So nice to see someone using a camera that is actually something most people can get/afford and not some $3k camera with professional lenses and all. brilliant job
I’m running a older Nikon on a celestron 70mm travel scope .. 70x400mm. Also use on occasion a Barlow 2x. I get some good shots. But mount is everything. I’m using a manual eq mount now. Really need a tracking mount to change my game big time
@@mastixencounter he’s saying it’s nice cause those of us who can’t afford or in my case would rather put the money in my bikes . We can relate and see what can be done with older equipment. Some kids start with handmedowns.
When I was in Iraq, I could look up and see so many stars at night. There was basically no light pollution. It was amazing. I also used to look up with night vision goggles and despite the kinda fuzzy quality, it was absolutely amazing.
My favorite channels are of people doing things they absolutely love doing with a passion, and I can say I have never seen anyone love what they do like you. Love your content man!
For the Canon, instead of putting something in front of the lens, just set up a timer for like 3 or 5 seconds, then the image will only be taken after it has stopped jittering.
It's funny, when you mentioned that Orion is probably the first thing we look to in the night sky, that's exactly right for me. When I was a kid, in Denmark, I could so often see Orion from my bedroom window at night and it was somehow always majestic. I now live in Australia and while Orion is now upside-down, I spot him as an old friend. Amazing video!
For me growing up in central North America it was the Big Dipper early in life and Cassiopeia later. Don’t know why but those two have always been the ones I always notice.
I just randomly had your video show up in my RUclips feed and let me say, I am sooooo glad it did! You're videos are super well done, easy to understand and I love that you are showing folks like me what they can do within realistic budgets! I am falling down your channels rabbit hole and loving every minute of it!
The Creation of the Universe: Allah the Exalted said: Have not those who disbelieved seen that heaven and earth were one solid mass, whereupon We divided them and made all living things of water? Don't you want to believe? (Translation of Sura 21 Verse 30) This verse explicitly mentions the common origin of the entire universe, a fact that was only discovered about forty years ago with the help of "nuclear physics". The separation mentioned in the verse seems to refer to what scientists today refer to as the "Big Bang." Also, as the verse also mentions, all living things are made up of protoplasm, which is 80 to 85 percent water. Allah the Exalted said: Thereupon Allah turned to the sky which was (then) of (formless) smoke (or mist) and said to it and to the earth: "Come here, willingly or unwillingly!" They said: "We come voluntarily". So He (Allah) completed them as seven heavens in two times, and in each heaven He assigned its task. And We adorned the lowest heaven with lights (stars) (which are also) for protection. This is the creation of the Supreme, the All-Knowing. (Translation of Sura 41 Verse 11-12) At the time the Qur'an was revealed, the word "space" was unknown and everything above the earth was called "heaven". The word "smoke" aptly describes the primordial state of the universe, which consisted of hot, gaseous matter whose gaseous particles moved like clouds of smoke. From this matter the stars, the planets and the earth were formed. Allah the Exalted said: We have created the sky (the universe) with (Our) power, and see how We are (constantly) expanding it! (Translation of Sura 51 Verse 47) It is now a generally accepted fact that we live in an expanding universe.
A lot of people don't understand how much we can't see because of light pollution, I didn't either. I was in Lapland through the Finnish army. In Lapland, in the middle of a forest, far from cities. It was amazing how many stars I saw in the sky that week. You see exactly as in the pictures on the Discovery channels. The best memories were when I was on guard duty alone at night, in the winter forest. The nights were mostly spent looking at the stars. I also became familiar with all constellations such as the Big Dipper and learned where they are located. After this experience, I have understood why people hundreds or thousands of years ago admired and studied space. Unfortunately, since the army, I haven't experienced a moment without light pollution.
Damn I was just thinking that in 2 months when my service starts I might actually get to experience a night with little to no light pollution lol I'll be in the very south of Finland though so maybe not quite lapland levels unfortunately
My career was in crime scene investigation and low light photography was always a challenge. Camera shake was a problem. The lens cap covering technique is one method, but there are two others that can reduce camera shake from wind. First is to lower the tripod head so that you don’t have the camera sitting at the end of the pole. The second is to not extend the legs all the way and to only use the heavy extensions of the legs. Hope this helps!
@@gothicm3rcy426 So true! The biggest thing of course was DNA being utilized for crime scene investigation. This didn’t really get going until I was in my career for a few years and it gets better every year.
I use a remote control on my Nikon for shots that I need to make sure I have no camera shake. They are cheap as hell and available on Ebay all the time.
I live on a farm in North Devon with low light pollution and have always struggled to get decent photos of the night sky. As soon as these storms pass over I am going to try again with that application you suggested. Thank you for that tip.
Once again you absolutely capture the excitement all of us amateur astronomers have when we sit beneath the night sky. No matter if with our own eyes, binos or high price telescope setup ... its those moments when we realize that we just looking at light thousands, 10000 or even million years old which are simply breathtaking.
I'm speechless how you show everything so simple and really in a budget of almost everyone. I really like your altitude and how you explain thinks. My best regards.
Excellent, I'm just getting in to astrophotography and now have even more enthusiasm for it. Thanks again for all your hard work and content. Look forward to the next one!
@@gwprabal5323 Sorry for replying late (really hope you didn't waste your money), the telescopes with the magnifications on the box are absolute scams. Big focal length telescopes with small apertures aren't hard to mass-produce, and you can sell more of them by just marketing them to people with absolutely no knowledge on the topic making them think they got a good deal.
This video should have more views . Please share !!! I'm fascinated with astronomy, the recently discoveries made want to look for more everyday and I can't believe how big we are in such a young galaxy
This is a pretty cool video man. One thing I would recommend to someone interested in astronomy or astrophotography, is to join or just visit your local astronomy club. They are all over the place and you will find some of the most welcoming people who will also let you look through their telescopes.
What an excellent and informative video. Also, your enthusiasm is infectious. I have been into amateur astronomy since the 1970s when Sir Patrick moore inspired me and your video is the best thing I’ve seen for ages. Thanks very much. 👍
Just a tip for anyone wanting to use an entry level mount, or even if you’re using more professional equipment. Try taking many shorter exposure images instead of a handful of longer ones. Taking 1000 5 second exposure shots is better than 42 2 minute exposures. Less issues with the mount’s imperfect tracking will be seen in the photo and if you use lucky imaging, photos with worse atmospheric wobble can be removed.
I just thought you should know that this video is the one that got me hooked on astro photography. All your content is amazing! Obviously you’re putting in a lot of work and you should know that it’s all worth it.
The sheer force of his wholesome passion is so charming. Good on you young man. Great blend of expertise and humor here, wonderful job narrating the endeavor. Thank you for this
Un par de veces me había dado curiosidad la astronomía, pero al final siempre terminaba decepcionado por las cosas que se podían ver con telescopios en un rango menor a 100USD (es lo máximo que puedo gastar). Pero hoy al ver la foto que tomaste con el Sky Watcher + la Cámara DSLR pa verdad me ha dejado extremadamente sorprendido. Jamás me imaginé que eso fuera posible con una cámara, sobretodo por que yo tengo una Canon 7D con varios lentes. Gracias a ti, ahora pensaré en comprar un Sky Watcher y así poder tomar fotos asombrosas por mi cuenta. Gracias!!!
This was the most fascinating video I've seen all week. I love photography, but it's been awhile since I've done any shooting. But your analysis of how far you can take a picture with a "average" camera is beyond reproach! At first at the beginning of the video I was thinking why are you so "bright"..and then my almost long lost aperture knowledge came back to me. Great video..well worth the 21 minutes!!!
I have actually captured a few long-exposure shots of the starry sky with my Galaxy S9 (but I also have S8 which takes nicer photos) about 2-3 months ago. The exposures were either 4 or 10 seconds long (not many options on a phone). I used a small phone tripod AND the way I snapped the photos was with voice-activation ("Cheese"), so there was no shaking. Another way to prevent shaking is to use the countdown timer function which most phones and many cameras have. Though the pictures look really nice, I am well aware of how much better they would look with larger lens (phone vs. a DSLR camera).
I commented elsewhere about a home-built tracker. There is a Wiki page on it with a plans link, but that thing's an over-engineered abomination!...and I would not recommend building it! There are HD Photo apps available that will allow you to do long exposures. One I picked without any research is just named "HD Camera", and it allows 3, 5, 15, 30 sec, and Bulb. Bulb, or infinity, means you open the shutter and you close the shutter. I intend to play with it at night when I finish my current project and have time to draw and 3D print a phone holder I can use with my non-motorized tracker. Perhaps you, too, would enjoy such an adventure!
There are few people in life that you can listen to for 20 seconds in automatically like them. I'm not even a couple minutes into this video and I have already liked and subscribed just because I like this dude lol.
Absolutely amazing work man, the different perspective using normal tech, the info and entry level side of things and than the comparisons etc. Sadly as cool as the idea of a telescope seems I would maybe not buy one now after looking at different videos and not really seeing as much as I would have expected in terms of the quality of the moon shots people get. It’s beautiful but if you seen people zooming in on cities from a far with zoom cameras it just seems next level. Maybe one day I can experience a telescope and be mind blown
Amazing! Astronomy newbie here, at 65 years old. I/We are generally dawn to dusk people, but my wife was just offered an Orion Starblast 4.5 EQ for less than half retail from a friend. She bought it for $100, so after a couple of days and nights tinkering with it to calibrate the thing (and a couple of days researching to find out what it might really do), I'm doing more research, thus why I'm here. Eventually, I'll likely be using it for photographs. With the 25mm lens (the 10mm is missing), viewing 20 mile distant and inverted Blanca Peak from our window is fantastic. I pointed to the peak to center the red dot sight. So far, so good. The moon is waning and mostly gone without better optics, and the low powered optic is basically a sighting tool. Unlikely to see detail with any planet. I bought a planisphere today to see the daily graph of what might be in the sky for viewing. I don't know that a new hobby on an off grid homestead is what I would have entertained, but what I've found so far is amazing. We're smaller than a grain of sand on a grain of sand in the universe. Why not explore?
...Two months later, and we now have an Orion XT8 Dobsobnian. I just collimated it, and if the high hazy clouds blow out, I'll be out in the cold at 8,800 feet in the Rockies, with a grin on my face.
i've wanted to buy a telescope for a long time and still haven't yet. space is amazing and beautiful it always looks still like a picture but its violent and moving faster then we could ever imagine.
The purple around your stars are probably more due to chromatic aberration from the lens. Different wavelengths of light have slightly different amounts of refraction and therefore are in focus at different focal lengths. Better quality telescopes and camera lenses use special glass and optical configurations that reduce chromatic aberration. You can also use reflector telescopes that don't have this problem. As far as the Dwarf telescope and Jupiter, it is not just that the camera is not good enough, the telescope is not good enough. The resolving power of the telescope is a function of the aperture size. The larger the aperture, the more detail you can see. For the Dwarf II scope (I couldn't find the detailed specs of the version you have, but they should be similar), the camera is pretty well matched with the scope, so having a better camera with the same scope would not improve the image. With that scope, Jupiter is only going to be at most about 8 pixels across at best.
yo holy sh the last time i saw u was on shorts u were making a physics video of an object falling ive subscribed to you so i could support you good job mate
Thank you for an amazing introduction to a new branch of Astro-photography. Makes me want to look again at the possibility of budget telescopes and equipment.
Hey Damon, You inspired me to buy a telescope, I recently went outside and saw a constellation and it made me excited so I came on RUclips searching and I found your channel. I just bought a orion spaceprobe 130st for 100 dollars! I'm excited to start this process into astronomy. Do you have any advice for my telescope, like any sort of lenses?
The biggest reason that the dwarf scope can't resolve the surface detail is that it's aperture diameter is too small, it puts a limit on how fine of details you can capture. The camera might also be crappy, but it's mostly the physics.
Hi, Damon again! A wonderful video providing a lot of contemplation indeed! Many thanks. However, the Dob isn't a good choice due to its dimensions. Why not to take a 150 mm refractor, even an achromat for some $ hundreds, say, with f 750 mm? I'm planning to, while aiming at the officially darkest place within the continental Europe: Brandenburg, Germany. What would be your advice a propos of the camera then? Should it be preferably an astro camera or not? And the mounting should be moving the scope, too?
Another thing to do to not get shaky images is to set (for example) a 2 second cooldown or any cooldown IF the camera has this feature Great video man continue like this
Fun fact: Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster M45, or the "Seven Sisters" (one of whom tradition says is invisible - hence only six stars in the Subaru logo), which in turn inspires the logo and alludes to the companies that merged to create FHI. -Wikipedia
The thing you said about shaking the camera, on my camera you can set a delay from pressing the shutter button to it taking a picture, this is how I've always avoided camera shake.
Man you are incredibly good at making video in general, keep going like that and I bet you will truly make money here on RUclips. You have a true talent
About 6 years ago I bought my dad the 10 inch Skywatcher dob scope, paid about 600 bucks plus some extra lenses and it's a fantastic scope, I would like to buy a good camera and learn how to do do photos. For a beginner and wanting to decent scope the Skywatcher scopes are worth it. Can't wait to get out this summer and check out the universe. BTW, when I go out in places that could be sketchy I pack some heat, never who could roll up with bad intentions or if a wild animal wants to get fistey.
just using your eyes is underrated, I feel like we sometimes get too carried away with looking at DSO's which are beautiful don't get me wrong but still just stepping back and watching the night sky is beautiful, my garden is in Bortle 4 in UK.
Much depends on where you are as to what you can see with the naked eye.I live under Bortle 6 skies, although the sea is to the east,and of the Messier objects I can see naked eye are M's 44,45,42,31 and I think probably you could get stuff like 39,34,35 if you really tried probably 46,41,7,6,22,11 but they very low for me and in a bad area of light pollution.
Seeing the sky rotating (or really, us rotating!) gives this absolutely insane sense of scale that honestly, fills me with dread for some reason? And yet, wonder? Like, my mind knows it can't ever comprehend the size of our planet, let alone our universe, but it really wants to try. It's so bizarre. I only hope that in my lifetime I can see the Earth from outside of it, or maybe experience some simulation of that. It's just so crazy that we live here. I feel so blessed that all of my ancestors lived so I could be here, and every plant, animal, microbe, or otherwise that has somehow made it possible for me to see this world.
Awesome video mate! 😁 It's always great to get a decent dark sky area and just use your naked eye first to enjoy the nightsky. There's so much treasures your naked eyes will spot. 🙂 My town is a Bortle 6 and on a very clear night you can see the Milky Way faintly. Also, I saw several satellites passing through and a couple of times the International Space Station. It's absolutely awesome! 😃 I've been to Bortle 4 darksky area once. It was rather a quick experience, but that was the first time I saw a satellite clearly and effortlessly. Keep on enjoying the nightsky!
Thanks for this video. I recently bought an entry level telescope - about 30 years after first dreaming about having one as a kid. But this video also opened my eyes to the potential of my old DSLR and zoom lens, and I am looking forward to playing with deep sky stacker as well now.
just came across this, awesome vid. i have a pic as my desktop which is almost exactly the same as you Jupiter shot. took it on a dslr at 300mm. i found that shortening the exposure reduced the exposure burn, to the point it came out with a nice round spot as well as the four moons, tho i cant recall the settings atm but i think i went all the way down to 60thsec or something like that. i was seriously blown away by how well it came out. also got a shot of Mars when that dust storm started up a few years ago.
If I may, as many astronomers have said before, the quality of your sky is your 1st equipment. With a cheap $100 lens or telescope, I could take amazing photo at the right spot. It also depends if you are doing astrolandscape (milkyway), deep sky astrophotography (nebulae & galaxies) or planetary imaging. Each have different requirements (eg planetary imaging, you can generate 4tb of data / night, so it's a really different setup from milkyway astro that you can do even without a tracker)
I absolutely love stargazing, one of my favorite things to do is to just sit outside on a nighttime and just look up. I really hope to get my son into this amazing hobby when he's older.
Very nice. I used my camera for night sky photography and instead of holding the cap in front of the camera i use the 3 or 5 seconds timer. so you push the button and the camera start the exposure only after a certain delay and you don't get any movement.
Awesome Nice Comeback after a long time The video was very very awesome You should talk about James Webb Telescopic and why telescope is called as a time machine. Thank You Man The video was awesome
I used to live on the South Island of New Zealand and going out to the back yard at night was like going to a planetarium or observatory but better. I used to check out Orion’s Belt (Big Dipper) and the Southern Cross and watch shooting stars. Didn’t have binoculars and anything. Moving back there one day and cannot wait.
Interesting video! You can set a timer on your camera to avoid that cap trick. And I know you can also connect most cameras to a laptop to control them, not sure about your smartphone though. Intervalometers are also a thing but that's extra money.
@Damon Scotting You missed at least one option...a very exciting one...the $20 homemade barndoor tracker with whatever camera you have that will do long exposures. I've done some serious damage with mine. Comet Hale-Bopp full screen with a 100mm lens, 4-minute exposure, at F4.5, on ISO 100 film. (it was back in '97) There was a more recent comet 3 or 4 years ago that I got with a DSLR. Numerous starfields and nebulae have also fallen victim to that inexpensive bit of kit! Edit: There is a Wiki page on Barn Door Tracker with a plans link, but that thing's an over-engineered abomination!...and I would not recommend building it! That...plus the customary method of operation seems to be turning the screw thread 1/4 revolution every 15 seconds or so, rather than turning it consistently and smoothly...that method would lead to oblong stars in the image. Maybe I should shoot a video of mine in daylight operation, showing the quality of images possible when the average person applies themselves a little!! The process is VERY organic. There is, basically, a set of cabinet hinges in a wooden framework. One side of the hinge line is connected to the camera, and the other side is connected to the ground. There are two arms on the apparatus, one connected to the stationary side and the other connected to the bit that moves. There is a screw thread with a handle between these arms...rotating that screw thread the correct direction and speed will make the mobile part (with your camera) rotate opposite the Earth, thereby cancelling the 'movement of the sky'. For any exposure length the casual astrophotographer will use, pointing the hinge line at the north star, Polaris, is close enough. I find using my tracker deliriously satisfying! It's just the night sky, your wits, and your camera...and truly beautiful images can be had! The challenge is in turning that little handle smoothly with a finger as you watch a timer. Mine is set up to turn 1/4 revolution each 20 seconds...how accurately and smoothly it's done determines how round the stars are! I am not exaggerating at all in saying that magazine-quality images can be had once the operator is comfortable with the process!
instead of using the Lens Cap, my camera has the option to Swing up the Mirror before taking a picture, it then uses the screen on the back as a viewfinder.. Works a treat..
This was such a well made and well explained video. I've only just started getting into Astrophotography and trying it with my Samsung note 8 but don't fully understand the settings needed yet! Keep up the great work, you've earnt my sub!
So nice to see someone using a camera that is actually something most people can get/afford and not some $3k camera with professional lenses and all. brilliant job
Its amazing... by only using a camera *pull out Canon Eos 1 dx mk2*
I’m running a older Nikon on a celestron 70mm travel scope .. 70x400mm. Also use on occasion a Barlow 2x. I get some good shots. But mount is everything. I’m using a manual eq mount now. Really need a tracking mount to change my game big time
complete garbage nonsense. grow up.
what's wrong with using a more expensive camera, you sound salty
@@mastixencounter he’s saying it’s nice cause those of us who can’t afford or in my case would rather put the money in my bikes . We can relate and see what can be done with older equipment. Some kids start with handmedowns.
When I was in Iraq, I could look up and see so many stars at night. There was basically no light pollution. It was amazing. I also used to look up with night vision goggles and despite the kinda fuzzy quality, it was absolutely amazing.
The advantages of having no electricity:
imagine cavemen during the stone ages, i bet that was completely insane
@@xzymzz damn man I feel it’s so cool
I was also in iraq. I saw the red moon in 2018, and 2 shooting stars. I love my country
I would star gaze there at night when deployed.
My favorite channels are of people doing things they absolutely love doing with a passion, and I can say I have never seen anyone love what they do like you. Love your content man!
check out ed tings channel... hes awesome
You are living your passion man… i can only respect that! You really got it, i wish you all the best
Cheers man! 🙌🏻
@@DamonScottingi feel like pleadies is the small wagon cause it looks like one
For the Canon, instead of putting something in front of the lens, just set up a timer for like 3 or 5 seconds, then the image will only be taken after it has stopped jittering.
It's funny, when you mentioned that Orion is probably the first thing we look to in the night sky, that's exactly right for me.
When I was a kid, in Denmark, I could so often see Orion from my bedroom window at night and it was somehow always majestic. I now live in Australia and while Orion is now upside-down, I spot him as an old friend.
Amazing video!
What a wonderful story.. Proves earth is globe, cuz Australia is on the other side of the sky.
For me growing up in central North America it was the Big Dipper early in life and Cassiopeia later. Don’t know why but those two have always been the ones I always notice.
I look always first for Ursa Maior, but I have no idea what the rest is calling.
weird that... cos for me its the moon and the planets :)
@@adamosaurusrex66 He would fall off of Australia if Earth was flat 😂
IT WAS WONDERFUL!
KEEP DOING STUFF THAT YOU LOVE DAMON!
Thank you very much, Shruti! Good to hear from you again!
@@DamonScotting I loved your video man very informative I saw mars under the moon tonight it was without a telescope but still cool 😁😎👍
@@kingadjust6201 nice
I just randomly had your video show up in my RUclips feed and let me say, I am sooooo glad it did! You're videos are super well done, easy to understand and I love that you are showing folks like me what they can do within realistic budgets! I am falling down your channels rabbit hole and loving every minute of it!
The Creation of the Universe:
Allah the Exalted said: Have not those who disbelieved seen that heaven and earth were one solid mass, whereupon We divided them and made all living things of water? Don't you want to believe? (Translation of Sura 21 Verse 30)
This verse explicitly mentions the common origin of the entire universe, a fact that was only discovered about forty years ago with the help of "nuclear physics". The separation mentioned in the verse seems to refer to what scientists today refer to as the "Big Bang." Also, as the verse also mentions, all living things are made up of protoplasm, which is 80 to 85 percent water.
Allah the Exalted said: Thereupon Allah turned to the sky which was (then) of (formless) smoke (or mist) and said to it and to the earth: "Come here, willingly or unwillingly!" They said: "We come voluntarily". So He (Allah) completed them as seven heavens in two times, and in each heaven He assigned its task. And We adorned the lowest heaven with lights (stars) (which are also) for protection. This is the creation of the Supreme, the All-Knowing. (Translation of Sura 41 Verse 11-12)
At the time the Qur'an was revealed, the word "space" was unknown and everything above the earth was called "heaven".
The word "smoke" aptly describes the primordial state of the universe, which consisted of hot, gaseous matter whose gaseous particles moved like clouds of smoke. From this matter the stars, the planets and the earth were formed.
Allah the Exalted said: We have created the sky (the universe) with (Our) power, and see how We are (constantly) expanding it! (Translation of Sura 51 Verse 47)
It is now a generally accepted fact that we live in an expanding universe.
A lot of people don't understand how much we can't see because of light pollution, I didn't either.
I was in Lapland through the Finnish army. In Lapland, in the middle of a forest, far from cities. It was amazing how many stars I saw in the sky that week. You see exactly as in the pictures on the Discovery channels.
The best memories were when I was on guard duty alone at night, in the winter forest. The nights were mostly spent looking at the stars. I also became familiar with all constellations such as the Big Dipper and learned where they are located. After this experience, I have understood why people hundreds or thousands of years ago admired and studied space. Unfortunately, since the army, I haven't experienced a moment without light pollution.
Damn I was just thinking that in 2 months when my service starts I might actually get to experience a night with little to no light pollution lol I'll be in the very south of Finland though so maybe not quite lapland levels unfortunately
My career was in crime scene investigation and low light photography was always a challenge. Camera shake was a problem. The lens cap covering technique is one method, but there are two others that can reduce camera shake from wind. First is to lower the tripod head so that you don’t have the camera sitting at the end of the pole. The second is to not extend the legs all the way and to only use the heavy extensions of the legs. Hope this helps!
You can also set the self timer to 3 seconds. And with a DSLR, lock up the mirror first.
Bet you look at tech now and wish you had it then :) thats how my brain works
@@gothicm3rcy426 So true! The biggest thing of course was DNA being utilized for crime scene investigation. This didn’t really get going until I was in my career for a few years and it gets better every year.
A remote intervalometer can be set to automatically take timed shots repeatedly and costs less than $30 online.
I use a remote control on my Nikon for shots that I need to make sure I have no camera shake. They are cheap as hell and available on Ebay all the time.
these are the type of channels that you find when you wake up at 3:00 Am and browse youtube
I live on a farm in North Devon with low light pollution and have always struggled to get decent photos of the night sky. As soon as these storms pass over I am going to try again with that application you suggested. Thank you for that tip.
Once again you absolutely capture the excitement all of us amateur astronomers have when we sit beneath the night sky. No matter if with our own eyes, binos or high price telescope setup ... its those moments when we realize that we just looking at light thousands, 10000 or even million years old which are simply breathtaking.
I'm speechless how you show everything so simple and really in a budget of almost everyone.
I really like your altitude and how you explain thinks.
My best regards.
Excellent, I'm just getting in to astrophotography and now have even more enthusiasm for it. Thanks again for all your hard work and content. Look forward to the next one!
Pls tell what things we can see from a 525 X telescope
@@gwprabal5323 Sorry for replying late (really hope you didn't waste your money), the telescopes with the magnifications on the box are absolute scams. Big focal length telescopes with small apertures aren't hard to mass-produce, and you can sell more of them by just marketing them to people with absolutely no knowledge on the topic making them think they got a good deal.
@@zdsm. No probs buddy, thanks! Happy New Year 🥳
This video should have more views . Please share !!! I'm fascinated with astronomy, the recently discoveries made want to look for more everyday and I can't believe how big we are in such a young galaxy
Hi damon 🥺,
I miss you and your videos so much. I know you was busy.
Hope you're doing good and how's your training as a physics teacher?
He's training to be a teacher? What a good choice!
This is a pretty cool video man. One thing I would recommend to someone interested in astronomy or astrophotography, is to join or just visit your local astronomy club. They are all over the place and you will find some of the most welcoming people who will also let you look through their telescopes.
What an excellent and informative video. Also, your enthusiasm is infectious. I have been into amateur astronomy since the 1970s when Sir Patrick moore inspired me and your video is the best thing I’ve seen for ages. Thanks very much. 👍
Just a tip for anyone wanting to use an entry level mount, or even if you’re using more professional equipment. Try taking many shorter exposure images instead of a handful of longer ones. Taking 1000 5 second exposure shots is better than 42 2 minute exposures. Less issues with the mount’s imperfect tracking will be seen in the photo and if you use lucky imaging, photos with worse atmospheric wobble can be removed.
I just thought you should know that this video is the one that got me hooked on astro photography. All your content is amazing! Obviously you’re putting in a lot of work and you should know that it’s all worth it.
The sheer force of his wholesome passion is so charming. Good on you young man. Great blend of expertise and humor here, wonderful job narrating the endeavor. Thank you for this
Welcome back. We've missed you.
Thank you! 😉
I really kove astrophotography. It is literally the only think that can make me not sleep and it is doing it. I love it. Really good video!
Un par de veces me había dado curiosidad la astronomía, pero al final siempre terminaba decepcionado por las cosas que se podían ver con telescopios en un rango menor a 100USD (es lo máximo que puedo gastar). Pero hoy al ver la foto que tomaste con el Sky Watcher + la Cámara DSLR pa verdad me ha dejado extremadamente sorprendido. Jamás me imaginé que eso fuera posible con una cámara, sobretodo por que yo tengo una Canon 7D con varios lentes.
Gracias a ti, ahora pensaré en comprar un Sky Watcher y así poder tomar fotos asombrosas por mi cuenta.
Gracias!!!
This was the most fascinating video I've seen all week. I love photography, but it's been awhile since I've done any shooting. But your analysis of how far you can take a picture with a "average" camera is beyond reproach! At first at the beginning of the video I was thinking why are you so "bright"..and then my almost long lost aperture knowledge came back to me. Great video..well worth the 21 minutes!!!
I have actually captured a few long-exposure shots of the starry sky with my Galaxy S9 (but I also have S8 which takes nicer photos) about 2-3 months ago. The exposures were either 4 or 10 seconds long (not many options on a phone).
I used a small phone tripod AND the way I snapped the photos was with voice-activation ("Cheese"), so there was no shaking.
Another way to prevent shaking is to use the countdown timer function which most phones and many cameras have.
Though the pictures look really nice, I am well aware of how much better they would look with larger lens (phone vs. a DSLR camera).
I commented elsewhere about a home-built tracker. There is a Wiki page on it with a plans link, but that thing's an over-engineered abomination!...and I would not recommend building it!
There are HD Photo apps available that will allow you to do long exposures. One I picked without any research is just named "HD Camera", and it allows 3, 5, 15, 30 sec, and Bulb. Bulb, or infinity, means you open the shutter and you close the shutter. I intend to play with it at night when I finish my current project and have time to draw and 3D print a phone holder I can use with my non-motorized tracker.
Perhaps you, too, would enjoy such an adventure!
@@Bluswede That sounds interesting.
What is the longest exposure one can take with just a tripod an still avoid any streaking?
You are one of my Most favourite youtubers, Love your work sir… love from india
Thank you, Arghya! 🙌🏻
This is one of the best astrophotography videos ive seen on RUclips 👏👏👏
Nice work. With M31, take some short exposures of the core, then layer and blend them in PS or PhotoPea.
Thanks for the tip! I'm eager to try again and find that perfect balance but the British weather isn't agreeing with me at the moment! 😅
I think you'll make it to a million subs if you keep releasing content as good as this.
agreed
There are few people in life that you can listen to for 20 seconds in automatically like them. I'm not even a couple minutes into this video and I have already liked and subscribed just because I like this dude lol.
Just want to say thanks for these videos - they are an inspiration to get out there. Well presented and professionally produced too.
I could listen to your amazing voice of knowledge every day
Absolutely amazing work man, the different perspective using normal tech, the info and entry level side of things and than the comparisons etc.
Sadly as cool as the idea of a telescope seems I would maybe not buy one now after looking at different videos and not really seeing as much as I would have expected in terms of the quality of the moon shots people get. It’s beautiful but if you seen people zooming in on cities from a far with zoom cameras it just seems next level.
Maybe one day I can experience a telescope and be mind blown
Amazing! Astronomy newbie here, at 65 years old. I/We are generally dawn to dusk people, but my wife was just offered an Orion Starblast 4.5 EQ for less than half retail from a friend. She bought it for $100, so after a couple of days and nights tinkering with it to calibrate the thing (and a couple of days researching to find out what it might really do), I'm doing more research, thus why I'm here. Eventually, I'll likely be using it for photographs. With the 25mm lens (the 10mm is missing), viewing 20 mile distant and inverted Blanca Peak from our window is fantastic. I pointed to the peak to center the red dot sight. So far, so good. The moon is waning and mostly gone without better optics, and the low powered optic is basically a sighting tool. Unlikely to see detail with any planet. I bought a planisphere today to see the daily graph of what might be in the sky for viewing. I don't know that a new hobby on an off grid homestead is what I would have entertained, but what I've found so far is amazing. We're smaller than a grain of sand on a grain of sand in the universe. Why not explore?
...Two months later, and we now have an Orion XT8 Dobsobnian. I just collimated it, and if the high hazy clouds blow out, I'll be out in the cold at 8,800 feet in the Rockies, with a grin on my face.
Your videos are great !
Cheers, Anurag!
@@DamonScotting 😁😁🤗
Space is the only thing that I can fall in love with again and again
Awesome Video! I myself do astrophotography since a few months and just love it!
Glad to hear it! Thank you!
You also caught a shooting star in the very upper left corner at 7:24
I saw that
i've wanted to buy a telescope for a long time and still haven't yet. space is amazing and beautiful it always looks still like a picture but its violent and moving faster then we could ever imagine.
Thank you. This is the best video I have seen in a while here in YT.
Damon, big fan here! Keep up the good work.
You know what would be awesome? An astronomy course! 🌟
The purple around your stars are probably more due to chromatic aberration from the lens. Different wavelengths of light have slightly different amounts of refraction and therefore are in focus at different focal lengths. Better quality telescopes and camera lenses use special glass and optical configurations that reduce chromatic aberration. You can also use reflector telescopes that don't have this problem.
As far as the Dwarf telescope and Jupiter, it is not just that the camera is not good enough, the telescope is not good enough. The resolving power of the telescope is a function of the aperture size. The larger the aperture, the more detail you can see. For the Dwarf II scope (I couldn't find the detailed specs of the version you have, but they should be similar), the camera is pretty well matched with the scope, so having a better camera with the same scope would not improve the image. With that scope, Jupiter is only going to be at most about 8 pixels across at best.
Great video. Really enjoy your work
Thank you, Garnett 😁
I understood the beauty of space,and I am seeing the beauty right now.
Light pollution here is killing my dream🥺😭
yo holy sh the last time i saw u was on shorts u were making a physics video of an object falling ive subscribed to you so i could support you good job mate
Glad to hear it, thanks mate! 😁
@@DamonScotting haha no problem
Who else clicked on this video because RUclips recommended it for the out of this world event 😅😅
Really Appreciate Your Love For Astronomy…Astronomy Is Subject That Never Stop Teaching…🔥
Keep doing the good work
Thank you, Sunilraj!
at 2:35 on the bottom left of the vid there is a shooting star
Lot of love from India keep going ❤I really want some information about universe🌌 thank you❤🙏
Thank you!!
@@DamonScotting 🤩💫✨
19:28 - It looks like the galaxy has a bowl shape to it.
Damon... ♥️🥺
Hello again, Ajeeth! I hope you are doing well my friend!! 😁🙏
Hi Ajeeth
@@SonuSharma-hb1ox Hey Sonu! 👋
i love your enthusiasm about all of this
Thank you for an amazing introduction to a new branch of Astro-photography. Makes me want to look again at the possibility of budget telescopes and equipment.
this video just about brought me to tears. Astronomy is magical. I’m so glad the algorithm recommended me this. Subbed, thanks for the great video!
this is amazing thank you!!! you deserve a couple hundred k more subs at least
Hey Damon,
You inspired me to buy a telescope, I recently went outside and saw a constellation and it made me excited so I came on RUclips searching and I found your channel. I just bought a orion spaceprobe 130st for 100 dollars! I'm excited to start this process into astronomy. Do you have any advice for my telescope, like any sort of lenses?
The biggest reason that the dwarf scope can't resolve the surface detail is that it's aperture diameter is too small, it puts a limit on how fine of details you can capture. The camera might also be crappy, but it's mostly the physics.
Hi, Damon again! A wonderful video providing a lot of contemplation indeed! Many thanks. However, the Dob isn't a good choice due to its dimensions. Why not to take a 150 mm refractor, even an achromat for some $ hundreds, say, with f 750 mm? I'm planning to, while aiming at the officially darkest place within the continental Europe: Brandenburg, Germany.
What would be your advice a propos of the camera then? Should it be preferably an astro camera or not? And the mounting should be moving the scope, too?
Another thing to do to not get shaky images is to set (for example) a 2 second cooldown or any cooldown IF the camera has this feature
Great video man continue like this
Great video! Thank you so much for sharing! This should get anyone who watches completely excited about the nights sky 😊
Thank you for the Astronomical series!
Great work, clear but on a understandable level!
Thank you, that's very kind of you! 😁
Fun fact: Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster M45, or the "Seven Sisters" (one of whom tradition says is invisible - hence only six stars in the Subaru logo), which in turn inspires the logo and alludes to the companies that merged to create FHI. -Wikipedia
Gave that up years ago, using telescopes.. I just watch, and it makes a huge difference where you are located
The thing you said about shaking the camera, on my camera you can set a delay from pressing the shutter button to it taking a picture, this is how I've always avoided camera shake.
Man you are incredibly good at making video in general, keep going like that and I bet you will truly make money here on RUclips. You have a true talent
About 6 years ago I bought my dad the 10 inch Skywatcher dob scope, paid about 600 bucks plus some extra lenses and it's a fantastic scope, I would like to buy a good camera and learn how to do do photos. For a beginner and wanting to decent scope the Skywatcher scopes are worth it. Can't wait to get out this summer and check out the universe. BTW, when I go out in places that could be sketchy I pack some heat, never who could roll up with bad intentions or if a wild animal wants to get fistey.
Hey Hii can you drop out a video of some stuffs about black dwarfs...
My curiosity level has increased 😅😅
just using your eyes is underrated, I feel like we sometimes get too carried away with looking at DSO's which are beautiful don't get me wrong but still just stepping back and watching the night sky is beautiful, my garden is in Bortle 4 in UK.
Much depends on where you are as to what you can see with the naked eye.I live under Bortle 6 skies, although the sea is to the east,and of the Messier objects I can see naked eye are M's 44,45,42,31 and I think probably you could get stuff like 39,34,35 if you really tried probably 46,41,7,6,22,11 but they very low for me and in a bad area of light pollution.
Seeing the sky rotating (or really, us rotating!) gives this absolutely insane sense of scale that honestly, fills me with dread for some reason? And yet, wonder? Like, my mind knows it can't ever comprehend the size of our planet, let alone our universe, but it really wants to try. It's so bizarre. I only hope that in my lifetime I can see the Earth from outside of it, or maybe experience some simulation of that. It's just so crazy that we live here. I feel so blessed that all of my ancestors lived so I could be here, and every plant, animal, microbe, or otherwise that has somehow made it possible for me to see this world.
If you get STELARRIUM for android, you can get the current configuration of the galilean moons. Makes it easy to differentiate callisto from Io.
Awesome video mate! 😁 It's always great to get a decent dark sky area and just use your naked eye first to enjoy the nightsky. There's so much treasures your naked eyes will spot. 🙂 My town is a Bortle 6 and on a very clear night you can see the Milky Way faintly. Also, I saw several satellites passing through and a couple of times the International Space Station. It's absolutely awesome! 😃 I've been to Bortle 4 darksky area once. It was rather a quick experience, but that was the first time I saw a satellite clearly and effortlessly.
Keep on enjoying the nightsky!
I am very glad you touched on the need to get out in the country away from city lights! Great video!
Thanks for this video. I recently bought an entry level telescope - about 30 years after first dreaming about having one as a kid. But this video also opened my eyes to the potential of my old DSLR and zoom lens, and I am looking forward to playing with deep sky stacker as well now.
I love you jokes, energy, and passion. I wish you much success. Keep it up!
Just found out your youtube channel through this video and I instantly subscribed. Good job, very professional
just came across this, awesome vid. i have a pic as my desktop which is almost exactly the same as you Jupiter shot. took it on a dslr at 300mm. i found that shortening the exposure reduced the exposure burn, to the point it came out with a nice round spot as well as the four moons, tho i cant recall the settings atm but i think i went all the way down to 60thsec or something like that. i was seriously blown away by how well it came out. also got a shot of Mars when that dust storm started up a few years ago.
Amazing. That trick with the cap is awesome.
Enchanting, awesome video!!!!
If I may, as many astronomers have said before, the quality of your sky is your 1st equipment. With a cheap $100 lens or telescope, I could take amazing photo at the right spot. It also depends if you are doing astrolandscape (milkyway), deep sky astrophotography (nebulae & galaxies) or planetary imaging. Each have different requirements (eg planetary imaging, you can generate 4tb of data / night, so it's a really different setup from milkyway astro that you can do even without a tracker)
I absolutely love stargazing, one of my favorite things to do is to just sit outside on a nighttime and just look up. I really hope to get my son into this amazing hobby when he's older.
I've watched this video several times and I still can't get enough of it
Hey Damon .... its so Awesome 😍❤️
Hello, Shweta! Thank you! I hope you are well 😁
So dedicated to astronomy, your joy brings me joy
Very nice. I used my camera for night sky photography and instead of holding the cap in front of the camera i use the 3 or 5 seconds timer. so you push the button and the camera start the exposure only after a certain delay and you don't get any movement.
Awesome
Nice Comeback after a long time
The video was very very awesome
You should talk about James Webb Telescopic and why telescope is called as a time machine.
Thank You Man
The video was awesome
Incredible! Thank you for this!
I used to live on the South Island of New Zealand and going out to the back yard at night was like going to a planetarium or observatory but better. I used to check out Orion’s Belt (Big Dipper) and the Southern Cross and watch shooting stars. Didn’t have binoculars and anything. Moving back there one day and cannot wait.
Guys he is back...!
Interesting video! You can set a timer on your camera to avoid that cap trick. And I know you can also connect most cameras to a laptop to control them, not sure about your smartphone though. Intervalometers are also a thing but that's extra money.
have watched only 2 videos so far, and I love the channel already!! 👌🏼👌🏼
@Damon Scotting
You missed at least one option...a very exciting one...the $20 homemade barndoor tracker with whatever camera you have that will do long exposures. I've done some serious damage with mine. Comet Hale-Bopp full screen with a 100mm lens, 4-minute exposure, at F4.5, on ISO 100 film. (it was back in '97)
There was a more recent comet 3 or 4 years ago that I got with a DSLR. Numerous starfields and nebulae have also fallen victim to that inexpensive bit of kit!
Edit: There is a Wiki page on Barn Door Tracker with a plans link, but that thing's an over-engineered abomination!...and I would not recommend building it! That...plus the customary method of operation seems to be turning the screw thread 1/4 revolution every 15 seconds or so, rather than turning it consistently and smoothly...that method would lead to oblong stars in the image. Maybe I should shoot a video of mine in daylight operation, showing the quality of images possible when the average person applies themselves a little!!
The process is VERY organic. There is, basically, a set of cabinet hinges in a wooden framework. One side of the hinge line is connected to the camera, and the other side is connected to the ground. There are two arms on the apparatus, one connected to the stationary side and the other connected to the bit that moves. There is a screw thread with a handle between these arms...rotating that screw thread the correct direction and speed will make the mobile part (with your camera) rotate opposite the Earth, thereby cancelling the 'movement of the sky'. For any exposure length the casual astrophotographer will use, pointing the hinge line at the north star, Polaris, is close enough.
I find using my tracker deliriously satisfying! It's just the night sky, your wits, and your camera...and truly beautiful images can be had! The challenge is in turning that little handle smoothly with a finger as you watch a timer. Mine is set up to turn 1/4 revolution each 20 seconds...how accurately and smoothly it's done determines how round the stars are! I am not exaggerating at all in saying that magazine-quality images can be had once the operator is comfortable with the process!
instead of using the Lens Cap, my camera has the option to Swing up the Mirror before taking a picture, it then uses the screen on the back as a viewfinder.. Works a treat..
This is amazing!
This was such a well made and well explained video. I've only just started getting into Astrophotography and trying it with my Samsung note 8 but don't fully understand the settings needed yet!
Keep up the great work, you've earnt my sub!