Digital Cameras

Hello everybody,

I am a newbie in astrophotography. I wanted to ask if somebody in this
group knows about the following items:

1. if there is a cheap digital camera in the market that I can use to
capture images in the night sky without a telescope (I know this sounds
bizzare but I guess with a long enough exposure time I should get some
photographs of the night sky with stars in them - at least that's what
a I think).
2. if there are digital cameras that I can control through a program
(Linux based OR Windows based - it doesn't matter - I have both OSes
installed on my hard drive)

Thanks everyone!

Zefram Cochrane

wrote:
Hello everybody,

I am a newbie in astrophotography. I wanted to ask if somebody in this
group knows about the following items:

1. if there is a cheap digital camera in the market that I can use to
capture images in the night sky without a telescope (I know this sounds
bizzare but I guess with a long enough exposure time I should get some
photographs of the night sky with stars in them - at least that's what
a I think).
2. if there are digital cameras that I can control through a program
(Linux based OR Windows based - it doesn't matter - I have both OSes
installed on my hard drive)

Thanks everyone!

Zefram Cochrane


Try alt.binaries.pictures.astro (really). Astrophotographers newsgroup.
Sounds like you're interested in photographing starfields and
constellations and such. I recommend the Canon 300D Digital Rebel. It
allows you to take timed exposures as long as 2 hours. You will need
some kind of mount that tracks the rotation of the earth or your star
images will be "streaked" by their apparent motion as the earth
revolves. An inexpensive equatorial mount would do the trick. One with
a clock motor (battery operated is fine). Check Orion Telescopes.
Alternately, you can use a compound barn door tracker and a tripod.
Google "barn door tracker" for details.
Have fun.

Uncle Bob

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On 12 Jan 2005 14:46:28 -0800, wrote:

(I know this sounds
bizzare but I guess with a long enough exposure time I should get some
photographs of the night sky with stars in them - at least that's what
a I think).

I suspect you will get pictures of a dark sky crossed by curved bright lines or
worse.

Look for digital cameras that has a bulb setting, to keep the shutter open.
Canon 300D Rebel or some of the Nikon CoolPix digital cameras has it.
I have a Canon Rebel 300D.
Julius

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello everybody,

I am a newbie in astrophotography. I wanted to ask if somebody in this
group knows about the following items:

1. if there is a cheap digital camera in the market that I can use to
capture images in the night sky without a telescope (I know this sounds
bizzare but I guess with a long enough exposure time I should get some
photographs of the night sky with stars in them - at least that's what
a I think).
2. if there are digital cameras that I can control through a program
(Linux based OR Windows based - it doesn't matter - I have both OSes
installed on my hard drive)

Thanks everyone!

Zefram Cochrane