Astrophotography for the Amateur

by Michael A. Covington

• ISBN13: 9780521641333
• ISBN10: 0521641330
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-06-28
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This much expanded and fully updated edition of the best-selling handbook Astrophotography for the Amateur provides a complete guide to taking pictures of stars, galaxies, the Moon, the Sun, comets, meteors and eclipses, using equipment and materials readily available to the hobbyist. In this new edition, the book has been completely revised and now includes new chapters on computer image processing and CCD imaging; expanded advice on choosing cameras and telescopes; completely updated information about the films; a much larger bibliography; and hundreds of new photographs (in colour, and black and white) demonstrating the latest equipment and techniques. Astrophotography for the Amateur has become the standard handbook for all amateur astronomers. This expanded and updated edition provides an ideal introduction for beginners and a complete handbook for advanced amateurs. It will also appeal to photography enthusiasts who can discover how to take spectacular images with only modest equipment.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Notes to the reader	xiii
Symbols used in formulae	xiv
I SIMPLE TECHNIQUES	1	(66)
Welcome to astrophotography	3	(5)
The challenge of astrophotography	3	(1)
Choosing equipment	3	(2)
Sharing your work with others	5	(2)
Maintaining balance and enjoyment	7	(1)
Photographing stars without a telescope	8	(13)
Stars and trails	8	(2)
Basic Technique 1: Photographing stars without a telescope	10	(1)
How long can you expose?	10	(2)
Practical Note: How to approach formulae	12	(1)
Choice of camera and lens	12	(2)
Slides versus prints	14	(1)
Practical Note: Getting good color prints	14	(1)
Getting the most out of your film	15	(1)
Keeping records	16	(2)
Practical Note: Film and false economy	18	(1)
Interpreting your pictures scientifically	19	(2)
Comets, meteors, aurorae, and space dust	21	(14)
Comets	21	(4)
Basic Technique 2: Photographing a bright comet	25	(1)
Meteors	25	(1)
Basic Technique 3: Photographing a meteor shower	26	(2)
Aurorae	28	(1)
Basic Technique 4: Photographing the aurora borealis	28	(1)
Zodiacal light, Gegenschein, and lunar libration clouds	28	(5)
All-sky cameras	33	(2)
The moon	35	(11)
Lenses and image size	35	(1)
Using a telephoto lens	35	(2)
Basic Technique 5: Photographing the moon through a telephoto lens	37	(1)
Determining exposures	38	(1)
Practical Note: What is a ``stop''?	39	(1)
Afocal coupling to telescopes and binoculars	40	(3)
Basic Technique 6: Photographing the moon (afocal method)	43	(1)
Films and processing	44	(2)
Eclipses	46	(21)
Lunar eclipses	46	(1)
Lunar eclipse dates and times	47	(1)
Lunar eclipse photography	48	(2)
Videotaping a lunar eclipse	50	(2)
Basic Technique 7: Photographing an eclipse of the moon	52	(1)
Solar eclipses-partial and annular	52	(2)
Eclipse safety	54	(1)
Practical Note: How eclipse eye injuries happen	55	(1)
Basic Technique 8: Viewing a solar eclipse by projection	55	(1)
Safe solar filters	56	(4)
Photographing partial solar eclipses	60	(1)
Basic Technique 9: Photographing a partial solar eclipse	60	(1)
Solar eclipses-total	60	(2)
Shadow bands and other phenomena	62	(1)
Basic Technique 10: Photographing a total solar eclipse	63	(1)
Session planning	63	(1)
Videotaping solar eclipses	63	(2)
The 1999 total eclipse in Europe	65	(2)
II ADVANCED TECHNIQUES	67	(82)
Coupling cameras to telescopes	69	(24)
Prime-focus astrophotography	69	(1)
Telescope types and optical limitations	70	(3)
Image size and field of view	73	(2)
Afocal coupling	75	(2)
Positive projection	77	(2)
Practical Note: Measuring s2 for eyepiece projection	79	(1)
Negative projection	80	(2)
Compression (focal reducers)	82	(1)
Combinations of projection setups	83	(1)
Diffraction-limited resolution	84	(1)
The subtle art of focusing	85	(1)
Camera viewfinders	86	(2)
Practical Note: Does your SLR focus accurately?	88	(1)
Aerial-image and crosshair focusing	89	(1)
Knife-edge focusing	89	(1)
How accurately must we focus?	90	(1)
Focusing Schmidt-Cassegrains and Maksutovs	91	(2)
The solar system	93	(20)
Film or CCD?	93	(1)
The challenge of high resolution	93	(1)
Tracking	94	(2)
Vibration	96	(1)
Unsteady air	97	(1)
Dew	98	(2)
The sun	100	(3)
The moon	103	(3)
Planetary photography	106	(1)
The individual planets	107	(4)
Basic Technique 11: Photographing a planet (afocal method)	111	(1)
Basic Technique 12: Photographing a planet (by projection)	112	(1)
Deep-sky photography	113	(36)
Piggy-backing	114	(1)
Basic Technique 13: Piggy-back deep-sky photography	114	(4)
Basic Technique 14: Polar alignment procedure	118	(2)
Barn-door trackers	120	(1)
Lenses for deep-sky work	121	(3)
Scale enlargement and edge-of-field fall-off	124	(2)
Magnitude limits and surface brightness	126	(4)
Guiding	130	(2)
Practical Note: What do you mean by 12 volts?	132	(1)
Polar alignment accuracy	133	(1)
Periodic gear error, PEC, and autoguiding	134	(1)
Choice of film	135	(2)
Light pollution and nebula filters	137	(2)
Practical Note: The campaign against light pollution	139	(3)
Deep-sky photography through the telescope	142	(2)
Basic Technique 15: Deep-sky photography with an off-axis guider	144	(1)
Keeping warm while observing	145	(1)
Safety and etiquette at the observing site	145	(1)
Mosquitoes and other vermin	146	(3)
III PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY	149	(64)
Cameras, lenses, and telescopes	151	(23)
The 35-mm SLR	151	(1)
Choosing an SLR	152	(2)
Olympus SLRs	154	(1)
Nikon SLRs	155	(1)
Other SLR makers	156	(1)
Buying used cameras	157	(1)
Camera maintenance and repair	158	(1)
Some miscellaneous SLR hints	159	(1)
Other types of cameras	160	(1)
Special astrocameras	161	(1)
Lenses	162	(2)
Lens quality and performance	164	(1)
Lens mounts	165	(1)
Buying lenses	166	(1)
Basic Technique 16: Testing lenses	167	(2)
Lens repair	169	(1)
Choosing a telescope	169	(1)
Practical Note: Does a lower f-ratio give a brighter image?	170	(1)
Telescope quality and performance	171	(1)
Basic Technique 17: Star-testing a telescope	171	(1)
How to clean optics	172	(2)
Film	174	(21)
How film works	174	(1)
Spectral sensitivity	175	(2)
The characteristic curve	177	(2)
Film speed	179	(1)
Reciprocity failure: theory	180	(1)
Reciprocity failure: measurement	181	(3)
Practical Note: Does film ``give up'' after a certain amount of time?	184	(1)
Hypersensitization	184	(2)
Graininess and resolution	186	(1)
Some specific films	187	(5)
Practical Note: Film: What's in a name?	192	(1)
Practical Note: Is ``professional'' film better?	192	(1)
Bulk loading	193	(2)
Developing, printing, and photographic enhancement	195	(18)
The darkroom	195	(1)
Developing black-and-white film	196	(5)
Black-and-white printing	201	(2)
Practical Note: Color negatives on black-and-white paper?	203	(1)
Making high-contrast prints	204	(1)
Unsharp masking	205	(1)
Processing color film	206	(1)
Practical Note: Help! The film is scratched!	207	(1)
Slide duplication	207	(3)
Rephotography	210	(3)
IV DIGITAL IMAGING	213	(44)
Computer image enhancement	215	(26)
How computers represent images	216	(2)
Resolution and image size	218	(2)
Practical Note: How images get resized	220	(1)
File compression	220	(2)
File formats	222	(1)
Getting images into the computer	222	(1)
Scanner artifacts	223	(1)
Practical Note: Taking pictures that scan well	224	(1)
The ethics of retouching	224	(1)
Manipulating the characteristic curve	225	(4)
Working with histograms	229	(1)
Manipulating color	229	(1)
Enhancing detail	230	(1)
Practical Note: An example of digital enhancement	231	(1)
Combining images	231	(1)
Printing out the results	231	(1)
Image enhancement theory: spatial frequency	232	(1)
Practical Note: Signal and noise	233	(1)
Convolutions, 1: smoothing	233	(3)
Practical Note: Median filters	236	(1)
Convolutions, 2: sharpening	237	(1)
The Laplacian operator	238	(1)
Practical Note: Convolution or deconvolution?	239	(1)
Maximum-entropy deconvolution	239	(2)
CCD imaging	241	(16)
How CCDs work	242	(1)
Video and digital cameras	243	(1)
Astronomical CCD cameras	244	(1)
Field of view	244	(2)
Aiming and focusing	246	(1)
Exposure	247	(1)
Optimal focal length	248	(1)
Basic Technique 18: Imaging the moon or a planet	249	(1)
Flat-fielding	250	(1)
Calibration frames	251	(2)
Deep-sky work	253	(1)
Choosing a CCD camera	253	(4)
APPENDICES	257	(61)
A Exposure tables
A.1 How exposures are calculated	259	(1)
A.2 Obtaining B from photometric brightness	259	(1)
A.3 Other systems for calculating exposure	260	(1)
A.4 Practical Note: Why don't my results agree with the tables?	260	(1)
A.5 Moon and lunar eclipses	261	(5)
A.6 Sun and solar eclipses	266	(3)
A.7 Planets	269	(4)
A.8 Faint objects	273	(3)
B Mathematical analysis of polar-axis misalignment	276	(7)
B.1 Summary of the most important results	276	(1)
B.2 Declination drift	276	(3)
B.3 Field rotation	279	(2)
B.4 Computer algorithms	281	(2)
C Plans for an electronic drive corrector	283	(7)
C.1 How it works	283	(3)
C.2 Circuits and parts list	286	(1)
C.3 Adaptation to 240 V, 50 Hz	287	(1)
C.4 Drive rates	288	(1)
C.5 Line power supply	288	(1)
C.6 Other designs	289	(1)
D Film data	290	(17)
D.1 Kodak Technical Pan film (TP)	291	(7)
D.2 Kodak Professional Ektachrome Film E200	298	(8)
D.3 Kodak Professional Ektapress Films	306	(1)
E Photographic filters	307	(4)
E.1 High-efficiency yellow, oranges, and reds	307	(1)
E.2 Other sharp-cutoff filters	308	(1)
E.3 Color balancing filters	309	(1)
E.4 Other filters	310	(1)
F Organizations and resources	311	(7)
F.1 Organizations	311	(1)
F.2 Internet resources	312	(1)
F.3 Magazines	312	(1)
F.4 Manufacturers	313	(2)
F.5 Dealers	315	(2)
F.6 Camera repairs and modifications	317	(1)
Bibliography	318	(7)
Index	325