When you first look through a telescope, something changes. You’re no longer just gazing at the night sky—you’re exploring it.
Coming to you from Trevor Jones with AstroBackyard, this engaging video walks you through his journey from visual astronomy to astrophotography. Jones started with a basic Dobsonian telescope without any computer controls. He recalls the thrill of seeing Saturn and the Andromeda Galaxy for the first time. But for him, visual astronomy is just one part of the experience. While it’s about the moment, astrophotography is about preserving that moment in incredible detail. Jones’s astrophotography journey began with a simple point-and-shoot camera held up to the eyepiece of his telescope. The first image was noisy, out of focus, and barely two megapixels, but it hooked him instantly. It’s the act of capturing a deep-sky object—knowing that what you’re photographing lies thousands or even millions of light-years away—that makes astrophotography so compelling.
Jones explains how the process of capturing deep-sky images requires patience and a serious investment of time. As you frame your shot with a camera and telescope, the object becomes more real, almost as if it’s waiting to be discovered by you. With each exposure, you reveal more details, transforming a faint ball of light into a swirling galaxy with spiral arms. This is just the first step. The real magic happens when you combine all those exposures into one master image, a technique known as image stacking. By stacking multiple images, you reduce noise and increase the amount of light captured, which is crucial for bringing out the intricate details of distant celestial objects.
Jones doesn’t just stop at the basics. He also covers the importance of choosing the right equipment for astrophotography. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, especially when it comes to telescopes. Jones recommends starting with a compact refractor telescope like the William Optics RedCat 51. He highlights the importance of considering aperture, focal ratio, and focal length when selecting your telescope, as these specs will significantly impact your early experiences. A common misconception is that you need a large telescope with high magnification for astrophotography. Jones argues that a small apochromatic refractor, known for its color correction, is often a better choice for capturing deep-sky images of galaxies and nebulae.
To capture these images, Jones emphasizes the importance of using a tracking mount. This is essential for taking long-exposure shots without star trails, especially as the focal length increases. He explains how modern astrophotography mounts, many of which now have built-in computer databases, make finding and tracking objects in the night sky easier than ever. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Jones.
