Guest robbobsam Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have been totally blown away watching some of the astrological programs on TV recently, the vastness of space and our universe is difficult for me to comprehend. I have been looking over some of the images that you guys have been capturing and they are impressive, it has really surprised me to see what an amateur astronomer can achieve with a camera and a telescope. I have also been looking in the gallery on google images to peruse the different galaxies and am curious as to what an amateur can expect to achieve with astrophotography. Would images such as the ones below be beyond the reach of an amateur ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Those look like Hubble palette images to me - of course Hubble doesn't have to look through any atmosphere like land based scopes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest robbobsam Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I would like to be able to take any images of planets, stars, galaxies etc myself, I enjoy photography already and would like to be able merge the two interests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 You can get very close to those images above - especially M42 (middle one) which is one of the brighter dso's. What camera do you have? You should follow Ibbo and Glider's images - those guys really know what they're doing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Iam purely visual, as I enjoy seeing what's on offer. Iam not really that computer literate, and have no real desire to get beyond where Iam now. It's a heck of a steep learning curve with regard to capturing images, and then getting to know how to process them, so you get the best out of the data you have captured. I would check how deep your pockets are, because once you become hooked, the couriers will known your address off by heart! I think you might want to get a pair of binoculars, that way you can start learning your way round the sky. I would suggest getting "The Sky and Telescope Pocket Star Atlas", it's not a big book, and the pages are plasticized, so it doesn't go soggy when it's damp. I would also download Stellarium. This is a very handy free program. www.stellarium.org Welcome to our obsession! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glider Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Yep, the second image of M42 is well within reach. Baz makes a good point though, take it easy, come to a couple of our meetings and see what everyone else is doing. Astronomy and Photography are 2 of the biggest money pits around, so Astro Imaging is a nightmare!!!!!! When you cross to the dark side of imaging give up all hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Hi I would also like to get into imaging, but please believe me when I say you have enough to start with just getting to know a telescope and observing. It's not a simple as it sounds, as I have now found to my cost. Lots of help here though! Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest robbobsam Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I'll be there, really looking forward to my first night stargazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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