Looking up at a dark sky filled with stars on a clear night can inspire a sense of wonder that makes you want to pull out your camera and take pictures. But sadly, the results are often disappointing; taking pictures of celestial objects that capture what you see with your own eyes can be harder than you’d think.
You’ll need to learn a bit about technique and have the right equipment to take good pictures of the night sky. With the benefit of modern technology and a little effort, almost anyone can become a decent astrophotographer.
Astrophotography History
- The First Photograph of the Moon: In 1840, John William Draper took the first detailed photograph of the full moon.
- The First Photo of the Sun: Two French physicists made a daguerreotype of the sun, including some sunspots, in 1845.
- Julius Berkowski: A Prussian daguerreotypist captured the first successful image of a total solar eclipse in 1851.
- The “Blue Marble,” One of Earth’s Most Iconic Images: In 1972, three astronauts took a photo of Earth as a celestial object, capturing the image as they flew toward the moon.
- The First Photos Taken of Every Planet in Our Solar System: While it is possible to capture striking images of nearby planets from Earth today, the most detailed images come from spacecraft.
- The Rise and Fall of Astrophotography: This in-depth article explores the use of photography by astronomers, from the earliest images to modern technology that captures data for computers to assemble instead of photographs.
- How Astrophotography Has Changed Over the Past 50 Years: How people take pictures of the night sky and the quality of the images they capture have changed rapidly in just a few decades.
Equipment
- The Best Astrophotography Equipment: Some of the top astrophotographers in the world share their recommendations for good gear for beginners to buy.
- Astrophotography for Beginners: If you’re interested in digging into the fundamentals of astrophotography by taking a more traditional approach, follow these recommendations to choose a good camera, film, and accessories.
- What Is the Best Telescope for Me? To take good pictures of celestial objects, you’ll often need a telescope.
- Photographing Planets With a Small Telescope and a Webcam: With a bit of patience and attention to detail, you can capture some nice images of other planets using a webcam.
- Astrophotography for the Impatient: This article looks at the results you can achieve using a Stellina observation station, a smart telescope that automates a lot of the process of taking photos and is controlled with a smartphone app.
- Gear You Need to Photograph the Night Sky: Basics you’ll need for astrophotography include a good camera with a wide-angle lens, a tripod, and plenty of extra batteries.
- The Best Milky Way Photography Gear: Find recommendations for what you’ll need to take great photos of the sky here.
Methods and Techniques
- A Beginner’s Guide to Astrophotography: Explore what you should know before taking up this hobby with help from the BBC.
- Night Sky Photography for Beginners: The Planetary Society put together this guide to successful astrophotography.
- How to Photograph Stars and the Milky Way: With a lot of planning and a bit of skill, you can capture incredible images of our galaxy.
- Shooting Stars: How to Photograph the Night Sky: This basic guide can help you to get started taking pictures of the stars.
- Capturing the Night Sky With Your Smartphone: While you’ll get the best results with a stand-alone camera, you can still take nice pictures of the stars with just your phone.
- Guide to Night Sky Photography: Follow along with this tutorial to get expert advice on how to photograph the sky.
- Beginning Astrophotography: With just a camera, a tripod, a cable release, and a willingness to sacrifice a little sleep, you can take good-quality photos of stars and planets at night.
- The “Piggyback” Method: Learn how you can mount your camera to a telescope and produce images of the stars without trails.
- The Beginners’ Guide to Night Sky Photography: Follow these tips to take beautiful pictures of the Milky Way.
- How to Take Incredible Astrophotography Pictures With Your iPhone: You don’t necessarily need to go out and buy a new camera to take up astrophotography.
- Photoshop Techniques for Astrophotography: Using Adobe Photoshop, you can enhance your images to draw out more detail.
- How to Take Better Pictures of the Moon With Your Phone: If you’ve ever tried to take a picture of a breathtaking full moon with a smartphone only to find that it looks like a boring little dot on your screen, check out these tips to get better results.
- A Lowbrow Approach to Deep-Sky Photography: The latest technology makes taking photos of celestial objects easier, but you can also get good results using a mixture of modern software and a film camera.
- How to Photograph an Eclipse: If you’re fortunate enough to be in the path of a solar eclipse, follow these tips to protect your eyes and your camera while still getting good photos.
- Ten Astrophotography Ideas You Can Do From Your Backyard: Many astrophotographers aim to take pictures that accurately show the beauty of celestial objects, but some adopt a more artistic approach.
- International Dark Sky Places: One of the most crucial factors in capturing good photos of the stars is finding a good place to do it with minimal light pollution. This site can help you find good places for astrophotography.
Sources of Inspiration
- Astronomy Picture of the Day: Every day, NASA posts a new image here along with an astronomer’s explanation of what it shows.
- AstroPix Beginner Images: Capturing images like these should be attainable for a beginner with a bit of effort and practice.
- 30 of the Best Astronomy Photographs That Are Out of This World: Check out some of the top photos submitted to the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
- Stunning Images of Idaho’s Night Sky: Stargazers and astrophotographers flock to the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve to admire and take pictures of the night sky.
- 31 Award-Winning Astronomy Photos: Draw inspiration from images of colorful auroras, solar filaments, and more.
- Amateur Astrophotographer Captures Entire Night Sky in 37,440 Exposures: One amateur photographer took on the ambitious project of creating a single image that shows the entire sky, and the results show a stunning level of detail.
- The Last Places on Earth to See Truly Dark Starry Nights: Photographer and astrophysicist Jordi Busqué traveled the world to take photos of the sky in some of the darkest places.
- 11 Otherworldly Photos of the Land, Sea, and Sky at Night: Take a look at these photos that feature the night sky coupled with interesting landscapes.
