Astrophotography 101: Capturing the Deep Sky

Have you ever looked at a glowing nebula or a spiral galaxy in a Hubble or James Webb image and wondered how it was made? Galaxies millions of light-years away, star clusters, and clouds of interstellar gas are all within reach of your own camera, and this workshop will show you how to capture them.
Whether you’re completely new to night photography or already shooting and stuck on a specific part of your process, this hands-on workshop at Chabot Space and Science Center gives you a thorough introduction to deep sky astrophotography, the art of photographing faint objects far beyond our solar system.

$85 per ticket, sign up here

What You’ll Learn
We’ll take you through the whole journey, from gear to finished image:

Choosing your equipment. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get started. We’ll walk through budget-friendly options at different levels so you can make smart choices for your goals.
Knowing what to shoot. Discover which deep sky objects are visible and how to find them in the night sky.
Operating a telescope rig. Get hands-on experience setting up and running an astrophotography-ready telescope.
Processing your images. See how raw data becomes a stunning final photo using free software(Astro Wizard & Siril), with live demonstrations of several capture and processing techniques.

How it Works

The workshop opens with an introductory presentation, followed by live demonstrations of capturing and processing deep sky images. When the skies cooperate, we’ll head outside to photograph the night sky together. The workshop is designed to deliver the full experience regardless of weather, so a cloudy night won’t cut your learning short.

By the end, you’ll be ready to operate the telescopes and gear available to borrow through the East Bay Astronomical Society’s Loaner Scope Program, so you can keep shooting on your own.

The Details

No experience needed. Beginners are welcome. All equipment provided. Taught by experienced amateur astrophotographers from CDARC, a Chabot Programs Partner.

Learn more about your instructors here: cdarc.net
This workshop is part of a paid 3-part Astrophotography 101 series. Each workshop stands on its own, so you can join just this one or take all three.
Reach out to [email protected] with questions.
No refunds will be issued 48hrs in advance of each workshop

Come Curious and Leave Ready to Photograph the Universe!