Welcome to Astro Photons - the space, technology, and astrophotography place!
I'm Paweł Białecki, a passionate astrophotographer from Poland. I'm a 32 astronomy blogger, an iOS developer (iPhone), and an amateur astronomer from Poland. I like stargazing, astro-camping, and my astrophotography gear!
I don't know how exactly you have found this website. Still, as you are here, I have one suspicion: you are interested in astrophotography and want to become an astrophotographer. If so, you have come to the right place!
Here you will find tutorials, resources, guides, tips, and tricks on amateur backyard deep-sky astro-imaging with your DSLR/mirrorless/CCD/CMOS astronomy camera, an equatorial mount (star tracker), and a telescope or typical/standard photography lens. Learn how to start amateur astrophotography in your backyard, what camera settings to use, which beginner telescope to choose, what are the best beginner astrophotography targets, and how to post-process your astro images in dedicated astronomy software and apps.
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What's This Site is About
Do you want to shoot fantastic astrophotography pictures with your DSLR camera?
I do. And this site is all about that.
I wanted to start taking those beautiful astronomy pictures at some point in my life.
Milky Way, galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, constellations. I knew that people around the globe photograph them from their backyards without having access to the Hubble or James Webb telescopes in space. I have been wondering for a long time how they do that. I don't see any of those colorful things with the naked eyes on the night sky, so how do they do it?! So I started to dig online.
Forums (Cloudy Nights, Stargazers Lounge). Blogs (Lonely Speck, AstroBackyard, Astropix, Galactic Hunter). Reddit. Books. I read every single available resource about astrophotography that I found. There was a lot of knowledge available, yet not easy to absorb for a total beginner like me. People were using confusing words like tracking, stacking, or guiding. They communicated efficiently between themselves, but understanding those astrophotography terms for a total newbie, was a challenge.
Then I decided. I'll create a beginner-friendly astrophotography learning place - the Astro Photons.
Do you want to know HOW to take pictures like these with a DSLR (or mirrorless) camera?
Fun fact: only three pictures from this mini-gallery are taken with a telescope (Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED). From the rest left, two I captured with a telephoto lens (Rokinon/Samyang 135mm f/2.0), and one with a wide-angle lens (Rokinon/Samyang 12mm f/2.0).
Astro Photons aims to provide the most comprehensive, detailed, objective, and beginner-friendly tutorials and resources about deep-sky and Milky Way astrophotography. Become an astrophotographer, space lover, and amateur astronomer!
If you want to start your journey into astrophotography, you are in the right place!
Astro Photons blog is the place for you if:
- You are interested in astrophotography (mostly Milky Way and Deep-Sky)
- You are a beginner (and maybe you don’t even have your astrophotography gear yet)
- You want to improve your photons-gathering and processing skills
- You love the beauty of the night sky
- You are looking for astrophotography tips, tricks, and first-hand gear reviews
Who am I - an Astrophotographer
I'm a 32-old guy born and living in Poland, Europe. I bought my first astrophotography gear in September 2017 (Fujifilm X-T20 camera, Rokinon/Samyang 12mm f/2 lens, and a Vanguard tripod). I started untracked-astrophotography (without a star tracker) but upgraded quickly to tracked-one by buying my first equatorial mount - Fornax Lightrack II.
I live in the small city of Bogatynia (twenty thousand people) next to Poland - Czech - Germany t
I'm a father, husband, and self-employed iOS developer outside the astrophotography world. My wife is incredible by letting me spend whole nights in our backyard taking astro pictures - and sometimes taking a trip to the dark-skies areas.
As a non-native English speaker is not easy to write a blog in English, but a language barrier should not be the reason not to share your true passion with others.
Astrophotographer Gear
Below you can find my most recent equipment list. I update it every time I buy or sell something.
| Mount | Fornax Lightrack II (with the dedicated wedge, polar scope, and counterbalance kit) |
| Camera | Fujifilm X-T20 |
| Telescopes | Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED |
| Lenses | SMC Super Takumar 200mm f/4 Rokinon/Samyang 135mm f/2 Fujifilm Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 Fujifilm Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 Rokinon/Samyang 12mm f/2 |
| Autoguiding | Lacerta MGEN II Stand Alone Autoguider |
| Filters | NiSi Natural Night Hoya Red Intensifier Orion SkyGlow Imaging Baader H-alpha 7nm |
My Goals as an Astrophotographer
Astro Photons is the main project I am working on now - I spend a few hours daily working on new astrophotography materials for people around the globe.
I run this site for people like me - amateur astrophotographers looking for astrophotography tutorials and resources. It's fueled by a pure passion for the night sky. So let's do it together if you want to start doing or improve your astrophotography skills.
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Contact Me
You can send me a message about astrophotography, astronomy, space, or stargazing.
Company Info (Poland)
Astro Photons Paweł Białecki
NIP PL6152032032