Originally Posted by
konakoa
I've been doing this very thing for years and years. It has its challenges for sure, but it's so very satisfying when you see a 4x5 negative you made yourself just full of stars. But it does require some work and care.
At the very minimum you're looking at ten to fifteen minute exposures so you need a way for the camera to track the stars. Yes, you will need some extra equipment for that. Your best bet is an equatorial mount to attach the camera to. Simply put the camera and lens on top of the mount. The telescope guys call this 'wide field' work. I put a couple of photos of two of mine below. There are a number of other considerations so if you're inclined send me a note and I can go into better detail and techniques to help and what to expect.
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