Unlock Stunning Astrolandscapes with Infrared Cameras

Photographing an astrolandscape is becoming increasingly popular. People are discovering that their digital cameras see very well in the dark and can capture the splendor of the starry skies. Infrared Milky Way photography ramps up the ability to see more detail of the magnificence of a star-filled landscape. Using digital infrared converted cameras expands their already impressive seeing abilities.

Infrared cameras (I am specifically addressing converted DSLR and mirrorless cameras here) can reveal more than their standard capabilities. Infrared cuts through light pollution and haze. Infrared has been used for landscape photography and also astronomy for over 100 years, thanks to this special characteristic.

Digital camera sensors are inherently sensitive to ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths. In order for cameras to see as we do, camera manufacturers add a UV/IR block filter over the sensor so it is only capturing the visible spectrum. Converting a digital camera to infrared removes this UV/IR filter and is replaced by a clear filter in the case of a full-spectrum conversion, or a specific filter like 590nm, 720nm, etc.

For my infrared Milky Way photography, I use a full-spectrum infrared camera and also an H-Alpha infrared camera. I use the full-spectrum camera with and without filters. It is fascinating to see the results. Below is a Milky Way image photographed with a full-spectrum camera without a filter. The core is sharply defined thanks to the naked sensor. It is capturing ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths. It almost has a normal camera type of astrolandscape image, but with a subtle extra that is hard to define.

Here are more examples of photographing the Milky Way using infrared digital cameras.

📷 – Nikon D800 Full-spectrum IR | 🔘 – Nikkor 14-24 mm | 🎞 – ISO 3200 | 🔘 – f/2.8 | 🕒 – 15 second⁠s | Unfiltered

This image was taken in a class 5 Bortle area in an area not far from Boston Massachusetts and suffers from a substantial amount of suburban light pollution. A class 5 Bortle translates to the Milky Way being obscured to the naked eye by the light pollution. However, note that the high clouds and galactic core are visible thanks to the infrared camera. This was photographed with a full-spectrum camera with a 680 nm filter on the lens. With a normal camera, the high clouds and galactic core are invisible. The sky appeared to be cloudless to my eye that night, but it was anything but clear. The foreground was lit up with headlights as a car went by. The bright “star” is Jupiter, followed by Saturn.

📷 – Nikon D800 Full-spectrum IR | 🔘 – Nikkor 24-120 mm | 🎞 – ISO 6400 | 🔘 – f/4 | 🕒 – 30 second⁠s | 680 nm filter

Below, same place and camera but with a 720 nm filter instead. Notice the defined nebulosity of the constellation Ophiuchus to the right of the Dark Horse Nebula. The bright area at the horizon is the light pollution of Boston reflected off the clouds. Even with the high clouds, the dust lanes and Dark Horse Nebula are clearly defined.

📷 – Nikon D800 Full-spectrum IR | 🔘 – Nikkor 24-120 mm | 🎞 – ISO 6400 | 🔘 – f/4 | 🕒 – 30 second⁠s | 720nm filter

In the next two images, the Milky Way galactic core is blazing clearly, this time with an H-alpha converted Nikon Z6. H-alpha captures all of the visible spectrum as well as the near infrared range of light up to 656.28 nm. H-alpha light reveals the presence of ionized hydrogen in gas clouds within the Milky Way. This light is visible in the red part of the electromagnetic spectrum and is utilized by astronomers to trace hydrogen gas in the night sky. Notice the red glow of the center of our galaxy and the clearly defined dust lanes. H-alpha reveals many more nebulae in the core (bright pink areas). H-alpha also reveals the areas in space that are stellar incubators. With a normal camera, the red glowing galactic core appears to be yellow-orange and brown instead.

📷 – Nikon Z6 H-alpha Converted | 🔘 – Viltrox 40 mm | 🎞 – ISO 4000 | 🔘 – f/2.5 | 🕒 – 13 seconds | Single frame |

📷 – Nikon Z6 H-alpha Converted | 🔘 – Viltrox 40 mm | 🎞 – ISO 2500 | 🔘 – f/2.5 | 🕒 – 13 seconds | Single frame | camera

Focus Challenges

Using an infrared camera has some quirks, especially at night. Due to the extreme sensitivity of the sensor, star bloat can be an issue. Lenses that aren’t fast and have low coma aberration can actually be ideal for infrared starry landscapes. Fast lenses, which are a must for astrolandscapes with a normal camera, can be problematic, but by dropping the ISO and shutter speed and sometimes stopping down the aperture a bit, sharp stars can be had. It is a balancing act for bloat-free stars and good exposure. Test your lenses to determine the best glass for infrared astrolandscapes. A lens which is ideal for astrolandscapes produces pinpoint sharp stars with minimum coma aberration.

Keep an eye on the histogram and use the NPF rule for shutter speed and go from there. I highly recommend tools to help focus pinpoint stars. My favorite tool is the Focus on Stars filter.

If using an infrared DSLR, always use live view to focus. Using the viewfinder will result in out of out-of-focus scenes.

For astrolandscapes, I start with ISO 500 and work from there. Use your histogram to judge the exposure and not the LCD.

If you have a tracker, definitely put it to use with your infrared camera. Just as with a normal camera, long exposures at lower ISO can produce richly detailed infrared astrolandscapes.

Infrared gives us an alternate view of our world. At night, its magic intensifies. The power of infrared photography gives us a deeper view into the magical night skies.

Focus on Stars Filter

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