Links
The internet is a precious source of knowledge. But the amount of information can be overwhelming and make it difficult to see the forest from the trees. Below some links of websites that have helped to get started and still act as a source of knowledge and inspiration.
Training & Reference
Adam Block Studios. Arguable the best PixInsight training available. It’s not for free, but worth every dollar. Some video’s are a bit long, but you learn not just the how, but also the why.
Light Vortex Astronomy. Mostly tutorials about PixInsight. All free, no videos, but step by step instructions for certain techniques. Kayron Mercieca is partner in e-EyE, a remote observatory in Spain.
Jon Rista. A well known name in Astrophotography. Lengthy articles, some quite technical, others more practical. Definitely check out his noise-reduction articles. The ‘Jon Rista method’ has become a classic.
MacObservatory. For anyone with a Mac, this is a valuable resource of all software available for the Mac and iOS. Nice images as well.
Messier. All objects from the Messier catalogue listed with background information and images.
Sharpless. Images of all objects from the Sharpless catalogue with capture and background information.
Forums
Cloudy Nights. Probably the most well-known amateur astronomy related forum in the world. Large diversity in channels, huge user base, so usually fast and relevant feedback on any question asked.
INDI. The users form for all INDI-users. Announcements of updates, discussions around bugs, and sharing of best practices. Active participation of the developers behind INDI.
10Micron. For anyone with a 10Micron mount this forum is a good place to start potential problem solving, share best practices, and get advice.
PixInsight. Valuable place to look for tips and tricks using PixInsight as well as latest news and development. With lots of nice results with beautifully processed images.
VWS Noord-Drenthe. (Dutch) My local astronomy-club with a group of very enthusiastic, active and knowledgeable amateur astronomers. Observing, photographing and general astronomy.
Starry-Night. (Dutch) A community of astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts in The Netherlands, with forum, news, articles and a lot more.
Inspiration
Astrobin. Arguable the richest source of amateur astrophotography on the planet. Ideal place to get inspired by others and share your own images and receive feedback.
APOD. On Astronomy Picture Of the Day, NASA grants one picture APOD status each day. Mostly professional pictures, and the best of the best amateur images.
Sara Wager. Lots of beautiful images, wide-fields, nebulae, very long exposures. Some captured with two telescopes simultaneously in her observatory in Spain. Articles on equipment, techniques as well.
Barry Wilson. Lots of images, including many mosaics, taken from his backyard observatory in the UK as well as from the e-EyE remote observatory in Spain. As extra bonus some nice tutorials on PixInsight use.
Billions and Billions. The website of Warren Keller, the well-known PixInsight expert. Amazing images shot with professional equipment and expertly processed.
Buckeyestargazer. Joel Short is an active member of Cloudy Nights and has made some great astro-images. He often combines images taken with different telescopes.
The London Astronomer. Roger Hutchinson shows that astrophotography from even heavily light-polluted places like London is possible. Check out some of his amazing planetary work.
Astrovirus. The blog from Belgium-based Victor van Puyenbroeck is regularly updated with new images, equipment information and tutorials.
YouTube
AstroBackyard. Trevor Jones from Canada is running a very active YouTube channel with lots of reviews, imaging sessions, most from his own light-polluted backyard.
Astrophotocologne. (German) Frank Sackenheim is a very knowledgable astrophotographer running an active YouTube channel. Lots of imaging and processing sessions, theory and background.
Chuck’s Astrophotography. Chuck ‘Hey Folks’ is based in the USA and runs his astrophotography channel almost like a reality soap. Sessions, processing, equipment reviews all in his unique style.
Star Stuff. Dylan O’Donnell is astronomer and based in Australia. He blends a lot of humour into his otherwise very informative, original and detailed videos.
Peter Zelinka. If you want to widen perspective from deep-sky astrophotography to night-scape astrophotography, Peter is a great resource with practical tips and instructions. His website shows some amazing photography.
Commercial
OV-Optics. The Takahashi dealer for the Benelux. Great service with the owner Jimmy Oostvogels always surprisingly fast in responding to any question.
Astromarket. One of the largest on-line shops for astronomy and astrophotography products in Europe. Also known under the Astroshop brand.
ZWO. The camera’s from ZWO can be purchased at most retailers and directly from ZWO in China. The site is a good resource for comparing camera’s, downloading manuals, software, etc.