My First Glimpse of Saturn This Year: A Beginner's Astrophotography Journey
It's always a special moment when you decide to finally dust off your telescope and point it towards the heavens for the first time in a while. This year, that moment came for me with the magnificent ringed planet, Saturn.
Even from my backyard, which experiences a Bortle 6 light pollution level, the night delivered! The seeing conditions were remarkably good, allowing me to crank up the magnification to an impressive 300-400x. It was during these moments that the magic truly unfolded – I could clearly make out the distinct cloud bands swirling across Saturn's atmosphere, and most thrilling of all, the iconic Cassini Division separating its stunning rings.
This experience was particularly rewarding as it marked my first attempt at photographing Saturn. I was absolutely delighted with the results!
Gear and Technique:
For this celestial capture, I utilized my trusty 10-inch Dobsonian telescope. The camera of choice was my Samsung S24 Ultra, set at an ISO of around 400. While not professional-grade astrophotography equipment, this setup proved more than capable for a beginner's planetary shot.
After capturing the images, I did a bit of post-processing using Google Photos to enhance the details and bring out the best in the data.
It's incredible what you can achieve with accessible equipment and a bit of patience. Seeing Saturn through the eyepiece and then capturing it with my phone has only fueled my passion for astrophotography. I'm already looking forward to the next clear night and what other wonders the universe has to reveal!
