Astro pics.

[Highflight]

Hi All. I keep seeing all these superb DSO pics, but does anyone know if a course on Astrophotography is available anywhere please. I haven't got a clue where to start, or what equipment I would need or how to use it, and I seem to be going no-where extremely fast. I don't mind travelling or paying for a course. Would be grateful for your help.

Chris.

[ollypenrice]

I offer free imaging tuition to our guests. For short courses you could also have a look at the Ian King Imaging website because Ian organizes them as well. I'm not sure if thre are any more anwhere?

Olly

[david o]

Hi Chris,

How about a good book to get you started ? Making Every Photon Count, by SGL's very own steppenwolf (if you haven't already got it, that is).

Easy to read, it's full of good advice aimed at the imaging novice, including choosing the right equipment - explaining what kit you'll need and, more importantly, why. Helping you avoid poor choices and costly mistakes. There's also loads of tips 'n' tricks as well as lots of other vital stuff.

Have a trawl through the imaging sections too. They're full of info and some very experienced and talented folk who, I'm sure, will be more than happy to share advice and guidance with you.

That said though, even as a non-imager the dark skies at Olly's place are very tempting

[Highflight]

Hi Olly and David. Thanks for your replies. Already booked holidays for Gambia this year, so can't do France, unfortunately. Making Every Photon Count doesn't actually tell me how to 'do it'. I've read the book from cover to cover and still can't figure out why a guide and camera are necessary, or how to connect them up, or what other equipment is needed. I need to be shown by someone and actually do it, physically to be able to see what is required.

Chris.

[brantuk]

Chris - a guide scope is needed because you are trying to do long exposures on the object - typically 5 mins plus. So your imaging scope and camera has to stay fixed dead on the object when you open the shutter for that sort of period.

The guide camera takes a picture of a nearby star and feeds it's position in the fov to computer software. If the next picture of the same star isn't in exactly the same position it feeds movement correction data back to the mount.

If the guide star is relatively close to the object in the imaging camera, then the net effect is to keep the image in exactly the same place on the camera chip. This all helps to stop drifting off the object due to tiny inaccuracies in tracking or polar alignment which are just not detectable by the human eye when observing - the camera however picks up everything

[reddoss]

Do you know someone into AP near to you who could show you what they do?

If there is a local astro soc/club you will probably be able to get some help there.

[ollypenrice]

I know what you mean about seeing it done and doing it yourself, hands on, with help nearby. The astrosoc suggestion is a good one, or you could post asking if an SGLer lives nearby. It is a friendly environment.

Olly

[Highflight]

Brantuk, Many thanks for your explanation. I'm slowly, but surely, starting to find these things out, and thanks to everyone for your help, it's much appreciated. Olly, maybe I will try a vacation at your place next year and bring the astro gear along. Steve Richards has offered to give me a 1-2-1 tutorial in a couple of weeks time, so hopefully all will start to make sense at last. (can't wait (:-))

All the best for now.

Chris.