Discover the cosmos with me and dive deep into the universe's awe-inspiring beauty. My name is Tim Ciasto, and at Cosmic Captures, I share my experiences and insights, aiming to help you feel the joy of bringing the cosmos closer through astrophotography. Welcome to Cosmic Captures.
@@CosmicCaptures Could we possibly change that? I'd love to see you succeed more and have a larger following so more people are aware of your amazing content :)
Amazing photos and produced video. I have a few questions though to ask you if it’s OK. 1: i’m just using a canon R5 and RF 100-500 on a tripod. Being that I cannot track the moon to keep it centered. What did you do to do that when you used your camera set up and not your telescope with the tracking system? 2: how did you go about stacking all these images if you don’t have access to these programs that are only available on windows? I have Mac only and that’s all I can use. I want to try and do this myself, but I’m not sure how to go about doing it, I have tried Photoshop stacking feature, and it just never seems to do a really good job at all with it So I was hoping for some insight. Again thank you for a wonderful video.
Thank you so much for your kind words-I’m glad you enjoyed the video and the photos! I’m happy to help answer your questions. Keeping the Moon Centered: When I shoot the Moon without a tracking mount, I usually rely on a sturdy tripod and adjust manually as needed. Since the Moon moves quite fast, I find it’s best to use a remote shutter release or intervalometer to capture a burst of images quickly before the Moon drifts out of frame. You can also use your camera’s high-speed burst mode to capture many shots in quick succession, which increases your chances of getting sharp images. Image Stacking on a Mac: I totally understand the struggle with stacking software on Mac. While most popular stacking programs like AutoStakkert! are Windows-only, only a few are available for Mac. One of them is Lynkeos. I don't have personal experience with the software, but it could be an option for you. There's also the alternative of installing Windows on your Mac. Hopefully, this is helpful :) Best of luck with your lunar photography, and thank you again for watching the video!
Hallo Tim, I found your channel when your video about the mineral moon appeared in my search. Loved the video, bookmarked it and today I am back watching the Beginner's Guide vid. The quality of your videos is outstanding and I find them to be jam packed with useful information - at least for me as sbdy. who never photographed any sky object other than the moon. Having said that I find it particulary helpful that you put other space objects size in relation to a full moon. At this point I realised that at least some of this could be sth. that I could try to photograph with my camera gear, too. I am conviced that your channel will grow considerably. Keep up the excellent quality and the audience will follow. If I may add one (selfish) wish: don't speed up frequency or number of your videos over quality. IMHO A longer interval between videos with great content is better than weekly updates that start out great, but get boring within one year after the creator found out at that as a human he cannot simply squeeze his brains to spit out new ideas each and every week (what's in my bag, why you need this particular product...) and eventually end up as some home shopping channel with 500k of subscribers and 8k views per video only. Thank you for the videos and I wish you always clear skies. Best regards, Andreas
Hi Andreas, Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment! I’m really glad to hear that you enjoyed the Mineral Moon video and found the Beginner’s Guide helpful-especially the size comparisons, which are one of my favorite ways to make space feel a bit more approachable. I truly appreciate your encouragement and feedback about the balance between quality and frequency. It’s something I think about a lot-wanting to keep each video packed with valuable information while also considering the need to grow the channel. I’m in a bit of a dilemma: I want to maintain the high quality that viewers like you enjoy, but I also know that more frequent uploads could help the channel reach more people. Right now, I’m focusing on putting my heart into each video, taking the time to research and create something I’m proud of, even if it means posting less often. Your support and understanding of that balance means a lot to me. I’ll do my best to keep the quality high, and I hope you’ll continue to enjoy what’s to come. Wishing you clear skies and many great captures ahead!
I started visual observing a year ago with 10x42 Nikon binoculars. Then I added a tripod. Next I added a 30 year old Nikon ED 78 fieldscope (the moon is wonderful with a 30x eyepiece). Recently I've attempted to capture images through the ED 78 fieldscope with a camera adapter (800mm F8) on a full frame DSLR and FF Mirrorless with decent results but a lot of cropping. I've also attempted it with a 300mm f/2.8 lens and mirrorless ff camera. I think my next step will be with a $200 Pentax Q7, 300mm, 1.4x extender (420mm focal length). The moon should fill most of the camera's sensor. The smaller high pixel density sensor should improve my results (maybe). I will attempt to use the same processing techniques you are using. I'm trying to get the most out of the optics I currently have to learn the process. Great video.
I think using what you already have is a very smart. And there is a lot of used, affordable gear that can is still very capable. Good luck with experimenting :) And thanks for commenting. It means a lot to me :)
Dina videos är hur bra som helst Tim! Har precis snubblat in på Astro och har en del att lära mig, och dina videos förenklar det hela en hel del! Tack för skapandet av dem!
Awesome video, awesome story and fantastic images. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge with all of us. I'll try this here too, although I still have loads to learn. Greetings from Brazil.
@@hangfire6368 Absolutely❤️Never Stated It Wasnt That,And A Great Video..Just Not 100% Of What I Consider Astro,As Far As Processing..Beautiful Work Tho
@@CosmicCaptures ,I Didnt Mean Anything By It,Gorgeous Image,That I Know I Cant Produce,lol..In Fact,I Have Produced Much Over The Last Year,Now That Im Healed…This Weather🤨..Clear Skies To You🙏🏻✨🔭
Thanks for the kind words. I'm curious: What do you consider "Astro", and where does this picture of the Moon not align with your definition of astrophotography?
Very good video! Very nice editing and really enjoyable to listen to. You could expand this series! In the beginning you show telescopes. For example for me the most problem was the choice of equipment. There are hundreds, thousands of telescopes, lenses, cameras! What should I choose, in what budget! I think this would help many people buy their first dream equipment and not get discouraged by bad equipment. In the beginning, people have problems with the most basic activities and need to be guided like a child. Guides on editing, explaining everything step by step are still not many.
Thank you for the great feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I totally get how overwhelming choosing equipment can be, and I’m actually gathering material for an astrophotography gear video. Your suggestion is spot on, and I’ll keep it in mind as I work on future content. Thanks again for watching and sharing your thoughts!
Hello friend, greetings from Bogota Colombia, I just came to your channel, congratulations for the tremendous quality of your material, excuse me a question, could you tell me where you got the accessories that you see in your mount (eq6r) in the min 0:37, I mean the support for dovetails, counterweights and counterweight bracket, looks amazing. Greetings a big hug
Thanks and welcome to Cosmic Captures. The dovetail clamp and the dovetails are from Primalucelab. The counterweight bar and counterweights are from Geoptik. Both companies are based in Italy. Thank you so much for subscribing and commenting. Greetings to Bogota Colombia 😃
Thank you :) I am glad you enjoyed the video. Which infographics are you referring to? I make most of them in Photoshop and composite them in Davinic Resolve.
@@CosmicCaptures Thanks for your response! I meant not one in particular but all. The earth with the red NLC region, etc. Good to know you use Photoshop.
Hi Tim, your images and techniques are simply amazing. My name is Rich Williams and I live in Astor, Florida which is in Central Florida. We are having a very cloudy summer so far and my time outside has been minimal. I was very happy to come across your RU-vid channel and I immediately subscribed. I am fairly new to astrophotography and I am still learning how to use some of the many software's, mostly free, available for processing video and still images. Your video will help me very much and I thank you for the time you spent making it and publishing it. I hope to be able to get Lunar images as good as yours some day and with a lot of practice I think I will get there. But, I must be honest to say that I am lazy and when I get done stacking my images I am usually so impressed that I was able to get such a capture, I usually stop there. I really need to push myself to move forward with better processing in apps like Photoshop, Affinity Photo and others. I have purchased a lifetime license for Affinity Photo and am attempting to learn it. It has a dedicated Astrophotography section built into it. And there is no monthly subscription fee! It's more affordable to me as I am a retiree and live on Social Security as my primary income so I need to watch my finances closely. Anyway, thank you, once again, for sharing your awesome work with us. Sincerely, Richard Williams Astor, Florida 32102 USA!
You're right; the moon doesn't actually look like that. The reason for creating a mineral moon image is to bring out the subtle color variations in the lunar soil. These differences in hue and color are caused by the presence of various minerals that are more common in specific areas of the moon. It's a way to make visible what can't be seen with our eyes.ible what otherwise can not be seen with our eyes.
@@CosmicCaptures Thank you for this clarification Do your results compare with the USGS lunear geology map: www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/usgs-releases-first-ever-comprehensive-geologic-map-moon
Please, do the video on time lapse. The noctilucent clouds can be observed in other parts of the world, even during the day, the problem is that the brightness of the sun hinder it.
I'm glad it was helpful! Look out for NLCs over the next few weeks. With some luck and being in a location with high latitude, you should be able to see them. Good luck :)
Great video introducing and explaining noctilucent clouds and very well put together. Some great shots and timelapse sequences you've captured. Personally, I try to observe as many displays as I can each season, from the north east of the UK. I make a point of creating timelapse sequences too, especially of the details in the clouds. I have put some videos together on my channel from this year: ru-vid.com/group/PLc8rj4n4QCf-yrSOOpzt-fxRuRIvircWT
Thank you so much for sharing. You have captured some amazing displays of noctilucent clouds. Well done! I have subscribed to your channel. Have you found any way to forecast NLCs? I have tried to find an answer to that question but have not been successful so far. I'd like to hear how you go about it.
Heh, it was almost full moon two nights ago, with last night's forecast being abysmal. So I was hoping to practice shooting a Mineral Moon, which your recent video introduced me to, even though it was not a full moon yet. Unfortunately, we were plagued by whispy clouds and tons of atmospheric moisture. So instead, I just spent some time outside, cat on my lap, watching the cool clouds. There's worse ways to spend an evening. And today, you're making a video about clouds. I'd say, "great timing, how did you know?" But we're both in Europe. I _know_ how you know. It's been nothing _but_ clouds over here lately.
Share Your Noctilucent Cloud Experiences! Have you ever witnessed the mesmerising beauty of noctilucent clouds? I'd love to hear your stories and experiences! Drop a comment below and let’s start a conversation. If you have any questions about capturing these stunning phenomena or anything else related to astrophotography, feel free to ask! Clear skies and happy stargazing!
Really interesting video and thanks for sharing your experience from Sweden. I always wondered how is up there... I guess it has its pluses and minuses (with longer winter nights and aurora). And I have to compliment the quality of your videos too, because the productions is great! Do you work in this field, because it is obvious you are no stranger to this?
I'm glad you found the video informative. Sweden is a pretty long country, and I live in the very south of it. Still, the nights are much longer here during the winter, but usually we have tons of clouds. We are a bit too far south for the aurora, but it can happen. And yes, I am no stranger to video productions. I have worked in that field for the last 12 years.
@@CosmicCaptures Ah yes, I am a bit familiar with Sweden. Was there once, in Uppsala and I do have a friend living near Malmo, well he will move to Jonstorp soon, hopefully I will visit him in the fall. Really great you are able to thansfer your knowledge to those videos.
I'm tempted to try, but I reckon this works better with mono and narrowband-filters, rather than OSC and broadband-filters? Traditionally, I've been able to get an hour-ish pr night on bright targets near Zenith (like Cygnus), but not until late july/early august I live at 59 North, and I am guessing that getting the guidecam to find and pick up stars will be a bigger challenge. I only base this upon difficulties I've experienced when I've tried to Polar Align a little too early in the evening.
Yes, it'll be challenging, but I don't think LRGB/RGB imaging on a mono camera is much different to imaging with an OSC camera. The results should be very comparable. Narrowband imaging is a different story. I still think dual narrowband filters can work great on colour cameras. On my setup at f7 with an off-axis guide, I had no issues finding guide stars, even during the summer solstice. But I am also a few degrees further south than you. Give it a try :)
Another very high production quality video that is also very informative. Keep it up! You have the potential to one day become one of the premiere astrophotography channels on RU-vid!
Hey Jeroen, welcome to Cosmic Captures. It's so lovely to see you here. I have been watching your videos for a while and enjoy your work a lot. And I have also learned quite a bit. 🙏🏻
I started with Milky Way photography and was hooked. Now DSO photography is my passion and I’ll soon be starting Planetary photography. Excellent work on this video.
Great video! The underlying message is don't throw in the towel just because someone says it can't be done. Maybe they aren't as good with thinking outside the box as your are. Be a rebel and prove things for yourself. Maybe you will open doors for yourself as CosmicCaptures did. Bravo Sir!
Hey Tim! Hello from Kalamazoo MI, US. I also got into astrophotography during the covid crisis. I'm currently upgrading to a A7R 3 for better shots. I hope your channel does well! I will definitely keep watching and commenting! Building community is how we can make a better world in spite of the people trying to destroy it.
Hey @jeffhostetler7002 :) Welcome to Cosmic Captures. The A7RIII is a very nice camera. I use the A7RIV quite a lot. Thank you for watching and commenting 😃
During full moon, go out with a DSLR camera and just take nice photos of moonlight nightscapes. If the moon is bothering you and your telescope, use the moon doing something else. Atleast that is what I sometimes do.
Hej! You are right; dual-band filters work well even when the sky is not completely dark. It's great to hear that you got some quality data during the summer solstice. I saw that the weather was nice, but I had to travel so I missed that chance. Thanks a lot for commenting 👍🏻
Thanks for sharing. I understand that it's much more challenging for you guys up there and that the video doesn't help you right now. But you may be able to shorten your astrophotography pause once nautical twilight returns to your location. Give it a try and see if it works for you 👍🏻
You are taking notes while watching the video 😁 Then I must have done something right 👍🏻 Thanks a lot for stopping by and taking the time to comment. By the way, I like your channel and your video style, especially the little sequences/transitions that you sometimes create. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for expressing your thoughts. Not everyone has the resources to access a remote telescope, and even if everyone could afford one, there are people who enjoy being outdoors under the sky and embracing challenges and adverse situations.
