Come join the friendliest, most engaging and inclusive astronomy forum geared for beginners and advanced telescope users, astrophotography devotees, plus check out our "Astro" goods vendors.
Come join the friendliest, most engaging and inclusive astronomy forum geared for beginners and advanced telescope users, astrophotography devotees, plus check out our "Astro" goods vendors.
I'd like to learn the basics about AP, and I'd like to find a good book.
Most articles I've seen are about taking wide view photos with a DSLR, lens and tripod.
I'd be more interested in telescope, astrocam and tracking (guided) mount and stacking.
I'm not afraid of a little math and optics, but, as a Finn, I'm a little bit allergic to very lengthy inspirational blabber.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
I'm more of a "learn by video" kinda guy these days so I'm not going to be much help when it comes to books but there are a ton of folks on YouTube that could be helpful. Dylan O'Donnell, Trevor @ AstroBackyard, Joe's Astrophoto. etc...
I have a bunch more but if you look at these guys and go way back in their library, you'll see a ton of videos from when they were just starting out.
BTW, Dylan is an acquired taste. He comes off a bit jerky but is truly a great guy.
DEnc wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:41 pm
I predict that you would really enjoy The Handbook of Astronomical Image Processing. The link lists some of the topics.
Unfortunately recently the publisher went out of business so the price of the book has sky-rocketed, so a used copy might make more sense.
Looks very interesting by the contents, but quite hard to find, and I'd, probably, have to double the price due to the customs situation.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
This is a bit of a favourite now. It's not just a list of targets. It goes into the capturing too:
Regards
Graeme
I wonder if it contains info about selecting gear?
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
AstroBee wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:59 pm
I'm more of a "learn by video" kinda guy these days so I'm not going to be much help when it comes to books but there are a ton of folks on YouTube that could be helpful. Dylan O'Donnell, Trevor @ AstroBackyard, Joe's Astrophoto. etc...
I have a bunch more but if you look at these guys and go way back in their library, you'll see a ton of videos from when they were just starting out.
BTW, Dylan is an acquired taste. He comes off a bit jerky but is truly a great guy.
I guess I wish to get some theory too.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
What do you say about "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" by Charles Bracken?
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
turboscrew wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 8:04 am
What do you say about "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" by Charles Bracken?
Excellent! I have it. I agree on all the recommendations so far. There are books by Thierry Legault, Alan Hall, Covington, and Seip (very short and simple, perhaps not enough theory for you) that are also good.
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
turboscrew wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 8:04 am
What do you say about "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" by Charles Bracken?
Excellent! I have it. I agree on all the recommendations so far. There are books by Thierry Legault, Alan Hall, Covington, and Seip (very short and simple, perhaps not enough theory for you) that are also good.
LEt me add to my post now that I'm at a desk with a laptop...
turboscrew wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 8:04 am
What do you say about "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" by Charles Bracken?
Hi Juha,
I have read tons of reviews of the "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" and bought it before I imaged anything or had any imaging equipment.
The book is a must have, but personally, I got a whole lot more out of it after I started dabbling with imaging and getting familiar with the process and equipment. I re-read the book after I got started and wow, it all made sense and is a tremendous resource. A must have reference.
I definitely recommend it, but for me, I really didn't really understand a lot of it until I was off and running.
Also, at the time, I was a Startools user and only Photoshop and Pixinsight were covered in the book.
Youtube is a wonderful resource. Forrest Tanaka has a series (somewhat dated now, but the principles are the same) that is superb. In addition to Astrobackyard and Dylan, you might want to check out Cuiv, The Lazy Geek. I have really gotten a huge amount of knowledge from watching Cuiv's videos.
Good luck and have fun!
Jim
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), ZWO OAG, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, ASI 220mm mini , IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
turboscrew wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 8:04 am
What do you say about "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" by Charles Bracken?
Hi Juha,
I have read tons of reviews of the "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" and bought it before I imaged anything or had any imaging equipment.
The book is a must have, but personally, I got a whole lot more out of it after I started dabbling with imaging and getting familiar with the process and equipment. I re-read the book after I got started and wow, it all made sense and is a tremendous resource. A must have reference.
I definitely recommend it, but for me, I really didn't really understand a lot of it until I was off and running.
Also, at the time, I was a Startools user and only Photoshop and Pixinsight were covered in the book.
Youtube is a wonderful resource. Forrest Tanaka has a series (somewhat dated now, but the principles are the same) that is superb. In addition to Astrobackyard and Dylan, you might want to check out Cuiv, The Lazy Geek. I have really gotten a huge amount of knowledge from watching Cuiv's videos.
Good luck and have fun!
I'd like to get some theoretical knowledge too, and use that to figure out what to buy.
Also, I use mostly Linux, so I guess I have to find the SW and the ways to use the SW from not-so-obvious sources anyway. I think, my SW background might be helpful there. I've found that the videos are usually helpful when it comes to details, but not so much when some more general ideas are in question.
Like, I can calculate the angular coverage of a pixel, but I have very little idea of what stacking and other image manipulation can do, when there's some oversampling (light "leaking" to the adjacent pixels).
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
turboscrew wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 8:04 am
What do you say about "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" by Charles Bracken?
Hi Juha,
I have read tons of reviews of the "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" and bought it before I imaged anything or had any imaging equipment.
The book is a must have, but personally, I got a whole lot more out of it after I started dabbling with imaging and getting familiar with the process and equipment. I re-read the book after I got started and wow, it all made sense and is a tremendous resource. A must have reference.
I definitely recommend it, but for me, I really didn't really understand a lot of it until I was off and running.
Also, at the time, I was a Startools user and only Photoshop and Pixinsight were covered in the book.
Youtube is a wonderful resource. Forrest Tanaka has a series (somewhat dated now, but the principles are the same) that is superb. In addition to Astrobackyard and Dylan, you might want to check out Cuiv, The Lazy Geek. I have really gotten a huge amount of knowledge from watching Cuiv's videos.
Good luck and have fun!
I'd like to get some theoretical knowledge too, and use that to figure out what to buy.
Also, I use mostly Linux, so I guess I have to find the SW and the ways to use the SW from not-so-obvious sources anyway. I think, my SW background might be helpful there. I've found that the videos are usually helpful when it comes to details, but not so much when some more general ideas are in question.
Like, I can calculate the angular coverage of a pixel, but I have very little idea of what stacking and other image manipulation can do, when there's some oversampling (light "leaking" to the adjacent pixels).
Absolutely. "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" is excellent and you will enjoy it very much. A "must have" for certain.
Just for me personally, I had to go through some "hard knocks" on my own before I really saw (and understood) the material in the book.
Jim
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), ZWO OAG, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, ASI 220mm mini , IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
Thanks folks. Ordered "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer" by Charles Bracken.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
sdbodin wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:31 pm
OK, Amazon link, but pricey,
Think I paid less than $10 when new, inflation.
Steve
Yep, a bit pricey for paperback: 3 Used from $119.05
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.