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.
This epic 81-megapixel moon photo was stacked from 50,000 images
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Among so many great moon photos out there, it doesn’t happen all too often anymore that one of them makes you stop scrolling and just stare in awe. This is what happened to me when I saw this magnificent moon photo by Andrew McCarthy. Then I read that it’s an 81-megapixel photo, stacked from nearly 50,000 exposures. I reached out to Andrew curious to learn more, and he kindly shared the details of his process with DIYP.
This solar system photo was composited from photos shot from a photographer’s backyard
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Photographer Andrew McCarthy has recently published a breathtaking image of the Solar System. The photo is a composite made from the images he took, but what makes it even more impressive is that all the photos were taken from his own backyard. Andrew shared some details with DIYP and explained how he got all the photos, as well as the final image.
Astrophotography: How I shot Comet 46P from start to finish
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If you have access to dark and clear skies, you should have a great opportunity to catch Comet 46P / Wirtanen leading up to it’s closest approach on December 16th. It’s great timing as there’s barely any moonlight to interfere with viewing the comet, too!
This is the second installment of my new series called The Process. Each time I’ll take you through the planning, shooting and processing of an image. On this post, I’ll also be sharing how to find the comet 46P, how I shot my images, and taking a special first look at the new Sigma 40mm f1.4 ART lens!
Let’s get going!
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