Astrophotography can be divided into two camps: terrestrial and deep space. Both can be equally challenging for different reasons. But recent advances in technology have also made both of these more attainable and enjoyable.
As the name implies, terrestrial astrophotography is a method of photographing the night sky with a foreground anchored on the earth. It’s more accessible and less gear-dependent, requiring only one camera, lens, and tripod. Planning a composition with the Milky Way or other celestial bodies in the background is always the most difficult part of terrestrial astrophotography. But over the past decade, a wide range of computer and smartphone apps have helped all photographers realize new possibilities for achieving amazing images of landscapes alongside our galaxy. , near-Earth comets and even solar eclipses.
Deep space astrophotography mainly focuses on astronomical objects (nebulae, galaxies, star clusters) outside our solar system and has no foreground at all. It inherently comes with a larger investment of time and equipment. The use of the auto-tracking mount is almost mandatory, and controlling the mount and the peripherals attached to it requires the use of a computer. Economical, portable tracking stands are relatively new, but they only solve half the equation.
The problem with astrophotography
The problem with deep space astrophotography has always been one of equipment. There are thousands of unique products made by hundreds of manufacturers. Getting all these disparate things to communicate with each other and work together can be an utterly frustrating endeavor. The fact that there are many astronomical interface standards makes this more complicated. Nothing is really plugged in and running, so getting things to work properly can take a lot of work and constant troubleshooting. Using a computer running specialized programs is the only way for consumers to be able to run all of their peripherals simultaneously.
For those of us who don’t have dark skies in our backyards or backyards, getting into the field of deep space astrophotography is a challenge. The sheer enormity and mass of traditional astronomical instruments was also a significant barrier, prompting me to sell all the instruments my father and I had amassed while participating in the field. amateur astronomy, because I’m looking for a better solution.
Solution
In 2018, the proliferation of small track mounts necessitated the next evolution in handheld astrophotography. With the success of complex mechanical miniaturization of larger, more precise track stands, a need arose to shrink the computer face in kind. Many individual solutions have debuted for the first time, such as Astroberry and Stellarmatebut the highlight is ZWO ASIAIR, is now in its third generation. Imagine the ability to automate nearly every function of wireless astrophotography from your smartphone or tablet. This is the next development in electronically assisted astronomy (EAA).
With these new products, an amateur astronomer can now put their entire equipment in a camera bag, instead of the trunk of a car. In particular, ASIAIR enables seamless integration of many accessories, to extend the effectiveness of astrophotography. Things like the autofocus unit, filter wheel, guide camera, and tracking mount, all of which can be easily controlled wirelessly and automatically with no input required.
Why is it important?
Products like ASIAIR have simplified the acquisition of astrological images. Anyone with a smartphone can now become an amateur astronomer; It’s a powerful message to send to potential customers. And in the case of the ZWO, they include support for both Canon and Nikon cameras, opening up the world of electronically powered astronomy for hobby photographers. The inclusion of support for the most popular digital cameras allows one step into the wider world of electronically aided astronomy. Furthermore, they are guaranteed full compatibility when pairing products in the ZWO ecosystem. That’s a big deal for hobbyists who don’t want to spend time researching product compatibility and fixing those issues. With a minimal investment, new customers gain access to a wide range of features available only to serious astronomers.
Array solver
Especially for deep space photography, ASIAIR makes the initial setup almost perfect. Using something called plate processing, it can check the image from your camera during polar alignment to help you achieve near-perfect alignment in just a few minutes. This reduces the human element of error being introduced into the process. Array decoding can help further once you’ve found your intended target, check the image to determine where in the sky your setup is pointed. If your star tracking mount is capable of working, you’ll never need to find an object manually again.
Fully wireless control
Touching anything connected to the camera at any time during an astrophotography session can mess up the entire process, cause the rig to misalign, or move the field of view away from its intended target. yours. But with ASIAIR, since everything is wireless, you can adjust all camera settings, take practice shots, and even process those images without ever stepping closer to your setup. Even for hobbyists who are running a more permanent setup, such as in their backyard, the included Ethernet port allows for a direct connection to a permanent home or WiFi router. pocket, which means one could theoretically have access to their entire astronomical setup from the comfort of an entire home.
Autorun
After you have pole aligned, previewed, and ready to shoot, the ASIAIR features autorun like a rangefinder on steroids. You can program every parameter you can think of for an entire night of photography. Included in this feature, is ASIAIR’s ability to store the data you collect in neatly collated folders on its local storage.
Complementary
All the features mentioned above do not require an extra device to work. But that’s where things get more interesting. With ASIAIR, you can add guide cameras, which can help with continuous monitoring of the mount. There’s an option to add an autofocus unit, which can even be adapted for use with any type of lens/camera combination. And finally, if you’re serious, you can even add an automatic filter wheel that will rotate the filters into the right position based on the specific set of photos you’re taking.
If the above features are not enough, ASIAIR can also do live stacking, dithering, planetary photography, automatic meridian flip, and it even has a planning mode to photograph multiple targets in same night.
My specific use case
I first started using ASIAIR with iOptron Skyguider Proand it works equally well with Skywatcher Star Adventurer. Initially, I was amazed at how it expedited the achievement of extremely precise alignment. The wireless control and autorun features are also a huge benefit. After a while, I even added a camera and auto scope to improve tracking during night photography. However, the problem with all of these trackers is the same. They are manual, meaning you have to move the camera to the intended target.
The biggest breakthrough came when I paired it with Skywatcher AZ-GTi. As far as I know, the AZ-GTi is the smallest and most affordable GOTO mount on the market today. With several upcoming products and upgraded equatorial system software by Skywatcher, this setup is the most likely fully automatic astrophotography rig in my camera backpack. The most important part for me at least is that I can take it anywhere, and setup and tearing can happen in seconds. This was not possible before. While the portability of the AZ-GTi is a big part of my success story, the lack of laptop and power requirements to run it can’t be ignored. I can run everything with the two small smartphone batteries I already have.
The best part of this system is its portability. I live in a big city, so I have to go away from home for at least 30 minutes to get good pictures. After the initial setup and pole alignment, I was able to relax in my car and control and monitor everything without any physical interaction. Image acquisition is a long process, and there’s nothing better than leaning back while watching Netflix until I’m ready to go home.
Inference
As an amateur astronomer and avid astrophysicist, ASIAIR has transformed my relationship with these interests. I wouldn’t dream of capturing deep space objects without using them. There’s not much you want from this device. ZWO has carefully created a product that meets the needs of the next generation of smartphones and tablets. And they breathed new life into a traditional, wildly do-it-yourself and sometimes overly complicated hobby.
