Weasner's Nikon D70 DSLR Astrophotography Page

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE NIKON D70 DIGITAL SLR CAMERA

Last updated: 4 November 2005

Sky Astrophotography - Guided
During my 29 October 2005 trip to Oracle Observatory I did some piggyback guided astrophotography with the D70. The D70 was mounted on my LXD55-8"SC using a Meade Piggyback Bracket, model #07394, $39, purchased from OPT:

The Nikon D70 with the new Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED lens was piggybacked on the LXD55-8"SC and some guided but uncorrected photos were taken. The zoom lens was set for 200mm.

M31, the Great Galaxy in Andromeda
This was a stack of six 5min, ISO 800, exposures. Note that you can see dust lanes in the spiral arms as well M32 and M110, its satellite galaxies. The zoom lens was set for 200mm

Cassiopeia, Double Cluster, Perseus, Pleiades, Mars (left to right)
Lens at 18mm.

During the Fourth Mighty ETX Star Party I did some piggyback astrophotography using my Nikon D70 DSLR. Here are a couple of examples. M31, the Great Galaxy in Andromeda was a single 5 minute exposure, ISO 800, 200mm focal length, with tracking corrections being done through the ETX. The top cropped image was unprocessed; the second image had levels slightly adjusted. Dark lanes in the spiral arms are visible as are M32 and M110, its companion galaxies.

Orion was a single 5 minute exposure, ISO 800, 55mm focal length, with no corrections made to tracking. Some levels adjustment.

During my 24 September 2005 trip to Oracle Observatory I did some piggyback guided astrophotography with the D70. The D70 was mounted on my LXD55-8"SC using a Meade Piggyback Bracket, model #07394, $39, purchased from OPT:

The Nikon D70 with the new Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED lens was piggybacked on the LXD55-8"SC and these guided but uncorrected photos were taken. Both images were taken with the zoom lens set for 200mm.

M31, the Great Galaxy in Andromeda
This was a single 5 minute exposure at ISO 800. Note that you can see dust lanes in the spiral arms as well M32 and M110, its satellite galaxies.

M45, the Pleiades
Some faint bluish nebulosity is just visible around one of its stars. This was also a single 5 minute exposure at ISO 800.

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