I’ve seen my fair share of stellar Milky Way images over the last couple of years. But Finnish visual artist and astrophotographer J-P Metsavainio has raised the bar. He created a high-resolution gigapixel class mosaic image of the Milky Way that took nearly twelve years to create. He used around 1250 hours of exposure between 2009 and 2021 to create enough data for this photo. And although it was extremely labor-intensive, it was well worth it!
My top ten astrophotography tips
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Introduction
With the Milky Way season already under way in Eastern Australia, we know there will be hundreds of photographers pointing their cameras at the night sky on those cloudless, moonless nights attempting to capture the magnificence of the Galactic Core.
With years of experience capturing the night sky, we have learned a great deal about setting up to capture some stunning images, but the one aspect to Astrophotography and Nightscaping we have learned is most important, and often most rewarding and enjoyable, is PLANNING.
To help you get ready to capture your own incredible Nightscape imagery, here are our Astrophotography top tips you might find helpful in planning your Astro shoots.
Astrophotographers, don’t miss the Geminid meteor shower at its peak tonight
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Every year, there are a dozen major meteor showers and they’re a real treat for stargazers and astrophotographers alike. Geminid is one of the last ones, and tonight is your chance to capture it. On 13 and 14 December, the annual Geminid meteor shower is at its peak, so get your gear ready and find a nice and dark spot to take some shots.
Tomorrow you’ll get a once-in-two-years photo op with Mars
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Have you spotted that huge, bright, red object in the starry sky these days? That’s our neighbor Mars. Right now, it’s the closest to the Earth and it’s at its biggest and brightest. So, it’s now the perfect time for astrophotographers to get some awesome photos of the Red Planet.
Five big lessons I learned from my failed attempt to shoot the comet NEOWISE
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Like probably every photographer out there, I was determined to see and shoot the comet NEOWISE. I’m not very skilled at astrophotography, but come on – this is something you see once in a million years (or 6,800, to be exact). So, I set out to find the best observation spot, find the comet, and shoot it. Did I succeed? Nope. But did I love every minute of this adventure? Hell yes!
Although the photos I ended up with are underwhelming, to say the least, this whole experience has taught me a lot. In this rather personal article, I’d like to share my journey and five of my biggest insights. Hopefully, it will inspire you, amuse you, and put a smile on your face, which is just what this comet chasing did for me.
How I captured both the crescent moon and “Earthshine” in one photograph
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This is something I’ve been wanting to attempt for a while but the skies have not be clear enough to do so. Iowa skies in fact have been almost constantly cloudy of late – or a least when one wants to shoot the moon.
The best wide angle lenses for astrophotography 2020
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When it comes to Astrophotography, the lens can often times end up being more important than the camera. Good lenses allow you to get sharp images at wide apertures, with little chromatic aberration, astigmatisms, or coma.
In this article we are going to go over my picks for the top of the line of the best Lenses for modern Full frame DSLR cameras available today.
It should be noted that the title of this article could easily be swapped for “My Favorite Lenses for Astrophotography” since a lot of this will be based primarily off of my experience and preferences, and I would highly recommend getting more than one opinion.
Shortlisted photos of 2019 Astronomy Photographer of the Year will take your breath away
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Here’s a real treat for all astrophotography fans and space enthusiasts. Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year has just announced its shortlisted images of the 2019 competition. And just like in the previous years, the selected images are absolutely breathtaking!
How to shoot and stitch panorama when photographing the Milky Way
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The Milky Way looks impressive in photos, and it’s a favorite subject of many astrophotographers. You can give it a new dimension in your images by capturing it in a panorama. In this video, photographer Mike Smith shares a step-by-step guide for creating a Milky Way panorama, from setting up your camera to stitching the images together.
Astrophotographers, this is how Starlink satellites will affect the night skies
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On 23 May, the first 60 SpaceX’s Starlink satellites were successfully launched into orbit. They were caught on camera and they look spectacular while orbiting around the Earth together. However, the ultimate plan is to launch nearly 12,000 of these satellites. Have you wondered how it will affect the night skies? Astronomers are concerned that they will pollute the night sky, and astrophotography is only one of the areas that could be hindered by this many satellites in the orbit.
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