Nebula Photography Basics (Start to Finish)

Nebula Photography Basics
In this video, I take you through the entire process of photographing a nebula in the night sky. I thought it would be fun to simply document a summary of the steps I take to photograph nebulae from my backyard.
The astrophotography setup used in this video excels at capturing dynamic images of nebulae using narrowband filters. In the video, I collect 22 x 7-minute images of the Dumbbell Nebula, a Planetary Nebula in the constellation Vulpecula.
The final image includes over 6 hours of total integrated exposure time and was processed entirely in Adobe Photoshop. To learn how to get started in astrophotography, visit: astrobackyard.com/beginner-as...
Equipment Profile:
Sky-Watcher Esprit 150 Telescope: bit.ly/45KQ1Vn
Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro Mount: bit.ly/43m00yT
Starlight Xpress SX-42 Camera Kit
Astronomik 6nm Filter Set
Affiliate Links:
Some of the links in my video descriptions are affiliate links, which means at no extra cost to you, I will make a small commission if you click them and make a qualifying purchase.

[@bradmeacham6982]

Your dog's name is Rudy, right? Am I the only one who automatically says "Hi Rudy!" every time your dog is in your videos? 😃

[@masterzerak7300]

me too 😎

[@The_OEK]

Same :D

[@andyweeks2216]

Every time!

[@kevlarV2rocketRSV]

ALWAYS!!!

[@MacGyverGTP]

Haha... Love seeing Rudy! I'm always wondering what he's getting into.

[@kushchandaria1115]

All your pictures just have his magical and soft look that when you come across them you’re like “yep that’s an astrobackyard shot”. They are really incredible to look at!

[@cowthedestroyer]

The softness is from "improper editing" but then again what is the correct way and what isnt is really in the eye of the beholder at the end.

[@DongWrangler]

With 20 grand worth of equipment it better look good.

[@MartinPillot]

Coming from a graphic design background I’d say the blacks could’ve been a bit deeper. The final image seemed “milky” NPI, but that could’ve been the effects of light pollution for that particular night. Even if the nebula’s richness would’ve suffered, I’d rather see a deep black background. Not all the way, just a bit more than the final image offered.

[@stefanotte2585]

Your production quality has skyrocketed since you moved! It is amazing to see your progress - everything is so nice and intentional 😁

[@cucubits]

I'd say maybe a bit too much b-roll and too little actual info, or rushed through... but yeah, they do look nice.

[@Isurus312]

Rudy is looking good Sleek and happy! Obviously a loved companion.

[@harshitchoudhary5613]

8:54 just as I was starting to enjoy the editing timelapse, you cut it short Trevor ☹️

[@rsmith_aus1371]

I'm getting into Astrophotography a lot more thanks to your tutorials. Greatly Appreciated

[@timbrowning357]

Great video Trevor! Appreciate the way your videos have evolved to break things down to a basic level for those of us new to the hobby. Keep it up!

[@howardbond1583]

Trevor your teaching abilities are clearly demonstrated in this video this video. Thanks for taking the time to share your enthusiasm for astrophotograhy.

[@jeffpurcell6096]

Always nicely done! Great image! Thanks for sharing

[@ZareiOshtolagh]

Great Work with great final image! Thanks Trevor!

[@AstroExploring]

Great video Trevor. I like that you went back to basics for all the new people on the channel! Really stunning image as always 🔭😃

[@starsips]

Great explanations! Thank you

[@briankennedy9439]

Another great video Trevor! Thanks.

[@urfat2872]

I know that this is a vid on nebulas but im so happy because I finally managed to get a glimpse of jupiter, jupiters moons and saturn today, i know how no one cares but you have inspired me through your videos and led me to a new path. One that I love. Thank you so much for your hard work and for keeping us educated and entertained.

[@amandaz9762]

Congratulations!! That first sight you'll never, ever forget!

[@donaldmartin6816]

thank you for sharing and teaching and hopefully I can improve.

[@RaysAstrophotography]

Excellent Image Trev! This is definitely the next level imaging!

[@adyfearn5202]

Loving your videos. Just getting into astronomy but feeling totally overwhelmed with where to start. I’ll keep watching your content to educate myself before jumping in and buying something. Love how you ended this video BTW from 9:00 to the end was very nice video editing, music and graphics 👌

[@astrorya]

Great video like always, Trevor!

[@lavenderskypanther]

Astrophotography goals = AstroBackyard🌚... Thank you for presenting everything so nicely & for sharing your knowledge. We are in infant stages with astrophotography, but are enjoying each baby step along the way. Here's to looking up [& far out there], clear skies, patience, & to right / helpful equipment coming in at the right timing... also to no mosquitos & gorgeous temperatures. Happy Weekend to All!🌞

[@beatriceheinze2294]

Wow! Spectacular image, Trevor! 👏😃 The colours of M27 are beautiful like that.

[@sergioblazquez5261]

You are amazing!! Thanks for this

[@catchingphotons]

A great video Trevor! This will help newcomers to get a grip on the basic steps towards astro imaging. It's always helpful seeing someone doin the "whole run" and his procedures to get a basic idea of what all this is about :-) Therefore also great that you included the wasted time under clouds into the video - that's astro business! Greetings Chris

[@StereoSpace]

Stunning capture.

[@pkikon6983]

Too good. I really enjoyed every bit of your video. Thank you

[@LynnChevalier]

Very helpful Trevor to see how it is done step by step.

[@khvnp1l0t]

Great video! As a beginner I find this type of beginning-to-end video you do extremely helpful, lets me know i'm on the right track! Thank you!

[@psyguydnoir]

i love your work 🤘

[@astrosrscat]

Whoaaa.. After the clouds, I'll get Dumbbell Nebula image. Thanks for the inspirations, Trevor!

[@eliotreynal6352]

One of the most impressive image I've seen of this target yet

[@askemilskovgaard160]

That's an amazing dream setup bro ;) I salute you, and thanks for sharing your passion.

[@greglight5808]

Amazing vid and image Trevor!

[@joshuawagy]

Thanks mate, I needed this.

[@mikemclaughlin1268]

Excellent job I’m really looking forward to getting into this hobby after I graduate college and actually get some money and your channel is gonna be a great resource for me thanks man for the great work your doin

[@KYREKING]

AMAZING!

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

Amazing target Trevor! Dumbell Neb is beautiful. Amazing work! hey, you got 150'000+ subs bro! Thats amazing!

[@a.ftamim8742]

Your photography is just mind blowing,awesome😍😍

[@SIGP229TPOC]

Congrats on your APOD! Well done, sir! Beautiful image.

[@Lupris90]

i'll start with astrophotography in a few weeks and this will be very helpful, thanks alot :)

[@gomanastro]

Hey Trevor, don't think i've ever commented, and you may never read this....so many comments from people, so many vids.....I just want to say thanks for all you have done to promote backyard astrophotography....It got me going and inspired. Pay no mind to the folks complaining about the nice equipment....I know how you started all this. A lot of work, and effort, not to mention the time spent on editing the videos, great sound quality, music, etc. I started with a canon rebel and a telephoto lens, then got a star adventurer, then found a RQ6 mount, and a used Esprit 120....which i am still getting used to. Recently added a guide scope, learning to use the different programs....NINA APT, and still use Backyard EOS alot. The point is, as we learn we do better, and advance. And i'm not sure why people are giving you grief for advancing yourself, in this hobby. Whether you can afford the new equipment, or had it given by the companies that support you....you have worked your butt off for it. Your advice is based on your personal experience, and has been helpful, and inspirational. You come off as a humble man, giving praise to you fellow astrophotogs, and to people you have never met. You, your wife, and Rudy should all be proud of you....I am. Keep up the great work....i'm sure it must be hard to come up with new videos all the time...but you are doing it. best regards,....Greg in Phoenix, AZ

[@specialized415]

Nice one trevor 👍🏻✌🏻

[@rodneyhendrickson5094]

Man that's a nice setup Trevor I would love to watch that live in Action maybe some day i can get me something like that Thank's man Great Video Bud

[@piotrjakuc6357]

Damn! I need to invest into some good HSO filters. Awesome photo Trev!

[@GRTObservatory]

hi Trevor, that's perfectly explained and top quality video, like it really much! cheers Torsten

[@andyweeks2216]

Really great you got the not so often seen outer regions!

[@sonar4504]

Amazing trevor!

[@guyyanez6949]

Very nice result. One cool aspect of the dumbbell nebula is that the OIII goes perpendicular to the H-alpha, so you get the apple core one one direction and that celeste color elongated at 90deg. It is amazing how you can process those images even with some clouds and the moon on the way.

[@aysolar]

Love that you did that on a moon lit night!

[@AaronDalton1]

Great video Trevor! Can’t wait for my dark skies to come back this fall. Come join the party with NINA!

[@ivanrodionov9724]

Great shot!

[@ARCASIAUK]

Your channel has really inspired me to buy my first Celestron astromaster telescope. Thank you for these videos. Keep them coming 🙏🏻 🌍 🪐 ✨

[@ACEOFSPACE2000]

Nice Video Thanks Trevor

[@elmikol2443]

Man, Trevor, that is one big refractor! Nice M27! Say hello to Rudy!

[@tonyclark1504]

Another informative video Trevor - Thanks for producing. As a newbie can I ask what impact the moon has on your imaging? Also, I thought I saw you were live the other day. However, i have lost the link. If you were are you going to upload this to your channel? Cheers from downunder.

[@wh0sthatgirl]

Yay! More mono stuff! :)

[@lacmatem6436]

This world is so wonderful👍👍👍

[@StargazerFS128]

Trevor made a booboo, definitely not a 100mm scope, makes my 115mm look like a pea shooter. Aside from that, that is probably the most detailed shot of the dumbbell i've seen, amazing!

[@Miguel_Noppe]

Hi Trevor, is there going to be a video of the EQ8, talking about your experience with it, goto, guiding etc... ? Thanks, love your video's !

[@lisabradley8699]

I’ve been watching a few of your videos. I’m excited to get a scope for deep sky viewing primarily and then possibly work up to astrophotography. Maybe just take a few snapshots on occasion. Is there a relatively portable scope that you would recommend as a beginner to intermediate telescope within a $1500 price range. I don’t want to make a poor choice and there is a sea of information to navigate!! Thanks so much for any help or advice you can share! Looking forward to getting started :)

[@jeddymo7052]

Love your videos. Just a quick processing question. Are you able to just stack your different filter images in DSS? Or do you do that in photoshop?

[@jakobreid2823]

ah yes the basics consisting of a $15,000 setup

[@kjam87gxp]

Well ... so much for that shit

[@AtheistLuvXmas]

@@kjam87gxp I agree, but when you're at the point in this wormhole that this guy is at, you film a video with the equipment you're working with. The fundamentals are the same. I can show you a "G" chord 🎼🎸 on a $10,000 Les Paul or the $5 toy guitar in my front room (that I love), the principle is the same. But yeah..... this vid definitely makes it seem daunting. Start small. Get sucked in. End up spending more funds than you ever thought allowable or feasible by your former self. I only own a $200 telescope. But I've sunk $1000000ummmmm.....nevermind.,.... Into knives and fidget spinners. (Yeah, you read that right....)

[@noahjames9845]

@@AtheistLuvXmas dude I know what your saying I have a 795 dollar telescope and I’m not one for just dropping a lot of money on something but I love the night sky and space so to the right person you make those expenses sometimes 😂😂

[@Guido_XL]

It is probably easier to show the basics with advanced equipment, as it delivers results quite elegantly in the hands of an experienced amateur. Most amateurs however start more modestly. Your first scope, mount and camera may not be as expensive as Trevor's here, but you want to focus onto a goal to reach. Then, seeing how it might be if you have gained experience and nice equipment can give you the motivation to continue. Because that's what you have to battle before you can reap the fruits from your labour: misfortune, disappointments, boredom, failure. Trevor showed you what it can be. Not what it has to be for you. Choose your own path, but, allow others to illuminate your path to the way up.

[@lee3195]

:) sometime hobbies cost you alot =))) i mean a lot =))

[@sking3571]

Nice job Trevor. Wondering why you didn’t use APT’S Pointcraft with it’s object catalog (excellent by the way) and then it would Center with Plate Solving (ASTAP is great, fast and easy to setup). Thank you for continuing with your informative videos. Well done thanks.

[@joelm4771]

Have you ever been to Northern Australia? We head out to Chillagoe a bit, it rarely has cloud, and not much light polution at all.

[@stefanidno]

Hey Trevor, awesome video as always! I'm not sure if APT already has a similar tool, but if not look into the simple program 'Bahtinov Grabber', it measures the accuracy of bahtinov spikes and can tell you whether you are within the critical focus zone for your setup. It's a nice simple way to quantify focussing with a bahtinov mask rather than just relying on your eyes. In my experience it is more accurate than autofocus even :)

[@balanbogdan9160]

Soo dope

[@PANDEYVIVEK47]

Awesome video. Might I ask what do you do as a primary job? or is it astrophotography. Just curious.

[@alexolariu9335]

Hey man! I apreciate you a lot for your work but I wonder: why you are using DSS instead of Sequator. Or is it any better than Sequator.

[@dmytref5148]

Hi Trevor. Could you give some tips on how to choose ISO and Exposure for light frames? In your old video (where you're processing Rosette) you took a quick look and histogram (Levels) and said that you could have used a longer exposure. So I wonder where you want this histogram peak to be at the graph to keep the balance?

[@debodabo3060]

Been a sub since u had like 10k subs and u still havent moved on to pixinsight!!!!

[@gingerbeardman73]

Amazing!!!!! How did you learn all this? And i thought my hobbies were expensive!!! lol..I checked out all the equipment you used in this video and i almost choked...lol Love your videos man. Thank you.

[@cdespatie]

Hi Trevor. Love your videos . New to Astrophotography . How do you approach light pollution with a mono camera? Thanks.

[@gnanasekaranperseus1836]

Superb sir... 👏👏👏👍👍👍

[@tmrdarkstar85]

Tell me about it Trevor first year over in astrophotography i have had 12 clear nights since mid October last year.. But the nights I have had I got some amazing captures. I took a break from m16 to do some barlow planetary. First image was last weekend. Over exposed an slightly out of focus. But from last year to this year I was still happy with the test image. Captured Io just to the left of Jupiter an Europa Transiting Jupiter. Even though tomorrow is a full moon I will still be setting up Full disc Lunar with a DSLR an then back on to some more planetary. For more practice imaging through a Barlow "3x on my C8 for 6096mm" Really glad to see you over on twitch with Dustin. I am really glad more of us are taking to sharing the experience an possibly teaching others the ways of CGI space pics 😉😂.

[@gavin5326]

Amazing video as always Trevor, I am shocked at how bright the dumbbell is. Every time I see one of your videos I want to be outside imaging. ButI have lost all of June and May to clouds, if it is going to be clear I am terrified that something will go wrong and I won't be able to image.

[@jimtaylor5802]

Practice, practice, and watch every video, especially the Astrobackyard KZbin channel - use the APT reticle & crosshair to confirm the Bahtinov focus and center...setup before it gets dark makes a difference too...

[@masterzerak7300]

Great video Trevor, as usual; very inspirational to help keep us beginners going, but no cameo from Ashley?; 😒

[@IGATECK]

great video and some top gear, speaking of gear I watched another one of your videos where you had a big red ring light would you be so kind to share it's info please, I'm starting in astrophotography and I'll be doing it in black bear territory so that light would be handy. Thanks

[@markstanford2315]

Great job Trevor, thr eos ra still brought out some of that red hydrogen

[@ericemanuelson5128]

Excellent video! I ordered my first astrophotoghraphy wanted something light and doesn't stick out too far. As I'll be using it mostly with my 8se until I get eq mount. A color cmos type with sony IMX 178 chip I cannot wait to start my new adventure after 3 years of visual astronomy mostly with manual mounts. 10 inch dob mostly and used the 8sct ota for a year before I bought the mount that it would normally come with. Lol

[@BOOFSIDEPINS]

8 Inch SCT with a 178 is a terrible combination

[@greatpix]

At first I thought this scope was a 6" reflector. MASSIVE!

[@yobb89]

nice monster canon refractor , are you using a 2.5'' reducer ?, i'm thinking about going to a 2.5'' corrector but not sure if that filter wheel supports 2.5'' ( i have the starlight maxi filter wheel, i think it's the same as yours .

[@astrom8774]

Bruh i really wonder... WHO TF DISLIKES THIS. Love u Trevor :)❤

[@TheKevinpascal100]

Wow! Very Beautifull! deepsky WOW!!😍 Thank you very much for sharing and for your Teaching time and effort Study Dear Travor Jones Wow!! nice telescope equipments and softwares, you have And living in a beautifull place , Great youtube Channel Trav very interesting Much Respect! 💯✨Greetings from KevinPascal from the netherlands 😇

[@danjensen9425]

Is that a refractor or what , thank you for the refresher course .

[@michelfries8307]

Starting as well... I would like to add a filter to my Canon 7D for nebulae and light pollution removal - so is there any interesting video or web page on that particular subject?

[@neilgillmore]

Nice refractor bro...

[@sebastienfabry8657]

Hello! You're never use Siril for stack you're images? What is the best for you, deep sky stacker or Siril? Thanks and congratulation for all your videos :-)

[@constellationshots3893]

you got the star(idk if it's a white dwarf or neutron star), and it looks amazing.

[@rhapirou]

Great! Thanks. Were Jupiter and Saturn just aligned with the Moon?

[@SkipEvansx]

Need advice on first camera to use with a 10” Dobsonian. Can you help? I am using my iPhone to point the scope

[@astrom8774]

Hey Trevor! I have a question.. what do you think ab the celestron powerseeker 114EQ, im a beginers and i just oder the telescope. What do you think?

[@arwinmathias3654]

Are the skies mostly clear throughout the year where you come from ?

[@WilliamShaheen]

Cool music, Trevor.

[@Sean-ib7pd]

I'm looking at beginner telescopes and have seen your video on the dobsonian 8", but I'm in the city as well with a bunch of light pollution. Is it worth getting a $200-300 telescope? I'd love to see some deeper space galaxies and nebulae if I can but I'd be pretty disappointed if there was too much light pollution. Thanks!

[@DickInMesaAZ]

Trevor, isn't your mount controllable by APT? Why are you using the hand controller?

[@peteelpachorras2604]

woah , eq8 is really massive

[@user-pw4iw8gb5v]

Молодец 👏 👍 !!!!!! Great 👍!!!!!!

[@orionm4268]

Comet C/2020 F3 was my first observed comet. But what does the "c" stand for? "Covid comet" ? First comet I observed represents an outbreak ok

[@UNSCPILOT]

It's actually a short hand marker for what month it was taken in, each half of a month is given a letter, in this case I think C means it was found in March (probably the later half of March but I'd need to look it up)

[@andrewallen978]

WOW

[@imahol3]

I realy want to see more planetary videos i myself only have a cheap refractor and dont know tbe most amount of things about planetary astronomy but i know that the 11 incher you were using can produce way better images then what you got

[@CE4JDM]

After an image is taken, how can I see the details or data about the image at a later date? Like Exposure Time, Gain or ISO, coordinates of the sky at the time of image, etc. Is this possible? Thanks.