Category: Guides

Guides!

How to Set Up the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer

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When starting in astrophotography, one necessary piece of gear is a tracking mount. A common one to start with is a star tracker due to portability and use with a DSLR. In this article, we will go over setting up the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer with the DSLR that you may have or plan on getting. While we will be using the 2i specifically, this article will also work for the original version, and the mini. Just keep in mind that the mini has an upper limit of 6.6 lbs. attached, and the original and the 2i have a limit of…

How to Set Up the ZWO AM5

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Introduction In this article, we’re gonna go over how to set up the ZWO AM5 so we can get you up and running. Whether you already have one or you’re looking to buy one, hopefully this will help you out with exactly what you need to capture some great images. As of the time of publishing this article, ZWO has announced the AM3. You can follow the same steps below for that mount too! Tripod The first thing you’re going to need is a tripod. This guide uses the tripod that was designed for the AM5, but you can use…

Making Your Device RED

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Introduction In astrophotography it is inevitable that you will use a screen of some sort to control your gear. Whether you are using a PC, Phone, or Tablet, almost all gear requires external control. To protect your night vision and those around you, your screen needs to be tinted red, and be as dim as possible. This also helps your light pollution footprint if you are say, at a star party. In this article, we are going to go over how to turn your screen red on all common operating systems and devices. Making Your Device Red – Things to…

Beginner Deep Sky Objects – June to August

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When you are beginning deep sky astrophotography, it can be overwhelming to choose an object with the massive number of objects out there. The time between June and August presents us with a multitude of objects to pick from. In this article we will go over my top seven June to August picks for beginners, with a setup with a smaller focal length. Just like the previous article, there are some rules Lagoon Nebula Starting off with an object you can even see in Milky Way pictures, is the Lagoon Nebula. It is one of the few nebulae you can…

Pixinsight Top Five Common Processes

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Introduction When you first start using Pixinsight, there’s a lot to learn. Be aware that there are some processes that you will use almost every time you process an image. In this post, we go over the Pixinsight top five common processes, to help you get going. I’ll give a slight example of what each does, but keep in mind that this won’t go in depth, this is a general overview. Pixinsight Common Process Number 1: Screen Transfer Function This is Pixinisight’s auto stretch. One thing to note is that this is just a preview, not an actual stretch. But,…

Beginner Deep Sky Objects – March to May

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When you are beginning Deep Sky Objects, this time of year can be a little bit of a challenge if you don’t have a large focal length telescope. Large nebulae are either setting within a few hours of sunset, or rising in the morning, limiting time on those objects. The objects this time of year are rather small from our perspective, but they are doable. When you are beginning Deep Sky Objects, this time of year can be a little bit of a challenge if you don’t have a large focal length telescope. In this post, I will list seven…

Which Software to Use? Astrophotography Programs Master List

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Below you’ll find the list of currently used programs for Astrophotography. There’s a lot out there, all covering each step of the process. We all need to plan our sessions under the stars. There’s acquisition software, for when you are actually under the stars collecting data. There’s also processing. I’ll also link a few websites that are great for sharing your images if you had planned on it!  Because this is intended to be a master list, if you know of something I missed, please reach out to me with the price, operating system, and a brief description and I’ll…

Getting Started In Astrophotography: Setup Examples for Each Style

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When getting started in Astrophotography, there is a lot to consider with your setup. You should ask yourself which kind of images you would like to take. Widefield night time landscapes? Constellation or star field shots? Deep Sky Objects? What about Solar System Objects? There is no right or wrong style to choose, each has a different approach that can be very rewarding. There are different equipment requirements, although there can be some overlap. In this post, I’ll explain different styles and setups, and what you will need to get started with that style of astrophotography. Night Time Landscapes Description…

How to Add Landscape to Stellarium

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Introduction Stellarium has a lot of landscape already built in, but wouldn’t it be nice to have the landscape where you usually are observing or imaging from? In this guide, we will go over how to add landscapes to Stellarium. We’ll need to use a panorama image, so if you don’t have one we’ll go over how to get one using Google Maps. Stellarium comes with a bunch of ground textures to choose from, even some fun ones like Mars and Saturn. But if you are in planning, it’s advantageous to have the ground be the same location you’ll be…

How to Add Your Gear to Stellarium

Guides, SoftwareAstro Escape9 Comments
Introduction When first using Stellarium, it comes with quite a few telescope, eyepiece, and camera options. However, it’s impossible to include every variation out there by default. Would you like to know how to add your own gear to Stellarium?  Below you’ll find my guide to adding your gear. If you follow the steps below, you’ll be able to tell what objects will look like with your specific combination of gear. Fortunately, it’s very easy to do. Getting Started Before adding your gear, go to the manufacturer’s website or a store website to look for the specifications for each item.  …