This means you don’t need a computerized tracking mount. In fact, a long exposure will just wash out all the detail. What this means is you don’t need to take a long exposure to capture their detail. Jupiter and Saturn are bright planets – they have a visual magnitude between +1.5 to -3. Mind you, I’ll almost certainly find myself doing that process at some point, but for now, I prefer a more general purpose and simple approach.

You can get really impressive results, but it takes an investment not only in equipment, but most importantly in time. Celestron, Orion, and others sell specific planetary imaging cameras for this such as the Orion StarShoot 5 MP Solar System Color Camera.įrankly though, that’s a lot of work with specialized equipment and software. Probably the best method for doing planetary imaging is recording video of the planet through the telescope, then using a program like Registax to align and combine the best frames of the video into a static image. Here are some tips to help you capture these brilliant gas giants. Now, with Jupiter setting to the west, we have Saturn taking it’s place from the east. Whenever the clouds cleared off enough to setup the telescope, Jupiter is almost always my first target, particularly with the camera. When I decided to get into astrophotography, Jupiter was at the top of my list of targets. Jupiter was very prominent in the sky all winter.

With just your telescope and DSLR camera, you can capture some amazing views of our bright neighbor planets. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

Jupiter through celestron telescope