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Newbie from Greenock

James Long

By James Long
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James Long

James Long

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Hi People,

Im James and im a planetstaraholic.

Always been interested in whats out there but never actually got into it until Santa Brought me a telescope....WOW!!

I live in Greenock Scotland and we have a low light area in the hills which is handy

Santa brought me a stargazer 90 and i love it.....

One thing i would like to do is take pictures. Can anyone advise the best way and sort of cost. I have a Pansonic Lumix intelligent Auto if that helps

Anyway...Off out tonight as its clear so fingers crossed

Cheers

Jim

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Jim and welcome to the forum. With regards to astrophotography, can I recommend that you get yourself a copy of Steve Richards' "Making Every Photon Count" which is a very comprehensive guide to the different types of imaging that can be performed along with the necessary kit that will enable you to take good consistent images. It is a vital book in establishing a realistic overview of all that is involved in order that you can then determine a budget that is right for you. A quick glance at the equipment lists that appear at the bottom of member's signatures will provide a quick idea of what everyone is using and importantly, what has proven to work. Imaging solar system objects can be done via a simple webcam whereby the best frames are selected and then superimposed on top of each other to construct a final composite image which can be done on a modest budget. It is the imaging of Deep Sky Objects (DSO's) that tends to attract a larger budget because you need as a minimum an accurate motorised mount to track these distant objects for a sufficiently long period of time in order for you to capture enough data (light) to construct your final image. The above mentioned book in my view is essential reading in explaining all of the above and helping you decide on how far you want to go. Naturally a lot of questions regarding imaging tend to focus on the initial kit you need to collect the 'data' but don't forget that processing the image to tease out further detail will require appropriate software, some of which can be accessed off the net for free whilst others will need to be paid for. Imaging doesn't have to be expensive but as you research the subject you will discover how easy it is start with a modest budget which very quickly requires a little bit more money. Hope that helps.

Clear skies and hope you enjoy the forum

James

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swag72

swag72

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Welcome to SGL Jim. As James has already mentioned getting the book 'Making Every Photon Count' is an excellent starting point when someone mentions the word 'imaging'!! It will really help you understand what you need and why ..... read it through at least twice!!

Hop over to the imaging section and have a look at peoples images - what sort of images do you aspire to and be realistic. Then people normally list their kit so you can see again where a good place to start is.

Look forward to seeing you around :smiley:

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James Long

James Long

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Thanks for the warm welcome...and I appreciate the advice on the book ....it is now ordered and I await its arrival

I have a skywatcher 90 and would really like to get the best from it so any tips or advice is very welcome...

It was purchased along with 2 books with sky maps and basic info and these are being absorbed daily.

I am just hoping to learn ad I go along and this forum is a a wealth of knowledge....

Thanks again

James

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

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