Amateur ccd astronomy
By Richard D. Jacobs, M.D.
Amateur ccd astronomy
By Richard D. Jacobs, M.D.
Digital electronic imaging devices, like the CCD (charge coupled device) allow the amateur astronomer to "see" the wonders of our universe as never before. The CCD affords amazing views of the night sky even for amateur astronomers with modest telescopes living in large light-polluted metropolitan areas. The CCD also permits precise astrometry, spectroscopy, photometry, and other types of scientific research for even amateur astronomers. Of course, the CCD can be used to obtain beautiful and interesting astrophotography. This webpage is devoted to showing examples of astrophotography that this author, an amateur astrophotographer, has taken with the CCD. Many of these images have been taken from my backyard in Chandler, Arizona -- a suburb of Phoenix -- where the light pollution approximates 4th magnitude skies. I hope you will find this webpage to be interesting and useful.
welcome to electronic astronomy
Other planets, brilliant star clusters, distant galaxies, and astounding celestial wonders await the amateur astronomer through electronic imaging --- even from many urban sites.