My $400 star tracker turned a blurry mess into a real photo

I tried to take a picture of the Orion Nebula last month with just my camera on a tripod. Every shot came out as a streaky blur after a few seconds. I got a small star tracker for about $400, set it up with my camera and a 200mm lens, and tried again. The tracker moved with the stars, so I could take a 90-second shot without any trails. Now I can actually see the gas clouds. Has anyone got tips for polar aligning one of these things faster in the dark?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron4269d ago

Honestly I used to think those were a gimmick but that's pretty convincing.

jordan3309d ago

Totally get that, my first tracked shot of Andromeda blew my mind. Spent an hour fighting with the polar scope until I found a trick. You know how you can use an app to get the rough spot, then just tweak it with a couple short test shots? Saves so much time when your fingers are freezing.