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Xipe posted:I promise not to do this on a regular basis, but first time is special. Keep doing it on a regular basis! Pretty awesome snaps for a camera phone. Xipe posted:
Best part is, that feeling of awesome is there each and every time.
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Sep 10, 2011 05:05
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So I noticed that Jupiter was particularly bright tonight, especially with the fires going on over in Bastrop. I decided to get my zoom lens and my camera out and see what kind of pictures turned up, especially since I didn't really feel like setting up my telescope. I admit these pictures aren't really that well done, but I guess that wasn't really the point.  Does anyone know what the object circled is? My best guess is the Pleiades cluster. But since I'm not expert by any means and even amateur might be even too strong a word, I have no idea. After I saw the picture, I went ahead and set up my telescope (a Celestron Nextar 4 SE) and was unable to locate it again.
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Sep 10, 2011 07:12
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Agar Agar posted:Does anyone know what the object circled is? Definitely not the Pleiades, that covers a much larger area. Taking a quick look in Stellarium, but not knowing the precise time of the image or the location it was taken from I'd say it's probably galaxy ic1821. The shape looks about right. Neat photo if so!
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Sep 10, 2011 17:12
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Loztblaz posted:I think I'm going to make this winter my "astrophotography or bust" winter, after seeing everyone get such a kick out of it. I made a webcam that didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, so I'm going to modify it a little and see if I can't get better performance out of it. It really doesn't help that my Nexstar 8i is missing a focus knob and shakes for way longer than I would like each time I adjust the focus the tiniest bit. I wish motofocus kits weren't so expensive (or that my budget wasn't absolutely tiny). That's not a bad attempt really, about as good as I have seen Jupiter with my own little scope 
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Sep 10, 2011 20:21
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Agar Agar posted:
What time was the image taken? (+/- 30 mins should be fine) Also rough location DesperateDan fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Sep 10, 2011 |
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Sep 10, 2011 20:24
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DesperateDan posted:What time was the image taken? (+/- 30 mins should be fine) For some reason my exif data is all wrong and says 11:12 AM. So most likely around 11:30 PM - 12 AM. Also, I'm in (North)Austin, TX.
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Sep 11, 2011 00:37
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Yeah, looks like IC 1821 to me too from Stellarium.
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Sep 11, 2011 00:50
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Just figured out how to stack photos, and boy this is pretty cool. First attempt (and probably the better one). Got Cassiopeia, the Little Dipper, and part of Draco, if I remember what I checked last night.  Cassiopeia by MrDespair, on Flickr Then a friend pointed out that I just missed Andromeda, so I went out again.  Mo Stars. by MrDespair, on Flickr Results weren't as nice, although I'm pretty sure that I did get Andromeda to show up there in the upper right. The moon really hurt things in the second shot though, the first shot only had to deal with light from the air force base. This poo poo is awesome though. Also took this shot last full moon through my dad's telescope.  TheMoon by MrDespair, on Flickr One of the motor's gears burned out though, so I've been looking into either finding a replacement mount or just getting a nicer mount, but haven't had much luck yet.
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Sep 11, 2011 18:07
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I'M ORDERING MY FIRST TELESCOPE TOMORROW! HOLY poo poo! I've actually read this thread through front to back quite a few times but this is my first time posting in it. Sorry guys.  At first I was going to get a Skywatcher dob (8") but then Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrains started looking really good. Except they were really expensive. Then I started looking at refractors but good refractors are also really expensive. I also don't have lots of money to throw around, especially for a first telescope. So I settled on the Orion XT8 dobsonian. I did a ton of comparison shopping online, reading reviews, etc, and it seems to be a "go to" (haha that's not funny, is it?) scope for a lot of people. For whatever reason there's also more people owning this scope than the Skywatcher 8" dob. Being in Canada both scopes were the same price so it pretty much came down to reviews and personal opinions. Decided to go with the Orion. What's pretty awesome is that the place I'm going to order it from, All-Star Telescope, which is based in Alberta, is giving me a great shipping rate. I have no plans on astrophotography for years, I just want to learn first. Also getting Nightwatch, it's supposed to be a pretty great astronomy book. Is astronomy supposed to be this loving exciting? I don't even have the scope yet but I'm giddy as all get-out. Question: does anyone here have any experience with astronomy iPad apps? GoToSkywatch is $3.99 and Star Walk is $4.99. Is it worth it just to spring for both or is one all I need? Are either as good as a good star chart? (realize this is an app question but this is an astronomy thread so...)
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Sep 16, 2011 03:22
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I like StarMap Pro. It's more geared towards amateur astronomers vs. the lay public. Includes more stars, and a ton of useful features for when you're in the field.
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Sep 16, 2011 06:29
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INTJ Mastermind posted:A 9x50 RACI finder would be a great first investment. Also, Sky and Telescope's pocket sky atlas is great. I pretty much use it for everything. Is there a reason you prefer Star Map Pro? I have tried quite a few of these apps including star walk, pocket universe and most recently SkySafari (my favorite so far). They all more or less offer the same things with extra features here and there. I love the detailed info in SkySafari but find Star Walk easier to navigate. Star Map Pro advertises a feature that really interests me, being able to input your scope and eyepiece size to get an idea of what you should see in the eyepiece. Do you find that useful? What do you like about it?
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Sep 16, 2011 08:39
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I had a play with the Opticstar PL-131C lunar / planetary / guiding cam last night. I got this at the start of august to replace my SPC900-NC modified webcam. As a guide cam it's fine, no issues with it at all, and so far it seems OK for lunar work as well, though the seeing was poor and I didn't have long to play. These were all taken with the camera in 640 x 480 region of interest mode, the full resolution is 1280 x 1024 and it also supports various binning modes.   Some weird colour issue with this one, which was an RGB combination from fits files.  Jekub fucked around with this message at 11:06 on Sep 16, 2011 |
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Sep 16, 2011 09:23
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With Sky Safari would I need to get the plus/pro versions or just lite? I don't mind spending money on apps but $14.99+ seems pricey. fake edit: I see that the Pro version controls GoTo devices, that's awesome. I could see going for that in the future. Bit the bullet and bought both GoSkywatch and Star Walk. Reason I purchased both is that my wife might like how one does something more than another, I'm not the only one who will be using the telescope or apps. Besides, had some money in my iTunes account just waiting to be used for something. This might sound dumb (probably IS dumb) but one of the reasons I went with a dob is because half of the year here in Manitoba it's pretty much winter. Really afraid of knocking something over and I don't know how well a GoTo would react to -20C and lower temperatures. Was also thinking of building a small platform that the telescope could sit on so it's not in contact with the ground but maybe I'm thinking too far ahead at this point.
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Sep 16, 2011 12:52
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I can't believe I missed this thread. I've been really itching to try and see the new supernova discovered in M101. The conditions haven't been very good for viewing the last weeks and half. I'm rocking on an XT8, a finder, a telrad, some charts and bad luck.
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Sep 20, 2011 15:41
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invalid posted:I can't believe I missed this thread. I've been really itching to try and see the new supernova discovered in M101. The conditions haven't been very good for viewing the last weeks and half. Sup SN2011fe blueballs buddy. I've been unable to shoot anything much lately for a variety of reasons, but this weekend I did some piggyback snapshots on my father's CPC800 in atrocious cloud cover and humidity (check the non-heated parts of that hood!) and 75% moon, just to have tried it. The best came out (after lots of Lightroom fiddling, my PI trial is long expired and I haven't been able to justify buying it yet due to a complete lack of data to process with it) something like this (nothing astrophotographically interesting to see here, but astrometry.net is awesome, click it and press annotated and Magic Happens, I really encourage the rest of you taking pictures to play around with the service!) Basically brute-force removed the diarrhea-colored skyglow and killed anything faint in the image right with it. I actually have two frames of that field, I wonder what'd happen if I stack them...
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Sep 20, 2011 16:43
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invalid posted:I can't believe I missed this thread. I've been really itching to try and see the new supernova discovered in M101. The conditions haven't been very good for viewing the last weeks and half. Exactly the same for me (viewing conditions and an XT8 at least). For how much longer will it be visible?
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Sep 20, 2011 20:28
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I am on another cross country motorcycle adventure and snapped a few pics of things that the folks of this thread might find interesting. Some VLA shots with the moon hanging high:  VLA Antenna and Moon by elimisel, on Flickr  VLA and Moon by elimisel, on Flickr Meteor Crater:  Meteor Crater by elimisel, on Flickr And Comedy Gold!  Roswell UFO Museum by elimisel, on Flickr I should be in an extremely dark area tomorrow night (Mexican Hat, Utah) and if the sky is clear, plan to grab some Milky Way shots. Really wish I could have lugged the CGEM for some astrophotography, but it just wouldn't fit on the bike!
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Sep 21, 2011 05:23
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Great photos Choicecut, I need to get to somewhere properly dark at some point, maybe down to Morocco into the Atlas mountains or Sahara, it's not exactly a long way to go from here.Choicecut posted:Really wish I could have lugged the CGEM for some astrophotography, but it just wouldn't fit on the bike! Need yourself an Astrotrack head, which I'd need as well if the plan above comes about!
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Sep 21, 2011 09:30
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Okay, I couldn't resist buying PixInsight, so here's a demo of what you can do through the goddamn clouds and 75% moon with a 75-300mm f/5.6 zoom from 1989, four frames of completely random exposure times totalling 4m17s, and about five times more fiddling in postprocessing than the data actually deserves. But hey, I learnt more about the program. Wavelets are goddamn magic.
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Sep 22, 2011 00:01
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Speaking of Pixinsight I have been testing out some alternative processing methods today, mostly use of the MaskedStretch script which I like a lot. The results are pretty good I think : Cocoon Nebula (Reprocessed) by tmarkuk, on Flickr  Elephants Trunk (Reprocessed) by tmarkuk, on Flickr  Cygnus Core (Reprocessed) by tmarkuk, on Flickr
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Sep 22, 2011 14:33
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Jekub posted:
There are waaaay too many stars in this picture. It's hard to reconcile the view through the eyepiece from suburbia with long-exposure photographs sometimes.
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Sep 22, 2011 22:19
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Bolkovr posted:There are waaaay too many stars in this picture. It's hard to reconcile the view through the eyepiece from suburbia with long-exposure photographs sometimes. That's how I feel every time I use a finder scope.
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Sep 23, 2011 00:05
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Jekub posted:Great photos Choicecut, I need to get to somewhere properly dark at some point, maybe down to Morocco into the Atlas mountains or Sahara, it's not exactly a long way to go from here. Oh how I would love to have one of those! My focus right now is getting an observatory and guiding, but my wife says I have to finish up some projects on the house first. Setting up and tearing down got old really fast with all my equipment, can't wait to get an observatory. An Astrotrack is on my list though! Still on vacation and spent the night in Mexican Hat, Utah the other night. Skies were unreal, I have never seen anything like it back east. I took out my tripod, camera and my relatively new 35mm 1.8 lens and did a shot at the milky way. 2, 20 second shots gave me this panorama, no stacking. I did get slight star trail, which I didn't notice until tonight when I pulled the images off the camera. Surprised me at only 20 seconds. I have ran 30 seconds before with no trailing. Still pretty cool:  Galactic Core by elimisel, on Flickr Those of you talking about PixInsight, if you are going to do any significant amount of Astrophotogray, it is well worth the cost.
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Sep 23, 2011 04:33
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Choicecut posted:2, 20 second shots gave me this panorama, no stacking. I did get slight star trail, which I didn't notice until tonight when I pulled the images off the camera. Surprised me at only 20 seconds. I have ran 30 seconds before with no trailing. Still pretty cool:
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Sep 23, 2011 13:29
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If it stays up long enough, UARS will be passing over the Continental US from roughly 2123-2131 EDT tonight, on a track from the Texas/Mexico border at the Gulf to the Upper Pen/Canadian border. As much as it would be horrible for it to deorbit over a populated area, from 2125-2130 it's going to be visible from my location tracking from the SW to the NE, passing almost directly overhead, 80-deg, at 2128. Unfortunately, even if it does stay up that long, the weather isn't likely to cooperate with me for clear skies. :P
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Sep 23, 2011 15:23
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Choicecut posted:Oh how I would love to have one of those! My focus right now is getting an observatory and guiding, but my wife says I have to finish up some projects on the house first. Setting up and tearing down got old really fast with all my equipment, can't wait to get an observatory. An Astrotrack is on my list though! Read up on the rule of 600 to avoid startrails.
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Sep 23, 2011 15:30
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Sorry, I'm sure people have asked for advice about this or that purchase since the thread began, but I read through quite a few pages and didn't see any specific questions about this. I am a beginner, followed the OP's advice and got some binoculars and Turn Left at Orion. As a university instructor, I am lucky enough to be granted 4 credit hours worth of classes a semester. I enrolled in Phys: Stars and Galaxies, along with the lab for that class. I am now completely confident that I need to get a little more serious with this hobby. With a budget of 200 dollars to start, would it make sense to get this: http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/reflecting-telescopes/celestronpackageastromaster114eqreflectortelescope.cfm In case that didn't work, it's a Celestron Astromaster 114 EQ Reflector Telescope Bundle. I only came up with that by selecting the price and rating from that particular site, and it came up number one for the price. Any input? I know that is very vague, but it can be completely overwhelming to the beginner trying to find a good first telescope. There seem to be an infinite amount of models, all with various doohickies and such that I don't yet understand, but fully intend to educate myself about as I progress. So knowing that I will eventually upgrade, and therefore not wanting to spent a huge amount on my first telescope, can anyone give me some simple suggestions? And THANK YOU SO MUCH to the OP for the recommendation of binoculars + Turn Left at Orion. What a wonderful combination, and a perfect introduction for the layperson.
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Sep 25, 2011 01:38
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I would get the 130EQ. Edit: The reason is that the 114 uses a spherical mirror instead of parabolic (the better kind) and it has a 2x barlow in the lens tube itself to give it more focal length. The 130EQ is more of a regular Newtonian telescope. I've owned the 130EQ myself and it's a great starting scope. Make sure you get the motor drive for it though. INTJ Mastermind fucked around with this message at 16:16 on Sep 25, 2011 |
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Sep 25, 2011 03:26
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Saint Fu posted:It'll depend on your focal length. Were you using a wide angle with the 30 second exposures? Yes it was a wide angle. However I rounded up after using the 600 rule, so figured rounding up on the 35mm would have been the same. I guess I should have rounded down to 15 seconds. Oh well, live and learn I guess, just sucks because I won't be at another dark sky like that for years probably.
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Sep 25, 2011 14:03
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INTJ Mastermind posted:I would get the 130EQ. Thanks for the advice. On telescopes.com they've got that one listed for $180, but with no motor drive. With the motor drive, the price jumps up a lot. Or am I reading this wrong... the 130EQ MD (motor driven) is that you are recommending, yes? Annoying newbie question, but do I really need a motor drive if I'm not doing astrophotography?
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Sep 25, 2011 18:26
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Dr. Fabulous posted:Thanks for the advice. On telescopes.com they've got that one listed for $180, but with no motor drive. With the motor drive, the price jumps up a lot. Or am I reading this wrong... the 130EQ MD (motor driven) is that you are recommending, yes? Annoying newbie question, but do I really need a motor drive if I'm not doing astrophotography? The motor just makes things a bit easier for tracking an object. I have a buddy at work that bought a 150mm Orion Mak with Skyview pro mount (no motor) and absolutely loves it. He says he feels more connected when turning the knobs manually.
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Sep 25, 2011 20:38
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Yes the 130EQ MD is what I recommend. I bought it without a motor but wound up installing one after. So useful when you're showing something to a group of friends, or when you need to walk away for a few minutes to pee.
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Sep 25, 2011 21:22
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Motor drives are really handy at 4am when you can barely function due to the cold/lack of sleep/both and want to keep a nice steady picture. It also leaves you open to astrophotography later, and normally getting a motor drive bundled works out a good bit cheaper than buying one separate.
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Sep 26, 2011 09:21
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Dr. Fabulous posted:And THANK YOU SO MUCH to the OP for the recommendation of binoculars + Turn Left at Orion. What a wonderful combination, and a perfect introduction for the layperson. It was a great starting point for me, I'm glad it's working out for you. I haven't had much eyepiece time this summer since it's been so incredibly hot in Texas, but now that it's cooling down I plan on going through Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders, which looks like it might be even better from the little bit of it that I've browsed.
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Sep 28, 2011 07:26
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MY SCOPE ARRIVED TODAY!!!  Now I'm the proud owner of an Orion XT8. It's a LOT longer than I expected but seems to be really light. And of course there's loving thunderstorms tonight. Was a nice surprise to come home to after a day's work.
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Sep 29, 2011 02:42
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Loztblaz posted:It was a great starting point for me, I'm glad it's working out for you. I haven't had much eyepiece time this summer since it's been so incredibly hot in Texas, but now that it's cooling down I plan on going through Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders, which looks like it might be even better from the little bit of it that I've browsed. It absolutely is.
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Sep 29, 2011 21:49
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Some new images for you, we have just had a wonderful week of clear skies and sunny days which neatly coincided with the new moon. ngc7380 The Wizard Nebula  ngc7380 The Wizard Nebula by tmarkuk, on Flickr ngc7129 / ngc7142 (open cluster to the right) - The doesn't have a name so I'm calling it 'light bulb' nebula.  ngc7129 & ngc7142 by tmarkuk, on Flickr Caldwell 9 -The Cave Nebula  Caldwell 9 The Cave Nebula by tmarkuk, on Flickr I've had a really good week of it!
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Oct 3, 2011 22:05
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Pretty late noticed here, but for the first time since the since the OJ Simpson trial, I'm getting clear(ish) skies. I'm armored with my XT8, Telrad complete with lamenated charts of all the M-objects, along with their overlooked NGC stuff. I also carry along a Skymap as well. Somethings to consider. I'm in the Midwest, but not rural. Driving is out of the question, so pretty much anything to the West is off limits. East is fine, obviously zenith is perfect. North is good - South is almost as bad as West, so I don't even bother. That in mind, I haven't had my scope out in forever and constellations all look new to me again. I also live in a light polluted area, so even M31 looks pretty underwhelming. I've learned to appreciate open clusters more than I ever thought I would but love globs more than ever. I know it's late notice, but can you guys think of some good candidates for these? I haven't done much observing in the Fall. I'd also like to start cutting my teeth as far as star splitting goes. Thanks!
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Oct 4, 2011 22:27
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Jekub posted:Some new images for you, we have just had a wonderful week of clear skies and sunny days which neatly coincided with the new moon.
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Oct 5, 2011 17:44
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Saint Fu posted:It's been said before, but I really look forward to whenever you have new pics. Thanks! I finally working on getting some printed out to frame, it'll be nice seeing them up on the walls. Wonderfully clear night on Friday, unfortunately the moon was 90% full so I couldn't do any deep space. Instead I've been playing with my Optic Star PL-131C for lunar and planetary work. It's a reasonably capable guide cam so I was interested to see what it could do elsewhere. There will be more to come but this is the first, Mare Nectaris.  Mare Nectaris by tmarkuk, on Flickr Also this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5pqeTv7swA How's that for steady seeing? There will be more to come as I work through the 100gb of data I generated over the night. One more edit, should really be going to bed but I had to see how this came out! A six frame lunar mosaic, each taken with the PL-131c at prime focus. It's pretty huge.  Jekub fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Oct 16, 2011 |
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Oct 16, 2011 20:40
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