Astrophotography on the Cheap

Teaching introductory astronomy means discussing celestial objects that are beyond most students' experience. Simply talking about them is usually not sufficient to convey their size, distance, complexity, and beauty. One way that we introduce our students to celestial objects is through observing sessions, but we have also extended these observing sessions to include astrophotography (AP). This approach relies on recent advances in the field of astrophotography. New computerized tracking and autoguiding mounts and digital still and video photography have made it easier and cheaper to take high-quality astrophotographs. While it is easy to spend $15,000 or more on a single astrophotography setup or even a single device (telescope, camera, and mount), taking simple, short-exposure photos can cost anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars depending on how much equipment you already have. (Contains 7 figures.)