Astrophotography

Today's photographic equipment allows amateurs to take pictures of the stars that far surpass images taken just a few decades ago by even the largest observatories-and this book will teach you how.Author and world-renowned astrophotographer Thierry Legault teaches the art and techniques of astrophotography: from simple camera-on-tripod night-scene imaging of constellations, star trails, eclipses, artificial satellites, and polar auroras to more intensive astrophotography using specialized equipment for lunar, planetary, solar, and deep-sky imaging. Legault shares advice on equipment and guides you through techniques to capture and process your images to achieve spectacular results.Astrophotography provides the most thorough treatment of the topic available. This large-format, richly illustrated book is intended for all sky enthusiasts-newcomers and veterans alike.Learn how to:Select the most useful equipment: cameras, adapters, filters, focal reducers/extenders, field correctors, and guide telescopesSet up your camera (digital, video, or CCD) and your lens or telescope for optimal resultsPlan your observing sessionsMount the camera on your telescope and focus it for razor-sharp imagesPolar-align your equatorial mount and improve tracking for pin-point star imagesMake celestial time-lapse videosCalculate the shooting parameters: focal length and ratio, field of view, exposure time, etc.Combine multiples exposures to reveal faint galaxies, nebulae details, elusive planetary structures, and tiny lunar cratersAdjust contrast, brightness, light curves, and colorsPostprocess your images to fix defects such as vignetting, dust shadows, hot pixels, uneven background, and noiseIdentify problems with your images and improve your results