Equipment For M31 Andromeda???????

[TimBarber]

Hello

I was wondering if anyone could tell me the best way to capture the Andromeda Galaxy?

It is my absolute dream to photo it!

I have......

Canon Eos 60d

Sturdy Tripod

18-55 kit lense

What else should i add to get this amazing image? Would a zoom lens do the job? Do i need a telescope?

Thanks in advance

Tim

[RikM]

The first thing you should buy is a copy of http://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html This will explain what you need, and why you need it to make the best possible start in deep sky astrophotography. You should also know that M31 is one of the harder objects to capture well because of the size and range of brightness between the core and the fainter outer parts. Many people think that because it is big and 'bright' it should be easy, but it is anything but.

[swag72]

If you have a look here http://www.12dstring.me.uk/fovcalc.php and put in your camera and camera lens in the telescope box you will get an idea of how big / small stuff will show in your frame. A good starting place!

M31 is one of the biggies in the sky and due to that I think we've probably all done it for starters thinking how it must be one of the easier DSO's - Wrong!! It has a huge dynamic range between the core and the outer arms. This will benefit from different length subs to capture the different parts of the galaxy and then blend them together. 

[Knight of Clear Skies]

It's big, about 6 full Moons across, so it's a good target for telephoto lenses. Here's a one minute effort I took with my 250mm zoom lens from a dark site, with a quick process.

Zoom lenses aren't the best for astrophotography being slower than primes and possibly more prone to distortion - note the elongated stars at the corners. I've ordered an old 200mm m42 lens off eBay I hope to use to reshoot it sometime.

You'd also need some kind of tracking mount. My EQ3-2 was very cheap second hand but I really need to try stripping it down to see if I can make it run more smoothly. At the moment I'm dropping a fair number of subs due to uneven tracking, so while it's been brilliant for me I can't exactly recommend one.

Good luck. Imaging is quite a learning curve but with some patience I wouldn't say it's that difficult to get decent results (top class imaging may be a different matter). There are plenty of helpful people on here if you have questions.

[happy-kat]

There is a fantastic video on youtube of this being caputed with a camera and zoom lens on a static tripod. OK the detail is not massive but it is not far off that image posted above.

[happy-kat]

Even my kit lens in terrible light pollution and very short exposures can show a elongated smudge. No detail but I know what it is.

The other end is I have seen on this site an amazingly detailed image and all the other DSO objects in it.

[TimBarber]

Thank you so much everybody for taking the time to offer your advice.

[VigdisVZ]

You can get it as a smudgy star with your current kit, but ideally youre looking at some kind of mount that tracks the sky, like a proper motorized equatorial telescope mount or an Astrotrac or Skywatchers Star Adventurer.

It can be done with a 200-300mm telephoto lens (prime or zoom) or a dedicated telescope with no more than roughly 500mm focal length if you want to capture it whole.

Also +1 for Making Every Photon Count if you really want to try the deep waters...

[tingting44]

i see your in hampshire, why dont you pop along one night to Turf Hill and see some different gear in action, have a mingle, chill and view the milky way and even see a few shooting stars

here is the google group

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/102234145598797254158?cfem=1

and here is how to get there

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/211017-new-forest-stargazers-info/?hl=%2Bturf+%2Bhill

i have some bino's you could view M31 with, and you can even view M31 on my laptop screen as im imaging it for a while

here is my 1st wave of M31 data

M31 by tingting44, on Flickr

[TimBarber]

Thanks tingting44 i really appreciate the invite. I will have a look at those links, sounds really good!

I have THAT PICTURE IS ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLY STUNNING!!

[tingting44]

Thanks tingting44 i really appreciate the invite. I will have a look at those links, sounds really good!

I have THAT PICTURE IS ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLY STUNNING!!

im the biggest noob at Turf Hill lol, the other guys are miles ahead of me gear and experience wise..... so if i can do it any one can lol

thanks for your very kind comment

[TimBarber]

It's big, about 6 full Moons across, so it's a good target for telephoto lenses. Here's a one minute effort I took with my 250mm zoom lens from a dark site, with a quick process.

Zoom lenses aren't the best for astrophotography being slower than primes and possibly more prone to distortion - note the elongated stars at the corners. I've ordered an old 200mm m42 lens off eBay I hope to use to reshoot it sometime.

You'd also need some kind of tracking mount. My EQ3-2 was very cheap second hand but I really need to try stripping it down to see if I can make it run more smoothly. At the moment I'm dropping a fair number of subs due to uneven tracking, so while it's been brilliant for me I can't exactly recommend one.

Good luck. Imaging is quite a learning curve but with some patience I wouldn't say it's that difficult to get decent results (top class imaging may be a different matter). There are plenty of helpful people on here if you have questions.

Amazing picture!!

May i ask was this one exposure or many exposures stacked?

Also do you think this may be possible on a fixed tripod?

Sorry about the questions but a shot like this is my dream

Thanks

[Knight of Clear Skies]

There is a fantastic video on youtube of this being caputed with a camera and zoom lens on a static tripod. OK the detail is not massive but it is not far off that image posted above.

Had a search, is this the video you're thinking of?

May i ask was this one exposure or many exposures stacked?

Also do you think this may be possible on a fixed tripod?

Thanks. It's a single 1 minute exposure at ISO 3200. I applied heavy noise reduction using the Canon software and stretched the curves a bit, the background is still very noisy but posting it small helps hide it. For a test shot I'm pleased with it, but next time I hope to use a more appropriate lens and will aim for at least 30 minutes of data.

It's certainly possible to shoot a DSO with a telephoto lens from a fixed tripod as the video above shows, but it's not really advisable. The long focal length forces very short exposures, giving a very low signal-to-noise ratio. Each read from the camera introduces noise, so a minute's worth of short exposures will contain far more noise than a single one minute sub. Wide angle lenses are far more appropriate for fixed tripod use.

[happy-kat]

Yes that is the video and I love it gives aspiration to try with the simplest of gear though I can see that there are significant limitations and image artifacts and obviously lack of detail.

I don't have a long enough lens yet as my long FD lens wont inifinity focus even with the correct adaptall to EOS glassless adaptor it is only a smidge out but I might see if raising the f stop might cure it.

[TimBarber]

Thank you all for your advise i have lots to think about here!