Now that the Northeast’s terrible winter is a distant memory, photographers are fully enjoying the warmer weather. For sky watchers and astrophotographers, that means spending the night outside. The sky is always changing, and some of the most brilliant stars take center stage during the summer months.  The easiest to find is the Summer Triangle, which is comprised of three bright stars: Vega in the constellation Lyra, Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, and Altair in the constellation Aquila. The stars appear in the east at dusk, high overhead after midnight, and in the west at dawn. If you are away…

To get started with astrophotography, all you really need is a camera, a tripod, and a dark spot to shoot. However, taking pictures of the night sky is a lot different than standard photography, so it’s important to adjust your camera settings. Below are a few basic tips: Unnecessary features: You won’t need your camera’s flash or red-eye reduction features, so make sure that they are turned off. Focus: Put your lens in manual focusing and select infinity focus. If you camera does not have a hard stop at infinity, you can get your camera to autofocus on something at…

While you can capture the night sky with a DSLR and any good long lens, attaching the camera to a telescope can yield more dramatic close up images. Selecting the right telescope is as challenging as selecting the right camera. Prepare to duplicate the research process and the process of trial and error that you went through when selecting between the many camera brands before settling on the one you have. There are generally three types of telescopes, each of which has advantages and disadvantages: Refractor: In the most common type of telescope, the lens is located at the front…