Astrophotography is Easy!: Basics for Beginners

by Gregory I. Redfern

Overview

There are many books covering different facets of astrophotography, but few of them contain all the necessary steps for beginners in one accessible place. Astrophotography is Easy! fills that void, serving as a guide to anybody interested in the subject but starting totally from scratch. Assuming no prior experience, the author runs through the basics for how to take astrophotos using just a camera—including cell phones and tablets—as well as a telescope and more sophisticated equipment.

The book includes proven techniques, checklists, safety guidelines, troubleshooting tips, and more. Each chapter builds upon the last, allowing readers to master basic techniques before moving on to more challenging material. Also included is a comprehensive list of additional books and resources on a variety of topics so readers can continue expanding their skills.

Astrophotography Is Easy! doesn’t simply teach you the basic skills for becoming an astrophotographer: it provides you with the foundations you will need for a lifelong pursuit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030459420
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	10/30/2020
Series:	The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	461
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Greg Redfern, known on twitter as “@SkyGuyinVA,” has been an adjunct professor/instructor of astronomy for five different colleges since 1984. As a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador since 2003, he has shared NASA's missions to the solar system with many audiences in person as well as on air with Voice Of America (VOA) International, Fox 5 WTTG TV, NBC4 Washington, CBS News and WJLA7. Since 2006, he has been the space reporter for WTOP Radio and WTOP.com.

Greg's daily astronomy blog, "What’s Up?: The Space Place” has had over 3.2 million views from around the world. As a writer, he has authored numerous articles for Sky and Telescope, Meteorite Magazine, Skywatch and a number of newspapers, including Gannet and USA Today.

Greg has been observing and photographing the sky for over five decades and collecting meteorites for years. He has used telescopes of all kinds and visited observatories, NASA facilities, and geological sites all over the world. His astrophotographs have appeared online on NASA.gov, MSN.com, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Earth and Sky.org, The Planetary Society, Space.com, Universe Today, and other online publications. For years, cruise ship guests and visitors to Shenandoah National Park have enjoyed Greg’s presentations, where he mingles the folklore and science of the stars.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Foreword

Author’s Note

About the Author

Chapter 1
Introduction

Chapter 2
Cameras

Chapter 3
Lenses

Chapter 4
Telescopes

Chapter 5
Imaging Methods with Your Telescope

Chapter 6
Mountings

Chapter 7
Software and Other Necessary Accessories

Chapter 8
Astrophotography Rules to Live By

Chapter 9
Getting Acquainted with the Sky

Chapter 10
Location Matters

Chapter 11
It’s Astrophotography Time!

Chapter 12
TheSun and More

Chapter 13
The Moon

Chapter 14
Eclipses

Chapter 15
The Stars and Planets

Chapter 16
International Space Station and Satellites

Chapter 17
Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, Fireballs, Bolides, Meteor Showers

Chapter 18
Aurorae and Glows in the Sky

Chapter 19
The Milky Way

Chapter 20
DSOs – Deep Sky Objects

Chapter 21
Process, Print and Post Your Astropics

Chapter 22
The Astrophotography Bug

Chapter 23
Suggested Reading and Internet Links

Appendix: Suggested Reading and Internet Links

Index

Editorial Reviews

Astrophotography is Easy! Basics for Beginners … a book for budding astro-imagers that avoids overly technical jargon in favour of a casual, reader-friendly guide. The tome contains practical advice on photographing everything in the sky from the Sun, Moon, and planets to nebulae, star clusters, and distant galaxies, as well as the best techniques to record each one.” (Sky and Telescope Magazine, February, 2021)

“True to its title, this comprehensive how-to book tries to cover everything a novice astrophotographer needs to know: cameras, lenses, and telescopes; imaging methods, mountings, and software; and techniques and tips for capturing such celestial objects and events as the Sun, Moon, stars, eclipses, and auroras. Gregory Redfern draws on his more than four decades of experience as an astrophotographer to provide key guidance to even the most rank amateur and launch them on a lifetime of celestial exploration.” (Physics Today, Vol. 73 (11), 2020)

From the Publisher