:: Post your Astronomy Images here ! ::

[Nighthound]

Thanks for the replies. I have around a $500 budget to start off with. What would be the best purchases (brands/models) to make to get me started off on the right foot.

John

Hi John, I think the EQ-1 would be a good place to start with your current budget.
http://www.amazon.com/Orion-EQ-1-Equatorial-Mount/dp/B0000XMX7K

As you've probably already heard the imaging mount is the single most important piece of equipment for long exposures. Even the best optics out there become irrelevant if you can't stretch your exposures due to movement. I'm not suggesting the EQ-1 out of experience so please keep that in mind. I'd suggest you research for actual user input. I start with the EQ-1 mainly because of price point and with the realization that this is for mostly wide field shooting and it's a functional set up for getting started in the hobby. I have seen some nice images taken with it in a thread that Mitch(canonloader) hooked me up with.(Mitch, if you see this could you please post the link?-thanks). Also I didn't want to suggest something that would eat up the entire $500. You'll want to have some left over for other items like a dew control setup like some found here:
http://www.kendrickastro.com/astro/dewremover.html#FireLiteController
plus a battery pack for field power and possible some other accessories. The accessories in this hobby can cut into a budget in a hurry.

Hope this helps.

Here's a couple of single exposures. The first of Andomeda was taken with my 100-400L @ 235mm and 20D. They were mounted on top of my then LX200 fork mount SCT. This is only 61 seconds of exposure at ISO 1600. Obviously very dark skies play a huge role in short exposures. Processed in Photoshop, curves/saturation.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Piggy%20Back/m31pb2xx.jpg

This is another single taken with the same set up/same location only using the 18-55 kit lens at 46mm. Exposure time as 154 sec. Shorter focal lengths are much more forgiving as far as tracking accuracy goes:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Piggy%20Back/mwvrywide3cc.jpg

[R Hardman]

Amazing what we can do these days Steve. Nice photos. Just a few years ago getting images like some of these required dedicated CCD's costing thousands of dollars. Glad technology has put this within reach of the majority of us.

[mammothz]

guys how do you take these photos... I always thought that you had to attached your camera to some sort of telescope. But from reading the thread, some makes it sound like these are pics straight from the camera with normal tele lens...

I would like to learn how to take these kind of photos.

[Celestron]

guys how do you take these photos... I always thought that you had to attached your camera to some sort of telescope. But from reading the thread, some makes it sound like these are pics straight from the camera with normal tele lens...

I would like to learn how to take these kind of photos.

Hi mammothz , you can easily start this hobby with a camera and tripod and using 15-30 sec shots for some nice constellation shots as John and renderwerks has posted . Even with slight star trails images can still look good . Everything tho is trial and error , otherwords lot's of practice . If you use a telescope you need a motorized mount and one strong enough to handle the scope your using depending the size of the scope . Check out my equipment page (http://home.grandecom.net/~r.hodges/equipment.html) on my website . I have pretty much most of the ways to attach a camera to a scope including whats called "Piggyback" . Piggyback is an exciting way to shoot astro images cause most shots are WF (Wide-Field) images . Telescopes really narrow down the viewing area depending what size the scope is . I have an 8" SCT on a EQ5 mount with dual tracking motors meaning a motor for each axes (R.A.-Right Ascention) & (DEC - Declination) . When i do long exposers i have to manually guide cause since my scope is not a Go-To type then there is no computer slot to hook up a guider of any kind . My suggestions is read the info above and start out doing some tripod shots first then let it grow on you . Read these tips from Michael Covingtons (http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/dslr/EOS300Dastro.html) on astrophotograhy and they will give you some good pointers . If you have other questions then just ask and i'm sure all here can try to answer your questions .

[Adrena1in]

Do you need to keep moving the camera to keep the stars centered if you don't have a mount or can you just keep shooting short exposures then stack them?

Nice Milky Way wide shot you took there John, can you see M31, The Andromeda Galaxy? :) Cygnus is the constellation you caught right in the middle, and it's a great one to shoot...full of detail and Milky Wayness! I'm confused about the star-trails though...was the tripod fixed? It's just that all the stars should be moving, not just those away from the centre.

At wide angles you can get away a little bit with taking shorter exposures and stacking them. I once took about 50 30-second images of the Milky Way at 18mm, and they were all from a fixed tripod that I didn't move at all. DeepSkyStacker managed to twist and line up each image to counter the rotation and drift of the stars, and it wasn't a bad final image, but there wasn't as much detail as you got in your 85-second shot.

However, it's best if you *can* do some sort of tracking. Do a search on barndoor trackers*. Practically free and fairly simple to make devices which enable you to do basic tracking of the stars. If you can rig up one of those you should be able to take 2 or 3 minute exposures at very wide angles and get little or no star-trails. Alternatively, an EQ-1 with motor drive should be fairly cheap, and will also do the job automatically, plus will work more accurately on longer focal lengths.

Regarding stacking, don't assuming that stacking loads of short exposures is going to give the same results as one long exposure. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. If you had a perfect camera, that never had any hot pixels, and never produced any noise, and you were shooting from a 100% dark site and took a 5 minute exposure, it would really be just as good as 50 5-minute shots stacked. Your image is only ever going to be as good as your longest exposure. (At least I'm pretty sure that's the case.)


* A barndoor tracker is basically two pieces of wood or something, hinged together, so that they can open a bit like a door. You fix one "door" to a tripod or something, and your camera fixes onto the other "door". You rig up a bolt to pass through the fixed "door" so that it pushes on the other "door" with the camera attached, and "opens" it. With the hinge lined up with the north or south central pole, and turning the screw at the right speed, it will open the camera "door" so that the camera tracks the stars. I've got a design to build one of these, and will do it one day for when I want to take some astropics from a remote site and don't have my heavy tripod and mount with me, as a barndoor tracker could be made quite small and portable.

[Celestron]

However, it's best if you *can* do some sort of tracking. Do a search on barndoor trackers*. Practically free and fairly simple to make devices which enable you to do basic tracking of the stars. If you can rig up one of those you should be able to take 2 or 3 minute exposures at very wide angles and get little or no star-trails.

* A barndoor tracker is basically two pieces of wood or something, hinged together, so that they can open a bit like a door. You fix one "door" to a tripod or something, and your camera fixes onto the other "door". You rig up a bolt to pass through the fixed "door" so that it pushes on the other "door" with the camera attached, and "opens" it. With the hinge lined up with the north or south central pole, and turning the screw at the right speed, it will open the camera "door" so that the camera tracks the stars. I've got a design to build one of these, and will do it one day for when I want to take some astropics from a remote site and don't have my heavy tripod and mount with me, as a barndoor tracker could be made quite small and portable.


Perhaps a picture will also help with the instructions of building it : BarnDoor Tracker (http://www.astronomyboy.com/barndoor/)

and heres a single arm hand turned BarnDoor Tracker (http://www.nightskypix.com/equip/ScotchMount.htm) .

[Nighthound]

Great info Ron and Tim. I'm glad to see this thread become what I hoped it would. A great place to see beautiful images but more importantly a valuable resource of information. Being able to help minimize frustration and unnecessary spending plays a big role in keeping hobbyists enthusiastic for the long term and focusing on having fun.

Well, I've got to go get ready for our visitor. TS Hanna is knocking on the door and it looks like she's coming in whether we want her or not. Looks like a direct hit at this point. The first rain bands have rolled ashore and the wind is increasing. Going to be an interesting night. I may post again tonight if we have power and net.

[Jeff]

Stay dry Steve. Cover up your equipment!

[Ballen Photo]

Stay dry Steve. Cover up your equipment!
As well as staying safe. I hope it turns out to be uneventful.
-Bruce

[Celestron]

Take care Steve and stay protected ! Let us know when you can how things are going ! God Bless !

[Celestron]

Just thought i would post a couple images i took back in Jan 05' . First one is M42 , the Orion Nebulae . Second one in the Andromeda Galaxie M31 . Both these were taken with the 300D at Prime Focus of my StellarVue AT1010 , 80mm apeture , 480mm Fl , achromatic scope . It's not an APO so what you will notice is the stars have a blue or magenta halo around the bright stars . This is caused because all the RGB colors do not come to the same point of focuse as it does in a APO (Apochromatic) scope . APO's get very expensive because of the glass just like with the "L" series Canon lens .

These images were 45-60 secs at 800 ISO , and the f/stop is indicated by the scope which is F/6 fixed and not the camera since you do not use the camera lens . Also these are unedited to show you an example what to expect with a 6.3MP camera . The better camera you have (more MP) the better the image should be .

[Dusty]

Excellent work guys, really enjoying all the stunning images.
Sorry I haven't replied to many, I haven't been around much.

Keep them coming though, it's awesome to see what people are capturing.

:D

[Dusty]

Well, I've got to go get ready for our visitor. TS Hanna is knocking on the door and it looks like she's coming in whether we want her or not. Looks like a direct hit at this point. The first rain bands have rolled ashore and the wind is increasing. Going to be an interesting night. I may post again tonight if we have power and net.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you Steve, hope all is well there.

[Nighthound]

Thanks for all the well wishes guys. I do appreciate it. The rain bands are getting a bit more intense now. Coming down in buckets but not horizontal yet. Storm is still well south of here but headed directly this way. We should be rockin' pretty good around midnight. It won't be anything like a Hugo but it looks pretty nasty on radar. The storm seems to be tightening at its center with T-storms flaring up there. This has been one stubborn storm, fighting the odds(dry air intake), sustaining and pushing north. Now if it would just drag the clouds along with it I could get out tomorrow night and do some imaging. :D

Ron, nice shots. were these taken form home or at another site?

[Celestron]

Thanks for all the well wishes guys. I do appreciate it. The rain bands are getting a bit more intense now. Coming down in buckets but not horizontal yet. Storm is still well south of here but headed directly this way. We should be rockin' pretty good around midnight. It won't be anything like a Hugo but it looks pretty nasty on radar. The storm seems to be tightening at its center with T-storms flaring up there. This has been one stubborn storm, fighting the odds(dry air intake), sustaining and pushing north. Now if it would just drag the clouds along with it I could get out tomorrow night and do some imaging. :D

Ron, nice shots. were these taken form home or at another site?


Keep hanging in there Steve . Maybe things won't be as bad when the main eye hits but keep us updated as you can . BTW the images are from my backyard :) . Jan is usually a pretty good time as long as i can hold up to the cold :cool: .

[renderwerks]

Wow, I love this thread! Everytime I check in I want to carry my camera and tripod out to the backyard! Then I remember how polluted (light and otherwise) the sky is here at home. Gonna have to spend more time at the river in Parker, Az... ;)

Thanks Adrena1in and Celestron for the barn door links; I've heard of them before, but now I'm more pumped than ever to get to making one :D I desperately want to try exposures longer than 15-20 seconds!

[Johnny9s]

Hope all is well Steve.

I am heading in to Vancouver to go shopping tomorrow. Maybe I will come home with something new. Here's to hoping.:wink:

[Celestron]

Finally had the chance to scope tonight and saw M92 & M13 so hooked the camera up and heres so-so images . Needs more stacking and editing but for a 30-sec @ ISO 1600 with the C8 Celestron it's not too bad .

[SKnight]

Did a bit of kicking around last night, managed to get a few decent images. I'll do some processing when I have time, if that ever happens.

http://orpheus.smugmug.com/photos/366710832_eFJch-M.jpg

http://orpheus.smugmug.com/photos/366711244_bJDkL-M.jpg
Notice the "ghost" at the telescope!

[brecklundin]

caught a missle launch today at VAFB:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=564724

did't know where to post so I pposted in transportation.

[Johnny9s]

So I went to the telescope shop in Vancouver today. I have narrowed down my purchase to 2 choices. I kind of blew my $500 budget :rolleyes:

The first is the Skywatcher 80ED Pro NEQ3 SynScan.

The second is the Skywatcher Black Diamond ED80 HEQ5 Pro Mount + GPS.

The second choice is almost twice the cost of the first but I may be able to afford it. Is the second choice really worth the price? I am buying this setup to mainly use for astrophotgraphy.

Is there anything else out there in the same ballpark that I should be looking at?

John

[Celestron]

So I went to the telescope shop in Vancouver today. I have narrowed down my purchase to 2 choices. I kind of blew my $500 budget :rolleyes:

The first is the Skywatcher 80ED Pro NEQ3 SynScan.

The second is the Skywatcher Black Diamond ED80 HEQ5 Pro Mount + GPS.

The second choice is almost twice the cost of the first but I may be able to afford it. Is the second choice really worth the price? I am buying this setup to mainly use for astrophotgraphy.

Is there anything else out there in the same ballpark that I should be looking at?

John


John , what are the prices for the scopes you priced today ? Have you got a link to them so we can see which one it is ? I will tell you tho that an ED lens is alot better than an achromatic scope and produces a better image . They actually call it a Semi-APO which is not as good as a APO but better tan an achromatic .

[Celestron]

Ok , i finally got a chance to go back and stack the best images of M13 & M92 and edited them so now they still aren't perfect but i think they are better than the previous ones i posted .
M13 = 9 x 30-secs + 3 x 30-secs Black Frames
M92 = 13 x 30-secs + 3 x30-secs Black Frames

Do you think they are an improvement over my first posted ones ? Let me know what you think .

[Celestron]

Did a bit of kicking around last night, managed to get a few decent images. I'll do some processing when I have time, if that ever happens.

Notice the "ghost" at the telescope!

Pretty good WF shots SKnight ! I like them ! Ghost is pretty neat , may i ask how you did that ? ALso what size is your Truss ? Looks like a very nice one .

[SKnight]

The ghost is an accident. I wanted to get the silouette of the scope against the horizon as a mood shot, the scope owner came back during the exposure, stood for a moment and walked off. I didn't think anything of it until I looked this morning. Had a neat effect. That's a 20" Obsession, not mine however. I have a 14" Discovery Dob.

Here's another "Ghost" shot that contains yours truely. The flattop on the right is mine.

http://orpheus.smugmug.com/photos/366710126_qNUoo-M.jpg

[Johnny9s]

The first scope is the top one http://www.vancouvertelescope.com/astronomical-instruments/skywatcher-refractors.html

The second is on this page http://www.vancouvertelescope.com/the-shoppe/promotions.html

The prices on the website are canadian dollars. The first package is $989 with the mount. The second is $1880 with the mount. There may be a little wiggle room on the prices.

[matthew1371]

Would this be a viable option for entry-level? From looking at the manual, it has a couple of built-in tracking options.

http://www.celestron.com/c2/product.php?CatID=8&ProdID=27


Thoughts? Comments?

[DDWD10]

I shot this with my Nifty Fifty pointed into the eyepiece of my friend's 70mm telescope :p ISO 1600

[Celestron]

The first scope is the top one http://www.vancouvertelescope.com/astronomical-instruments/skywatcher-refractors.html

The second is on this page http://www.vancouvertelescope.com/the-shoppe/promotions.html

The prices on the website are canadian dollars. The first package is $989 with the mount. The second is $1880 with the mount. There may be a little wiggle room on the prices.

Basically what i could see is the Optics are the same exact scope just painted different . Difference is the Black Diamond has the Dual Speed Crayford focuser which alot prefer for easier focusing . Mount wise the EQ6 from what i have read is a very nice mount but not familiar enough with it to review it . The other mount i couldn't tell what it is where you say with mount is $989.00 . Do you know is it also the EQ6 ? The mount the Black Diamond is on doesn't give any info , can you get a link to the mount ?

BTW either scope would do very good for imaging ! I'd have either one myself . The F/7.5 is a little slow but that just means a little longer on exposers which is ok .

[Celestron]

Would this be a viable option for entry-level? From looking at the manual, it has a couple of built-in tracking options.

http://www.celestron.com/c2/product.php?CatID=8&ProdID=27


Thoughts? Comments?

Matthew , this scope would be just fine for viewing night or day but personally i wouldn't use it for imaging :( . Sorry . At www.astronomics.com (http://www.astronomics.com) they have this scope listed for $279.00 (http://www.astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/V900WQEPL7XJ9NXRLPXGXRBCR0/product_id/NS60SL) and if you look below the discription you'll see what the scope is good for .

[Celestron]

The main thing everyone needs to think about before investing alot of $$$ is are you only wanting to image or also enjoy the Hobby of Astronomy ? Cause if imaging only is all then i'm afraid some will be disappointed . Not trying to discourage anyone but imaging with a scope is not as easy as it sounds sometimes . I have many disappointing imaging sessions but what the drive is that when i get a decent image that i like then it makes it all worth while , especially when i have comments on them from other friends . When you think you have a nice image and no one comments then you really wonder and sometimes it often discourages me from posting . Once you go throught the session of imaging you'll find out that any and all comments make it worth while .
The other reason is i very much enjoy observing the DSOs' (Deep Space Objects) . This is the reason that a good scope is important cause what is known as "Trash Scopes" in this hobby is scopes that are very cheap , like the ones WallyWorld sells for example . They are good for terrestial and and some views on the Moon and maybe some planets but they are worthless for anything major .

My first suggestion is before you jump off into the deep end , set your camera up on a tripod and try some short night time exposers . Some of the best shots i like is after the sun is long down and image the west for 15-30-secs witrh the horizon in the image . These really make some fantastic shots ! Then after seeing your results and you like them then i suggest you take a good pair of binoculars and go outside after 10:00pm-midnight and search the night sky and see if the night sky interest you . The and only then would i start investing into astronomy equipment .

The reason i say this is because cheap merchandise can and does discourage some indivduals from even getting into the hobby because they expect to see what the BigBoys are seeing and doing . It's not going to happen with cheap merchandise , sorry . Everyone has worked hard for your money i believe so spend it wisely !

[Celestron]

I shot this with my Nifty Fifty pointed into the eyepiece of my friend's 70mm telescope :p ISO 1600

Thats called EP (Eye-Piece) Projection and it works very well when you have a steady hand and a good view but it only works on the brightest of planets such as the moon . Other planets that are dimmer will only give you a bright blurr spot cause the dimmer ones need longer exposer and need to be helt by a device that holds the camera to do longer exposer and no wiggles , like this SteadyPix (http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=photo_accessories/~pcategory=astro-imaging/~product_id=05228) from Orion .

Your image is pretty good for his scope . If you can you might change it to grayscale and do a smooth job then USM .

[DDWD10]

Thats called EP (Eye-Piece) Projection and it works very well when you have a steady hand and a good view but it only works on the brightest of planets such as the moon . Other planets that are dimmer will only give you a bright blurr spot cause the dimmer ones need longer exposer and need to be helt by a device that holds the camera to do longer exposer and no wiggles , like this SteadyPix (http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=photo_accessories/~pcategory=astro-imaging/~product_id=05228) from Orion .

Your image is pretty good for his scope . If you can you might change it to grayscale and do a smooth job then USM .

Grayscale! Of course! I was wondering how I'd get rid of that chroma noise and I guess the answer is just that obvious. It was a difficult shoot for sure since the moon was drifting rather quickly and I was constantly shuffling f-stops, shutter speeds and ISOs to get the correct exposure. Shake was a problem as well as the eyepiece "eclipsing" part of the moon.

[Johnny9s]

Thanks for the reply Celestron. I have always enjoyed viewing the stars. I have always wanted to buy a decent telescope and now I can finally afford to. I know how it is when imaging anything. I have 1000's of photos that I have had to discard just to get a few really good keepers. That thrill of seeing that image exactly how I had imagined it would look keeps me coming back time and time again.

Here is a link to the mount on the black diamond. http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=76&class1=3&class2=304 It also includes GPS at the moment as well.

I think that I will get that mount ($1169) and it is just a choice on the 2 scopes.

John

[Celestron]

Grayscale! Of course! I was wondering how I'd get rid of that chroma noise and I guess the answer is just that obvious. It was a difficult shoot for sure since the moon was drifting rather quickly and I was constantly shuffling f-stops, shutter speeds and ISOs to get the correct exposure. Shake was a problem as well as the eyepiece "eclipsing" part of the moon.


That will work alot better . Now if you have PhotoShop then go in and do a despeckle on the Noise filter then slight amount of USM and that will liven it up some !

[Celestron]

Thanks for the reply Celestron. I have always enjoyed viewing the stars. I have always wanted to buy a decent telescope and now I can finally afford to. I know how it is when imaging anything. I have 1000's of photos that I have had to discard just to get a few really good keepers. That thrill of seeing that image exactly how I had imagined it would look keeps me coming back time and time again.

Here is a link to the mount on the black diamond. http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=76&class1=3&class2=304 It also includes GPS at the moment as well.

I think that I will get that mount ($1169) and it is just a choice on the 2 scopes.

John
Looks like a good choice on mounts and it being a Go-To with GPS is even better ! Not to make you decide but if it were me and i could afford the BD that would be my choice . One thing that will work with that mount also is a Guider which you can get as you grow . You can use a guider to lock onto a star and guide your scope while imaging and get pin-point stars . But first off just use the new scope and mount and camera attachments for imaging . Let us know which one you choose .

[Johnny9s]

Not to make you decide but if it were me and i could afford the BD that would be my choice . One thing that will work with that mount also is a Guider which you can get as you grow . .

What is the BD? do you have a link?

[Celestron]

What is the BD? do you have a link?

Black Diamond

[Johnny9s]

Black Diamond

:o...

On a side note, I picked up the Backyard Astronomers Guide and Nightwatch today. I am reading through them both. I have been running outside every 5 minutes or so to look at the stars as I discover something new. My girlfriend thinks I am crazy and the neighbors would probably agree. Can't wait to get the scope and mount.

[SKnight]

Get involved with your local astronomy club, you'll learn more there than you'd ever believe. Most are affiliated with the Astroleague (http://astroleague.org/) which has observing programs so suit all skill levels. You'll learn all you need to basically navigate the sky just by completing the Messier list.

[sixsixfour]

here are my first attempts, any C&C are most welcome:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a268/evomacky/Moon01.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a268/evomacky/Moon03.jpg

[matthew1371]

Matthew , this scope would be just fine for viewing night or day but personally i wouldn't use it for imaging :( . Sorry . At www.astronomics.com (http://www.astronomics.com) they have this scope listed for $279.00 (http://www.astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/V900WQEPL7XJ9NXRLPXGXRBCR0/product_id/NS60SL) and if you look below the discription you'll see what the scope is good for .

Celestron, thanks for the input. That website is good to go, nice how they break down what the telescopes are recommended for. It looks like some of the products by Meade or Bushnell might just fit the bill for "entry-level without a lot of $$$".

http://www.astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/18L3WLX215PK8PEX8T69M9LB12/product_id/DS2080AT

or

http://www.astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/FTN31EJR5UCN9PMMMCJ1CWG4B0/product_id/BNS100

[Nighthound]

Hey gang, I'm back. TS Hanna came through and had a bark worse than bite. Hard rain and some wind but no damages. My kind of tropical system. I've fallen behind here but I like the shots I'm seeing. Great work everyone.

Ron makes a great point about starting out modestly in the hobby and decide if it's for you before sinking your savings into it. I tend to research equipment to a point of paralysis but I always feel better knowing I did my homework and got some user input. I started out with a $600 set up, which isn't chump change and sure seemed like a lot at the time but it was enough to get something decent that didn't end up in storage after a short time. My Meade AR-5 LXD55 impressed me and motivated me enough to work hard at improving my techniques.

As a reminder for those buying new scopes/mounts, it would be most helpful when requesting opinions or suggestions to know more about what your intentions for use are and what your key interests are such as deep-sky, planetary/Lunar, widefield, etc. as well as your budget. For example, many scopes/mounts are fine for casual observing but would not be sufficient for imaging applications. Having these detail can help those more experienced suggest equipment that is best suited for your needs as well as your budget.

Whenever I'm asked which telescope someone should buy for visual use and it falls into the range of department store quality, I always point them toward a decent pair of binoculars instead. Department store scopes are generally rickety in build(unsteady) and have optics and focuses that are very lacking. After trying to focus and creating a visual earthquake in the process many users quickly become less than enthusiastic about hauling it outside in a short period of time. Everyone has a different threshold for frustration like this, but if the frustration out weighs the wonder of the views it won't take long before that "bargain" scope is collecting dust. Binoculars are convenient, offer dual eye viewing and can be done laying down on a lawn chair(gotta love that). I have a pair of Celestron 15 X 70s that impress everyone that looks through them and they're affordable:
http://www.binoculars.com/binoculars/astronomy-binoculars/celestronskymaster15x70centerfocus.cfm#navbar=a

Shop around, I got mine a couple years ago and the were about $60, but they may have gone up since then. Another plus is that even if you decide astronomy isn't for you or you can't find the time you'll still have a great set of binos for daytime use.

Here's a shot of Comet 17P/Holmes from last year. One wider and one cropped. Taken with TAK Sky 90 II/Losmandy G-11(Gemini) and Canon 5D.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/holmes2xx.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/holmes2x.jpg

[Celestron]

I'll have to take a look at your comet image when i get home , i'm at work now and as usual i can't see any images from PhotoBucket because of the security to our ISP at work . But i will say that i also have a pair of those Celestron 15x70s' and i love them ! When Comet Holmes came throught i mostly observed it with the 15x70s' and even had my neighbors come and take a view and they were really impressed !

[Celestron]

:o...

On a side note, I picked up the Backyard Astronomers Guide and Nightwatch today. I am reading through them both. I have been running outside every 5 minutes or so to look at the stars as I discover something new. My girlfriend thinks I am crazy and the neighbors would probably agree. Can't wait to get the scope and mount.


I myself have the Night Watch by Terrance Dickinson and thats probably the most helpful book i have ever had . Mines about 10 yrs old now and still my favorite .

[Johnny9s]

That's an amazing photo Nighthound! I will be picking up my telescope and mount on Saturday. I am going for the Sky-watcher 80 ED Black Daimond with the HEQ5 mount with GPS. I will be picking up a T mount for my camera as well. It comes with a 28mm eyepiece, should I pick up a second eyepiece for it? It has a focal lenght of 600mm and it is f/7.5. Is there anything else I should look at getting while I am in the city at the shop? ( It is a 3 hour drive so I don't go down that often)

This is the scope http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=141&class1=1&class2=100

This is the mount http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=76&class1=3&class2=304

This is the GPS that they are including with the mount at the moment http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=137&class1=5&class2=501

We have been having crystal clear skies at night but I am sure the clouds will roll in Saturday afternoon and stay for the next month.

[Nighthound]

Thanks John, I've heard good things about the Skywatcher line of products. The ED glass should serve well to reduce false color. It's nice to see the mount has periodic error correction. Before I started autoguiding I found it to be helpful with my G-11. It's important to run the training sessions near the object you'll be imaging for the best results. When or if you decide to autoguide at some point you'll want to switch the periodic error off as it tends to conflict or work against with the autoguiding software.

For viewing I'd suggest a wider view EP like a 40mm and maybe a 12mm for smaller objects. An 8mm would be my next choice. I would suggest a barlow if you can swing it. It will help you get more from fewer eyepieces and also help with more accurate drift alignment later on.

If you plan to shoot long exposures I'd consider a focal reducer/field flattener for your refractor. All uncorrected refractors exhibit curvature which is noticeable by star distortion at the outer areas of the field of view. It's not mandatory for starting out but as you move forward I'm sure you'll want to preserve every bit of the field of view your scope provides. An added bonus will be a reduction of focal ratio which means more light gathered in shorter exposures. This means the focal length will also be reduced giving you a wider field of view. I like 400-500mm for many of the larger deep sky objects like The Rosette Nebula, The Pleiades(M45), The Sword of Orion, Andromeda(M31) and the Horse Head region to name a few.

SOME TIPS:

• If you set up on grass or soft surfaces get something solid to position under your tripod legs. Over a night the tripod legs will sink and not only negatively effect your alignment but also the balance and level of your rig. Balance is critical with a German Equatorial mount to achieve accurate tracking.
• Set your tripod as low as you can stand it. Lower means more solid.
• Learn to drift align. This process marked the biggest improvement in my long exposure work.

THINGS TO CONSIDER GETTING:

• How will you be powering your rig? If traveling to dark skies you'll need adequate power for however long your sessions might be. I suggest battery power whether at home or away. Keeping your mount away from possible power surges is a good idea.

Here's what I use:
Deep Cycle Marine battery(WalMart-I have 3). Connected to that with alligator clips is a 650 amp Power Inverter. Plugged into the inverter is a 3 amp voltage regulator(Radio Shack) which has a cigarette plug socket(female). My mount power cord has a cigarette plug at the end which connects to the voltage regulator. So the inverter makes the batter power usable and the voltage regulator keeps the current consistent. IT may seem complicated but it insures that the mount will not be reacting to power flux which will translate into tracking error.

• When you're ready to drift align you'll need an illuminated reticle(12mm would work, I have a Celestron that works great). An eyepiece with illuminated cross hairs to assist with the process. The barlow I mentioned(2x mag.) will get your drift aligns much more accurate. This may or may not be down the road a ways but thought I would mention it.

• Dew heater controller/strap to keep your optics dry. Some people need this more than others. It's a must here.

As you can see there's more to this than a scope and mount but don't feel pressed to run out and spend a bundle. Just decide what you need to get started and work on your technique for now. Getting a feel for your new set up is first and foremost.

Congrats on your new toys, er I mean highly advanced research equipment. :-D Somehow putting it that way doesn't make my wife any happier when I want more gear.

[funhouse69]

I don't know if this is the right place to post these or not but I did see some other moon pics here so I thought I would give it a shot.

I took these a few hours ago
http://funhouse69.smugmug.com/photos/368732065_rjR3L-XL.jpg

http://funhouse69.smugmug.com/photos/368732105_8Pauv-XL.jpg

[Johnny9s]

Nice shots. Those are really sharp.

[funhouse69]

Thanks - These were taken Hand held with my Canon 40D and a 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS Lens. I was very impressed when I started seeing the quality / clarity of the images of course that makes me want to get an even longer lens or maybe a Telescope. Does it ever end ???

I have some more from over the last few weeks in my Gallery (http://funhouse69.smugmug.com/gallery/5765743_BeYhc#353273077_ZPMTq) if anyone is interested. Keep in mind that these are the very first pictures / attempts at moon pics for me so be gentile :-)

[Johnny9s]

Great shot, especially handheld. IS sure does help. I have been shooting the moon with my 400 with a 1.4x extender. It has been great and made me want a telescope with mount to get some longer exposures on stars.

[Celestron]

Hey gang, I'm back. TS Hanna came through and had a bark worse than bite. Hard rain and some wind but no damages. My kind of tropical system. I've fallen behind here but I like the shots I'm seeing. Great work everyone.

Here's a shot of Comet 17P/Holmes from last year. One wider and one cropped. Taken with TAK Sky 90 II/Losmandy G-11(Gemini) and Canon 5D.




Thats a great shot of Holmes Steve ! I like the closeup but i especially like the WF ! It helps give a better perspective . If that were my image i would frame it ;) . Heres a couple images i took back in 05' . One is the Open Cluster M11 called the Wild Duck Cluster . The other is the ever so popular Ring Nebulae M57 . M57 is also a WF image but taken with my Celestron 8" SCT . These were stacked images of 30-secs . Can't remember how many right off hand since i don't hane my info handy at the moment . Hope you enjoy these .

[paulobao]

Here some of mine.
Takahashi FS102NSV@f/6.2 + modified Canon 40D

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/484/m20iso80016x6min27426came2.jpg

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/7431/ngc7635iso8009x12min175jq6.jpg

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/3840/ic434iso8004x6minavgstajx0.jpg

"and now something completely different"....
This is a result of a series of 8 min exposure photos (the diagonal of the image have 4º only). I managed to capture 4 moving objects (1 comet and 3 asteroids). I needed tor turn the camera angle precisely to capture the upper right asteroid. Total exposure time : approx 94 min this time with a Tak. FS60C@f/6.2.
It is a small format GIF because the original FULL is really heavy. Sorry.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/8669/c2007w1boattini3asteroiql2.gif

[Jeff]

The asteroids/comet shot is REALLY cool!

[drevilsmom]

I agree!! Wow! You can also claim a meteor or satellite as well, as it goes past close to Hertha.

[Johnny9s]

Those shots are great Paulobao. I can't wait for the weekend to pick up my new gear. I have been out every night for the past month when the skies were clear with binoculars. I am starting to learn the basics of where things are in the night sky.

[Nighthound]

Thanks Ron. A pair of nice shots there, I especially like M57.

paulobao, Great shots and the asteroid GIF rocks. The Bubble image is really a beauty, it's one I've been unable to tackle. I just picked up an FS-60 to go with my Sky 90. Nice little scope.

Here's The Rosette Nebula shot with the Sky 90 II and 20D(unmodified).
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/rosette45hrcc.jpg

[Marnault]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2779578785_f3cfe84e2b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcarnault/2779578785/)

Widefield shot of the Milkyway - Click for big (on the flickr page click the all sizes button)

Canon 40D
Sigma 10-20 F4-5.6
5min @ 10mm F4.0
ISO 1600

Post processed with Photoshop CS3 & Noise ninja.


This was taken this year at the Mt Kobau Starparty
www.mksp.ca

[paulobao]

I'm glad you like it. The Rosette is excellent. I will capture it this autumn/winter with my mod. 40D. I have one with the unmod. version so I will compare it.

Cheers,

paulo

[Nighthound]

Marnault, great MW shot. Looks plenty dark out there. I really enjoyed your photos at flickr, very nice work.

paulobao, thanks. I've been pleased with my 20D, it has very good red response, much better than my 5D.

[Celestron]

Paulobao : Those blow me away ! Great shots and the comet and the animation is best i have seen ! Thanks for sharing that one !

Thanks Steve ! Thats a beauty of a shot of the Rose ! Always been one of my favorites and been wanting to try at with the 300D but never had the chance . I did film shot of it back several yrs ago tho .


Very nice MW there Marnault ! Like Steve said it must be very dark there .

[A.S.I.G.N. Observatory]

Hi all!

Sorry I havent been here posting images.

I have been madly re-building the ASIGN website on a new server for the last two weeks day and night. I managed to get the last nearly three years worth of web building done in this time, but it is done finally! I am so tired!

Maybe after a week of sleep I can get back into astrophotography again.

With the new-look website, comes a better, more streamlined and interactive menu, along with silverlight galleries and new pages. (You only need to download and install silverlight once (free) and then never again.)

My special thanks goes to Ron from www.aussiepeople.com.au (http://www.aussiepeople.com.au/) for making all this possible. Bless you mate.

The new pages are all about deep space probes and the exploration of the planets. At the moment there is only a main page, but one by one, I will be investigating and bringing each of the planets of our solar system up, along with their robotic explorers. Not only do I hope to illustrate our travels and missions to many in "laymans terms", but I also hope that by studying these things and writing about them, I learn so much more myself. What a journey!

Just a bit of a warning, the site does have a Christian slant, but for those not into that, it mainly contains good and practical information on many aspects of astrophotography and DIY. Please dont feel evangelised or "forced" to suffer religion. Those pages are kept seperate as much as possible.

http://www.asignobservatory.com/space_exploration.aspx (http://www.asignobservatory.com/space_exploration.aspx)

Please, take a look when you have some time and enjoy!

Baz.

[renderwerks]

Went over and perused the new website. Excellent job! ;)

I really like the interface and the colors. Definately going in my favorites!

[Johnny9s]

I have been persuaded to get a different scope than my original plan. It has been recommended to me to get the Sky-Watcher Equinox ED 80 for astrophotography. This is the scope here http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=29&class1=1&class2=101

I will be getting a 2x Barlow for it as well. Has anybody had any experience with this scope or heard about it? I will be picking it up tomorrow with the HEQ5 mount.

John

[Nighthound]

I haven't used one but there's plenty to like about it. Faster than your original choice(even better with reducer), nice fine/rotatable focuser, built in dew shield and ED glass. I think you're making a solid choice John. Congrats!

[Nighthound]

Hi all!

Sorry I havent been here posting images.

I have been madly re-building the ASIGN website on a new server for the last two weeks day and night. I managed to get the last nearly three years worth of web building done in this time, but it is done finally! I am so tired!

Maybe after a week of sleep I can get back into astrophotography again.

With the new-look website, comes a better, more streamlined and interactive menu, along with silverlight galleries and new pages. (You only need to download and install silverlight once (free) and then never again.)

My special thanks goes to Ron from www.aussiepeople.com.au (http://www.aussiepeople.com.au/) for making all this possible. Bless you mate.

The new pages are all about deep space probes and the exploration of the planets. At the moment there is only a main page, but one by one, I will be investigating and bringing each of the planets of our solar system up, along with their robotic explorers. Not only do I hope to illustrate our travels and missions to many in "laymans terms", but I also hope that by studying these things and writing about them, I learn so much more myself. What a journey!

Just a bit of a warning, the site does have a Christian slant, but for those not into that, it mainly contains good and practical information on many aspects of astrophotography and DIY. Please dont feel evangelised or "forced" to suffer religion. Those pages are kept seperate as much as possible.

http://www.asignobservatory.com/space_exploration.aspx (http://www.asignobservatory.com/space_exploration.aspx)

Please, take a look when you have some time and enjoy!

Baz.

Very impressive work Baz(I know from my job just how much). Great looking and loaded with interesting subjects. Very cool.

Looking forward to more of your images.

[Celestron]

I have been persuaded to get a different scope than my original plan. It has been recommended to me to get the Sky-Watcher Equinox ED 80 for astrophotography. This is the scope here http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=29&class1=1&class2=101

I will be getting a 2x Barlow for it as well. Has anybody had any experience with this scope or heard about it? I will be picking it up tomorrow with the HEQ5 mount.

John

Actually it's the same scope Celestron has . I have heard very few reviews but one person on another forum bought one and said they like it very well and the image he produced was very nice . This is one scope with very little reviews tho which i'm surprised as well . Here is Celestrons Onyx ED 80 (http://www.celestron.com/c2/product.php?CatID=60&ProdID=396) . And here it's listed on sale for $599.00 at Astronomics.com (http://www.astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/New%20Products/product_id/ONYX) .

[funhouse69]

Here's another moon shot from tonight, I think I will be looking in to a telescope after the Holidays.
http://funhouse69.smugmug.com/photos/370673764_NkLYF-L.jpg

[Johnny9s]

Actually it's the same scope Celestron has .

I thought you were talking in the third person there.:wink: Kind of confused me at first why you didn't have any thoughts on it.

I am picking it up tomorrow so I may be posting for some help on how to assemble the mount for tomorrow night. I will get some pics up of it and what it can do.

[Celestron]

Here's another moon shot from tonight, I think I will be looking in to a telescope after the Holidays.


Great shot ! What was your equipment and settings ?

[funhouse69]

Great shot ! What was your equipment and settings ?

Thank you, I am so new to this. That shot was taken with my Canon 40D, with a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS Hand held. ISO 200, 1/200th Sec @ f/8.

I also took this one about an hour afterwards. This was shot with the same camera / lens but this was on a Tripod, mirror lockup and remote release. ISO 200, 1/125th Sec @ f/9.0.
http://funhouse69.smugmug.com/photos/370717273_eRDKq-L.jpg

[Johnny9s]

Here is my attempt at Andromeda with my nifty fifty. The moon wasn't helping much for a dark sky.
I am trying to figure out Deep Sky Tracker. Has anyone seen any tutorials for the stacking programs. Post processing sure is different with astro photography.

12 lights with 6 dark frames stacked in DSS and finished in CS3.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/2849603219_024e5e0f97_o.jpg

[Adrena1in]

Hey Johnny9s, how long were your light-frames there? You need a good minute or two per frame for M31. Take a look at my M31 image on the first page...that was just 13 minutes worth, but a single 1-minute image shows it okay. (Was that with your new scope on the HEQ-5 mount?)

EDIT: In fact, *is* it Andromeda? I can't recognise any of it. EDIT2: Ignore that, I see it now. The very bright star on the right is Sirrah in Pegasus. Just a wide angle shot, so not your ED80. :)

Oh and I read earlier that someone said if you point a camera into the eyepiece of a scope it's called Eyepiece (EP) Projection. Not so...it's called A-Focal. ;)

[Johnny9s]

That shot was just with my 50mm lens using my tripod. I could only do 8 second exposures before I got elongated stars. I just wanted to see if I could see Andromeda with such a short focal length. I am also trying to figute out the post processing as well.

[Nighthound]

Great stuff funhouse69 and John.

Funhouse, your Moon shots are as good as I've seen with a 70-300. Nice!

John, you're getting a nice jump on processing. You'll be way ahead of me when I got started for sure. To this day I have never used a dark or flat frame in my images, although I know they could benefit from them. I've got to get a Nifty 50 one day.

Eye-piece projection is technically one-in-the-same as Afocal imaging. The use of an ocular in the light path to boost magnification breaks it down in simple terms. Whether you use a tele-extender adapter or fix the camera to the eyepiece, it all amounts to the same technique.

Here's a few eclipse shots slapped together in poster form. Image quality suffered from shooting though clouds for the most part.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/eclipsecomprev3-2.jpg

[Khaos_Plushie]

My God, you guys get fantastic opportunities for shots.

Precisely what kind of equipment do you need for astrophotography?

[funhouse69]

Thank You very much Nighthound for the compliment, I really appreciate it. As I mentioned I am very new to this. At the same time I am very happy with the results I've been getting and look forward to taking more pics.

Great stuff funhouse69 and John.

Funhouse, your Moon shots are as good as I've seen with a 70-300. Nice!

[Nighthound]

My God, you guys get fantastic opportunities for shots.

Precisely what kind of equipment do you need for astrophotography?


You can shoot as modestly as a camera/lens on a tripod or get more elaborate with a telescope/mount set up, it really depends how much you're willing to spend and the type of imaging you'd like to do. To shoot the fainter deep-sky images(i.e nebula, galaxies, etc.) seen here you'll need long exposures from a mount or barn door tracker that will provide object tracking to allow for extended exposures. A camera/lens can be mounted on a telescope mount for wide field long exposures or mounted on top of the telescope itself to achieve the same. Lunar photos can be done with a camera and long focal length lens on a tripod and doesn't require tracking due to the short exposures.

If you have specific interests like the objects you'd like to photograph and a budget we can make some suggestions. If you're blessed with very dark skies that'll give you a big advantage when it comes to deep sky objects.

[Nighthound]

Thank You very much Nighthound for the compliment, I really appreciate it. As I mentioned I am very new to this. At the same time I am very happy with the results I've been getting and look forward to taking more pics.

You're very welcome, looking forward to more great stuff.

[Khaos_Plushie]

You can shoot as modestly as a camera/lens on a tripod or get more elaborate with a telescope/mount set up, it really depends how much you're willing to spend and the type of imaging you'd like to do. To shoot the fainter deep-sky images(i.e nebula, galaxies, etc.) seen here you'll need long exposures from a mount or barn door tracker that will provide object tracking to allow for extended exposures. A camera/lens can be mounted on a telescope mount for wide field long exposures or mounted on top of the telescope itself to achieve the same. Lunar photos can be done with a camera and long focal length lens on a tripod and doesn't require tracking due to the short exposures.

If you have specific interests like the objects you'd like to photograph and a budget we can make some suggestions. If you're blessed with very dark skies that'll give you a big advantage when it comes to deep sky objects.

Well in my area we don't see nebula or galaxies.
Hell, we don't even see very many stars.
I'd have to venture into the country for that, and I don't have the time for that at the moment.

I do have a fascination for the moon, however, and if the time comes that I'll get the chance to take photos, I'll be sure to come here for advice on equipment. :D

[Johnny9s]

I got the new scope. It is really nice. Very nice machining of the body and the focus is silky smooth. I got out tonight and the moon was so bright I decided to just photograph it. I still have to assemble the mount so this was taken on my tripod.

Full frame
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3152/2854838721_5c52cba958_o.jpg

100% crop
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2855656856_e5dddcd103_o.jpg


I will take some pictures of the scope and mount in the morning.

John

[Ballen Photo]

I got the new scope. It is really nice. Very nice machining of the body and the focus is silky smooth. I got out tonight and the moon was so bright I decided to just photograph it. I still have to assemble the mount so this was taken on my tripod.
Hi John, Those look pretty darned good! :)
Looking forward to seeing your new set up. ;)
-Bruce

[Johnny9s]

I will take some shots with my 1.4 Teleconverter tomorrow. I would like to use my barlow but I can't use it with my current setup. Do people use a barlow when using prime focus?

[Zedd]

I went through my archives to find some images taken when I first ventured into this hobby. My first scope was(still have it) a Meade AR-5 Achromatic refractor, LXD55. I didn't have the Goto so no tracking, just hand controller to move scope with motors.

All images below are single exposures, I was so far from deep sky work and stacking at that time, in fact I never even imagined it.

I know this is a Canon site but I started with much less expensive gear than I use now and I thought it might be nice to show what can be done with a more modest set up. Good news is, I'm 100% diehard Canon now. :)

This is the photo that got me hooked. It was taken holding a 2 megapixel HP 318 digital point and shoot up to the scope eyepiece(afocal). Taken on July 17, 2003 at 4 a.m. EST. Mars was in conjunction with the Moon and just barely missed slipping behind it from my location.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/Test/lunamars.jpg

Jupiter also taken through the scope eyepiece(afocal), this time with a Nikon Coolpix 4300 and Digi-t Adapter system that attached the camera directly to the eyepiece. This made a huge difference in image quality. No more holding my breath, trying to be steady while swatting mosquitos. I'd set the camera timer, let go and wait for the exposure.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/test/jp1.jpg

A few Lunar shots using the point and shoot with same scope/rig:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/View.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/View-2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/northluna.jpg

Reaching the limit for a single post so I'll stop there but have other Lunar and planetary shots from my 10" LX200 using the point and shoot and my Canon Digital Rebel (my first step into the light).:lol:


Excellent set and I sold my telescope to fund a 40D, mmmmm, ( was that step from west to east ?) ;)

[Nighthound]

Congrats on your new gear John. Nice shots. Are you applying noise reduction? If so, it appears to be bit too aggressive, the noise is gone but the smoothing has diminished detail. Your highlights have blown in several areas, if you have some shorter exposures you might try starting adjusting from the slightest underexposed frames and keep an eye on your highlights as you brighten. Really a great start.

I'm assuming you didn't use the reducer for these, looks about right for 500mm in the full frame. There isn't a way to get a standard barlow in the light path when shooting in prime. But you can think about picking up a TeleVue Powermate which essentially acts like a barlow, giving added magnification but is MUCH better for the job. Unfortunately they are pricey but are exceptional in quality and have an adapter to attach to your T-ring. Then the camera/T-Ring/Powermate slip into the focuser. I have the 2X and got it mainly for planetary imaging with my 10" LX200 SCT.

Looking forward to seeing your new scope. Sure looks like a beauty in the links you posted earlier.

[Nighthound]

Excellent set and I sold my telescope to fund a 40D, mmmmm, ( was that step from west to east ?) ;)

Thanks Zedd, greatly appreciated.

[Nighthound]

Here's a Gibbous Moon shot that shows the location of the Alpine Valley seen in the small magnified shot below. Both taken with a Meade 10" LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The large shot was taken with the Canon 20D in prime focus and the small shot was taken Afocally with a Nikon Coolpix 4300 attached to an 20mm eyepiece with a Digi-T adapter for magnification. Seeing conditions very good on both nights. There's a link below to see the entire Moon shot larger. The orientation of the Moon is obviously not actual, I just prefer the Gibbous moon like this.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/gibbmoslgsm.jpg

The Alpine Valley measures about 80 miles in length and varies from 4 to 6 miles across. The tallest of the flanking mountains is 12,000 ft. tall. The longer the shadow, the taller the peak.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/View-1-1.jpg

Moon shot LARGE(click image to enlarge more):
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Lunar%20Photography/gibbmoslgx.jpg

[Johnny9s]

Thanks for the info Nighthound. I did use noise ninja on the photo. I probably could have done without it. It is more just habit that I use it now. I will try to process that photo again without it.

I may have to look into that Powermate. Sounds like something I could use. I have a Pentax XW 14mm eyepiece that the store threw in with my purchase. I wish I could attach my camera to it with the Barlow because the image is really crisp.

[funhouse69]

As mentioned in my previous posts I am completely new to this but am considering taking the next step and investing in some new equipment. I would love to get some really close up pics of the moon its landscape (like the ones posted by Nighthound) and other planets if possible. What kind of investment would I be looking at to start? Any recommendations?

[zeva]

Hmm since tonight is a full moon, could we noobs have some tips? so far this is what i got correct me if i m wrong please (which i probably am) but this is so far what i have learned... i will be using my 100-400
use F/8
Put it on a tripod
Mirror lock up
Spot metering
make sure you have batteries and memory!
anything else?...
OH YA!!!
Dont use flash!!!!!

[funhouse69]

I posted 2 Moon pics a few days ago. The first one was Hand Held with a 70-300mm IS. The second one seen here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=6290870&postcount=221) was shot as you mentioned Tripod Mounted, Mirror Lockup, ISO 200, f/9 @ 1/125th Sec. I had the camera in manual mode and kept playing with the settings.

In my experience if you let the camera expose it won't look right or it might be just blown out. I also shoot mine in RAW then use DPP software to add sharpening and if needed I can adjust the exposure a little.

[canonloader]

Hmm since tonight is a full moon, could we noobs have some tips? so far this is what i got correct me if i m wrong please (which i probably am) but this is so far what i have learned... i will be using my 100-400
use F/8
Put it on a tripod
Mirror lock up
Spot metering
make sure you have batteries and memory!
anything else?...
OH YA!!!
Dont use flash!!!!!

A wire or radio remote. None of your other precautions will work if your touching the body to press the button.

Personally, I have not seen a camera tripod up to holding a long heavy bazooka like the 100-400 steady enough for a long exposure shot. And by long exposure, I mean just a second or two. For anything like that, I'd use a stack of cinderblocks with a big beanbag on top, or, a serious telescope mount.

[torkk]

Ok I took this shot on a trip to Florida for New Years eve 06. Can anyone figure out what stars Im looking at?

I can send a bigger shot, photobucket drops the size


http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/Torkk/stuff/IMG_0617.jpg

[zeva]

Darnit!! i need to buy a wire remote :( so you would suggest using bean bags and sinder blocks?

[zeva]

Generally speaking, What type of shutter speeds would you use on 400 mm f/8 for a full moon? because i know they should be THAT high that i will need a remote( i should be albe to set a mirror lock up timmer?)

[mbscad]

Hi All,
here is my best shot of the Moon last night (13/9/08).
Settings using a 10D 1/250sec 600mm f7.5 Iso200.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2853748447_824768a8b9_b.jpg

[canonloader]

If you have the yard, or the place to do it, I would use something like cinder blocks. They stack nice, they will be solid, you really only need to go 4 feet or so if you use a chair. You can carry that many in the back seat floor or the trunk if you have to drive to dark skies. Take a blanket to pad the top, maybe cut a 1x4x12 board to fit the top, then a nice big beanbag or three. Maybe ones filled with sand. This is the poor mans mount. Thing is, it's only good for a few seconds shots and the object will shift on you. The only other option is a high dollar tripod.

I recently sold an Orion ED 80 that I used for birding. My best tripod was just not stable enough for night time or long exposure shots. I ended up buying a pair of those shaped beanbags for sighting in rifles and laying the scope tube across those to get my shots. I shot over the hood of my truck or the tool box. The beanbags worked real good for more or less flat shooting.

i should be albe to set a mirror lock up timmer?)
Not sure if the timer works with mirror lockup, but a wired remote is only $10 from E-bay.

[zeva]

was that picture cropped at all?

[zeva]

Thanks for the info! hmm 500 tripod? or 5 dollar bag of sand and cinder blocks... lol i think i m gonna use ziplock bags with rice? :P

[canonloader]

Rice isn't a bad idea really. Although maybe it would move around too much. Real beans surely would. Sand would be better, but you'd need some real tight weave to keep it from sifting though. Maybe use dried peas, then we could all have soup at the end of the night. :lol:

[panthrcat]

here's mine :rolleyes:

[LiquidSword]

Took a couple of shots of the moon tonight. Uploaded 2.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/LiquidSword52/SM3bs9nWdlI/AAAAAAAABR8/IxiYt3AltUo/s800/IMG_3576.jpg
Camera: Canon
Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/500 sec
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 210mm


http://lh5.ggpht.com/LiquidSword52/SM3bsK5j4kI/AAAAAAAABR0/DZDGN9_-Qmg/s800/IMG_3575.jpg
Camera: Canon
Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/500 sec
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 250mm


Both are 100% crops. Taken with my 100-300mm USM lens. MLU and 2 sec timer.

[renderwerks]

Hi everyone,

I haven't posted in a while, just been lurking enjoying all the great images.

I've been researching for building a Double Arm Barn Door Tracker and have nearly finished my design, and modeled it in 3D:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/2858893410_326eba67d4_o.jpg

I'm going to use 9 or 13 ply birch plywood for the baseboard, drive arm and camera platform as it is very stiff and light. The baseboard is 10" x 18".

I've sourced 3" stainless steel hinges from McMaster-Carr for the pivot points.

The motor is a unipolar stepper/gearbox with a 100:1 reduction. It will be coupled to a driver/controller that comes with a PC interface to control the speed. With this setup, I can effectively acheive 4800 steps per revolution (.075 degree/step). Double that resolution with half-stepping. I'll be able to slew the drive back to it's start point at 5x the speed.

I still have to design and model the latitude wedge for it, but that'll be a piece of cake. I'm thinking about designing and building a surveyors type tripod for it as well.

The design is based on Dave Trott's design as described on astronomyboy.com, and Steve Gagnon's mathematical analysis of the drive dynamics.

Hope to have all the parts purchased and start making sawdust in the next week or two! :)

[Johnny9s]

Here is my moon attempt through my telescope from tonight. I may go down to the city tomorrow to pick up a Powermate. Still not sure I like the way this one came out.

100% crop
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2858338031_ab1f3059c0_o.jpg

John

[ies photos]

heres my moon

http://www.iesphotography.co.uk/moonc_2008.jpg

[panthrcat]

I went out last night and tried to get images of the moon, none that I am happy with,, these are terrific! :D

[Jeff]

Ok I took this shot on a trip to Florida for New Years eve 06. Can anyone figure out what stars Im looking at?

I can send a bigger shot, photobucket drops the size


http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/Torkk/stuff/IMG_0617.jpg

Big Dipper?

[funhouse69]

Here's my full harvest moon pic from a few minutes ago
100% Crop
http://funhouse69.smugmug.com/photos/373509212_T2HJU-XL.jpg

[Nighthound]

Hi everyone,

I haven't posted in a while, just been lurking enjoying all the great images.

I've been researching for building a Double Arm Barn Door Tracker and have nearly finished my design, and modeled it in 3D:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/2858893410_326eba67d4_o.jpg

I'm going to use 9 or 13 ply birch plywood for the baseboard, drive arm and camera platform as it is very stiff and light. The baseboard is 10" x 18".

I've sourced 3" stainless steel hinges from McMaster-Carr for the pivot points.

The motor is a unipolar stepper/gearbox with a 100:1 reduction. It will be coupled to a driver/controller that comes with a PC interface to control the speed. With this setup, I can effectively acheive 4800 steps per revolution (.075 degree/step). Double that resolution with half-stepping. I'll be able to slew the drive back to it's start point at 5x the speed.

I still have to design and model the latitude wedge for it, but that'll be a piece of cake. I'm thinking about designing and building a surveyors type tripod for it as well.

The design is based on Dave Trott's design as described on astronomyboy.com, and Steve Gagnon's mathematical analysis of the drive dynamics.

Hope to have all the parts purchased and start making sawdust in the next week or two! :)


Rick, that's a top drawer plan, best I've seen. I can't wait to see your results with it.

Very impressive work.

[Nighthound]

Here's my full harvest moon pic from a few minutes ago
100% Crop
http://funhouse69.smugmug.com/photos/373509212_T2HJU-XL.jpg

Excellent FH69, very natural and nice and crisp.

[A.S.I.G.N. Observatory]

Recent shot of Jupiter with the cooling modificeation on the scope.

More practice is required, but it's getting there.

Baz.

[Nighthound]

Wow Baz, I'd be thrilled with that shot. Exceptional detail and color. Great work.

[renderwerks]

Rick, that's a top drawer plan, best I've seen. I can't wait to see your results with it.

Very impressive work.

Thanks for the compliment,

I'm a Mechanical Designer by trade, and was previously a Furniture Maker. Luckily, this enables me to both design and build it with some competence (well, we'll see :rolleyes: ). It's been over 15 years since I made sawdust for a living!

I may look into having the plywood pieces CNC'd because of the accuracy needed, if it doesn't drive up the cost too much. I'm trying to do this as inexpensively as possible; mainly to show it can be done. However...

I ordered the motor yesterday - 8-11 week lead time! :evil: :cry:

I've kinda locked myself into this gear reduction stepper because it was only $20, and the simple driver/PC interface for it was just $25.

A better (finer step angle) motor and a controller capable of linear micro-stepping would cost more than twice as much. Guess I'll just have to wait unless I get lucky and find a suitable motor on eBay or such...

[Nighthound]

Interesting, I started my career as a technical illustrator(30 years ago). Mainly line art for auto assembly line and mechanic manuals. I moved into design/illustration/creative in advertising from there.

Sounds like you've got a great plan. My experience with telescope mounts and their role in long exposure astro work has given me an appreciation and raised awareness of the importance of quality in each moving part. I've tweaked and re tweaked my G-11 mount including switching to high precision worm gears and using the best lubricant I could find. This made me wonder about the hinges in your plans. I guess they will have to be greased but are there hinges out there that are made of other materials or designed for ultra smooth movement? Lubricated standard hinges may be all you'll need for short focal length imaging. Just a thought.

Looks like a fun project.

[SKnight]

The addition of a rubber band will greatly dampen down slack in the hinges, An old friend that had one did that and his images greatly improved.

[Nighthound]

That's a great fix SK. Simple and effective.

Within the Virgo cluster of galaxies(estimated 2000) lies Markarian's Chain. This galaxy rich area is at least 70 million light years distant and yet the collective powerful gravitational pull effects our galaxy group.

The negative image below will help with locating more of the fainter/smaller galaxies.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/test/mark1.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/test/mark1neg.jpg

[Jeff]

Steve - Nice picture! That one always creeps me out a little when I see it. :) I see a face in the lower right corner. Eeek!

Have you gotten any pics of the Witch Head Nebula - IC 2118? That one is pretty eerie too.

[black_z]

That is unreal!

The above moon picture is nice too, especially for a 100% crop! :)

[renderwerks]

Interesting, I started my career as a technical illustrator(30 years ago). Mainly line art for auto assembly line and mechanic manuals. I moved into design/illustration/creative in advertising from there.

Sounds like you've got a great plan. My experience with telescope mounts and their role in long exposure astro work has given me an appreciation and raised awareness of the importance of quality in each moving part. I've tweaked and re tweaked my G-11 mount including switching to high precision worm gears and using the best lubricant I could find. This made me wonder about the hinges in your plans. I guess they will have to be greased but are there hinges out there that are made of other materials or designed for ultra smooth movement? Lubricated standard hinges may be all you'll need for short focal length imaging. Just a thought.

Looks like a fun project.

Funny, I've viewed that as the weak link as well. I thought about using heavy door architectural hinges as they have ball bearings in them, but they are deployed more as a thrust bearing because the hinges are operated in a vertical configuration. But they have no perceptible play in them. The other hinge I was looking at are heavy duty flag hinges, the type used in bank vault doors. The pins ride on needle bearings, but the hinges (even the smaller ones) would cost a fortune.

The addition of a rubber band will greatly dampen down slack in the hinges, An old friend that had one did that and his images greatly improved.

Thanks for the rubber band tension tip; perhaps I could find a precision low tension spring hinge that might fit the bill. But a rubber dampener might work better. I would need to figure out how to keep the tension constant during the exposure so it didn't apply increasing force as the tracker raised. It might be splitting hairs as the motor will have over 100 in/ozs of torque.

I'm going to make the drive screw and the threaded pivot for it out of brass and tap and thread them myself so I can control the slop in the threads, and I've designed the pivots on the motor board and the pivot on the drive screw to ride in Rulon bushings; it is a type of teflon that is nearly as slippery as wet ice. Should pivot with no measurable torque.

I think I'm having as much fun designing this as I'll have building it. ;)

[SKnight]

Thanks for the rubber band tension tip; perhaps I could find a precision low tension spring hinge that might fit the bill. But a rubber dampener might work better. I would need to figure out how to keep the tension constant during the exposure so it didn't apply increasing force as the tracker raised. It might be splitting hairs as the motor will have over 100 in/ozs of torque.

I'm going to make the drive screw and the threaded pivot for it out of brass and tap and thread them myself so I can control the slop in the threads, and I've designed the pivots on the motor board and the pivot on the drive screw to ride in Rulon bushings; it is a type of teflon that is nearly as slippery as wet ice. Should pivot with no measurable torque.

I think I'm having as much fun designing this as I'll have building it. ;)I have a better idea. Hang a weight by fishing line attached to your upper platform, run across a pulley mounted in the base so that there is an angle in the upper piece of line. The angle will ensure a near constant amount of drag.

You know how an idea starts to fester sometimes?

[Nighthound]

Thanks Jeff and Black_Z.

Jeff, I never saw that until now.

Here's my Witch Head attempt, needs more exposure time.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Picks/witchhd4.jpg

[funhouse69]

Another Moon Shot from tonight.
I hope you guys aren't getting board of these, I really love taking them and seeing how great they are coming out. if so let me know :-)

http://funhouse69.smugmug.com/photos/374219676_a77pN-XL.jpg

[Nighthound]

That's what this thread is all about, having fun, sharing info and posting photos that show our progress. This is an outstanding shot, very well done.

[renderwerks]

Agree, love looking at our neighbor...

Great shot FH69

[BOSS]

After many,many shots finally a half decent moon shot.
EXIF
400D
SS 1/125
F 8
ISO 200
Lens 100/400 @ 400
Apart from cropping this is SOOC
C&C welcome

[funhouse69]

I try to underexpose mine just a little, it seem to show a lot more of the detail. So when I have a good moon like tonight I will take a series of shots and vary both my Aperture and Shutter Speed Settings. It is hard to tell when looking on the Camera Display. I will usually go in a good 3+ Stop Range then when I download them I will take the best one(s).

For example my Moon Pic from tonight was shot with my 70-300 IS ISO 200, F/9 @ 1/125th Sec. I shot it in RAW so I used the Canon DPP Software and added a little Sharpening to it.

[A.S.I.G.N. Observatory]

I will have another go at this later and get rid of the red. I have no editing programs at the moment.

[Johnny9s]

Here is my moon shot from tonight. I think I am finally starting to get used to the scope.
Shot prime focus through my Sky-Watcher Equinox 80D, 1/500th sec

100% crop
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2865133304_21dd3de29b_o.jpg

Here is the full frame
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/2864308189_f385f221c4_o.jpg

John

[mbscad]

Cracking shot John, nice and clear and sharp with plenty of detail, well done.

[Johnny9s]

I was trying to shoot Andromeda prime focus last night but I could not get my focus right. I could barely see the stars through the viewfinder and on live view (Canon 40D) I couldn't see anything. How do most people get sharp focus when shooting stars through the scope? I also found that I need to work on my polar alignment as I could get max 45 second exposures before elongated stars would start to show.

[canonloader]

Here's one I took in January 07, from the yard, in the evening. The EXIF is gone, but I used Av Mode and my 400/5.6 Prime on the 30D. I am sure I used a remote cord too. Unfortunaltely, I have not done a moon shot as good since.

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/potn/jan07/moon1a.jpg

[A.S.I.G.N. Observatory]

I got these two last night. Seeing was 7/10

[Nighthound]

Man, you guys have been busy.

Boss, that's an excellent shot, there's a lot of detail that was able to coax out in Photoshop. You over exposed a bit but not so much that there wasn't still detail in the highlights. On your LCD histogram try to keep your white point close to the center of the graph. Shoot a bunch ranging with the white spike just to the right of center across to just to the left. That way you're covered on exposure. To get this image after taking "many" shows you're on your way to mastering this. Keep 'em coming.

John, that's is an amazing improvement over your last attempt. I don't recall seeing a better Lunar shot from an 80mm scope, fantastic! Your crop held up really great.

Mitch(er, Al...didn't realize 'til now:D
Great shot. Judging from the rippled rim and the dusk sky you shot 'er pretty low in the sky and still managed great focus/detail.

[Nighthound]

I got these two last night. Seeing was 7/10

Great scale and detail resolved Baz! Gotta love the focal length of the C-11. I had the carbon fiber OTA at one time.

[Justinryan215]

Hey guys, Great Shots!
This is my very first post here, and I feel like a brought a knife to a gun fight, so to speak!
Here is one of the moon, from the other night, lighting up some clouds.
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/JustinRyan215/IMG_0335.jpg?t=1221697542
I know that my stock lens is not going to get the detail shot that some of you with the "big boy" lenses can get, but is there any way that I can get just a bit more detail in the moon?
Here is a pic of the Big Dipper I took over Labor Day weekend.
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/JustinRyan215/IMG_0277.jpg?t=1221699396

[BOSS]

Funhouse69 and Nighthound thanks for the comments and advice. Will try it out when I next have a go.
Will go through my shots again there might be one thats not as over exposed as that one.
Once again thanks and I love seeing all the great shots in here.

[Nighthound]

I was trying to shoot Andromeda prime focus last night but I could not get my focus right. I could barely see the stars through the viewfinder and on live view (Canon 40D) I couldn't see anything. How do most people get sharp focus when shooting stars through the scope? I also found that I need to work on my polar alignment as I could get max 45 second exposures before elongated stars would start to show.

John there are several ways to achieve critical focus which I'll outline. Keep in mind if those stars are twinkling wildly overhead that seeing conditions may compromise your best focus efforts.

Before biginning be sure to adjust the dioptric dial of you camera viewfinder for your vision when focusing on the night sky. It's considerably different than shooting terrestrial.

There are going to be certain areas of the sky that have very few bright stars which as you already know make for difficult focus. I always slew to a bright enough star(i.e. Vega, Sirius, Betelgeuse, etc.) focus, and then return to the object I'm shooting. If you're properly aligned and your GoTo is accurate you should be able to slew right back and at least get it in frame for a test shot.

Proper focus can make or break a night out. Not much grinds my coffee more than spending eight hours hooting repeated long exposures only to discover I was slightly out of focus and unable to detect it on my LCD. It's necessary, no mandatory that you magnify the smallest stars to properly asses focus. Unfortunately when shooting at 4-600mm your DSLR LCD can't quite magnify those tiny stars enough to really see if you've reached critical focus or not.

So for alternatives you can:
• Cart along a laptop, download test shots and magnify to assess focus on screen.
- This is widely considered by many to be the most fail-safe method but does require hauling more gear like a power source, etc.

• Hartman Mask. You can google this and find many instructions to make this very inexpensively. It slips over the opening of the scope and has three cut outs(circles or triangles), evenly spaced in a 3-point position. When looking through the viewfinder you'll adjust focus until all three objects merge into one.
- I have had moderate success when using this method.

• Fishing leader or monofilament cross hairs. By taping a 90 degree cross hair of these materials in front of your scope's lens you'll create visible spikes on bright stars when focusing. You can remove them after focusing if you don't want the spikes in your shots.
- Works well but once again you'll have to slew to a bright star or stars to see the spikes.

• Canon Anglefinder C(or a brand like it). I have one and used it for quite some time. It attaches like a telescope eyepiece(looks like one) to the camera viewfinder. It magnifies the viewfinder image to assist with fine focus.
- Works well for the moon but for dim star regions makes it a bit hard to see. Because the AF-C has glass elements it dims the light passing through the optical path considerably, or at least enough to make stars more difficult to resolve.

• Last but not least, my favorite method. The Stiletto(300 dpi) focus device by Stellar Technologies, Inc. has won me over. I am able to achieve critical focus 99%(there is no 100% as long as I'm in the equation) of the time with it, something no other method came close to. It's fast, easy and even fun to use. Here's how it works. You attach all the hardware forward of your camera to the opening of the Stilletto. It has an opening identical to that of your DSLR body. You then attach your hardware and the Stiletto to your telescope focuser just like you would your camera and the hardware. The Stiletto has an eyepiece that allows you to look in just like you would a telescope eyepiece. When pointed at a bright star you'll see a series of dark and light bars in the field of view. All you do is adjust your focuser until the lines begin to get larger until the darkest bar in your view finally blocks out all the light. Lock down your focus set screw and you are now at critical focus. Now remove the Stiletto and the hardware and replace the Stiletto with your camera and slip that back into the scope focuser. This sounds complicated because I had to put it into words but it all takes very little time and as you get accustomed to it will go really fast. Best of all, it works and saves test shot after test shot and removes one more point of uncertainty in the entire imaging process. Keep in mind though that the Stiletto DOES NOT work on the Moon or planets directly. The light needs to be intense pin point light. For a refractor, this is the convenient and effective way to go IMO for deep sky.

Hope this helps in some way.

[Nighthound]

Funhouse69 and Nighthound thanks for the comments and advice. Will try it out when I next have a go.
Will go through my shots again there might be one thats not as over exposed as that one.
Once again thanks and I love seeing all the great shots in here.

Boss, you're welcome.

I forgot to include this adjustments to your shot that I made, hope you don't mind. Mainly curves in Photoshop:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/test/Copy3ofIMG_0915nh.jpg

[Nighthound]

Hey guys, Great Shots!
This is my very first post here, and I feel like a brought a knife to a gun fight, so to speak!
Here is one of the moon, from the other night, lighting up some clouds.

Justin, all are welcome here. We all started at the beginning.

You'll need to shoot a series of shorter exposures to get more surface detail in the Moon. Of course that'll remove most if not all of the clouds and surroundings seen in your shot.

I like your star shot. By using a shutter release cable you can leave that shutter open for 20-30 minutes in BULB mode at low ISO to get some cool star trails. Try one pointed at Polaris(bright star at the handle end of the Little Dipper) in the North, about 20-30 degrees up and slightly to the east of magnetic north. You'll get the spinning star trails visible at the Earth's celestial pole. The darker the skies the better though, that sensor grabs a lot of photons in 30 minutes, the good and the bad. Good luck, clear skies!

[Johnny9s]

Thanks Nighthound! I was actually checking out the Stilleto today on the net. I was wondering if it actually worked or was the usual internet sales pitch. I think I will pick it up.

It was recommended to me to get an illuminated reticule eyepiece to fine tune my tracking problems as well. Do you have any recommendations in that department?

The clouds have finally rolled in so I may not be able to get out for the next while.

[Nighthound]

Thanks Nighthound! I was actually checking out the Stilleto today on the net. I was wondering if it actually worked or was the usual internet sales pitch. I think I will pick it up.

It was recommended to me to get an illuminated reticule eyepiece to fine tune my tracking problems as well. Do you have any recommendations in that department?

The clouds have finally rolled in so I may not be able to get out for the next while.

You're welcome John.

I have the 12mm Celestron, cordless. Does the job just fine.

Steve

[troypiggo]

Thanks. The images I've posted so far were taken with a Takahashi Sky 90 II APO refractor telescope. It's f/4.5 @407mm FL with the field flattener/focal reducer in place. The "90" in the name refers to aperture....

G'day Steve. Loving your astro shots as always. Only just discovered this thread and still reading through it.

Can I ask a dumb question? I don't have a telescope. When you say that telescope you have has a 407mm FL, does that mean that I could use my 100-400L at 400mm and get the same field of view as that? I suspect surely not. There's no way I'd get the sort of quality you're getting. I'm aware you have some motorised mount that tracks the stars for longer exposures. But say I did have one of those mounts, but used the 400mm lens - similar results?

** EDIT ** ... phew. My eyes are tired from reading quickly through this thread. Loving it. Don't have the money for mounts, scopes etc at the moment. But my in-laws have a property that has very little noise pollution. All I can think about at the moment is going up there and trying some of this out. Both wide shots with 10-22 and closer with 100-400 lenses. I have tripod, shutter release etc.

Not sure if I missed a link in one of the posts here. The stacking software you're using - deep sky tracker? Can't find it. Freeware? Any other recommended freeware? Hope I don't sound cheap, I'm not really. Don't mind spending the money once I'm committed, but at the moment would like to just experiment a little etc. :)

** EDIT 2 ** Is it deep sky stacker, not tracker? http://www.deepskystacker.com/

[Nighthound]

G'day Steve. Loving your astro shots as always. Only just discovered this thread and still reading through it.

Can I ask a dumb question? I don't have a telescope. When you say that telescope you have has a 407mm FL, does that mean that I could use my 100-400L at 400mm and get the same field of view as that? I suspect surely not. There's no way I'd get the sort of quality you're getting. I'm aware you have some motorised mount that tracks the stars for longer exposures. But say I did have one of those mounts, but used the 400mm lens - similar results?

** EDIT ** ... phew. My eyes are tired from reading quickly through this thread. Loving it. Don't have the money for mounts, scopes etc at the moment. But my in-laws have a property that has very little noise pollution. All I can think about at the moment is going up there and trying some of this out. Both wide shots with 10-22 and closer with 100-400 lenses. I have tripod, shutter release etc.

Not sure if I missed a link in one of the posts here. The stacking software you're using - deep sky tracker? Can't find it. Freeware? Any other recommended freeware? Hope I don't sound cheap, I'm not really. Don't mind spending the money once I'm committed, but at the moment would like to just experiment a little etc. :)

** EDIT 2 ** Is it deep sky stacker, not tracker? http://www.deepskystacker.com/


Hi Troy, thanks.

Yes, your 100-400L will give you the same field of view but with less aperture(77mm) and slower focal ratio(f/5.6). My Sky 90 is a 500mm scope that is a 90mm and when I use the focal reducer/field flattener yields a focal ratio of f/4.5(407mm). This gives the Sky 90 a slight edge for better light grasp but the main difference is the added objective(air-spaced doublet) which removes a great deal of false color or chromatic aberration(CA), not 100% but enough for my needs. I've used my 100-400L on top of my scopes to take advantage of the motorized mount. Mainly I would shoot at the 200mm range for super wide field. Keep in mind that when shooting on a tripod without tracking capability means that the longer your focal lengths, the shorter your exposures will need to be. Magnification is great for scale but it also magnifies proof of the Earth's rotation, i.e. star trails. You may be able to get over 15 seconds at about 18-50mm, but double that and you'll need to cut back your exposure times. The key will be the dark skies you mentioned. Up your ISO to 800 and see how far you can go with time.

Try the spinning star trails around Polaris with your camera and tripod. 30-45 minutes at 100-200 ISO will do it. Try to include some interesting foreground in the shot like a cool tree, wind mill, etc. to add interest. And yes, use your shutter release. Good luck, have fun and post your results here.

Edit: Deep sky stacker will work just fine once you start stacking multiple exposures. When you get a scope with tracking we can talk more about processing. The programs are not all that complicated as far as the stacking goes. The real processing begins in Photoshop to stretch the stacked image and reveal as much detail and color as possible.

[canonloader]

What is a dark frame?

[Nighthound]

What is a dark frame?

A dark frame is taken at the same exposure lengths, ISO as your multiple exposures from that night but with the telescopes lens cap ON. This records a dark frame that includes the same noise pattern as your frames taken during the entire night. The dark frames(usually 6 or so) are then subtracted in the stacking process to remove noise.

[canonloader]

taken at the same exposure lengths, ISO as your multiple exposures from that night
So one long exposure frame for the total time of the night, or one frame for each shot?

[Nighthound]

So one long exposure frame for the total time of the night, or one frame for each shot?

Sorry, should have been more clear. Darks are taken at the end of the night and are the exact exposure times as each frame taken during the night. I usually shoot between 4 and 5 minutes per exposure during the night so I would should 6 dark frames around 4-5 minutes each. To be honest though, I have not applied dark frames to my work yet but should. I use Noel Carboni's Photoshop Actions for noise reduction, works very well. Of course, less noise to start with would be very beneficial.

At the end of a night at our dark site I'm usually racing to get packed up(instead of shooting dark frames) so I can get home, unload and get to my birding site at sunrise. No excuse though, I need to allow time to shoot darks.

[Johnny9s]

I use Noel Carboni's Photoshop Actions for noise reduction, works very well. Of course, less noise to start with would be very beneficial.


I was checking out Noels website and his actions look very good. I am thinking that they may help with my post processing somewhat. Are there any other PS actions that I should check out?

Hopefully we get some dark skies soon when the moon disappears.

John

[canonloader]

Are there any other PS actions that I should check out?
I must have downloaded every trial noise reduction software there is, did every CS2 + 3 tutorial I could find, picked up pointers and tips all through the forums, and after two years, I found this at FM for $15 (http://www.fredmiranda.com/shopping/1DISORpro). Yes, I know it says it is for the 1D, and I have one of those too, but it works just as good on 40D images or ones I download off the forum to edit. Best thing I have used. :)

[troypiggo]

Yes, your 100-400L will give you the same field of view but with less aperture(77mm) and slower focal ratio(f/5.6). My Sky 90 is a 500mm scope that is a 90mm and when I use the focal reducer/field flattener yields a focal ratio of f/4.5(407mm). This gives the Sky 90 a slight edge for better light grasp but the main difference is the added objective(air-spaced doublet) which removes a great deal of false color or chromatic aberration(CA), not 100% but enough for my needs. I've used my 100-400L on top of my scopes to take advantage of the motorized mount. Mainly I would shoot at the 200mm range for super wide field. Keep in mind that when shooting on a tripod without tracking capability means that the longer your focal lengths, the shorter your exposures will need to be. Magnification is great for scale but it also magnifies proof of the Earth's rotation, i.e. star trails. You may be able to get over 15 seconds at about 18-50mm, but double that and you'll need to cut back your exposure times. The key will be the dark skies you mentioned. Up your ISO to 800 and see how far you can go with time.

Try the spinning star trails around Polaris with your camera and tripod. 30-45 minutes at 100-200 ISO will do it. Try to include some interesting foreground in the shot like a cool tree, wind mill, etc. to add interest. And yes, use your shutter release. Good luck, have fun and post your results here.

Edit: Deep sky stacker will work just fine once you start stacking multiple exposures. When you get a scope with tracking we can talk more about processing. The programs are not all that complicated as far as the stacking goes. The real processing begins in Photoshop to stretch the stacked image and reveal as much detail and color as possible.

Thanks for the detailed reply, Steve!

I'll need to do some more reading about "air-spaced doublet" and CA effects.

You mention at 18-50mm exposures of 15s or so should be ok, but at 400mm need to be shorter. This makes sense, I guess it's a bit of experimentation. I'll also give some star trails a go, but might have trouble finding Polaris down here ;)

Regarding your last comment about Deep Sky Stacker and your previous recommendation to try star trails, does that mean that you don't think I should be trying to stack images with my current setup?

Regarding "stretching" the image, do you mean playing with levels or curves to increase the contrast in each channel etc? I'm comfortable with that. I think.

I've read a couple of times in this thread you recommended this EQ1 mount and posted a link here: http://www.amazon.com/Orion-EQ-1-Equatorial-Mount/dp/B0000XMX7K/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1221772134&sr=8-14 I'm a little confused. It looks like a tripod for a telescope. But down further there are "customers also bought..." type links to an adapter (for what I don't know) and also an electonic drive. Is there a way to get a motorised drive thing on my current tripod and camera setup? Or do I need that tripod thing - so I'd be up for around $100 for EQ1 mount (tripod), and the motor drive $57. Is that all? 30D camera and 100-400 lens connect how? Or is there a beginners telescope and adapter to connect my 30D to it you recommend?

Sorry about all the questions, but since I took up SLR photography just over a year ago, I've been hooked. And when I saw some of these astro shots, particularly yours in the N&A section, I want to know more :) I've always been interested in astronomy.

Weird, hey? The things I want to shoot most with my camera are macro photos of the tiniest insects and astro photos of the most distant and massive objects. :)

And I can't shoot people to save myself :oops: :lol:

And thanks canonloader for asking about dark frames, I was also going to ask about that ;)