Astrophotography for the Amateur [Hardcover]

Michael A. Covington (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521641330 | ISBN-13: 978-0521641333 | Publication Date: June 28, 1999 | Edition: 2nd

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.

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

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

• Hardcover: 331 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2nd edition (June 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521641330
• ISBN-13: 978-0521641333
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,765,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Overall Astrophotography Book, April 13, 2000

By 

Howard Edin (Kansas, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Astrophotography for the Amateur (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:

3.0 out of 5 stars Technical in nature - a bit out-of-date - Lacks CCD info, February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Astrophotography for the Amateur (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:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Astronomical Resource, May 4, 2001

By 

"elemental_master" (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Astrophotography for the Amateur (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.