Astrophotography

Guides and galleries to inspire and help you get the most out of imaging the night sky.

How to use PixInsight to enhance the brightness of a galaxy image without affecting the stars. Credit: Steve Richards

Astrophoto guides

Image processing Use PixInsight to enhance a galaxy's brightness without affecting stars

Like Jupiter, Saturn’s atmosphere shows numerous belts and zones. Recording variations in their intensity and colour will make valuable contributions to science. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Astrophoto guides

Imaging for science How to photograph Saturn

The Grace of Venus © Martin Lewis

Astrophoto guides

Imaging for science How to photograph Mercury and Venus

The Google Pixel 4 smartphone. How does it hold up as an astrophotography camera? Credit: Google

Astrophotography with Google Pixel 4’s Night Sight mode: is it worth it?

The top images from the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2020 competition will be on display at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Credit: National Maritime Museum, London

IIAPY The world's biggest astrophotography competition opens for entries

Processing raw space mission data

Astrophoto guides

How to process images from raw space mission data

Dione and Saturn in an image captured by the Cassini spacecraft in 2012 and processed by Emily Lakdawalla. Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI/color composite by Emily Lakdawalla

The art of processing space mission data to create astrophotos

The Homunculus Nebula Hubble Space Telescope, 1 July 2019

Astrophotography

Gallery The top space images released in 2019

A dragon and the witch’s hat Craig McDearmid, Kirkjufell Mountain, Iceland, 7 December 2018. Equipment: Sony a7S digital camera, Samyang 14mm lens, tripod

Astrophotography

Gallery Best readers' astrophotos of 2019

The final Jupiter image after further brightness and colour balance correction. Credit: Martin Lewis

Astrophoto guides

Image processing How to remove the effects of twilight from your planetary astrophotos

How to take nightscape photography. Credit: Serge Brunier, TWAN

Astrophoto guides

How to take nightscape photographs

Neil Allen, Norwich. Equipment: iPhone 8, Sky-Watcher Equinox 80 refractor, TS Optics Herschel wedge.

Gallery Transit of Mercury, 11 November 2019

A conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and the moon from February 2019, taken using an iPhone 7. Credit: Jamie Carter

16 gadgets to turn your smartphone into an astrophotography camera

The final shot of M33, stacked from 13 two-minute exposures, after post-processing. Credit: Dave Eagle

Astrophoto guides

Image processing How to use DeepSkyStacker for astrophotography

Supernova remnant LMC N63A. Credit Enhanced Image by Judy Schmidt (CC BY-NC-SA) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/CXC/SAO & NASA/STScI.)

Astrophotography

Eye On The Sky The remains of an exploded star appear in X-ray