Wide-Field Astrophotography

540+ Pages, Hardbound, 6 by 9 inches, 350 Illustrations, 53 Tables
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Wide-Field Astrophotography by Robert Reeves

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About This Book:
Wide-field astrophotography is an area where the beginner can bypass the complexities of prime focus telescopic astrophotography yet still excel and achieve good results quickly. Exquisite prime focus close-ups of galaxies and faint nebulae are attractive showpieces, but the art and technicalities of photographing such objects through a telescope are intimidating to the beginner. In high-resolution telescopic photography, the cost of the specialized equipment, the complexities of focusing fine, often invisible detail through the telescope, and guiding with extreme accuracy to achieve worthy results are obstacles to a novice sky shooter. Simpler non-telescopic wide-field astrophotography is an alternative that anyone who owns a camera can enjoy.

Today, may well be the Golden Age of Astrophotography. At no time in the past has there been a wider range of films, both color and black and white, that do well when exposed to the night sky. Many of these films capture images in a few minutes that just a few years ago required lengthy exposure by an experienced astrophotographer. Some of these films can be processed in a 1-hr labgone is the era of waiting days to see your results.

This text then introduces techniques needed to mount ordinary 35-mm and medium format cameras atop an equatorially-driven telescope in order to produce stunning portraits of constellations, the Milky Way, bright nebulae, and star clusters using wide-angle and telephoto lenses. Separate chapters extensively discuss cameras, lenses, filters, and photographic accessories suitable for astrophotography as well as the guiding techniques needed to accurately track moving celestial targets. Additional chapters also detail powerful astrographs such as the Schmidt camera, and describe a number of homebuilt devices which can enhance the convenience and versatility of wide-field astrophotography. Further chapters discuss the characteristics of photographic film, how to test a film for its suitability for astrophotography, the current film selection available, hypersensitizing techniques used to increase the ability of commercial film to record dim celestial objects, and both digital and chemical darkroom techniques useful in astrophotography. This continues the introduction to wide-field astrophotography by discussing the specifics of meteor and comet photography, offering solutions to real problems encountered in astrophotography, and reviewing the history of photography as applied to astronomy.

Table of Contents
Preface
1 Introduction to Wide-Field Astrophotography
1.1 Beginnings
1.2 The Bare Basics
1.3 How I Got Started
1.4 Why Do Astrophotography?
1.5 An Astrophoto Philosophy
1.6 Getting Started
1.7 If You Can See It, You Can Shoot It
1.8 The Recipe for Beginners Success
1.9 Finding Your Sky Fog Limit
1.10 Examining the Experiment
1.11 The Moving Sky
1.12 Record Keeping is Vital to Later Success
1.13 Barn Door Star Trackers
1.13.1 Construction Details
2 Piggyback Techniques Add Versatility
2.1 The Leap to Guided Astrophotography
2.2 Advance Planning Aids Success
2.3 Urban Wide-Field Astrophotography
2.4 Wide-Field Exposure Times
2.5 A Sky Full of Targets
3 Cameras for Wide-Field Astrophotography
3.1 What Kind of Camera to Use
3.2 35-mm Cameras
3.2.1 Nikon
3.2.2 Olympus
3.2.3 Pentax
3.2.4 Russian and European Cameras
3.3 Medium Format
3.4 Used Cameras for Astrophotography
3.5 Image Sharpness Tune-Up
3.6 Useful Camera Tricks
3.7 Special Modifications
3.8 The Classical Astrograph
4 Lenses for Wide-Field Astrophotography
4.1 Introduction
4.2 A Camera Lens Primer
4.3 Aperture Governs Recorded Star Magnitudes
4.4 Focal Ratio Governs Sky Fog and Nebulae
4.5 Dealing With Common Lens Defects and Aberrations
4.6 Other Optical Limitations
4.7 What Is the Field Size?
4.8 More Lens Math
4.9 Wide-Angle Lenses
4.10 Normal Lenses
4.11 Telephoto Lenses
4.12 Long Lens Tricks
4.13 Targets for Wide-Field Lenses
4.14 Some Good Performers
4.14.1 Canon
4.14.2 Hassleblad
4.14.3 Mamiya
4.14.4 Nikon
4.14.5 Olympus
4.14.6 Sigma
4.14.7 Tamron
4.15 Testing a Lens for Astrophotograph
4.16 Variations in Focus
4.17 Finding Precise Focus
4.18 Cleaning Lenses
4.19 RFTs in Wide-Field Astrophotography
5 Filter Characteristics
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Wave Nature of Light
5.3 Filter Spectral Characteristics
5.4 Filter Facts
5.5 The Red Window to the Sky
5.6 Light Pollution Control With Black-and-White Film
5.7 UV Filter Helps Control Excess Blue
5.8 Yellow Filter Helps With Focus
5.9 Blue Filters Also Useful With Black-and-White
5.10 Hydrogen-Alpha Filter
5.11 Kodak Wratten Filters
5.12 Deep Sky and SkyGlow Filters
5.13 Fluorescent-to-Daylight, the Poor Mans Deep Sky Filter?
5.14 Soft Focus Emphasizes Star Magnitudes
5.15 Enhancing Red Nebulae on Color Film
5.16 Cutting Moonglow
6 The Schmidt Camera
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Principles of the Schmidt Camera
6.3 Schmidt Camera Advantages
6.4 Schmidt Camera Disadvantages
6.5 Special Modifications to the Schmidt Camera
6.6 Schmidt Camera Availability
6.7 Schmidt Camera Peculiarities
6.8 Tricks of the Trade
7 Film Choices and Characteristics for Astrophotography
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Ever Changing Film Quality
7.3 Black-and-White Film
7.4 Color Film
7.5 How Film Works
7.6 Film Speed
7.7 Film Grain
7.8 Film Contrast
7.9 Film Resolution
7.10 Resolving Power
7.11 Other Film Characteristics
7.12 Chasing the Perfect Astrofilm
7.13 Exposure
7.14 Reciprocity Law Failure
7.15 Why Films Fail
7.16 Testing Film for Reciprocity Law Failure
7.17 A Simple Sensitometer
7.18 Film Analysis
7.19 Testing Film for Spectral Response
8 Guiding and Polar Alignment
8.1 The Quest for Pinpoints
8.2 Polar Alignment Principles
8.3 Other Polar Alignment Factors
8.4 Telescope Mechanical Checks
8.5 Quick Polar Alignment
8.6 Star Drift Alignment Checklist
8.7 Improving the Star Drift Alignment Method
8.8 Small Telescopes as Guiding Platforms
8.9 Problems With the Machine
8.10 Flexure, a Hidden Enemy
8.11 Guiding Eyepieces
8.12 Guide Star Tracking Limits
8.13 Guiding Eyepiece Selection
8.14 Illumination Options
8.15 Practical Guiding Tips
8.16 Manual Guiding Techniques
8.17 Autoguiders
9 Meteor and Comet Photography
9.1 The Nature of Meteors
9.2 The Nature of Comets
9.3 Meteor Photography
9.4 Fireballs and Bolides
9.5 Meteor Camera Techniques
9.6 Mathematical Examples
9.7 Where to Aim
9.8 Meteor Films
9.9 Meteor Exposure Times
9.10 Testing Your Equipments Capabilities
9.11 How Often Can We Catch a Meteor?
9.12 False Targets
9.13 Comet Photography
9.14 Photographing a Comet
9.15 Other Photographic Considerations
10 Accessories for Wide-Field Astrophotography
10.1 Photo Tripods
10.2 Lens Shades, Low-Tech but Essential
10.3 Cable Release
10.4 Camera Brackets
10.5 Remote Power Supplies
10.6 Gel Cells
10.7 Small Power Supplies
10.8 Flashlights
10.9 Accessory Carrying Cases
10.10 Odds and Ends
11 Film Hypersensitization
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Hypering is Still an Art
11.3 How Hypering Works
11.4 Hypering Chambers
11.5 Forming Gas
11.6 Gas Hypering Techniques
11.6.1 Hypering in the Cassette
11.6.2 Hypering Medium-Format Film
11.6.3 Hypering Technical Pan
11.6.4 Hypering Color Film
11.7 Fighting Humidity and Static
11.8 Hypering With Pure Hydrogen
11.9 Advanced Hypering Techniques
11.10 Alternative Film Hypering Methods
11.10.1 Baking
11.10.2 Preflashing for Added Speed
11.10.3 Ammonia Hypering
11.10.4 Silver Nitrate Hypering
11.10.5 Hydrogen Peroxide Hypering
11.11 Film Testing
11.12 Storing Hypered Film
11.13 Conclusion
12 Chemical Darkroom for Astrophotography
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Darkroom Preparation
12.2.1 Is Your Darkroom Really Dark?
12.3 Temporary Darkrooms
12.4 Chemical Care
12.5 Temperature Control
12.6 Safelight
12.7 Dust Control
12.8 Negative Storage
12.9 Enlarger
12.10 The Film Cassette
12.11 Film Processing Reels and Tank
12.12 Loading Technical Pan Film
12.13 The Basics of Black and White Chemistry
12.14 Developer Choices
12.14.1 D-19 Developer
12.14.2 Dektol Developer
12.14.3 HC-110 Developer
12.14.4 D-76 Developer
12.15 Push Processing
12.16 Processing Technical Pan Film
12.17 Film Washing
12.18 Printing Technique
12.19 Black and White Paper Selection
12.20 Alternate Brands
12.21 Print Spotting
12.22 Color Slide Film Processing
12.23 Color Corrections
12.24 Color Printing Corrections
12.25 Color Blindness
12.26 Custom Film Lab Processing
12.27 One-Hour Labs
12.28 Kodak Image Magic Machines
13 Darkroom Tricks
13.1 Image Copying With a Slide Copier
13.2 Copy Film Choices
13.3 Copy Light Sources
13.4 Alternative Copying Devices
13.5 Practical Techniques with a Slide Copy Attachment
13.6 Color Correction
13.7 Darkroom Magic From the Pros
13.8 Wide-Field Mosaics
13.9 Mosaic Planning
13.10 Printing
14 Problems in the Real World
14.1 Dewing
14.2 Dew Prevention
14.3 Portable Alternatives
14.4 Keeping Warm at the Telescope
14.5 Night Time Pests
14.6 Mistakes Make Us Human
15 Digital Image Processing and Printing
15.1 Digital Darkroom Comes of Age
15.2 Computer Requirements
15.3 Scanners
15.4 Image File Formats
15.5 Monitors
15.6 Getting Better Prints
15.7 Digital Printing Papers
15.8 Film Recorders
15.9 Digital Image Storage
15.9.1 Writable CD ROM Drive
15.9.2 Photo CD
15.10 Breaking the Electronic Ice
15.11 Getting Digitized Test Images
16 Build-It-Yourself Projects
16.1 Spherical Mirror All Sky Camera
16.2 Suitcase Star Tracker
16.3 Homemade 12V Rechargeable Battery
16.4 Multiple Camera Frame For Meteor Photography
16.5 Rotary Shutter for Meteor Photography
16.6 Schmidt-Cassegrain Mirror Lock
16.7 Homemade Hypering Chamber
16.8 Building a Simple Film Tester
16.9 Dry Air Generator to Combat Humidity
16.10 Dew Heaters
16.11 Homemade Film Adapter For 8-inch Schmidt Cameras
16.12 Homemade All-Sky Camera
16.13 Using an All-Sky Camera
17 Our Astrophotographic Legacy
17.1 Introduction
17.2 Perfecting the Process
17.3 The First Attempts
17.4 Stellar Progress
17.5 Photography Integrated Into Astronomy
17.6 Henry Draper Continues Photographic Efforts
17.7 More Than the Eye Can See
17.8 The Brothers Henry
17.9 The Henrys Success Spawns International Project
17.10 A Tedious Project
17.11 The Father of Milky Way Photography
17.12 Wide-Field Celestial Photography Come of Age
17.13 The Bruce Telescope
17.14 A Visit To Mount Wilson
17.15 The Landmark Atlas of Selected Regions
17.16 Barnards Dark Legacy
17.17 The First All-Sky Survey
17.18 Other Surveys Produce Quicker Results
17.19 Optical Genius Perfects Ultimate Astrograph
17.20 How It Works
17.21 The Secret of Schmidt Success
17.22 The Palomar Big Schmidt
17.23 Charting the Sky With Unprecedented Resolution
17.24 POSS II, A New Survey
17.25 An Amateur Fills the Void
17.26 Harvard College Observatory Sky Patrol
17.27 The Future
Appendix A: Suppliers and Other Information
A.1 Astronomical Equipment Suppliers
A.2 Film Manufacturers
A.3 Photographic equipment suppliers
A.4 Used photographic equipment sources
A.5 Miscellaneous Sources
Appendix B: Developer Formulas
Appendix C: 45 Unhypered Films Compared for Astrophotography
C.1 Introduction
C.2 The Worst Films for Wide-Field Astrophotography
C.3 The Best Films for Wide-Field Astrophotography
C.4 Other Test Results
Appendix D: Popular Astrophotography Films
D.1 Some History
D.2 Film Choices
D.3 Agfa Films
D.4 Fuji Films
D.5 Ilford Films
D.6 Kodak Films
D.6.1 Ektachrome Elite Films
D.6.2 Ektachrome P1600
D.6.3 Kodak Gold Films
D.6.4 Pro and Photojournalism Series Films
D.6.5 Technical Pan, the Miracle Film
D.6.5.1 The History of Technical Pan Film
D.6.5.2 Using Hypered Technical Pan
D.6.5.3 Tips for Technical Pan Users
D.6.5.4 Processing Technical Pan
D.6.6 Kodaks T-MAX Films
D.6.7 Tri-X, An Old Friend
D.7 Konica Films
D.8 Scotch and 3M Films
D.9 Eastman XXXX Motion Picture Films
Glossary
Bibliography
Index