Making Beautiful Deep-Sky Images: Astrophotography with Affordable Equipment and Software (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series)

Amateur astronomers, using commercially available equipment, have taken some beautiful and awe-inspiring color photographs of deep-sky objects. But how? Professor Greg Parker's astronomical photographs are widely known for their excellence, and a selection of them has recently been shown as a public exhibition in the UK. In __Making Beautiful Deep-Sky Images__, he provides a detailed account of how spectacular deep-sky images can be taken by amateur astronomers using CCD cameras, and how they can subsequently be processed and enhanced in the "electronic darkroom" for maximum beauty and impact. You don't even have to own a big telescope. A range of telescopes and equipment is considered in detail, from Greg's 11-inch SCT down to lower-cost instruments. Quite simply, this is a "how to do it" book for people who want to make stunning astronomical pictures. I have recently discovered the most satisfying hobby so far, and to be frank, I have pursued quite a few hobbies in my time! This one encompasses computers, optics, precision mechanics, digital image processing and artistic appreciation, and it therefore satisfies just about every major interest I have in one go. The hobby is taking photographic images of the deep-sky. I have not met anyone, so far, that has not been moved, sometimes to a great extent, by the images you will find within the pages of this book. Some people will actually admit to being frightened by the vastness of space that these images depict. I am not frightened by these images, but I am certainly awe-struck by them, and they do make me feel rather insignificant regarding the grand scale of things. I am also still firmly in the grip of being totally amazed that the capability to take such awe-inspiring images is now available to anyone with sufficient time and effort to dedicate to this most rewarding of hobbies. This book has two aims. The first is to show you the richness, wonder, and beauty of deep-sky objects. The second is to show you how you can take these images for yourself, using readily available commercial equipment. Front Matter....Pages I-XIII How did I start?....Pages 1-13 The Beginning – and a Serious Health~Warning!....Pages 15-17 Assembling your Imaging System....Pages 19-37 Computational Considerations – Data Acquisition and Image Processing....Pages 39-43 A Permanent Setup....Pages 45-48 First Light – Choosing your Objects....Pages 49-56 First Light – your First Objects....Pages 57-60 Hyperstar Imaging....Pages 61-67 Wide-Field Imaging with a Short Focal Length Refractor....Pages 69-71 Basic Image Processing....Pages 73-93 The Deep-Sky Images....Pages 95-138 Differentiating your Work....Pages 139-145 Your Largest Resource....Pages 147-151 Book Recommendations....Pages 153-155 Back Matter....Pages 156-177 "Amateur astronomers, using commercially available equipment, have taken some beautiful and awe-inspiring color photographs of deep-sky objects. But how?" "Professor Greg Parker's astronomical photographs are widely known for their excellence, and a selection of them has recently been shown as a public exhibition in the UK. In Making Beautiful Deep-Sky Images, he provides a detailed account of how spectacular deep-sky images can be taken by amateur astronomers using CCD cameras, and how they can subsequently be processed and enhanced in the "electronic darkroom" for maximum beauty and impact." "This is a "how to do it" book for people who want to make stunning astronomical pictures."--Jacket