What makes a good astrophotograph? Other · IrishAstro4484 · ... · 1 · 157 · 0

Might sound like a strange/obvious question but I'd be interested to hear what people think are the key attributes of a high quality astrophotograph. 

Off the top of my head I would say such a photograph should have several of the following attributes;

1. In focus round and symmetric star profiles.

2. High resolution/contrast to detect subtle details in the target and surrounding areas…. 

3. Minimal noise (through appropriate use of stacking and noise reduction techniques).

4. Minimal or no artefacts (light gradients, dirt/dust motes, amp glow…. Etc). 

5. Sensible colour profile ( probably a discussion in its own right). 

6. Minimal or no saturation in the target itself or surrounding stars/areas. 

I'm aware quite a number of factors influence this including equipment & software used/acquisition techniques & processing/environmental conditions and skills levels/goals of the astrophotographer. 

I don't think there is necessarily a right or wrong answer but I'd be interested to know if there are features of an astrophotograph that most people can agree should be present to some extent for it to be considered a high quality astrophotograph.


Any thoughts?