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What setup to get for deep sky astro?  If you're interested in getting started in this hobby, it is pretty scary since everything is very expensive. This is the reality of astrophotography, but you can still get away with great results with some cheaper gear. So here is what I would recommend to those of you wanting to get your feet wet in deep sky astrophotography: First I would recommend reading my other article about getting started with widefield astrophotography, and consider some of the cheaper set-ups that use camera lenses and star trackers. Any setup that uses a telescope...

Looking to get into astronomy with no prior experience? Here are my top telescope recommendations for someone starting out.  Before I get into the list, I must explain why I only recommend reflectors as beginner astronomy scopes. The reason is that they offer the largest size for the lowest cost. Reflectors use two mirrors to collect and focus the light, which is ejected out of the side or back of the telescope tube. Cheap reflectors can provide really great viewing experiences at the fraction of the cost of similar telescopes of the same size. Because of this my list is...

Had enough of shooting with the 'ol camera lens? Ready to take the plunge and start capturing images of nebulae and galaxies up close? Here are five telescopes I recommend for those buying their first scope for astrophotography! Before we get into the list, you should probably know about the different types of telescopes you could get, and why refractor telescopes are the best for beginners. There are three main types of telescopes:   Refractors Refractors are the best choice for beginner astrophotographers by far. Refractors use sets of lenses to refract light down to a focus point, exactly like...

The first step is always the hardest, and astrophotography is no exception! With a million different setups you can pick from, and tons of complicated choices to make, it is easy to see why astrophotography is one of the most difficult types of photography to do. For that reason I'm writing this post showing you how to get started with astrophotography in four steps: 1. Choosing your gear 2. Choosing your editing programs 3. Finding a place/time to go shoot 4. Choosing the right exposure Choosing your gear: If you're just getting started in astrophotography, there are a lot of...