Alan Dyer

Terence Dickinson

Discusses the practical aspects of stargazing, including how to choose appropriate equipment, contending with light pollution, taking successful photographs of galaxies and nebulas, and selecting an observing site.

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide

Examine the nature of outer space, our solar system, and our universe with these descriptions of the Sun, Moon, and planets as well as constellations, nebulas and black holes. Full color.

Space

Discover how stars are born and how they die, peer into a nebula, witness an exploding supernova and learn how to interpret star patterns.

Star

Provides a guide to every aspect of the universe, including information on the anatomy of a supernova, the inner workings of a comet, and the surface terrain of Mars.

The touchstone for contemporary stargazers. This classic, groundbreaking guide has been the go-to field guide for both beginning and experienced amateur astronomers for nearly 30 years. The fourth edition brings Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer's invaluable manual completely up-to-date. Setting a new standard for astronomy guides, it will serve as the touchstone for the next generation of stargazers as well as longtime devotees. Technology and astronomical understanding are evolving at a breathtaking clip, and to reflect the latest information about observing techniques and equipment, this massively revised and expanded edition has been completely rebuilt (an additional 48 pages brings the page count to 416). Illustrated throughout with all-new photographs and star charts, this edition boasts a refreshed design and features five brand-new chapters, including three essential essays on binocular, telescope and Moon tours by renowned astronomy writer Ken Hewitt-White. With new content on naked-eye sky sights, LED lighting technology, WiFi-enabled telescopes and the latest advances in binoculars, telescopes and other astronomical gear, the fourth edition of The Backyard Astronomer's Guide is sure to become an indispensable reference for all levels of stargazers. New techniques for observing the Sun, the Moon and solar and lunar eclipses are an especially timely addition, given the upcoming solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024. Rounding out these impressive offerings are new sections on dark sky reserves, astro-tourism, modern astrophotography and cellphone astrophotography, making this book an enduring must-have guide for anyone looking to improve his or her astronomical viewing experience. The Backyard Astronomer's Guide also features a foreword by Dr. Sara Seager, a Canadian-American astrophysicist and planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an internationally recognized expert in the search for exoplanets.

The perfect resource for the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing - the greatest ever journey revealed as never before. With 80 information-packed pages, this richly illustrated book tells the dramatic story of the greatest journey humans have ever made - the voyage to the Moon and back. Mission to the Moon features everything you need to know about the Space Race, the Apollo Program, rockets and spaceships, and plans to return to the Moon. It is also the perfect introduction to the Moon, our nearest neighbour in space, expertly written for young readers. The bonus DVD features documentaries on Apollo 11, Apollo 13, and other space flight footage. Includes images never before published, original artefacts that bring the era to life and the latest high-resolution scans of NASA's best Moon photos. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing 20th July 2009.

Mission to the Moon

Learn how to photograph the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, with a wide range of techniques and camera gear: Simple point-and-shoot and mobile phone cameras DSLR and Mirrorless still cameras Video cameras Wide-angle lenses and long telephotos Telescopes, both tracking the sky and untracked In this 290-page ebook, you’ll learn: What to expect to see and what to shoot. How to shoot simple grab shots and eclipse “selfies.” What types of cameras are best. What tripod features are best. What filters to use and when to remove them. How to shoot wide-angle still images. How to set up time-lapse sequences. How to frame scenes for time-lapses and composites. How to plan great shots above scenic landmarks. How to shoot close-ups of totality. What focal lengths are best for framing the Sun. What types of telescopes and mounts are best. How to align tracking mounts in the daytime. How to focus and avoid image blurring from sky motion. What the best exposures will be. When to shoot on auto exposure vs. manual. How to plan shoots with single or multiple cameras. How to automate a camera. Tips on last-minute moves to avoid clouds. What can go wrong and how to avoid the common mistakes. How to capture the eclipse and still see it! And finally … How to process your eclipse photos, from simple wide-angle scenes to complex multi-exposure stacks and composites The book contains: • Dozens of sky charts made specifically for the 2017 eclipse, and for both the eastern and western United States, to show how to frame the scene with a range of focal lengths, and for planning your shoot. • Active links to websites for equipment suppliers and for detailed eclipse maps and times for your site. • Step-by-step tutorials take you through processing, from basic developing of Raw files, to assembling time-lapse movies, and stacking images for composites, plus blending of multiple exposures with luminosity masks. What’s in the book — Chapter 1: Introduction A summary of the techniques the book explains. Chapter 2: The Eclipse Experience What you will see and experience during the eclipse, with the naked eye and through optics. Eclipse etiquette. Chapter 3: Where to Go Where you need to be in the path of totality. Plan B options. Chapter 4: Eclipse Photo Fundamentals Choosing filters. Shooting partial phases vs. totality. Chapter 5: Shooting Wide-Angle Stills Choosing cameras (from simple to complex) and lenses. Choosing exposures and other settings. Framing options, for capturing easy but dramatic wide-angle scenes and panoramas. Chapter 6: Shooting Close-Up Stills Choosing cameras, lenses, and telescopes for detailed close-ups. Tracking mounts vs. untracked tripods. Setting up a tracking telescope. Focusing tips. Recommended exposure sequences. Framing the corona. Practice tips for shooting the Moon. Chapter 7: Shooting Time-Lapses Setting up wide-angle and close-up time-lapses. Framing the motion of the Sun. Tracking the Sun. Controlling the camera. Chapter 8: Shooting Video Video camera and lens options. Setting exposures. Chapter 9: Shooting Composites Planning a multiple exposure composite. Framing the scene. Wide-angle vs. close-up sequences. Chapter 10: What Can Go Wrong? Common equipment and user malfunctions! Checklists. Operating multiple cameras and shooting plans. Automating a camera. Cloudy options. Contingency plans. Chapter 11: Processing Eclipse Images Workflows. Photoshop basics. Developing Raw images. Processing wide-angle scenes and close-ups of the corona. Processing time-lapse sequences. Stacking composites. Stacking and merging multi-exposure blends with HDR and luminosity masks. Chapter 12: Conclusion Advice for eclipse newbies. Future eclipses. Where to learn more – for detailed maps and information on your site.

A Guide to Capturing the 2017 Total Eclipse of the Sun

How to Photograph the Solar Eclipse

The book describes — How to shoot and process still image “nightscapes” – images of landscapes taken at night by the light of the Moon or stars … and … How to shoot and assemble time-lapse movies of the stars and Milky Way turning above Earthly scenes, all using DSLR cameras. The 400-page multi-touch book includes — 50 embedded HD videos (no internet connection required) demonstrating time-lapse techniques. 60 multi-page tutorials with step-by-step instructions of how to use software: Adobe Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop, Lightroom, LRTimelapse, Advanced Stacker Actions, StarStaX, Panolapse, Sequence, GBTimelapse, and more. Numerous Photo 101 sections explaining the basic concepts of photography and video production (f-stops, ISOs, file types, aspect ratios, frame rates, compression, etc.). Numerous Astronomy 101 sections explaining the basics of how the sky works (how the sky moves, where the Moon can be found, when the Milky Way can be seen, when and where to see auroras). Reviews of gear – I don’t just mention that specialized gear exists, I illustrate in detail how to use popular units such as the Time-Lapse+, Michron, and TriggerTrap intervalometers, and the All-View mount, Radian, Mindarin Astro, eMotimo, and Dynamic Perception motion-control units, with comments on what’s good – and not so good – to use. You’ll learn — What are the best cameras and lenses to buy (cropped vs. full-frame, Canon vs. Nikon, manual vs. automatic lenses, zooms vs. primes). How to set your cameras and lenses for maximum detail and minimum noise (following the mantra of “exposing to the right” and using dark frames). How to shoot auroras, conjunctions, satellites, comets, and meteor showers. How to shoot nightscapes lit only by moonlit, and how to determine where the Moon will be to plan a shoot. How to shoot & stitch panoramas of the night sky and Milky Way, using Photoshop and PTGui software. How to shoot tracked long exposures of the Milky Way using camera trackers such as the iOptron Star Tracker and Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer. How to develop Raw files, the essential first step to great images and movies. How to process nightscape stills using techniques such as compositing multiple exposures, masking ground and sky, and using non-destructive adjustment layers and smart filters. How to shoot and stack star trail images made of hundreds of frames. How to assemble time-lapse movies from those same hundreds of frames. How to plan a time-lapse shoot and calculate the best balance of exposure time vs. frame count vs. length of shoot, and recommended apps to use. How to process hundreds of frames using Adobe Camera Raw, Bridge, Photoshop, and Lightroom. How to shoot and process advanced “Holy Grail” time-lapse transitions from day to night. How to shoot motion-control sequences using specialized dolly and pan/tilt devices. How to use time-lapse processing tools such as LRTimelapse, Panolapse, Sequence, and Advanced Stacker Actions. What can go wrong and how best to avoid problems in the field.

Alan Dyer

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