Fixed Tripod - Wide Angle Scopes and Stars This is a simple 30-second exposure on a fixed tripod with a red flashlight illuminating the foreground.

The author poses for a self-portrait with his advanced astrophotography setup, a 130mm refractor with 80mm guidescope on top.

The hardest thing about taking this picture was standing still and not moving for the entire 30 seconds while the shutter was open!

A red astronomer's flashlight sitting on the step of a ladder illuminated me and the scopes in the foreground. The exposure was short enough so that the stars did not trail for this fixed-tripod shot.

It was taken at a reasonably dark-sky observing site where the Milky Way was visible. Sagittarius can be seen just above the center of the photo. Scorpius is to the right of Sagittarius.

Image Data

• Lens / Scope: Canon Canon 10 -22mm f/3.5-4.5 EF-S zoom lens
• Focal Length: 10mm
• F/stop: f/3.5
• Exposure: Single 30-second exposure
• Mount: Fixed tripod
• Guiding: None
• Camera: Unmodified Canon EOS 1000D (Digital Rebel XS)
• Mode: JPEG
• ISO: 1600
• White Balance: Custom, set on sky background
• In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off
• Filter: None
• Temp: 70F
• Start Time: 4:41 a.m.
• Date: April 25, 2009
• Location: Tuckahoe State Park, MD
• Calibration: None
• Processing: Standard in-camera JPEG processing. Image cropped in post processing.