Astrophotography on the Cheap

Teaching introductory astronomy means discussing celestial objects that are beyond most students' experience. Simply talking about them is usually not sufficient to convey their size, distance, complexity, and beauty. One way that we introduce our students to celestial objects is through observ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Physics teacher Vol. 50; no. 9; pp. 520 - 523
Main Authors Niederriter, Chuck, Belloni, Mario
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published American Association of Physics Teachers 01.12.2012
Subjects
Astronomy
Computer Uses in Education
Educational Technology
Introductory Courses
Photography
Science Instruction
Teaching Methods
Video Technology
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Summary:Teaching introductory astronomy means discussing celestial objects that are beyond most students' experience. Simply talking about them is usually not sufficient to convey their size, distance, complexity, and beauty. One way that we introduce our students to celestial objects is through observing sessions, but we have also extended these observing sessions to include astrophotography (AP). This approach relies on recent advances in the field of astrophotography. New computerized tracking and autoguiding mounts and digital still and video photography have made it easier and cheaper to take high-quality astrophotographs. While it is easy to spend $15,000 or more on a single astrophotography setup or even a single device (telescope, camera, and mount), taking simple, short-exposure photos can cost anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars depending on how much equipment you already have. (Contains 7 figures.)
ISSN:0031-921X
DOI:10.1119/1.4767479