c/astronomy-photos

Appreciation post: My galaxy photo's color dilemma

Last week, I was editing a photo of the Whirlpool Galaxy and made the blues and reds pop way more. It looked fantastic, but I started wondering if I was being honest about what's up there. I spent an hour debating with myself, which is pretty silly for a hobby. In my experience, a little enhancement is fine, but I added a note saying it was edited. Your mileage may vary on how much editing is okay.

A neighbor's new security lamp washed out my Andromeda shot

I spent all night setting up my gear to get a good picture of the Andromeda galaxy. Then my neighbor put up a huge security light that shines right into my backyard. Every time I start a long exposure, that bright glare messes up the whole image. I asked him if he could angle it down or use a shield, but he just shrugged and said it keeps his house safe. Now my photos come out with this awful orange glow that I can't fix in editing. It feels like all my work is wasted because of one light. I even thought about finding a new spot, but my yard is the only dark place I have. This whole thing has really killed my joy for taking space pictures.

My dog's leash got tangled in my tripod during a star trail session!

I was out in the backyard last night, all set to capture some star trails. My dog, Buster, decided to join me and somehow wrapped his leash around the tripod legs. I thought the whole setup was going to crash, but instead, it added a slight wobble that created these awesome, unexpected swirls in the trails! I was so mad at first, but now I love how unique the photo looks. It's like cosmic art with a canine touch!

Began shooting RAW files for my comet photos

The edit flexibility saved so many blurry shots.

Am I the only one who finds it frustrating when photo stacking software eats up star details?

All those hours of capture just to get a smoothed-out blob.

My deep-sky shots keep ending up fuzzy and I don't know why

Honestly, I've been trying to capture galaxies with my entry-level setup. Tbh, no matter how many frames I stack, the final image is always blurry and noisy. Does anyone have advice on what I might be doing wrong?

So I totally mixed up Venus and a streetlight in my last photo

I mean, I was so proud of my new telescope shot until my buddy pointed out it was just a lamp down the road. Idk, maybe it's just me but I guess I need to learn the sky better before I post stuff. What's the silliest mistake you've made when taking astro pics?

Why does nobody talk about learning astrophotography before auto-guiders were a thing?

From a foggy lens disaster to my favorite moon crater shot

I almost gave up after the fog set in, but that ONE hazy image has a mood I really LOVE.