Category Archives: Astrophotography

Venus Optics has announced the Laowa 6mm f/2 Zero-D MFT rectilinear lens, the “Photo Version” of the previously released 6mm T2.1 Cine Lens that offers the same image quality as the cine version but finally adds electronic components for in-camera controls and proper EXIF information recording.

The new $499 6mm f/2 lens offers a 121.9-degree angle-of-view that the company says has close-to-zero distortion (Zero-D) and is the world’s widest rectilinear option in the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) market. The lens, equivalent to a 12mm in 35mm terms, offers users a close nine-centimeter (3.54 inches) focus distance allowing them to create some “very interesting perspectives” for landscapes, astrophotography, architectural, drone shots, and even exaggerated perspective portraits.

Venus Optics says the new large-aperture f/2 lens contains an optical design that consists of 13 elements in nine groups with two aspherical glasses that help reduce distortion to its minimum even at such a wide angle. According to the company, this lightweight (188g) lens has such low distortion that it won’t require lens-profile corrections in post, making it an ideal lens for real estate and architectural work.

The company says the close focus distance allows users to get incredibly close to their subjects while still maintaining clean separation from the background with a shallow depth of field, producing an incredibly strong bokeh effect for “visually impactful images.” Additionally, since this is one of the newer lenses to contain a CPU chip and motor for focusing, the focus magnifier will be triggered for easy focusing when rotating the focus control ring, and allows for aperture control from the camera body, eliminating the need of a manual aperture ring.

The lens itself has a 58mm filter thread allowing users to mount screw-on circular filters without the need for any large and bulky filter holders. Meaning it is much more travel friendly as well as affordable compared to other wide-angle (and filter) solutions.

According to the company, the lens has five aperture blades that can generate “nice” 10-point sunstars simply by stopping down the aperture (which ranges from f/2 to f/16).

Below are some sample images captured with the 6mm f/2 Zero-D MFT Lens;

Here is a 1-minute video introducing the new lens:

The Venus Optics Laowa 6mm f/2 Zero-D MFT lens is available for MFT mount systems immediately for $499 directly from the Venus Optics website.

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Display — Oppo Find X5 Pro

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The Find X5 Pro delivered a premium display, offering smart refresh rate switching and high brightness.

Camera hardware — Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

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Camera software — Google Pixel 7 series

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Performance — Asus ROG Phone 6

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Android skin — One UI

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One UI 4

One UI brings a ton of features, unparalleled customization via Good Lock, and the best update pledge in the game.

Battery and charging — Oppo Find X5 Pro

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Design — Realme GT 2 Pro

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The Realme GT 2 Pro took a refreshingly different approach to design, ditching glass or plastic in favor of a ‘bio-polymer’ back.

What else do I want?

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The Fujifilm X-T5 is the latest model in Fujifilm’s X-series camera, following the launch of the X-H2 and the X-H2S earlier in 2022. As a successor to the Fujifilm X-T4 (which came out in 2020), it shares a similarly compact and traditional design, with iconic dials on the top plate for changing the exposure settings.

Fujifilm’s X-series is now ten years old, but the X-T5 brings it up to date with an impressive 40.2MP BSI imaging sensor and the new X-Processor 5, which gives double the processing speed of the X-T4 and a 20% longer battery life.

NASA telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies

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The claim: Lack of stars in space photos means they were created with a green screen

© NASA, Getty Images
July 12, 2022: In this handout photo provided by NASA, a landscape of mountains and valleys speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula, on July 12, 2022 in space. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.

Some proponents of flat Earth theory – the erroneous idea that Earth is flat instead of a globe – also say that space travel is impossible, sometimes claiming to expose inconsistencies in conventional narratives about space and space flight. 

For instance, social media users have falsely claimed that propulsion would be impossible if space were a vacuum or that astronaut training regimes don’t match the purported conditions in space. 

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A recent example involves a meme that claims pictures taken in space were created using green screens. 

The meme shows four images. Three appear to be authentic lunar images from the Apollo missions. These show astronauts on the moon, with a dark, black sky in the background.

The final picture shows what appears to be an astronaut posing in front of a green wall while a person operates a camera. 

“Not a single star in outer space,” reads the meme in a Dec. 6 Instagram post. (direct link, archive link) Haven’t you realized that it’s all just green screen technology. Time to wake up!”

The meme, which is captioned with hashtags such as #flatearth and #spaceisfake, garnered more than 500 likes in two weeks. 

But the meme is wrong. Many photos of spacecraft or astronauts in space don’t show stars because the camera settings required to capture such brightly lit foreground objects are different than the settings required to capture distant and much dimmer stars, experts say.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment.

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Stars too dim to show up in many space photos due to camera settings

The Apollo images in the meme were taken during daytime on the moon when sunlight is very bright, according to Noah Petro, a project scientist for the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

This brightness creates a challenge for photographing stars from the lunar surface or even being able to see them with the naked eye. In fact, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong reported he had to use optical devices to see the stars during the day.

Fact check roundup: Debunking the flawed science behind flat Earth claims 

“If you’re just standing in your spacesuit on the surface of the moon and the sun is out … reflecting off of surrounding terrain, your spaceship, or your lunar lander, your crewmate’s suit, there’s so much extra light that it’s just not … dark enough for you to be able to see stars,” Petro told USA TODAY.

That said, it is possible to photograph stars from the lunar surface by optimizing the camera settings to capture dim objects. 

“You need to basically change the camera settings … to let in a lot of very faint light for a long period of time,” he said. 

This can be accomplished by adjusting the aperture, which controls the amount of light entering the camera, and the shutter speed, which controls the exposure – or amount of time light enters the camera, according to an article on lunar photography in Astronomy Magazine, which is affiliated with Discover Magazine.

Capturing dim, distant stars requires a larger aperture and a slower shutter speed to let in as much light as possible. But capturing brighter objects such as an astronaut, the lunar surface or a spacecraft requires the opposite.  

“Generally speaking, the brighter the target object, the smaller the aperture and the faster the shutter; otherwise, too much light will hit the film, and the photo will be dominated by a washed-out, overexposed focal point,” reads the Astronomy Magazine article.

Thus, camera settings must be configured to support the goals of the photographer, David Melendrez, imagery integration lead for the NASA Orion Program, told USA TODAY.

“To properly expose … the spacecraft, Earth, moon, etc. – all of whom are much brighter than the distant stars – the shutter speed needs to be relatively short,” he said in an email. “With a short shutter speed, the stars simply do not register in the image.”

Photos from more modern missions, such as the recent NASA Orion spacecraft flight, don’t show stars for the same reason.

“The cameras on the Orion spacecraft were not designed for astrophotography,” Melendrez said. “They were designed and configured for engineering use: monitoring the performance of the spacecraft. To properly image the spacecraft’s external surface or even the Earth in the distance – both very bright objects – the dim stars in the distance could not be detected.”

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that the lack of stars in space photos means they were created with a green screen. Stars don’t show up in many space photos because they are too dim to be detected with the camera settings required to capture brighter objects. 

Our fact-check sources:

• Noah Petro, Dec. 12, Interview with USA TODAY
• David Melendrez, Dec. 12, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Astronomy Magazine, July 24, 2019, Why do pictures of Earth taken from the Moon show a black sky with no stars?
• Reuters, Dec. 7, Fact Check-Stars not routinely visible in photographs taken from spacecraft due to light exposure on Earth and Moon 
• Wired, Nov. 13, 2007, Why Can’t Stars Be Seen In Moon, Space Photos?
• NASA Earth Observatory, Sept. 28, 2011, Where are the stars?
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory photojournal, Nov. 7, 2008, PIA10508: Tethys in Eclipse
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory photojournal, Jan. 7, 2005, PIA06168: Iapetus by Saturn Shine
• NASA Earth Observatory, July 28, 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis streaked across the sky to its final landing at Kennedy Space Center
• Scientific American, March 27, 2020, Flat Earthers: What They Believe and Why
• The Planetary Society, Jan. 28, 2019, Why are there no stars in most space images?
• Royal Museums Greenwich, accessed Dec. 10, Moon landing conspiracy theories, debunked
• NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal, Aug.12, 1969, Apollo 11 post flight press conference
• Space.com, Jan. 25, Can you see stars in light polluted skies?
• Royal Museums Greenwich, accessed Dec. 16, What makes the sky blue?
• NASA, accessed Dec. 16, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• Motherboard, July 22, 2010, Apollo 11 press conference (YouTube)

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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Some space photos don’t show stars because they are too dim for camera settings

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy has captured a star that went supernova back in the medieval period.

McCarthy trained his telescope on the Crab Nebula, an outwardly expanding supernova remnant that exploded in 1054 A.D.

“It’s basically yesterday in a cosmic sense,” says McCarthy.

McCarthy used a 12-inch telescope and over the course of 40 hours imaging the Crab Nebula he used seven different filters.

“Going from the raw data to this final vibrant image is a science in itself, and where the bulk of the creative expression in this hobby comes from,” explains McCarthy on his Twitter feed.

Some users were astonished that McCarthy could achieve such an image from Earth.

“As long as I’m stuck here on Earth all my work will be too,” McCarthy quips.

Some even doubt the authenticity of McCarthy’s image. “I love the CGI art these days,” writes one skeptic.

But McCarthy simply encourages the naysayer to check out his RAW data on his Patreon channel.

Leading Astropohotgrapher

McCarthy is one of the foremost astrophotographers, consistently capturing some of the most incredible images of the universe.

He started his cosmic photography journey in 2017 when a total solar eclipse was taking place in the skies above the United States.

“Feeling inspired, I recalled fond memories from my childhood of looking through my dad’s telescope and seeing the planets in our solar system, and wondered if I could recreate that experience as an adult,” explains McCarthy on his website.

“It was with that goal I bought my first telescope, a 10-inch Dobsonian designed for visual astronomy.”

Since then, McCarthy has honed his capturing and editing skills, quitting his job in sales and marketing to pursue an astrophotographer career full-time.

He’s put out a series of remarkable photos, including this month when he captured Mars emerging from behind the Moon.

What is a Supernova?

According to NASA, a supernova is the biggest explosion that humans have ever seen. They can be caused by an enormous, dying star.

A star is normally balanced by gravity trying to squeeze it into the smallest, tightest ball possible. But the nuclear fuel burning in the star’s core creates strong outward pressure. This outward push resists the inward squeeze of gravity.

When a massive star runs out of fuel, it cools off. This causes the pressure to drop. Gravity wins out, and the star suddenly collapses.

A very dense core is left behind and an expanding cloud of hot gas, called a nebula, is created. The biggest stars can leave behind black holes.

More of McCarthy’s work can be found on his Instagram, Twitter, Patreon, and website.

Image credits: All photos by Andrew McCarthy.

The night has always been the most challenging scene for a smartphone’s camera because of their tiny sensors. But with the development of machine learning and dedicated processes using the “brain” of the smartphone to improve photography, “night modes” have made smartphone cameras spectacular in the dark. Google thinks theirs is so good that they’re offering Google Pixel smartphones for rent as part of an astrophotography tour in Japan.

Achi Village in the Nagano Prefecture is apparently an incredibly popular spot for stargazing in Japan. Google, partnered with Softbank, are offering a visitors who take part in the “Paradise in the Sky Night Tour” (this is Google Translated, I can’t read Japanese), a Google Pixel smartphone for rent for free, to take photos of the night sky.

© Provided by Soya Cincau

From the 24th of December 2022 to the 26th of March 2023, the first 100 customers who sign up for the tour will have the chance to rent a Google Pixel smartphone for free for astrophotography purposes. It looks like you will have to pick the “Google Pixel” plan and then pick up your smartphone from the reception inside the summit’s mountain lodge.

These tickets are priced from JPY2,000 (~RM65) for adults or high school students, while children (elementary and junior high school students) have their tickets priced from JPY1,000 (~RM32). From what I can tell there are two ticket purchasing options on the website with the “regular ticket” and the one with the “Google Pixel Plan” so if you want to use the Pixel phone, you should probably pick that option.

On the event site, they even share a couple of tips “from professional photographers” on how to capture the best starry night sky with a Google Pixel, which is probably useful. But one crucial piece of information that’s missing is which Pixel smartphone will be available for rent. It would make sense for Google to offer the latest Google Pixel 7 Pro but I couldn’t find any information confirming this on the site.

© Provided by Soya Cincau
Is your nihongo jouzu enough to translate this for the rest of the class?

Honestly, I think it’s a cool on-ground event to get people to really try out a smartphone’s particular feature because video reviews and demonstrations can only go so far. Official promotional materials tend to use professionals or simulated sequences that you may not be able to recreate yourself, so it’s nice to see phone makers actually put their money where their mouth is.

Even I was skeptical about the effectiveness of Night Mode (and by extension the Google Pixel 3 XL’s selfie camera in low light) back in the day until I just offhandedly took one of the best low light selfies I’ve ever taken without even thinking about it. That was the moment I was converted into a believer in the church of Night Modes. This could be your chance too.

Of course, you’d have to go to Japan first, but I digress.

[VIA, 2]

Stargazing increasingly requires that you travel a good distance away from lights. In Japan, Google is presenting a “Night Tour” event where you go to a ticketed location and can rent a Pixel for astrophotography.

Achi Village in the Nagano Prefecture is home to a site that’s located at an altitude of 1,400 meters and requires taking a gondola ride that lasts 15 minutes. It’s said to be “the best place for stargazing in Japan.”

For the upcoming stargazing season (from December 24, 2022 to March 26, 2023), “Google Pixel” and Japanese carrier SoftBank are “presenting” this “Night Tour.” The location is already ticketed, but the first 100 people can now get a “special package plan that allows you to rent a set of smartphone “Google Pixel”, winter clothes, and a tripod for free to take pictures of the starry sky.”

Average tickets start from $15 with various windowing periods, while it’s not clear which Pixel generation — presumably the 7 Pro — is rented out. Another question is how photos, which could easily be in the gigabytes, are transferred at the end of the night. Some sort of Google Drive or Photos solution would be the most ideal.

It’s a pretty good idea for all parties involved, and could be replicated in other locations that provide good stargazing on a regular basis. Meanwhile, this is a good way for Google (and carrier partners) to promote Night Sight on the Pixel. 

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