Chapter 1
Astrophotography - Challenge, History, Requirements & Targets
Challenge
When observing the sky at night visually, faint objects appear to be colourless. The eye's photosensitive
rods are activated, and they see the world in black and white. It looks very different in a photograph.
Here, colour-sensitive sensors collect enough light on the chip over a long period of time that coloured
images are the result.
That's one of the reasons why it's so interesting to take photographs of celestial objects. And it's fun
to share a photo of the night sky that you've taken yourself. What are the challenges? On the one hand,
apart from the Sun, the Moon and the planets, there is the very faint light emitted by the object.
And on the other hand, the Earth's rotation. We address the first challenge with longer exposure times,
but therefore we need to also deal with the second challenge: for this we need motorised tracking.
But you can get startet in Astrophotography no matter where you live. You don't need to travel to a remote dark desert or mountain. You can enjoy it from your home or backyard.
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History
The first known attempt at astronomical photography was by
- Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre
inventor of the daguerreotype process, who attempted in 1839 to photograph the Moon. Tracking
errors in guiding the telescope during the long exposure meant the photograph came out as an
indistinct fuzzy spot.
New York University Professor of Chemistry, physician
and scientific experimenter managed to make the first successful photograph of the moon a year later
on March 23, 1840, taking a 20-minute-long daguerreotype image using a 5-inch (13 cm) reflecting
telescope. The successful history of astrophotography was born.
A complete Summary Timeline from 1800 to 1960 by Pedro Ré attached on History Click if you are interested.
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History
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Requirements
As a hobby, astrophotography requires two types of investment. The first is financial: you'll need a camera, at least one lens, and a few accessories, as well as a warm coat for cold nights spent under the stars.
The second investment is time and patience - though these are things you sadly cannot purchase. Astrophotography is a photographic style that's tricky to get right the first time and will take many attempts, iterating on the same ideas until you can finally provide an image that's got some real 'wow' factor.
The subject of astrophotography - taking photographs of the night sky - is such a broad one with so many subcategories that it's hard to know where to begin. This workshop will help interested student to find the best way in theory and practice.
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Targets
As a beginner in astrophotography, you might be limited by budget and skills. But, don't be afraid, you can start
with what you have. This workshop will give you the skills to go step by step deep into successful astrophotography
for the following targets:
Landscape Astrophotography untracked or tracked
- Milkyway, Startrails, Aurora, Meteors, Constellations
- Moon, Sun, Planets, Comets
Deepsky Astrophotography untracked or tracked
- Emission-, Reflection-, Dark-, Planetary-Nebulae
- Galaxies, Clusters, Planets, Supernova Reminents
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