Top 5 Game-Changing Products for Beginner Astrophotographers

If you don’t already have an understanding of the night sky, we strongly recommend some sort of planetarium software to help you locate and identify deep sky objects. If you’re looking to use your laptop, the best planetarium software is without a doubt Stellarium. Stellarium is a completely free, open-source software with a default catalog of over 600,000 stars and 80,000 different deep sky objects. Stellarium is free for those with a PC, but it is also available on mobile apps for a small fee. For those looking to use a smartphone in the field, there are many good options too! A great option to consider is SkySafari. SkySafari allows you to bring many of the capabilities Stellarium offers with the convenience of being able to use your smartphone. SkySafari even offers an Augmented Reality (AR) mode that allows you to project an image of the sky onto a real view of your surroundings.

Number #4 on our list is an AC coupler for your DSLR. While the battery in your DSLR can last you a few hours, if you want to take a ton of data without concern of your battery dying out, we strongly recommend an AC coupler. An AC coupler connected to your DSLR will ensure hours of continuous power to your DSLR, enabling the operation of your DSLR all night long!

Number #3 on our list is definitely some sort of short focal length refractor or camera lens with a focal length around 85 to 250mm. A great example of this is the William Optics RedCat 51, which can easily fit on top of an iOptron SkyGuider pro, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer, or a similar portable star tracker. However, any camera lens or telescope in this range would absolutely work. At a focal length of under 250mm, you’ll be able to capture amazing wide-field shots of the Horsehead and Orion Nebula, Rosette Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, and so much more! If you purchase a telescope, be sure that you also have the proper t-ring adapter for your camera on hand. A t-ring will ensure a solid connection between your DSLR’s bayonet and the end of a telescope.

Using an intervalometer with your DSLR is absolutely a huge game-changer if your DSLR does not already come with one built in. An intervalometer allows you to sequence your images by defining how long of an exposure you want, the interval between your images, and how many exposures you want. The goal of astrophotography is to stack your images to increase the signal-to-noise ratio, so being able to take tons of exposures is critical. Having an intervalometer will be an invaluable tool to help you achieve consistent exposures. Otherwise, you’ll either be limited to 30” exposures or holding down your shutter for extended periods of time, which will result in shaky images.

Our number #1 on this list, without a doubt, is a portable star tracker, such as the iOptron SkyGuider Pro or Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer. If you take a long exposure of the sky on just a standard photo tripod, you’ll find that your stars quickly begin to “trail” after a few seconds. This is a result of Earth’s rotation about its axis of about 15 degrees per hour. Having a star tracker will enable you to take anywhere from thirty second to even two-minute exposures of the night sky, assuming you have proper polar alignment. This will result in images that are significantly higher quality, brighter, and with less noise while retaining pinpoint stars. Most star trackers rotate on one axis, known as right ascension or RA. To set up a star tracker, all you need to do is use the built-in polar scope, align with the North Celestial Pole (NCP) as indicated in your polar scope with respect to the star Polaris, point to your target, and you’re good to go!