The space agencies that run the Hubble Space Telescope may have some of the most powerful photographic equipment at their disposal, but every now and then they can still use a little help from amateur astrophotographers.
Amateur astrophotographer Robert Gendler created the beautiful photograph above showing the spiral galaxy M106 by compositing existing imagery captured by the Hubble telescope with his own photos captured from Earth. Read more…
An apparent meteor struck Jupiter yesterday, creating an explosion so massive that amateur astronomers looking through their telescopes her on Earth were able to see it. Amateur astrophotographer George Hall of Dallas, Texas happened to have a camera and telescope pointed at the planet at the time, and managed to snag some video footage of the fireball, which he soon uploaded to his Flickr account. Read more…
Canon has announced the new 60Da, a DSLR geared towards astrophotographers and the successor to the 20Da. So what’s different about this camera? A “modified infrared filter and a low-noise sensor with heightened hydrogen-alpha sensitivity” which allows it to capture photos of “‘red hydrogen emission’ nebulae and other cosmic phenomena”:
The improved infrared-blocking filter is a modification suited specifically toward astronomy enthusiasts to achieve a hydrogen-alpha light sensitivity that is approximately three times higher than that of a normal Canon DSLR camera. This produces a 20-percent higher transmittance of Hydrogen Alpha line, or H α wavelength, allowing astronomers to capture crisp, clear images of reddish, diffuse nebulae.
The basic specs remain unchanged from the original 60D: an 18MP APS-C sensor, 9-point AF, and a 3-inch articulated screen. Also included with the camera is a remote controller adapter and an AC adapter kit. Stargazers will be able to snag one later this month for $1,499.
