Courses in Astrophotography

Frequently Asked Questions.

In this section I wanted to add a small FAQ to help answer some of the most common questions i am asked in the the many emails I receive, and forum discussions that have occurred. I hope it will help others to gain a better understanding of my own motivations and influences, as well answer many of the common emailed questions I receive.

What motivated you into Astronomy and specifically Planetary imaging? Without doubt my two biggest influences are Sir Patrick Moore and Dr. Donald Parker. Patrick for his boundless enthusiasm that captured my imagination as a youngster, and Don for his inspiring Planetary work that really led me into wanting to study the weather of the major Planets.

What are your goals? Why do you do this?. Quite simply, as with many, a love for the night sky, and the many wonders it contains. Specifically with Planets, my motivation is to study their weather and the dynamical changes we can see. Taking better pictures than others, or simply obtaining higher and higher resolution is really not important to me. Nothing can compare to the lifetime of enjoyment one can have following the endless activity and changing face of Jupiter for example. Simply taking a better and better pictures can never compare to watching the dynamical activity of a Planet over many years. This is my single biggest motivation, and is my primary goal in taking the images that I do.

Why do you use Celestron SCTs? I have had great success in using Celestron telescopes. That is not to say they are better than any other telescope, but for me, they have always been of good quality, thermally viable and user friendly. The image quality they deliver in excellent seeing is simply as good as it gets, and would keep even the most avid Planetary imager happy for a lifetime.

What is the best camera to use? There is really no best camera. A variety of cameras today will produce excellent results. ToUcam Pro, ATIK, Lumenera and DMK are all excellent cameras. I personally use the Lumenera series of cameras at present which produce excellent results.

How do you take such detailed images from the UK? You cant imagine how much effort this takes. A constant watch on the weather is required. Also, being able to check the seeing almost every single clear night. It is often allot of hard work and frustration for not much return!. For every detailed image, there are many mediocre ones!. Understanding when good seeing is likely is vital. It requires a total commitment to checking the seeing everytime it is clear. Only then will you catch those very best nights at these latitudes when the atmosphere is very stable. Seeing here is generally reasonable. The sunset period is often stable, while in summer, good seeing can be quite common.

What is your secret to detailed images? What advice on processing can you give? There is no secret. A meticulous approach to observing is really the key. Mastering the fundamentals of the telescope (collimation, focusing etc.) A careful approach to image processing. Obtaining the best possible raw data is only possible when the telescope is calibrated as accurately as possible, and the seeing conditions are stable. If these two points combine, the resulting data doesn't require much doing to it for a nice image to result. As for image processing, this is a very personal taste issue. For example, it is very much like looking at a painting. Some people will like it, others will not. I simply process my images as I personally like them to appear, and this is all anyone does. No two images are the same, and no single image is "the best" or "correct". Many amateur images are very much "personal interpretations" of the object that has been imaged.

Why go overseas to image? Quite simply, the conditions in the tropics are so much better for Planetary observing. For anyone who has not observed from those latitudes, they can not really appreciate just how much better. The endless effort and frequent frustration of imaging from home becomes tiring after you have been doing this as long as I have!. To go to a place like Barbados is a chance to really see and capture the Planets at there very best. Its possible to follow activity on a very detailed level that is not possible from home much of the time and scientifically this is very useful. It also helps to understand just to what degree the seeing affects the telescope. The kind of seeing that occurs at a site like Barbados is perhaps a twice a year occurrence at home.