Complete Guide to Astrophotography 2016
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Sky at Night MAGAZINE COLLECTOR’S EDITION THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY Everything you need to know to take stunning photos of the night sky INCLUDES 32 PAGES OF BASIC AND ADVANCED PROCESSING TUTORIALS NIGHTSCAPES ◆ THE MOON ◆ THE PLANETS ◆ THE SUN THE DEEP SKY ◆ EQUIPMENT UPGRADES ◆ IMAGE PROCESSING SPECIAL EDITION COMING SOON FROM THE MAKERS OF ONLY £7.99* 2016YEARBOOK Explore the night sky over the next 12 months with events you can’t afford to miss. Each month of the BBC Sky at Night Magazine’s Yearbook 2016. This year comes complete with its own detailed star indispensable astronomy bible contains a full year chart to point you towards the best views. of stargazing tips, projects and how-to guides, plus Plus – subscribers to BBC Sky at Night Magazine amazing images and dates for all the astronomical receive FREE UK delivery on this special edition. PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY www.buysubscriptions.com/yearbook2016 Alternatively call 0844 844 0254† and quote ‘SKBHA16’ †Calls will cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge. Lines are open 8am-8pm weekdays & 9am-1pm Saturday. *Subscribers to BBC Sky at Night Magazine receive FREE UK POSTAGE on this special edition. Prices including postage are: £9.49 for all other UK residents, £10.99 for Europe and £11.49 for Rest of World. Your copy will be dispatched when available from 27 November 2015. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WELCOME My first astrophoto can put to the test in the imaging was an afocal shot projects that follow. of Saturn (right), Of course, in this modern age taken through of digital imaging taking the photo a Schmidt- is just the start. Post-processing is Cassegrain with just as important when it comes to a DSLR. It was a bit fuzzy, but creating a final shot – and with that nonetheless gave me an immense in mind we wrap up with dedicated sense of pride. Blurred it may have been, sections on tweaking your Solar System but there was no mistaking that the ochre and deep-sky data. wings either side of the planet were indeed the If you’re an absolute beginner, I’ve got some good rings. It was a revelation, and yet it barely scratched news: there has never been a better time to get into the potential of the camera I had in my hands. astrophotography. The equipment you need to capture The Complete Guide to Astrophotography is stunning images not only continues to get better and all about helping you to exploit the potential of better, but in many cases it is getting cheaper too. your camera and get results a bit more impressive But you really don’t need very much to get started. than my inaugural shot of Saturn. Within this Consider the smartphone you carry around without volume you will find advice on imaging all a second thought – its camera, more likely than not, manner of night-sky targets, from our familiar is good enough to capture a decent photo of the Moon to the denizens of the deep sky. You’ll Moon through a telescope. Or, indeed, Saturn. learn how to catch meteors, image the dynamism of the Sun in safety and tease fine detail out of far-flung nebulae invisible to the naked eye. For each target, we’ll tell you what kit you’ll need and the specific techniques you’ll have to Kev Lochun employ to catch them at their best, which you Editor CREDITS EDITORIAL CIRCULATION / ADVERTISING Like what you’ve read? Editor Kev Lochun Head of Circulation Rob Brock Advertising Managers Email us at [email protected] Managing Editor Chris Bramley Steve Grigg (0117 314 8365) Art Editor Steve Marsh Tony Robinson ( 0117 314 8811) © Immediate Media Company Bristol 2015. All rights reserved. No part of The Complete Production Editor Ian Evenden Guide to Astrophotography may be reproduced in any form or by any means either wholly PRODUCTION or in part, without prior written permission of the publisher. Not to be resold, lent, hired out Production Director Sarah Powell or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommended retail price or in CONTRIBUTORS mutilated condition. Printed in the UK by William Gibbons Ltd. The publisher, editor and authors Production Coordinator Stephanie Smith accept no responsibility in respect of any products, goods or services which may be advertised Will Gater, Pete Lawrence, Reprographics Tony Hunt and Chris Sutch or referred to in this issue or for any errors, omissions, misstatements or mistakes in any such Paul Money, Steve Richards advertisements or references. PUBLISHING PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Publisher Jemima Ransome Press Officer Carolyn Wray (0117 314 Managing Director Andy Marshall 8812, [email protected]) Chairman Stephen Alexander Deputy Chairman Peter Phippen CEO Tom Bureau WWW.SKYATNIGHTMAGAZINE.COM 03 CONTENTS 7 ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY 08 Nightscapes Capture striking images of the night sky without any expensive equipment or even a telescope – and learn how to use the horizon to the best effect. 20 The Moon All the ways you can exploit the incredible imaging potential of our close companion, from simple smartphone snaps to highly detailed mosaics. 32 The planets Discover how to record Earth’s neighbours in the Solar System through your telescope, from tiny Mercury to the mighty gas giant Jupiter. 42 The Sun How to capture the dynamism of our star safely in white light, hydrogen-alpha or calcium-K, whether you have a solar scope or plan to filter a regular instrument. 52 The deep sky Explore the tools and techniques you’ll need to get started in imaging galaxies, globular clusters and nebulae with our deep-sky tutorials. 08 62 Advanced deep sky Take your deep-sky imaging further with our tips on autoguiders, filters, alignment techniques, false-colour palettes and more. 72 Feature: Take your astro imaging to the next level Got the idea but not the gear? Find out how kit upgrades can improve your images. 79 IMAGE PROCESSING 80 Solar System objects: Basic techniques Enhance detail and bring out the colour in the planets with our masterclasses on image processing for Solar System objects. 88 Solar System objects: Advanced techniques Return fuzzy stars to bright points, reverse the rotation of planets and bring our neighbours to life in animations with our advanced tips. 20 96 Deep-sky objects: Basic techniques 96 Stack and blend deep-sky images and say goodbye to light pollution: it’s all possible with image editing know-how. 104 Deep-sky objects: Advanced techniques Learn how to shoot calibration frames, process narrowband-filtered images and add extra layers of detail to your deep-sky photos. 114 What to do next Five things you can do to continue your astrophotography journey. 04 WWW.SKYATNIGHTMAGAZINE.COM 32 62 88 CK, PETE STEVECK, LAWRENCE X 4, 42 104 RICHARDS, STEVE MARSH, ARBEITSKREIS SEBASTIAN SALZKAMMERGUT VOLTMER/ASTRONOMER BACKGROUND IMAGE:BACKGROUND GERALD RHEMANN/ ASTRONOMER ARBEITSKREIS SALZKAMMERGUT, ISTO WWW.SKYATNIGHTMAGAZINE.COM 05 ONLY £7.99 FREE P&P* COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS W THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE SOLAR SYSTEM Explore the wonders of the Solar System through magnificent photographs, captured by space probes and the world’s most powerful telescopes. THE UNIVERSE ACCORDING TO PATRICK MOORE X The definitive collection of Sir Patrick Moore’s columns for BBC Sky at Night Magazine. W THE 150 GREATEST PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE UNIVERSE Take a journey from our home planet to the very fringes of the Universe, through this celebration of space imagery. THE APOLLO STORY X Your complete guide to the greatest journey in human history. Packed with all the facts, figures and stories from each and every Apollo mission as well as rare photographs. ORDER ONLINE www.buysubscriptions.com/skyspecials Alternatively call 0844 844 0254† and quote ‘Sky Specials’ †Calls will cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge. Lines are open 8am-8pm weekdays & 9am-1pm Saturday. *Subscribers to BBC Sky at Night Magazine receive FREE UK POSTAGE on these special editions. Prices including postage are: £9.49 for all other UK residents, £10.99 for Europe and £11.49 for Rest of World. Please allow up to 28 days for delivery. All orders are subject to availability. ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURING THE NIGHT sky for edition into a series of chapters. We begin spell out all the equipment options – posterity is a gripping passion, and thanks with nightscapes, images that are similar what works and what doesn’t, the to digital technology it is one that has never to the views of the constellations and the bare minimum you need and what is been easier. That said, it still poses a Milky Way that you would see with the ideal – and explain how to use it in the challenge. The days of wet processing may naked eye. From there we head out into most effective way. For a quick preview, be long gone, but now there are new camera the Solar System, to the Moon, the Sun check out the table below to find out what functions to uncover and much to consider and the planets, and finally beyond the you can expect to capture with your camera. when creating an imaging setup. influence of our star and into the realm Once you’ve mastered the art of the To make things easier, we’ve split the of deep-sky objects such as globular capture, you’ll be ready to delve into astrophotography section of this special clusters and nebulae. In each part, we’ll part two – image processing! WHAT CAN I CAPTURE WITH MY CAMERA? CAMERA TYPE VIABLE TARGETS SMARTPHONE Daylight phenomena and bright twilight scenes; afocal shots of the Moon and bright planets through a telescope COMPACT Daylight phenomena and bright twilight scenes;