 In astronomical research data is king. One single pixel can confirm a theoretical framework, but for those of us who aren't professional astronomers, is there a way that we can actually take pictures of what we're looking at through our telescopes? Well, yes there is, and this is your space bomb for June 12, 2015. Taking imagery of astronomical objects through a telescope is called astrophotography, and most of us amateur astronomers actually do astrophotography and maybe obsess a little bit over it as well. Modern astrophotography is a wash in technology. Film and using film cameras are of course an option, but the digital age is allowed for instantaneous feedback, so if that photo you take has the wrong exposure, you can instantly correct it, as opposed to waiting a few days to find out that you had an issue. There's two main types of cameras for astrophotography. Those are DSLRs and CCD-based systems. DSLRs are useful because they're everywhere, and some companies like Canon actually make DSLRs that are designed specifically for use in astrophotography, like their EOS6DDA. DSLRs typically capture a much wider field of view, seeing much more of the sky in a single shot. CCDs, however, are usually just made for astrophotography. And even further, some are specified for specific types of astrophotography, like planetary imaging or deep sky imaging. Well, which of these two cameras should you use? Well, obviously that's up to you, and also you should think about what am I going to be observing and taking imagery of the most? In my last space pod, I talked about accessories for your telescope, and one of those was a go-to mount, a computer mount which can automatically maneuver your telescope to targets in the sky. If you're looking at performing serious astrophotography, especially deep sky imagery, a go-to mount is an absolute must for the simple reason that it will compensate for the rotation of the earth. Without that compensation, your astrophotos won't appear in focus, more of a smear than crystal clear. A laptop also doesn't hurt. With the right kind of software, like backyard EOS, you can control your DSLR and to a certain extent your telescope as well with the right kind of inputs. This means that you can have a remote telescope you control via laptop, and this makes for a powerful tool any astrophotographer could dream of. And much like regular photography, in astrophotography, processing your photos after they've been taken is everything. And specifically in astrophotography, we like to use a technique called stacking. Stacking is when you take multiple images of the same object and combine the data from your best exposures together. This allows for areas where bad pixels may be to be filled in by higher quality pixels taken in a separate image. It results in an overall increase in resolution and image quality, adding a richness that a single exposure wouldn't be able to have. Thanks for watching This Space Pod. I'm Jared Head. Don't forget to comment, like and subscribe on social media to us. And also, if you feel like helping us out, donate a little bit to our Patreon campaign. So until next Space Pod, keep exploring.