3 EASY ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY Targets for Beginners!

In this video, I'll capture 3 of the easiest and most rewarding deep-sky astrophotography targets in the night sky!
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[@greglight5808]

I love how real this video is. Showing people what to actually expect from a budget rig. No frills, no sugar coatings. Just raw carrot sticks to chew on. Great video Trevor reminded me of my first night out.

[@AstroBackyard]

Thanks man, really appreciate that!

[@jesikadragoj2133]

@@AstroBackyard question: is a Canon EOS 4000D also good for astrophotography? And if so what setting should I use?

[@illcaponesok833]

@@jesikadragoj2133 Any DSLR is good, and if you have a star tracker go for about 45 seconds or up to 1 minute if you're zoomed in. ISO depends, but 1600 is a good starting point. If you don't have a tracker, play around with exposures until you see (almost) no star trailing. After the night is over, put all of your pictures in Deep Sky Stacker and go on from there! AstroBackyard has a lot of tutorials on things like this, and NebulaPhotos has tutorials made specifically for non-tracked astrophotography.

[@8dgrooves334]

@@AstroBackyard hey bro, can i use a normal 60mp phone and a celestron 130eq reflector to get a gud image?

[@KolbyVanCamp]

@@jesikadragoj2133 I use the EOS 4000D, but honestly I regret the purchase. Doesn’t have capabilities for an Intervalometer which is the main thing I needed - didn’t realize that they weren’t standard on cameras when I bought it. Live and learn. I’ve gotten fantastic pics nonetheless using one!

[@Theastrocody]

BEGINNERS- This video is a goldmine of information. Watch it and absorb it! Great work Trevor!

[@astronomynightsky]

@AstroCody just subscribed to your channel!

[@lebronk16]

@@astronomynightsky Please Look At My Comment Regarding Mounts ! I need you’re help or advice :(

[@masterthelens]

I have the gear needed for this and now I have the perfect video to learn from.

[@MrGp3po]

Great video for newcomers to the hobby. Thrilled to see your progress from your beginnings to now. Love your backyard.

[@KJsCosmos]

So much good information in so little time! Really appreciate the production 🙌🏼 keep up the great work man!

[@steveetches6013]

Probably harder to find, but I was really blown away when I tried imaging Andromeda for the first time with a set up like that from my back garden. You really have been an inspiration and thank you for all of your efforts!

[@bamsemh1]

Single shots stacked or with tracker and stacked?

[@AstroBethTeal]

Andromeda is my ultimate goal, I’d feel so accomplished 😊

[@steveetches6013]

@@bamsemh1 tracker and stacked. Only about 15 minutes worth though, of 45 sec exposures.

[@astrocatinfo]

Great tips and video. This is the kind of content I most like to watch on KZbin. Thanks Trevor for bringing it to us

[@Astrouze]

Great video Trevor! Really helpful for your subscribers that are starting in Astrophotography.

[@DeepSkyDanAstro]

Right on Trevor! Nice vid for all the beginners!

[@anonieme_beer9200]

This video is exactly the video i've been searching for for quite some time, just a simple video explaining everything you need to know to start off with the images and software. Thank you so much!

[@tdub1776]

Recently I've been getting into Astrophotography, and your channel has helped IMMENSLY! Thank you VERY much as without this channel I'd not really know where to start. This video is very helpful, along with many others of yours. Thank you again. Clear skies!

[@yvonnejonesjohnson4489]

Excellent video! Thank you for taking the time to teach.

[@RJ25Mayberysound]

Honestly, when I started out, I was ecstatic to get images like these. Thank you Trevor for all your tutorials. I’ve learned so much over the last couple of years watching your videos!!!

[@HomesteadingGeek]

I've been wanting to get into astrophotography for a long long time and your videos give me inspiration and good solid information. Thanks.

[@EstrellasCompartidas]

Thank you Trevor, for sharing all this things with us... THANK YOU!

[@AstroBackyard]

It is my pleasure - thank you!

[@EstrellasCompartidas]

@@AstroBackyard 🥰

[@Family_from_Altai]

Thanks for the video! You have amazing photos.

[@CiroPerez]

thank you Trevor! at last a video made for beginners, showing what can be done with simple gear and free software + PS. And how to do it! following you since your observatory one or two house moves ago, this has been my favourite video ever from you. thanks!!!

[@craiglowery4427]

Wonderful video and timely. Thanks Trevor

[@carlosandresrivera8838]

Amazing tutorial, thanks for posting!

[@JimOutLoud]

Really helpful video - I feel like this is a great primer for my early captures.

[@berniestang2616]

BEGINNER … Im feeling overwhelmed & intrigued…. I do not have a star tracker ! Thx ., i love all your videos !!!!!❤❤

[@OldGirlPhotography]

Exactly the three objects I picked for the start of my first season this year. Also hope to try for the Heart Nebula. Have collected about two hours on each so far - hope to add more subs now that we are finally getting some clear skies again - what a crappy winter. It is so rewarding to see that image appear on my iPad screen. I am using a bit more sophisticated rig, along with the ASI Air Plus. Even so, the challenge of setting everything up, polar aligning and using the right camera settings feels so good when I get it right. It's you and others with videos like this that inspired me to jump into this hobby. Thank you so much, Trevor. What a fascinating universe we live in.

[@marcelmougenot]

Incredible! Tks you!

[@zeptom473]

Trevor, you never cease to amaze us!

[@WiseOldOwl3]

OUTSTANDING!

[@angon35]

I love your videos and find them extremely useful. I am beginner and your videos have helped me improve my skills. Can't thank you enough. Regards from Chile 🇨🇱

[@oneplanettwostars]

Nice video Trevor!

[@michaelanderson6764]

Thanks of making these videos. I'm considering whether to get into the hobby and you make it very approachable.

[@gonlaserna]

You da best Trevor! As always nice to see different approaches to acquiring the data and processing. I've done a couple of nice deepsky sessions and my max expo time has been around 30min 😅 For now I need better weather and darker locations...thanks for the inspiration!

[@Ericrbo]

Always inspiring.

[@avidstat1330]

Thank you for the high level overview.

[@misaelescobarruiz1193]

Muy buenas tomas amigo trevor y excelente procesado muy bonito

[@astronomylover]

Great video. Beautiful images. I recently bought the Star Adventurer 2i and I use my DSLR Camera (Canon T7i) and lens (250mm) a little similar to the gear you used.

[@parshatipatel]

Thank you for the detailed video! I am inspired to try and shoot Orion n😃

[@robertsipes7391]

This is a great video, it shows me what 1 hour of data reveals (or doesn't reveal) compared to 3 to 4hours or more. Thanks for sharing. As always, a quality presentation.

[@xray111xxx]

I also just noticed you mentioned that a variable screen might be helpful. I agree, but since most cameras today have an HDMI out, you could get an external HD monitor cheap, and they will give you a much bigger picture than that tiny monitor from a camera, plus many monitors have grids for helping to pinpoint where you want to go, and the best part focus peaking. Might be easier for some to hit focus everytime. I use that focus peaking. I it is a life saver for tack sharp focus.

[@johnblack9499]

Great video Trevor and a great inspiration for me as my gear is pretty much the same as this setup. I shall deep dive into your processing guide as that's the part of the whole process I am least comfortable with. Thanks again for the inspiration 🙂

[@Andros_Gaming]

Little tip if you struggle with processing head to darker skies you can pull great detail from dark sky (bortle 4 and lower) with just basic photoshop levels stretching

[@dsb227]

Wow Dude! I want to do it now! Right now! Thanks dude, great video!

[@rajsastrophotography]

The images came out really nice.. 🔥

[@Spectrom580]

Hey Trever Love your vids just yesterday I took out my Star Sense Lt 80az out and I finally managed to get a perfect look at Jupiter I even got to see the great red spot.

[@tostativerdk]

Love this video, with all the astronomy info, it inspires me to go beyond “the pretty pictures” aspect of astrophoto!

[@astronomynightsky]

i literally love your videos so much! i started watching your videos when i started astrophotography (January 2022) which motivated me to keep going!! thank you so much. 🌌

[@astronomynightsky]

@Travis’s Astrophotography hello

[@williemacdonald72]

Nice to see the Canon 300mm f4 getting an outing. I've just bought one of them to use for my astrophotography and I am loving the results I've had from both clear nights I've had since it arrived two months ago.

[@editplayerog]

I love your videos i also make my own 62 refractor telescope

[@bfqywqd]

Great video. As a sports shooter interested in experimenting with astrophotography, I feel like my level of knowledge, while still basic, is a few notches above what it was before I watched. Thanks for the great information!

[@briankotak403]

Great to see the use of introductory gear. With more integration time those images would pop! Thanks Trevor. Hi to Ash and Rudy. Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦

[@perry3928]

Thanks Trevor. What a wealth of knowledge. With a pair of binoculars or a simple rig, the heavens can be enjoyed and discovered by all!

[@nicolus2857]

Cool!! I was doing astrophotography from my garden, and I saw a notification from your KZbin channel and I came here to watch your video, you are the best. Ps. I’ m capturing the horse head nebula from Italy.

[@100tiagofer]

Great work Trevor! I have learned a lot from your videos. I hope to start capturing the universe soon but without the top equipment you have... 😊I already bought the Star Adventurer GTI to start me in this hobby, but I still haven't received it! I hope my Canon EOS R and my EF 70-200 F2.8L lens will be enough to get me started. As soon as I have the opportunity, I also want to buy a better telescope, i thought in buying the Sky-Wather Evostar 72D lens. I plan to take great pictures (not as good as yours, for now! 😎) Keep up the good work! 👍 Kind Regards from Portugal!

[@stefanschneider3681]

My Setup, hihihi! Except I also got a lens heater around the top of the lens and vibration damping pads under the tripod. Last WE finally clear after a long while and I pointed at M81 und M82, even NGC 3077 snuck itself into the picture, loved it 😍! Thanks for the great video and btw: I love all three results, but ESPECIALLY the rosetta!

[@MrSavior28]

Bravo!

[@HomesteadingGeek]

One thing I find myself and I'm sure others getting started as well as those who've been in the hobby may have done when they got started was wanting to do it all. The information presented in this video is very good but the piece of advice given at the end is the best to keep newbs like myself from getting discouraged and that is spend a full night on just one target and you'll get to where you want to be,at least that's the piece of advice I've written down to keep me from becoming discouraged as I set out on this long never ending journey. I'll also be bringing my 11 year old granddaughter along for the ride as she loves all things space related.

[@alexandre-ft457]

thanks for putting the subtitles

[@castronomy]

Very nice

[@strykker666]

Trevor, would you be willing to do an updated video for taking your lights, darks, bias and flats? I know you have one from several years ago. But I'm curious about what your process for those is now-a-days. I'm trying to get started with astro, and only have a Nikon D5100 DLSR (in a Bortle Class 7 here in Maryland, US). You always provide such amazing work, with great easy to follow instructions. Thank you for everything you do! There are SO many of us that truly appreciate you and your work.

[@astrocarone9671]

Great video man. I still use all the tools you showed in this video. 3 great targets to image for sure.

[@astronomylover]

Hello AstroCarone

[@brianorozco1074]

I found this video at a great time. I’m thinking of getting a telescope for astrophotography but I’m new to this whole thing.

[@user-we7zq9qo6k]

Great video Trevor! I love the effect of the stars how they have little light rays. How did you achieve that? Also, just wondering if its possible that you could upload another tutorial video on smartphone astrophotography with just a basic beginner 8 cm equatorial refractor? As for the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades, I have attempted to photograph both before with a rather cheap beginner alt-az reflector and got somewhat decent results I guess, though they do not come anywhere close to these photos that you took. This video is very realistic of what's possible with entry-level astrophotography equipment. Again, great work!

[@xray111xxx]

I have a friend wanting to do this. I want her to take it easy on the camera budget. This looks like a good place to start for her.

[@drone815]

I loved every second of this video. Ive been wanting to buy some gear for a while now, but this just pushed me over the edge. I'll be back in this comment section very soon with lots of questions! Thanks!

[@sidpackard8613]

What did you get?

[@drone815]

@@sidpackard8613 I ended up spending it on other stuff. I have a friend who is a professional photographer, and I could send you the stuff he recommended if you want me to.

[@freespacexl]

Great video and to be honest I would be stoked with images like those :) 😅

[@shinyy187]

I shot the Orion Nebula at the beginning of the year and got almost the same resulting exposure time as you. My nebula came out great, but I struggle with having a good looking background with detail like yours. Mine are always too black. I’m going to try shooting the Rosette for the first time tonight! Edit: For curious readers, my astro images can be viewed under the community tab on my channel. I only have three so far.

[@Andros_Gaming]

I responded to your image on your community page about clipping the black point when you shoot the rosette try to get at least 6 hours of integration

[@shashankpatel6131]

Bro you took so great photos🤯🔥

[@shinyy187]

@@shashankpatel6131 thanks!

[@ffaubert1]

Great video Trevor. The last processed image you've shown of the Orion nebula had a definite gradient going from black on the left to a much lighter grey in the middle and right of the image. How did you even that out? Thanks

[@TurboNorm]

Very educational. I didn’t see a link for the tripod you were using though.

[@saulontheroad9605]

Amazing tutorial ! I wonder if I can use the Alt-Az base of my telescope to phtograph those targets ?? Thank you so much

[@mtmcommunity]

Thanks for this video, I live in a city that's heavily populated and me and my bro plan on going out to the lake tonight to get out of the city. So I am watching this video. I already got the star cluster that has the 7 sisters :)) I use a Samsung galaxy s22 plus and I tweak with camera settings to get perfect photos of space, it can get tricky but with some practice you'll get the setting typed in within seconds and taking photos within a couple more seconds. I use a 400mm FL gysker and I mostly use the 10mm eyepiece so it's 40× zoom all the time. I find that useful until I get to the moon and I back off a bit. But if you're new and on a budget without a nice camera just a phone and a cheap 60 dollar scope will get you some good photos :))

[@ridealongwithrandy]

Good stuff! I use this software all the time for stacking, got a couple of nice astro landscapes on Flickr with the same handle as youtube. I JUST received my Sky-Watcher AZ_GTI!!!!. I will be graduating to my first try at deep sky objects. I'm bortle 4. I will be using the Olympus EM1 Mkiii which has perfect astro auto focus, and I have the Olympus 300 f4, and the 40-150 2.8. I might even try the EM1X as it has that awesome active cooling pipe built in. I will convert the GTI to EQ mode and astro shoot that way. Another thing I plan (and the reason for this purchase) on doing is to live track the sun on youtube, also the moon, just for fun. heeheee Anyway, clear skies, Randy

[@glitchedgames137]

7:31 don't poop on me! 😂

[@harrison00xXx]

100% correct. Just a small tip if you are focussing on the rosette nebula - It can be tricky, there is between this nebula and orion nebula another very similar looking star cluster, just less populated than the star cluster of rosette nebula. Double check if you are on rosette nebula, i wasted nearly an hour on the cluster right beside NGC 2244 but got this star cluster as well at least.

[@harrison00xXx]

And another tip for beginners without much equipment yet: - Skywatcher 750mm F5 on EQ3-2 are damn affordable and give you a very bright and tight frame. You cant get much further without paying a lot more, but be aware: A APS-C camera will make 1150mm-1200mm out of the 750mm newtonians. 1100mm+ are too tight for most objects in the night sky, especially when it comes to beginner targets 1000mm+ can be a hard step into astrophotography, just said. Fullframe camera for native 750mm absolutely recommended. - If you can afford or find a good deal on a 600mm F4 newton... go for it! 600mm and full frame is the best way to jump into astrophotography on a tighter budget. 600mm makes nearly all big targets possible and with a APS-C camera or 2x barlow you can enjoy smaller targets as well.

[@Sergio-pb5bb]

It’s hard to get started in this because of the prices of equipment you need but in the end the reward is worth it. Thank Trevor for another great video and Rudy looks cute sitting in the background stealing the show lol😁🪐🔭

[@mikehardy8247]

How dark is your new sky. This is your 3rd, and darkest I'm aware of. I'm still in Milwaukee, bortle 8 or 9. You know that hurts with longer subs. For all the 8(?) Years I've been following you. This might be your best low stress processing video. I think these few, fairly painless steps won't scare off anyone who really wants to do this. You've probably shown that rig doing this many, many times. I've watched many 'tubers, asked something they did a long while before, and they can't even find it. Good to see you revisit the basics. I'm keeping this in a folder all it's own for my, and others to reference. Sending it right now to my gand nephew. THANKS

[@Bradl0y]

I'm still learning when taking lights were on the histogram should I aim for. I normally go for 1/3 but heard you say about 1/2. Also how many calibration frames should I take for as 2 hours of lights. Have been taking a lot of Orion thanks for giving me another target the Rosette Nebula.

[@defyent]

Have you done any videos that talk about considerations to take when shooting over multiple nights ? And even mixing shots from multiple cameras ? (Different models) would you just stack as normal ? Or try to mix each night’s finished photo.

[@Ivanbizn]

this is great video😄,can you sugest me barlow lens for fisrt telescope

[@jroyablacksmith]

2:27 when focusing your camera you can see some kind of craft flying can’t tell if it’s a plane or satellite, still cool 😊

[@ianwatson8599]

I no longer think of myself as a beginner, maybe amateur beginner. That being said I really like when you do videos like this explaining everything any beginner needs to know and what is possible with very ‘newbie’ gear. I’m only 2 minutes into the video so assuming the end images are great 🤞😂

[@PJeBenn]

Great video, one question why do you have a 10 sec gap between each 90 sec exsposer? Hopefully, this year, I will beable to get started n astrophotography. I have all the stuff I need, but my location could be better the neibors houses block lots of the sky.

[@thomasbezencon2121]

Hey, so what made you go for the star adventurer instead of the skyguider pro? Thinking of picking one of those to get into astrophotography, but unsure which one would be best? Both are certainly good options, but which is better?

[@gordonbrinkmann]

For anyone here using Photoshop in a German version and maybe struggling with English (no offense), wondering why the "Minimum" filter is not shrinking the stars but enlarging them: I found many sites where Photoshop menus are translated to the following: "Maximum" = "Dunkle Bereiche vergrößern" and "Minimum" = "Helle Bereiche vergrößern". The official Adobe explanations are combining both filters in one paragraph so you have to read what they actually do to see which is which in English and German (although the names should be self-explanatory). I guess the confusion on these menu translation sites is because in the English menu, the filter order is "Maximum" over "Minimum", while in the German menu you have "Dunkle Bereiche vergrößern" before "Helle Bereiche vergrößern". But in German the order is swapped. So "Minimum" like used here is "Dunkle Bereiche vergrößern", whereas "Maximum" is "Helle Bereiche vergrößern.

[@JoeBob79569]

I got my first shots last night, beginner with a new setup, and when I took my first photo in NINA I had to double check that I wasn't still on the Framing Assistant tab. I wasn't ready for a whole pre-stretched nebula suddenly popping up on my screen!

[@xandergreer]

i recommend recommending a canon dslr that is supported by MagicLantern firmware. i have the rebel t7 and it’s got a lot of problems with intervalometers and other stuff and i can’t just use magic lantern even though it’s amazing and even builds in a intervelometer

[@jeffreysokal7264]

I wish you'd do a video on how to star hop from Orion to the Rosette nebula.

[@CelebrityLyrics]

Can you make a video as to why we need to polar align and what actually happens with the star tracker when it is polar aligned? Also am I able to move the camera to point at different nebula after I have polar aligned?

[@dannymartinez3600]

I have a question. Do you prefer the star adventurer over the sky-guider Pro in these scenarios? If you do are you able to articulate why? I think Zelinka said the Star Adventurer Pro 2i was better when using zoom lenses but not sure he articulated why. This is that last piece of my setup and trying to make the best decision for me. I’ll be alternating between wide field to a 200mm lens and wasn’t sure if one was more a general use mount

[@natashachadee1938]

Can you recommend a good telescope for viewing some of the planets for beginners? Thank you

[@rudyastro]

8" dobsonian, always. You can see some beautiful deep sky objects with that too

[@CristeaStefan-fs6cd]

nice

[@lebronk16]

Can you suggest an EQ Tracking Mount for an ABSOLUTE beginner? Something easy to use but something affordable. I'm having trouble finding one . I remember from your other video you said to get a good mount before you buy a telescope. Problem is , I don’t know where to look . Any Suggestions? Great Video !

[@OldCurmudgeon3DP]

If the rosette is that "difficult" then Andromeda might be an option. I've imaged it w/ a cell phone @ 13s exposures thru an eyepiece.

[@keithspoelker6384]

Trevor - can you point to a resource on how to auto guide with the Star Tracker?

[@Astro41876]

Awesome video and awesome information, I want to get started doing this, currently I don't have any equipment but I'm saving to get me a similar set up, I know lots can be done with such a simple set up. Anyway I'm still a rookie at this, I've been watching videos to learn how to do astrophotography while I still don't have a camera. So my question is how fo you tell the stat tracker to go from one target to the next one, or is it done manually? But that would disalignm your polar alignment wouldn't it? Hopefully you can answer me or if anyone else can reply to me that would be awesome.

[@Andros_Gaming]

The mount head which is polar aligned does not move only the RA (right ascension) moves this kind of tracker its all manual when finding targets

[@kevinridley8883]

If i was to spend a little more money on a camera to go with a star tracker, because i still like a bit landscape & wildlife sometimes , lets say a canon 7d ii or a nikon z50 or would i be better with an older full frame camera ?

[@jameslove1092]

Hii. I would sugggestt a softer feather of 15 to 25 pixels for nebula . Great videos best regards from james in scotland.

[@anirbannandy4399]

Hi Trevor , I have a quick question. I haven’t doing astrophotography just using my camera and lenses. I follow your channel and videos regularly. I recently purchased a Skywatcher Star Adventure Pro 2i tracker and along with that I also purchased a Syncscan remote which holds the database of 42,000 celestial objects. But the seller didn’t give me any cables with it. Can you please suggest whether this remote can be at all connected to the tracker ? If yes, what cable do I need? I have RJ 45 , it goes to the back of the remote but not at the back of the tracker . Any help would be appreciated. If the remote can’t be used with this tracker I will try to return it . Will be waiting for your response. Thanks 👍

[@hoaithanhnguyen7178]

thanks for the video Trevor? can i ask a question? i have ioptron skyguider pro, i live near equator , it's hard to find polaris for PA, i am confused i should try PHD2 or NINA 03 point alignment? can you give me advise.

[@krishparikh1728]

I had a question, I did Orion for the first time with the tracker I just bought. The stacked image’s colors came out more washed than my individual lights. Is there anything obvious I might be doing wrong? Thanks

[@michaellayne1172]

Hello Trevor, I am new to astrophotography and I keep seeing and reading that a tracker or go2 mount is almost essential. Is it because it’s more about set and forget and a manual mount demands more attention and cannot be left alone overnight? Thank you in advance.

[@holzfass_astrophotography]

Perfect Video! I have a similar setup. ○ Star Adventurer 2i ○ Canon EOS M50 MK2 ○ Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5 - 5.6L IS II USM ○ Rollei Carbon Tripod 😃👍🏼

[@laurenmerritt7078]

I recently got my first reflector telescope. I am having trouble aligning the telescope with the object I want to look at. Do you have any tips for this problem?

[@jodypescod6124]

As a noob, can you suggest a way to figure out the location of these DSO’s? I got a tracker for Christmas and I’m trying to figure out where to point the camera.

[@nightdragon3742]

im waiting for warm weather to try to use my star tracker again it has been very complicated trying to use a open astro tracker