![Dark Sky Astrophotography [Smokey Mountain Getaway]](https://i1.wp.com/kevinrfrancis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Planets-8-11-2018.jpg?fit=1076%2C1116&ssl=1)
August is a busy month for my family, and we took a weekend to visit the Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Wow what a great opportunity to do dark sky…
![Mars: The Red Planet on Display in Summer 2018 [Dust Storm]](https://i2.wp.com/kevinrfrancis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Mars-7_14_2018.jpg?fit=448%2C448&ssl=1)
During the last star party at The Virginia Living Museum, I laid eyes on Mars for the first time this year. It rose above the horizon to become the fitting…
![Saturn: Photographing the Cassini Division 2018 Update [Rings]](https://i1.wp.com/kevinrfrancis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Saturn-7_10_2018.jpg?fit=496%2C496&ssl=1)
Light travels about 2 hours from the Sun to Saturn to your telescope.  We can spend about that much time searching for the perfect picture of planet and rings. Because…
![Derotation in Astrophotography [Field Rotation]](https://i0.wp.com/kevinrfrancis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Jupiter-7_2_2018-Derotated.jpg?fit=672%2C672&ssl=1)
Derotation in Astrophotography is Amazing I learned something new this weekend. I learned about a technique in astrophotography called Derotation. I'm amazed at what a little imagination and scientific skill…
This summer night was meant to be a warm evening capturing Jupiter, Venus & Saturn. Mercury just happened to appear near the horizon and I thought I should give it…
![Moon: Take Photos & Find Many Colors [Brown or Grey]](https://i0.wp.com/kevinrfrancis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Moon-6_29_2018.jpg?fit=3328%2C2327&ssl=1)
You don't have to be an astrophotographer to have a photo of the Moon in your collection. The Moon appears, markedly, in all of the photos in with the same…
Light Pollution In light polluted areas, seeing fuzzy star clusters is nearly impossible to the naked eye. Therefore, when I attended a Star Party at the Virginia Living Museum, I…
"What kind of telescope should I buy?" If you're like me and you meet any number of novice astronomers, this is a question you hear a lot. My answer is…