Astrophotography

Welcome to Astrophotography

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 01:35:00 +0000

If you are an amateur astronomer you will find here a lot of information and advice to initiate yourself in amateur astrophotography, especially digital deep space astrophotography using CCD cameras.
There is advice for the beginner astrophotographer, recommended software, webcam modifications, astrophotography basic techniques and a lot more.
I apologize in advance for my English (my mother tong is Spanish), if you find some word misspelt or wrong grammer I would appreciate it, if you send your corrections by email.

Si prefiere el Castellano en lugar del Inglés, hay un link a la derecha de la barra de menúes en la parte superior de esta página.
If you prefer other languages instead of English, there is a translator bar at the top of the right side panel.

When I began this hobby I found that for the low budget amateur astronomer (especially in undeveloped countries) it is very hard to start doing astrophotography because it is difficult to get adequate equipment at reasonable prices.
There is very little equipment available in our countries and to import them is very expensive, not only because of freight costs, but also for customs the paperwork and taxes, that are very important for little accessories. Then you have to manage yourself with what you can get or what you can make yourself.

I also found that astrophotography information is very sparse and hard to find. This situation makes starting astrophotography a very hard decision for many amateur astronomers that are afraid to spend a lot of money and not get good results. Because of this I didn't start this hobby for a long time.
I want to share my own experience on this site and hope to make it easier and encouraging amateur astronomers to start learning astrophotography.

This site has been translated from spanish, so you will find some documents still in Spanish.

Welcome to Astrophotography.me

Suggestions and comments are welcome to help me improve this site.
You can contact me at info@astrophotography.me

Germán

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The Elegant Universe: Welcome to the 11th Dimension

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Part 3 of "The Elegant Universe" with host Brian Greene shows how Edward Witten of Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study, aided by others, revolutionized string theory by successfully uniting the five different versions into a single theory that is cryptically named "M-theory," a development that requires a total of eleven dimensions.
Ten...eleven...who's counting? But the new 11th dimension implies that strings can come in shapes called membranes, or "branes" for short. These have truly science fiction-like qualities, since in principle they can be as large as the universe. A brane can even be a universe—a parallel universe—and we may be living on one right now.
Witten has described string theory as "a part of 21st-century physics that fell by chance into the 20th century." In fact, the theory is so far ahead of experimental technique that there is as yet no way to verify whether strings are real. But scientists at the CERN atom-smasher on the French-Swiss border are working to test of one of the predictions of string theory. This experiment may take an important step in showing that string theory is not just a crazy idea, but crazy reality.

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The Elegant Universe: String's The Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:11:00 +0000

In the second hour of "The Elegant Universe," a three-hour miniseries with physicist Brian Greene, delve into the nuts, bolts, and outright nuttiness of string theory.

Part 2, "String's the Thing," opens with a whimsical scene in a movie theater in which the history of the universe runs backwards to the Big Bang, the moment at which general relativity and quantum mechanics both came into play, and therefore the point at which our conventional model of reality breaks down.
Then it's string theory to the rescue as Greene describes the steps that led from a forgotten 200-year-old mathematical formula to the first glimmerings of strings—quivering strands of energy whose different vibrations give rise to quarks, electrons, photons, and all other elementary particles. Strings are truly tiny, being smaller than an atom by the same factor that a tree is smaller than the solar system.
But, as Greene explains, they are able to combine the laws of the large and the laws of the small into a proposal for a single, harmonious theory of everything. But even with its many theoretical successes, as of the 1990s physicists realized that strings suffered from a pernicious flaw—an embarrassment of riches: There were five different versions of the theory, each totally out of sync with the others. We have one universe, so shouldn't there be one theory of everything?

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The Elegant Universe: Einstein's Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:04:00 +0000

Eleven dimensions, parallel universes, and a world made out of strings? It's not science fiction, it's string theory.
Bestselling author and physicist Brian Greene offers a tour of this seemingly strange world in "The Elegant Universe," a three-hour Peabody Award-winning miniseries.

Part 1, "Einstein's Dream," introduces string theory and shows how modern physics—composed of two theories that are ferociously incompatible—reached its schizophrenic impasse: One theory, general relativity, successfully describes big things like stars and galaxies, while another, quantum mechanics, is equally successful at explaining small things like atoms and subatomic particles.
Albert Einstein, the inventor of general relativity, dreamed of finding a single theory that would embrace all of nature's laws.
But in this quest for the so-called unified theory, Einstein came up empty-handed, and the conflict between general relativity and quantum mechanics has stymied all who've followed.
That is, until the discovery of string theory.

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Astrobiology and space exploration

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:52:00 +0000

Lynn Rothschild
Stanford
Astrobiology is a new meta-discipline which combines astronomy, biology, chemistry, philosophy, and physics in an effort to study the current state of life in the universe.

In the Stanford Astrobiology Course, lectures follow a, more or less, linear path from the Big Bang all the way to the development of complex life and, finally, space exploration.
The course explains how evolutionary principles have operated at the macro, and micro, level ever since the birth of the universe we reside in today.

Click on image to go to the course.

Introduction to astrophysics

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:44:00 +0000

Charles Baylin
Yale
This course focuses on three particularly interesting areas of astronomy that are advancing very rapidly:
Extra-Solar Planets, Black Holes, and Dark Energy.
Particular attention is paid to current projects that promise to improve our understanding significantly over the next few years.
The course explores not just what is known, but what is currently not known, and how astronomers are going about trying to find out.
Click on image to go to the course.

PhotoTechEDU Day 9: Amateur Astrophotography

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:24:00 +0000

Photographic Technology Day 9: This session covers amateur astrophotography, particularly automation, gear (cameras, telescopes) and some of the technical challenges of photographing dim objects across the universe from your backyard or remote observatory.

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PhotoTechEDU Day 8: Diffraction and Interference in Imaging

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:14:00 +0000

Photographic Technology Day 8: This session addresses effects of the wave nature of light.
This approach will allow us to talk about the phenomena of interference as well as diffraction.
The understanding of the notion of diffraction will be used to determine the Rayleigh criteria and finally the resolving power of an optical system.
In the second part of the lecture, we will study gratings using the wave approach. An example of an amateur spectroscope for astronomy using a reflective grating will be shown.

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My new equipment

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:47:00 +0000

This picture shows most of my new equipment.

Telescope
Newtonian design, aperture 150mm parabolic mirror, focal relation f/5. 1.25" rack and pinion focuser.
Mount
Celestron CG-5 AS with GoTo.
Finder
Orion 8x50mm with dovetail quick coupling. Apparent field 5º
Guider scope
Meade RB-60: Refractor, 60mm aperture , focal 700mm.
Pointer
Meade red dot reflex sight.
Electric focuser
Orion Accufocus
Cameras
Meade DSI I, Phillips SPC900NC/00 modified SC1.0, Meade DSI pro III
Filter wheel
Manual Orion 5 filter wheel.
Shutter
ScopeStuff shutter for DSI pro

In the background there is my old Hokenn EQ3-2 mount.

AccessoriesCelestron Plössl 40mm eyepiece
Celestron SMA 20mm eyepiece
Celestron SMA 10mm eyepiece
Celestron Barlowx2 lens
Hokenn Barlowx3 lens
Bushnell 10x50mm binoculars.
GSO 0.67 Focal reducer.
Meade filters: IR, Red, Green and Blue for LRGB photography.

My old equipment can be seen here.

400 Years of the Telescope - A journey of science, technology and thought

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 02:14:00 +0000

Panoramic visuals, cutting-edge technologies and introspective contemplations position 400 Years of the Telescope as the must-see cinematic feature for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

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The Universe - Supernovas

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 03:27:00 +0000

The sensational death of stars in supernova explosions which shine as bright as a 100 billion suns and release jets of high-energy matter as gamma-ray bursts and x-ray radiation. Also a look at supernovas recorded throughout history and how stardust creates the building blocks of planets and life.

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PhotoTechEDU Day 6: Digital Camera Image Processing Pipelines

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:52:00 +0000

Photographic Technology EDU Day 6: In this session we examine the steps that a digital camera goes through to take raw data from an image sensor and make a photograph out of it. There are more steps than you might imagine, arranged in what is usually termed a pipeline, and is sometimes implemented on pipelined hardware, to get to a pleasing photographic rendering of the scene.

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Exploding Stars - Celestial Fireworks!

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:59:00 +0000

Join renowned UC Berkeley astrophysicist Alex Fillipenko and learn why supernovae are among the most fascinating and important objects in the Universe.

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PhotoTechEDU Day 5: Silicon Image Sensors

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:23:00 +0000

Photographic Technology Day 5: In this session we examine how digital cameras capture images via the interaction of light with silicon in CCD and CMOS image sensors, including sampling and aliasing effects, noise effects, etc.

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100 Greatest Discoveries - Astronomy

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:53:00 +0000

Scientists have transformed the way we think and live throughout the centuries. What are the most important scientific discoveries of all time?

The Planets Move (2000 B.C. – 500 B.C.)
The Earth Moves (1543)
Planetary Orbits Are Elliptical (1605 – 1609)
Jupiter Has Moons (1609 – 1612)
Halley's Comet Has a Predictable Orbit (1705 – 1758)
The Milky Way Is a Gigantic Disk of Stars (1780 – 1834)
General Relativity (1915 – 1919)
The Universe Is Expanding (1924 – 1929)
The Center of the Milky Way Emits Radio Waves (1932)
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (1964)
Gamma-Ray Bursts (1969 – 1997)
Planets Around Other Stars (1995 – 2004)
The Universe Is Accelerating (1998 – 2000)

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Photographic Technology Day 4: Resolution isn't Everything: Luminosity, Contrast MTF, Flare, and Noise

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:26:00 +0000

Most consumers know that more megapixels is better. But why does a 6MP DSLR take nicer pictures than a 10MP point-and-shoot? This talk will follow light from the surface to the sensor, exploring some of the things that degrade images along the way.

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PhotoTechEDU Day 3: Ray Tracing, Lenses, and Mirrors

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 02:47:00 +0000

Photographic Technology Day 3: Ray Tracing, Lenses, and Mirrors In this lecture, we will study the principles of ray tracing for simple optical components: thin spherical lenses and spherical mirrors. The notion of real/virtual object and real/virtual images will be highlighted as well as the computation of the position and magnification the image. The case of thick lenses will also be mentioned including the notion of nodal and cardinal points.

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PhotoTechEDU Day 2: Photo Technology Overview Continued

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:33:00 +0000

Photographic Technology Day 2: Photo Technology Overview Continued Continuing the overview of front-end photographic technology with more optics, waves, diffraction, silicon photosensors, and color sensing methods.

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Photo Tech EDU Day 1: Photo Technology Overview

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:31:00 +0000

Photo technology overview: ideal camera, exposure controls, optics, etc.

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The Universe - Nebulas

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:30:00 +0000

The “art gallery of the galaxy” – amazing regions of space, where old stars die and new ones are born. Astronomers reveal the techniques and technology used to capture the details and wonder of these distant objects, many of which are too far away to be seen by the naked eye.

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The Universe Has No Center... and You're Not There

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 01:56:00 +0000

Join the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's James White as he discusses how we think the universe appears, and more importantly, how we know that. Presented by the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

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NOVA (PBS) - Beyond the Milky Way (1981)

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:31:00 +0000

Sophisticated instruments used by astronomers enable earthlings to see beyond what was once the cloudy barrier of the Milky Way, to a universe of perhaps 100 billion other galaxies.
NOVA takes a trip into outer space to see these clusters which are as old as time and several million light years away.

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Millennium Lecture: Dark Matter And the Ultimate Fate of the Universe

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:19:00 +0000

Join UCSD Physicist Kim Griest as he takes you on an exploration of two of the major unsolved questions in the physical sciences: What might be the fate of the universe and what is the nature of the dark matter which ultimately decides this fate?

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NOVA (PBS) - Countdown to the Invisible Universe (1987)

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:23:00 +0000

NOVA scans the universe with the infrared eye of IRAS—the Infrared Astronomical Satellite—and discovers never-before-seen comets, stars, galaxies and other celestial wonders and enigmas.

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Roving Mars: Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration of the Red Planet

noreply@blogger.com (Germán Bresciano) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 02:59:00 +0000

Steven Squyres, Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University, was the principle scientist behind the Mars Exploration Rover Project. He discusses the engineering challenges that had to be met in getting the rovers to Mars, as well as the scientific results obtained by both vehicles over more than seven years of exploration.

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