Astrophotography

Astrophotography is a specialized field in photography where the subjects are mainly the objects found in the sky. Moon, planet, sun, stars, cluster of galaxies etc.

Astrophotography is a complex and a bit different from the normal photography, where the photographer need to have a sound knowledge of all the equipments being used. Astrophotography can be a photograph of a bright object which need not be enhanced or a photograph of a faint object that needs a special designing to make it obvious to the naked eyes.

In Astrophotography special techniques are involved. They are :

long exposure or multiple exposures

keeping the camera at an exact position, that is on the focal point of a telescope

use of filters

film emulsions having low light sensitivity

special CCD Cameras

History of Astrophotography started with John William Draper in 1840, when he took a shot of the moon. The lineage was carried on by his son, Henry Draper in 1880 when he took the first photo of deep sky object, that is the Orion Nebula.

Astrophotography needs a good camera resolution with special light-pollution filters. With the advent of digital photography, astrophotography has seen new dimension. With digital camera, astrophotography has become easier in compare to the earlier days.