How to Photograph the Elusive Polaris Flare

This video shows every step of photographing the Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN) around our North Star called the Polaris Flare. I show how to accomplish this without the use of a star tracker, just a basic DSLR, lens, and tripod. The second half of the video is a processing tutorial using the free programs Siril and Starnet. ============================= ❤️ Patreon ❤️ ============================= If you like what you see on this channel, consider joining my Patreon. It starts at just $1/month: https://patreon.com/nebulaphotos ============================= Resources mentioned in the video ============================= My Discord - https://discord.gg/nebulaphotos My other beginner tutorials - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrzbdmripj1cQ4nNQrocsyzlOR8KSG5AX Astrospots - https://astrospots.com Siril - https://siril.org Starnet - https://starnetastro.com My video showing how to install Starnet CLI - https://youtu.be/gyOa8eNIVlk 3D print file for Rokinon 135 Bahtinov Mask - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2168672 My video explaining Signal to Noise Ratio - https://youtu.be/0vd6Zk5M5OA ============================= Gear used in this video ============================= Bogen 3001 Tripod - https://tinyurl.com/bogen3001 Generic Ball Head - https://ebay.us/eJg8re Canon Rebel T7 - https://ebay.us/RrdSSk Rokinon 135mm f/2 - https://amzn.to/3Slkvs3 Shutter Release Cable - https://amzn.to/3Ylidgd USB Lens Warmer - https://amzn.to/3WHZcUg Bahtinov Mask for Rokinon 135 f/2 - https://ebay.us/VLMvy5 ============================= Contents ============================= 0:00 The Polaris Flare! 1:04 Why the stars move slower near the North Star 4:40 Gear breakdown 11:38 Location, Bortle Scale, Moon Phase, Weather 15:35 Camera and Lens settings 22:08 Finding Polaris 24:43 Focusing with a Bahtinov Mask 26:25 Taking and examining a test exposure 30:18 Taking the photos of space (lights) 34:56 Taking the calibration frames (flats, biases, darks) 42:40 Organizing the photos into folders 51:18 Software needed: Siril and Starnet 53:44 Stacking 1:00:46 Display modes and Cropping 1:11:00 Background Extraction 1:24:30 Color Calibration 1:30:45 Starnet and Star Recomposition (stretching) 1:50:40 Final optional touches (saturation and cropping) 1:55:35 Final image reveal and credits (patreon) ============================= Creative Commons Image and Music Credits ============================= Earth's rotational axis by Siyavula Education, CC BY 2.0 Representation of the Bortle scale By ESO/P. Horálek, M. Wallner, CC BY 4.0 Insomnia Pt. 1 by Meydän, CC BY 4.0. ============================= Social ============================= Twitter: https://twitter.com/nebulaphotos Facebook: https://facebook.com/nebulaphotosdotcom Instagram: https://instagram.com/nebulaphotosdotcom Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/2ghouls/ ============================= Channel Disclosures ============================= I am a member of the High Point Scientific, Agena Astro, eBay, ZWO, All-Star Telescopes, B&H Photo Video, Astrobin, TTArtisan, Turing, William Optics, AstroWorld Telescopes, and Amazon affiliate programs. Product links in my video descriptions are typically affiliate links, which means, at no extra cost to you, I will make a commission if you click them and purchase something. I also have working relationships with the following companies/brands to receive products to test: Askar, ZWO, DwarfLab, OG Star Tech, Svbony, High Point Scientific, Agena Astro, QHYCCD, William Optics, SmallRig, Venus Optics, Astrogear.net, Night Sky Camera, Woodland Hills Camera & Telescope, Hunt's Photo & Video. Any gear received for review and/or brand deals will be fully disclosed in the video. If you have any questions about any of this, please get in touch.