Polar Alignment Camera Install [Polar Scope]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:May 21, 2020
Post category:Astronomy Astrophotography Long Exposure Astrophotography Polar Alignment

It's time to buy a polar alignment camera. The QHY PoleMaster or Orion Starshoot are each a nice $299 opportunity. iPolar, by iOptron is a cool $249. And that's it.…

View of Night Sky

How to Star Hop [Beginner Astrophotography]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:March 8, 2020
Post category:Astronomy Astrophotography Night Sky Plate Solving

Navigating the night sky can be challenging for beginners. The Star Hop technique is the best way to find night sky objects for the beginner. And there are a few…

View of Prickly Bay, Grenada

Smartphone Astrophotography [Google Pixel 3]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:November 26, 2019
Post category:Astrophotography Google PIxel Smartphone

Smartphone astrophotography is a fast growing part of astronomy. Smartphones are common, portable, and have great cameras. I've owned a Google Pixel 3 for almost a year now and get…

13 Photo Stack on Left 31 Photo Stack on Right

Image Stacking in Astrophotography [Reduce Noise]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:November 10, 2019
Post category:Astrophotography DSLR Camera Image Stacking Long Exposure Astrophotography Noise Reduction Post Processing

Image stacking is how you reduce noise from your precious photo. Yes, noise...those seemingly random specks that dot the landscape of your photo. What is it? How it get there?…

Dark Sky Map

Dark Sky: Where Are You? [Astrophotography]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:November 3, 2019
Post category:Astronomy Astrophotography Night Sky Wide Field Astrophotography

Milky Way (I didn't take this photo) The hunt for a dark sky was once imaginary. Before Lewis Howard Latimer and Thomas Alva Edison dropped the mic on the light…

Telescope & Mount: ModifiedOrion Astroview 6 Reflector with Astroview Mount Camera: Canon EOS XTi Guiding: None Location: Carrollton, VA Sky: Bortle Class 5 Acquisition & Calibration: - Filter: None and I'm looking into narrowband filters - ISO 1600 - 49 Light Frames @ 30 s - 35 Dark Frames @ 30 s - 20 Flat Frames - 30 Bias Frames - Total Integration Time: 24.5 minutes

Long Exposure Astrophotography [Get A Drive Motor]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:October 20, 2019
Post category:Astronomy DSLR Camera Google PIxel Long Exposure Astrophotography Telescope Telescope Mount Wide Field Astrophotography

Long exposure astrophotography without a GoTo Mount has been a fun challenge for me. Over the past few months, I've posted a few of my results on Reddit to some…

Messier 31 Andromeda Galaxy Telescope & Mount: Orion ST-80 with Astroview Mount Camera: Canon EOS XTi Guiding: None Location: Carrollton, VA Sky: Bortle Class 5Acquisition & Calibration: - Filter: None - APT (Astrophotography Tool) - ISO 1600 - 40 Light Frames @ 120 s - 62 Dark Frames @ 120 s - 19 Flat Frames - 60 Bias Frames - Total Integration Time: 80 minutes

Wide Field Astrophotography and First Light with My Orion ST-80 [Andromeda Galaxy]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:October 6, 2019
Post category:Astronomy Galaxies Night Sky Telescope Wide Field Astrophotography

Because it's small and great for wide field astrophotography picked up an Orion ST-80 telescope. The ST stands for Short Tube. In case you're wondering, first light, simply means the…

M13: Great Globular Cluster May 16, 2019 Messier 13 Telescope: RRRT (Fan Mountain) Camera: SBIG STX-16803 Exposure: Visible (Mono): 40 @ 2 min Total - 1 Hour 20 minutes exposure

Comparing M13 Photos [Messier 13]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:June 16, 2019
Post category:Astrophotography Deep Sky Post Processing Star Clusters

M13 or the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules is an astronomy favorite. It is 145 light years in diameter and contains approximately 300,000 stars. I've recently focused two telescopes on…

Messier 3 Globular Cluster May 28, 2019 Messier 3 Telescope: Modified Orion Astroview 6 Camera: Canon EOS XTi Exposure: No Filter: 14 @ 90 seconds Total - 21 minutes exposure

How To Find Night Sky Objects Without A GoTo Mount [Plate Solving]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:June 14, 2019
Post category:Astrophotography Deep Sky Night Sky Plate Solving Star Clusters

I want to find night sky objects with a GoTo mount. If you know me, I love technology. Yet for this hobby, I want to learn the night sky with…

Google Pixel Really Blue using the NOAA Magnetic Field Calculator to determine true north

My Polar Alignment Methods [Telescope Setup]

Post author:Kevin Francis
Post published:June 2, 2019
Post category:Astrophotography Deep Sky Long Exposure Astrophotography Telescope Telescope Mount Wide Field Astrophotography

Messier 51 or M51 or Whirlpool Galaxy. Telescope: RRRT (Fan Mountain) Camera: SBIG STX-16803 Exposure: Red: 14 @ 2 min Blue: 14 @ 2 min Visible: 14 @ 2 min…