The Basics of Astrophotography, Parts I and II: Widefield DSLR Imaging, and Imaging using the Hyperstar System

Part I: Digital cameras have improved dramatically over the last decade, enabling low-noise images with short exposure times, and thus opening up the prospects of astrophotography to anyone who owns a camera and a tripod. Ken Sperber will give an introduction to the basics of widefield astrophotography, including bringing some of the equipment that he uses to capture Milky Way shots, star trails, time-lapse movies, rocket launches, and eclipses. He will discuss the settings that provide a starting point for taking memorable images and cover such topics as obtaining accurate focus, choice of color balance, determining exposure time, and selection of ISO speed-which can improve sensitivity but increase noise.

Part II: With a variety of mount and optical tube assembly (OTA) configurations available to todayÂ’s astroimager, one of the most gratifying and quickest way to get nice images is to use a Hyperstar. Hyperstar imaging replaces the secondary mirror of a Schmidt-Cassegrain (SCT) with an optical assembly allowing you to attach a camera directly to the front of an SCT. This configuration dramatically reduces the focal length of a OTA and significantly increase the speed. For example: A Celestron EdgeHD 11, with specifications of 2800mm focal length @ F10, would be reduced to 540mm @ F2 with a Hyperstar yielding an amazing transformation that makes imaging easy and fun!! Andy Coutant will talk about his journey, experience and learning using the Hyperstar system.

Speakers: Ken Sperber and Andy Coutant