Tuesday, August 2, 2011

How To Take Perfect Telescope Photos

By Arlene Case


One of the most fascinating things you can do with telescopes is to take pictures of the sky above you. Many telescopes come equipped with cameras on them, but it is still possible to take photos of what you see through your eyepiece even if you just have a regular telescope.

Whether you have a digital camera or a regular camera, it doesn't matter when it comes to taking photos through the eyepiece of your telescope. It's very simple, really - focus on the object you want to take a photo of, place the camera where you would place your eyes on the lens, click, and bada bing bada boom, you've got photos!

It's a spiritual experience, almost religious in fact, to look at the night sky and take photos of it through your telescope, especially if it's a heavy duty model that can capture stars, planets and constellations well-known and obscure alike. Even if you are an amateur photographer and an amateur astronomer, you can still get great photos of what you see through your telescope.

You'll want to start with something easy, such as photographing the Milky Way's many Stars or Constellations. Adjust your lens to the lowest possible F stop setting, and set the camera to the "B" setting. This would allow as much light as possible to pass through your lens, which would be opened all the way as a result. Most 28 to 50mm lenses have an F number of 1.7 to 2.8 for their fastest setting. Focus your camera on a star and make sure it appears as small and sharp as possible when the time comes for you to center the photo. It is possible to shoot exposures up to 30 seconds with a 50mm lens - after this time span, trails will appear in the stars as the Earth rotates accordingly. To avoid chances of your photo becoming murky and seeing double on the pictures you take, keep your camera steady and stable. We advise using fast types of film like Fuji 800 or 1600, or even better yet, Konica 3200. Konica 3200 boasts amazing speed but beware of grainy photos in some instances. If you prefer to use a digital camera, set the resolution as high as possible so you could take the best possible pictures. This is ideal if you really want the best quality of photos through your telescope, though you may not be able to take as much as you would on a standard camera.

When taking photos with your telescope, you don't need the best equipment used by the pros to get the best results. All it takes is a little knowledge of photography and a dedication to capture these photos. And if you are proud enough to share these photos with everyone else, then look for a reputable blog site or website that would allow you to post them online.




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