Wide-Field Astrophotography.

Wide-Field Astrophotography.

A Complete Guide To Wide-Field Astrophotography by Robert Reeves.

About This Book: Wide-field astrophotography is an area where the beginner can bypass the complexities of prime focus telescopic astrophotography yet still excel and achieve good results quickly. Exquisite prime focus close-ups of galaxies and faint nebulae are attractive showpieces, but the art and technicalities of photographing such objects through a telescope are intimidating to the beginner. In high-resolution telescopic photography, the cost of the specialized equipment, the complexities of focusing fine, often invisible detail through the telescope, and guiding with extreme accuracy to achieve worthy results are obstacles to a novice sky shooter. Simpler non-telescopic wide-field astrophotography is an alternative that anyone who owns a camera can enjoy.

Today, may well be the Golden Age of Astrophotography. At no time in the past has there been a wider range of films, both color and black and white, that do well when exposed to the night sky. Many of these films capture images in a few minutes that just a few years ago required lengthy exposure by an experienced astrophotographer. Some of these films can be processed in a 1-hr labgone is the era of waiting days to see your results.

This text then introduces techniques needed to mount ordinary 35-mm and medium format cameras atop an equatorially-driven telescope in order to produce stunning portraits of constellations, the Milky Way, bright nebulae, and star clusters using wide-angle and telephoto lenses. Separate chapters extensively discuss cameras, lenses, filters, and photographic accessories suitable for astrophotography as well as the guiding techniques needed to accurately track moving celestial targets. Additional chapters also detail powerful astrographs such as the Schmidt camera, and describe a number of homebuilt devices which can enhance the convenience and versatility of wide-field astrophotography. Further chapters discuss the characteristics of photographic film, how to test a film for its suitability for astrophotography, the current film selection available, hypersensitizing techniques used to increase the ability of commercial film to record dim celestial objects, and both digital and chemical darkroom techniques useful in astrophotography. This continues the introduction to wide-field astrophotography by discussing the specifics of meteor and comet photography, offering solutions to real problems encountered in astrophotography, and reviewing the history of photography as applied to astronomy.

From the Reviews: I fear that Robert Reeves has done astrophotography a disservice. By titling his new book Wide-field Astrophotography, he risks having some amateurs dismiss the book's content as being too narrowly targeted for their interests. And in bypassing the book these people would be overlooking what just might be the finest volume ever published on amateur anthropography in general. It's true that the book isn't filled with narrow-angle shots of tiny galaxies, but skipping the philosophical arguments, field size is simply an issue of focal length and film format.

I liked this book the second I flipped open its pages, and it kept getting better as I read the text. What makes it so good? For starters we have an author who's not only an accomplished wordsmith but one who has more than 40 years of first-hand experience with his subject matter. That's long enough to have made just about every mistake known to astrophotography, and there's no better way to learn ho to do something right than by doing it wrong a few times first.

Since you can probably buy all the English-language astrophotography books currently in print for less than the cost of a few rolls of film and processing, and since they all contain useful information for beginners and veterans alike, there is none that I consider a waste of money. But if I could have only one book on my shelf that covers general night-sky photography, it would be Wide-Field Astrophotography.

Occasionally I get asked if I've written a book on Astrophotography. "Nah," I usually quip, "I've only been doing it since the early ླྀs and I've still got too much to learn.." Now, however, I can add, "But let me tell you about the one I wish I'd written . . .

Dennis Di Cicco, Sky & Telescope Magazine

Over the last five years, the digital CCD camera has largely superceded conventional astrophotography. But the latter can only image over a very tiny field of view and often requires sophisticated computer software to tease out proper results. Arguably, the most beautiful astro images are those showing very wide, sweeping views of the heavens, particularly the myriad stars inhabiting the Milky Way, as well as the many dark clouds of dust that it harbours. Wide Field Astrophotography presents all the details you require to make your own contributions to photographic astronomy, as well as gaining an appreciation of its fascinating history.

In a series of 17 well-laid-out chapters, Reeves walks the reader through the basics, including setting up a simple astrograph using a common camera, to the technical details of the expensive Schmidt cameras-a very `fast' photographic telescope designed to produce, beautiful, wide-field views of the heavens. In addition, all aspects of darkroom methodology and film `hypering' are covered in meticulous detail. Reeves not only writes well, but has included a great number of tips for the less initiated. Add to this the exceptional quality of the paper and black-and-white prints, and you have a reference that is of great value to anyone interested in exposing the night sky. Above all, this wonderful book shows that film technology is far from dead.

Dr. Neil English Astronomy Now Magazine (England)

Table of Contents Preface 1 Introduction to Wide-Field Astrophotography 1.1 Beginnings 1.2 The Bare Basics 1.3 How I Got Started 1.4 Why Do Astrophotography? 1.5 An Astrophoto Philosophy 1.6 Getting Started 1.7 If You Can See It, You Can Shoot It 1.8 The Recipe for Beginners Success 1.9 Finding Your Sky Fog Limit 1.10 Examining the Experiment 1.11 The Moving Sky 1.12 Record Keeping is Vital to Later Success 1.13 Barn Door Star Trackers 1.13.1 Construction Details 2 Piggyback Techniques Add Versatility 2.1 The Leap to Guided Astrophotography 2.2 Advance Planning Aids Success 2.3 Urban Wide-Field Astrophotography 2.4 Wide-Field Exposure Times 2.5 A Sky Full of Targets 3 Cameras for Wide-Field Astrophotography 3.1 What Kind of Camera to Use 3.2 35-mm Cameras 3.2.1 Nikon 3.2.2 Olympus 3.2.3 Pentax 3.2.4 Russian and European Cameras 3.3 Medium Format 3.4 Used Cameras for Astrophotography 3.5 Image Sharpness Tune-Up 3.6 Useful Camera Tricks 3.7 Special Modifications 3.8 The Classical Astrograph 4 Lenses for Wide-Field Astrophotography 4.1 Introduction 4.2 A Camera Lens Primer 4.3 Aperture Governs Recorded Star Magnitudes 4.4 Focal Ratio Governs Sky Fog and Nebulae 4.5 Dealing With Common Lens Defects and Aberrations 4.6 Other Optical Limitations 4.7 What Is the Field Size? 4.8 More Lens Math 4.9 Wide-Angle Lenses 4.10 Normal Lenses 4.11 Telephoto Lenses 4.12 Long Lens Tricks 4.13 Targets for Wide-Field Lenses 4.14 Some Good Performers 4.14.1 Canon 4.14.2 Hassleblad 4.14.3 Mamiya 4.14.4 Nikon 4.14.5 Olympus 4.14.6 Sigma 4.14.7 Tamron 4.15 Testing a Lens for Astrophotograph 4.16 Variations in Focus 4.17 Finding Precise Focus 4.18 Cleaning Lenses 4.19 RFTs in Wide-Field Astrophotography 5 Filter Characteristics 5.1 Introduction 5.2 The Wave Nature of Light 5.3 Filter Spectral Characteristics 5.4 Filter Facts 5.5 The Red Window to the Sky 5.6 Light Pollution Control With Black-and-White Film 5.7 UV Filter Helps Control Excess Blue 5.8 Yellow Filter Helps With Focus 5.9 Blue Filters Also Useful With Black-and-White 5.10 Hydrogen-Alpha Filter 5.11 Kodak Wratten Filters 5.12 Deep Sky and SkyGlow Filters 5.13 Fluorescent-to-Daylight, the Poor Mans Deep Sky Filter? 5.14 Soft Focus Emphasizes Star Magnitudes 5.15 Enhancing Red Nebulae on Color Film 5.16 Cutting Moonglow 6 The Schmidt Camera 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Principles of the Schmidt Camera 6.3 Schmidt Camera Advantages 6.4 Schmidt Camera Disadvantages 6.5 Special Modifications to the Schmidt Camera 6.6 Schmidt Camera Availability 6.7 Schmidt Camera Peculiarities 6.8 Tricks of the Trade 7 Film Choices and Characteristics for Astrophotography 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Ever Changing Film Quality 7.3 Black-and-White Film 7.4 Color Film 7.5 How Film Works 7.6 Film Speed 7.7 Film Grain 7.8 Film Contrast 7.9 Film Resolution 7.10 Resolving Power 7.11 Other Film Characteristics 7.12 Chasing the Perfect Astrofilm 7.13 Exposure 7.14 Reciprocity Law Failure 7.15 Why Films Fail 7.16 Testing Film for Reciprocity Law Failure 7.17 A Simple Sensitometer 7.18 Film Analysis 7.19 Testing Film for Spectral Response 8 Guiding and Polar Alignment 8.1 The Quest for Pinpoints 8.2 Polar Alignment Principles 8.3 Other Polar Alignment Factors 8.4 Telescope Mechanical Checks 8.5 Quick Polar Alignment 8.6 Star Drift Alignment Checklist 8.7 Improving the Star Drift Alignment Method 8.8 Small Telescopes as Guiding Platforms 8.9 Problems With the Machine 8.10 Flexure, a Hidden Enemy 8.11 Guiding Eyepieces 8.12 Guide Star Tracking Limits 8.13 Guiding Eyepiece Selection 8.14 Illumination Options 8.15 Practical Guiding Tips 8.16 Manual Guiding Techniques 8.17 Autoguiders 9 Meteor and Comet Photography 9.1 The Nature of Meteors 9.2 The Nature of Comets 9.3 Meteor Photography 9.4 Fireballs and Bolides 9.5 Meteor Camera Techniques 9.6 Mathematical Examples 9.7 Where to Aim 9.8 Meteor Films 9.9 Meteor Exposure Times 9.10 Testing Your Equipments Capabilities 9.11 How Often Can We Catch a Meteor? 9.12 False Targets 9.13 Comet Photography 9.14 Photographing a Comet 9.15 Other Photographic Considerations 10 Accessories for Wide-Field Astrophotography 10.1 Photo Tripods 10.2 Lens Shades, Low-Tech but Essential 10.3 Cable Release 10.4 Camera Brackets 10.5 Remote Power Supplies 10.6 Gel Cells 10.7 Small Power Supplies 10.8 Flashlights 10.9 Accessory Carrying Cases 10.10 Odds and Ends 11 Film Hypersensitization 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Hypering is Still an Art 11.3 How Hypering Works 11.4 Hypering Chambers 11.5 Forming Gas 11.6 Gas Hypering Techniques 11.6.1 Hypering in the Cassette 11.6.2 Hypering Medium-Format Film 11.6.3 Hypering Technical Pan 11.6.4 Hypering Color Film 11.7 Fighting Humidity and Static 11.8 Hypering With Pure Hydrogen 11.9 Advanced Hypering Techniques 11.10 Alternative Film Hypering Methods 11.10.1 Baking 11.10.2 Preflashing for Added Speed 11.10.3 Ammonia Hypering 11.10.4 Silver Nitrate Hypering 11.10.5 Hydrogen Peroxide Hypering 11.11 Film Testing 11.12 Storing Hypered Film 11.13 Conclusion 12 Chemical Darkroom for Astrophotography 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Darkroom Preparation 12.2.1 Is Your Darkroom Really Dark? 12.3 Temporary Darkrooms 12.4 Chemical Care 12.5 Temperature Control 12.6 Safelight 12.7 Dust Control 12.8 Negative Storage 12.9 Enlarger 12.10 The Film Cassette 12.11 Film Processing Reels and Tank 12.12 Loading Technical Pan Film 12.13 The Basics of Black and White Chemistry 12.14 Developer Choices 12.14.1 D-19 Developer 12.14.2 Dektol Developer 12.14.3 HC-110 Developer 12.14.4 D-76 Developer 12.15 Push Processing 12.16 Processing Technical Pan Film 12.17 Film Washing 12.18 Printing Technique 12.19 Black and White Paper Selection 12.20 Alternate Brands 12.21 Print Spotting 12.22 Color Slide Film Processing 12.23 Color Corrections 12.24 Color Printing Corrections 12.25 Color Blindness 12.26 Custom Film Lab Processing 12.27 One-Hour Labs 12.28 Kodak Image Magic Machines 13 Darkroom Tricks 13.1 Image Copying With a Slide Copier 13.2 Copy Film Choices 13.3 Copy Light Sources 13.4 Alternative Copying Devices 13.5 Practical Techniques with a Slide Copy Attachment 13.6 Color Correction 13.7 Darkroom Magic From the Pros 13.8 Wide-Field Mosaics 13.9 Mosaic Planning 13.10 Printing 14 Problems in the Real World 14.1 Dewing 14.2 Dew Prevention 14.3 Portable Alternatives 14.4 Keeping Warm at the Telescope 14.5 Night Time Pests 14.6 Mistakes Make Us Human 15 Digital Image Processing and Printing 15.1 Digital Darkroom Comes of Age 15.2 Computer Requirements 15.3 Scanners 15.4 Image File Formats 15.5 Monitors 15.6 Getting Better Prints 15.7 Digital Printing Papers 15.8 Film Recorders 15.9 Digital Image Storage 15.9.1 Writable CD ROM Drive 15.9.2 Photo CD 15.10 Breaking the Electronic Ice 15.11 Getting Digitized Test Images 16 Build-It-Yourself Projects 16.1 Spherical Mirror All Sky Camera 16.2 Suitcase Star Tracker 16.3 Homemade 12V Rechargeable Battery 16.4 Multiple Camera Frame For Meteor Photography 16.5 Rotary Shutter for Meteor Photography 16.6 Schmidt-Cassegrain Mirror Lock 16.7 Homemade Hypering Chamber 16.8 Building a Simple Film Tester 16.9 Dry Air Generator to Combat Humidity 16.10 Dew Heaters 16.11 Homemade Film Adapter For 8-inch Schmidt Cameras 16.12 Homemade All-Sky Camera 16.13 Using an All-Sky Camera 17 Our Astrophotographic Legacy 17.1 Introduction 17.2 Perfecting the Process 17.3 The First Attempts 17.4 Stellar Progress 17.5 Photography Integrated Into Astronomy 17.6 Henry Draper Continues Photographic Efforts 17.7 More Than the Eye Can See 17.8 The Brothers Henry 17.9 The Henrys Success Spawns International Project 17.10 A Tedious Project 17.11 The Father of Milky Way Photography 17.12 Wide-Field Celestial Photography Come of Age 17.13 The Bruce Telescope 17.14 A Visit To Mount Wilson 17.15 The Landmark Atlas of Selected Regions 17.16 Barnards Dark Legacy 17.17 The First All-Sky Survey 17.18 Other Surveys Produce Quicker Results 17.19 Optical Genius Perfects Ultimate Astrograph 17.20 How It Works 17.21 The Secret of Schmidt Success 17.22 The Palomar Big Schmidt 17.23 Charting the Sky With Unprecedented Resolution 17.24 POSS II, A New Survey 17.25 An Amateur Fills the Void 17.26 Harvard College Observatory Sky Patrol 17.27 The Future Appendix A: Suppliers and Other Information A.1 Astronomical Equipment Suppliers A.2 Film Manufacturers A.3 Photographic equipment suppliers A.4 Used photographic equipment sources A.5 Miscellaneous Sources Appendix B: Developer Formulas Appendix C: 45 Unhypered Films Compared for Astrophotography C.1 Introduction C.2 The Worst Films for Wide-Field Astrophotography C.3 The Best Films for Wide-Field Astrophotography C.4 Other Test Results Appendix D: Popular Astrophotography Films D.1 Some History D.2 Film Choices D.3 Agfa Films D.4 Fuji Films D.5 Ilford Films D.6 Kodak Films D.6.1 Ektachrome Elite Films D.6.2 Ektachrome P1600 D.6.3 Kodak Gold Films D.6.4 Pro and Photojournalism Series Films D.6.5 Technical Pan, the Miracle Film D.6.5.1 The History of Technical Pan Film D.6.5.2 Using Hypered Technical Pan D.6.5.3 Tips for Technical Pan Users D.6.5.4 Processing Technical Pan D.6.6 Kodaks T-MAX Films D.6.7 Tri-X, An Old Friend D.7 Konica Films D.8 Scotch and 3M Films D.9 Eastman XXXX Motion Picture Films Glossary Bibliography Index

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