MAS July Monthly Meeting

Selecting Camera Lenses for Astrophotography, and their use in Narrowband Imaging

Martin Mika July 2021 MAS Presentation

Telescopes for astrophotography can be large and heavy instruments, costing thousands of dollars. For those who own DSLR cameras, there are a wide selection of available lenses that make an excellent lightweight, low cost, and easy to use platform for starting in astrophotography. We will look at some advantages (and disadvantages) of using camera lenses when photographing the night sky and examine characteristics of lenses ideally suited for astrophotography. In the second half of the presentation, we will take an introductory look at using narrowband filters for astrophotography, with emphasis on wide-field astrophotography. When narrowband filters are combined with a fast lens, a universe of otherwise hidden objects is within reach to those imaging in light polluted skies, in what can be a very lightweight and portable setup.

Martin Mika is currently serving as the Observatory Director for MAS and Laboratory Manager for Columbus Chemical Industries. He has a background in chemistry and astronomy, and currently works as a chemist performing trace level chemical analysis.

MAS has been holding virtual meetings for the duration of the COVID pandemic. While we expect to be returning to in-person meetings soon, as of the planning of this event, the July meeting is being treated as a virtual event, hosted with Zoom. Members will receive an email with a link and instructions to join a day or two before the event. Again this month we are opening the virtual meeting up to our web followers who may want to join in. If you would like to attend the MAS virtual meeting, send an email to madisonastro.info@gmail.com by noon Friday, July 9 to let us know of your interest. We will email you the Zoom link at 3pm that day which will get you into the meeting by 7:30 on Friday evening.