How to Photograph the Milky Way | Table of Contents

1. Plan the Best Times for Milky Way Photography
2. Use Apps To Locate The Milky Way Core
3. Pick the Right Lens
4. Use a Sturdy Tripod
5. Scout the Location Before it Gets Dark
6. Choose the Right Exposure Settings
7. Set Perfect Focus on The Stars

Plan the Best Times and Locations for Milky Way Photography

When learning how to photograph the Milky Way, it’s important to remember that timing and Location are critical for good Milky Way photography.  The milky way core is not visible every single night of the year and varies by hemisphere.  Here is a brief summary for the northern hemisphere.  For the southern hemisphere, add or subtract 6 months.

• Mid-February – The Milky Way core will rise just before sunrise.
• April – The Milky Way will rise at about midnight, and be visible in the sky for the rest of the night.
• Mid-June, The Milky Way will rise just after sunset, and will be visible all night long.
• July – The Milk Way will have already risen by the time it gets completely dark and it will set during the night.
• August-October –The Milky Way will still be visible; however, it will set earlier and earlier each night, until in October when there will only be a very brief window of visibility before the Milky Way sets.
• November, December, and January, the Milky Way core will not be very visible at all.

In addition, Milky Way photography requires little to no light pollution, little to no moon light, and little to no clouds. We’ve dedicated an entire article on The Best Time To See The Milky Way, so be sure to read that before heading out!

Use Apps To Locate The Milky Way Core

The next step in learning how to photograph the Milky Way is get an app that shows you how to find the Milky Way. Mobile apps like Sun Surveyor, PhotoPills, and The Photographer’s Ephemeris are three of the most popular, and they should have both paid and free or trial versions. These apps will tell you where the Milky Way Core will be, and when.

For example, right now it’s winter here in the northern hemisphere, so the Milky Way isn’t visible at night, so I’m planning my Milky Way photography adventures for the spring of next year right now.

 Pick The Right Lens

If you want to learn how to take pictures of the milky way, you’ll first need a fast, wide-angle lens. Typically, astrophotographers recommend anything that is at least 24mm or wider. 24mm prime lenses are very popular because they can be even faster than f/2.8 zoom lenses.

A great option is the Samyang 24mm f/1.8 lens, which provides amazing image quality, yet it’s extremely compact, lightweight, and relatively affordable among 24mm prime lenses. You may want to go wider than 24mm, of course, and if so, you have a few more compact, lightweight, (and affordable) options such as Canon’s RF 16mm f/2.8, or, for Sony users, the  Samyang/Rokinon 18mm f/2.8. Alternatively, there’s the equivalent for APS-C cameras, the brand-new 12mm f/2 AF.

Last but not least, of course, the classic ultra-wide prime lens, the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 comes in quite a few different options, including AF versions for Sony and Canon mirrorless, and MF versions that are available for Sony, Canon, Nikon, and other mounts as well.

Either way, you want a 24mm or wider lens, with an aperture of f/2.8 or faster. In this article, we’re only recommending relatively affordable, portable options, however there are many exotic options, too! For more lens options, see our full list of the best lenses for milky way photography.

Use a Sturdy Tripod

Of course, you’ll need a tripod! You already knew that. But a really sturdy, strong tripod will be your new best friend (besides your favorite lens). Simply put, if you’re trying to use a cheap, wobbly tripod that you bought on Wish, you might still be getting blurry photos, even from a light breeze. Not all tripods are equal! So, even if you have a fancy lightweight travel tripod, you might also want to have a big, heavy, sturdy one for those shooting opportunities that don’t require lots of travel. Also, always check your tripod legs and make sure they are fully locked before you attach your camera! Always check and make sure your tripod head is tight and locked before you start shooting. Never step away from your tripod if there is a light breeze blowing! It’s impossible to learn how to take pictures of the milky way without establishing the importance of a tripod.  Here are some of our favorite tripods:

• Most compact for travel: Peak Design Travel Tripod ($379 | B&H)
• Best for ultralight hiking/backpacking: SLIK Sprint 150 Aluminum Tripod ($59 | B&H)
• Best for medium-duty, everyday work: Manfrotto Befree Aluminum Tripod ($179 | B&H)
• Best heavy-duty, large tripod: Slik 700DX Pro AMT Tripod ($99 | B&H)

Once again, note that here we are only recommending the affordable options because we believe this is where it is very important to avoid truly poor quality and get something durable. There are, of course, “exotic” tripods costing over $1,000 (including a head) and they’re all excellent choices too.

Scout the Location Before it Gets Dark

This one sounds basic but it’s very important, both for getting gorgeous photos and for your own safety! Stumbling around in the dark trying to find the right location, especially in the mountains or wilderness, is a very bad idea.

A great nightscape photo needs a good main subject besides the night sky! If you don’t figure out what your subject/foreground will be before it gets dark, there’s a good chance you’ll get either a boring photo or a shot with a poor composition/framing. So, get there early, look around, be safe, (avoid slippery slopes/cliffs/rivers, etc), and try to practice ‘Leave No Trace’ while you get yourself set up to spend a night under the stars outdoors.

Then, just enjoy the sunset, (take some pictures!) and wait for the stars to come out! Of course, you should also have an astrophotography app on your phone, like PhotoPills or Sun Surveyor, to tell you where things like the Milky Way are going to be, (and the moon phase, very important!) …so that you can point your camera in the right direction, on the right night, at the right time of year!

Milky Way Photography Camera Settings

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when learning how to photograph the Milky Way is not understanding exposure. You are going to be pushing the limits of your camera and lens, so it’s no surprise that many people come home with a lot of totally dark, under-exposed images, a few totally blown-out long exposures, and maybe if they’re lucky, a few half-decent exposures. How do you set a good exposure every time? Check your histogram every time! With ultra-dark conditions, especially if there is zero moonlight or “light painting” to shine on your scene, your camera’s LCD will deceive you every time. Check the histogram! Here’s the thing: you will have to forget about “ETTR” or “ETTL”, and just try to get your exposure in the middle of the histogram. That’s a good start!

If you expose the night sky very brightly, you’ll actually wash out the color in the stars, and they’ll all be white dots, or worse, if your shutter speed is too long, they’ll be star trails. If you expose the foreground of your scene too darkly, however, you will not be able to just recover the shadows like you can with a normal daytime landscape, because the high ISO you’ll be using will not have the same dynamic range. What exposure settings are a good start, by the way? ISO 3200 or 6400, f/2.8 or f/1.8, and anywhere between 4 seconds and 30 seconds, depending on the conditions. Start there, and then adjust your exposure as needed to get your histogram looking better!

Remember the 500 Rule

The 500 rule is based on a simple concept – the earth’s rotation causes stars to move in the sky, so if your shutter speed is too long, you’ll get a star trail. Before the days of high-resolution digital cameras, you used to be able to just take the number 500, divide it by your focal length, (say, 20mm) and that would give you a number that is the shutter speed, in seconds, that you can shoot at. However, now that we have 30, 40, even 50-megapixel cameras this rule just doesn’t work as well. For starters, just throw away the number 500, and start with the number 250 instead.

There’s one challenge that comes with finding the perfect exposure that makes things even more difficult sometimes. Unfortunately, if your shutter speed is too long, the stars will go from pinpoint dots to star trails. If you’re just posting low-res images on posting on social media, then all you really need to do is take the number 500, divide it by your focal length, and that is your shutter speed! (500/24mm = ~20 seconds!) However, if you’re going to make big prints from a high-megapixel camera and want pinpoint stars, try using the number 250 instead of 500 for your shutter speed calculation. By the way, DO NOT trust your camera’s LIVE histogram! They are often highly inaccurate in extremely dark conditions. ONLY trust the histogram of an actual test exposure.

Use the 2-Second Shutter Release

In order to prevent camera shake, set your camera to a 2-second shutter release so that way you can press the shutter button and avoid moving your setup. This is especially important for longer exposures and avoiding star movement.

For more information, see our article on the Ideal Camera Settings for Milky Way Photography.

Set Perfect Focus on The Stars

Setting focus on the stars can be extremely frustrating if you’re not using the right technique. The best way to do this is to use live view! First, point your camera toward the brightest star (or planet) in the sky. It doesn’t have to be in the exact center of the frame, but it’s a good idea if it’s not in a corner, too. Then, with your aperture set wide-open, magnify your live view to 100% or 200%, right on that star. Use manual focus, and start with the lens set near infinity. But, don’t just trust your camera or lens even if it says infinity, there can be a broad range for “infinity focus”, unfortunately. Manually focus back and forth a little bit around infinity, and watch that bright star come in and out of focus until you can perfectly nail it. Once you set focus, leave it alone!

The Samyang 24mm f/1.8 has a bonus feature that will prove very, very helpful for those wanting to learn how to take pictures of the milky way. Not only is the manual focusing very smooth and precise, allowing you to easily focus perfectly on stars, BUT, there is also a green light that will stay illuminated when it is set to perfect infinity! You can fine-tune the exact focus position that leaves this light illuminated, and it will remember the focus point within the lens’ optics themselves, not just an electronic measurement for focus.

Shoot Your Foreground Before It Gets 100% Dark!

Before it gets totally dark, however, set up your shot, frame the scene, lock down your tripod, and shoot a few exposures of the foreground as blue hour goes by. Because later, especially if you don’t have a super-fast lens or a camera body with stellar high-ISO performance, it might get so pitch-dark that the image quality of your foreground will be terribly noisy and underexposed.

Consider Milky Way Photography with Portraits

While challenging, photographing the milky way with people in the photo is possible.  This requires the subject to hold very still and for the photographer to use flash to help “freeze” the subject.  To learn this, see our guide on How To Photograph The Milky Way With A Portrait Subject.

Video: 5 Essential Tips on How to Take Pictures of the Milky Way

To help you digest all of this information, see this video that we created on How to take perfect milky way photos.

More Information

To learn more about Milky Way Photography, see our full Milky Way Workshop inside of SLR Lounge Premium.

Well, Milky Way “season” is approaching; in fact, it’s already upon us! So, here is a quick Milky Way viewing calendar, and a few tips for how and where to see the Milky Way best. If you’re interested in learning everything about how to photograph nightscapes in general, check out our complete video workshop, Photographing The Milky Way!

Best Places To See The Milky Way

Maui, Hawaii, August 2018 | Canon EOS R, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L mk3

Unfortunately, almost all of us live in an area with enough light pollution to completely drown out the Milky Way core. In fact, many of us are even lucky to be able to see any stars or planets at all!

So, obviously, to see the Milky Way best you must escape light pollution. Thankfully, you don’t have to just guess which places might have no light pollution. There are maps for that! Check out a website such as Dark Site Finder.

The Milky Way Core is only visible in the Southeast, South, and Southwest, (in the Northern Hemisphere) depending on the season.

Best Time To See The Milky Way

Orange County, California, October 2018 | Nikon D850, Laowa 12mm f/2.8

If the Milky Way core is not visible every single night of the year, when is it visible? The answer to this question is very simple, but there’s a catch, so pay attention:

I used to tell everybody that the Milky Way was visible in the spring, summer, and fall, but that’s because I live in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, indeed, seasons are opposite! So, when talking about when the Milky Way core is visible, we’ll talk about months, not seasons.

• Starting in mid-February, the Milky Way core will rise just before sunrise. So you’ll have to either stay up all night or go to bed early and wake up at 3-4 AM!
• By April, the Milky Way will rise at about midnight, and be visible in the sky for the rest of the night.
• Then, in mid-June, the Milky Way will rise just after sunset, and will be visible all night long.
• In July, the Milk Way will have already risen by the time it gets completely dark and it will set during the night.
• Finally, from August until October, the Milky Way will still be very visible; however, it will set earlier and earlier each night, until in October when there will only be a very brief window of visibility before the Milky Way sets.
• In  November, December, and January, the Milky Way core will not be very visible at all. However, the outer band of the Milky Way galaxy will still be visible and does make a cool nightscape photography subject.

Death Valley, California, December 2015 | Nikon D700, 24-70mm f/2.8

Last but not least, there are a few other considerations that will sound obvious when I mention them, but you’ll probably still need to remind yourself when planning your next (or first) big nightscape photography adventure:

Be aware of the Moon’s phase and location.

The best time to see the Milky Way depends on the moon phase. If a full moon is shining, you can still see the Milky Way core, but just barely. If, however, the Moon is positioned inside the Milky Way (it changes position throughout each month), then all bets are off. Use apps like Sun Surveyor, PhotoPills, and The Photographer’s Ephemeris to match your Milky Way photography with a new, or waxing/waning crescent moon.

Be aware of the weather!

The best time to see the Milky Way depends on the weather.  Even the faintest amount of cloud cover can almost completely obscure the Milky Way in photos. Of course, you can’t plan for perfect weather months in advance when planning your future nightscape adventures, but just be ready. If possible, try and give yourself at least 2-3 different nights of potential opportunities to see the night sky. Nothing is worse than planning an adventure with only one good night to shoot the stars, and having that one night be cloudy.

Where Is The Milky Way?

June 2014, Eastern Sierra, California | Nikon D800e, Rokinon 14mm f/2.8

Speaking of hemispheres, where in the sky can you see the Milky Way? This also depends on where in the world you are. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Milky Way will rise in the Southeast (the direction, not the place or the airline). Then, it will travel across the Southern sky and set in the Southwest.

In the Southern hemisphere, the Milky Way Core still rises in the Southeast and Sets in the Southwest. However, it does so at a totally different angle and travels in a very different path that arcs higher in the sky, crossing north instead of south. Again, you can use apps to find the Milky Way in the night sky, such as Sun Surveyor, PhotoPills, and The Photographer’s Ephemeris.

Best Lenses For Photographing The Milky Way

Trona Pinnacles, California, June 2017 | Canon 5D mkIV, 50mm f/1.2 L mk2

If you’re ready to get outdoors, escape the light pollution, and see the Milky Way Core with your own eyes, you might also be wondering if you have the right equipment to capture beautiful Milky Way pictures.

[Check out our complete guide to which lenses are best for Milky Way and astro-landscape photos by clicking here!]

Simply put, yes, you want to have a fast-aperture wide-angle lens. However, whether you pick a 14mm or a 24mm lens, for example, is up to you. What’s your style? If you don’t have a personal style yet, then you have some homework to do to avoid buying the “wrong” lens for your style. So, simply pick your top 10-20 favorte nightscape photos by other photographers, and look at what focal length and aperture they were captured at.

Learn More About Milky Way Photography

From our Milky Way Workshop: off-camera lighting, stacked exposures

If you’re ready to dive in and finally capture your first truly stunning images of the Milky Way and our night sky, then check out our full video workshop, Photographing The Milky Way. In this complete course series, you’ll learn everything about how to create amazing nightscape photos, from the pre-planning and equipment that are required to basic and advanced shooting techniques, and finally, the post-production of your images.

You can also watch the complete course (over 2 hours of video) and download the 3 PDF quick guides when you subscribe to SLR Lounge Premium.

Got any questions? If you have any specific locations or times in mind for your next trip and are wondering if the Milky Way will be offering a good photo opportunity, please discuss in the comment section below. Or, if you have any other questions, we’re excited to help you master a new type of photography! Good luck out there, and stay safe.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Photography Telescope

Before diving into the best astrophotography telescopes for photography, it’s important to understand what factors to consider when selecting a telescope. Here are some important factors to keep in mind:

1. Aperture size – the size of the telescope’s main lens or mirror determines how much light it can gather. A larger aperture size allows more light to enter the telescope, resulting in brighter and sharper images.
2. Focal length – the distance between the lens or mirror and the point where the image is formed. A longer focal length will result in higher magnification but a narrower field of view.
3. Mount type – there are two types of mounts: Altazimuth and Equatorial. Altazimuth mounts are easier to use, but equatorial mounts are more precise for astrophotography.

The Best Astrophotography Telescopes

Here are the best astrophotography telescopes for photographers looking to level up their nightscape images.  You may want to consider starting with a more budget friendly model and then upgrading as you reach its limitations.

Celestron NexStar 8SE – this telescope is a top-rated choice for astrophotography. Its 8-inch aperture size allows for clear and bright images, and its equatorial mount is ideal for precise tracking of celestial objects. The telescope also has a built-in camera control feature that allows for easy integration with DSLRs.

Orion SkyQuest XT10g – another popular choice for astrophotography, this telescope has a 10-inch aperture and an equatorial mount for precision tracking. It also comes with a motorized GoTo system that can locate and track celestial objects automatically.

Sky-Watcher ProED 120 – this refractor telescope has a 120mm aperture and a focal length of 900mm, making it ideal for wide-field astrophotography. Its equatorial mount and motorized GoTo system make it easy to track celestial objects accurately.

Meade Instruments LX200-ACF – this telescope has an 8-inch aperture and a long focal length, making it ideal for planetary and lunar photography. Its dual-fork mount allows for smooth and precise movement, and its built-in GPS system can automatically align the telescope.

Explore Scientific ED102 – this telescope is a great choice for both visual observation and astrophotography. It has a 102mm aperture and a focal length of 714mm, making it ideal for wide-field imaging. Its lightweight and compact design make it easy to transport.

William Optics FLT 132 Triplet APO Refractor – this high-end refractor telescope has a 132mm aperture and a focal length of 900mm, making it perfect for deep-sky astrophotography. Its apochromatic design ensures minimal color aberration, and its carbon fiber tube makes it lightweight and durable.

How to Choose an Astrophotography Telescope  Video

Mr. Forrest Tanaka has a great video that goes through a variety of topics regarding choosing the best astrophotography telescopes for you.  He includes various options that are available to you based on the different types of things that you want to shoot. If you have a spare 30 minutes check out the video below.

Telescope Accessories for Astrophotography

To get the most out of your telescope for astrophotography, there are some important accessories to consider, such as camera adapters, focal reducers, and auto-guiders. A camera adapter allows you to attach your DSLR or mirrorless camera to the telescope, while a focal reducer can reduce the focal length of the telescope, resulting in a wider  field of view. An auto-guider can help with precise tracking and minimizing errors during long exposure photography.

Tips for Astrophotography with a Telescope

We have a complete workshop on Photographing the Milky Way if you’re interested in mastering Astrophotography.  Otherwise, here are some tips to help you get the best results when using a telescope for astrophotography:

Use the right exposure settings – longer exposure times will allow more light to enter the camera, resulting in brighter images. However, longer exposure times also increase the risk of star trailing, so finding the right balance is key.

Shoot during the right conditions – clear and dark skies with minimal light pollution will produce the best results. Avoid shooting during a full moon or when there is significant cloud cover.

Use a sturdy tripod – the stability of the tripod is crucial when using a telescope for astrophotography. Even small vibrations or movements can result in blurry images.

Practice patience – astrophotography requires patience and persistence. Experiment with different settings and techniques until you achieve the desired results.

Conclusion

Choosing the best astrophotography telescope can be a challenging task, but understanding the important factors to consider can help narrow down the options. Whether you’re a professional photographer or an amateur enthusiast, there is a telescope out there to fit your needs and budget. Remember to also consider important accessories like camera adapters, focal reducers, and auto-guiders to maximize your telescope’s capabilities. With the right equipment and techniques, you can capture stunning images of the night sky that will leave you in awe.

For more information on nightscape photography, don’t forget to check out our workshop, Photographing the Milky Way.

Joshua Tree Star Trail Video

Watch our step-by-step process to creating a beautiful, long exposure Joshua Tree Star Trail Photo.

Joshua Tree Star Trail Final Photo

Here’s the photo we’ll be working to create in this tutorial.

(Click HERE to see a larger version!)

The Equipment and Settings

The Joshua Tree photo above was created with the following equipment

• Nikon D700
• Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm
• FotoPro C5i tripod
• 120 sec @ f/2.8 & ISO 3200, ~20 exposures stacked together
• Manual Exposure, Manual WB, RAW
• Aputure Pro Coworker II (wireless intervalometer)

How We Shot It

There are a few critical things to keep in mind here.  First and foremost, you have to figure out your exposure for the essentially pitch-black night sky.  Unless a half-to-full moon is shining, or you’re near some light pollution, there’s a good chance you’ll need to shoot at ISO 3200 or 6400, your aperture wide open or nearly wide open, and with a 30 second shutter speed or longer.

To get a shutter speed longer than 30 seconds most cameras will require an intervalometer; simply set your camera to “bulb” exposure and then set your shutter duration via the intervalometer.

Personally, I prefer to work with shutter speeds in the 30-120 sec. range.  The fewer image it takes to capture an hours’ worth of star trails, the fewer images you’ll have to layer in Photoshop later!

Of course it goes without saying that you’ll want to use a rock-steady tripod, and any bumping of the camera during the entire 1-2 hr sequence could ruin your star trail.

However aside from having a decent tripod, pretty much any camera and wide angle lens will do.  Don’t have an exotic f/2.8 zoom or f/1.4 prime?  Fear not, this technique doesn’t really rely on those things; though you may have to push your ISO up a stop, or opt for a slightly longer shutter speed such as 4-8 minutes.  (Google “dark frame subtraction”, if you often need exposures that are longer than 1-2 minutes!)

By the way, for tips on how to focus on the stars at night in very dark conditions, check out our article “15 minute self portrait under the stars“!

Anyways, the next critical thing is to make sure your images are captured back to back, so they look seamless when you composite them all in Photoshop.  If you wait more than 2-3 seconds between 30+ second exposures, the star trails will  begin looking like dotted lines.  So be sure to play around with your intervalometer, and make sure it is clicking images as back-to-back as possible.  Or, if you have a fast enough lens, just set your shutter speed to 30 sec, stick a small ball of tape to your shutter, and then wrap a rubber band around your camera to press the shutter down continuously.  (Watch out, Nikon users, there is a max shutter release in Continuous shutter mode, usually 99 clicks..)

You may have to swap out your batteries half way through in order to get a more extended star trail; most DSLR batteries will die after about 1-2 hrs of consecutive open-shutter image recording, regardless of the number actual images being created.  Especially if it is near or below freezing!

After all that, you should wind up with a ton of images that look like this.  Now, all we have to do is blend them together in Photoshop!

Post-Processing The Joshua Tree Star Trail Photo

Since I didn’t mention it in the video, I’ll point out that these images were all RAW frames and they were processed in Lightroom 5 using the new SLR Lounge Preset System for Lightroom 5/4.  There is a full array of presets that allow you to get the perfect “look” for landscape images with just a few clicks.  :-)

Once you get the images into Photoshop, here are the important points to remember:

• The layer blending mode you are looking for is “Lighter Color“.  There are a few other blending modes in there that work similarly well, and I do recommend toying around.
• The fastest way to do this to 25-50+ photos is to create an action in Photoshop.  Make sure that the action you record doesn’t attempt to select specific photos, but simply copies the current image, closes it, and then pastes it on the next open image. As long as you always select the main PSD image just before you select your next RAW frame, it will run smoothly. (And let the action create a layer mask and change the blending mode too, of course.)
• Unless you have a huge amount of RAM, you may want to flatten the image every now and then, close Photoshop completely, and re-open it.  This will help clear your cache when stacking dozens of large RAW photos!
• Whenever something you don’t like enters the photo, simply mask it out.  Oppositely if a lot of your foreground frames are really messed up, you can simply mask in a final image. (Set to the normal blending mode)

And there you have it!  A simple technique using almost any camera and lens, capable of accomplishing one of the most eye-catching types of photos possible!

Take care, and happy clicking,
=Matthew Saville=

PS:  For a few more tips on how to plan and execute star trail images, check out this tutorial video we posted a few months ago HERE.

Of course, you could just go out and photograph some landscapes, and then come home and drop in a gorgeous moonrise or Milky Way later in Photoshop or Luminar. If that’s your creative passion, go for it! Personally, though, I love to see things with my own eyes when I’m photographing them, whether it’s the Milky Way, a perfect moonrise at sunset, or a spectacular meteor shower.

So, my whole pursuit as an astro-landscape photographer revolves around marking my calendar for special events, planning where and how to photograph them, and then getting out in the field and taking pictures!

Our friends over at F-Stoppers have compiled a complete calendar for astronomical events that might interest you in 2021, including popular subjects such as the moon, the Milky Way, planets, and meteor showers.

Astrophotography Tips

Want to get better at astrophotography and nightscape photography? We have lots of resources available here on SLR Lounge, of course, but to get you started here are the four most important things you need to know! With these tips in your tool belt, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not you’ve bought that exotic new wide-angle lens or an expensive new full-frame body; you’ll be able to go out and start capturing beautiful astro images with the gear you’ve got!

[Related Reading: How To See Comet NEOWISE! | A Step-By-Step Astronomy Guide]

1.) Get The Sturdiest Tripod You Can Find

Every tutorial on nightscape photography starts with “use a tripod!” …which always makes us cringe to hear. Our advice? Don’t just grab whatever cheap tripod you can find; get yourself a big, heavy, “indestructible” tripod.

Why? Because that flimsy, wobbly lightweight “travel” tripod just isn’t going to treat you well. Literally all of the photos you capture will be using long shutter speeds, and it (a lightweight travel tripod) will constantly frustrate you if there is even the slightest breeze, or if your ball head isn’t up to the task of supporting a big heavy camera and lens.

So, go on eBay and pick up an old 5-lb tripod from the 90’s, or grab yourself something current like the Slik AMT 700DX, a rock-solid design that hasn’t changed in many years. Bottom line- if you’re not going to be walking too far from your home or your car, you should own at least one big, burly tripod. (Of course, if you’re going to be hiking for many miles, then we do recommend a sub-3-lb tripod such as the Slik VARI CF 704, or the Slik Pro CF-634.)

2.) Learn To Focus On The Stars

One of the most frustrating things besides a wobbly tripod is, simply not being able to nail focus on the stars. On the one hand, it’s not easy to figure out on your own, and even if you think you might be getting it right, there are a dozen different suggestions on how to best nail focus on stars.

So, what is the actual best, optimal way to nail focus on your nightscape and astrophotography images? It’s really simple: Manual focus with magnified live view, every single time. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy!

If your lens does have a focus distance scale, start by setting it to around infinity. Then, lock your camera down on your tripod while pointing it almost directly at the brightest star or planet in the sky, or city lights that might be visible on the distant horizon. Magnify your live view over that star/planet/pin-point light source. and rack focus back and forth around infinity until you’re absolutely sure you can see the subject coming in and out of focus. After racking focus back and forth 5-10 times, you should be able to precisely pin-point sharp focus. Then, without turning your camera off or bumping your focus ring, re-compose your photo to be the final composition, and shoot!

NOTE: a lot of mirrorless cameras these days use fully electronic manual focusing, and if your camera goes to sleep or is turned off, manual focus will be reset! You’ll need to re-focus every single time your camera sleeps or is turned off. This is one advantage to older manual focus lenses, and AF lenses with physical focus rings.

Some newer cameras have star focus features, which can be helpful once you learn to use them, and there are other accessories which can aid in nailing focus on stars. But as a default go-to-method, you should learn this technique first!

3.) Choosing A Good Exposure: Don’t Be Fooled, Check Your Histogram

The third major frustration that a lot of photographers face when they get home from doing their first astrophotography photo shoot is, they load the photos on their computer and discover that they’re all horribly under-exposed. How did this happen? They looked really good on the back of the camera! Well, that’s because the LCD screen on your camera is relatively bright, but if you’re stargazing then your eyeballs are spending the entire time trying to adjust to “night vision”, and the camera LCD becomes highly misleading.

The answer is simple: Check. Your. Histogram! Always check the histogram of your captured images. (On many mirrorless cameras with live histograms, they may not be accurate before you click the shot!)

You don’t necessarily want to strictly adhere to ETTR technique when choosing a “correct” exposure, by the way. Using ETTR can cause the pin-point stars in your image, which aren’t really going to show up on the histogram at all, to be washed-out, colorless white dots. So, the main “bump” of the histogram, the dark night sky itself, should be somewhere in the middle of the histogram, or 1-2 EVs away from the right (highlight) edge, depending on how much color detail you want to retain in the stars.

4.) Plan Ahead, Be Safe

It’s easy enough to know when the next new moon is for your deep-sky astrophotography, or when the next full moon is for that epic moonrise-at-sunset shot, however, you still need to plan to be safe when you’re out shooting. Do you know if it’s safe to be in that park or part of town after dark? If you’re in the wilderness, do you know what kinds of wild animals you might encounter in the middle of the night? Have you told someone back at home where you’ll be, and when they should expect you to be back?

Unfortunately, some urban/suburban areas might be prone to gear theft or car break-ins, and some wilderness areas might require you to be educated on, and prepared to handle, various other dangers from wild animals, to just slipping and falling on sketchy terrain. Be safe! No photo is worth certain risks.

[Related Reading: Surreal & Breathtaking Astro-Photos from the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year]

F-Stoppers Nightscape & Astrophotography 2021 Calendar

January

• 2-3rd: Quadrantids Meteor Shower
• 13th: First New Moon of the year, the best time of the month for observing deep-sky objects (And cold weather is good for low noise in long exposures!)
• 21st: Mars and Uranus in conjunction
• 28th: First full Moon of the year, often referred to as the full Wolf Moon

February

• 11th: New Moon
• 27th: Full Moon

March

• 13th: New Moon (Milky Way becomes visible before sunrise)
• 20th: March Equinox
• 28th: Full Moon

April

• 12th: New Moon (Great Milky Way visibility, late at night)
• 22nd, 23rd: Peak of Lyrids meteor shower
• 27th: Full Moon, First Super Moon of the year.

May

• 6th, 7th: Peak of Eta Aquarids meteor shower
• 11th: New Moon (Great Milky Way visibility, late at night)
• 26th: Full Moon, Super Moon
• 26th: Total Lunar Eclipse visible in Western North America, Eastern Asia, Japan, and Australia.
• 27th: Perihelion of Comet Pons-Winnecke

June

• 10th: New Moon (Great Milky Way visibility almost all night)
• 10th: Annular Solar Eclipse visible in Canada, Eastern Russia, and Western Greenland and a partial eclipse visible for the Northeastern United States, Europe, and Russia
• 21st: June Solstice
• 24th: Full Moon, last Super Moon of the year

July

• The peak of Milky Way galactic core visibility
• 7th: Conjunction of Venus and Mars
• 10th: New Moon (Great Milky Way visibility)
• 24th: Full Moon
• 28th, 29th: Peak of Delta Aquarids meteor shower

August

• 8th: New Moon (The Milky Way will be visible after sunset)
• 12th, 13th: Peak of Perseids meteor shower (Could be optimal due to proximity to new moon!)
• 19th: Jupiter at Opposition
• 22nd: Full Moon, Blue Moon

September

• 7th: New Moon (The Milky Way will still be visible after sunset)
• 14th: Neptune at opposition
• 20th: Full Moon
• 22nd: September Equinox
• 27th: Perihelion of Comet d’Arrest

October

• 6th: New Moon (The Milky Way will barely be visible just after sunset)
• 7th: Peak of Draconids meteor shower
• 20th: Full Moon
• 21st, 22nd: Peak of Orionids meteor shower

November

• 2nd: Perihelion of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko
• 4th: New Moon
• 4th, 5th: Peak of Taurids meteor shower
• 5th: Uranus at Opposition
• 17th, 18t: Peak of Leonids meteor shower
• 19th: Full Moon
• 19th: Partial lunar eclipse visible in North America, Japan, Eastern Russia, and Western South America

December

• 4th: New Moon
• 4th: Total solar eclipse visible in Antarctica and Southern Atlantic Ocean, with a partial eclipse visible in Southern Africa.
• 13th, 14th: Peak of Geminids meteor shower
• 19th: Full Moon
• 21st: December Solstice
• 21st, 22nd: Peak of Ursids meteor shower

Now in its twelfth year, the competition received over 5,000 entries from six continents. The best of these exceptional photographs – winners, runners-up, highly commended and shortlisted – are showcased in the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, opening to the public from 23 October 2020.

Images were submitted for one of 9 categories—including Galaxies, Aurorae, Our Moon, People and Space, and Young Photographer of the Year, among others—and a total of 11 images were honoured. There are 9 category winners, one overall winner selected from the categories, and two special prices for “best newcomer” and “imaging innovation.”

The overall winner will receive £10,000. Winners of all other categories and the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year will receive £1,500. There are also prizes for runners-up (£500) and highly commended (£250) entries. The Special Prize winners will receive £750. All of the winning entries will receive a one-year subscription to BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

Full details of 2020’s winners:

Galaxies

• Nicolas Lefaudeux (France) with Andromeda Galaxy at Arm’s Length? (Winner and Overall Winner)
• Mark Hanson (USA) with NGC 3628 with 300,000 Light Year Long Tail (Runner-Up)
• Juan-Carlos Munoz-Mateos (Spain) with Attack on the Large Magellanic Cloud (Highly Commended)

Aurorae

• Nicholas Roemmelt (Germany) with The Green Lady (Winner)
• Tom Archer (UK) with Lone Tree under a Scandinavian Aurora (Runner-Up)
• Kristina Makeeva (Russia) with Iceland (Highly Commended)

Our Moon

• Alain Paillou (France) with Tycho Crater Region with Colours (Winner)
• Ethan Roberts (UK) with HDR Partial Lunar Eclipse with Clouds (Runner-Up)
• Daniel Koszela (Poland) with Moon Base (Highly Commended)

Our Sun

• Alexandra Hart (UK) with Liquid Sunshine (Winner)
• Filip Ogorzelski Poland) with 145 Seconds of Darkness (Runner-Up)
• Alan Friedman (USA) with Ultraviolet (Highly Commended)

People and Space

• Rafael Schmall (Hungary) with The Prison of Technology (Winner)
• Tian Li (China) with Observe the Heart of the Galaxy (Runner-Up)
• Yang Sutie (China) with AZURE Vapor Tracers (Highly Commended)

Planets, Comets and Asteroids

• Łukasz Sujka (Poland) with Space Between Us… (Winner)
• Martin Lewis (UK) with In the Outer Reaches (Runner-Up)
• Robert Stephens (USA) with The Ghost of Alnilam and a Near Earth Asteroid (Highly Commended)

Skyscapes

• Thomas Kast (Germany) with Painting the Sky (Winner)
• Stefan Liebermann (Germany) with Desert Magic (Runner- Up)
• Weijian Chen (China) with Voice of the Universe (Highly Commended)

Stars and Nebulae

• Peter Ward (Australia) with Cosmic Inferno (Winner)
• Connor Matherne (USA) with The Dolphin Jumping out of an Ocean of Gas (Runner-Up)
• Min Xie (USA) with The Misty Elephant’s Trunk (Highly Commended)

Young Category

• Alice Fock Hang (Réunion –  aged 10) with The Four Planets and the Moon (Winner)
• Thea Hutchinson (UK –  aged 13) with Detached Prominences (Runner-Up)
• Logan Nicholson (Australia –  aged 15) with The Carina Region (Highly Commended)
• Xiuquan Zhang (China –  aged 12) with Light Bridge in the Sky (Highly Commended)
• Winslow Barnwood (USA – aged 15) with Collision Course! (Highly Commended)

Special Prize: The Sir Patrick Moore prize for Best Newcomer

• Bence Toth (Hungary) with Waves (Winner)

Special Prize: Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation

• Julie F Hill (UK) with Dark River (Winner)

Let’s have a look at all the winning images below;

GALAXIES:

Andromeda Galaxy at Arm’s Length? © Nicolas Lefaudeux (France) – WINNER AND OVERALL WINNER

Have you ever dreamt of touching a galaxy? This version of the Andromeda Galaxy seems to be at arm’s length among clouds of stars. Unfortunately, this is just an illusion, as the galaxy is still 2 million light-years away. In order to obtain the tilt-shift effect, the photographer 3D-printed a part to hold the camera at an angle at the focus of the telescope. The blur created by the defocus at the edges of the sensor gives this illusion of closeness to Andromeda.

Sky-Watcher Black Diamond 100 mm apochromatic refractor telescope at f/9, iOptron iEQ30 mount, Sony ILCE-7S camera (modified), ISO 2000, 2 hours 30 minutes total exposure

NGC 3628 with 300,000 Light Year Long Tail © Mark Hanson (USA) - RUNNER-UP NGC 3628 is a popular galaxy target for both astrophotographers and visual observers with its distinctive dust lane. Studies by professional astronomers have shown that the evolution of some galaxies are the product of a series of minor merges with smaller dwarf galaxies. This image is an epic undertaking of five years of exposures taken with three different telescopes, although the majority of the exposure was in 2019. The goal of this ambitious mosaic is to show the tidal tail, measuring 300,000 light years in length, with enough depth combined with a wide field of view to show it in its entirety. Planewave 17, Planewave 24 and RCOS 14.5 telescopes at f/6.8, Planewave H200 and Paramount ME mounts, SBIG 16803 camera, L-RGB composite, 54 hours total exposure

Attack on the Large Magellanic Cloud © Juan-Carlos Munoz-Mateos (Spain) - HIGHLY COMMENDED Despite what the title might imply, this image has nothing to do with space warfare. It shows four lasers of one of the telescopes at Paranal Observatory pointing towards a globular cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The lasers excite sodium atoms located in a layer about 80–90 km above the ground. This creates four artificial ‘stars’ that are then used to monitor and correct the atmospheric turbulence, delivering very sharp images. These artificial stars can be seen in this image at the very ends of the laser beams. Canon 6D camera, 100 mm f/4.5 lens, ISO 6400, 15 x 10-second exposures

AURORAE:

The Green Lady © Nicholas Roemmelt (Germany) – WINNER

The photographer had heard a lot of stories about the ‘lady in green’. Although he has had the chance to photograph the Northern Lights many times, he had never seen the ‘green lady’ before. On a journey to Norway, she unexpectedly appeared with her magical green clothes making the whole sky burn with green, blue and pink colours.

Canon EOS R camera, 14 mm f/1.8 lens, ISO 6400, 4 x 1.6-second exposures

Lone Tree under a Scandinavian Aurora © Tom Archer (UK) - RUNNER-UP The photographer decided to explore on foot around the hotel on a very crisp -35°C evening in Finnish Lapland. When he found this tree, he decided to wait for the misty conditions to change and could not believe his luck when the sky cleared and the aurora came out in the perfect spot. The photographer spent about an hour photographing it before his camera started to lock up due to the conditions, but by then he was happy to call it a night. Nikon D850 camera, 15 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 1000, 13-second exposure

Iceland © Kristina Makeeva (Russia) - HIGHLY COMMENDED Winters in Iceland require some training in terms of wind protection equipment. Iceland is a country with very strong winds, so a stable tripod is required to shoot the aurora. Many astrophotographers wait in a certain place for several hours to capture the Aurora Borealis. The photographer was lucky in this instance as she waited near Diamond Beach where the reflection of the aurora on the ice was beautiful. Sony a7R III camera, 14 mm f/2.8 lens Sky: ISO 1000, 1-second exposure Foreground: ISO 2500, 2.5-second exposure

OUR MOON:

Tycho Crater Region with Colours © Alain Paillou (France) – WINNER

The Tycho crater is one of the most famous craters on the Moon. This huge impact has left very impressive scars on the Moon’s surface. With the colours of the soils, Tycho is even more impressive. This picture combines one session with a black-and-white camera, to capture the details and sharpness, and one session with a colour camera, to capture the colours of the soils. These colours come mainly from metallic oxides in small balls of glass and can give useful information about the Moon’s geology and history. The blue shows a high titanium oxide concentration and the red shows high iron oxide concentration. This picture reveals the incredible beauty and complexity of our natural satellite.

Ceslestron C9.25 telescope at f/10 and f/6.3, Orion Sirius EQ-G mount, ZWO ASI178MM and ASI178MC cameras, multiple 15-millisecond exposures

Moon Base © Daniel Koszela (Poland) - HIGHLY COMMENDED This photo shows the Full Moon over the highest peak of the Krkonoše Mountains, Śnieżka at 1602 metres. The single frame image was taken in December 2019, shortly after sunset, two kilometres from the summit. The weather was perfect with few clouds and no wind. The building on the left is a meteorological observatory and on the right you can see the chapel of St. Lawrence. Nikon D610 camera, 600 mm f/14 lens, ISO 50, 1/8-second exposure

HDR Partial Lunar Eclipse with Clouds © Ethan Roberts (UK) - RUNNER-UP During the 2019 partial lunar eclipse, the photographer managed to capture this fantastic image of the Moon while a small cloud passed in front of it. You can see the Earth's shadow on the top right and its striking orange colour caused by the Sun’s light passing through the atmosphere. This is a high dynamic range image, meaning both the darker, shadowed region is correctly exposed as well as the much brighter parts of the Moon. This processing technique also allows the clouds to be seen more clearly, giving the Moon a similar appearance to that of a solar corona. Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ5 SynScan mount, Canon EOS 100D camera, 600 mm f/7 lens, ISO 800, composite of 5-second, 1-second, 1/10-second and 1/30-second exposures

OUR SUN:

Liquid Sunshine © Alexandra Hart (UK) – WINNER

Solar minimum may be seen as a quiet Sun and deemed dull in white light, but if you look closely at the small-scale structure, the surface is alive with motion. This surface is about 100 kilometres thick and the ever-boiling motion of these convection cells circulate, lasting for around 15 to 20 minutes. They are around 1,000 kilometres in size and create a beautiful ‘crazy paving’ structure for us to enjoy.

Celestron C11 XLT Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at f/50, Baader Solar Continuum Filter with ND3.8 AstroSolar Film, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount, ZWO-ASI174MM camera, 8.431-millisecond exposure

Ultraviolet © Alan Friedman (USA) - HIGHLY COMMENDED Here is a portrait of the Sun captured through a specialized solar telescope that transmits light at the calcium K-line – a narrow slice of the spectrum in the near UV. This wavelength shows the details of the low chromosphere – a crackling texture, here undisturbed by active regions or sunspots. This tranquillity is the signature of solar minimum. In 2019 the Sun showed no sunspots on 281 days. Coronado 90 mm CaK telescope at 800mm focal length, Astro-Physics 1200 mount, FLIR Grasshopper 6 Megapizel monochrome streaming camera, 1/1000-second exposure

145 Seconds of Darkness © Filip Ogorzeski (Poland) - RUNNER-UP This image was captured during the total solar eclipse seen on 2 July 2019. The photographer travelled 13,000 kilometres from Poland to Chile to see the total solar eclipse. His plan was to create the most minimalist picture of this breath-taking event and capture the brief moment when nature freezes; the birds fly to their nests and the temperature drops during 145 seconds of darkness. Fujifilm X-T2 camera, Carl Zeiss Touit Planar 32 mm f/1.8 lens at f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/90-second exposure

PEOPLE AND SPACE:

The Prison of Technology © Rafael Schmall (Hungary) – WINNER

The star in the centre of the image is the Albireo double star, surrounded by the trails of moving satellites. How many more might there be by the time we reach next year’s competition? There could be thousands of moving dots in the sky. In order to create astrophotos, photographers have to carefully plan where to place the telescope, and this will be more difficult in the future with more satellites in the way.

Sky-Watcher Quattro 200/800 astrograph telescope (modified) at f/4, Sky-Watcher EQ6-Pro GOTO mount, Canon EOS 6D camera, ISO 1600, 5 x 150-second exposures

AZURE Vapor Tracers © Yang Sutie (China) - HIGHLY COMMENDED At the top of fjords in Arctic Norway, the photographer was met with an unknown sky. Was it aliens? Was it the supernatural? He captured a series of photos to record the night and didn’t know until the next day that the colours were actually created by the ‘Auroral Zone Upwelling Rocket Experiment (AZURE)’ from Andøya Space Centre which dispersed gas tracers to probe winds in Earth’s upper atmosphere. Nikon D850 camera, 14 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 6-second exposure

Observe the Heart of the Galaxy © Tian Li (China) - RUNNER-UP This image depicts the photographer climbing the radio telescope and Mingantu solar radio telescope array. First the photographer tested and moved his camera so that the M8 and M20 nebulae would appear right next to the telescope. After taking the foreground image, he moved his camera a little bit but still pointing at the same location in the sky, and captured the background with an equatorial mount. Sigma 135 mm telescope at f/1.8, Sky-Watcher Adventurer mount, Canon EOS 6D camera (modified), 135 mm f/1.8 lens, ISO 1600 Sky: 15 x 30-second exposures Foreground: 30-second exposure

PLANETS, COMETS AND ASTEROIDS:

Space Between US… © Łukasz Sujka (Poland) – WINNER

This image shows the really close alignment of the Moon and Jupiter that happened on 31 October 2019. In the full resolution picture, you’ll see that there are three of Jupiter’s moons also visible. This small project is a big challenge that involves a lot of luck and good seeing conditions. To capture this phenomenon in such a big scale was quite demanding in data acquisition as Jupiter and the Moon travelled across the sky quite fast. It happened in altitude only 9 degrees above the horizon. I wanted to show the huge emptiness and the size of space, which is why there is a lot of ‘nothing’ between the two major parts of the image.

Sky-Watcher Newtonian 10″ telescope at f/4.8, Baader MPCC Coma Corrector filter, Sky Watcher NEQ-6 mount, ZWO ASI178 MM-C camera, 300 x 10-millisecond exposures per channel

The Ghost of Alnilam and a Near Earth Asteroid © Robert Stephens (USA) - HIGHLY COMMENDED Sometimes, what appears to be a disaster in astronomical imaging actually becomes a nice composition. The photographer’s telescopes normally observe and study near-Earth asteroids. While following the asteroid (11405) 1999 CV3, he was surprised to see an extremely bright star. It was the 1.8 magnitude Alnilam, the middle star in the Belt of Orion. It cast internal reflections throughout the telescope, but fortunately they avoided the asteroid crossing the centre of the field of view. This near-Earth asteroid was approximately 78 million miles away at the time. Alnilam is about 2,000 light years away, meaning the light we are seeing now left the star in biblical times. The light that left the asteroid was about eight minutes old. Meade 16” Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at f/10, Mathis Instruments MI-5000 mount, FLI 1001E CCD camera, 14 x 300-second exposures

The Outer Reaches © Martin Lewis (UK) - RUNNER-UP On 3 December 2019, the cloud cleared around mid-evening to reveal exceptionally steady skies over the photographer’s home in the UK. Making the most of the conditions, he turned his telescope to the distant planet Uranus and started gathering video frames using an infrared filter to bring out cloud details on this otherwise visually bland planet. To get the best images, a photographer must average the best of many short exposures. For an object as faint as Uranus, this means the individual frames are very noisy. That night, even through these noisy preview frames, the lighter polar region could be easily seen – a most exceptional situation and a testament to the steady skies that night. Home-built 444 mm Dobsonian Newtonian reflector telescope at f/12.1, Astronomik 610 nm filter, Home-built Equatorial tracking platform mount, ZWO ASI290MM camera Uranus: 13,500 x 8.6-millisecond exposures Moons: 1,170 x 100-millisecond exposures

SKYSCAPES:

Painting the Sky © Thomas Kast (Germany) – WINNER

The photographer was searching for clear skies in Finnish Lapland to capture the beauty of a polar night and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw what was waiting behind the clouds. Polar stratospheric clouds are something the photographer has been searching for many years and had seen only in photographs until that day. He took his camera onto a frozen river to get a good view and started to take photos. The clouds slowly changed their shape and colours. It was like watching someone painting, especially when the Sun was lower – it started to get a darker orange and the pink shades became stronger.

Nikon D850 camera, 120 mm f/16 lens, ISO 64, 1/40-second exposure

Voice of the Universe © Weijian Chen (China) - HIGHLY COMMENDED This is the aerial radar tower on the edge of the city of Taiyuan. Looking up from the middle of the mountain, it is more like a launch tower that communicates with extra-terrestrial civilizations. Between the mountains there is no sound. Facing the east, we can see the stars shining. It is here we seem to hear the voice of the Universe. Canon EOS 6D (modified), Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount, 100 mm f/4 lens, ISO 1600, Sky: 90-second exposure, Foreground: 100-second exposure

Desert Magic © Stefan Leibermann (Germany) - RUNNER-UP The photographer took this image during a trip through Jordan. He stayed for three days in the desert at Wadi Rum. During the night, the photographer tried to capture the amazing starry sky over the desert. He used a star tracker device to capture the sky. The photographer found this red dune as a foreground and captured the imposing Milky Way centre in the sky. Sony ILCE 7M3 camera Sky: 24 mm f/2.4 lens, ISO 1000, 272-second exposure Foreground: 24 mm f/8 lens, ISO 800, 20-second exposure

STARS AND NEBULAE:

Cosmic Inferno © Peter Ward (Australia) – WINNER

NGC 3576 is a well-known nebula in southern skies, but is shown here without any stars. Software reveals just the nebula, which has been mapped into a false colour palette. The scene takes on the look of a celestial fire-maelstrom. The image is intended to reflect media images taken in Australia during 2019 and 2020, where massive bushfires caused the destruction of native forests and have claimed over 12 million acres of land. It shows nature can act on vast scales and serves as a stark warning that our planet needs nurturing.

Alluna Optics RC-16 telescope at f/8, 5 nm Ha filter, Paramount ME II mount, SBIG STX-16803 camera, 32 x 10-minute exposures

The Misty Elephant's Trunk © Min Xie (USA) - HIGHLY COMMENDED The photographer imaged IC 1396, otherwise known as the Elephant’s Trunk, in the Hubble palette from my light-polluted backyard in Coppell, Texas. This image presents the Elephant’s Trunk surrounded by the emission clouds with a misty feeling and an emphasized blue doubly ionized oxygen area as the background. It really gives the feeling of the trunk emerging from the distance. Takahashi FSQ-85 EDP telescope at f/5.35, Astrodon 3 nm filters, Astro-Physics Mach1GTO CP3 mount, ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro camera, RGB-Ha-SII-OIII composite, 46.6 hours total exposure

The Dolphin Jumping out of an Ocean of Gas © Connor Matherne (USA) - RUNNER-UP This target is officially known as Sh2-308, but the photographer has always enjoyed calling it the Dolphin Nebula. It is a bubble of gas being shed by the bright blue star in the centre of the image as it enters its pre-supernova phase. The red star to the right could possibly be influencing the shape too and might be responsible for the bill of the dolphin. While it won’t explode in our lifetimes, seeing the warning signs are quite neat. It never hurts to say that the warning signs are the most beautiful part of this particular target! Takahashi TOA-150B telescope at f/7.3, Astro-Physics 1600 mount, FLI ML16200 camera, RGB-Ha-OIII composite, 33 hours total exposure

YOUNG COMPETITION:

The Four Planets and the Moon © Alice Fock Hang (Reunion), aged 11 – WINNER

Photographing a planetary alignment requires rigor and patience but also a lot of luck. That evening, despite preparing everything for a week, the photographer encountered clouds. The magic started after sunset, where the moonset, Venus, Mercury, the star Antares, Jupiter and Saturn could be seen over the Indian Ocean. By looking at the sky map, The photographer could see that Pluto was there also above Saturn but invisible in my image. Note also the presence of Alpha Centuari on the left of the image as well as our immense galaxy, the Milky Way.

Nikon D610 camera, 35 mm f/3.2 lens, ISO 3200, 18 x 13-second exposures

Collision Course! © Winslow Barnford (USA), aged 15 - HIGHLY COMMENDED This is an image of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) as well as two smaller galaxies (Messier 32 and Messier 110). The photographer started collecting data on this target in Sequoia National Park, on a dark-sky trip, however due to technical failures he had to finish the image from his roof, under much heavier light pollution. Meade Series 6000 70 mm f/5 APO Astrograph Quadruplet refractor telescope at f/5, Orion Atlas Pro mount, Nikon D5300 camera, ISO 400-1600, 3 hour total exposure

Detached Prominences © Thea Hutchinson (UK), aged 13 - RUNNER-UP This is the Sun imaged from London in September 2019. This is a composite of two images, one exposed for the solar prominences and the other for the solar disc. The solar disc image was inverted, converted to false colour and blended with the prominence in Photoshop as a dark layer. This was the first time the photographer used this technique. Lunt LS60THa telescope, Ha filtered solar scope, Celestron CGE Pro mount, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 500 mm with 2.5x Powermate (1250) f/8.3 with 2.5 x Televue Powermate (20.75) lens, Prominence: 750 x 26.7-millisecond exposures, Solar disk: 750 x 1.764-millisecond exposures

The Carina Region © Logan Nicholson (Australia), aged 15 - HIGHLY COMMENDED This is an image of the Carina constellation, home to one of the biggest and brightest nebulae in the sky, the Eta Carina Nebula, seen in the top right. The photographer decided to heavily push the red in this image, which reveals the spectacular hydrogen-alpha detail. Also visible in the bottom left is the Statue of Liberty Nebula, plus many dark nebulae. It is a very dense region of sky! The photographer also included H-alpha taken through a filter to really make the faint nebulae shine. ZWO ASI1600MM-Cool camera, Samyang/Rokinon 135 mm f/2 lens at f/2, ZWO filters, Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi mount, RGB-Ha composite, 5 hours total exposure

Light Bridge in the Sky © Xiuquan Zhang (China), aged 12 - HIGHLY COMMENDED The photographer visited Iceland with his mother in 2019. The sky there is wonderful every night. The photographer had never seen such a scene before! The aurora is magical, as you can see in this photo. Canon 5D Mark IV camera, 14 mm f/2 lens, ISO 10000, 2.5-second exposure

SIR PATRICK MOORE PRIZE FOR BEST NEWCOMER:

Waves © Bence Toth (Hungary) – WINNER

The image shows the central region of the California Nebula (NGC 1499). It tries to show the uncontrollable vast energy of nature, in a form which resembles the huge waves of a storm in the ocean. The RGB channels are used the create the colours of the stars, and all of the nebulosity are synthetized from the hydrogen-alpha and the SII channels. The colour assignment of the narrowband channels is done in a way to create an image close to true colour, but preserving the fine details and the depth provided by the narrowband filters.

Sky-Watcher Quattro 200P telescope at f/4, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount, ZWO ASI1600MM Pro camera, RGB-Ha-SII composite, 7 hours 50 minutes total exposure

ANNIE MAUNDER PRIZE FOR IMAGE INNOVATION:

Dark River © Julie F Hill (UK) – WINNER

Dark River is a sculptural work that maps, or mirrors, the Milky Way celestial entity using one of the largest images ever made of its central areas. Referencing Elizabeth Kesseler’s notion of the astronomical sublime, as well as Gaston Bachelard’s idea of ‘intimate immensity’, this gigapixel image of the Milky Way, showing around 84 million stars, is reworked into a sculptural ‘affective space’ that affords a bodily and imaginative engagement with the viewer. The image was obtained with the VISTA survey telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile and contains nearly nine billion pixels. This was an incredibly large file to work so the artist had to cut it down into manageable pieces to then print. She made 2.2 x 1 metre sections, which she then laboriously printed and glued together by hand to create a 9 x 5 metre sheet when flat. The image was digitally printed at 300dpi using archival pigment inks, onto a Japanese paper which is lightweight yet robust. In creating this piece, the artist was emulating the mosaic process used by astronomers when processing and compositing data. The artist retained the naturalistic colours the astronomers used to colour the image, which makes the celestial more earthly and relatable. The full-sized print is sculpted to adapt to the space in which it’s displayed.

VISTA Survey Telescope, Infrared J 1.25 μm, Infrared H 1.65 μm, Infrared 2.15 μm channels, ESO/VVV Survey/D. Minniti Acknowledgement: Ignacio Toledo, Martin Kornmesser

To learn more about the contest, see all of the winners, or find out more about this year’s exhibition, visit the Royal Observatory websites here.

When it comes to celestial activity, there is little that compares to the Aurora Borealis. This natural phenomenon must rank as the greatest light show available from Earth and capturing the spectacle is high on every photographers “must do” list. This year, as the sun moves through its eleven year solar cycle, the activity that creates the Aurora Borealis is expected to culminate in a stunning series of displays, making 2013 the ideal year to view – and photograph – this wonder of nature.

However, this presents us with some problems to be solved; a range of practical, technical and aesthetic considerations to be addressed.

The first of these is presented by the subject matter itself. What we call The Aurora Borealis materialises when highly charged electrons from the Sun interact with the Earth’s atmosphere; some 300 plus miles above the surface of the Earth in the upper atmosphere. Consequently, atmospheric conditions will affect not only what we will see on any given occasion but also what we will be able to photograph therefore choosing the most appropriate time of year is crucial. Additionally, as no two events will ever be the same, it is almost impossible to predict the technical requirements and specifications of the task. Research is critical to the success of any expedition to photograph the Northern Lights.

Secondly, the best locations for viewing The Aurora Borealis are located a mere whisker below the Arctic Circle, an area noted for its inhospitable climate. The severe temperature can adversely affect both man and machine equally and care must be taken to plan, prepare and practise; you need to get to know your equipment and be familiar with your capability in advance. Handling a lens change on your Leica in a temperate climate is completely different from juggling with f stops and shutter speeds in a howling gale while wearing gloves.

Thirdly, any competent photographer will be aware of the technical difficulties presented by vivid, colourful bursts of light when set against a contrasting, predominantly dark sky. The procedural considerations, range of options available and personal choices on offer have the potential to provide the unwary photographer with an unholy mix of dilemmas; getting the balance between the aesthetic, the technical and the acceptable is crucial to a successful shoot.

With these considerations in mind, let us begin to prepare for our photographic expedition to the Arctic Circle.

Where should I go?

Essentially, the Aurorae are drawn to the Earth’s magnetic poles. Consequently, we have The Aurora Borealis which is located in the Arctic Circle and The Aurora Australis which can be found in the Antarctic Circle; literally poles apart.

Ideally, photographers should head for countries within the Northern Lights zone, which is limited to latitudes between 65 to 72 degrees, but this is not essential. The following sites have been identified as capable of providing favourable vantage points from which to photograph the Aurora Borealis:

• Tromso in Norway
• Abisko in Swedish Lapland
• Luosto in Northern Finland
• Reykjavik in Iceland
• The Yukon Territory in Alaska
• Calgary in Canada
• Most of Greenlan
• Aberdeen in Scotland
• Siberia in Russia

Once in situ, photographers should identify locations where skies are expected to be clear, cloudless, cold and crisp – and as far from sources of light pollution as possible. To achieve this, aim to position yourself and your camera to shoot between the northwest and southeast sky with any towns, cities or other sources of light pollution to the south; solar activity will mainly be confined to the north and southern sky.

When should I go to photograph the Northern Lights?

There exists a direct correlation between solar storms on the surface of the Sun and Aurora activity. Therefore, knowing when these storms occur will help determine the most likely periods during which to view the most active displays.

According to statistics gathered by spaceweather.com, solar particles collide with atmospheric gases to create vast swathes of multi-coloured curtains from approximately late November to early March. Statistically, March is identified as the most geo-magnetically active month of the year with October following close behind.

What do I wear so I don’t freeze?

It is highly likely that you will experience arctic weather conditions during your photo shoot – given the prime geographic locations for viewing the Aurora Borealis – and you would be well advised to prepare accordingly. Unless you plan to visit during the more temperate months of September or April, your visit will coincide with the local winter and temperatures could fall to below – 40 C without the wind chill factored in and your clothing and equipment should reflect this. Consequently your basic clothing from the inside out should include:

1. Effective base layer provision including woollen insoles and first layer clothing made from fleece or Merino wool; this would include a thermal vest and leggings
2. Winter boots that allow space for air to circulate and thus provide insulation; these should be waterproofed and lined with a thick sole to insulate your feet against the frozen ground
3. Glove liners which will fit comfortably inside your outer mittens
4. Insulated, thermal over-trousers or heavy duty salopettes that will fit comfortably over your base layer clothing
5. A down- filled parka; preferably one with a high “fill power” value (this refers to the volume of fill in cubic inches; the higher the value, the greater the fill and therefore, the more insulation provided) that has:
   • Fleece linings at the cuffs and neck to prevent rising heat from escaping from your core
   • Storm sealing or inbuilt storm flaps for use in severe weather conditions such as sleet or hail
   • Hoods with extra padding to prevent heat loss from the head
   • Zipped hand warmer pockets for comfort
   • Toggles and/or elasticated fasteners at the neck and cuffs to seal in heat
6. A number of chemically activated hand warmers; these can also be dropped into your boots if conditions are particularly bad
   When photographing in severe weather conditions, it is always wise to have too much gear rather than too little. Excess clothing can always be removed but it can be difficult to source additional clothing in these remote areas. Remember that capturing that perfect image of the Northern Lights is likely to be a waiting game and may require you to stand around for some considerable time. Glove liners (often made from silk) will enable you to prepare your camera without worrying about the risk of frostbite; numb fingers may defeat the purpose of the exercise.
   Check the local weather conditions online before you travel and remember to find out what the lowest night time temperature is likely to be – this is when you will be out watching the sky.
   Patience is a difficult virtue to attain when you are cold.

What equipment do I take?

This is a difficult question to answer because there is simply no single, correct response. What is required is a balance between the equipment you have available to you, the weight and/or space your travel arrangements will allow you and what you can realistically expect to achieve during your shoot. What follows is some advice which you should temper with your own research:

Which camera?

In truth, your choice of camera is less important than your choice of lens. Most medium range DSLRs will be capable of capturing effective images of the Northern Lights and therefore, you should keep to what you know and are comfortable with in terms of your choice of camera.

Which lens?

When you consider the practicalities of the task, photographing the Aurora Borealis will present you with some basic problems. You will be attempting to photograph lights which are transitory bursts of illumination – this suggests you will require a relatively fast shutter speed to achieve a degree of clarity and definition. However, it is likely that you will be photographing at night and this will necessitate maximizing the amount of available light entering the camera – implying protracted exposure times and wide apertures. The key to success will depend on your achieving the most appropriate degree of balance between the two and this means doing your homework.

Whichever lens you choose, it will have to have a fast maximum aperture to enable you to capture the subtle lights of the Aurora; a “fast lens” is one which will allow the most light into the camera. Ideally, you should use a lens capable of delivering an aperture of f1.4 or f2.8 to help reduce the amount of time the shutter will be open. This will help achieve the ideal balance between higher shutter speed and lower aperture number and thus reduce the chances of camera shake.

Any lens with an aperture smaller than f2.8 (that is, with a higher f-number) will result in slow shutter speeds which are normally unsuitable for the photographing of most Aurora displays.
If possible, choose a prime lens as opposed to a zoom lens as this is more likely to give you access to an acceptable range of aperture settings. The following lenses are recommended:

• 50mm f1.8 or f1.4 lens: useful for isolating parts of the Aurora with the added bonus of making any stars appear more prominent within the image
• 35mm f2.0 or 1.4 lens: a fast lens which should capture most of the Aurora
• 20mm f2.8, 2.0, or f1.4 lens: potentially useful for larger displays that require an even larger field of view than the 24mm lens
• 14mm f2.8 lens: essentially a specialty lens that may produce dramatic effects such as circular distortions and the tilting of vertical objects when the camera is angled towards the sky
• 24mm f2.8, f2.0, or f1.4 lens: this is the idea lens for photographing Aurora; it has a wide angle of view, and allows for longer exposure times before star trails appear.
• The assumption here is that you want to capture bright, clear, static images of stars within your Aurora photographs. This can be achieved by preventing the appearance of movement caused by “star trails”. These result from the rotation of the Earth during exposure, that is, while the camera shutter is open. These can be avoided by employing a simple formula:
• Take the number 600 and divide it by the focal length of your lens ( for example, 14mm, 20mm or 24mm)
• This calculation will give you an exposure time in seconds (for example, 42.85, 30 or 25 seconds if we consider the lenses above)
• These numbers represent the maximum exposure time available to you before star trails start to appear in your images
• What is obvious from these calculations is that your exposure times will be significantly longer than those that can be accommodated with a handheld camera and therefore, you will need a sturdy tripod.

Which tripod?

No matter how fast your lens is, you will still require a tripod to ensure that you achieve the degree of stability your camera needs to secure images of the Aurora. If possible, add a cable release to your equipment list too; you do not want to risk camera wobble when releasing the shutter. A cable release will not only help prevent camera shake but will enable exposures in excess of 30 seconds; indeed some wireless remotes only offer exposure options of 30 seconds, so make sure to check the version you have if you plan on using a wireless remote.

Do not be tempted to leave your tripod behind to reduce the weight of your baggage; this is false economy as a tripod is essential for Aurora Borealis photography. Remember to think practically:

• Your tripod ball head will be pointing towards the sky, therefore the taller the tripod, the less likely you are to have to squat beneath your camera view finder
• The addition of foam pads to the tripod legs will stop your hands being exposed to bare metal in potentially freezing conditions; this will make the tripod more comfortable during handling
• A ball head tripod is preferable to a tilt and pan head as it offers greater freedom of movement

Which ISO Setting To Use For the Best Northern Lights Photos

When photographing Aurora, it is essential that you use a camera that has high ISO capability. This term refers to your DSLR’s sensitivity to light; to how much light the image sensor will allow to appear on the final image. Basically, you should be aware that the higher the ISO number; the more sensitive the camera. With an analogue camera, this issue is determined by the film speed; a film with an ASA rating of 200 is slower – and therefore more appropriate to situations where available light is abundant – than a film with an ASA rating of 800 which is more suited to low light conditions.

When photographing the Aurora with a DSLR, you are advised to use an ISO setting of at least 400 but more probably 800 or 1,000 to ensure the best results if you are photographing at night. Of course, as with most aspects of photography, there are other considerations involved with your choice of ISO setting:

How to Get Maximum Image Quality

Although DSLRs with a higher ISO capability are more effective for photo shoots in low-light areas, this may result in a reduction in image quality.

For a higher quality image a lower ISO setting is required. Higher ISO settings can result in what is referred to as “noise” in your photograph. Noise manifests itself as a grainy texture in photographs and is caused by inaccurate colour reproduction, energy generated by the camera’s sensor, long exposures or … high ISO settings.

Fortunately, most contemporary digital cameras possess effective, in-camera noise reduction and you should set your camera to enable the following options:

• If you choose to capture your images as JPG files, enable the Long Exposure and High ISO Noise Reduction functions
• If you have elected to shoot in RAW format, employ the Long Exposure Noise Reduction function

Remember choosing to use a JPG file will compress the image whereas the RAW format will not. Compression followed by enlargement can result in distortion – and more noise, when you display your images. My advice would be to shoot in RAW format as it allows greater freedom post- production.

If you have a DSLR that does not have these functions, refer to the camera’s manual as this should help you to identify any equivalent functions.

Which Camera Mode Should I Use?

Your choice of a fast lens should enable you to shoot the Aurora in Aperture Priority mode (AP); this will allow you to compensate for any variation in intensity during the display. Alternatively, you may opt to use Bulb (B) or Manual (M).

• • If you are using AP, set your camera to the widest aperture available to you, in other words, the smallest f number to allow for the greatest amount of available light to reach the sensor
  • If you find that the required exposure setting is greater than that allowed by your camera, you should opt for B mode, secure your tripod and attach the cable release
  • If possible, try a couple of tests shots and don’t forget to use the histogram on your camera; this is an invaluable tool which will help you choose the most appropriate mode

When should I shoot the Aurora?

This is a difficult question to answer definitively as any response will be purely subjective. However, the following represents a summary of the information available:

• Be prepared to spend most of the night waiting for that perfect shot
• Different types of display tend to happen as part of a recognizable pattern across the course of a night’s viewing
• The optimum time frame is recognized by Aurora experts as occurring between 10pm and 3am
• Don’t be tempted to use a location that you haven’t visited and explored thoroughly during daylight hours; this is neither safe nor productive.

How to be prepared for the Northern Lights

• Always use a headlamp; this allows you to have your hands free when operating equipment and lets other photographers know where you are when required but also remember to use it sparingly and not when you are other photographers are shooting; remember light pollution.
• Camera batteries drain more quickly in cold weather; always have two or three batteries in reserve and keep these in an inner, warm pocket.
• Use flash cards that are appropriate to the conditions. The “Extreme” range from Scan Disk does what it says on the label and is to be recommended

The Shoot

Having read this article through several times and digested the contents, you’re ready to shoot. Take a few minutes to run through this checklist before starting your session:

1. If you take your camera from a warm location, such as a building or car into a cold atmosphere, you may experience condensation on the lens. This will fog your images. Always aim to keep your camera acclimatized to the conditions that you plan to shoot in.
2. Attach your camera firmly to your tripod
3. Attach a shutter release cable
4. Check for stability by equalizing the tripod legs
5. Adjust the ISO setting to between ISO 400 and ISO 1000
6. Adjust the aperture setting to the widest available; ideally f2.8 or f1.4
7. Set the camera to shoot in RAW format
8. Remove any filters from the camera lens
9. Set the LCD screen luminosity to low; ideally you should cover this to prevent light pollution
10. Set the Autofocus control to Manual and focus on a static, distant feature such as silhouetted trees, the moon or a building
11. Start your photo session with a shutter speed of 30 seconds and check your results after each shot, making adjustments as you progress
12. Use your histogram whenever possible.

Aesthetic and other considerations

Having got this far, the rest is up to you. Only you will know what you are hoping to achieve with your photographs but in general photography’s Aurora enthusiasts are a dedicated, hardy bunch who merely want to record one of nature’s most spectacular displays, and to demonstrate that they have overcome a number of physical and technical difficulties in the process. But the final test is undoubtedly the quality of the image and there are a number of skilled practitioners operating in this area. Try to source examples of their work online and where possible, engage with them in public forums and find out about how they tackle this fascinating subject.

About the Author

Michael Stewart is the Managing Director of the Interactive Design Institute, the UK’s leading provider of courses in Art and Design by distance learning, online. A keen photographer, Michael is currently working through IDI’s BA Photography course. As a collaborative partner of the University of Hertfordshire, the Interactive Design Institute provides degree level, design-based courses entirely online and a Foundation course for those who are aiming to undertake a university degree in the future.

This year, there will be a nearly 50% moon on the peak night(s) of the Perseids, so the more faint meteors will not be visible. However, it’s still a perfect opportunity to get out and do some nightscape photography! With a little bit of moonlight, you can capture some gorgeous astro-landscape images, and don’t worry, the big, bright, “fireball” meteors that the Perseids are known for will definitely show up in your photos, and be visible to the naked eye!

The Perseids tend to peak late at night (early AM) on August 11th and 12th. In a night sky without any light pollution, you might see as many as 100 “shooting stars” per hour, with dramatic “fireballs” here and there. On a night with a bit of moonlight, you might not see a meteor every single minute, but you’ll still see plenty of impressive ones if you simply stargaze for a couple hours.

Five Tips For The Best Meteor Shower Photos

How do you capture amazing photos of a meteor shower? In this article, we’ll cover the five simple steps that will virtually guarantee you get some beautiful meteor shower photos!

[Related: Become a master of Milky Way photography with the complete SLR Lounge workshop!]

Perseid Meteor Shower 2020 | Step 1: Plan Ahead

Before you worry about cameras, lenses, exposure settings, or anything else, the best thing you can do is very simple: PLAN AHEAD! Start by checking the weather, and make sure it’s going to be clear, of course. Instead of checking just one forecast, though, try checking multiple forecasts with an app such as MeteoBlue.

Next, plan to find a spot where there are truly dark skies, free of light pollution. This includes getting out of the city, of course, which you can figure out using a website like Dark Site Finder. However, there’s another thing to consider: even if you get away from city lights, you could still wind up somewhere that other people have campfires, flashlights, or car headlights going back and forth all night long. (See above for what a meteor shower looks like all night in Joshua Tree National Park! It’s a busy place, even at 3 AM…)

Last but not least, try to plan to go out on a night with no moonlight, or just a waxing/waning crescent moon. Moonlight can be beautiful for illuminating a nightscape, but unfortunately, its brightness will also make it very difficult to see all but the brightest meteors. Of course, most meteor showers peak on just 2-3 nights, and sometimes this means your entire “optimal viewing time” is ruined by a full moon.

Bonus Tip: Best Meteor Showers Of 2020

Speaking of moonlight, by the way: since there is going to be nearly 50% moonlight during this year’s Perseids, don’t despair! If you go out this weekend, or next Monday or Tuesday night, and you don’t see many meteors, you might want to plan to try again in October, November or December, when the Orionids peak, (October 20-21) or the Leonids peak, (November 16-17) …or the Geminids peak. (December 13-14) Good news, everyone!: ALL of these meteor showers peak at a time when there is a new or almost new moon!

Perseid Meteor Shower 2020 | Step 2: Charge Your Batteries & Grab Your Tripod(s)!

Again, before we talk about cameras, lenses, or exposure settings, there’s another very important matter of preparation: Having fully-charged batteries, and rock-steady tripod(s).

Yes, that’s right, if you have more than one camera, even if it is your old beginner DSLR with a beginner kit lens, bring it! And, grab a second or third tripod. (We’ll talk more about why multiple cameras are a good idea next.)

Regarding tripods- a big, heavy one is always better than a cheap-o, lightweight “travel” tripod, especially for nightscape photography. Those wobbly, short tripods with 5-section legs and a three-section center column will be almost worthless if there is even a light breeze. So, ditch the idea of a no-name knock-off tripod, even if it’s fancy carbon fiber, and get yourself a “beast” like the Slik 700DX ($99), with a heavy-duty head like the Oben BE-126 ($109).

Your best chance of capturing a beautiful meteor photo is not having the best camera or lens, or perfectly clear skies even. It’s having a fully-charged battery that can allow your camera to shoot hundreds of photos all night long!

In fact, if you can, try to use an external power source, such as a USB power bank for your mirrorless camera (if it has direct USB power capability, as all Sony cameras do), or a “dummy battery” system like the Tether Tools Case Relay for your DSLR.

This might sound like the nightscape photographer’s equivalent to the “spray and pray” method, which many photographers scoff at. However, when it comes to capturing the split-second phenomenon that is a meteor fireball, it’s the name of the game. So, charge up your batteries!

Bonus Tip: Grab a Remote Shutter Release!

As one final matter of preparation, grab a camera remote shutter release, if you have one, so that you can not only capture photos without shaking your camera, but also so that you can “smash the shutter button” all night long, and allow the camera to capture back-to-back images until your battery dies. This is the secret weapon that will ensure you capture a meteor! (NOTE: Most Nikon cameras only allow your shutter to fire 99 times consecutively, so you’ll want to use the built-in interval timer instead.)

Perseid Meteor Shower 2020 | Step 3: What Is The Best Lens? Two lenses!

Of course, the most exciting question that people always ask is, “what is the best lens is for meteor shower photography?” This is a great question because photographers like to know which focal length is best, or what fast aperture they might need, for such a unique and fleeting subject.

However, in my 10+ years of experience photographing meteors, here’s what I’ve found: Instead of the one best lens, I’d rather have two half-decent lenses, on two cameras & tripods, running at the same time! Why? Because I’ve lost count of how many times I decided to point my camera in what I thought was the best direction, only to see the biggest, brightest meteor streak through the sky just OUTSIDE my image frame. Even with an ultra-wide lens, it never fails…

So, I started setting up two or even three cameras and pointing them in different directions. Right away, the number of photos that captured meteors almost doubled or tripled!

The truth is, you can photograph a meteor shower with ANY lens, as long as it has a relatively fast aperture. Hopefully, you already have at least one lens with an f/2.8 or faster aperture. That’s great! But, even if your other lens is an f/3.5-5.6 “kit” zoom or an f/4 zoom, you should still bring it, borrow a 2nd camera if you have to, and set it up! An f/4 lens might not capture the very faint meteors, but it’s more than enough to catch the incredibly bright fireballs, and with a ~50% moon lighting up the nightscape, you’ll be able to get the right exposure, too. (More on meteor shower exposure settings next!)

Below are photos made using an 8mm circular fisheye lens, which captures literally the ENTIRE night sky in a single frame, …and an 85mm telephoto lens, which captures just a tiny fraction of the night sky. Of course, if you’re interested, here’s a shortlist of some of the best lenses :

• Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM ($2,999)
• Any 14-24mm f/2.8 or similar ultra-wide zoom
  Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DN/DG Art ($1,200-1,400)
  Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L ($2,200)
  Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 (arriving later in 2020???)
  Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 ($899)
• Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG Art ($1,599)
• Any 24mm or ~20mm prime lens
  Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM ($1,398)
  Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S ($1,046)
  Sony 20mm f/1.8 G ($898)
  Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S ($996)
  Tamron 20mm f/2.8 ($299)
  Rokinon/Samyang 18mm f/2.8 ($329)
• Any ~14mm prime lens
  Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ($279-599)
  Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f/2.4 ($749)
  Irix 15mm f/2.4 ($475-595)
  Venus Laowa 15mm f/2 ($849)
  Venus Laowa 12mm f/2.8 ($949)
• Wide-Angle Lenses for APS-C:
  Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8 ($499-529)
  Tokina 14-20mm f/2 ($369-499)
  Rokinon 12mm f/2 ($279-329)
  Rokinon 10mm f/2.8 ($349-379)
  Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 ($679)

…Whatever lens you have, just remember this very important thing: the trick is not so much where you point your lens to get the most meteors. It’s about patience and endurance. In other words, point your camera in any direction, as long as you have a creative composition, plug in that remote shutter release, …and then just wait to see if a meteor appears in your frame!

Of course, it does pay off to point your main camera in the general direction of the meteor shower’s “radiant” point, which you can easily find because each meteor shower is named after the constellation from which its meteors appear to originate from. (Finding constellations is as easy as downloading the Stellarium app or SkyView app…)

Perseid Meteor Shower 2020 | Step 4. Dial In Your Camera Settings & Focus

Okay, now the exciting part, exposure settings! First, start with a fast aperture, such as f/2.8 or brighter. (F/2, f/1.8, f/1.4, f/1.2…)

Then, a high ISO, such as 3200 to 6400, depending on what level of image noise you are willing to put up with. Personally, I push my full-frame cameras to ISO 6400 or 12800 even!

Last but not least you’ll want a long shutter speed, such as 8, 15, or even 30 seconds. This last setting will vary depending on your lens, the moonlight, and if there is any light pollution nearby. But, whatever shutter speed you choose doesn’t affect your chances of catching a meteor, because remember, you’re going to just smash that shutter all night long!

By the way, if you don’t have a remote shutter release, don’t worry! Many cameras have a built-in interval timer now. For example, if your shutter speed is 30 seconds, just set the interval to 33-34 seconds and you’re good to go! Or, as a last resort, wad up a little ball of gaffers tape, stick it on top of your camera shutter release button, then tape that down tight with another piece of tape, and let it rock n’ roll!

What is the most important thing about your exposure? It’s NOT about having that exotic, ultra-sharp f/1.4 lens instead of a more budget-friendly f/1.8 lens. Seriously! The most important thing is simply getting your exposure right, which should be no problem with a little bit of moonlight.

So, the most important thing you can do is to check your histogram to make sure your exposure is in fact towards the RIGHT; do not just look at your image on the LCD and assume that it’s good enough; in the darkness of nightscape photography, your eyes will fool you every time!

[Want to learn more about perfect exposures for your nightscapes? Check out this article!]

The final challenge is, of course, to set focus for a good sharp image of the night sky. Many lenses these days do not have an “infinity” mark anymore, or if they do have it on a digital scale on the camera LCD, it isn’t accurate!

The best thing you can do for sharp photos of the night sky is, to point your camera at the brightest star or planet in the sky, and focus on it using magnified live view. Just make sure that your lens is switched to manual focus, so that nothing gets messed up when you start hitting the shutter.

Bonus Tip: Turn Off In-Body And/Or Lens Stabilization!

Speaking of sharp images, of course, you’ll want to turn off any stabilization features your camera or lens has. This is one thing that many people forget, and then their nightscape images turn out half blurry and half sharp, because sometimes the stabilization held still, but other times it moved. Save yourself the headache, and trust your big sturdy tripod; just turn stabilization off.

Perseid Meteor Shower 2020 | Step 5. Sit Back And Let Your Cameras Run!

[Related Reading: How To See Comet NEOWISE! | A Step-By-Step Astronomy Guide]

Indeed, this is what we’ve been preparing for. The best way to capture meteors is to just frame a shot, and let the camera shoot as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and that single composition will capture a dozen meteors or more over the course of 2-3 hours, and other times, you might be lucky if you get just one big fireball.

Whether you have one camera, or two or three, get them all set up and get them started clicking. Then, just sit back and relax, and watch the night sky! The best part of photographing a meteor shower is, of course, actually watching the meteors themselves with your own eyes…

Take care, and good luck! If you have any additional questions or tips of your own, please comment below. We’d love to see your photos of whatever you capture!

[Related Reading: Adobe – How To Add Color to s Starry Scene]