How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera

front cover
How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera
Notes on the Second Edition
Foreword to First Edition
Preface to the First Edition
About the Authors
Acknowledgements to the First Edition
Contents
Chapter ONE: Introduction
Getting Started
What Is Possible?
Chapter TWO: Choosing Your Equipment
Useful Camera Functions
Selection of Image Quality
Shutter Delay or Self-Timer
Flash
Monitor or Rear Viewing Screen
Spot-Metering
Manual Exposure Compensation
Zoom
Panorama
Batteries
Picture Storage and Retrieval
Choosing a Telescope
Warning !
The Magic Ingredient
Chapter Three: Setting Up
Attaching the Camera
Focus
Direct
Bracketing
Screen Focus
Other Factors
General
Computer
Color
Targets
The Moon
The Sun
The Planets
Other Objects
Chapter four: Photographing the Phases of the Moon
The Moon’s Appearance in Our Sky
The Phases of the Moon
New Moon
Waxing Crescent
First Quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon
Lunar Eclipse
Waning Gibbous
Last Quarter
Waning Crescent
Chapter Five: Identifying Regions of the Moon
Mare Serenitatis Region
Mare Frigoris Region
Mare Tranquillitatis Region
Northeast Region
Mare Imbrium Region
Plato Region
Oceanus Procellarum
Northwest Region
Mare Nubium Region
Southern Moon: Tycho Region
Mare Humorum and South Oceanus Procellarum
Southwest Region
Southeast Central Region
Central Southern Region
Maria Fecunditatis and Nectaris
Southeast Region
Chapter six: Techniques for Photographing the Moon
Chapter seven: Photographing Lunar Events
Lunar Eclipse
Earthshine
Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLPs)
A Chance Sighting?
And Finally for the Moon…
Chapter Eight: Processing Lunar Images
Examples of Processing
Example One: Crescent Moon, May 28, 2009, Full Disc
Example Two: Close Up of First Quarter, April 2, 2009
Example Three: Daylight Robbery on April 12, 2008
Composing Mosaics
Conclusion
Chapter nine: Solar System Moons
Jupiter’s Moons
Saturn’s Moons
Chapter ten: Photographing the Planets
Equipment
Jupiter
Processing a Movie
Combining Single Images
Saturn
Processing a Movie
Combining Single Images
Venus
Mercury
Mars
Chapter eleven: The Sun
Sunspots
Eclipses of the Sun
Narrowband Solar Photography
The Coronado PST
Solar Photography
Starting Simple
Choosing a Camera
Sony Cybershot P72
Samsung Digimax D103
Kodak Easyshare Z1275
Mounting Options
Post Processing
Image Processing Software
The Overall Process
Example Session
Sony Cybershot
Samsung Digimax
Kodak Easyshare
Close-Ups
Disc Features
Filaments
PST CaK
Chapter TWELVE: Transits
Mercury
Venus
Chapter THIRTEEN: And What Else?
Stars
Constellations
Seeing Double
Nebulae
Comets
Chapter FOURTEEN: A Few Final Words
Remember These Tips
Next Steps
Appendix
Binoculars
Helpful References
For Further Progress
Glossary
Index