Andromeda Galaxy: An Untracked First Dive into Deep Space Photography

It's always exciting to see the universe through new eyes, and this post from a budding astrophotographer using a stock Sony A7C Mark II with a Tamron 28-200mm lens is no exception. This is their very first attempt at photographing a Deep Sky Object (DSO) – the magnificent Andromeda Galaxy (M31), along with its satellite galaxies M32 and M110 – and the results are quite promising, especially considering the equipment used.

The Setup: Simplicity Meets Ambition

The beauty of this endeavor lies in its reliance on relatively accessible gear. Shot under Bortle 4/5 skies (indicating a dark location), the photographer utilized:

• Body: Stock Sony A7C Mark II
• Lens: Tamron 28-200mm
• Tripod: An unbranded, budget-friendly tripod

This setup demonstrates that you don't necessarily need specialized equatorial mounts or expensive telescopes to start capturing the wonders of the night sky. The untracked nature of this shoot adds an extra layer of challenge, requiring careful consideration of exposure times to avoid star trailing.

The Acquisition: Capturing Light

The technical details behind the capture provide valuable insight into the process:

• Exposure: Approximately 700 x 1-second exposures at 200mm focal length.
• ISO: 1600
• Aperture: F/5.6
• Calibration Frames: 50 darks, 50 biases, and 50 flats were used to calibrate the raw data and reduce noise and optical artifacts.

Shooting at 1-second exposures with an untracked setup at 200mm is a testament to the camera's capabilities and the photographer's patience. The goal here is to gather as much light as possible while managing the Earth's rotation.

The Processing: Bringing Out the Detail

Post-processing is where the magic truly happens in astrophotography. This image underwent a meticulous workflow:

• Stacking: Siril was used to stack the individual light frames, integrating the data to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.
• Background Extraction: GraXpert was employed for effective background extraction, a crucial step in removing light pollution and sky glow.
• Stretching: Siril was again used for image stretching, carefully bringing out the faint details within the Andromeda Galaxy.
• Star Removal: Starnet's star removal capabilities, integrated within Siril, were used to isolate the galaxy structure.
• Final Touches: GIMP was the tool of choice for final post-processing, including adjustments to saturation, curves, levels, and layer recombination to achieve the polished final image.

The result is an impressive view of the Andromeda Galaxy, showcasing its spiral arms and the smaller companion galaxies M32 and M110. This is a fantastic first step for anyone looking to explore the universe with their own equipment.

Reading Time: 5 min read