Step by step

STEP 1

A Hyades photo looks best if the cluster can ‘breathe’, so frame it with plenty of sky. A field of view measuring 12 x 8° allows the full month’s track with a decent sky margin to be recorded. A 170mm or shorter focal-length lens on a 35mm sensor achieves this. For APS-C sensors, use 110mm or shorter for a similar result.

STEP 2

Set the lens to m nu l. Select the lowest f/number nd close by stop or two to void fr me ed e distortions. Set the c mer to ‘M nu l’ mode. If you re usin tr ckin mount use mid to low ISO settin , or select mid ISO v lue for fixed mount. A remote shutter rele se will help to stop ny c mer sh ke.

STEP 3

Focus as accurately as possible. The bright star Aldebaran will be good for this and it should show up clearly if your camera has a ‘Live View’ option. If not, you’ll need to focus as accurately as possible through the viewfinder. If you’re struggling with Aldebaran, try focusing on bright Jupiter earlier in the evening.

STEP 4

Once you’ve set the camera and lens, take a test exposure. If you have a static platform, use the 500 Rule to determine the longest non-trailed exposure (as described opposite). Examine the result and look for the mag. +8.0 stars we’ve circled here. If you can see them, then you are good to go for imaging Ceres.

STEP 5

If you’re using a tracking mount, your exposure time is limited by the accuracy of the mount’s drive, polar alignment and the sky’s brightness. A lower ISO will help bring out the redder hues of the ancient Hyades stars. Typically, bracketing your exposures to 30”, 60” and 90” will give you a good range of results to pick from.

STEP 6

Try to image the Hyades on as many clear nights as possible using the same setup. Keeping a similar orientation makes life a lot easier. Load your results into a layer-based editor, aligning the stars between layers. Flicking between layers will reveal Ceres’s movement as it tracks in front of the Hyades stars.