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xzzy posted:Anyone got any comet experience to talk about? There's that new one, C2022 E3, that is passing by for the next few weeks. I understand there's still a lot of unknowns about it so I'm curious about generalities. It will be at its brightest (maybe not to us on earth) when closest to the sun correct? So how does one estimate observing quality as it nears earth? I've missed previous close comets and hoping tomorrow I'll be able to get a possible glimpse in the big ole dob. I've been able to track it with https://theskylive.com/ The SkyLive website. Far Point Astro has had a 50% off everything moving sale this month. Before the end of the week I should have a Lumicon Comet filter in my hands to see what difference that makes for viewing. From one of the astro FB groups: "C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a long-period comet that was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility on 2 March 2022. The comet reached its perihelion on January 12, 2023, at a distance of 1.11 AU (166 million km) and the closest approach to Earth will be on February 1, 2023, at a distance of 0.28 AU (42 million km). The comet is expected to get brighter than magnitude 6 and thus become visible to the naked eye." That last part..we'll see...maybe...probably be cloudy. Nobody buy any astro poo poo that day. Liquid Chicken fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Jan 15, 2023 |
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Jan 15, 2023 03:04
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Comets are notoriously difficult for forecasting brightness. Will it be brightest at perihelion? Closest to earth?  My guess is probably neither.
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Jan 15, 2023 07:21
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Had a good night stargazing in the space between two snow storms. Saw the faint blur of the Triangulum Galaxy with binoculars and took this: California Nebula  Lens - William Optics Gran Turismo 71 APO, Optolong L-eNhance Camera - Sony A7RIII ISO 1600 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, SIRIL, GIMP Integration - 2 Hours, 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 5 First time using a filter and going to try out a field flattener next. Dmitri-9 fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Jan 30, 2023 |
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Jan 20, 2023 07:15
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Dmitri-9 posted:Software - DeepSkyStacker, SIRIL, GIMP Just out of curiosity, why DSS and SIRIL? What are you doing with DSS that SIRIL doesn’t do?
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Jan 20, 2023 16:47
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Phanatic posted:Just out of curiosity, why DSS and SIRIL? What are you doing with DSS that SIRIL doesn’t do? I've heard SIRIL is very greedy with disk space and RAM. At this point it is really just familiarity with DSS.
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Jan 21, 2023 00:32
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Dmitri-9 posted:I've heard SIRIL is very greedy with disk space and RAM. At this point it is really just familiarity with DSS. I just deleted a project this morning where I ran both. It was bad data so junked, but would've been an interesting comparison. Siril is indeed a storage hog, though.
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Jan 21, 2023 00:52
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I'm curious what people do to keep their equipment organized during a viewing session. I'm just getting started, and even doing some casual observing in my driveway with a little table for my various lenses, flashlight, book, etc. was clearly inadequate. Do people have fancy travel cases that they also use as storage solutions for outside? I've been browing B&H and see plenty of travel cases and all kinds exotic accessories, but am surprised to see so few (or no) organization solutions.
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Jan 21, 2023 15:45
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I got a Pelican knockoff at Harbor Freight for all my different eyepieces and smaller bits of gear. Cheap and very customizable. https://www.harborfreight.com/3800-weatherproof-protective-case-large-black-63927.html
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Jan 21, 2023 15:51
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Thanks! Was a bit confused when I opened the link and saw some handguns but I get it now lol.
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Jan 21, 2023 17:22
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Enos Cabell posted:I got a Pelican knockoff at Harbor Freight for all my different eyepieces and smaller bits of gear. Cheap and very customizable. Just random aside, for a few bucks cheaper, similar size: https://www.fieldsupply.com/pelican-storm-im2050-9-5-x7-5-x4-25-camo-hard-case-w-foam-black.html $35 with code FSPELICAN3. Worked a couple of days ago. If you buy use a good spam filter email or immediately unsubscribe, they spam a lot and it is a lot of guns, hunting, "tactical" stuff. I use them for small battery (LiFePO) boxes. Also great for the "little bits" you mention like eyepieces, single camera lenses, etc.
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Jan 21, 2023 17:42
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Jewmanji posted:Thanks! Was a bit confused when I opened the link and saw some handguns but I get it now lol. Well, you never know when ye olde Reflectors vs. Refractors feud might resume at a star party.
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Jan 21, 2023 22:16
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I use the aluminum-sided harbor freight cases with plucked foam and a folding card table to handle all my gear during sessions.
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Jan 22, 2023 01:12
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i use a tote bag from the san diego wild animal park
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Jan 22, 2023 01:21
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Jewmanji posted:Thanks! Was a bit confused when I opened the link and saw some handguns but I get it now lol. Sounds like you're not serious about protecting your eyepieces.
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Jan 22, 2023 02:48
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wakka wakka wakka wakka Pacman Nebula  Lens - William Optics Gran Turismo 71 APO, 0.8x Field Flattener, Optolong L-eNhance Camera - Sony A7RIII ISO 3200 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, SIRIL, GIMP Integration - 4 Hours, 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 5 Probably shouldn't have used a field flattener but I gotta learn sometime. Dmitri-9 fucked around with this message at 23:14 on Jan 29, 2023 |
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Jan 26, 2023 00:54
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Christmas Tree Cluster, Hubble's Variable Nebula, Dreyer's Nebula Lens - William Optics Gran Turismo 71 APO, 0.8x Field Flattener, Optolong L-eNhance Camera - Sony A7RIII ISO 3200 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, SIRIL, GIMP, Topaz Integration - 2.5 Hours, 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 5 Dialed in the flattener better. So many thin clouds last night, had to throw out hours of data. Dmitri-9 fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Jan 30, 2023 |
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Jan 29, 2023 21:47
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My last one was Barnard's Loop, using a canon 50f1.4 set to f4.
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Jan 30, 2023 06:12
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Raikyn posted:My last one was Barnard's Loop, using a canon 50f1.4 set to f4. Cool. I've heard Barnard's Loop is hard to image because it is so faint and you got the Witch Head too.
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Feb 1, 2023 02:22
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Anyone see the comet tonight? I'm in a very dark area, but the moon is just the worst timing and it doesn't set until like 5am. I think I saw it with my binoculars, but it was so faint it looked like a galaxy. At least I think that was it. Might bust out the telescope tomorrow when I have more time.
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Feb 2, 2023 05:02
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same. im in the suburbs, there's a good amount of light pollution, and i saw a little smear when i pointed the telescope at where the comet was supposed to be. underwhelming, but not unexpected.
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Feb 2, 2023 06:11
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Been freezing my rear end off all night and I can't find the drat thing because of the moon. So I look around for 20 minutes, get mad at my bad eyes, and huddle under the sleeping bag for a while until I feel like trying again. At least I found a great dark sky site three hours from home. Skies opposite the moon look fantastic so I'll definitely be coming back here. Even has a good cell signal.
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Feb 2, 2023 11:56
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Any of you able to/already snapped a good shot of that mystery balloon flying over the US? https://twitter.com/aletweetsnews/status/1621287983964995584?s=46&t=FNUeMiXVO5m9rKiC53E9EQ
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Feb 3, 2023 03:50
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Achmed Jones posted:same. im in the suburbs, there's a good amount of light pollution, and i saw a little smear when i pointed the telescope at where the comet was supposed to be. underwhelming, but not unexpected. I spent some time staring through my neighbor's tree before I gave up. Maybe next comet.
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Feb 3, 2023 05:04
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I was able to finally see the comet last night. I first tried with a 16" dobsonian, but it was too high in the sky. Hello Dobson's Hole and dammit I couldn't find my step stool in the garage. drat moon didn't help a bit and very few guide stars seen. I went back inside. I came out later with a pair of 20x80 binoculars. I couldn't use them with the tripod and aim that high, but holding them I was able to see the comet. No visible tail. Just a "dirty snowball" like object - "grey fuzzy" like looking at a DSO.
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Feb 3, 2023 13:25
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I observed it in the middle of the night around new moon. Was able to see it well in a 9x50 finder and a 6" scope. Fan shaped fuzz in the eyepiece. I'm not even loving with it with a bright moon in the sky. When the first 2 comets you observe after getting into amateur astronomy are Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, fifth magnitude farts aren't particularly novel or fussworthy.
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Feb 3, 2023 19:51
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AstroZamboni posted:When the first 2 comets you observe after getting into amateur astronomy are Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, fifth magnitude farts aren't particularly novel or fussworthy. The media coverage really oversold the event. They billed it as the best comet EVER because no one's seen it since the neanderthals and always included epic photos showing a really long tail creating the impression it's another neowise. I'm not super mad, it still got me outside staring at the stars, but it was certainly a dud of a comet watching night.
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Feb 3, 2023 20:08
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Yeah, I had been reading the news reports and when they get to the brightness estimates I'm like "really? I've never seen this much fuss over a fifth magnitude comet." And why so much emphasis on the fact that it's green? Most comets are green. It ain't special for being green.
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Feb 3, 2023 20:22
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Most people just think that any light pollution means they can't see anything at all, and don't even bother trying to look. Not that there's much to see because it's a dim object, the weather's lovely, and a full or gibbous moon fucks things up. It just saddens me that only freaks with strange hobbies can find the Big Dipper without an app.
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Feb 3, 2023 20:27
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Star Man posted:Most people just think that any light pollution means they can't see anything at all, and don't even bother trying to look. How much of the population can even see the big dipper?
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Feb 3, 2023 20:32
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PerniciousKnid posted:How much of the population can even see the big dipper? I live in a major North American city and can see it just fine from my bedroom window if I turn the lights off.
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Feb 3, 2023 23:46
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xzzy posted:The media coverage really oversold the event. They billed it as the best comet EVER because no one's seen it since the neanderthals and always included epic photos showing a really long tail creating the impression it's another neowise. An old story. 
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Feb 4, 2023 00:09
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Heaps of people don't realize that looking down a backyard telescope isn't the same as a Hubble composite. Heck even I was shocked when I first found some dso's to be faint smudges in the eyepiece. Kind of jarring to think that yeah that faint smudge near that star isn't just an optical effect it's an entire galaxy of a million billion stars that just happens to be visually in the same area as the star you're looking at.
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Feb 4, 2023 00:58
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Hale-Bopp now that was the money comet. Brighter than a planet for a year.
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Feb 4, 2023 01:59
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I’m still waiting for Betelgeuse to cook off. Could happen any time between right now and the next couple hundred thousand years.
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Feb 4, 2023 02:10
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PerniciousKnid posted:How much of the population can even see the big dipper? More than people think. A lot of the issue is that people don't even know what they're looking at or for. But I think people just don't ever look up in the first place, even where light pollution isn't bad.
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Feb 4, 2023 02:18
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Dmitri-9 posted:Hale-Bopp now that was the money comet. Brighter than a planet for a year. It had nothing on Hyakutake the year before. It was only visible for a week, but it was up all night due to going over the pole, and it was so close and bright that it was vividly blue-green to the eye. The tail stretched 2/3 of the way across the sky. It was my first comet. I was 13. I had already been doing amateur astronomy for 3 years. I got to observe it with my 60mm refractor under dark skies in rural Arizona during peak brightness. I don't think anything else will ever compare to it.
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Feb 4, 2023 02:20
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Dmitri-9 posted:Hale-Bopp now that was the money comet. Brighter than a planet for a year. Hell yeah, I used to take long walks at night and look at it, loving wonderous
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Feb 4, 2023 02:21
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I was that kid that had developed an interest in astronomy in second grade in 1995. And of course because I was that kid that wore his interests on his sleeve, I just got told all the time that Hyakutake was going to crash and kill me. I wish I had better interests and hobbies.
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Feb 4, 2023 02:24
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You have good interests and hobbies you just need to surround yourself with people who aren't poo poo.
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Feb 4, 2023 02:31
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Hale-Bopp was during my "I'm too old for kid awe and too young to be a functioning adult" years so I skipped it entirely. I was not smart at 20. Trying to make up for it now, just need the galaxy to send us more stuff.
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Feb 4, 2023 02:38
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