Category Archives: Astrophotography

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Samsung announced the Galaxy S23 this past Wednesday (February 1), with most of the attention going toward the Galaxy S23 Ultra. There’s good reason for that — the newest top-tier Galaxy S handset rocks a lot of camera upgrades.

Of course, the biggest deal is the 200MP main camera sensor, capable of some impressive feats from what we’ve seen so far. As we have a Galaxy S23 Ultra review in-progress, we’re still learning what this phone and its cameras can do.

But going off of our first impressions as well as what Samsung talked about at Unpacked, I’ve found five standout Galaxy S23 camera features that have me the most excited about these new camera phones. Yes, the Ultra’s 200MP main sensor is impressive, but I think other enhancements and additions deserve some attention as well. So here’s what I’m most excited to see and test out for myself with the Galaxy S23 cameras.

Camera versatility

Whether it’s the Galaxy S23 Ultra or regular Galaxy S23, Samsung is laying into each phone’s high resolution primary sensor. With the Ultra’s 200MP sensor, you’ll be able to shoot images in the full 200 megapixels, or combine four pixels into one in the 50MP mode, or a whopping 16 pixels into one for the 12.5MP mode.

The latter mode will prove most beneficial for low-light scenes, where additional pixel data will, theoretically, drastically improve how much light the camera brings in. But for ideal scenarios, Samsung said that the full 200MP will capture incredible amounts of detail.

It seems to me that the 50MP mode will be the most ideal for everyday use, and it’s what I plan to use most of the time when I have the Galaxy S23 Ultra in hand. For most situations, 200MP is excessive, not to mention that it’ll likely create images with massive file sizes.

Of course, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus will work in two of those three modes, with a 50MP main camera of their own. The major difference is that the 12.5MP mode on the Galaxy S23 will combine four pixels in one versus the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 16. 

Focus on Expert RAW

Samsung has really leaned into its Expert Raw app recently, and for the Galaxy S23, the company put a strong focus on it. Not only will you be able to access Expert Raw a lot easier going forward now that it lives in the camera app, but the Korean phone maker has made the app very accessible for photographers of all levels.

The appeal of shooting in the RAW format is that you can enjoy a lot more room for edits after the fact. You usually get a lot of the phone’s processing algorithms stripped out, making for images that are ripe for creative editing. I shoot many of my photos in RAW and play with them later on my own.

And with Adobe’s Lightroom designated as the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s official photo editing app, you’ll have a lot of tools at your disposal when you snap that 50MP RAW shot. (The Galaxy S22 Ultra limited you to 12MP.)

Better video recording

Samsung placed a heavy emphasis on the Galaxy S23’s video recording power, specifically the Ultra. While I’m not a videographer, especially not with a Samsung phone, I’m still excited to see the S23’s low-light performance since I like moody, atmospheric videos.

Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and some software tricks, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can process multiple frames at once, which effectively makes for less noise. There’s better exposure control, as well — something the Galaxy S22 Ultra struggled with significantly — which all should combine into low-light videos that look great.

Could the Galaxy S23 Ultra be the best phone for video capture? It sure looks like it might earn that crown.

Better selfies

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not big on taking selfies. I find the practice to be rather pointless for most circumstances, but Samsung’s improvements to the Galaxy S23’s front-facing camera sure have me interested for those times when I do take a picture of myself.

With the new 12MP front sensor on all three phones, the autofocus, larger pixels and AI systems should make for some great self-portraits, especially in low-light. In fact, we’ve already seen some samples of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s front-facing camera in comparison to its predecessor and the difference can be rather staggering.

As noted, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus share the 12MP sensor, so it stands to reason that they’ll prove to be some of the best selfie phones around.

Astrophotography goodness

Samsung seems to have caught up with Google on the astrophotography front, as the Galaxy S23 now includes this feature in the default camera app. Before, it lived in Expert RAW. 

This might seem like a niche feature, and to a certain extent it is, but I’ve had several circumstances where I wish my iPhone was better at photographing the stars. The most recent of these was my trip to the Great Sand Dunes in my home state of Colorado. Having a Pixel with me would have been awesome for this, even though I still managed to get some beautiful pictures of the night sky.

So I’m excited that the Galaxy S23 will have this feature. It might make me bring Samsung’s phone along on my next camping trip.

Galaxy S23 camera outlook

Although the Galaxy S23 Ultra sports the most camera upgrades, I think the whole Galaxy S23 line could gun for a high spot on the best camera phone list. While the jury is still out, from what I’ve seen so far, I think Google and Apple will really need to step up their game later this year with the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 if they want to compete with the S23 models.

I look forward to getting my hands on the Galaxy S23’s cameras when the phone arrives later this month. (The Galaxy S23 lands in stores February 17.) Then I’ll get to see if these five camera features are really worth getting excited for.

© Starry Night Software
The bright waxing gibbous moon will shine near the bright Gemini constellation stars Castor and Pollux on Feb. 3, 2022 as shown in this Starry Night sky map.

The bright, nearly full moon will meet up with the Gemini twin stars of Castor and Pollux this weekend in an eye-catching winter display. 

The waxing gibbous moon will be over the horizon to the east on Friday (Feb. 3) and doesn’t set until around sunrise the next day and will therefore remain close to the stars for most of the night. In New York City, the moon rises at 3:04 p.m. EST (2004 GMT), according to In the Sky. 

The brightest stars in the Gemini constellation, Castor, and Pollux are not that similar in appearance — their status as “twins” comes from the fact that they are so close to each other in the night sky. Pollux is the brightest of the Gemini twins with a golden hue, while Castor is fainter and bluish-white in color.

Related: The 10 brightest stars in the night sky

In real terms, the stars aren’t actually that close together at all. Pollux is closer to Earth at around 33 light-years away, while Castor is around 51 light-years distant, according to NASA. Proximity isn’t the only reason Pollux is brighter. The red giant star that is twice as massive as the sun and is approximately 43 times more energetic than our sun.

Castor might not be kept company by Pollux, but it is far from alone in the cosmos. This star is actually at least six stellar bodies in one. A small telescope can resolve Castor’s nature splitting it into two stars, while a spectrograph is needed to fully split it into three double stars. Altogether the mass of these six stars is around six times that of the sun. 

According to EarthSky, January, February, and March are great times for observing the twin stars of Gemini. The constellation is high in the sky to the east around nightfall and reaches its highest in the sky at around 10 p.m. your local time no matter where an observer is on the globe in early February at the time of the moon meeting.  

If you’re hoping to catch the moon close to Castor and Pollux, our guides for the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. If you’re looking to snap photos of the night sky, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Following this meeting of the moon with the Gemini twins the lunar face will be fully illuminated on Sunday (Feb .5) during February’s Snow Moon. 

Editor’s Note: If you snap the moon close to Castor and Pollux, and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to [email protected]. 

NIAGARA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 3, 2023 / Have you ever imagined how it feels to be in touch with what is going on in outer space? Most people rely on high-end space telescopes and observatories like NASA’s JWST, European Space Agency’s Gaia, or ISRO’s AstroSat! Apart from its science and technicalities, astrophotography is about appreciating the intricate details of the night sky and bringing joy to others too. Photographing the night sky and deep space objects is often perceived as an expensive and tedious hobby, requiring a lot of money and hard work. However, AstroBackyard, an Ontario-based, astrophotography knowledge and resource-sharing platform, seeks to deconstruct this misconstrued perception.

AstroBackyard was established by Trevor Jones in 2015 to inspire and educate aspiring astrophotographers in their journey and equipping them with the knowledge required to take breathtaking space photos. In order to achieve this mission, the platform shares resources and technical know-how, involving a large community of astrophotographers. In addition, the platform also provides learners and astrophotography enthusiasts with tutorials explaining both the basic and advanced lessons. Through the exceptionally popular YouTube channel, having around half a million subscriber base, AstroBackyard provides detailed video lessons. Trevor Jones presents videos detailing his extensive experience and knowledge of more than 10 years with his online audience.

The platform familiarizes learners with powerful image-acquisition tools, best practices in the field, and advanced image-processing techniques, etc. Subject matter included in the tutorials includes how to polar align the mount, how to take pictures of the moon, how to photograph the milky way, how to take flat and dark frames, ways to improve DSLR astrophotography and even how to photograph a rare comet. The platform sheds light on suitable equipment for astrophotography, as well as technical and operational details.

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Trevor Jones, the mastermind behind the platform, AstroBackyard, has always been passionate about photographing the night sky and its mysterious details. He has always believed that enabling people to appreciate the night sky and its beauty and peace would provide them with aesthetic and therapeutic benefits. The commitment to his passion eventually led him to quit his full-time job as a content marketer in a small business and dedicate his full time to astrophotography. Along with his wife, he has turned his backyard into a location for photographing the night sky and filming his video tutorials. Apart from his passion, what makes Trevor focused on astrophotography is his strong desire to make it approachable and accessible to everyone.

The limitations in terms of the technical aspects of the equipment used, the role of telescopes in capturing the details in better clarity, and many other factors make astrophotography inaccessible for many. In order to assist them to overcome these challenges, Trevor started providing detailed video sessions explaining how it works for him and what techniques he uses in astrophotography. The responses to his videos were exceptional. His efforts paid off by bringing him a huge number of subscribers from across the globe. The knowledge and experience he shares through all of his social media platforms under the brand AstroBackyard have so far made him a pioneer in astrophotography.

Today Trevor Jones and his AstroBackyard have become authentic sources of knowledge and experience when it comes to astrophotography. He makes the art and science of astrophotography accessible and enjoyable to more than half a million people across the world. His platform also spreads awareness of the increasing issue of light pollution and highlights its washing-out effect on astrophotography. “My goal is to make astrophotography a mainstream hobby and profession. My platform AstroBackyard provides all the necessary support to young photographers to start their astrophotography careers. Apart from the science and technicalities involved in it, I want people to enjoy the exciting fun side of astrophotography. My YouTube channel is committed to enabling people to learn the basics of this art and equip them to take their own photos of the night sky”, says Trevor Jones, Founder of AstroBackyard.

About AstroBackyard Inc

AstroBackyard is an online resource and a greater community for astrophotographers. Their mission is to inspire and educate beginners on starting their astrophotography journey and eventually taking their own images of the night sky. This includes content related to image acquisition, image processing, equipment reviews, and step-by-step tutorials. As the name suggests, the journey of AstroBackyard started in an urban residential backyard with seasoned astrophotographer Trevor Jones, sharing his ten-plus years of experience with an online audience. As a member of the International Dark-Sky Association, AstroBackyard also advocates for dark-sky locations and educates others on the issues related to light pollution and the effect it has on our ability to enjoy the night sky.

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SOURCE: AstroBackyard

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February’s full moon rises this weekend, and you can watch it shine brightly in the sky without having to brave winter’s frigid evening temperatures.

This Sunday (Feb. 5), the Full Snow Moon will rise at 1:28 p.m. (1828 GMT). By the time the skies darken, the moon will be joined by a few special guests: Mars and Jupiter will be positioned well for early-evening viewing, and early birds who get out to gaze upon the full moon just after dark can catch a glimpse of Venus before it sets around 7:24 p.m. EST (0024 GMT on Feb. 6) as seen from New York City.

Putting aside the 200-megapixel main camera for a moment, at first glance there’s not a huge amount of camera upgrades for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. 

It sports pretty much the same rear camera setup as its predecessor, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which held a high spot on our best camera phones list. And given that the older phone takes great smartphone photos, it’s no surprise Samsung hasn’t messed with the formula too much. 

Putting aside the 200-megapixel main camera for a moment, at first glance there’s not a huge amount of camera upgrades for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. 

It sports pretty much the same rear camera setup as its predecessor, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which held a high spot on our best camera phones list. And given that the older phone takes great smartphone photos, it’s no surprise Samsung hasn’t messed with the formula too much. 

You have likely heard about the “green comet” that’s all over the news. It is known as Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF, and it is currently visible in the night sky.

This particular comet only comes around approximately every 50,000 years, so I set up my camera and telescope to photograph it while it is still here. 

In this post, I will explain my approach and provide some photography tips on how you can capture this elusive green comet from the far reaches of our solar system. You can also view my experience in the video below. 

 

What is a Comet?

A comet is a small celestial object made up of ice, dust, and rocky particles that orbit the sun. They are believed to have formed at the birth of our solar system and are thought to contain some of the oldest and most primitive materials in the solar system.

The nucleus of a comet is often described as a “dirty snowball” due to its composition. When it approaches the Sun, the heat causes the ice to vaporize creating a bright coma around the nucleus and a visible tail.  This tail will always point away from the Sun due to the solar wind. 

Comet Tempel 1 after it obliterated Deep Impact’s impactor spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD).

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF

This particular comet has a massive orbit, completing its path around the sun every 50 thousand years. The last time it was visible on earth was during the stone age, when there was absolutely zero light pollution to contend with!  

At the start of 2023, this comet traveled closest to the Sun. By February 1, it will be closest to Earth meaning there is still time to view this comet. In fact, on February 5, when it’s next to the bright star Capella, or February 9-13 when it’s near Mars, could be great chances to spot the comet. 

Astrophotography offers your best chance to see the tail of comet 2022 E3 and the green nucleus that glows with a green coma.

This graphic shows the massive 50,000-year orbit of Comet ZTF around the Sun. (The Sky Live).

How to see it?

If you’re in the northern hemisphere, you will have had the chance to see this comet since January 2023. But now that it has journeyed closest to Earth this month, there are still a few weeks of viewing before those in the southern hemisphere will have their chance to see it. 

It can be found in the area of the sky that is right near the north star, Polaris. Use your favorite astronomy app on your phone, like Stellarium, to guide you in the right direction. 

You will also want to use a pair of binoculars or a telescope to view this object as it is not bright enough to see with the naked eye. Ideally, you would view it without the bright glow of the moon interfering, but that’s precisely what I’ll be doing since there have been limited clear nights for me this winter. 

The path of Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF as it travels past Polaris in the night sky. Astronomy.com

My Approach

To capture the green comet I used a refractor telescope with a focal length of 550mm. This brings the comet in nice and close, but not close to avoid missing the tail, which luckily, was still there. That’s the exciting (and difficult) part about photographing comets – they are evolving, and unpredictable. The last comet I photographed was comet Neowise in 2020.  

I used a full-frame color camera, which utilizes the native focal length of this scope, to capture a nice big chuck of the sky in a single shot. I was able to see it right away through a test exposure, and then it’s a matter of choosing the ideal exposure time to reveal it without too much motion.

The comet is moving at a different speed and angle than the motion of the stars, so my standard method of sidereal tracking wouldn’t work. I’ve seen others use autoguiding on the comet itself (as if it were a star) with positive results.

I adjusted my exposure time to 60 seconds, to avoid too much motion in the comet in a single exposure. This resulted in a somewhat ’round” shape of the comet nucleus, with a slight amount of trailing when viewed up close. 

My Imaging Session

To run the image sequence on this comet I used a ZWO ASIAIR WiFi device to control the session. I can’t say enough about how great these little devices are.

It’s a powerful accessory capable of running a dedicated astronomy camera, guiding, and even autofocusing for those that want it all. I’ve recently switched to a bigger tablet to use the dedicated ASIAIR app, and it’s a treat seeing the huge preview images of the comet as they come through.

Although the WiFi range isn’t great, I can still control the imaging session just inside the garage to stay warm. The ASAIAR mounts directly to the finder scope bracket of my telescope and allows me to clean up all of the cables running to various devices.

I chose to use my Sky-Watcher Esprit 100 telescope as it has the perfect mid-range focal length (550mm) for an object of this size.  This model is included on my list of best astrophotography telescopes available in 2023.

In total, I captured 100 x 60-second tracked exposures centered on the comet. I utilized autoguiding for the stars to avoid star trailing and dithering between each frame (though it probably wasn’t necessary). 

I stacked the images in DeepSky Stacker using comet mode and stacked the images of the comet (not the stars) which created star trails in my final image.

My photo of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

I also created an animation of the comet moving across the star field, using the individual 60-second frames in a sequence. To do this, I simply converted the .FIT files to .jpg, and played the image frames in sequence using Adobe Premiere.

You can watch this animation in action in my video on YouTube. 

Comet Stacking

Both DeepSkyStacker and PixInsight (my go-to image stacking tools) offer a ‘comet stacking’ mode. They allow you to select the comet within the star field and stack the images in accordance with this point. 

I have not tried the PixInsight comet stacking tool yet, but for those interested, be sure to watch this helpful tutorial video by fellow astrophotographer and friend, Bray Falls. 

The process of stacking the comet in DeepSkyStacker involves manually selecting the comet in each sub-frame (which is a little tedious), and then choosing the ‘comet stacking’ mode in the stacking parameters (see below).

Be sure to locate the ‘comet’ tab within the stacking parameters window, and select ‘comet stacking’ if you wish to create an image like mine. This simple tutorial video may help.

Using the comet stacking mode in DeepSkyStacker.

The tool includes a ‘stars + comet’ mode, but it did not work for me on this project. A potential workaround for creating an image of a stacked comet without star trailing is to remove the stars from the comet image and place a background of tracked stars behind it.

Tips for Shooting the Comet

In terms of astrophotography-specific tips, I have a few things to keep in mind.

• Decide on your composition: You can either track the comet itself with a star-trailed background or capture the motion of the stars, and the comet will be blurred. As mentioned above, unlike a typical deep-sky object, they are moving independently from one another.
• Track the comet: For the ultimate portrait of this dirty snowball, you’ll definitely want your telescope to track the COMET – this will allow you to take a clear, long-exposure shot. You may want to stick to shorter subs tracking the stars and stack the image.
• Use the correct stacking mode: The stacking process is a bit different for comets and there are actually comet-stacking modes in both DeepSkyStacker and PixInsight. Try both to see which one delivers the best result.
• Get Creative: Many people like to create an animated timelapse of the comet traveling through the stars, which is a pretty cool effect because you can see how fast it’s actually moving through space. 

The bottom line is, once you’ve found it, the way you capture it is up to you. If you’re like me, just the whole idea of the event is fun – I don’t need to take the best photo out there.

Just remember, comets can be faint and difficult to see, so be patient. It will help if you let your eyes adjust to the darkness and use a star chart to help you locate it using the surrounding stars. 

Final Thoughts

Unlike some of the celestial events that get media attention, I think comets are a pretty big deal. They’re visitors from the far reaches of our solar system and they’re only here for a short period of time.

The fact that they’re (kind of) doing their own thing makes it cool. Whether it’s every 76 years or every 50,000, when they visit, it reminds us of our comparatively short lives here on our rock and how incredible this whole experience is.

So go outside and look for the green comet while you can, because nothing lasts forever. 

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A “hauntingly beautiful” shot of the Milky Way rising over the ruins of a Tudor mansion has won the top prize in a photography competition.

The image, taken by Richard Murray from Waterlooville, Hampshire, captures the night-time scene at Cowdray ruins in Midhurst and claimed the top prize in the South Downs National Park astrophotography competition, which attracted 60 entries.

In September 1793, while it was undergoing repairs and refurbishments for the impending marriage of the 8th Viscount Montague, a devastating fire destroyed most of the property, leaving the ruins that remain.

The competition celebrates the national park’s status as one of only 20 International Dark Sky Reserves in the world, which recognises the region as one of the best places globally to stargaze.

South Downs lead ranger Dan Oakley said of the winning image: “It’s such a well-framed image and shows what the landscape would have been like a couple of centuries ago.

“It’s a great little chocolate box photo of the South Downs.”

Mr Murray, who won a £100 prize, said: “We were blessed with crystal clear skies and I was lucky enough to be able to capture this shot of the Milky Way rising behind the Cowdray ruins.

“It demonstrates that you don’t have to travel too far from town to enjoy the spectacular dark skies the South Downs National Park has to offer.

“The national park has such a wide variety of beautiful landscapes and buildings to photograph and is truly a special part of the UK, both by day and night.”

Beachy Head moonrise by Andrew Parker (Image: Andrew Parker/ PA)

Runner-up in the main category, was a shot of the moon rising behind Beachy Head lighthouse, near Eastbourne taken by Andrew Parker, who won a £75 prize.

Mr Parker, who lives in south east London, said: “Despite travelling around the country to pursue my hobby of landscape and astrophotography I still go to the South Downs more than most other places. The skies around Birling Gap are fantastic.”

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The judges were also wowed by a photograph of a toad crossing a road near Cuckmere Haven, by Peter Brooks from Eastbourne.

The picture won the South Downs Nature at Night category and Mr Brooks received a £100 prize.

Toad In The Road by Peter Brooks (Image: Peter Brooks/ PA)

Mr Oakley said: “I like this image because it’s a bit different. It sums up the theme of ‘nature at night’ and really highlights the fragility of nature.”

Mr Brooks said: “I took this particular image to highlight the dangers toads face when migrating back to their breeding ponds.”

A crater that looks like a bear’s face has been captured on the surface of Mars by the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). 

For the last 16 years, the MRO has been orbiting Mars in a mission to understand the history of the red planet. Previous missions have shown that, once upon a time,  water did flow across its surface, but it’s not clear how long for or whether it was long enough to sustain life. 

February could be one of the best months for astrophotography (opens in new tab) for 50,000 years. That’s because it should see the brightening of comet C/2022 E3 (ZHF), a long-period comet discovered last year that last visited in the Stone Age, around 50,000 years ago! That’s not unusual for a comet, and nor is it hyped up green color, but nevertheless the appearance of this icy visitor is something to get excited about for night sky images. 

Add a Jupiter-Moon conjunction, a brightening Venus after sunset and the rise of a full ‘Snow Moon’ and February 2023 has plenty to make going out in the cold seem like a good idea. 

February 2: Comet C/2022 E3 (ZHF)