Al's Astrophotography Blog & Gallery
A few tidbits from a novice AP Wingnut
I actually think about this question often, although it’s usually in response to a question like: Why don’t you travel to Arizona or other darker/warmer area? or, Why not set up and use a remote dark site observatory? They’re good questions, and I often think through the issues, but I always ultimately end up with … Read more
For a better, smoother background sky…. Dither if you can. So midway through last year, I stumbled on several YouTube videos touting the benefits of Dithering. I’d been living in my little world, just doing my AP, struggling with the usual demons (weather, wind, guiding, focus, etc.) and getting the usual results. I had no … Read more
I’ve never really done well with the data acquisition & processing steps needed for LRGB imaging. There are so many ways to fail due to the number of image sets (lights, flats, darks, etc.) each with their issues of filter alignment, focus, dust, reflections, and whatnot. So although I started with mono, I’ve done most … Read more
I often read in Astrophotography forums about trouble with guiding in DEC. Folks put in the time to get a great polar alignment and even though only very small adjustments need to be made, the guider seems to have troubles… non-response, then overshoot, periodic corrections that seem to come too late and allow too much … Read more
What are Flats? How do you take them? How are they applied? I keep seeing these questions in novice astrophotography forums. This post is intended to answer this questions in basic terms and not get too bogged down in the details. The concepts of what flats are and how they’re applied are pretty easy, and … Read more