awesome-awesomeness/html/astrophotography.md2.html

<h1 id="awesome-astrophotography-awesome">Awesome Astrophotography <a
href="https://awesome.re"><img src="https://awesome.re/badge-flat2.svg"
alt="Awesome" /></a></h1>
<p><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophotography">Astrophotography</a>,
also known as astronomical imaging, is the photography or imaging of
astronomical objects, celestial events, or areas of the night sky.</p>
<p>Contributions are welcome. Please read the <a
href="CONTRIBUTING.md">contributing guideline</a> if you wish to
contribute.</p>
<h2 id="contents">Contents</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="#articles">Articles</a></li>
<li><a href="#books">Books</a></li>
<li><a href="#tutorials">Tutorials</a></li>
<li><a href="#presentations">Presentations</a></li>
<li><a href="#software">Software</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#acquisition">Acquisition</a></li>
<li><a href="#guiding">Guiding</a></li>
<li><a href="#image-processing">Image Processing</a></li>
<li><a href="#planetarium">Planetarium</a></li>
<li><a href="#planning">Planning</a></li>
<li><a href="#other">Other</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="#youtube-channels">YouTube Channels</a></li>
<li><a href="#reference">Reference</a></li>
<li><a href="#astronomy-as-a-service-aaas">Astronomy as a Service
(AaaS)</a></li>
<li><a href="#community">Community</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="articles">Articles</h2>
<ul>
<li><a
href="https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/imaging-foundations-richard-wright/astrophotography-gentle-introduction-noise/">An
Astrophotographer’s Gentle Introduction To Noise</a> - An easy to
understand introduction to various sources of noise in astrophotography
and how to eliminate them.</li>
<li><a href="https://astrobackyard.com/autoguiding/">Autoguiding</a> -
An introduction to auto-guiding.</li>
<li><a
href="https://agenaastro.com/articles/zwo-astronomy-cameras-buyers-guide.html">Buyer’s
Guide to ZWO Astronomy Cameras</a> - ZWO has a diverse product line.
This guide will help you make the right choice.</li>
<li><a
href="https://pegasusastro.com/cable-management-recommendations/">Cable
Management Recommendations</a> - Some solid advice on cables in an
astrophotography setup.</li>
<li><a href="https://ciechanow.ski/cameras-and-lenses/">Cameras and
Lenses</a> - Another interactive guide by Bartosz Ciechanowski, this
time about cameras and lenses. A <strong>must-read</strong> for anyone
interested in telescopes and photography.</li>
<li><a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230408140244/https://www.lightvortexastronomy.com/image-pre-processing-deepskystacker-vs-pixinsight.html">DeepSkyStacker
vs PixInsight</a> - A detailed comparison of the pre-processing
features.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/darv-drift-alignment-by-robert-vice-r2760">Drift
Alignment by Robert Vice (D.A.R.V)</a> - Accurate alignment in just a
matter of minutes.</li>
<li><a
href="https://diffractionlimited.com/flat-fields-stray-light-amateur-telescopes/">Flat
Fields and Stray Light in Amateur Telescopes</a> - A great resource to
help one identify and resolve flat-fielding issues.</li>
<li><a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240928205001/https://optcorp.com/blogs/deep-sky-imaging/guide-scope-vs-off-axis-guider">Guide
Scope vs. Off-Axis Guider: Which is Better for Astrophotography?</a> -
Compares the two guiding options in details.</li>
<li><a
href="https://agenaastro.com/articles/focal-reducers-guide.html">Guide
to Focal Reducers for Astronomy</a> - How focal reducers work, what
types are there, and how to use them.</li>
<li><a
href="https://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?threads/guide-to-preprocessing-of-raw-data-with-pixinsight.11547/">Guide
to Preprocessing of Raw Data With PixInsight</a> - Mistakes that happen
during the pre-processing stages cannot be corrected anymore in
post-processing. This guide from Bernd Landmann acquaints fellow
astrophotographers with PixInsight’s tools needed for recognising and
avoiding such mistakes.</li>
<li><a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240928205054/https://optcorp.com/blogs/deep-sky-imaging/how-to-set-the-correct-back-focus">How
to Set the Correct Back Focus</a> - An easy to follow guide on what back
focus is and how to set it.</li>
<li><a href="https://ciechanow.ski/lights-and-shadows/">Lights and
Shadows</a> - This interactive guide to light by Bartosz Ciechanowski,
teaches about travel vectors, irradiance, radiance, angles, luminance,
and more.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.kozmosi.io/articles/a-to-z-of-pixinsight-statistics-panel">Master
PixInsight’s Astrophotography Statistics: Analyze, Adjust, Enhance</a> -
Successfully processing astronomical images entails a series of informed
decisions. Understanding the data is crucial. This article provides a
comprehensive guide to the Statistics process in PixInsight.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.astroworldcreations.com/blog/understanding-flats-part-1-gain-matching">Mastering
Flat Frames: Gain matching</a> - This blog series by Willem Jan
Drijfhout will take you on a deep dive into the topic of flat frames (<a
href="https://www.astroworldcreations.com/blog/understanding-flats-part-2-flat-panels-compared">Part
2: Flat Panels compared</a>, and <a
href="https://www.astroworldcreations.com/blog/understanding-flats-part3-conclusions">Part
3: Bias, Flat-Darks and Conclusions</a>).</li>
<li><a href="https://www.stellarvue.com/optical-glass-types/">Optical
Glass Types</a> - What makes a top-tier telescope? This article will
clear up some common misconceptions.</li>
<li><a
href="https://agenaastro.com/articles/guides/selecting-a-guide-scope-and-autoguiding-camera-for-astrophotography.html">Selecting
a Guide Scope and Autoguiding Camera for Astrophotography</a> - Choosing
the right autoguiding equipment can be challenging. This guide will help
with making the right decision.</li>
<li><a
href="https://jonrista.com/the-astrophotographers-guide/astrophotography-basics/signal-noise-and-histograms/">Signal,
Noise and Histograms</a> - Part of Jon Rista’s Astrophotography Basics
series, this article provides a great bit of theory around signals,
noise and histograms.</li>
<li><a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20221205012955/https://milkywayphotographers.com/article/2021/03/11/sky-watcher-az-gti-the-perfect-mount-for-mobile-astrophotography/">Sky-Watcher
AZ-GTI: The Perfect Mount for Mobile Astrophotography</a> - The
Sky-Watcher AZ-GTI mount was never meant for astrophotography. Oh, the
irony!</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.atik-cameras.com/news/difference-between-ccd-cmos-sensors/">The
Differences between CCD and CMOS Sensors</a> - One of the best
explanations to CCD vs. CMOS camera sensors.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.zwoastro.com/2024/09/26/the-best-solution-of-55mm-back-focal-length/">The
best solution of 55mm back focal length</a> - Guidance on how to reach
the 55mm back focal length with ASI cameras.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="books">Books</h2>
<ul>
<li><a
href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56053741-astrophotography-is-easy">Astrophotography
is Easy!: Basics for Beginners</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42603255-inside-pixinsight">Inside
PixInsight</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/735971-mastering-pixinsight-by-rogelio-andreo/">Mastering
PixInsight (and the Art of Astroimage Processing)</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37301142-the-astrophotography-manual">The
Astrophotography Manual: A Practical and Scientific Approach to Deep Sky
Imaging</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61296649-the-deep-sky-imaging-primer-third-edition">The
Deep-Sky Imaging Primer</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="tutorials">Tutorials</h2>
<ul>
<li><a
href="https://www.scottaspinall.com/beginner-guide-to-night-photography/">A
Beginner Guide to Night Photography</a> - If you’re interested in night
photography and particularly deepscapes, this guide hits the spot with
it’s succinctness.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.adamblockstudios.com/categories/PixInsight">Adam
Block’s PixInsight video series</a> - An extensive collection of video
lessons covering both the fundamental and advanced use of
PixInsight.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXcRKoxTPVg">Andromeda
Galaxy with only a Camera, Lens, &amp; Tripod</a> - A comprehensive
step-by-step guide. Includes a follow-up videos on post-processing the
images in different apps.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rAoJ-VG860">Astrophotography RGB
histogram in nine minutes</a> - A lightning explanation of what a
histogram is.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.paulschmitphotography.com/How-To-Guides/Capturing-Galaxyset">Capturing
Galaxyset</a> - A detailed tutorial on how to plan, execute and
post-process a deepscape of the Andromeda galaxy aligned with a mountain
in Southern Colorado.</li>
<li><a
href="https://overcastobservatory.com/products/guide-to-tilt-and-spacing-analysis-download-link-in-listing">Chris
White’s Guide to Fixing Tilt and Spacing</a> - Annoying and hard to fix,
tilt and spacing can ruin your imaging. This guide will help you
eliminate them.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrzbdmripj1fIXrivZF1BT4BtJMZ6xvWo">Filters
for Deep Sky Astrophotography</a> - A video series that kicks off with a
gentle introduction to filters and closes down comparing the most
popular ones.</li>
<li><a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220115193835/http://www.harrysastroshed.com/Pixinsighthome.html">Harry’s
PixInsight tutorials</a> - Newcomer friendly, down-to-earth and
comprehensive video tutorials.</li>
<li><a
href="https://digitalstars.wordpress.com/2019/10/27/tutorial-how-to-eliminate-star-halos-in-pixinsight/">How
to Eliminate Star Halos in PixInsight</a> - One of the more challenging
issues in astrophotography. Charles Bracken, the author of “The Deep-Sky
Imaging Primer”, has you covered.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90F_cBiZpH8">How to Make a
Padded Travel Box for Your Telescope</a> - Rig assembly on-site can be
tedious. A more comfortable alternative is to assemble at home, then
upon arrival at the imaging site, install on the mount.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.nightphotons.com/guides/star-addition">Independent
Starless Processing</a> - This article details a simple and effective
method to separate, process, and later reintroduce stars into an image
without artifacts. It also discusses how to get more naturally looking
stars from a narrowband dataset.</li>
<li><a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230509214425/https://www.lightvortexastronomy.com/tutorials.html">Light
Vortex Astronomy’s PixInsight tutorials</a> - An extensive collection of
tutorials covering both pre- and post-processing workflows.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb1ceFM-DkQ">Orion Nebula
(M42) with a DSLR, Start to Finish</a> - A complete walk-through. From
planning to post-processing.</li>
<li><a
href="https://aiastro.wordpress.com/2020/06/02/rgb-stars-from-narroband-data/">RGB
Stars From Narrowband Data</a> - Narrowband palettes such as SHO, HOO,
etc. produce uncalibrated stars. One way to fix star color is to shoot
also in RGB, then blend. In this article, Alberto Ibañez suggests
another approach that uses the already acquired narrowband data to
achieve the same.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.astroworldcreations.com/blog/removing-colour-artefacts-from-osc-images">Removing
Color Artefacts From OSC Images</a> - On his blog, Willem Jan Drijfhout
explains how to remove color artefacts from images captured with a
One-Shot-Color camera.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmDy80d2krk">Stacking
Multiple Sessions in DSS - The Correct Way</a> - Even though it’s from
year 2012, this video on stacking multiple imaging sessions is still
relevant today.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="presentations">Presentations</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_k9B01AeFM">Basic
Statistics for Astro Imaging</a> - Having some understanding of
statistics is essential in astrophotography. Here, noted
astrophotographer and scientist John Hayes teaches the basics.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPFsoO0ZWeg">Beauty and the
Beholder</a> - On the hidden stories in astro-images and how to tell
them. A truly inspirational message from famous astrophotographer Adam
Block.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RH93UvP358">Deep Sky
Astrophotography With CMOS Cameras by Dr Robin Glover</a> - How long
should a sub-exposure be? How much to cool? What gain to use? Dr. Robin
Glover of SharpCap talks us through the science behind deep sky
astrophotography using modern CMOS imaging sensors.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PUTWfWgD0g">Noise and
Astrophotography</a> - In this presentation, Tim Hutchison from The
Astro Imaging Channel talks about the different types of signal and
noise that are present in astronomical photos. How noise impacts
photography and what we can do against it.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="software">Software</h2>
<h3 id="acquisition">Acquisition</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.astrophotography.app">APT</a> - The Swiss army
knife for your astro imaging sessions.</li>
<li><a href="https://indilib.org">Ekos</a> - An advanced cross-platform
(Windows, macOS, Linux) observatory control and automation tool.</li>
<li><a href="https://nighttime-imaging.eu">NINA</a> - Free and very
powerful astrophotography imaging suite.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/celstark/OpenNebulosity">Nebulosity</a>
- Open source, powerful, and easy to use astrophotography software.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.sequencegeneratorpro.com">Sequence Generator
Pro</a> - The classic fully automated night sky imaging.</li>
<li><a href="https://software.starkeeper.it">Voyager</a> - User-friendly
system integration and astrophotography automation software.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="guiding">Guiding</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://smallstarspot.com/metaguide/">MetaGuide</a> - A
free guiding software that uses novel centroid methods to reduce the
impact of seeing. It also offers comprehensive collimation support than
can be of great help for f/4 and faster Newtonian/SCT systems.</li>
<li><a href="https://openphdguiding.org">PHD2</a> - Arguably THE guiding
software. Free and open source.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="image-processing">Image Processing</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html">Adobe
Photoshop</a> - Advanced and very powerful software for
post-processing.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.rc-astro.com/resources/BlurXTerminator/">BlurXTerminator</a>
- An AI based deconvolution tool. Currently only available as a process
module plug-in for PixInsight.</li>
<li><a
href="http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html">DeepSkyStacker</a>
- Registering, stacking, and simple post-processing.</li>
<li><a href="https://pixinsight.com">PixInsight</a> - Advanced image
processing software platform. Very powerful but the user interface is
intimidating.</li>
<li><a href="https://siril.org">Siril</a> - Registering, stacking, and
post-processing, specially tailored for noise reduction and improving
the signal-to-noise ratio.</li>
<li><a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/starnet/">StarNet++</a> -
A simple program that allows the removal of the stars from
astrophotography images.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="planetarium">Planetarium</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ap-i.net/skychart/doku.php?id=en/start">Cartes
du Ciel</a> - Cross-platform and free sky charts.</li>
<li><a href="https://kstars.kde.org">KStars</a> - Part of the free Ekos
imaging suite, this cross-platform planetarium will help you image the
sky.</li>
<li><a href="https://stellarium.org">Stellarium</a> - Cross-platform and
free planetarium with realistic 3D sky. It also has a <a
href="https://stellarium-web.org/">web-only alternative</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="planning">Planning</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.nebulaphotos.com/doc/brightLargeDsos.pdf">12
Deep Sky Objects to Photograph</a> - A beginner friendly list of objects
to photograph with a DSLR camera.</li>
<li><a href="https://astronomy.tools/">Astronomy Tools</a> - A tools
suite with various calculators, field of view simulation, star chart,
etc.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.blackwaterskies.co.uk/imaging-toolbox/">Blackwater
Skies Imaging Toolbox</a> - Plan your framing.</li>
<li><a href="https://smallstarspot.com/shiny/StackSNR/">Noise Analysis
in Stacked Exposures</a> - A web application that assists in finding the
optimal sub-exposure time. It takes into account the imaging setup, sky
glow, etc.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.photopills.com">PhotoPills</a> - A photography
planning mobile app (Android &amp; iOS). Best for planning your next
Milky Way, Moon, Sunrise, Sunset, Star Trails, Meteor Showers, Solar or
Lunar eclipse photo.</li>
<li><a href="https://telescopius.com">Telescopius</a> - Free planning
and image hosting for astrophotographers.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.lightpollutionmap.info">lightpollutionmap.info</a> -
This website uses satellite data to show light pollution related
content.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="other">Other</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://ccdware.com/focusmax_overview/">FocusMax</a> -
Accurate, automated and repeatable focusing.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.rc-astro.com/mtf-analyzer/">Modulation Transfer
Function and Image Sampling Analyzer</a> - This online tool provides
insight into the capabilities of a given imaging system. It computes key
values such as plate scale, stellar full-width at half-maximum (FWHM),
diffraction limit and presents a graph of the system’s modulation
transfer function (MTF). Very useful for evaluating the performance of a
telescope and camera combination.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="youtube-channels">YouTube Channels</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/AstroBackyard">AstroBackyard</a>
- Shoot nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters with Trevor Jones.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC65vvpQDX5rymeqrYt-Bb1g">Cuiv,
The Lazy Geek</a> - Let’s talk astronomy and astrophotography!
Tutorials, technical videos, and insights by Cuiv, The Lazy Geek.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Aero19612">James Lamb</a> - With
his pleasant and down-to-earth narrative, James teaches astrophotography
one pixel at a time.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@lukomatico">Lukomatico</a> -
Experiments, comparisons, and processing with PixInsight. Lukomatico has
it all.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO_gBdHekc74feh0bWqKJ1Q">Nebula
Photos</a> - Tutorials and reviews related to astrophotography by Nico
Carver.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PatriotAstro">Patriot Astro</a> -
Everything N.I.N.A. Complete details with examples.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="reference">Reference</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.astrobin.com/full/e4clel/0/">Astrobin’s Heatmap
of the Sky</a> - An inspiring map showing the parts of the sky that the
community on Astrobin photographs the most (or least).</li>
<li><a
href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I1deTi8sCFIn_bwQbYiqqxliVLInsGx6/view">Calibration
Frames Cheat-Sheet</a> (<a
href="assets/docs/calibration-frames-cheatsheet.pdf">cached
version</a>)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.astrophotography.app/EOS.php">Canon EOS DSLR
models matrix</a> - A list of Canon EOS models with useful reference
information such as sensor and pixel size, quantum efficiency, shutter
life, etc.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.digicamdb.com">Digital Camera Database</a> - A
database holding sensor characteristics for a plethora of digital
cameras.</li>
<li><a
href="https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/797739-idas-filter-comparison-test-report/?p=11487347">IDAS
filter comparison</a> - CloudyNights forum member Jim Thompson tests and
compares a large selection of IDAS brand filters. (<a
href="assets/docs/idas-test-report.pdf">cached version</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://lowlevellighting.org/">Low Level Landscape
Lighting</a> - A method for lighting the landscape for night-scape
photography. This is its official site.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.messier-objects.com/">Messier</a> - All objects
from the Messier catalogue with lots of background information and
images.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.astrophotography.app/nikon.php">Nikon DSLR
models matrix</a> - A list of Nikon models with useful reference
information such as sensor and pixel size, quantum efficiency, shutter
life, etc.</li>
<li><a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240928205042/https://www.bintel.com.au/narrowband-preview-tool/index.php">Online
Narrowband RGB Combination Preview Tool</a> - This tool allows you to
upload black and white source images (filtered eg. Ha, Sii, Oiii or R,
G, B), then shows every possible permutation for the various
combinations/palettes.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.photonstophotos.net">Photons to Photos</a> -
Interactive charts with sensor data contributed by people around the
world.</li>
<li><a
href="https://astro-photographie.fr/traitement_pixinsight.html">Processing
Methods Under PixInsight</a> - An extensive collection of workflow
diagrams for image processing in PixInsight. It covers both one-shot and
monochrome cameras. A great resource for beginners and advanced users
alike.</li>
<li><a href="https://rouzastro.com/reviews/">Rouzastro equipment
reviews</a> - A growing list of equipment reviews. The experiences and
results may prove useful for those looking at new gear.</li>
<li><a
href="http://www.sharplesscatalog.com/sharpless.aspx">Sharpless</a> -
Images of all objects from the Sharpless catalogue each with capture and
background information.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.astrobin.com/8cawy6/">The 750 Best Deep Sky
Objects (Reachable from the Northern Hemisphere)</a> - A simplified tool
to help astrophotographers easily find targets on any night of the
year.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="astronomy-as-a-service-aaas">Astronomy as a Service (AaaS)</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.pixelskiesastro.com">Pixel Skies</a> - Custom
built remote observatories with hosting options.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.roboscopes.com">RoboScopes</a> - Multi pier
remote observatory with reasonable rates for the whole world to use. It
offers hourly, syndicates &amp; hosting piers for those who prefer to
use their own equipment.</li>
<li><a href="https://app.telescope.live">Telescope Live</a> - Online
access to a global network of 10 robotic telescopes with an
ever-increasing image archive.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="community">Community</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.astrobin.com">Astrobin</a> - Social image
hosting dedicated to astrophotography.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.cloudynights.com">Cloudy Nights</a> - Arguably
the largest community forums.</li>
<li><a href="https://stargazerslounge.com">Stargazers Lounge</a> - Small
but active UK community forums.</li>
</ul>
<p><a
href="https://github.com/lunohodov/awesome-astrophotography">astrophotography.md
Github</a></p>