Planetary Photography with DSLR, is it possible?
I recently purchased a T-ring for my Nikon D3200 to pair with a celestron C8. Planning on motorizing the old super polaris mount it has but in the mean time was going to try saturn.
Through an eyepiece last night with above average seeing and transparency, saturn and its rings LOOKED sharp and I could make out lots of details.
Screw out the star diagonal and screw in the camera and I could not manage to get saturn from looking anything other than a elongated blob, playing with focus, ISO, and exposure time for half an hour. I know 2032mm will leave saturn not huge, but I was expecting more given how crisp it looked last night through an eyepiece.
Am I missing something fundamental about planetary photography that is preventing me from getting good acquisition? Is what I am doing with a DSLR not possible?
Ill attach a screenshot of my "best" exposure and info below. all other exposures looked same or worse.
Posted Sep 11, 2026, 3:35 PM UTC