With this extraordinary handbook, you, too, can frame the stars and have them hanging on your livingroom walls. Astrophotography for the Amateur provides a complete guide to taking pictures of stars, galaxies, the Moon, the Sun, comets, meteors and eclipses, using equipment and materials readily available to the hobbyist. Based on suggestions from readers of the first edition, the new edition has been completely updated and expanded to include new chapters on computer image processing and CCD imaging; expanded advice on choosing cameras and telescopes; completely updated information about films; a much larger bibliography; and hundreds of new photographs (in color and black and white) demonstrating the latest equipment and techniques. Astrophotography for the Amateur has become the standard handbook for all amateur astronomers. This new edition provides an ideal introduction for beginners and a complete handbook for advanced amateurs. It will also appeal to photography enthusiasts who will discover how to take spectacular images with only modest equipment. Michael A. Covington received his Ph.D. at Yale University. He is the author of several books, including Syntactic Theory in the High Middle Ages (Cambridge, 1984). He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and is the Associate Director of the Artificial Intelligence Center at the University of Georgia.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for students on millions of items. Learn more |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Special Offers and Product Promotions
- Buy $50 in qualifying physical textbooks, get $2 in Amazon MP3 Credit. Here's how (restrictions apply)
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...highly recommend[ed]... to novice astrophotographers, but it is also an excellent reference for more advanced individuals....This work would also serve well in the field, as a quick reference to many of the formulas and techniques contained within." Sky & Telescope
"I enjoyed this book the first time I picked it up...I still find it a prime source for everything having to do with photographing the heavens." Paul R. Castle, Reflector
"After reading this book, many will find it hard to resist the fascinating pursuit of astrophotography, which sometimes yields results that are of interest to professional photographers. This is the finest treatment of the subject at this level available in book form and is perfect for its intended audience." Science Books and Films
"I enjoyed this book the first time I picked it up...I still find it a prime source for everything having to do with photographing the heavens." Paul R. Castle, Reflector
"After reading this book, many will find it hard to resist the fascinating pursuit of astrophotography, which sometimes yields results that are of interest to professional photographers. This is the finest treatment of the subject at this level available in book form and is perfect for its intended audience." Science Books and Films
Book Description
This major revision of the best-selling handbook Astrophotography for the Amateur provides a complete guide to taking pictures of stars, galaxies, the Moon, the Sun, comets, meteors and eclipses, using equipment and materials readily available to the hobbyist. This new edition has been completely updated and expanded to include new chapters on computer image processing and CCD imaging; expanded advice on choosing cameras and telescopes; updated information about new films; and hundreds of new photographs (in colour and black and white) demonstrating the latest equipment and techniques. Astrophotography for the Amateur is the standard handbook for all amateur astronomers. It will also appeal to photography enthusiasts who can discover how to take spectacular images with only modest equipment.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This second edition is updated and revised. Of all the books I've read on astrophotography this is the best overall. Given that the standard reference work by Provin and Wallace (A Manual of Advanced Celestial Photography) was dated and is out of print this is the closest replacement.
The book covers all topics relevant to astrophotography, including telescope considerations, mounts, camera types and lens, focusing, photographic methods (prime focus, projection, etc.). Topics covered also include photographing meteors, aurora displays, planets and deep space objects. One appendix contains extensive exposure data for various targets like the moon, planets and deep sky objects. Some image processing techniques and algorithms are covered.
Some of the films mentioned in the book are now obsolete but that is an unfortunate consequence of a rapidly changing market. The book is generously illustrated with photos taken by the author and many other noted amateur astronomers.
CCD photography is covered in the book but not in any real depth. That is not a drawback to the book since most of the material on photography (methods, mounts and telescopes) is generally applicable to CCD as well. Readers interested specifically in CCD and not film should consult other texts for more in-depth information.
Overall the author did an excellent job of collecting and organizing information for the beginner to advanced astrophotographer.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Just getting back into the astrophotography after 15 years and found the book was a good refresher. It would be a good place to start with film photography. This title is almost 8 or 9 years old now, so the mentioned film types are dated, but the general concepts are good. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a technical introduction into astrophotography. I will refer back to it often.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For about 5 years now I've been involved with Astronomy as a hobby. I've owned telescopes small and large, taken numerous night sky pictures, and read many materials on the subject. With the recent purchase of my 8" Schmidt, I was eager to begin taking pictures with it. I realized that while I'd taken some pictures in the past, I wasn't very skilled in the process. With a desire to expand my knowledge and further my skills I purchased this book. I was glad that I did. The book has an abundance of useful information that I was able to readily apply when photographing. It also has an abundance of technically sophisticated information. If you are a very new beginner then this probably isn't your book. I found that you already need more than just a basic knowledge of astronomy and photography to understand the concepts covered in this book. The book is not a light read. If you want to understand what is included in it you must be willing to devote some time, both reading and applying. If you are willing to put up with a level of sophistication and complexity then you should have no problem with this book. The title can be slightly misleading in the sense that the word amateur it is used. "Amateur," in title of this work, best translates as: non-professional. And not as beginner.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
worth the wait
im in australia and ordered the book from amazon on 17/6/11. It arrived exactly after one month. I ordered two more books together to minimize my shipping cost. Read more
Published 10 months ago by rish
Best book on Astrophotography
The book I have purchased is just what I was looking for. It was very resonably priced, and was posted and delivered very quickly. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Flembo
A Dated Classic
This is a review of the second edition of this book. The work is superb but is now (2010) out of date because it deals with film. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Amateur Telescope Maker
Good but slightly outdated.
A good book but it is outdated, so it makes it kinda difficult to remember.
Published on February 6, 2009 by Robert H. Johnson
Great bargain
The three stars are more for the condition of the book itself, not the overall transaction experience. This is the classic case of getting what you pay for, and I think I did. Read more
Published on December 22, 2008 by S. Harui
Very good reference book for any astrophotographer
Micheal Covington's book covers all aspects of astrophotography starting from objects, from camera selection to films, exposure methods, mounts and drives, guiding of the mount... Read more
Published on July 24, 2002
Great Introductory book
This book is a must in doing amateur astrophotography if you are going serious. It has lots of information which is very useful. Read more
Published on March 5, 2002 by Sergio Rodriguez
My best book on astrophotography
I've bought a handful of books on the subject, and this one is head and shoulders above the rest. Some of the other books have lots of pretty pictures, and very little information... Read more
Published on December 17, 2001
I hesitated to pick up a copy of this book...
I've been trying my hand off and on for the last year at astrophotography with my Meade LX-200. In that time I've scoured the internet, devoured newsgroup, and emailed enough... Read more
Published on August 26, 2001 by S. Casper
Advanced Math Major Needed
Unless you're extremely fluent in advanced mathematics, calculus, etc., this book is not for the faint of heart. For those of us who never got past shop math - forget it. Read more
Published on June 4, 2001
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
Welcome to astrophotography! Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
compressor lens, declination drift, afocal coupling, broadband nebula filter, guiding tolerance, guiding corrections, drive corrector, slide duplicator, quartz frequency standard, afocal method, slide duplication, reciprocity failure, rms granularity, totally eclipsed moon, false pole, nebula filters, prime focus photography, eclipse photography, planetary work, interchangeable focusing screens, lunar work, liquid developer, solar rate, eyepiece tube, projection setups Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Technical Pan, Ektachrome Elite, Kodak T-Max, Fuji Sensia, Milky Way, Kodak Elite Chrome, Dark Dark, Gregory Terrance, Ilford Multigrade, Orion Nebula, North America, United States, Akira Fujii, Olympus Varimagni Finder, Astronomical Almanac, Beattie Intenscreen, Comet Hale-Bopp, Comet Hyakutake, Kodak Spectroscopic, Adobe Photoshop, Andromeda Galaxy, Fuji Astia, Great Red Spot, Jay Pasachoff, Jerry Lodriguss New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Welcome to astrophotography! Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
compressor lens, declination drift, afocal coupling, broadband nebula filter, guiding tolerance, guiding corrections, drive corrector, slide duplicator, quartz frequency standard, afocal method, slide duplication, reciprocity failure, rms granularity, totally eclipsed moon, false pole, nebula filters, prime focus photography, eclipse photography, planetary work, interchangeable focusing screens, lunar work, liquid developer, solar rate, eyepiece tube, projection setups Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Technical Pan, Ektachrome Elite, Kodak T-Max, Fuji Sensia, Milky Way, Kodak Elite Chrome, Dark Dark, Gregory Terrance, Ilford Multigrade, Orion Nebula, North America, United States, Akira Fujii, Olympus Varimagni Finder, Astronomical Almanac, Beattie Intenscreen, Comet Hale-Bopp, Comet Hyakutake, Kodak Spectroscopic, Adobe Photoshop, Andromeda Galaxy, Fuji Astia, Great Red Spot, Jay Pasachoff, Jerry Lodriguss New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 40
books:
See all 40 books this book cites
24
books
cite this book:
See all 24 books citing this book
- A View of the Universe by David Malin on page 4, page 98, and Back Matter
- Visual Astronomy of the Deep Sky by Roger N. Clark on page 98, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Cambridge Astronomy Guide by William Liller on page 5, and Back Matter
- Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects by Christian B. Luginbuhl on page 129, and Back Matter
- Atlas of Deep-Sky Splendors by Hans Vehrenberg on page 97, and Back Matter
See all 40 books this book cites
- The Cambridge Eclipse Photography Guide: How and Where to Observe and Photograph Solar and Lunar Eclipses by Jay M. Pasachoff in Front Matter, page 53, and Back Matter
- The 20-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope: A Practical Observing Guide by Peter L. Manly on page 169, page 175, and page 214
- The NexStar User's Guide by Michael Swanson on page 193, and page 194
- AstroFaqs : Questions Astronomers Frequently Ask (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series) by Stephen F. Tonkin on page 23, and Back Matter
- Totality: Eclipses of the Sun by Mark Littmann in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 24 books citing this book
Books on Related Topics
(learn more)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
So You'd Like to...
|
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > How-to
- Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Reference
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > Visual Arts > Photography
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Books > Science & Math > Astronomy & Space Science > Astronomy
