How to image the planets with a telescope and camera

如何用望远镜和照相机拍摄行星

The night sky holds endless wonders, but few experiences match the thrill of photographing planets in vivid detail. With even a modest telescope and camera setup, you can capture cloud bands on Jupiter, the majestic rings of Saturn or the polar caps of Mars — images once the preserve of professional observatories. This technique, known as lucky imaging, records short video clips at high frame rates to freeze fleeting moments of steady air, then stacks the sharpest frames into one crisp photo.

夜空拥有无尽的奇迹，但很少有体验能与清楚地拍摄行星的激动相媲美。即便只是普通的望远镜和相机设置，你也可以捕捉到木星上的云带、土星雄伟的光环或火星的极冠——这些图像曾经是专业天文台的专属领域。这种被称为幸运成像的技术以高帧率录制短视频片段，以定格大气稳定时的短暂瞬间，然后将最清晰的帧堆叠成一张清晰的照片。

No advanced skills are required to start. Whether you own a modest backyard telescope or are shopping for your first planetary camera, this guide provides everything needed to succeed. You will learn a complete workflow that takes you from set-up to finished image, explore why certain planets are easier than others and find answers to practical questions that beginners often ask.

不需要专业技艺就可以开始。无论你是拥有一个普通的后院望远镜，还是正在购买你的第一台行星相机，本指南提供实现成功所需的一切。你将学习一个完整的工作流程，带你从基础设置到最终成品，探索为什么某些行星比其他行星更容易，并解决初学者经常遇到的实际问题。

Clear skies, patience and practice are your only limits. Soon you will be creating gallery-worthy shots right from home.

晴空，耐心和实践是你唯一的限制。很快你就可以在家里拍出画廊级别的作品。

Planetary imaging relies on video capture rather than single long exposures. Follow these 12 steps for reliable results with most setups. Planning observations in advance is essential!

行星成像依赖于视频捕捉，而非单次长时间曝光。遵循这12个步骤，在大多数设备配置都能中获得可靠的结果。提前计划观察是必不可少的!

4. Locate and center the planet either manually or via GoTo. Use the finder scope or red-dot finder, then switch to a low-power eyepiece to bring the target into view and center it as best you can.

4.手动或通过GoTo定位和居中行星。使用取景器瞄准镜或红点取景器，然后切换到低倍目镜，将目标带入视野并尽可能将其居中。

Jupiter ranks as the top choice for beginners – and perhaps even veterans! Its large disk shows colorful cloud bands, the Great Red Spot and orbiting moons even in modest telescopes. The planet’s brightness and size tolerate average seeing well and reward those even with modest equipment.

木星是初学者的首选，甚至对于老手来说，或许也是如此！即使在普通的望远镜中，它的大圆盘也显示了彩色的云带、大红斑和轨道卫星。这颗行星的亮度和大小对平均视宁度的容忍度很高，即使是装备简陋的人也能收获颇丰。

Saturn follows closely. Its iconic rings and subtle atmospheric banding create dramatic images. While significantly dimmer than Jupiter, modest telescopes easily reveal its brilliant rings, and the belts and zones within the planet’s atmosphere.

土星也是不二之选。其标志性的光环和微妙的大气带创造了令人印象深刻的影像。虽然比木星暗淡得多，但普通的望远镜很容易就能看到木星明亮的光环，以及木星大气层中的条带和区域。

Mars delivers excitement during its oppositions every couple of years. At closest approach the planet swells in apparent size, revealing dark surface markings, polar ice caps and occasional dust storms. Again, even small telescopes reveal fascinating detail when the planet is close to opposition.

火星每隔几年就会在冲日期间带来兴奋。这颗行星的视直径会明显增大，从而显露出暗色的表面纹理、极地冰冠以及偶发的沙尘暴。同样，当行星接近冲日时，即使是小型望远镜也能揭示迷人的细节。

Venus offers an easy entry point. Extremely bright and straightforward to locate, it displays clear phases like a miniature moon. Cloud features require ultraviolet filters, but the phases alone impress viewers — even binoculars show these phases clearly.

金星提供了一个简单的切入点。极其明亮，易于定位，它像微型月亮一样显示出清晰的相位。云特征需要紫外线过滤器，但光是相位就能使观众印象深刻——即使是双筒望远镜也能清楚地显示这些相位。

These four planets share key advantages: They appear large and bright enough for small apertures to record good detail on them. Jupiter, Saturn and Mars are the top three – all are fascinating objects to study for observers of all experience levels.

这四颗行星具有共同的关键优势：它们看起来足够大和明亮，足以让小光圈记录它们的清晰细节。木星、土星和火星是前三名——对于任何经验水平的观察者来说，它们都是值得研究的迷人天体。

Handling the more challenging solar system targets, however, requires more advanced equipment and experience levels.

然而，处理更具挑战性的太阳系目标需要更先进的设备和经验水平。

Mercury, Uranus and Neptune present greater challenges. Mercury stays glued to the sun’s glare, visible only briefly at dawn or dusk and best at maximum elongation. Its tiny disk demands exceptional seeing and precise daytime locating skills as well as a decent size telescope.

水星、天王星和海王星具有更高的挑战性。水星始终紧贴太阳的眩光，仅在黎明或黄昏时才短暂可见，而以最大距角最为理想。它的微小视圆面对视宁度和白天精准定位的技巧都提出了极高要求，以及一个像样的的望远镜。

Uranus and Neptune appear as tiny blue-green disks. Their small apparent sizes require at least an 8-inch aperture telescope, longer focal lengths and higher magnification. Larger apertures gather more light, while monochrome cameras with filters help tease out subtle banding.

天王星与海王星看上去只是小小的蓝绿色视圆面。二者视直径甚微，至少要 8 英寸口径的望远镜才堪胜任，还需较长焦距与较高倍率。口径越大，集光力越强；若用带滤光片的单色相机，更能析出隐约的云带纹理

Upgrading to a 10-inch or larger telescope, a high-sensitivity monochrome camera and a filter wheel unlocks these distant worlds. Start with the easier quartet before investing further.

升级到10英寸或更大的望远镜，高灵敏度单色相机和滤镜轮可以看到更远的世界。先从更简单的四颗入手，再考虑下一步投入。

When is the best time to image the planets?

拍摄行星图像的最佳时间是什么时候呢？

Aim for nights when the target planet rides high in the sky — ideally near the meridian — to minimize atmospheric turbulence. Planets such as Jupiter, Saturn and Mars look largest and brightest around opposition, when Earth lies directly between them and the sun. But good seeing matters more than the calendar: stable air with low turbulence yields sharper frames regardless of season. Check forecasts and look for periods of high pressure with stable weather and calm winds. Planetary imaging works year-round on clear nights, but spring and fall often deliver steadier conditions. Light pollution is also irrelevant to this form of imaging, so it’s something you can easily undertake from urban locations.

要挑目标行星高悬夜空的时候——最好中天附近——以最大限度地减少大气湍流的影响。当地球直接位于它们和太阳之间时，木星、土星和火星等行星在冲日附近看起来最大最亮。但是良好的视宁度比日历更重要：大气温度、湍流微弱时，任何季节都可以拍摄出更清晰的画面。留意天气预报，寻找高压控制下天气稳定、风平浪静的时段。行星成像在晴朗的夜晚全年可行，但春天和秋天通常会具备更稳定的条件。光污染对这种成像形式而言无关紧要，所以即使您在城市中也能轻松开始您的拍摄。

What is the most basic setup you need to do this?

拍摄行星所需的最基本的设备配置是什么？

A 4- to 6-inch aperture telescope on a motorized mount — such as a Celestron NexStar 6SE or anything similar — provides an ideal starter platform. Pair it with an entry-level planetary camera like the ZWO ASI224MC, plus a 2x Barlow lens and a laptop running free software. Total beginner budget often stays under $800 if you already own the telescope. This kit can capture excellent Jupiter and Saturn images without breaking the bank. Skip expensive cooled cameras or large apertures until you gain experience.

4 至 6 英寸口径的望远镜配上电动赤道仪—例如 Celestron NexStar 6SE 或同类产品—是一个理想的入门平台。再配一台入门级行星相机，如 ZWO ASI224MC，外加一只 2 倍增倍巴洛镜头和一台运行免费软件的笔记本电脑即可。如果你已经拥有望远镜，初学者的入门总预算通常可控制在 800 美元以内。这套装备无需大笔开销，便能拍出出色的木星和土星影像。在积累经验之前，不必急着买昂贵的制冷相机或大口径设备。

How long does it take to get a good image?

需要多长时间才能得到一个不错的成像？

The real key to achieving good image quality is everything you do before pressing the record button: Making sure the telescope is properly cooled down, ensuring it is properly collimated, taking time to focus carefully. All these factors play a huge role. Beyond this, it is largely down to the steadiness of the atmosphere when capturing. The steadier the seeing, the better the result will be!

获得高质量图像的真正关键在于你按下录制按钮之前所做的一切：确保望远镜充分热平衡，光轴校准到位，并且耐心细致地对焦——这些因素都起着至关重要的作用。除此之外，拍摄时成败很大程度上就取决于大气的稳定程度了。视宁度越稳，成像效果就越好!

We hope that, with a little practice, this gives you the know-how you need to take stunning images of the planets. If you've yet to purchase the necessary equipment, take a look at our guides to the best telescopes and best dedicated astrophotography cameras.

我们希望，稍加练习之后，这能为你提供拍摄惊艳行星影像所需的实用知识。如果你还没有购买必要的设备，可以看看我们的最佳望远镜和最佳专用天文摄影相机指南。