Astro Photography

...On the Cheap

I don't own a telescope dedicated to astro-photography. I watch the sky with an 8” dobsonian and some decent eyepieces.

I've tried a lot of different methods to photograph astronomical events. Because of the light pollution where I live, long exposures are out of the question. The noise buildup ruins the image. With only a camera and a tripod I'm limited to short exposures on a clear night.

Pleiades and Hyades, single exposure, Canon EOS, 50mm, f1.8, 5 secs.

Another option is shooting through a telescope eyepiece. A lot of light is necessary, which makes the moon the best target. The results can be surprisingly good.

Full Moon, single exposure, iPhone 4 through the eyepiece of an Orion 8" dobsonian.

Images of the sun can be captured by projecting the light from a telescope eyepiece onto a white page. Eclipses, the transit of Venus and sun spots can all be viewed with this method.

Sunspots, projected onto a canvas through an 8" Orion dobsonian. Tinted in Photoshop.

Composition and subject matter can make up for the lack of equipment. Constraints are sometimes better than options.

Before and during a lunar eclipse, diptych, single exposure Canon EOS, 50mm, f1.8