How to Take Photos of the Night Sky
It's one thing to look through the lenses of your binoculars or through the eyepiece of a telescope to see the wonders of the night sky. It's another to take photos to share with friends, family and people around the world. Many of today's telescopes are made with the ability to connect single-shot cameras or video cameras so that you can create images of the night sky to look at later. Even older telescopes can be coupled with a recording device.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Computer (optional but recommended)
- Telescope or binoculars
- Camera (video, film, analog, etc.)
Instructions
-
-
1
Connect your camera according to the telescope's (and the camera's) specifications. Some telescopes are sold bundled with a camera to take photos of the night sky, while others can be upgraded with accessories that permit you to connect a wide array of cameras.
-
2
Account for your relative position on the Earth, as well as the direction in which the object is going to move. Doing so will make it easier to determine the precise direction you will require the telescope to traverse for photos with longer exposure times.
-
-
3
Calibrate the telescope to account for the rotation of the Earth. If you don't, the stars will end up streaking across the film, forming a trail of light instead of a crisp singular point. Leave the telescope stationary if this is the effect you are trying to achieve. Higher-end telescopes will actually allow you to enter starting coordinates and ending coordinates so you don't have to.
-
4
Set the timer on the camera to tell it when to being shooting. This is necessary when you plan on leaving the camera unattended but know the location of the objects you wish to photograph. Just remember to account for their relative positions at the time of shooting (they will have moved a bit across the sky from where they are while you set up).
-
5
Set the shutter speed on your camera. The shutter speed determines how long the lens aperture will remain open. The longer the aperture is open, the more light will be permitted to strike the film. Longer exposures are good for filming distant, dimmer objects like fainter stars or nebulae.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Invest in a decent astronomical software suite. Many of the better software suites are capable of helping you take photos of the night sky by automating both the camera and the telescope.
Find an area where heat isn't a big issue, especially when you want to take photos of the night sky. Heat causes the atmosphere to shimmer which, over time, will blur what would otherwise be a crisp image. This is less a problem at higher altitudes, or during colder months of the year.
