Astrophotography with the Schmidt Telescope


Book Description

The objective of this book is to present a photograph collection of astronomical objects taken with large Schmidt telescopes. It incorporates material from not only the telescope at the Karl-Schwarzschild-Observatory at Tautenberg, but also the telescopes at the Anglo-Australian Observatory and the European Southern Observatory. The Schmidt telescope is a special photographic telescope that uses a spherical, rather than a parabolic, main mirror. This results in an extremely large field of view and good resolution. The book contains photographs of galactic nebulae of different species, galactic and globular clusters of stars, stellar fields, external galaxies, and comets. Facing each photograph is a text page introducing the object to the reader and explaining its appearance, characteristic data, and its physical nature. The authors also provide extensive information on the history of the astronomical telescope, the Schmidt telescope, and the life of its inventor, Bernhard Schmidt. Astrophotography with the Schmidt Telescope presents scientific facts in a readable, enjoyable format. All who are interested in astronomy, the natural sciences, and history will enjoy this book, whether specialists or nonspecialists in the field. Originally published by Urania Verlag, Leipzig.




Choosing and Using a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope


Book Description

Amateur astronomy is becoming increasingly popular, mostly because of the availability of relatively low-cost astronomical telescopes such as the Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutovs. The author describes what these instruments will do, how to use them, and which are the best - he draws on 25-years of experience with telescopes. There are sections on accessories, observing techniques, and hints and tips on: cleaning, collimating, maintaining the telescope, mounting, using the telescope in various conditions, computer control, and imaging (wet, digital and CCD). This is the perfect book for amateur astronomers who are about to invest in a new Schmidt-Cassegrain or Maksutov telescope, or for those who already have one and want to get the most out of it.




The 20-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope


Book Description

A complete 2004 how-to guide, packed with advice on the most popular telescope in the world.




All about Telescopes


Book Description




Unusual Telescopes


Book Description

Peter Manly surveys more than 150 unusual telescopes designed by amateur and professional astronomers to suit some special need.




The Art of Astrophotography


Book Description

This book provides a step-by-step guide of how anyone can capture and produce beautiful astronomical images, for beginners and professionals alike.




The Light-hearted Astronomer


Book Description




Astrophotography for the Amateur


Book Description

First published in 1999, this much expanded and 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.




Practical Astrophotography


Book Description

For all but the simplest star-trail pictures, photographing the night sky involves machinery to track the stars, and the task becomes even more complicated when photographing very small or very faint objects that require high magnification or very long exposure times. Astrophotography for Amateurs presents equipment and techniques, features practical hints and tips from the experts, including coverage of traditional "wet" photography, CCD imaging, and computerized image enhancement. There are sections on photographing different classes of astronomical object from the moon to faint nebulae, as well as a detailed look at the equipment needed.




Astrophotography on the Go


Book Description

No longer are heavy, sturdy, expensive mounts and tripods required to photograph deep space. With today's advances in technology, all that is required is an entry-DSLR and an entry level GoTo telescope. Here is all of the information needed to start photographing the night sky without buying expensive tracking mounts. By using multiple short exposures and combining them with mostly ‘freeware’ computer programs, the effect of image rotation can be minimized to a point where it is undetectable in normal astrophotography, even for a deep-sky object such as a galaxy or nebula. All the processes, techniques, and equipment needed to use inexpensive, lightweight altazimuth and equatorial mounts and very short exposures photography to image deep space objects are explained, step-by-step, in full detail, supported by clear, easy to understand graphics and photographs. Currently available lightweight mounts and tripods are identified and examined from an economic versus capability perspective to help users determine what camera, telescope, and mount is the best fit for them. A similar analysis is presented for entry-level telescopes and mounts sold as bundled packages by the telescope manufacturers. This book lifts the veil of mystery from the creation of deep space photographs and makes astrophotography affordable and accessible to most amateur astronomers.