How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera
Although our Moon and the planets have not changed much in the five years since the first edition of this book was published, the technology allowing you to photograph them has changed dramatically. And the costs for equipment have come down significantly
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How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera
Second Edition
Tony Buick and Philip Pugh
Tony Buick Kent, UK
Philip Pugh Wiltshire, UK
ISBN 978-1-4419-5827-3 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-5828-0 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-5828-0 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2011920811 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
To my two dear sons, Chris and Tim, for their support in everything always (Tony Buick)
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Notes on the Second Edition
The reason for this Second Edition of “How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera” is that the world of digital photography and its use for astronomy is changing very rapidly. When the first edition came out, the “standard” price of a digital camera was in excess of $400, and the standard pixel size was 3 megapixels. A year ago, I bought a 12 megapixel camera for $200 and its features and functions are much more advanced. Against this, the price and quality of CCD cameras dedicated for astronomy (once the province of professionals and financially gifted amateurs) is now working in our favor. Also, the use of webcams and their variants for astronomical imaging, especially for planets, has been a revelation. Indeed, I was very tempted to go down that path myself. Indeed, the cost of a suitable webcam and adaptor is not dissimilar to that of a reasonable digital camera. However, a webcam is unsuitable for taking “tourist” snaps, which I have become more interested in since starting astrophotography, especially as I travel a lot through work. A digital camera has a wider “field of view” than a webcam, enabling one to take whole disc shots of the Sun and Moon. A digital camera is also much easier to use and does not require long imaging runs. Often, it is quite handy to do a quick 5-min solar or lunar photo shoot during gaps in clouds or snatching a quick session during an otherwise busy day. The photos can be processed later during a cloudy spell.
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Notes on the Second Edition
Although it is true that owning expensive equipment helps you to take better pictures, it also means yo
