

Avani Soares captured amazing close detail on the lunar south pole by using a C14 Edge telescope with a ZWO ASI 290 camera. The ring mounts on your DSLR and screws into the adapter, which then attaches to your telescope.įor high-resolution lunar imaging, you may want to use a high frame rate planetary camera. Telescopes for photographing the Moon This view of the Moon was captured by John Tipping from Cheshire, UK, using a Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera and Sky-Watcher 178mm Maksutov-Cassegrain.ĭSLR cameras are a great choice for photographing the Moon, and because they have detachable lenses they can be connected directly to a telescope, turning the scope into the camera lens. So if you have a 100mm refractor with a focal length of 900mm, its f-ratio is said to be f/9.Īdding a 2x Barlow lens increases the effective focal length to 1,800mm and doubles the f-ratio to f/18, but there is a limit to how much focal length is useful.

The f-ratio is defined by dividing your telescope’s focal length by its aperture, using the same units. So f-ratio is a key value that will help you choose which telescope to use for a specific type of astronomical target. When choosing a between the best telescopes for astrophotography - or, indeed, for visual observing - it pays to consider the focal ratio of the instruments available.įocal ratio (f-ratio) gives an indication of the ‘speed’ of an optical system: the time it takes your telescope to deliver a set amount of light.Īs the f-ratio goes up, so the image scale increases: the object appears larger and consequently dimmer.
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Interested in astrophotography? Sign up for our Deep-Sky Imaging Masterclass and find out how to capture distant galaxies and nebulae.Ĭlick here to book tickets for all three Masterclasses and save 20% Understanding focal ratio The PrimaLuceLab Airy APO 65F’s 420mm focal length makes it a relatively fast (f/6.5) instrument. Deep-sky astrophotography Masterclass BBC Sky at Night Magazine Deep-Sky Imaging Masterclass Read on for our guide to everything you need to know to photograph the Moon, the planets and deep-sky objects like galaxies and nebulae, and our pick of some of the best telescopes for astrophotography. You will also need to consider what you're going to mount your telescope on, as it will need to track your object as it moves across the sky, and this is especially the case for deep-sky astrophotography where longer exposures are required.įor more on this, read our guide to telescope mounts. What do you want your astrophotography telescope to do? Credit: Tony Rowell / Getty ImagesĪnd as is the case with visual observing, the best astrophotography telescope for you will depend on what sort of targets you want to photograph. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned astronomer, it pays to do a bit of research as to what type of telescope you'll need to photograph the night sky.īest telescopes for astrophotography Take time to research which sort of telescope is best for your needs. When in fact making sure you have the right sort of telescope for astrophotography is just as important, if not more so. When setting out to capture images of the night sky for the first time, most people probably start by thinking what sort of camera they need. Here we'll explore some of the best telescopes for astrophotography that we've reviewed over the years.
