Capture · Overview

This section covers imaging methods organized by subject, spanning wide-field nightscapes, long-exposure deep-sky work, high-frame-rate planetary and lunar imaging, and narrowband imaging, along with the gear trade-offs and acquisition workflow each one involves. It marks the point in the learning path where the material moves from background knowledge to actual shooting.

What this section covers

Nightscape and Widefield The Milky Way with a camera and wide lens: the 500/NPF rules, exposure, star trackers, stacking, and trails.

Deep-Sky (DSO) Imaging Long-exposure tracking and guiding, sub-frame strategy, calibration frames, the meridian flip, and a night's workflow.

Planets · Moon · Sun High-frame-rate video and lucky imaging: ROI frame rates, focal extension, dispersion correction, stacking, and sharpening.

Narrowband Imaging Use Hα, OIII, and SII filters to cut through light pollution; emission-line physics and the SHO/HOO palettes.