How to Photograph Constellations and Starry NightsAstrophotograpers are often concerned with making small objects in the sky look big, but the constellations are often overlooked.
This article is part of a series of articles. Please use the links below to navigate between the articles.
- A Beginner's Guide To Observing The Night Sky - Stargazing!
- Tips for Improving Your Dark Eye Adaptation in Low Light Conditions
- Light Pollution and Dark Skies - Causes and Solutions
- How to Use Star Charts, Planispheres and Star Hopping
- Top Tips for Binocular Astronomy to See The Night Sky
- The Ultimate Guide to Moon Watching and Observing the Moon
- Tips for Buying Your First Telescope - What Type? How Big?
- What to Expect From Your First Night With Your First Telescope
- Sky Orientation through a Telescope
- Polar Alignment of an Equatorial Telescope Mount
- Everything You Wanted To Know About Telescope Eyepieces
- Which Astronomy Filters To Use For Astrophotography and Observation
- How to Photograph Constellations and Starry Nights
When I was starting to get into astrophotography, the first thing I photographed was the constellations. I didn't have a telescope, but I wanted to start with the big stuff first.
Photographing the constellations can be done with any camera that allows you to set the exposure manually. The next thing you need is a wide-angle lens. Most compact "point and shoot" cameras have a wide angle of around 28 - 35mm, while DSLR owners will have a choice of wide-angle lenses. For larger constellations, such as Orion, you will need something close to a 28mm lens; this will frame it with a border, while for smaller constellations, something closer to a 50mm lens is better. You should also set the lens aperture to its widest (smallest f/ number), but depending on the lens, you may need to reduce it to a stop or two if there are some distortions.
The next thing to consider is shutter speed. Unlike deep space imaging, constellations do not require long shutter speeds, and tracking is not always necessary. To find out if you require tracking, I have a star trail calculator, which will allow you to input the constellation coordinates and focal length, and it will tell you how long an exposure you can use before starts start to trail. In general, the further from the celestial pole, the shorter the exposure time.
ISO speed can vary depending on your lens and shutter speed, but aim for around 200 - 400 as a starting point.
Framing your image can be tricky since you will unlikely be able to see anything through the viewfinder or live view screen. The solution is simple, though... jump up the ISO as high as it will go and take a sample shot. You can adjust the framing as required and take another shot until you get the framing right. Raising the ISO level allows you to capture a brighter image with a shorter exposure, allowing you to frame the image quickly. Don't forget to lower the ISO again afterwards.
Light pollution could be a problem for you in a light-polluted area. Even if you are out in the countryside, away from the lights, they may still be on the horizon. This will create an orange gradient over your image. A light pollution filter will help with this, but you can also reduce this gradient using Photoshop and my light pollution removal tutorial.
The final thing you must consider is how to release the shutter. The process of taking a picture is probably the most challenging. This is because when you release the shutter, you vibrate the camera. This vibration will make the stars wobble and adversely affect the image. The solution is to use a remote shutter release or the camera's built-in timer. This will allow you to release the shutter without touching the camera.
While you are out, why stop down the aperture a few more steps to f/8 or f/11, decrease the ISO settings to around ISO 100, take a long exposure, and try to get some star trails? You will need a bulb setting on the camera and a shutter release cable to take an exposure longer than 30 seconds.
