Why can I use commercially available infrared film to photograph astronomical objects with an amateur telescope?
You can! But be aware that this film is responsive to near-infrared light that is just beyond the red end of the visible-light spectrum (around 1 micron). At this wavelength, you would essentially be photographing very long-wavelength visible light, and astronomical phenomena would appear to differ only slightly from the more accustomed optical photos. To really measure the thermal emission that characterizes most infrared radiation, you need to observe at wavelengths of longer than about 5 microns — and that is not easily practical from the ground.
Related Questions
- If I photograph my young children in the bathtub and send the film out for processing, could the processor turn the film over to the police? Could I be prosecuted for child pornography?
- Why can I use commercially available infrared film to photograph astronomical objects with an amateur telescope?
- I have a go-to 3" telescope with the focal ratio of f/14. Why cant I see all 14,000 objects in the database?
