Questions tagged [photography]
Questions about photography of celestial objects by amateur or professional astronomers. Questions about photography of other objects are off-topic but might be asked on our sister site Photography Stack Exchange.
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In-the-sky.org's simulation of the September 5, 2024 Venus-Moon conjunction seems off, but how, and why?
By a lucky coincidence I happened to have a great view of the conjunction of Venus and the Moon on September 5, 2024. Once the naughty cloud moved up and the pair moved down, they aligned with a third,...
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Why is said that H-alpha emission lines are stronger than the other of the Balmer series?
H-alpha lines are usually the ones you see when observing most nebulae.
If you search why is that, why are H-alpha lines more visible than H-beta, H-gamma or H-delta, the usual answer is that H-alpha ...
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Is this a galaxy?
I took a photo last night (Wed 3 July 2024) around 23:45 (BST) from a small town outside of Chesterfield, UK.
I uploaded it to a site to identify the stars which is shown via the green annotations in ...
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Stars (other than Sol) resolvable as disks
Have any stars (other than Sol) been imaged as actual disks (the way we've seen the planets and moons of our solar system)? Presumably such a star would be relatively close to us and/or relatively ...
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Vera C. Rubin's LSST's ginormous camera's shutter; why does it open/close 1000 times a night & is this typical for large-format survey telescopes?
CNET's April 23, 2024 World's Largest Camera, the 3.2-Gigapixel LSST, Is Complete says after about 02:19
That shutter is actually so big it had to be broken down into two pieces just to fit inside ...
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BVR photometry and Luminiscense
I have the values from B, V and R filters. How do I obtain the total luminescence of a star?
My ultimate aim is to find the relative masses and luminescence of various stars/galaxies in a galactic ...
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Can someone provide an image that more reasonably shows what a human sees during ideal Milky Way viewing? Both land and sky
I recall seeing the Milky Way in 1987 from the edge of the Manzanar internment camp (Owens Valley, California). It was a Moonless night with perfectly clear skies and the location was (and still is) ...
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Can emergency blanket material be used for making a homemade solar filter for a digital camera?
Can emergency blanket material be used for making a homemade solar filter for use with a digital camera? It seems to be aluminized Mylar.
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Since John Herschel was first to make a photograph on a glass plate in 1839, why was the first astronomical photograph not taken until 1840 by Draper?
Researching Who named "the 37 cluster" or at least made that name widely known via writing? I came across the Moneylink September, 9, 2020 article 9 September 1839: Sir John Herschel takes ...
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Stacking of frames drizzled using the AURA drizzle implementation hosted on github/spacetelescope (NOT PixInsight drizzle integration)
Note: this question is not about PixInsight's drizzle integration module, it's specifically about the mentioned drizzle implementation. Answers describing PI functionality are automatically off topic.
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Details of the Moon's night photographed in a total solar eclipse
I didn't know that in photographs of total solar eclipses you could see details of the Moon's night.
To my surprise, look at this beautiful photo of the solar eclipse of 2024/04/23 taken by amateur ...
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Determing timestamp of a photo of the stars using a plate solver
This question from 2016 seems to suggest that you need a powerful telescope to get a photo of the stars in such a way that you can use their proper motion to get a timestamp. If this is possible, how ...
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Finding stars that would be visible from satellite
I'm working on a mock image of a picture taken from a satellite (like ISS). Lets say I have a camera on ISS pointing in the direction of velocity (I have this velocity vector defined in ITRF and ...
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First photographic image taken with telescopes to produce astronomically useful results? What telescope was used?
comments on the question and answer(s) to What are the technological advancements that made it possible for modern large telescopes to work with alt-az mounts instead of equatorial mounts? have made ...
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With a non-motorized telescope, can 100 pictures of 0.5 seconds be realigned and merged to get the equivalent of a 50-second long exposure shot?
I have a non-motorized Newton 130/900 telescope.
Of course, it's hopeless to do pictures with exposure ~ 1 minute. Even 1 second is probably too much, as seen in Optimal exposure time for photography ...
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Elevation difference of analemmas' taken at different hours and the reason for the tendency of analemmas' being slanted with deviation from the noon
According to Wikipedia, in astronomy, an analemma (/ˌænəˈlɛmə/; from Ancient Greek ἀνάλημμα (analēmma) 'support') is a diagram showing the position of the Sun in the sky as seen from a fixed location ...
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Human Brightness perception and contrast
This is kind of an interdisciplinary question on human brightness perception and the ability to distinguish grayscales. To be honest, I wasn't sure if the Physics, Biology or Computer graphics SE site ...
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Sky illumination based on moon phase and altitude
Does anyone know if there has been any work in determining the impact of the moon on sky brightness based on phase, moon altitude (including below the horizon), location altitude, humidity, etc? This ...
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Instead of a five-element corrector for arced drift trajectories, why didn't the ILMT just use CCDs fabricated w/ slightly non-cartesian pixel layout?
Phys.org's New Indian telescope identifies its first supernova links to the recent arXiv Follow-up strategy of ILMT discovered supernovae. The International Liquid Mirror Telescope is no ordinary ...
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Where can i find dark frames in the ESO archive?
I am doing an image reduction with data from ESO but I can't find dark frames when I download the zip-folder even though I downloaded the associated callibration files. The image reduction I am doing ...
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How do eyepiece mm values equate to telescope tube extension mm values?
I'm trying out a DSLR on my Celestron 70EQ refractor telescope with a DSLR T-ring.
The first try didn't magnify very much, and I learned that I need to extend the focus length to magnify the image; I'...
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Is it possible to detect lyman alpha blobs (LABs) with the lyman-break method?
LABs are luminous extended nebulae of hydrogen gas in the early universe (z ≥ 3) found in overdensities of LAEs (lyman-alpha emitters) and LBGs (lyman-break galaxies). I was wondering if LABs could be ...
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I have access to a planetarium, how to make a video for it?
I have access to a planetarium. And am very excited to try making some video that can be played inside this dome. Can you give some directions? It has about 6 projectors. I dont know what is the video ...
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How to tell if a meteor video or photograph is fake?
With the Perseids at their peak, many people are sharing amazing photographs and videos — and some of them clearly more exercises in special effects than actual sky-watching.
My daughter's friend sent ...
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What are these dark artifacts in this New Horizons image?
Are these photographic artifacts of some kind and if so how would they occur?
They are almost the same exact shape and size.
It is a photo of the Kuiper Belt from the New Horizon space probe taken ...
user111826
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How to align iOptron Skyguider Pro with iPolar camera without computer?
I’m considering the iOptron Skyguider Pro star tracker with the iPolar camera, but this requires a computer.
How do you align this star tracker if you have a problem with the computer, don’t have the ...
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How to mount a 2" filter to a DSLR or mirrorless camera?
I'm considering using a 2" filter for astrophotography with DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Filters are typically measured in mm, but I understand that a "2 inch" filter is really a 48mm ...
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Is there a standard deconvolution procedure to remove JWST's diffraction pattern yet? If so, would Arp 220 be a good candidate on which to try it?
Source: Webb captures the spectacular galactic merger Arp 220
Shining like a brilliant beacon amidst a sea of galaxies, Arp 220 lights up the night sky in this view from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb ...
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Narrowband imaging wavelengths in NIR?
Lines giving useful (& beautiful) data in visible spectrum are well known - H-b, O-III, H-a, S-II. Unfortunately light pollution is strongest in visible light.
Are there similar relatively bright ...
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Did they ever figure out why Parker's WISPR cameras were able to see the surface of Venus? Mischaracterized filter, or unexpected atmospheric window?
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Laboratory/Guillermo Stenborg and Brendan Gallagher
Also refer to the technical material cited in the Space Exploration SE question
How brightly does ...
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What components (parts) are needed to connect telescope to DSLR?
I have several years of experience with DSLR photography and some astro photography (milkyway) with DSLR. Recently, my wife gifted me an explore scientific ED80 APO telescope. I have an old Nikon ...
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What are the twinkling stars in the New Horizons Arrokoth approach?
I've circled them in this edit:
Source: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Horizons_Approach_to_Arrokoth.ogv
Note, this has generated frames, see the source....
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How did asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1 get its "face"? Is it reconstructed from optical or radar imaging, or something else?
(Image sources linked below)
NPR's March 10, 2023 Newly found asteroid has a 'very small chance' of hitting Earth, NASA says includes an image of what looks like a computer reconstructed 3D surface of ...
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Angular extent of this composite Chandra / JWST image of the Tarantula Nebula?
I thought I’d ask this question here, as I couldn’t readily find the answer looking through online resources.
What is the angular extent of the composite Chandra / JWST image of the Tarantula Nebula ...
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Small bright constellation on the photo
I did a photo of the night sky and wanted to find a constellation on it. I've suggestion that it is Delphinus constellation. Could you please help me figure it out. Also, I'm curios about good way to ...
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Why does one object (star?) in this JWST image have two sets of six+plus+two diffraction spikes but another, similar object nearby have only one?
CNN's February 24, 2023 Astrophysicist says 'there is nothing wrong with not knowing' is basically an opportunity for Neil deGrasse Tyson to give us a pep talk and reminder about the exciting process ...
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Are the 2 planets in this image Venus and Saturn? And is this a fireball shooting star in top right of picture?
I took this picture with my iPhone on January 23, 2023 @6:01pm CST. I am in West Central Alabama very close to the Tenn-Tom Waterway a few miles from the MS state line. I was facing west-southwest.
I ...
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What would be a good telescope to buy for amateur practice? [ Specifications in description ]
I'm a beginner in Astronomy in general and would like to have something like this with which I could do amateur photography and generally practice.
What would be a good telescope to buy with the ...
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Does the 500 rule apply to astrophotography with a telescope?
On clear nights, I mount my Samsung Galaxy S10 to my 130mm aperture telescope and take pictures of certain deep-sky objects. Recently, I took pictures of the Orion Nebula. In order to get the optimal ...
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How to know aperture when mounting smartphone on telescope?
I have a telescope with a 130mm aperture and a Samsung Galaxy S10, which I mount to my telescope and use to take pictures. When considering the total aperture, how would I calculate the combination ...
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Can we simply multiply a positive value to each pixel in order to enhance contrast and to discard Time Delay Integration technique?
As shown in the figure below, the Time Delay Integration (TDI, the right side of the figure) is aimed at accumulating multiple exposures of the same (moving) object, effectively increasing the ...
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Can a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2000 be attached to a Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ
We recently bought a Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ for our children and we like to take some pictures of what we are seeing through the telescope. We know that's a beginner telescope and not ...
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What do negative values on bright sources in TIRSPEC mean?
I opened a FITs image data from TIRSPEC (NIR imaging) (an HgCdTe infrared imaging sensor) on DS9 and I saw that some of the bright stars have black patches at the center (negative values).
Can you ...
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Strange bump in solar spectrum taken with home-made spectrograph
I am an astronomy teacher, and made some kind of spectrograph with a difraction grating, a 3D printed slit, water pipes and a reflex camera. With a group of students we got this picture of the solar ...
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Why can four-eight "rays" be seen around all stars in astronomy photographs from the Hubble Space telescope? [duplicate]
In famous astronomy photographs from the Hubble Space telescope such as the Pillars of Creation, each star has four rectilinear "rays" projecting out in the intercardinal directions, and ...
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What is the equation for the radius of a star trail?
I have been studying star paths, and have successfully used the following equations to map star paths in a multiple exposure photograph onto circles of a radius determined by the star's declination ...
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Where does FireCapture save FITS photos during recording?
I made a lot of FITS photos yesterday and accidentally the laptop battery was discharged and it was turned off before I pressed the stop button. Now, I don't see that last session in folder with other ...
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Optimal exposure time for photography with unmotorized telescope
Since celestial objects move along the sky, taking long exposure shots with an unmotorized telescope will show a straight or slightly curved line of light instead of the still object (star trail).
...
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What parameters can we obtain from imagery of planets?
Looking at images for the planets of the solar system in all different wavelengths, I was wondering whether we can deduce any information about the planet itself without using anything other than an ...
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What is this cluster of light trails captured on long exposure images?
I was taking photos of the Perseids meteor shower on 13/08/2022 in Peak District in the UK. The camera was fixed stably on a tripod, set on manual mode, taking 8-second exposures continuously.
When I ...
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