AstroBackyard

The Trifid Nebula

The Pinwheel Galaxy

Beginner Astrophotography: How to get started photographing the night sky.

Critiquing Astrophotography on YOUR INSTAGRAM Accounts! 

Astrophotography: Getting Started

If you’re interested in capturing photos of the night sky, these beginner astrophotography tips will guide you on your way. I’ll explain how to take your very first photo of the stars, and some basic astrophotography tips and camera settings that you can put into action.

I’ll also show you a beginner astrophotography setup for capturing deep sky images using a camera and telescope. If I can do it, you can do it too.

Canon EF 300mm F/4L Camera Lens

The Canon EF 300mm F/4L Lens is an excellent choice for deep sky astrophoography.

Comet 46P Wirtanen

Sky-Watcher Esprit 100 Review

Lots of example #astrophotography images.

ZWO ASIair Review by AstroBackyard

A Dedicated Astrophotography Computer

The ZWO ASIair is not the only camera control device in this category. The StellarMate and Primaluce Labs EAGLE are comparable products, each with their own loyal following of users.

These onboard astrophotography computers can be daunting to newcomers, or those of us that are not overly technologically advanced.

However, the package put together by ZWO is aimed at the everyday backyard astrophotographer, and that’s what captured my attention first.

When I purchased a new laptop for image processing back in 2016, I had the unsettling experience of seeing my astrophotos on an extremely bright screen for the first time.

Have you ever looked at your images on a mobile phone with the brightness turned all the way up? There's no hiding bad data here!

Here is an idiots guide to manually tuning your screen for fewer surprises, and why I think screen calibration is so important.

The Bortle Scale!

How Light polluted is your backyard night sky? (I am a Class 8)

The Best Telescope for Beginners:

Buying your first astronomy telescope is a step towards a new level of appreciation for the night sky. Almost 8 years ago, I bought my first telescope - a Dobsonian reflector - just like this one (just smaller).

Buying a telescope is an important first step towards a new level of appreciation for the night sky, and the wonders found within it. I was once in this position myself, and I found the number of telescope options overwhelming.

A Laptop Computer for Astrophotography

I recently upgraded my computer for astrophotography. In the following post, I outline some of the many choices available to control your camera and telescope with a computer: