Digital SLR Astrophotography

by Michael A. Covington

Overview

Digital SLR cameras have made it easier than ever before to photograph the night sky. Whether you're a beginner, nature photographer, or serious astronomer, this is the definitive handbook to capturing the heavens. Starting with simple projects for beginners such as cameras on tripods, it then moves onto more advanced projects including telescope photography and methods of astronomical research. With 80% revised and updated material, this new edition covers nightscapes, eclipses, using cameras with sky trackers and telescopes, and tools for identifying celestial objects and investigating them scientifically. Image processing is discussed in detail, with worked examples from three popular software packages - Nebulosity, Maxlm DL, and PixInsight. Rather than taking a recipe-book approach, Covington explains how your equipment works as well as offering advice on many practical considerations, such as choice of set-up and the testing of lenses, making this a comprehensive guide for anyone involved in astrophotography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139930772
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/29/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Michael A. Covington is one of America's leading amateur astronomers and the author of the highly acclaimed Astrophotography for the Amateur (Cambridge, second edition, 1999). He was a professor of computational linguistics and artificial intelligence at the University of Georgia. Now retired from academia, he runs a consulting business in Athens, Georgia, from where he continues to take pictures of the stars.

Table of Contents

Part I. Basics: 1. The DSLR revolution; 2. Main technical issues; 3. Basic camera operation; 4. Four simple projects; 5. Coupling cameras to telescopes; Part II. Cameras, Lenses, and Telescopes: 6. More about focal reducers; 7. Lenses for piggybacking; 8. Focusing; 9. Tracking the stars; 10. Power and camera control in the field; 11. Sensors and sensor performance; Part III. Digital Image Processing: 12. Overview of image processing; 13. Digital imaging principles; 14. Techniques specific to astronomy; Appendices: A. Astrophotography with non-SLR digital cameras; B. Webcam and video planetary imaging.

Editorial Reviews

'Overall, the coverage is impressive, with an initial discussion of basic concepts.' Storm Dunlop, The Observatory

From the Publisher