My first attempt at the moon 1/15/05

[johnleveritt]

Here is my first photo of the moon with my EF 100-400mmL 1/15/2005.

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14258922-L-1.jpg

[pcasciola]

Nice detail on the craters, but why so noisy? Did you shoot it at ISO 1600 or something, or oversharpened it maybe?

[johnleveritt]

Nice detail on the craters, but why so noisy? Did you shoot it at ISO 1600 or something, or oversharpened it maybe?

No I used ISO 200, but I may have of oversharpened it a bit, when I brought it into Photoshop. That's why I don't really like the Photoshop RAW plugin sometimes. I'll try and do better next time.

Thanks for the critique.

[johnleveritt]

Nice detail on the craters, but why so noisy? Did you shoot it at ISO 1600 or something, or oversharpened it maybe?

Here's another one with a little work. I didn't sharpen it with the plugin, I used the unsharpen mask, and sharpen edges in Photoshop what do you think?

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14261937-L.jpg

And here's another, different photo, same night:

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14261938-L.jpg

[gramps]

I like the first one.............

[boomer1959]

Very Good. It is amazing what that lens can do , isn't it :D

[johnleveritt]

Very Good. It is amazing what that lens can do , isn't it :D

Yes, I'm quite happy with it. As I said this is my first attempt at night shots, but I have used it for daytime action shots before (drag races), and I love it there too. Please, if you have time check these out.

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/gallery/351277

[johnleveritt]

I like the first one.............

Thank you.

[Giant]

Check out my moon shot from tonight, seems we have the same thing in mind! :)

[lomond]

I like the first one too.
Trying do deal with noise and keep the image sharp is a problem, but I find I can get a better black working from RAW.

This was my first attempt, though I have to admit I stuck the 10D onto the back of a telescope.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51701

Cameron

[johnleveritt]

I like the first one too.
Trying do deal with noise and keep the image sharp is a problem, but I find I can get a better black working from RAW.

This was my first attempt, though I have to admit I stuck the 10D onto the back of a telescope.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51701

Cameron

My first attempt was from my camera tripod (Manfrotto 3001pro & 3265 pistol grip head), but tonight I'm going to try (weather permitting) and piggyback the camera on my Meade LX200, and see what happens.

[AFCop]

I like the first one too.
Trying do deal with noise and keep the image sharp is a problem, but I find I can get a better black working from RAW.

This was my first attempt, though I have to admit I stuck the 10D onto the back of a telescope.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51701

Cameron
My first attempt was from my camera tripod (Manfrotto 3001pro & 3265 pistol grip head), but tonight I'm going to try (weather permitting) and piggyback the camera on my Meade LX200, and see what happens. -johnleveritt

I just recently put together a "barn door" tracker to attempt some astrophotos. Really simple to build, but tricky to get lined up. Unfortunately, since I finished it, the weather hasn't been cooperating,>:( so I haven't had but a few brief moments to try and get some shots with it. As soon as I do I'll post some here. Great moon shots though!:D

[johnleveritt]

My first attempt was from my camera tripod (Manfrotto 3001pro & 3265 pistol grip head), but tonight I'm going to try (weather permitting) and piggyback the camera on my Meade LX200, and see what happens. -johnleveritt

I just recently put together a "barn door" tracker to attempt some astrophotos. Really simple to build, but tricky to get lined up. Unfortunately, since I finished it, the weather hasn't been cooperating,>:( so I haven't had but a few brief moments to try and get some shots with it. As soon as I do I'll post some here. Great moon shots though!:D

As said before, I have a Meade LX 200, and that has a computer for tracking. I'm starting out with moon shots, then I'll progress with tacking stars, and nebula etc..

I tried all of this before, but with film (4 or 5 years ago), so I had to wait for results, I really like digital, with instant gratification. And I can throw away what I don't like right away.

I did try last night with some piggybacking my 100-400mm, and these were quite early hence the blue background, and by the time that I got the camera set up with the T-ring, and adapter, the clouds had set in.

This was taken before sunset:

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14313185-M.jpg

And this is the greyscale version:

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14313149-M.jpg

[johnleveritt]

I have a question for you astro photographers. I will be using my Meade LX200 8" scope for photography, it has an f/10 focal length. Should I get a focal reducer as seen here http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=202595&is=REG to bring down to f/6.3?

I had one before my stuff was stolen a few years back, and didn't replace it with the insurance money, should I do it now that I'm getting back into astro photography.

[AFCop]

I have a question for you astro photographers. I will be using my Meade LX200 8" scope for photography, it has an f/10 focal length. Should I get a focal reducer as seen here http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=202595&is=REG to bring down to f/6.3?

I had one before my stuff was stolen a few years back, and didn't replace it with the insurance money, should I do it now that I'm getting back into astro photography.
WOW! Nice telescope! I'm currently saving my pennies to get a LX200 12", but it'll be a while! As for the focal reducer, I don't have experience taking astro photographs with a telescope, however, I'd just use common sense and see if you are happy with your results without it. You'll probably have to extend your exposure times a little to make up for the lower amount of light passing through, but I should think the results would still be amazing. Will you be taking your photos via a CCD attached or will you use a mounted camera? I'd really like to see the results, so if you can, please post some here.

[johnleveritt]

WOW! Nice telescope! I'm currently saving my pennies to get a LX200 12", but it'll be a while! As for the focal reducer, I don't have experience taking astro photographs with a telescope, however, I'd just use common sense and see if you are happy with your results without it. You'll probably have to extend your exposure times a little to make up for the lower amount of light passing through, but I should think the results would still be amazing. Will you be taking your photos via a CCD attached or will you use a mounted camera? I'd really like to see the results, so if you can, please post some here.

I'll be using a camera attached to the telescope. B-T-W, the new Meade LX models have GPS's and CCD cameras stock for $800.00 less than I paid for my LX200 8" without the goodies several years ago.

Make sure that you are not going to move a 12" very much, as they are really heavy (75lbs for the scope, and 45lbs. for the tripod). My 8" is plenty for me to get around. I put a dolly on it, before that, it was a real handfull.

Also, astronomy is a lot like photography, the telescope, like the camera is just the start. By the time your done, you could have another $4,000.00 invested easily. Eye pieces like lenses are very expensive, and you'll want several. But you are looking at a very nice telescope.

[mjordan]

Nice shots. The blue really makes the one a bit different from most of the ones some of us have posted on here.

I've been looking into astrophotography as well, although not with a telescope (I spend enough on cameras and lenses as it is :D). I want to get just a mount for my 10D so I can shoot star fields (not star trails) with my 24-70, 70-200 and maybe my 100-400. I know the last two lenses are going to take some work to keep movement out of the stars, but I'm still interested in trying. I've been reading a bunch of web sites and have a couple of books on order. I looked at building the barn door mount, but after reading a bunch of stuff like that I found that the single barn door is only good for about 10 minute exposure before errors start getting noticable and the double barn doors start getting a bit more complicated to make (for us non-math type people). So I've been looking at getting a EQ-1 or EQ-2 equaltorial mount that I can either hand track with or add a motorized tracker to do the work. There is even a EQ-mini mount for about $50 that will work as well. I found these at this web site http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=296&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=mount
and though not top of the line, seem to get decent reviews for the price.

Of course once I started getting interested enough to really look into taking some pictures with just my camera and tripod, we started getting rain and snow and ice. :D But it will clear up one of these days.

Again, nice shots.

Mike

[johnleveritt]

Nice shots. The blue really makes the one a bit different from most of the ones some of us have posted on here.

I've been looking into astrophotography as well, although not with a telescope (I spend enough on cameras and lenses as it is :D). I want to get just a mount for my 10D so I can shoot star fields (not star trails) with my 24-70, 70-200 and maybe my 100-400. I know the last two lenses are going to take some work to keep movement out of the stars, but I'm still interested in trying. I've been reading a bunch of web sites and have a couple of books on order. I looked at building the barn door mount, but after reading a bunch of stuff like that I found that the single barn door is only good for about 10 minute exposure before errors start getting noticable and the double barn doors start getting a bit more complicated to make (for us non-math type people). So I've been looking at getting a EQ-1 or EQ-2 equaltorial mount that I can either hand track with or add a motorized tracker to do the work. There is even a EQ-mini mount for about $50 that will work as well. I found these at this web site http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=296&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=mount
and though not top of the line, seem to get decent reviews for the price.

Of course once I started getting interested enough to really look into taking some pictures with just my camera and tripod, we started getting rain and snow and ice. :D But it will clear up one of these days.

Again, nice shots.

Mike

Yes, it is different, and I'm not sure that I like it, even though that's what it looked like when I shot it. That's why I did a greyscale to see what that looked like.

I hope that you are planning to get the accessories with that mount. I've tried astro photography before, and without a computer to find everything, you'll have to know where everything is, planets, nebulas, galaxies etc.. Some can be seen with the camera lens (Orion Nebula, Moon, and all of the planets). The EQ-1M electronic drive is a must, and if you don't have a cable, or electronic release to hold the shutter open, you’ll get to much shake.

Just my .02 cents worth. Remember, I'm just starting out again, so I'm starting with the moon.

[mjordan]

John, I have both a wired remote and wireless remote (Pocket Wizards and 10D cable) for my 10D and a good tripod. I do a lot of long exposure scenic and waterfall pictures, so am covered in that aspect. Yes, I plan on getting the motor drive, although I'm still making up my mind on weither to go with the EQ-1 or EQ-2. Both come with their own tripod and Equatorial mount but I don't know if the EQ-2 is that much better over the EQ-1 for what I want to do... at least for the forseeable future. Nor do I know just how much I'd get to use it since we are in our usual winter rainy season and then in the summer we get into our dry hazy forest fire season. At least I don't have to go too far east of Portland to find realtively dark locations to shoot North, East and South directions.

I've also been practicing stacking some of my waterfall images since I've read that a lot of people do this with their star images. I did notice a difference in the tests I did with the few shots where I did have multiple images of the same location without changing my settings or moving my tripod. I'd never thought to do that on scenic shots until I read where someone else had done it.

If I don't do very well the first time I try it, I'll probably not be in a hurry to do more of it. If I get lucky and get some good images the first time out, I may be in trouble. :D

Thanks for the suggestions. Astrophotography is all new to me, although I have a tendency to do a lot of reading and research when I get interested in a new subject... which I have been doing. Half of what I read almost convinces me I don't want to get into this and the other half shows that others have done very well with even less than I have. There do seem to be a lot of higher level star gazers that tell beginners that it's a waste of time and they will never be happy unless they spend a lot of money buying equipment. I guess it's just like we have in photography. And I know that's not true, so I figure there must be a way to do cheaper astrophotography and still get some good images. :D

Mike

[johnleveritt]

John, I have both a wired remote and wireless remote (Pocket Wizards and 10D cable) for my 10D and a good tripod. I do a lot of long exposure scenic and waterfall pictures, so am covered in that aspect. Yes, I plan on getting the motor drive, although I'm still making up my mind on weither to go with the EQ-1 or EQ-2. Both come with their own tripod and Equatorial mount but I don't know if the EQ-2 is that much better over the EQ-1 for what I want to do... at least for the forseeable future. Nor do I know just how much I'd get to use it since we are in our usual winter rainy season and then in the summer we get into our dry hazy forest fire season. At least I don't have to go too far east of Portland to find realtively dark locations to shoot North, East and South directions.

I've also been practicing stacking some of my waterfall images since I've read that a lot of people do this with their star images. I did notice a difference in the tests I did with the few shots where I did have multiple images of the same location without changing my settings or moving my tripod. I'd never thought to do that on scenic shots until I read where someone else had done it.

If I don't do very well the first time I try it, I'll probably not be in a hurry to do more of it. If I get lucky and get some good images the first time out, I may be in trouble. :D

Thanks for the suggestions. Astrophotography is all new to me, although I have a tendency to do a lot of reading and research when I get interested in a new subject... which I have been doing. Half of what I read almost convinces me I don't want to get into this and the other half shows that others have done very well with even less than I have. There do seem to be a lot of higher level star gazers that tell beginners that it's a waste of time and they will never be happy unless they spend a lot of money buying equipment. I guess it's just like we have in photography. And I know that's not true, so I figure there must be a way to do cheaper astrophotography and still get some good images. :D

Mike

The thing that most people don't remember, is that the earth moves. Even the moon disappears quickly in a telescope eyepiece. The reason that moon photos come out without tracking, is that the moon is so big and bright, (in fact there is even a "moon" filter) so a quicker shutter speed is used. But the planets, stars etc. are very dim, so 7 to 20 minute exposures are the norm especially when you want to see color (otherwise, everything is green in the eyepiece). Here tracking with open shutters are a must. To get tack sharp planets, and star clusters, such as the Pleiades (a star cluster easily seen with the naked eye or binoculars) they need to be shot with a decent tracking system. Comets are another story, they look very bright in the sky, like Hale Bopp, a few years back. It looked very easy to photograph, but it wasn't.

I'm certainly not trying to talk you out of anything, remember I'm just getting back into it after a few years on the back shelf. But now with digital cameras, and instant gratification, one knows right away when they have a bad picture, and can try again immediately, instead of waiting for film development.

Just remember, when you get the bug, it's not cheap, but very satisfying. When you get that perfect picture of the cosmos, it's just like that first perfect picture that you took with your new lens, and just as expensive.

[AFCop]

mjordan,

Like you, I'm pretty new to astophotography. Being on a limited budget, and after reading up on the subject, I decided the cheapet/easiest way to give it a try was to build a "barn door" tracker. You've probably read about them in your research. Unfortunately, as I stated in an earlier post, since I finished it, the weather hasn't been cooperating, so I've only been able to take a few shots. Naturally the first few didn't come out very well, but after fiddling with settings, I finally got one that's not too bad for a beginner. My main point here is a barn door tracker is easy and cheap to build (I spent less than $30 on everything including the sighting scope) and provide a chance to try astrophotography without a heavy investment. Just an option for you.

Attached is a 5 minute track of the area around M-31 (Andromeda Galaxy) shot with a D300 w/kit lens at 55mm, ISO 400 wide open. Not a long tracking process on this one as I was trying to get the camera settings right, but gives an idea of what is possible without spending a lot. Now I'm just waiting for the weather to give me more shooting opportunities.


AFCop

[AFCop]

Oops! Lets try that again.

[johnleveritt]

mjordan,

Like you, I'm pretty new to astophotography

AFCop

I'm not new, just getting back into it.


mjordan,


My main point here is a barn door tracker is easy and cheap to build (I spent less than $30 on everything including the sighting scope) and provide a chance to try astrophotography without a heavy investment. Just an option for you.

AFCop

I've already spent the money, several years ago. I have the telescope (Meade LX 200 8" with computer, and tracking abilities), and most of the accessories needed (you don't want to know that expense). Now I just need the skill.

Like I said earlier, I'm starting out slow. I have a few photographs of the moon, taken from my camera tripod, seen earlier in this thread. I now have a few photographs taken with the camera piggybacked on top of telescope, also seen earlier in this thread (much steadier platform). I haven't done photos of the moon through the telescope yet, but that’s next.

Like I said, I'm taking it slow.

I never did get any good photographs of deep sky objects before on film, that's probably why I got discouraged. But now with my digital camera, and instant pictures, I'm trying again.

Please, please don't get discouraged. Just keep on plugging away.

B-T-W, have you seen this site:

http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/astro/index-e.html

[AFCop]

johnleveritt,


I was actually trying to give mjordan some options. You obviously know what you're doing when it comes to this stuff, and already have the equipment. mjordan was talking about spending the money for an equatorial mount, even though he wasn't sure if he was serious about astrophotography. I was trying to give him an option to spending a lot on the EQ mount. Sorry for any misunderstanding. I wish I could afford the LX200 GPS right now, unfortunately the military doesn't pay that great, so I have to save up. As I said in an ealier post, I'd really like to see what you're able to shoot with your setup. That will help me convince the wife that I should spend the money on the telescope. For now, I have to stick with the barn door tracker. I'm already working on motorizing it even though I haven't had the opportunity to take many shots with it.

No, I haven't seen that site before. Thanks for the pointer.

Anyhow, again, sorry for the misunderstanding!:D

AFCop

[johnleveritt]

johnleveritt,


I was actually trying to give mjordan some options. You obviously know what you're doing when it comes to this stuff, and already have the equipment. mjordan was talking about spending the money for an equatorial mount, even though he wasn't sure if he was serious about astrophotography. I was trying to give him an option to spending a lot on the EQ mount. Sorry for any misunderstanding. I wish I could afford the LX200 GPS right now, unfortunately the military doesn't pay that great, so I have to save up. As I said in an ealier post, I'd really like to see what you're able to shoot with your setup. That will help me convince the wife that I should spend the money on the telescope. For now, I have to stick with the barn door tracker. I'm already working on motorizing it even though I haven't had the opportunity to take many shots with it.

No, I haven't seen that site before. Thanks for the pointer.

Anyhow, again, sorry for the misunderstanding!:D

AFCop

Oops, my misunderstanding completely, sorry.

[AFCop]

John,

It's all good!
You may have already seen these, but I'll post a link anyway.
http://www.meade.com/gallery/index.html
These shots will pull in anybody thinking about getting into astrophotography

[johnleveritt]

John,

It's all good!
You may have already seen these, but I'll post a link anyway.
http://www.meade.com/gallery/index.html
These shots will pull in anybody thinking about getting into astrophotography

I haven't seen those particular photographs, but I've seen many like it. Astrophotography is gorgeous, and there lies the problem, it looks easy, but anyone who has tried it, knows that it's not. That's what happened to me, I originally got sucked in by the beauty of the pictures that I saw, and thought, "I can do that". Now several years later here I am dusting off the old telescope, and trying it again.

[mjordan]

Thanks AF, and yes, I have looked at a lot of sites with examples of barn doors, both the single and double ones. The single barn door seems real easy to build but it's only good for about 10 minutes exposure time before errors start building up on it and the stars start to trail (so I have read in a number of sites), while the double barn door can take 30 minute exposures or more before the errors start to build up, although usually it ran out of tracking range before the errors got bad enough to be real noticable. The double barn door is a bit more complicated to build because you have double hinged boards that spread as you rotate the tracking knob.

You are right that probably the most expensive part of a barn door is the tracking scope and maybe the hinge since it needs to be a good one. :D I also know what you mean about the military not paying that much. I was in the AF for 9 years from 1972 to 1981 and bought my first serious camera system in 1976, a RB-67 while in Germany. By the time I left in 1979 it had paid for itself several times over with the work I did with it on the side. Even though I was in communications, I also took a lot of offical Air Force pictures for the base I was on as well as my Comm Group.

Thanks for the encouragement, both from you and from you John. I hope to get out to Centeral Oregon the end of Jan with another group to photograph the Painted Hills. Though they are planning on being done by dark, if the weather is clear, I plan on staying out a while longer and taking some star shots. It's extermely dark skys in that area and about 60 miles from the neartest small town with lights. And even further from the big city of Bend. So if the sky is clear, I'm hoping for a chance to try a few shots. This is why I'm looking at getting a equaltorial mount as I don't have time to work on a barn door before I go and if I buy one I'll have a chance to play with it and learn a bit about polar aligning it and practice with the tracking knobs at least a little before the trip. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Mike

[AFCop]

I was in the AF for 9 years from 1972 to 1981 and bought my first serious camera system in 1976, a RB-67 while in Germany.
21 years in now. Cop the whole time. I'll be retiring in mid summer.


I hope to get out to Centeral Oregon the end of Jan with another group to photograph the Painted Hills.
Sounds like a great spot! I am fortunate that I live out in the boonies, so I just go out to my back yard, set up, and shoot. No travel time needed. Unfortunately, the base is about 10 SW of me, so I can't shoot much in that direction due to the light pollution, but the rest of the sky is fair game.




This is why I'm looking at getting a equaltorial mount as I don't have time to work on a barn door before I go and if I buy one I'll have a chance to play with it and learn a bit about polar aligning it and practice with the tracking knobs at least a little before the trip. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
I checked out the site you pointed out earlier. Actually, that looks like it would work pretty well once you get the polar allignment. I also noticed you can motorize it for another mere $50. Considering the cost of lenses and everything else, $100 for a motorized equatorial mount isn't too bad! I might have to try that out once I've reached the limits of what I can do with the barn door. BTW, the barn door I built is the single arm type, however, I made it so the drive screw pivots in its base, so it keeps the proper angle between two boards. What I've read is this will extend the tracking time out to nearly 15 minutes.

Good luck and please post some of your shots!

[johnleveritt]

21 years in now. Cop the whole time. I'll be retiring in mid summer.

Ah, Air Police, I remember them well.

I was never in the service, but I was an AF brat my whole childhood. My dad retired in 1966 (SAC then MAC), that's before you went in. Congratulations on the career.



Sounds like a great spot! I am fortunate that I live out in the boonies, so I just go out to my back yard, set up, and shoot. No travel time needed. Unfortunately, the base is about 10 SW of me, so I can't shoot much in that direction due to the light pollution, but the rest of the sky is fair game.

I too live in a dark spot. My house was built in 1968 by my parents (both deceased), so no streetlights. The pictures that I posted were shot from our front driveway. There is plenty of light pollution from Las Vegas (15 miles away), but I can work around it. Luckily, I live in the desert, so places to go if needed are many, and close.

[AFCop]

Ah, Air Police, I remember them well.

Congratulations on the career.

Thanks! I started out in SAC, then moved on to USAFE, and have finished up in ACC (formerly SAC).


I too live in a dark spot. My house was built in 1968 by my parents (both deceased), so no streetlights. The pictures that I posted were shot from our front driveway. There is plenty of light pollution from Las Vegas (15 miles away), but I can work around it. Luckily, I live in the desert, so places to go if needed are many, and close.
After retirement I will likely head back to my hometown in Maine. Tiny town on the coast. Should be able to find a nice secluded spot to build a house. Light pollution will be very minimal in just about any direction. Really looking forward to it!

[johnleveritt]

After retirement I will likely head back to my hometown in Maine. Tiny town on the coast. Should be able to find a nice secluded spot to build a house. Light pollution will be very minimal in just about any direction. Really looking forward to it!

Maine, cold, Nevada, hot. I'm a desert rat all of the way. If I want cold, I just get into the car and travel an hour or so to Utah (Southern Utah is gorgeous).

If I really want to be secluded for taking pictures of the cosmos, I head up to Beatty Nevada. There they still have all of the structures and concrete slabs, where they used to track the X-15 many years ago (secret then). Or, go across Hoover Dam, into Arizona, it's really dark over there.

Good luck on the retirement.

[AFCop]

Maine, cold, Nevada, hot. I'm a desert rat all of the way. If I want cold, I just get into the car and travel an hour or so to Utah (Southern Utah is gorgeous).


Good luck on the retirement.

Yes, Maine = cold. However, South Dakota (where I'm currently stationed) = way too f***ing cold!

Out of curiosity, do you have any problems with dew buildup on your lenses in NV. I know it's quite dry there, but do you still find it a problem?

[johnleveritt]

Yes, Maine = cold. However, South Dakota (where I'm currently stationed) = way too f***ing cold!

Out of curiosity, do you have any problems with dew buildup on your lenses in NV. I know it's quite dry there, but do you still find it a problem?

Dew buildup, nope, don't know from dew. Dry is an understatement. We average 3" of rain a "year". And if the humidity reaches 11 or 12 percent in the summer, we're dieing here.

Of course, as I write this we here in Nevada, are experiencing record rain and snow falls (as is most of the west coast). The weather on my computer says that the humidity outside is 30 percent with a temperature of 67 degrees.

[johnleveritt]

Here is my first attempt at the moon through my telescope.

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14503007-L.jpg

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14503001-L.jpg

What do you think?

[AFCop]

Dew buildup, nope, don't know from dew. Dry is an understatement. We average 3" of rain a "year". And if the humidity reaches 11 or 12 percent in the summer, we're dieing here.
We're just coming out of a cold snap (lows -20, highs 2 above). Those kind of temps make trying to get any night sky photos next to impossible! Plus, mother nature is still not cooperating. I thought I might be able to snap a coulple pics last night, as it was starting to clear up right after sunset, however, after getting things done around the house, I walked outside to check out the sky and sure enough, cloudy!

Anyhow, great shots of the moon! What were your camera/telescope settings for these?

[johnleveritt]

We're just coming out of a cold snap (lows -20, highs 2 above). Those kind of temps make trying to get any night sky photos next to impossible! Plus, mother nature is still not cooperating. I thought I might be able to snap a coulple pics last night, as it was starting to clear up right after sunset, however, after getting things done around the house, I walked outside to check out the sky and sure enough, cloudy!

Anyhow, great shots of the moon! What were your camera/telescope settings for these?

I'm sorry about the cold weather, I know what it's like. We have a cabin in Utah, and it gets cold up there too, just not as cold as where you are. That's why my wife and I are confirmed desert rats.

Thanks for the kind words.

The telescope is 8" (203.2mm), Focal length 2000mm f/10, and the shutter speed is 1/30, with ISO 400.

My 6.3 focal reducer will be here today (it's on the big brown truck for delivery as we speak). I'll see what the weather is like tonight, and if it's good, I'll try it out.

[AFCop]

My 6.3 focal reducer will be here today (it's on the big brown truck for delivery as we speak). I'll see what the weather is like tonight, and if it's good, I'll try it out.
Cool! Please post some shots if you're able to get any. As for here, they're talking cloudy w/chance of snow tonight and tomorrow. So, I continue to wait for my opportunity.

[johnleveritt]

Cool! Please post some shots if you're able to get any. As for here, they're talking cloudy w/chance of snow tonight and tomorrow. So, I continue to wait for my opportunity.

I just checked the weather report, and it's supposed to be mostly clear, and 51 degrees at 11:00pm. I shot last night at 11:30pm, so we'll see. I am anxious to try the focal reducer out.

Sorry, I'm really not rubbing it in about the temperature, but I couldn't resist.

Don't worry about the weather, it'll clear for you. And just remember summer, when it's 110 degrees daytime, and 100 degrees night time here. I'll be sweating my butt off, and you won't.

[Giant]

Here is mine for last night.

http://www.gentlegiant.no-ip.com/images/The Moon VIII.jpg

[Youngster]

The pics on the first page are not showing for me.

[johnleveritt]

Here is mine for last night.

http://www.gentlegiant.no-ip.com/images/The Moon VIII.jpg

Nice shot, what did you use to shoot it? The clouds did come in here last night (so much for the weatherman), so I didn't get any shots, maybe tonight.

[johnleveritt]

The pics on the first page are not showing for me.

Hmm, how are they showing up? Do you get a square with a question mark, or they just don't show up? Are you on 56k, or high speed?

[Giant]

I used my Nikon D70, Sigma 170-500mm zoom lens.

f13
1/125
ISO 200

[johnleveritt]

Cool! Please post some shots if you're able to get any. As for here, they're talking cloudy w/chance of snow tonight and tomorrow. So, I continue to wait for my opportunity.

I was able to get these tonight with the 6.3 focal reducer. It allows me to get full frame moon shots in the picture, and use a faster shutter speed if needed. It turns my f/10 telescope into an f/6.3 telescope, and opens up a whole new can of worms.

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14587749-L-1.jpg

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14587762-L-1.jpg

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14587748-L-1.jpg

http://johnleveritt.smugmug.com/photos/14587747-L-2.jpg

The moon is getting pretty full for high definition crater shots, so I may layoff for awhile. Or wait for my new angle viewfinder to get in next week. Then I can take some pictures with the moon directly overhead, and not wait until 1:00am for it to set a little.

Now, I'm thinking of getting a 2.0 or a 1.4 extender, so I can get some close-up photographs of the craters, and good old earth.

[Giant]

Wow, those shots are great!! Here by me its a little cloudy, but I will try anyway and see what happens.

[mjordan]

Excellent shots. Our rain and clouds cleared up a bit the other night and when I took one of the dogs out into the front yard I saw the moon with a big ring around it caused by the ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. I kept looking at it trying to decide if I had a chance of photographing it and be able to see both the moon and the rings. By the time the dog got done, I got in the house and made it out to the back yard, the ring was gone. They mentioned it on the news that night and tried to show it but the brightness of the moon caused the rings to disapear with the news camera. So I would probably not have gotten anything other than the moon. We've been over caste the last couple of days and our rain is back, so I probably won't get some moon shots till I get over to Central Oregon next weekend. I'm hoping to get the moon raising over the town of Prineville Friday or Saturday night. It will only be 83% at that time, but should still be a good shot if the sky is clear.

Mike

[johnleveritt]

Wow, those shots are great!! Here by me its a little cloudy, but I will try anyway and see what happens.

Thank you, I appreciate the comments.

[johnleveritt]

Excellent shots. Our rain and clouds cleared up a bit the other night and when I took one of the dogs out into the front yard I saw the moon with a big ring around it caused by the ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. I kept looking at it trying to decide if I had a chance of photographing it and be able to see both the moon and the rings. By the time the dog got done, I got in the house and made it out to the back yard, the ring was gone. They mentioned it on the news that night and tried to show it but the brightness of the moon caused the rings to disapear with the news camera. So I would probably not have gotten anything other than the moon. We've been over caste the last couple of days and our rain is back, so I probably won't get some moon shots till I get over to Central Oregon next weekend. I'm hoping to get the moon raising over the town of Prineville Friday or Saturday night. It will only be 83% at that time, but should still be a good shot if the sky is clear.

Mike

Boy, the moon with a ring around it, that would have been a great shot. Yes, that's the problem with shooting the full, or nearly full moon, the brightness. And, you lose some of the craters, although Tyco is quite prominent.