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We've been enjoying some relatively mild temps and clear skies this week, so I thought I'd try my hand at some wide field astrophotography.  DSC_3410.jpg by meramsey, on Flickr Right now I'm using a tripod and a nikon dslr with a 35mm f/1.8 lens. I'm in a town of about 270k, so light pollution is a bit of an issue. Fortunately I've got access to a farm about an hour away that is in the middle of nowhere, so I'm looking forward to some overnight sessions with really dark skies.
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Feb 13, 2013 03:58
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Thanks, and yeah that's the top of a 70 foot maple tree. There are two in the back yard, so they managed to sneak in to most of the shots. They lit up like that from a few lit windows in neighbors back yards. Here's another one that shows more tree, but I think 20sec was a bit too long of an exposure.  DSC_3411.jpg by meramsey, on Flickr
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Feb 13, 2013 04:26
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darth cookie posted:Well yes, I managed to figure that part out myself Ahh, I see  I believe that cluster of stars is Pleiades, though I have to admit I didn't really have a target in mind.
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Feb 13, 2013 15:01
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We've been planning for a few weeks now to head out to my wife's parents farm in rural Nebraska to watch the meteor shower tonight and do some photography, and now the forecast is nothing but clouds and thunderstorms.  Last few nights would have been perfect too. Still holding onto a shred of hope, but it doesn't look too promising.
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May 23, 2014 16:35
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I had a blast shooting the eclipse with my cheap 55-300mm telephoto, and I think I'm ready to maybe spend a little more money on something with further reach. It looks like $1k will get me a pretty nice 150-600mm telephoto. Are there any telescopes in that same $1k ballpark that would be good for primarily astrophotography use? Also I'm sure everyone is sick of them by now, but I'm still stoked about getting some good shots during totality for my first try.  
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Aug 27, 2017 23:02
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hannibal posted:I have this 80mm refractor and I like it quite a bit. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/735549-REG/Sky_Watcher_S11100_S11100_Pro_80ED_APO.html What's your mount situation though? Because I think for astrophotography, the mount is maybe more important than the telescope. Without a good solid tracking mount you won't be able to do long exposures reliably. You can do up to 300mm or so on a Skytracker (which is what I have) but past that you'll want a dedicated mount. Yeah, I think after further reading I'd be best served with a good tracking mount. I'll check out the Skytracker, any other suggestions around that $1k ballpark? I don't mind spending a little more for something that I can grow into and won't have to replace as soon as I get a decent scope.
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Aug 28, 2017 14:30
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hannibal posted:You're starting from scratch right? (i.e. no telescope, no mount) Probably the best thing you can do is go poke around Cloudy Nights, specifically the Beginning & Intermediate Imaging subforum. https://www.cloudynights.com/forum/80-beginning-and-intermediate-imaging/ This looks like a good thread: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/535647-what-is-the-best-cheap-beginner-astrophotography-setup/ and I'm sure there are others. Thanks, lot of great info at those Cloudy Nights forums. In doing some research I found that we have a good local observatory that regularly hosts astrophotography workshops, so my plan is to get some hands on experience there before spending any money. That should be a great resource for picking up some used gear when I'm ready too.
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Aug 30, 2017 16:59
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drat, some incredible shots posted in this last few weeks! You guys are making it really hard to resist going on a spending spree. I'm going to start saving now for an eventual EQ6-R, and build around that. In the meantime I can always get better at star trails and wide angle stuff with the gear I have now.
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Nov 2, 2017 15:07
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I don't reply much in this thread, but keep posting your stuff darkarchon. It's awesome, and definitely motivating me to save up for some cool gear.
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Dec 8, 2017 15:35
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Stunning
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Feb 19, 2018 18:23
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Sexual Lorax posted:If any thread on this dying comedy forums site should be talking about this, it's this one: Whoa, that is super cool! Watched 4-5 of the videos, looks pretty conclusive to this untrained eye.
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Jan 22, 2019 15:07
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That looks amazing! Is winter weather a concern?
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Sep 4, 2019 13:57
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That is freaking amazing.
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Sep 18, 2019 14:07
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Saw that earlier and wanted to ask the thread gurus how much $$ in gear we're talking there. That is pretty amazing.
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Mar 18, 2020 23:24
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That has to feel so good sharing a mind blowing experience like that with so many people that never would have the chance otherwise.
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Jan 6, 2021 17:18
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Sanity check time, have an anniversary coming up in a few months and thinking about surprising my wife with an 8 or 10" dobsonian and a road trip to Devil's Tower for some star gazing (both things she's talked about doing for years now). First question, how much would I hate myself when it comes time to drag a 10" to a national park? I'm a big dude and I'm pretty sure there are areas to set up not far from parking, but you never know. Second question, is it reasonable to expect that I'd be able to practice on it for an afternoon and then be able to image at least somewhat competently that same night? Keeping it a surprise is the plan, and I wouldn't have much of a chance to practice with it at home before the trip. I'm not a total novice, but all of my experience in the recent past is with viewing through camera lenses and I've never touched a dobsonian.
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Feb 27, 2021 17:40
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Hasselblad posted:a) Everything is going to be inverted in a DOB, and collimating can be an exercise in frustration. I've got the room in my vehicle, but your points on collimating I hadn't really thought of. I think a dob would get a fair amount of use at home, but now I'm really liking the idea of astro binocs. Time to do a bit of research in that area!
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Feb 27, 2021 22:40
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Luneshot posted:Just to clarify here: in astronomical contexts, "image" or "imaging" usually implies that you are trying to take pictures. Dobsonians are meant for eyepiece viewing. If your primary interest is astrophotography, a Dobsonian is not the right choice. Right, bad word choice on my part, the plan was for eye piece viewing only. I would like to get into astrophotography with a scope at some point, but not until I can drop enough on a nice tracking equatorial mount. That makes the binocs a great idea though, I could get two pair one like 7x50 or 10x50 for handheld viewing, and something larger for tripod viewing. Then if we're still into it 6 months or a year from now can look into dropping more coin on a scope.
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Feb 28, 2021 00:43
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F
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May 29, 2021 17:09
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duodenum posted:B&H has a used 8” dob for $300 if someone is looking for a great bang-for-the-buck scope. Well poo poo, I hemmed and hawed all morning and by the time I talked myself into it, it was gone.
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Jun 16, 2021 20:34
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PerniciousKnid posted:Sorry! If my wife makes me get rid of it I'll PM you. Hah! Glad it went to a goon at least. I hope you and your wife both enjoy it, I'll be ready for the next deal!
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Jun 17, 2021 01:38
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pointsofdata posted:I visited a country house (Lacock Abbey) the other day which by chance claimed to have been the place photography was invented. They also had an astronomy photography competition exhibition, this was the winning photo: ho ly gently caress this page has been just jaw dropping for pics
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Sep 8, 2021 03:47
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Pablo Bluth posted:Royal Observatory’s Best Astronomy Photos of 2021 tilt-shift astrophotography is the best kind of wizardry https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/past-winners?asset=2812-wl-39f8f911-a8f0-47aa-b891-edd063501d7d
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Sep 17, 2021 18:58
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I thought it looked cool 
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Sep 19, 2021 17:45
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Appreciate those of you posting deals in here, gonna jump on one of those before long.
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Nov 27, 2021 18:24
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Dang, missed it! Hopefully someone ITT managed to snag it.
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Dec 15, 2021 21:27
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duodenum posted:B&H updated their used listings today. Includes a 6" f/8 dob for $180 and a few more expensive kits at pretty healthy discounts. What's a good eyepiece to pair with that? e: well nm, got snatched out of my cart as I was checking out. like the 3rd time I've missed one of these
Enos Cabell fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Jan 30, 2022 |
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Jan 29, 2022 23:47
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duodenum posted:8” dob for $280, shipped. Well that certainly won't still be in my cart when they open their store again on the 24th.
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Apr 17, 2022 15:27
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duodenum posted:8” dob, $300 Holy hell, I finally managed to snag one!  e: now to research eye pieces... e2: added a celestron 8-24mm zoom, celestron x-cel 2x barlow, and a t-ring and slr adapter for my nikon d7000. Should be ready to do some lunar and planetary astrophotography now Enos Cabell fucked around with this message at 17:31 on May 4, 2022 |
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May 4, 2022 15:45
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duodenum posted:Maybe get a cheap wide(r) field eyepiece like maybe this at 20mm, which is $35 and gives you almost 70 degrees and about a 1 degree field of view for sky sweeping and star clusters and such. Thanks, I picked up this as well as a red laser collimator by the same company. I'm primarily planning to use this as a visual scope, but won't be able to resist trying photography on it as well.
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May 4, 2022 18:58
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That looks really great! You guys ever print and hang any of your work? I don't have the gear for deep space photography, but I did get a pretty decent photo of the 2017 eclipse that I've got hanging up and it gets a lot of attention.
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Nov 26, 2022 15:44
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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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Star Man posted:The path of totality of the 2024 solar eclipse passes over Cleveland and Erie, Pennsylvania, both of which are two hours from Pittsburgh. I have no doubt that it will be cloudy in April. I'm seriously considering going to Texas to see it. We were lucky enough to be in the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse, and it was hands down the coolest natural experience of my life. I think it would be worth the trip to Texas, but you're probably too late to find decent accommodations super close to totality. In Nebraska at least, in 2017, every hotel room in all the tiny towns were reserved at least a year ahead of time. Saw so many people sleeping in their vehicles wherever they could. Enos Cabell fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Apr 24, 2023 |
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Apr 24, 2023 20:12
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Will probably forever be the coolest photos I take.
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Apr 24, 2023 21:42
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PerniciousKnid posted:How good are the dlc stars? They're fine, but don't pay the extra for the star armor.
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Sep 9, 2023 14:10
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Enos Cabell posted:Also I'm sure everyone is sick of them by now, but I'm still stoked about getting some good shots during totality for my first try. Shameless share from 2017. I wasn't able to make it to totality this year, so didn't bother busting out the equipment for 85%. 2017 eclipse is still one of the coolest experiences of my life.
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Apr 9, 2024 14:00
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