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Photography · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Astrophotography

This course unlocks the hidden universe above. Astrophotography is the intersection of science and art, requiring precision, patience, and specialized technique. Students will move from wide-field Milky Way shots to deep-sky imaging of nebulae and galaxies. The curriculum covers star tracking, image stacking to reduce noise, and the post-processing workflows needed to reveal colors invisible to the naked eye.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Master the "500 Rule" and NPF rule for sharp stars without trails
  2. Utilize Star Trackers (Equatorial Mounts) for long-exposure deep-sky imaging
  3. Execute "Image Stacking" techniques (Sequator/DeepSkyStacker) to eliminate noise
  4. Differentiate between Wide-Field (Landscape Astro) and Deep-Sky (Telescope) photography
  5. Process Astro-images: Stretching histograms, star reduction, and color calibration
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Introduction to the Night Sky: Planning with Stellarium
  2. 02Gear Essentials: Fast Lenses, Intervalometers, & Tripods
  3. 03Camera Settings: ISO Invariance & Exposure Time
  4. 04Wide-Field I: The Milky Way Core
  5. 05Wide-Field II: Star Trails & Vortexes
  6. 06Light Pollution: Filters & Editing Techniques
  7. 07Nightscapes: Lighting the Foreground (LIV)
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Deep Sky I: Introduction to Trackers
  10. 10Polar Alignment: The Key to Long Exposures
  11. 11Deep Sky II: Nebulae & Galaxies (Telephoto)
  12. 12Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, & Bias
  13. 13Image Stacking: Signal-to-Noise Ratio
  14. 14Post-Processing I: Stretching the Histogram
  15. 15Post-Processing II: Star Reduction & Color
  16. 16Final Project: The Deep Sky or Milky Way Composite

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Deep Sky or Milky Way Composite

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. The Astrophotography Manual by Chris Woodhouse
  2. The World at Night by Babak Tafreshi
  3. Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects by Stephen James O'Meara
  4. Night Photography and Light Painting by Lance Keimig
  5. Making Every Photon Count by Steve Richards
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