{"id":9293,"date":"2026-08-17T13:52:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/?post_type=product&p=9293"},"modified":"2026-08-23T08:42:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T08:42:31","slug":"deep-sky-imaging-guide","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/shop\/deep-sky-imaging-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep-Sky Imaging Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Theory to Your First Stunning Deep Sky Image.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my Deep-Sky Imaging Guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to capture stunning deep sky images, starting with the fundamentals and building up to your first finished photograph, ready to process and share.<\/p>\n

Understand the theory first.<\/strong>
\nBefore you spend a penny, I cover the full theory behind astrophotography and how cameras actually work, explained in plain English. Pixel size, image scale and camera features stop being confusing jargon and start making sense, so you understand exactly what you’re working with and why it matters.<\/p>\n

Choose the right telescope, mount and camera<\/strong>
\nWith the theory in place, I help you turn that knowledge into a buying decision. Once you understand pixel size and image scale, matching a camera to a telescope stops being guesswork. I’ll help you confidently choose a combination that suits your goals and budget.<\/p>\n

Set it all up properly.<\/strong>
\nThis is where most imaging nights go wrong. I cover focus and back focus for the most common setups, including field flatteners and focal reducers, with a worked spacing calculation so you can get your own numbers right the first time. I also cover Bahtinov masks and motorised focusers, so you can achieve sharp, reliable focus every session.<\/p>\n

Taking your first images.<\/strong>
\nOnce your equipment is set up and focused, I take you through your first steps at the eyepiece (or rather, the camera) so you can start capturing usable data with confidence, rather than trial and error under the stars.<\/p>\n

Process your data.<\/strong>
\nWith your data captured, I give you a very brief guide to processing, enough to turn your raw frames into a genuinely stunning deep sky image.<\/p>\n

Share your images.
\n<\/strong>Finally, I suggest ways to share your finished images with others, so all that hard work under dark skies gets the audience it deserves.
\nIf you want your imaging nights to actually work, this guide gets your equipment and technique sorted first, so you can focus on what matters: capturing great data and turning it into images you’re proud of.<\/p>\n

Pre-order your copy today with a discount until the 15th of September.<\/strong><\/p>\n

First copies will be posted out mid-September.<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contents:
\n<\/strong>What is Astrophotography?
\nAstrophotography Theory
\nWhy the Camera Sees More Than We Do
\nHow a Camera Works
\nOne-Shot Colour Cameras
\nThe Bayer Matrix
\nDebayering
\nBIT Depth
\nImage File Formats
\nUV\/IR Filter
\nSimple DSLR \/ Mirrorless Camera Imaging
\nTripods
\nLenses
\nCamera Settings
\nISO
\nBahtinov Mask
\nAperture \/ F-ratio
\nIntervalometer
\nThe 500 Rule
\nTaking Images
\nTelescopes
\nConsiderations When Selecting a Telescope
\nSmart Telescopes
\nRefracting Telescopes – Refractors
\nReflecting Telescopes – Reflectors
\nAperture
\nFocal Length
\nFocal Ratio
\nCollimating Telescopes
\nOptical Aberrations
\nComatic aberration and Off-Axis Astigmatism
\nChromatic Aberration
\nVignetting
\nPinched Optics
\nAttaching a DSLR to a Telescope
\nDedicated Astronomy Cameras
\nCamera Specifications
\nImaging Chip Size
\nPixel Size & Image Scale
\nNumber of Pixels
\nAmp Glow
\nMemory Buffer
\nCamera Graphs and settings \u2013 What do they mean?
\nFull Well
\nDynamic Range in Stops
\nRead Noise
\nConversion Gain
\nQE = Peak Quantum Efficiency
\nRelative Response
\nDark Current
\nOffset
\nRegion of Interest (ROI)
\nBinning
\nCamera Cooling
\nAttaching Dedicated Astronomy Cameras
\nFocal Point and Back Focus
\nBack Focus Issues when fitting extra accessories
\nCamera Tilt
\nLight Pollution and Nebula Filters
\nFilter Sizes
\nUsing a Filter with a DSLR
\nFilter Drawers and Filter Wheels
\nFilter Drawers
\nFilter Wheels
\nDifferent types of Filters
\nTri-Band Filters
\nDual-Band Filters
\nNarrowband Filters
\nAlt-Azimuth (Alt-Az) Mounts
\nEquatorial Mounts
\nPolar Alignment
\nOther Accessories
\nFocal Reducers, Extenders and Barlow Lenses
\nDew Control
\nImage Rotators
\nFlip Mirrors
\nFlap Panels
\nElectronic Focusers
\nReplacement focusers
\nAuto-Guiding
\nGuide Scope and Camera
\nOff-Axis Guider (OAG)
\nGuided Dual Camera
\nConnecting the guiding setup to the mount
\nST4 Guiding
\nAuto-Guiding Software and Calibration
\nDithering
\nAutomatic Meridian Flip
\nPlate Solving
\nASCOM
\nEQMOD \/ EQDIR
\nGreen Swamp Server
\nINDI Library
\nComputer Control Software
\nAstronomy Controllers
\nPowering Accessories
\nMonochrome Imaging
\nMonochrome Cameras
\nMonochrome Imaging with Filters
\nNarrowband Imaging
\nCalibration Frames
\nPlanning your imaging
\nLight Pollution
\nDark Sky Sites
\nStar Parties
\nObserving Sites and Safety
\nTroubleshooting
\nBasic Image Processing
\nSharing and Presenting Your Images
\nFinal Thoughts
\nExample Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m Dave Eagle, a UK astrophotographer, and have been imaging the sky since 1987.<\/p>\n

In this comprehensive, full-colour guide, which has taken me three years to write, I focus on the part most beginners struggle with: setting up your equipment correctly and capturing your first images to reveal stunning detail in deep-sky objects.<\/p>\n

Pre-order your copy today at a discounted price of \u00a316:50 until the 15th of September.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The books will be posted out in mid-September.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9307,"template":"","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Deep-Sky Imaging Guide | Astrophotography Guide","description":"Pre-order the Deep-Sky Imaging Guide and save \u00a32.50. A beginner's guide to astrophotography equipment setup and capture. Posted out early September.","canonical":"\/deep-sky-imaging-guide"}},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[23],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-9293","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-guides","first","onbackorder","sale","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/9293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=9293"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=9293"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.star-gazing.co.uk\/WebPage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=9293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}