Imaging constellations with DSLR

[Fordos Moon]

Please can someone advise me how to image a constellation with a DSLR?

A friend wants a picture of the Plough for sentimental reasons and I promised her I would give it a go!

So I have my Canon 1100d, a tripod and a remote switch, I am just after some advice as I read somewhere it is best to stack images in something like IRIS?

Should I use IRIS?

How many frames?

Assume wide aperture and lowest ISO?

Do I need to take darks?!

Any advice appreciated thank you

[Fordos Moon]

Sorry meant high ISO

[Stargazer33]

Hi Fordos,

I did some widefield shots just last week after seeing some posted on the forum here.

This is a single 120" exposure:

You can see Cassiopea and off to the right is the Andromeda galaxy.

ISO was 400 to try to keep the noise down on the long exposure.

This was mounted straight onto my CG-5 GT mount via a short dovetail and ballhead.

The lens was a 28mm-70mm zoom set at 28mm and f3.5 aperture.

HTH

[Stargazer33]

Just for comparison, this is a 30" exposure - again at ISO 400 - with the same equipment.

[Fordos Moon]

Cheers mate just what I needed and thanks for including the pics!

[JamesF]

There's a widefield tutorial somewhere. I'll post a link if I can find it. On the HEQ5 you can probably go for exposures as long as you dare if you have good polar alignment. You can stack the images using Deep Sky Stacker. It may be worth stopping the lens down a little if you're using the kit lens wide open. And yes, take darks.

James

[JamesF]

Easier to find than I thought:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/36308-basic-widefield-with-a-camera-and-tripod/

James

[kirkster501]

How to attatch a 2" (48mm) LP filter to the front of a Lens?

[JamesF]

How to attatch a 2" (48mm) LP filter to the front of a Lens?

You can buy step-down rings that fit the filter thread on the front of the lens on one side and have a 48mm thread on the other. I have them for my kit 18-55mm lens and the nifty-fifty.

James

[Stargazer33]

Cheers mate just what I needed and thanks for including the pics!

Your welcome!

[psemil]

But on a tripod you cannot make such long exposure like on equatorial mount.

You will have to kep the exposures at only 30 sec for a focal lenght of maximum 35mm .

Maybe Higher iso will solve the problem (this is what I usualy do)