The Internet and Astrophotography
The
internet has enriched the experience of astrophotography for most of
us. There are several internet groups where images can be shared
and
critiqued, and where useful information is provided. In my
experience, the best groups are on Yahoo and include the New CCD
Astronomy and SBIG groups, among others. When
first starting out, I had great fun sharing my work in these
types of forums. Although I
generally don't post my new images on these
groups anymore, I
have created a very small mailing list for people interested in new
work and
techniques. I also update my website with new images as soon as
they become available. The internet has made all of this possible.
Despite the usefulness of the internet, it comes as no surprise that
some astrophotography groups/mailing lists are clearly better than
others (the ones above are some of the best). What is surprising,
at least to me, is that the quality of a group cannot be predicted
solely by
the number of accomplished imagers it has. Join a few groups and
decide for yourself which ones are
the right fit for your
needs and personality. Whatever group you
join, become familiar
with the
more helpful members who will be more than happy to lend you a
hand. If you have an astrophotography question that I might be
able to help with, please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail. I
can't promise an immediate reply but am usually very good about
responding.
Steve
Home
Astrophotography Main
Page