The Best Astrophotography Subjects You Can Shoot Right Now

Want to know what objects you should be shooting in the night’s sky? Astrophotography can be a complex discipline, since knowing what important astronomical events are occuring can be a challenge in itself. Check out this guide and see what you should shoot.

Alyn Wallace does a great job of breaking down the astronomic events photographers may be interested in for the month of July. As part of his monthly What’s In The Night’s Sky series, Alyn breaks down the important events, dates, and conditions photographers can look forward to. The video covers both northern and southern hemisphere events, but is primarily oriented at northern hemisphere photographers. Fortunately, many big events, like the phases of the moon, present the same for photographers across the Earth.

Some of the important events include a total solar eclipse viewable from South America, a lunar eclipse viewable from Africa and parts of Europe, and some of the brightest viewing opportunities of Saturn. Each of these subjects present good options for telephoto-style astrophotography. If you're looking for a wide angle subject, the Milky Way will be your best option for the next few months.

The Milky Way can easily be photographed throughout the summer, which makes for some iconic shots. While some of the best regions are currently high in the sky, there should be a great opportunity to practice stacking shots. The Cygnus region is particularly prominent, but it may be difficult to get a good foreground element.

Lastly, Alyn has a roundup of viewer-submitted photos via the hashtag associated with the video. Some of the shots can be a great source of inspiration, and it’s nice to see a photographer building a positive community around this particular subject.

Are there any events that caught your eye? Have you had the opportunity to shoot the Milky Way this summer?

Alex Coleman's picture

Alex Coleman is a travel and landscape photographer. He teaches workshops in the American Southwest, with an emphasis on blending the artistic and technical sides of photography.

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2 Comments

Thanks for sharing! Good luck and clear skies all

Thanks for creating the series. I've been enjoying the videos!