Splendors of the Universe: A Practical Gudie to Photographing the Night Sky - Hardcover

Dickinson, Terence; Newton, Jack

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552091414 ISBN 13: 9781552091418

Publisher: Firefly Books, 1997

Synopsis

Catch a Falling Star--With a Camera Majestic clouds of cosmic gas floating in constellations ... the elegant swirl of a remote spiral galaxy ... the Milky Way's ethereal glow on a cool summer night. All of these scenes can be yours. Equipped with modern photographic films or electronic-imaging techniques, the dedicated backyard astronomer can surpass all but the very best solar picture obtained at the world's largest observatories.

Splendors of the Universe displays more than 200 celestial portraits ranging from lunar landscapes to remote galaxy clusters billions of light years away-all taken by amateur astronomers. More than a photo album, Splendors of the Universe provides information on the objects displayed as well as the details of how each picture was taken.

Astrophotography experts Terence Dickinson and Jack Newton offer a wealth of practical information and tips about techniques and equipment for both the novice and experienced photographers.

About this title

From the Author:

Splendors of the Universe is a celebration of the beauty of the universe as captured by cameras and telescopes in the hands of amateur astronomers. From the radiance of an aurora to the majesty of a total eclipse of the Sun or the subtle wisps of a galactic nebula, the universe has a deep visual appeal. Every picture you see on these pages was taken by an astronomy enthusiast, someone -- perhaps like you -- who decided to frame a celestial scene, opened the camera shutter for a few seconds or minutes and was pleasantly surprised by the results.

And there lies the second objective of this book: practical information to guide you in your own astrophotography endeavors. We have tried to cover it all, from the simplest camera-on-tripod constellation shooting to the use of state-of-the-art telescopes and CCD cameras. A surprising number of the universe's visual treasures can be captured with relatively modest equipment. Of course, other targets require expensive and/or highly specialized gear. But no matter where you are in your personal trek into astrophotography, you will find useful tips and guidance on these pages.

One particular emphasis in this book, which we haven't seen covered to any extent in other astrophotography books, is the how-to aspect of creative photography-attempting to realize the maximum possible splendor in the astronomical shot. To that end, we wanted to supply plenty of examples, making these pages delightful to took at as well as information-packed. Each of us has spent thousands of hours at our telescopes over several decades, many of them devoted to adding that next elusive photo to our collection. But we wouldn't do it if we didn't thoroughly enjoy the challenge.

About the Author:

Terence Dickinson is the best-selling author of Nightwatch and The Backyard Astronomer's Guide. More than one million of his previous titles are in print in three languages. He has received many national and international science awards including the New York Academy of Sciences Book of the Year Award and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Klumpke-Roberts Award for "excellence in communicating astronomy to the public." Previous recipients include Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov.

Jack Newton is considered one of the world's foremost non-professional astrophotographers. His portraits of celestial objects have appeared in every leading astronomy magazine in the world.

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1552091414
• ISBN 13: 9781552091418
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144