. Sometimes it is very difficult to take Astor-pictures with your normal camera or any other professional-quality one. In such cases you should use telescopes. I will be unfolding about how to do so in the latter part of this post but if you already know how to use telescopes to photo-shoot the sky, then you should get a better look at some types of telescopes and how they may help you. I have written a whole article upon it so click here to read it.
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A solar eclipse [21st June, 2020 ] photo that I myself clicked with my phone!
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Stargazing basics :
While star gazing is gazing, enjoying the sky and learning about it, it isn't just that easy. You need to have at least a basic knowledge about it if you want your efforts be a success. So below are a few useful tips for you all to implement if you want to stargaze and don't want the elements to ruin you plans.
Well these tips may or may not help you if you are planning to stargaze at a planetarium cause there there are experts which will guide you so you basically you can have a good look at the sky even with zero knowledge. But if these conditions are applicable for you then make the most out of these tips.
- Location
- Sky knowledge
- Moon
- Key points in the sky
Location : Location is one of the many important factors if you are considering to have a good look at the sky above. Cities and urbanized areas are the worst place for stargazing.There are few reasons behind it with pollution and city light and being the biggest trouble.
Pollution disables a clear view of the sky. Here altitude may not be of much help as in cities there are no such places where the pollution is so low that you can sit and start stargazing. City light being the other big problem adds up to your difficulties. The stars which we see in the night sky are way more bright than what we see but as they are very far away, their luminosity seems to be low when viewed from earth, and in such situations the lights in the cities prove to be brighter than the stars which results in the faint light of stars not being visible. Like when, the sun is up, the moon is not visible in front of sun's brightness, a similar thing happens in this case too.
So if you want to take a good look at the sky then better consider going of road to a less polluted and open area. Areas like mountains, plains and even villages can prove to be ideal locations for stargazing. As the above mentioned disadvantages won't be so severe in these areas you can get a clear and beautiful look at the sky.
source : Wikipedia
Sky Knowledge : Having at least some knowledge of the sky can prove to be quite helpful while stargazing. Having some basic knowledge about various points in the sky can help you easily locate and further identify a star.
Horizon and celestial sphere are two of these main concepts. You may be familiar with the term horizon. Horizon is the imaginary line where we see the sky and land touching each other. If you try moving around yourself while keeping your eyes focused on the horizon, you will see that the horizon completes a circle around you. This virtual circumference of horizon and the remaining of the sky together builds up a sphere which is what scientists call celestial sphere. Each and every star and planet in the sky will be located in the celestial sphere
Celestial meridian is another concept which will help you accurately read a star map and help you position the stars. Celestial meridian or simply meridian is the the virtual circle which passes through an observers zenith ( point on the ground just below you ), nadir ( the point exactly above you on the celestial sphere ) and the celestial poles.
Ecliptic is the final term which may be useful for your stargazing. Its the earth that revolves around the sun, but if you have ever observed, viewing from earth it seems that it is the sun which is moving in a circular / semicircular path across the celestial sphere. This path of the sun is called the ecliptic. Using this factor, you can pinpoint several stars in the night sky (celestial sphere ).
source : Wikipedia
Moon : The moon is one of the brightest objects in night sky. So if you are planning to go for stargazing then you should consider going out on a no-moon day. The reason is pretty simple, light pollution. As I mentioned above that you should not consider stargazing in a city as there are lot of lights which prove to be brighter than the stars above and eventually, you don't get a good enough look at those stars.
So the same stands in for moon. The moon is just so bright that it may outshine other stars So if you want to get most out of you stargazing then select upon your dates pretty wisely and see that you don't go out for stargazing on full moon nights as the whole disk of the moon is visible on a full moon day and this disk is even more brighter and will outshine all the more number of stars.
Key points in the sky : There are a few key points in the sky that you can look out for in the night sky. These key points can help you further identify the positions of other stars or constellations that you aim to take a look at.
Polaris : One of such key points in of coarse the north star or sometimes referred as Polaris. As this star never changes its position in the celestial sphere, tracking it down can help you identity many other stars. The ISS is another such object that you may look out for.
The International Space Station [ISS] : The International Space Station [ISS] is pretty big and the second brightest object in a night sky making it easy to see it. As from space.com , you can use a new interactive map called as spot the station to view the ISS.
Constellations : Constellations are the best key pointers in a night sky. IF you only identify a constellation or two, you will automatically spot a dozen of stars and after sometime even many other constellations. You can try spotting some easy to view constellations like Orion, Taurus and Gemini. These constellations can be easily spotted. If you want to know how to spot them, then say so in the comment section below and I will write a full guide on it.
Astrophotography basics :
Astrophotography is photographing the stars, constellation and all other celestial bodies visible in the night sky.Astrophotography is really interesting thing to do if you are out for stargazing. But astrophotography is a really wide topic and has some basics to offer as well. Below are some of the basics of astrophotography which may help you get a really good picture of the sky.
Basic equipment
Lenses
Basic equipment : There are more than a dozen of equipment which you may need for astrophotography. Some of these equipment are not really needed if you are shooting the stars just as a hobby and not as a profession. On the converse, if it is your profession then it is mandatory for you to have some more equipments than the basic ones. Below is the list of 5 equipments ranging from the basic to a little advance.
Camera : Camera is the most basic thing that you would need to have for astrophotography. A simple camera in a mobile device will not give you satisfactory results. So it is mandatory for you to have a good DSLR camera for shooting the stars. There are various things that you should look out for a camera to have in like a really good focal length and a few others which I will discuss below. If you want to take a look at some of the best buys then scroll down where you will find a detail comparison of 2 best cameras for astrophotography.
A product comparison between these two cameras is done in the table below. To view .scroll down.
Light Pollution filter : A light pollution filter is very important if you want clear and great photos of the sky above. A normal camera without a light pollution filter can also click quality pictures up to a certain extent. But the light pollution filter corrects those images further by removing the extra and unwanted light and by doing so, you get a better, more clear and precise picture of the sky. The reason why I recommend using a light pollution filter is because, even though you take utmost precautions as mentioned above, there is still light pollution that occurs. So I highly recommend using a light pollution filter so that you can get a better image.
A product comparison between these two light pollution filters is done in the table below. To view ,scroll down.
Mount : A good mount is equally important. By using a mount, your camera remains steady and has a much higher chances of clicking good images. On the other hand just holding a camera in hands could be tiring as well as it could reduce the picture quality. As your hands will not be as steady as the mount, it will result into your camera shaking and capturing blur pictures. So if you want to avoid taking blur pictures and not to let your effort go in vain, then do invest in good mounts. If you want to buy a mount, then I have a comparison chart below, so scroll down upto the bottom to see it.
Information and statistics about this mount are provided in the table below. To view, scroll down.
Telescopes : Telescopes are not one of the products that is mandatory for you to have, but they could surely help. Though there is a huge variation in the focus of different cameras and the quality of picture in a focus, using a telescope will allow you to zoom in upto incredible levels without affecting your picture quality. But as telescopes are not that cheap and there is a lot of other things that you need to buy for maintaining and efficiently using your telescope for astrophotography, I would suggest to invest in an telescope only if you want to do astrophotography as a profession.
A picture of the sky without using a telescope is also good and will satisfy your expectations as a hobby. But if you really want to invest in it and make a professional use then you should check out this post on
startofuniverse.blogspot.com. . I literally checked out a few dozens of pages and out of them found this post really helpful. It provides you with awesome and in depth knowledge about a specific type of telescope which you must take a look at if you are considering to buy one. As a cherry on the cake, it also covers buyer's guide and helpful tips about how to take care of a telescope. So do make a note to read it.
A product comparison between these two telescopes is done in the table below. To view, scroll down.
Star-trackers : Star trackers are a type of tracker which will identify and track specific stars in the night sky based on the average positions of that star. Star trackers is another product that I recommend to buy only if you are going to make extensive and professional use of it for astrophotography. Star trackers are also very expensive but can make your work really easy by just tracking the part of the sky you want to click a photo of. I have also mentioned a star - tracker comparison in the table below. If you want to see and learn how to use a star tracker on a telescope for astrophotography, then see this video below by starman. I assure you that seeing this video will definitely help you.
Camera settings : there are a lot of new features in the recent cameras which will help you to a great extent for shooting the stars. But for making the full advantage of the advanced technology you have to do some precise settings in your camera. settings like manual focus and many such are very important too. If I list the unctions then it would be too long, so if you'll want to know more about the camera settings then do
visit this article on google. This article has got just the camera settings that you may need to do.
Lenses : Lenses are very important when it comes to astrophotography. If you are astro-shoting just for fun and as a hobby then a lens with a focal length of about 25mm. Focal length is what decides the magnifying capability of your telescope / of your camera. Lenses are very important for astrophotography, a good quality lens can just make your work a lot easier. Below is the buyer's guide in which I have also mentioned 2 great lenses for its price.
A product comparison between these two lenses is done in the table below. To view, scroll down.
Tools needed for astrophotography :
Well astrophotography can be even more easier if you are having the perfect equipment for the task. So as mentioned above, below is the buyer's guide for the above recommended tools and equipment. The below table will guide you through some of the best products available in that section. Also the table will tell you if the product is good for beginners or should it be used by professionals, the average rating and the correct provider of that product. You can click on the blue words to directly go to the provider's site, that is amazon or Tanotis India and have a look at the product yourself.
Attention Users : The products and product recommendation in this blog is done by experience and data available. The owner and the writer of this post is not responsible for any faultiness in the product. The table above is prepared by the owner himself and does not permit any user to use this table in any document which is further submitted on the web. The information in this blog is collected from various authoritative sites and books. The whole intention is to bring all the knowledge together in one place and make it very useful and accessible to all. All the pictures in this blog [ except the eclipse photo at the start ] are non - copyrighted and free to use images as stated in google. If any of the owner of the photos has any issues then he/she can visit the contact us or about me page on this site and contact me.
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