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Thanks! I really should keep notes because I've got no record of how many shots went into it - I think it was something like 30x30s lights and the same number of darks. I think I was struggling with the intervalometer on the camera so I got far less shots than I was expecting... Another thing I need to make sure I've got a handle on before too long! I definitely found out last winter there's always more to learn, always something to screw up on the night, so could do with being a bit more rigorous and not forgetting things.
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Jul 6, 2017 20:40
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I'm going to be hiking out to the middle of nowhere for the Perseid meteor shower and wanted to see about suggestions for gear to try and get some photographs. I assume all I need is a sturdy tripod, DSLR and lens since I'm not aiming for stars? Would a full frame body be overkill? What lens is going to be best? Would a fisheye be dumb for some random attempts? Anything extra to bring for meteors in particular?
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Jul 6, 2017 22:44
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How big does a sunspot need to be to be resolved by eye and by camera with 300mm lens (with 25m px)?
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Jul 7, 2017 02:15
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gwaarrk posted:
God I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but those are some gorgeous photos. Gwaarrk's remind me of GalaxyZoo imagery, and I'm on mobile but from here, thestoreroom's pics look coffee table book quality.
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Jul 7, 2017 16:11
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dupersaurus posted:How big does a sunspot need to be to be resolved by eye and by camera with 300mm lens (with 25m px)? My guess is pretty big, maybe just a few pixels wide on the photo. Here is a screenshot from Stellarium with the Oculars plugin configured for my 300mm telephoto and Canon DSLR.  Camera FOV is about 4 deg by 2.5 deg, and the Sun is 31 arcmin wide (apparent diameter). Compare this pic I took of the Sun with my 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain:  Camera FOV 1 deg by 40 arcmin according to Stellarium, and this is cropped slightly. It just about fills up the telescope though, with a focal reducer.
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Jul 7, 2017 19:53
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So the answer is this big (and not much smaller)  (SOHO for comparison)
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Jul 9, 2017 16:55
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When will we start seeing pictures of the big red spot? Juno should be directly above it at 9:55 pm EST tonight.
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Jul 10, 2017 21:38
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Alright fellow nerds, I'm thinking about buying a new scope. I have an old Odyssey 8" dob that has been ok (focuser and mount need some TLC, I do plan on keeping it around) but I'd really like something computerized. I have my eye on this Orion Sirius EQ-G and 8" newt. I will primarily be using it visually but I'd like the option to mess around with photography, hence this scope and mount that look like they'd be fine for shorter exposures. I picked this over the Atlas because as far as I can see the only difference (besides price) is max weight. Also the Sirius mount is a hair lighter, which is a plus since I'll be lugging this outside my city to darker skies. I just wanted to make sure I'm not missing a better deal at this price. I'll probably browse classified ads for another week or so before I drop the hammer on this, just in case. fondue posted:When will we start seeing pictures of the big red spot? Juno should be directly above it at 9:55 pm EST tonight. Few more days. https://mobile.twitter.com/NASAJuno/status/884839201111289856
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Jul 12, 2017 13:27
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Hello thread, I'm new to all of this and looking to get a starter telescope for me / the family. We live about 25-35 minutes away from major city light sources, but the area is suburban and there are highways not far off, so there's still light pollution. We'd be viewing mostly from our back yard, but there is a national park relatively close, so portability, while not essential, would be a plus. I think we'd ideally want to be able to see the planets and distant objects, in that order. No AP, just viewing, and ease of use will be relatively important. I'd like to try to stay below $350. I've been looking at 4 Orions: all Dobsonians, with differences in length of tube and aperture size - Orion XT6 and StarBlast 6 - Orion XT 4.5 and StarBlast 4.5 Not sure whether I should be worried about depth of field. Any thoughts? Am I totally off here? Any comparables I should be looking at? And is there a reputable place to buy online other than Amazon or manufacturer direct? Red Dad Redemption fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Jul 13, 2017 |
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Jul 12, 2017 18:03
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El Disco posted:Alright fellow nerds, I'm thinking about buying a new scope. I have an old Odyssey 8" dob that has been ok (focuser and mount need some TLC, I do plan on keeping it around) but I'd really like something computerized. I have my eye on this Orion Sirius EQ-G and 8" newt. Some raw images have come out and people have stitched them together. 
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Jul 12, 2017 18:13
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Annual Prophet posted:Hello thread, I'm new to all of this and looking to get a starter telescope for me / the family. We live about 25-35 minutes away from major city light sources, but the area is suburban and there are highways not far off, so there's still light pollution. We'd be viewing mostly from our back yard, but there is a national park relatively close, so portability, while not essential, would be a plus. I think we'd ideally want to be able to see the planets and distant objects, in that order. No AP, just viewing, and ease of use will be relatively important. I'd like to try to stay below $350. I don't own a Dob but I was looking at them a few years ago when I was getting into astronomy. I think you'd be ok with those, there are also table-mounted small scopes you could look at that could be cheaper and will be easier to set up and carry around. I'd poke around the forums at cloudynights.com, there is a beginners forum there and you can probably find answers to all of your questions. As for stores, I like the following, depending on what you're buying: bhphotovideo.com - mostly a photography store but they do carry some astronomy stuff. I bought my 8" SCT + Advanced VX from here and it looks like they carry some Dobs optcorp.com - I've bought a lot of gear from them, no issues highpointscientific.com - same Amazon is fine too.
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Jul 12, 2017 18:46
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Many thanks for the feedback. After a bit more research and some calls, I think Ed Ting and Orion have tentatively convinced me to go for the xt6. Now to think about what to get with the scope. Red Dad Redemption fucked around with this message at 04:59 on Jul 13, 2017 |
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Jul 13, 2017 04:50
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Annual Prophet posted:Many thanks for the feedback. After a bit more research and some calls, I think Ed Ting and Orion have tentatively convinced me to go for the xt6. Yeah for dobs you want to get the biggest aperture you can afford. Larger aperture means it can gather more light and you'll have an easier time seeing darker objects. Larger aperture also means it's heavier but that's not really a problem until you get to 10" tubes. The XT6 seems to have pretty much everything you need to get started with observing. Eventually you might want another eyepiece or two so you can have a variety of magnification options, but you can wait on that. fondue posted:Some raw images have come out and people have stitched them together. The Great Red Spot seems...greater than I remember. 
Godlessdonut fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Jul 13, 2017 |
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Jul 13, 2017 15:20
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Annual Prophet posted:Many thanks for the feedback. After a bit more research and some calls, I think Ed Ting and Orion have tentatively convinced me to go for the xt6. I would actually recommend the Skywatcher 6" dobsonian over the XT6. Exact same optics, but it includes a 2" metal focuser instead of a 1.25" plastic focuser, adjustable tension on the altitude axis, better finder and 2 eyepieces. Much better package than the Orion while still well within your budget. http://agenaastro.com/sky-watcher-6-traditional-dobsonian-telescope-s11600.html I've used both, and while the Orion is a GREAT scope, the Skywatcher is equal optics in a better package. Also, Skywatcher's customer service these days kicks Orion's rear end. Kevin Legore at SW is a real mensch. Also, the 6" f/8 is a way better option for beginners than the shorter tubed scopes you mentioned in your first post. The optics are MUCH easier to collimate at longer focal ratios and are less sensitive to minor misalignment. They also give tighter images because the optics won't suffer from coma. AstroZamboni fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Jul 13, 2017 |
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Jul 13, 2017 22:33
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I have the 8" version of that Skywatcher and it's quite nice.
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Jul 14, 2017 02:16
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AstroZamboni posted:I would actually recommend the Skywatcher 6" dobsonian over the XT6. Exact same optics, but it includes a 2" metal focuser instead of a 1.25" plastic focuser, adjustable tension on the altitude axis, better finder and 2 eyepieces. Much better package than the Orion while still well within your budget. Thanks so much for the extra info, which I very much appreciate! I wound up pulling the trigger on the Orion XT6 before your post, but I do think it will fill the bill nicely, even if not as good a value as the Skywatcher package. Once I've had a chance to use it a bit, I'll plan to pick up some additional eyepieces, and if replaceable a better focus as well. Hopefully that will land me in a reasonably good place. Really looking forward to the viewing / exploration, and, actually, adding filters, eyepieces etc to see how far the performance of the scope can be pushed, even though it's just a starter. eta: If you have any suggestions for eyepieces for planetary viewing and (separately) for DSOs for the xt6, I'd be super grateful to hear them, though I plan on doing a fair amount of research on my end as well. Red Dad Redemption fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Jul 14, 2017 |
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Jul 14, 2017 04:26
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Agena Starguider eyepieces are really nice "budget" eyepieces that are good for both planetary and DSOs depending on the focal length. They have nice large eye lenses and good eye relief so they're easier to observe with than the Plössls that come with the XT6. They also have a wider field of view. http://agenaastro.com/eyepieces/1-25-eyepieces/shopby/agena_dual_ed/agena_astroproducts.html Be aware that upgrading the focuser may require getting a hole cutting saw that attaches to an electric drill to enlarge the hole for a 2" focuser, and to drill additional mounting holes. If you go that route in the future, it's a good idea to take the mirrors out of the tube entirely and then give the tube interior a thorough cleaning to get rid of any particulate shrapnel that may damage the mirror surfaces. Not a difficult procedure, but you want to be thoroughly familiar with how the telescope works before you attempt it. Also, get some heavyish magnets and attach adhesive felt to them to use as counterweights. Even with the tension springs, imbalance can lead to backlash when trying to track things at high magnifications. I have an XT8 with an upgraded focuser, a 9x50 finder AND a Telrad, so I use a bunch of these with felt attached to keep things balanced: https://m.harborfreight.com/66mm-round-magnet-96650.html I also have the predecessor of the XT6, the DSE6 from the nineties. The thing is an absolute BEAST on the planets and soaks up magnification like a goddamn sponge. You're going to have a shitload of fun with your scope! Eta: Also, I'd seriously consider a Rigel Quickfinder sometime down the road. It's just about the perfect finder for a 6" dob, lightweight, relatively inexpensive, and a huge improvement over the standard red dot sight. Only about $45 typically. AstroZamboni fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jul 14, 2017 |
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Jul 14, 2017 05:32
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AstroZamboni posted:Agena Starguider eyepieces are really nice "budget" eyepieces that are good for both planetary and DSOs depending on the focal length. They have nice large eye lenses and good eye relief so they're easier to observe with than the Plössls that come with the XT6. They also have a wider field of view. Thanks SO much for the information and suggestions! Will take your advice on all of this, and I'll chime back in once I've had a chance to play with it a bit.
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Jul 14, 2017 05:38
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I talked myself into getting the Atlas over the Sirius mount.  If it proves to be too heavy for my spindly arms, maybe that will motivate me to get into shape. Also who here is a bad enough  I did get a solar filter but this eclipse will be totally visual for me.
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Jul 17, 2017 14:46
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I picked up a 180mm Mak-Cass telescope last month for planetary observations and photography. It came with the primary mirror terribly out of position, and though I have experience collimating my reflector's mirrors (thanks to the help of you folks ITT, I should add), this scope doesn't allow access to the secondary mirror and isn't compatible with a laser collimator. Anyways, I've been reading up on star collimating and have been making adjustments every time I take the scope out, and things are improving! Saturn, end of June (first time out with the scope):  Aww poo poo, it's out of focus. First time having tried out a basic star collimation:  A little bit better... And this Saturday, when I tried a more precise collimation:  Cassini division! I still need to adjust it a little bit, but I'm happy with how it's progressing! Next time I'll get a few over-exposed shots to layer on top of this, since I should be able to see a couple of moons if I remember to actually do that.
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Jul 24, 2017 17:06
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OMG yes Saturn! It's been a while since I've looked at Saturn and seen Titan, but I think this smudge is about the right distance? Probably some sort of artifact but there's nothing like it in the rest of that image: Ugh I feel dirty now, like I'm hunting UFOs.
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Jul 24, 2017 17:25
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Abyssal Squid posted:OMG yes Saturn! It's been a while since I've looked at Saturn and seen Titan, but I think this smudge is about the right distance? Probably some sort of artifact but there's nothing like it in the rest of that image: Huh, it could be - that shot is a stack of the best ~10% of a 15 second 1080p/30 video, so that's probably why that's a smudge. I hadn't even noticed it! Next time I want to get a pile of full-resolution shots to try stacking, at 5184 x 3456, and maybe get some more detail out of the whole shot in general, including just one or two of a properly-exposed Titan if it's in frame that I can stack on. Here's one of Jupiter I did last year like that with my 8" reflector that came out a little blurry, but I still like it: 
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Jul 24, 2017 17:43
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Warning: I may have posted this before. I know I've changed website hosts in the last few months so if I had posted the picture, it isn't still going to show up now. This is a way that you can view solar activity very cheaply and easily, and safely as well. Most people don't seem to be aware of it. There is a solar eclipse coming up in the US, so this is currently a Big Deal... but it works for casually viewing sunspots no matter where you are. 1. Go to a store and buy a round convex stick-on car mirror. 'Convex' means the ones that bulge out in the center. You don't need a big one; even the smaller ones will work that are only 1 or 2 inches across. 2. On a clear sunny day, stand ~6 feet from a building wall, where the wall is in a shadow. 3. Hold the convex mirror at an angle so that the round reflected image is on the shaded wall. On a normal day you can see black spots on the reflected image. These are sunspots. During a solar eclipse you should be able to see that too. You might say "yea well what if the spots are just dirt spots on the mirror, eh?" Well firstly, clean your mirror you filthy pig. But even so, you can check for that just by rotating the mirror a bit on its center. The spots caused by dirt or mirror defects will change position, and the sun spots won't. There is a graphic image posted here if you don't yet understand: 
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Jul 28, 2017 17:52
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Abyssal Squid posted:OMG yes Saturn! It's been a while since I've looked at Saturn and seen Titan, but I think this smudge is about the right distance? Probably some sort of artifact but there's nothing like it in the rest of that image: Just to follow-up on this, I got the scope out again a few nights ago and, while I didn't get any pics worth posting here, I'm about 99% sure this is actually just a bad pixel on my camera's CCD - there's a lot of them, apparently.
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Jul 31, 2017 00:07
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So apparently Amazon is mass-refunding purchases of solar filters and viewers. I bought an Orion telescope filter (low end $50 one) from them and I got an email saying they're crediting my account because they can't verify the filter is safe. Preeeeeeetty sure Orion doesn't make/sell unsafe filters, and now I'm sad I didn't buy a more expensive version. Oh well, free $50 filter isn't a bad deal.
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Aug 13, 2017 13:56
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Maybe they think it is a fake?
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Aug 13, 2017 14:26
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Yeah, they are apparently mass emailing those out. I got one for the glass glasses I bought but not the paper ones. Likely just a CYA move.
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Aug 13, 2017 19:40
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A really hosed up CYA move. Orion filters are totally loving safe.
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Aug 13, 2017 22:59
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Some guy on CN got refunded for a Coronado PST Double Stack.
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Aug 14, 2017 01:47
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It clearly says they are contacting the seller to confirm the legitimacy, not the manufacturer. If it's a third party who can't verify or doesn't care, it makes sense to be cautious.
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Aug 16, 2017 18:59
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Doing a dry run for the eclipse tomorrow (barring lovely Ohio weather which will probably happen). 300mm lens, cropped about 90% of the frame out:  SOHO for comparison:  Not too bad. I don't know if I can get it any sharper with how humid it is here. I got a two-pack of 50mm filters, and I'm trying to mock up a holder that fits over the end of my Celestron Bird-Jones scope to take to work tomorrow, but I don't think that's gonna happen. I'm just completely in the "gently caress this drat thing" realm with that scope. I really appreciate my wife getting it for me, but the optics leave much to be desired and the mount just sucks. The tripod I bought for my DSLR today was more expensive that the entire telescope kit was. Need to start trolling craigslist for a 8" dob.
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Aug 20, 2017 22:31
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Here's my shot of the eclipse at it's peak in Southern Ontario:
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Aug 22, 2017 00:50
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Had great weather in Carbondale, IL up until about 20 minutes before second contact when a lone cumulus cloud drifted in front of the sun and stayed there for the next 40 minutes  . I guess the upside is that I was forced to pay attention to everything else, like the dark and the red horizon, whereas normally I would have been glued to my eyepiece. And I got to watch everything prior to that with my scope and  uncertified solar filter.Carbondale made it into an Eclipse Fair and had a bunch of vendors set up downtown selling food and trinkets. The guy selling BBQ had some pretty good rib tips, and if I hadn't been planning on leaving right after third contact I would have visited the beer tent. As it was, traffic out of town was pretty nasty for a while, at least until I was able to get onto an alternate route. Cops and deer were everywhere and I got to see one car accident as it happened. So a little disappointing, but overall I don't regret making the trip from Iowa.
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Aug 22, 2017 17:10
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93% totality here, we made a thing of it, hanging out in the yard. But I didn't get a filter for our scope or camera so only got phone pics. What surprised me was with only 7% sun it was still broad daylight. It was a little darker, like a cloudy day but brighter than overcast.
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Aug 23, 2017 00:19
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So we got lots of neat photos of the moon blocking the sun, but do we have any photos of the earth while the shadow was being cast on it? Maybe from one of those weather observation satellites?
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Aug 23, 2017 00:34
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Galaga Galaxian posted:So we got lots of neat photos of the moon blocking the sun, but do we have any photos of the earth while the shadow was being cast on it? Maybe from one of those weather observation satellites? https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2017/8/21/16180544/total-solar-eclipse-2017-best-photos-videos-nasa-gifs
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Aug 23, 2017 01:02
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Cool, thanks. My comment was also meant to go in the spaceflight thread, lol. I keep getting the two mixed up during eclipse talk.
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Aug 23, 2017 01:03
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Galaga Galaxian posted:Cool, thanks. Space flight thread, you say???
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Aug 23, 2017 01:05
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Space and Spaceflight: Stuff Catching on Fire in a Nominal Manner
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Aug 23, 2017 01:09
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I went down south of Knoxville, TN for totality. Here's some pics, I got pretty good ones. Solar Eclipse Maestro is awesome. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10159151931775394.1073741841.869755393&type=1&l=0831763ee9
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Aug 23, 2017 03:24
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