:: Post your Astronomy Images here ! ::

[Dusty]

Let's see your astro photos !
Post your fav's here and let us know what gear you used.

Here's one I took of Comet Holmes during it's outburst period.

Canon 20Da
85mm L @ f/1.6
ISO 800
20 sec exp.

[Adrena1in]

We definitely need our own forum for astro-pics I think. Come on Admins, surely it can't be that difficult to set up?!

Here are my favourites so far.

Pole star and surrounding stars circling it, 450 seconds, ISO 1600, f/8, 18mm kit lens. One of my first astropics since getting a DSLR and any astronomy kit, (though this was just sat on a fixed tripod.)
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/624/img2108cm9.th.jpg (http://img73.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2108cm9.jpg)

Comet 17/P Holmes, two images from a few weeks apart spliced together to give an idea how much the comet moved and changed in size/brightness.
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9962/holmes12to29112007mc3.th.jpg (http://img223.imageshack.us/my.php?image=holmes12to29112007mc3.jpg)

My best moon shot. Phenix 127mm f/9.5 achromat, can't remember the camera settings.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/471/img3211ppsmallym8.jpg

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy. Six 2-minute and one 1-minute shot, ISO1600, Orion ST80 f/5 achromat, autoguided, my final shot with the 400D.
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2601/andromedajpgspp2td6.th.jpg (http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=andromedajpgspp2td6.jpg)

450D images to follow...expecting much MUCH better from myself! ;)

[Dusty]

We definitely need our own forum for astro-pics I think. Come on Admins, surely it can't be that difficult to set up?!

I agree and we've asked before but it's been decided there isn't enough interest yet.
It makes it hard though because I'm sure we miss a significant number of threads that relate to astro imaging with DSLRs and it's not always easy to search for key words when they don't appear in the original threads.

It would be much better to have a dedicated forum so that we can scan though and find what we want.

Anyway for now post away, keep them coming.
Hopefully we can generate enough interest in this part of photography.

Also if anyone has questions they'd like answered, just ask and we'll do our best to answer.

:)

[Adrena1in]

I'd only PM'd a moderator today about this, before seeing your thread here, and your thread in Forum Talk. It's fair enough if they don't want to create a new forum unless they feel it's going to be used. There are some fine astrophotographers here, but not a huge amount. However, I think that a new forum would generate more interest from those who've not experienced it much, as well as those already interested.

Take Nighthound for example...his posts and images have always inspired me, and it's partly because of him that I've launched myself in the hobby. Steve's threads have always been very well received here by plenty of non-astroimagers as well as beginner, intermediate and expert astroimagers alike.

If we can get all astrophotographers to post in here, and all people interested in it to do so, then we'll get a real idea of how popular it's going to be I guess.

How it's going to drum up new members to the forum though, that I'm not sure about.

[newb2pro_1day_or_so]

If the mods are going to see this, then maybe this will help. I would love to get into astrophotography. I have some equipment, I'm sure won't give the best of results, but it will give some. I just don't know how to use it for astrophotography. It would be great if there was a part to share and read about this type of taking pictures so that I could eventually try to do it myself. I have tried and failed several times.

[Nighthound]

Nice work Dusty and Adrena1in. Thanks A-1 for the mention, I always enjoy sharing images and helping in any way I can. I had plenty of help along the way so it's nice to be able to share what I've learned with those starting out.

It's always great to see continued interest in astrophotography here at POTN. It's clearly not for everyone but it captured my interest almost 6 years ago and I'm still learning and having a great time capturing ancient light from objects so distant it boggles the mind. It's hard to compete with the Hubble and I've enjoyed as much as anyone the spectacular images it has and continues to produce, but capturing that faint light yourself and seeing the final image appear on your monitor is nothing short of awesome. When I sit and think that a given object on my screen is 50,000 light years distant and I can see the dust structures within it, well that's just plain cool.

The hobby requires huge patience and an investment of both time and money but IMO well worth every bit. I never imagined I'd ever be doing this and had no idea the complexity of it but it opened the world of photography for me and I can now photograph nature both day and night. The night sky is the best show on Earth and it's free for the viewing. One doesn't need to break the bank to get into this either, excellent work can be done with modest gear and a little practice/dedication. I started with a $600 Achromatic refractor without tracking capability and managed some very nice Lunar and planetary images, I began by hand holding a digital point and shoot to the eyepiece of the scope and then picked up an adapter to attach the camera to the eyepiece. That was all it took to get me hooked on this great hobby and I've been at it ever since.

Here's a couple wide shots.

Moon and Venus Conjunction (3 frame mosaic, camera and tripod):
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/conj.jpg

Crescent Moon at Dawn (single frame, camera and tripod):
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/moontrees.jpg

Milky Way. Looking toward the center of our home Galaxy (camera and lens piggy back on telescope/mount):
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/milkywyrev3.jpg

NH

[Adrena1in]

I have some equipment, I'm sure won't give the best of results, but it will give some. I just don't know how to use it for astrophotography.

What equipment do you have? I'm still a total beginner, but I've learned a few things already.


EDIT: And if we can't get a dedicated Astronomy forum, one that concerns everything "up" would be okay too...clouds, skies, lightning, aurora, et al.

[Adrena1in]

Quick search in Nature and Animals on the word "astro" produced only 22 threads this year, from maybe only six or seven different forum members, but almost 800 messages in all.

One thread, regarding the Lunar Eclipse this year, contained 287 messages from 161 different forum members.

Tried a quick search on the word "moon" and found 34 threads with neary 300 messages, but this was more varied and there were 29 different main forum members posting these threads.

So that's probably around 200 different forum members contributing, over 1000 messages in around 55 threads this year, (though there are likely many more that my one-word-searches didn't turn up).

[RikWriter]

http://www.pbase.com/rikwriter/image/99825433.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/rikwriter/image/99847383.jpg

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

Hi Guys, I was asked by one of your nice blokes to show my two bobs worth here. I have my own observatory in Canberra and shoot a Canon EOS 400D, using a combination of large and small telescopes as a lense, as well as using the standard lenses, piggybacked on top of the telescope mount and used as a tracking platform

This enables me to do multiple long exposure photographs, using a guide scope to lock on to a guide star and track stars to counter the earths rotation.

Here is a link to my site http://www.asignobservatory.com

There is a gallery there with all my photos on it, progressively getting better over time as my experience increases.

I hope I can be of assistance to you all. I'm sure I can learn from you too.

Here is an example.

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

If anyone wants to have an easy target to star their astrophotography, try this.

Look for the constellation ORION. Many of us call it the saucepan, the pot or the shopping trolley.

Look for the three very dim stars in the base of the handle. Aim for the middle one. (See picture) It's not always this way up, so you may have to stand on your head to find it.....

Put your camera on a tripod, use a shutter cable so you dont shake the camera when you trip the shutter or set the timer. Use the bulb setting or set for no longer than 30 seconds. (or you will get egg shaped stars)

Zoom in as far as you can with the biggest lense you have.

You can experiment with the ISO to see what looks best. Try to get away from streetlights.

Below is one I took of this object with the Canon 400D and a small telescope as a lens. I used a longer exposure than 30 seconds, but you will get the idea when you try it.

Have a go! You will be pleasantly amazed!

Baz.

[Dusty]

Here is a link to my site http://www.asignobservatory.com

There is a gallery there with all my photos on it, progressively getting better over time as my experience increases.

I hope I can be of assistance to you all. I'm sure I can learn from you too.

Hi Baz, fancy meeting you here !

RB

:)

[Nighthound]

Outstanding work Baz. I can only dream of imaging Eta Carina someday and photographing the incredible native birds of Australia as well. Maybe someday.

Here's a rework of an image that has given me a new lease on processing emission nebula. Because I shoot with unmodified DSLRs(5D and 20D) I tend to overcompensate in the red channel for the lack of H-alpha sensitivity to get a rich red. In doing so I was losing a great deal of detail in the overpowering red and also loose separation in the dust(brown tones) and also reflection nebulosity(blue). I won't go in depth here but would be glad to explain further if requested. I have my good friend Jay Ballauer to thank for this breakthrough. Jay is among the very best in astrophotography and has been an invaluable resource and inspiration over the past 5 1/2 years. Check out his site at www.allaboutastro.com, lots of amazing work and very useful info.

So here's 5 hours of total exposure of the Heart Nebula Before:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Heartneb5d.jpg

And here it is after color correction:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/Heartnebclrcrct.jpg

And here it is framed: :-)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Astro%20Creative/Heartneb5dframe-1-1.jpg

[Harm]

stunning shots guys...you really put us noobs to shame!!

[Adrena1in]

If anyone wants to have an easy target to star their astrophotography, try this.

Look for the constellation ORION. Many of us call it the saucepan, the pot or the shopping trolley.
Err, are you sure about that? The Saucepan or Shopping Trolley are names usually given to Ursa Major...The Big Dipper...not Orion. (Everyone knows which one Orion is though...got to be the most famous, surely?!)

I agree though, M42 is a fine target. I've managed acceptable single images of 30-seconds. I also think the moon is a great first target, then constellations, then things like M13 or M42...all these objects require only a single exposure to get an image that I think would surprise a lot of people. They certainly surprised me, that's for sure.

[hjs]

I'll post one (er two). DR though an Orion 80ED. hjs

http://www.pbase.com/cdrebel/image/77996778/original.jpg

I'll add this one:
Turquoise Moon
20D 300 f/4L Tamron 1.4TC

http://www.pbase.com/hjschilling/image/84647060.jpg

Don't have any DSO's :-(

[Nighthound]

Very well done Henry, great detail. Keep 'em coming.

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

Err, are you sure about that? The Saucepan or Shopping Trolley are names usually given to Ursa Major...The Big Dipper...not Orion. (Everyone knows which one Orion is though...got to be the most famous, surely?!)

I agree though, M42 is a fine target. I've managed acceptable single images of 30-seconds. I also think the moon is a great first target, then constellations, then things like M13 or M42...all these objects require only a single exposure to get an image that I think would surprise a lot of people. They certainly surprised me, that's for sure.
Well, I know I call it M42, but the uneducated call it all kinds of things. I am aware that the big dipper in the northern hemisphere is also called the saucepan, but most people call it as they see it. Here the Pleiades is called the little dipper by the masses.

Most people cant see the figure of Orion until you point it out with a laser and show them where his belt is, his bolt of cloth and club, fighting Taurus. The most prominent stars in orion look like a saucepan or cooking pot.

The best part is when you point out the tiny star in the handle and say "see that?".....now look through this telescope.....WOW!

Baz.

[R Hardman]

Tougher then it looks. Tracking is the biggest killer! Here are my few of mine. All taken with the 350D. The first and third photos are "stacked".

http://www.ricksdigitaldesert.com/Gallery%20Album/The%20Night%20Sky/slides/IMG_11288s.jpg

http://www.ricksdigitaldesert.com/Gallery%20Album/The%20Night%20Sky/slides/IMG_16702.jpg

http://www.ricksdigitaldesert.com/Gallery%20Album/The%20Night%20Sky/slides/Pleadies.jpg

http://www.ricksdigitaldesert.com/Gallery%20Album/The%20Night%20Sky/slides/IMG_18248.jpg

[Dusty]

Great work everyone, keep posting them !
Absolutely stunning work Nighthound, always love your work mate.

Attached are two I did using the 20Da.

1. Eta Carinae I did a few years ago when I first bought my 20Da.
2. And here's last years Orion neb.

I can't wait to have another go at the Orion area and M45 again.

[Nighthound]

Thanks for the insight Baz an thank you Dusty. Interesting the differences in terminology. I'm guessing a lot of constellations are more difficult to point out and separate there with the darker skies. So much of your continent remains very dark. Orion is such a target rich area, I always look forward to its return each year.

I enjoyed my visit to your site and am very jealous of your set up. I'm not getting any younger and packing up all my gear and driving an hour to dark skies to set up is getting a bit tiring but still worth it when I get the images I'm after.

Here's a couple inside The Hunter:

The Flame and Horse Head Region
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/hhdflm3bccc.jpg

The Sword of Orion:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/sword07s90cc.jpg

Takahashi Sky 90 II / Losmandy G-11(Gemini) / Canon 20D

[Nighthound]

Wow Rick, great series. The second and fourth are exceptional. Great work.

[Nighthound]

Dusty, can't see your shots. Don't leave us hangin' :-)

[Dusty]

Dusty, can't see your shots. Don't leave us hangin' :-)
Ah ok I may need to upload them on a webserver and link instead.
Back soon.

[Dusty]

Nighthound your Flame/Horsehead and Sword are stunning !

OK sorry about that.
Here's are mine, I've uploaded them onto a server instead and you should be able to see them, (let me know).

1. Eta Carinae I did a few years ago when I first bought my 20Da.

http://www.astro-image.org/images/store/eta.jpg

2. And here's last years Orion neb M42.

http://www.astro-image.org/images/store/m42.jpg

[Nighthound]

Bingo, I see 'em.

Thanks for the compliment.

These are great Dusty, your 20Da is working as advertised. How much time on the EC shot? Please refresh my memory on the gear you're using for these. Thanks

[Dusty]

These are great Dusty, your 20Da is working as advertised. How much time on the EC shot? Please refresh my memory on the gear you're using for these. Thanks
Ah yes sorry:

1. Eta was using my 20Da on a friends G11, guided by the C11 and shot through an ED80
This is a combination of 1 x 30 sec and 4 x 90 sec frames.

2. M42 (cropped) was again the 20Da on my EM200 (tracking only) and the TOA130.

[_aravena]

Only good shot I have. Hope to get a tele or something for some more zoom. I wish there was a forum on here to learn about this type of photography more.

http://www.lastshotphotography.com/img/v1/p62456793-4.jpg

[Dusty]

Only good shot I have. Hope to get a tele or something for some more zoom. I wish there was a forum on here to learn about this type of photography more.

Quite a dramatic shot _aravena !

I've asked Pekka in the thread below so maybe add your name to it and perhaps we'll be able to get an astro section on POTN.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=6140331#post6140331

Cheers
:)

[Nighthound]

Nice capture _arevena. If you have any questions, ask away, always glad to help.

[bubba zanetti]

Really great photos everyone !

Comet McNaught

http://wadjelaphotography.smugmug.com/photos/124642518_nGYWi-L-20.jpg

[Nighthound]

Wow, I'd be framing that one large Bubba. Spectacular!

[bubba zanetti]

Wow, I'd be framing that one large Bubba. Spectacular!

Tks NH. I sat alone most of the night on a 700 foot high rock with the bats & mosquitos waiting for that bit of cloud to clear. There was only one moonless night to photograph it. Pretty amazing to sit alone & stare at. Made me wonder what our ancestors thought of them.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Well, I for one am very impressed with the contributions in this thread!
What do you guys use for optics to get those nebula shots?

[Nighthound]

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. I also shoot with a 8" diameter Newtonian reflector telescope(Vixen R200SS) and will post some taken with it soon. It's 800mm FL and f/4.

The Sky 90 II
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Astro%20Equipment/tak90-1.jpg

Sky 90 on top of Vixen reflector:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Astro%20Equipment/vix90a.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Astro%20Equipment/viv90b.jpg

[bubba zanetti]

My other comet photo over the city. I thought the lights would drown it but it came out strong enough.

I would love to have seen your gear get it Steve !

http://wadjelaphotography.smugmug.com/photos/124254387_sahHj-L-18.jpg

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

Try these...

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

and...

[R Hardman]

Wow Rick, great series. The second and fourth are exceptional. Great work.


Thanks Steve. Second photo one is of the Total Lunar Eclipse we had back on August 28th, 2007. I was amazed the long exposure at 15sec didn't blow out the eclipsed Moon during totality. The fourth was after pulling an all-nighter watching the Leonid meteor shower on November 18th, 2007. Just loved the way Venus was shining in the morning sky. BTW I'm still trying to work out tracking issues on my old LX3 to get some more deep sky. Mirrors are shot (pending repairs) but at least it tracks. Someday it will be fixed and I'll get back to prime focus and attempt to get to the level your at. Practice and Patience, Practice and more Patience... ;)

[Adrena1in]

What do you guys use for optics to get those nebula shots?

Some nebulae are really large, some are tiny. I've tried NCG7000, the North America Nebula, using my 600mm f/6 Achromatic Refractor, but the nebula would take up almost the entire frame, and because I can't see it, I keep missing it! :o I managed to shoot it in this Milky Way wide shot though. Roughly in the centre you might be able to see Cygnus. Below left of centre...that bright star is Deneb, at the "nose" of the cross. Just below that...that bright bit is NCG7000 I believe.

Single 4-minute frame at 10mm, ISO800, f/3.5 I think. Adjusted the contrast a bit, and it's blown out on the right because of light pollution, but I quite like it.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1980/milkyway4min25percentppzh9.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=milkyway4min25percentppzh9.jpg)

Planetary Nebulae, M57 (The Ring Nebula) and M27 (The Dumbbell Nebula) are a fair bit smaller, and I've only managed crumby shots of those so far. They'll still be around for me for a while though...must try them again.

M57 100% crop, taken through my 1200mm f/9.5 Achromat, ISO1600, five frames at 30s exposure per frame.
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9585/m571200mm5x30secsjpegcrkf7.th.jpg (http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=m571200mm5x30secsjpegcrkf7.jpg)

M57 Full Frame - 10Mp - gives an idea of how big it isn't!
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/8848/m571200mm5x30secsjpeghc6.th.jpg (http://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=m571200mm5x30secsjpeghc6.jpg)


M27 100% crop, this time through my 600mm f/6, six frames at 60s each, ISO1600.
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/944/m27600mm6x60sjpgcroprx5.th.jpg (http://img90.imageshack.us/my.php?image=m27600mm6x60sjpgcroprx5.jpg)

M27 Full Frame - 10Mp
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/9695/m27600mm6x60sjpgan5.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=m27600mm6x60sjpgan5.jpg)


M42, The Orion Nebula...that's also pretty large...apparently larger than the full moon I believe.

[Jeff]

Here are a couple that I've previously posted. Both taken with a 30D & 10" scope.

The Hercules Cluster (M13)
http://www.seivertfamily.com/IMG_1326.jpg

The Ring Nebula (M57)
http://www.seivertfamily.com/IMG_1376.jpg

Dusty - I took the liberty to your link to my sig. If everyone does the same, maybe we can drum up a little more interest in this dark little corner of photography.

[Nighthound]

Bubba, another spectacular shot. I would have stayed up there every night it was clear, not sure my rig would fit up there from your description though.

Barry, another awesome series. What I wouldn't give to be able to go into my yard, open up the observatory and be all ready to start shooting. Very nice set up there.

Rick, I hope you get up and running soon. Let me know if I can help.

Adrena1in, nice stuff. Your focus looks good, what method are you using?

Nice shots Jeff, great to see you here. Your shots bring back fond memories of my LX200. Wish I could have afforded to keep it and take the OTA off the fork mount. That was one great sample, held collimation really well too.

[Adrena1in]

Adrena1in, nice stuff. Your focus looks good, what method are you using?

Those M57 and M27 shots were with the 400D. I would've probably used the method of take one shot, adjust focus slightly, take another, compare the two images, adjust focus as necessary and repeat until as good as it's going to get. Usually got quite close.

Now I have the 450D I'll just use Live Preview, perhaps on the PC if I've got that hooked up. What a fantastic facility...with a home-made Hartman Mask it might be even easier!

[Nighthound]

Those M57 and M27 shots were with the 400D. I would've probably used the method of take one shot, adjust focus slightly, take another, compare the two images, adjust focus as necessary and repeat until as good as it's going to get. Usually got quite close.

Now I have the 450D I'll just use Live Preview, perhaps on the PC if I've got that hooked up. What a fantastic facility...with a home-made Hartman Mask it might be even easier!

The laptop set up sounds like your best and most consistent approach. The more you can enlarge those small stars the better. I use a Stiletto(300dpi), it never misses and it's quick.

[Dusty]

Well, I for one am very impressed with the contributions in this thread!
What do you guys use for optics to get those nebula shots?
Glad you like them Jake/'Tom' ;)

I use a 130mm refractor at f/5.6 but I also use various Canon lenses too.
Here's a shot using the 135L which highlights the fact that you don't need a scope to get into astro imaging.

The most important piece if equipment IMO is a good quality mount able to take the weight of the imaging equipment used.

Here's Rho Ophiuchus Nebula Complex in Scorpius.

Canon 20Da, 135mm L, f/2.5, ISO 400, this image is a stack of (16) x 8 minute frames which equates to a 2 hour exposure.

We stack (similar to layering in PS) to increase the signal to noise ratio.
As you can imagine 8 minute exposures will produce a fair bit of noise.

Hope you enjoy.

http://www.astro-image.org/images/store/rho3.jpg

[Nighthound]

Spectacular Dusty. One of the most beautiful regions in the sky IMO. The range of color is really stunning and yours looks spot on. Great work.

Here's a couple Galaxy shots, M31(Andromeda) and M33:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/andromedaxs.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/m331hrregxx2-1.jpg

[Adrena1in]

Your M31 really blows me away Steve. My dad said my M31 attempt is as good as any he's ever seen...guess I should show him yours! What's the other galaxy next to M31? Not the little blob, which I believe is the sister-galaxy, but the one slightly further away...below and to the right in your upside-down image. ( ;) ) Was wondering if you'd ever zoomed in a bit closer on that one to get a bit more detail on it, or is it just too small and distant?

Tim.

[Nighthound]

Thanks Tim. Keep at this like you are now and you'll top mine in no time. I've seen plenty that put it to shame.

That's M110, a dwarf elliptical galaxy. I've seen some long FL images of it but ellipticals are for the most part featureless which leaves little to be resolved in detail. The little "blob" is M32, also an elliptical.

[Mike]

WOW!! These are all great. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread and will be checking it regularly.

So, what sort of tripod/mount do I need to stop the stars streaking?

[Nighthound]

Thanks Mike, great to see you found us.

You'll need a motorized mount capable of tracking at the same rate in which Earth rotates. I suggest a German Equatorial mount for astrophotography. The quality of mount needed will depend greatly on the focal lengths that you choose to image at. It's the single most important piece of gear you'll need to get the job done. A solid tripod is also important as well. I see you have a 300mm Sigma APO, that would be a great focal length to start at and for around 160 US dollars(not sure how much on your side of the pond) you could start with this rig: http://www.amazon.com/Orion-EQ-1M-Electronic-Drive-System/dp/B0000XMWBW/ref=pd_bxgy_p_text_b

Scroll down to see the full size mount and tripod. This is a nice way to break into the hobby without sinking too much into it right off. If you catch the fever, you can always sell it and upgrade. Now if money is no object I'll gladly suggest some more advanced and pricey gear. Let me know your comfort level for spending and I can maybe suggest some other options.

[Dusty]

So, what sort of tripod/mount do I need to stop the stars streaking?
To stop the stars from streaking you need to use an Equatorial Mount (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equatorial_mount)usually refered to as a GEM (German Equatorial Mount).
This lines up the scope so it will follow the arcing movement of the stars at whatever point in the sky you are imaging.

The mount needs to be setup so it points to the celestial pole, the point in the sky where everything revolves around.
In the northern hemisphere this is very close to Polaris (the pole star).
In the southern Hemisphere this is close to Sigma Octanis.

Once the mount is aligned, the scope or camera + lens, will follow the stars and allow for long exposures.

[Adrena1in]

Hey Michael, I see you're in the South East UK...me too...near Winchester.

Glad to see your appetite has been whetted with these astrophotos. It's the pics I've seen on here that helped inspire me to try and get into the hobby, and while I'm getting results which are pretty pitiful compared to a lot of these guys, it's a great hobby and I'm just starting to really enjoy it.

I began with an EQ-1 mount, and added a motor, but I couldn't figure out how to attach my camera to the little 4.5" Newtonian Reflector telescope I had, which is a real shame because it was fantastic for viewing. Instead I would piggyback my camera on the scope.

I never really aligned the mount properly, so I would get star trails on most of my shots, but short exposures at low focal lengths didn't really show it very much. (You can take 20 or 30 second exposures at under 20mm on a fixed tripod and won't notice too much movement really.) Had I understood the importance of alignment like I do now I might have managed better. Instead I took the route of getting new scopes - refractors - and an EQ-5 mount.

I wonder if there are ever any Star Parties in the South...I've love to attend one one day.

[renderwerks]

Quite a dramatic shot _aravena !

I've asked Pekka in the thread below so maybe add your name to it and perhaps we'll be able to get an astro section on POTN.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=6140331#post6140331

Cheers
:)

Great idea; went there... did that...

[Nighthound]

Thanks Rick.

Here's a few shots taken with 3 different telescopes scopes of the same region of the night sky, in and around the area of the constellation Sagittarius. M8(The Lagoon Nebula), M20 (The Trifid Nebula) and NGC 6559 are some of my favorites in spring and summer. The orientation of the objects below vary because I tend to frame things from an artist's perspective rather than a scientist(which I'm far from being).

M20 (The Trifid Nebula): 10" LX200R Schmidt-Cassegrain-f/6.3 • Losmandy G-11 German Equatorial Mount • 90 minutes exposure time combined: 30 x 3 min exposures (unguided) • Canon 20D (unmodified)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/TrifidR2cc.jpg

M8 (The Lagoon Nebula): 8" Vixen R200SS Newtonian-f/4 • Losmandy G-11 German Equatorial Mount • 135 minutes exposure time combined: 45 x 3 min exposures (unguided) • Canon 20D (unmodified)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/m8vix4ccc.jpg

M20, M8 and NGC 6559. This is a 2 frame mosaic(seamed at center horizontally). Takahashi Sky 90 IIAPO Refractor-f/4.5 • Losmandy G-11 German Equatorial Mount • 120 minutes exposure time combined: 30 x 4 min exposures (unguided) • Canon 20D (unmodified). These type of mosaics are a nice way to get large swaths of sky with good resolution.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/m8m20ngc6559cc.jpg

[canonloader]

First night in a couple weeks that it's been clear out or no moon. I'm heading out for my sixth night shoot. The first four were a bust and I got nothing but black frames, then last time I got a few good ones, but it was almost a full moon. Can't wait to see what I get tonight. :)

[canonloader]

Here's a couple that I liked, but nothing like what you guys are getting. I used the 40D and a Tokina 12-24 at 12mm.

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/uwa/night/star-shots-img_7857-082308.jpg

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/uwa/night/star-shots-img_7869-082308.jpg

[Nighthound]

Lookin' very good Mitch. Your light pollution must not be all that bad. I'd get a white shot if I tried that here. What were your exposure times for these?

[canonloader]

Thanks Steve. This is just outside a small town, so not much light pollution here. The nearest "big" town is Minneapolis, about two hours away in the other direction. Both have the EXIF intact, the first shot was 45" at ISO 800 and 12mm @ f/4, the second one was 30" at ISO 1600 and 12mm @ f/4. The second one I ran through a CS3 Action to remove some banding. Not the first time I have seen banding on the 40D. But that's why it's a little soft. :(

[newb2pro_1day_or_so]

What equipment do you have? I'm still a total beginner, but I've learned a few things already.


EDIT: And if we can't get a dedicated Astronomy forum, one that concerns everything "up" would be okay too...clouds, skies, lightning, aurora, et al.

All I have is the Canon 100mm macro that would even show the stars in a fashion other than very bright spots of noise.

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

Will this do as an astronomy picture?....:rolleyes:

[canonloader]

Very cool setup. What's the little dish for?

[Jeff]

Guru's on stacking....Using my 10" LX200GPS, I took 20 15sec shots of M31 last night. Long exp noise reduction was off. Had to keep the exposures short since I'm not on a wedge, just Alt/Az. I ran them through DeepSkyStacker, aligned on multiple stars and when it finished processing, the image look almost the exact same as any of the single images.

Any thoughts?

Here's one of the single images:

[Nighthound]

Hi Jeff. I assume you're shooting at f/6.3(reducer) with your LX200 which is great, f/10 would be impossible for such short exposures. Even at f/6.3, 15 second exposures on moderately faint objects will be lacking even with many more sub exposures. It's important to remember that although stacking increases signal while minimizing noise, the process can only enhance the faint data recorded. Short sub exposures contain very low levels of recorded data and much missing data due to the short exposure. Your single exposure shows what I would expect for 15 seconds at f/6.3. Have you done any stretching of your stacked image in Photoshop using curves? It's normal for a stacked image to appear dark right out of the software. I spend a lot more time in Photoshop than I do stacking, maybe five to six times more depending on the object brightness and quality of the data gathered.

I also shot for a few years with the fork mount 10" LX200 so I know the difficulty shooting in alt/az presents. Even after getting a wedge I was only able to get my exposures up to around 1 minute max. which is why I sold it and moved to the German Equatorial mount. Don't get me wrong, the LX200 is a fine scope, wish I could have kept mine. It's just going to be limiting, especially on the dimmer objects. f/6.3 is much better than f/10 but still quite slow for deep sky imaging done in short exposures. And when you factor in a focal length over 2000mm you've also got periodic error to contend with as well as the need for extremely accurate tracking. If you plan to hold on to the LX200 I'd suggest getting set up to autoguide which would be best done from a wedge. I know this stuff gets expensive but unfortunately such is the nature of this beast.

Have you tried any piggy back lower focal length imaging with the LX200? I had good success with my Canon 100-400L set at around 100mm under dark skies. A solid piggy back rail system(I had a Losmandy) works very well and isn't terribly expensive.

Keep at it though, try not to be discouraged. My time with the LX200 taught me a lot and was huge in helping me chip away at the learning curve.

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

Try the sliders at the bottom of Deep Sky Stacker. Turn up the saturation gradually and have a play with hightlight midtone shadow, darkness etc. THose little sliders are fun to experiment with and can really suprise you with the data in that image.

If you stuff it up you can always click on the revert button. Have fun with it!

Baz.

P.S. The little dish over my observatory is a radio antenna for listening to Jupiter coming over the horizon.

[Jeff]

Thanks guys. I really LOVE the 10". I have thought about de-forking the tube and getting a GEM. One reason is to have a few different scopes and one really good mount. And then all the benefits of good tracking, longer exposures, etc.

It's looking good for tonight, so I'll try for longer exposures. At this point, I'm not really concerned about field rotation, and things like that. I'm just trying to get better detail in the object.

Do you guys use the noise reduction feature, or take dark frames and subtract them yourselves? (And how do you do that?)

Thanks!

PS: I used Registax not Deep Sky Stacker & yes, I have an f/6.3 reducer on it.

Steve, I haven't tried any manipulation in PS. I have tried piggybacking my 70-200 f/2.8 on top just for some fun shots. Nothing serious though. Soooo much to learn!

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

I have a couple of pages on this subject which should get you going. I don't use the NR feature as it disrupts the imaging session at night. It is better to get your lights while the sky is clear. You can do darks after even if it is cloudy to reduce your noise.

For Astrophotography set-up and techniques

http://www.asignobservatory.com/AstrophotographyGuide.aspx

For Building your own light box

http://www.asignobservatory.com/LightBox.aspx

Hope these help.

Baz.

[R Hardman]

Guru's on stacking....Using my 10" LX200GPS, I took 20 15sec shots of M31 last night. Long exp noise reduction was off. Had to keep the exposures short since I'm not on a wedge, just Alt/Az. I ran them through DeepSkyStacker, aligned on multiple stars and when it finished processing, the image look almost the exact same as any of the single images.

Any thoughts?

Like Steve already stated multiple short exposures is not the way to go. Think of a short exposure just like you looking through the scope with your eye. Your eye simply cannot capture and build up and image since the "exposure" is so short.

Good example is this image. This one had only three. Each 3 minutes at f/5.6 ISO 400 piggybacked at 200mm then stacked.

http://www.ricksdigitaldesert.com/Gallery%20Album/The%20Night%20Sky/slides/IMG_11247s.jpg

[SKnight]

Spectacular Dusty. One of the most beautiful regions in the sky IMO. The range of color is really stunning and yours looks spot on. Great work.

Here's a couple Galaxy shots, M31(Andromeda) and M33:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/andromedaxs.jpg

OK, I do believe I can see houses in this shot. That's better than any shot I've ever seen of M31, including Hubble.

All I've ever done is a little tripod open shutter work, but I hope to change that soon enough.

This is one of my favorites so far.

http://orpheus.smugmug.com/photos/224867886_iJgpE-M.jpg

Taken earlier the same evening.

http://orpheus.smugmug.com/photos/224868636_72Tcv-M.jpg

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

This was early in the peace.....

[Nighthound]

Rick, still a very nice M31 for only 9 minutes. Are you going to try and add a bunch more time this year?

Thanks SKnight. I really like your first shot. Shooting from a tripod under dark skies can be fun, especially shooting the Milky Way. Are you planning on getting set up with a scope for imaging?

Baz, great shots. I really like the Tarantula Nebula. Which scope did you use? I'd love to take a shot at it with my 8" Vixen Newt. So much detail in the core area.

Here's an attempt at The Eagle Nebula(M16) with my Vixen R200SS @ f/4. 2 hours of total exposure time combined, not nearly enough but I'm happy with the detail resolved.

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

And here's M31 with some adjustments. I removed the star spikes (created by crossing string in front of scope lens) and sharpened to give more texture to the dust lanes.

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

[Adrena1in]

Interesting Steve, I've crossed two bits of string over a cover for my scopes, but have never tried them...how thick do the bits of string need to be though to get good star-crosses, because mine's quite thick...probably 0.5 to 1mm in diameter. (Did it to just muck about really.)

[Nighthound]

I went through a phase with star spikes, I don't care much for them now unless I'm using my Newt but then I have no choice. I mainly used the string to help with focus. If the spikes appear as double lines on the LCD you know you're off and you can see the spikes appear in the camera viewfinder while focusing the scope which helps get close from the start.

The spikes will only appear on the brightest stars. I used black nylon fishing leader 30-50 test. I would tape each end and make a perfect cross hair across the front of my LX200 or refractors. The black leader created a less rainbow/color spectrum spike which is more subtle IMO. Test it on Sirius for a serious spike. :-)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/Piggy%20Back/siriusm41.jpg

[Adrena1in]

Wow, that is a really Sirius spike there! ;) I'm sure Vega, Altair or Deneb will make a good target. I don't know if I like the spikes or not. They do add a sort of Sci-Fi-ish effect to star shots, but then on the other hand they're not "normal", (as it not what the eye sees), so I'm happy to not have them. (Tried the Noel Carboni tools to add spikes to my Andromeda and shot and it added a big spike to the galactic core, which looked daft!)

Cool to know they can help with focussing though...I'll definitely try mine the next time I'm out.

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

A hartman mask also helps with focus in the same way. I start with the three triangle mask. I centre a star, defocus it until it becomes 3 stars, then turn the focus knob until the three become one.

Usually when this happens, because you are using three triangles, you end up with six difraction spikes. When I get these spikes clear and sharp, its focused beautifully!

More on making a mask and how to use it here (http://www.asignobservatory.com/Hartman.aspx)

[Adrena1in]

I've got a simple home-made Hartman mask with the three triangles...just never really used it properly. (Would work nicely with the Live View on the Canon EOS 450D I should think!)

Question...should the mask have a round hole in the centre, as well as the three triangle cut-outs? Or does it not really matter?

[Jeff]

Question...should the mask have a round hole in the centre, as well as the three triangle cut-outs? Or does it not really matter?

No need for a center hole. I built my own too with just the 3 triangles and it works great.

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

No need for a center hole. I built my own too with just the 3 triangles and it works great.

The round hole in the centre of mine is just to admit the secondary mirror unit in the middle of my corrector plate, thats all.

You can experiment with different shaped/sized holes and more or less of them.

I tried to use a mathematically stable formula using geometrics to mark mine out. I used the same radius of the aperture to mark the six petal shaped lines then draw the triangles from the points and keep them all equilateral.

It just seemed logical when dealing with optics.......

[Nighthound]

The Hartman is a very economical way to achieve good focus. I still found myself shooting tests and tweaking focus when using one. Using a laptop to download test frames is the most preferred way to get focus spot on but as an alternative I would highly recommend a Stiletto by Stellar Technologies if it fits your budget, you won't be disappointed. You'll get fast, critical focus 99.9% of the time. It's especially fast when used with a refractor due to the great optical contrast in the scope design. I found it more challenging when used with an SCT. Because I can't rely on my LCD to get focus where I want it and I don't always want to cart along a laptop, the Stiletto fit the bill for me.

This is well worth the time to read. Scroll down to Richard Shell's post. He's the creator of the Stiletto and a super nice guy. His customer service is second to none and he takes the time to make sure you understand the product and get the unit that's right for you. Personally, I can't imagine focusing any other way with my scopes, one less hassle in the dark during few and lately far between nights out.

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/2583484/Main/2562406

[Celestron]

Here a Lunar Eclipse back in Feb 2008 . Canon 300D , Sigma 135-400mm APO @ 400mm . Tripod mounted .

[Nighthound]

Wow Ron, that is one of the very best I've seen, very nice clarity/contrast.

Here's a shot of The Cocoon Nebula. 10" LX200/Canon 20D used for this one.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/cocoonxx-1.jpg

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

Likewise, that Cocoon is composed beautifully! I love it!

Baz.

Wow Ron, that is one of the very best I've seen, very nice clarity/contrast.

Here's a shot of The Cocoon Nebula. 10" LX200/Canon 20D used for this one.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/cocoonxx-1.jpg

[Nighthound]

Thanks Baz, greatly appreciate it.

[Adrena1in]

I've read about those Stiletto Focussers, but while I have relatively cheap optics I think my current methods for focussing are acceptable.

Fantastic Cocoon Nebula shot Steve...almost doesn't look real. Keep them coming...

[zacm7]

hey guys fairly new to the site and defiantly this section. this picture was taken about 2 years back on film, let me know what you think.

[Adrena1in]

Nice, I really like long exposures of North Central Pole, with all the stars trailing around in circles like that. Yours is a lot better than mine!

[Nighthound]

Thanks Tim.

Hey Zac, welcome. That's a very unique star trail shot. Looks like a real dark site to shoot from. Could you provide more detail, lens/camera, exposure time, etc.? Thanks.

Please post more if you have 'em.

Here's The Pleiades (M45). One hour and 45 minutes total exposure. Takahashi Sky 90 II / Losmandy G-11 / Canon 20D. All exposures unguided.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/m4507bcc.jpg

[SKnight]

Played around with a little open shutter work last night, nothing serious, not edited yet. 15 and 30 second exposures, if I'm going to be doing more of this I guess I'll have to get some sort of tracking platform.

http://orpheus.smugmug.com/photos/360524941_iucNg-M.jpg

http://orpheus.smugmug.com/photos/360523937_8ZBP8-M.jpg

http://orpheus.smugmug.com/photos/360524667_uYjQz-M.jpg

I still need to work on focus and ISO/exposure times to get the trailing down, but I'm pleased for a first attempt with this rig.

[SKnight]

hey guys fairly new to the site and defiantly this section. this picture was taken about 2 years back on film, let me know what you think.Nicely done, I like the way you got the Milky Way involved without overexposing the rest of the scene.

[Celestron]

Wow Ron, that is one of the very best I've seen, very nice clarity/contrast.

Here's a shot of The Cocoon Nebula. 10" LX200/Canon 20D used for this one.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/cocoonxx-1.jpg

Thanks Steve , at the moment i'm at work and their security protection will not allow me to see any images from photobucket among a few other sites as well . I have to do all my viewing from home :( . But i know how your images are fantastic and will be glad to see others as well when i get home !

[zacm7]

hey guys thanks for the comments. i will post some more but this is my best so far.

more info:
nikon f100, provia 200, nikon 10.5mm (thats why its the fisheye effect with black corners because its a digi lens on film:().
the exposure time was around 20-25 mins. funny thing is we were sitting out by the dock at my cottage (near sudbury ontario) with no remotes. my friend and I sat there with our fingers on the cameras for 20 mins set on bulb. (no joke).

you guys have some good work well done. sorry for my astronomy noob question but how do you get so close to the stars? with a telescope connector, or is it a super long telephoto?

SKnight-if you dont have a remote release for your camera go get one they are great. those shots would look great with a 5min exposure, good luck.

[Celestron]

Well i finally got home from work where i can see all images and i must SAY !! Job well done to everyone here that posted a image ! This is exciting !! I liked them all from the first page to the last !

[Celestron]

Heres one more from back in 05' . This is the E.T. Cluster NGC457 in Cassiopia . 5x30s , 300D Prime Focus an Celestron 8" SCT . This isn't the best but the best i have captured so far .

[renderwerks]

I'm loving all these images...

This long weekend my family and I are going to the Colorado River near Parker, Az (we have a place there). I'm going to try some shooting armed with my new knowledge (and a handful of lenses)! There are some really clear, dark skies there. You can see the Milky Way quite prominently.

I just spent the last two hours in my backyard playing with my 40D/Sigma 17-70 hooked up to my laptop with EOS Utility for the first time. Wanted to get some time playing around with it. I'm going to use it this weekend for the first time and hopefully get some good shots.

I'm just starting to learn about the objects in the skies and their apparent movement, the phases of the moon, etc...

I found and downloaded a couple great programs that are helping me:

Stellarium (http://www.stellarium.org/http://www.stellarium.org/) - great program that lets you pick a location & watch the movement of the skies. Great graphics. You can turn on locator icons for nebula, galaxies & clusters. It labels major stars and the planets. You can click on objects in the sky and it will tell you what they are, the name, their location & more. It's helping me to learn much quicker. Freeware!

Another is Moonphase (http://www.tingan.com/index.asp?top=top&left=meny&right=space&main=w3) - simple utility that shows the phases of the moon and when it rises and sets. Helps to plan stargazing and photo opportunities. Plus it's just cool to play with. Freeware again!

I've downloaded Deep Sky Stacker, and will play with that after this weekend as time permits.

I'm getting really excited about learning and experimenting with this type of photography. I want to thank all that have contributed conversations and images. Hope to share my own after this weekend...

Clear skies!

[Nighthound]

Great ET Ron, nice tight stars. I haven't tried that one yet. It is exciting to see the enthusiasm here and of course the great shots as well.

Rick, sounds like you've got big fun ahead and you're going well prepared. If you have a very dark northern sky, I'd love to see some 30+ minute star trail exposures around Polaris. I dream someday of getting out to Arizona. I've heard so much about your beautiful dark skies. I'd be in heaven with a week of clear skies out there, and very sleep deprived. :) Looking forward to your images. Safe travel, and clear skies!

Here's a single exposure of the Horse Head area in Orion from last year. It was a night with lots of meteor activity and I managed to catch a few. There are actually three in this shot, see if you can find the other two.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/test/flamehhmeteorx-1-1.jpg

[Adrena1in]

you guys have some good work well done. sorry for my astronomy noob question but how do you get so close to the stars? with a telescope connector, or is it a super long telephoto?

Mostly the images will be taken through a telescope. There are various ways to do this.

1) Hold or clamp the camera up to the telescope eyepiece. This is called "A-Focal", and is a good way to start on things like the moon or Jupiter for example, which require only very short exposures.

2) Buy an adapter and connect the camera directly to the telescope, so the scope acts as a lens. This is called "Prime" shooting, and is generally the most common. My moon shot in the first page is a Prime focus shot using my 1200mm telescope. (It's 1.2 metres long and with a 5" diameter objective lens.)

3) Similar to Prime focus is "Lens projection". You again use an adapter to connect the camera to the scope, but the adapter is big enough to allow you to put a telescope eyepiece in, which gives extra magnification.

Getting closer to the stars isn't always necessary though...some of the objects you're seeing images of in this thread are actually quite big and cover a lot of sky. The Andromeda galaxy is apparently six times larger than the full moon! The Orion Nebula is, I think, about the same size as the full moon, but if you want to shoot the other nebulae surrounding the Orion Nebula you'll want very little magnification really...a 100mm or 200mm camera lens could do the trick nicely.

A decent telescope is a benefit, but not essential. What *IS* essential for the images you see of galaxies and nebulae and stuff is a tracking mount. When set up correctly, these allow your camera to track the stars as they move across the sky, because you need to make long exposures. Look at the descriptions people put by their images...some photos are effectively hours worth of exposure time.

And yes, get a remote-cable-release for your shutter too...they're also pretty essential. I use mine all the time when I'm taking photos of the heavens, (unless I have my laptop connected to the camera, because when I do that it becomes my cable-release!)

[Celestron]

Thanks Rick & Steve ! As usual Steve i'm at work again so can't see your image :( but i know like all your others it is amazing and will see it later . You for one have produced some of the BEST , SHORT images taken i have seen and it always amazes me !!

[renderwerks]

I have a couple of questions:

1. Can Deep Sky Stacker take RAW images from a 40D?
(answered my own question - yes; I placed one in there just to check... ;))

2. When using EOS Utility in Live View mode, does the mirror stay up when taking the exposure? (I know it's obviously up during the exposure :lol: ). What I mean is does it drop, then flip up for the exposure; or does it stay up? I want to avoid vibration from the mirror flipping up at the beginning of the exposure.

[Nighthound]

I wouldn't have been of any assistance with DSS, I don't use it and unfortunately I don't use Live View either. Glad you got it figured out.

I know with my Canon digital remote I hit the button once and the mirror is raised. I push once more to begin the timed exposure. I shoot with the 5D and 20D so I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Hopefully someone will chime in soon on your Live View question.

[S.Horton]

Just an amazing thread all-around!

[Celestron]

Heres M8 & M20/M21 in a WF image . I used a Stellarvue AT1010 NightHawk , FL480mm , 80mm (aperture) , f/6 , Canon 300D , Prime Focus , 1-min . The NightHawk is an Achromatic refractor which isnot choice scope for astrophotography but it is a fine scope for viewing . Abberation adjusted in PS7 and final edit in PS7 . This is my best image from the NightHawk but i don't use it very often .

[Celestron]

Great ET Ron, nice tight stars. I haven't tried that one yet. It is exciting to see the enthusiasm here and of course the great shots as well.

Here's a single exposure of the Horse Head area in Orion from last year. It was a night with lots of meteor activity and I managed to catch a few. There are actually three in this shot, see if you can find the other two.



Excellent shot Steve as i knew it would be ! What a catch with a closeup meteor also !

[Nighthound]

Excellent shot Ron. Such a beautiful piece of sky.

The Nighthawk, it's a Stellarvue, no disclaimers needed. I sure wouldn't mind having one in my collection. My friend just picked up their 80mm APO, the build of the Stellarvues is top notch.

[Nighthound]

Excellent shot Steve as i knew it would be ! What a catch with a closeup meteor also !

Thanks Ron. Not very often I get that lucky during a meteor event. I'm usually pointing in the direction I should be and the meteors are streaking behind me.

[Nighthound]

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:

[Celestron]

I remember alot of ppl had that 4300 and it was a very popular camera ! I almost bought one bt it was off the shelf except at ebay which prices really soared but it still is a great little camera for EP projection . Those a some very good shots Steve and Mars never looked better ;) !

[Celestron]

Heres a Sunrise image i took one morning early as the sun was rising . The horizon was filtered with so much haze that the sun actually looked like this , amazing ! Canon 300D , 75-300mm , 1:4-5.6 III @ 300mm , tripod mounted . If you might remember during this time there was a very large sunspot that could be seen naked eye that it even was on spaceweather during that time . This was either just before or sometimes after that event .

[Celestron]

Heres a moon rise also with the same setup as above , only a different time .

[Nighthound]

Beautiful Ron. Would have been a perfect sunrise for a Venus transit huh?

I like the atmospheric distortion(oblong) on a low Moon. Color is incredible.

[Celestron]

Heres a Sun image for a change a couple yrs back when Mercury crossed the Sun . This is with the Celestron C8 SCT , Canon 300D with a 2" Diagonal and the Canon with a 2" adapter and T-Ring . This was a good day !

[Celestron]

Beautiful Ron. Would have been a perfect sunrise for a Venus transit huh?

I like the atmospheric distortion(oblong) on a low Moon. Color is incredible.


Thanks Steve ! It was really cool to see for sure !

[Celestron]

Heres another Sun image with Sunspots with the C8 and Canon same setup as previous Sun image . Please notice thought that both Sun images are taken with a 8" Baadar Solar Filter attached to the front of the scope for safe viewing and imaging .

[Celestron]

Heres my last one for tonight ;) . This is M13 , taken Canon 300D , Prime Focus of the C8 SCT with a f6.3 Focal Reducer . Single 30-sec image , 1600 ISO , processed in PS7 . BTW thought i might mention that when you have a camera attached Prime Focus to a scope your "f" setting will be what ever the scopes "f/stop" is which on the C8 is a Fixed f/10 but when you use a Focal Reducer it changes to F/6.3 or f/3.3 , depending which Focal Reducer you use .

[Nighthound]

Wholey Moley Ron, your Mercury transit shot is awesome. Outstanding detail and color. Like your sunspots and M13 too, nice series.

[Nighthound]

Here's a close up frame of the Antares region. I aspire to shoot a 6 frame mosaic at 407mm with the Sky 90 one day of this area. Canon 20D / Sky 90 / Losmandy G-11

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

[Celestron]

Thanks steve ! And might i say thats a Fine Antares Region ! I tried this once from my backyard but didn't work too well :( .

Heres probably my best Saturn and Jupiter image taken with the Rebel 300D @ PF of the 8 SCT . It's very hard to get a decent image of planets with only 6.3mp camera outside of getting a good enough focus to capture decent detail . I think if i remember correctly the Saturn image is a 6-7-secs and the Jupiter is 8-11-secs @ 1600 ISO .

[Nighthound]

These are very good Ron. Like you say it's tough to shoot planetary with a DSLR, especially single exposures. On rare nights with exceptional seeing conditions it is possible to get some surprises.

Jupiter moon transit:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/juptrans.jpg

Mars:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/test/mars22x.jpg

[Adrena1in]

With the solar photos, do you do any particular processing afterwards? I bought a solar filter ready for the eclipse a while back, but missed it. I did manage some photos of the sun, but there was no detail on it whatsoever. Focussing might've been out I guess...found that a little tricky, (and hot work too...sweating like a pig I was as the sun beat down on me!!) ;)

Next time I try it I'll have the laptop connected up to the 450D, and will take it indoors or into get into the shade and out of the heat.

[_aravena]

So how expensive are some of these setups?

[Celestron]

With the solar photos, do you do any particular processing afterwards? I bought a solar filter ready for the eclipse a while back, but missed it. I did manage some photos of the sun, but there was no detail on it whatsoever. Focussing might've been out I guess...found that a little tricky, (and hot work too...sweating like a pig I was as the sun beat down on me!!) ;)

Next time I try it I'll have the laptop connected up to the 450D, and will take it indoors or into get into the shade and out of the heat.


To be honest about detail on the sun . It's very hard to get good focus on the sun unless it has sunspots to help with . Most times you have to just watch the edges to get focus as fine as possible . Larger scopes have a better chance . To really get good detail has alot to do with the processing and the scope you use and focus . Different ppl use a different processing technique and not all techniques work the same for all ppl . Heres a LINK (http://www.allaboutastro.com/Articlepages/hasolarimagingtips.html) to a friends way of processing . Don't forget i used a Baadar Solar Filter (http://www.astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/XT1CUT2PGTCJ9N57AP6LN5DRA0/product_id/71BC8C) for my 8" Celestron SCT . This gives a plain white view and imaging of the sun , no colors and it's usually the cheapest filter to get unless you just buy the materials and make one with extreme caution ! Also with this filter you will not see solar flares . You have to have a Solar Scope (http://www.coronadofilters.com/) or Special Solar Eye-Pieces for your scope and which either way you go is expensive . So best i can tell you is if detail is not too important and your only want to see sunspots when they appear or see planet transits then a Baadar White Solar filter will work but if you want detail then get a solar scope :) . One thing i will mention , you will not get detail with a camera and lens only with a solar filter unless the sunspot is so big it's naked eye viewing when the sun is filtered from clouds or smokey horizons or like some mornings when the haze on the horizon is so thick the sun rises and is a deep yellow or pink color .

Focusing is tricky , and the heat.......well you have to suffer sometimes :D !

[Celestron]

So how expensive are some of these setups?


Follow the links i posted in my reply to Adrena1in . You'll find prices within the links .

[Celestron]

These are very good Ron. Like you say it's tough to shoot planetary with a DSLR, especially single exposures. On rare nights with exceptional seeing conditions it is possible to get some surprises.

Jupiter moon transit:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/juptrans.jpg

Mars:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/Astrophotography/test/mars22x.jpg


These are excellent images Steve ! I really like the transit image ! I tried for a transit image about a couple weeks ago and messed up my focus so bad i couldn't do anything , even observe and it was so late i had to wait til the next day cause clouds came in closing my previous nights work :( .

[Adrena1in]

So how expensive are some of these setups?

My first setup was around £130. Secondhand 4.5" reflector on an EQ1 mount was £87 on eBay, then I got a motor and a few bits and that was enough to get me started, though I was only able to do piggyback shots...camera mounted on the back of the scope, and not actually shooting through it. I didn't need the scope really, though it was nice for viewing.

My current mount alone was nearer £400, including steel tripod and GOTOStar software for locating objects in the sky, (though I hardly ever use this to be honest...yet!). My 600mm scope was around £120, and my 1200mm was around £150...very cheap really, but pretty good. Achromatic refractors. Nowhere near the optical quality of an Apochromatic refractor, but still not bad. 80mm was £90 on eBay. Meade DSI-C was £140. Various attachments and stuff I've bought so far have been a few more hundred I guess.

But the way I see it, I've spent less than, say, a decent new 400mm L IS Canon lens, and I've got STACKS of stuff to show for it. It's all relative really.

[Johnny9s]

I am really interested in trying this out. I currently have a 40D with 70-200mm f/4L and a 400mm f/5.6L lenses plus others. If I picked up the EQ mount and electronic drive from Amazon listed earlier in the thread Here (http://www.amazon.com/Orion-EQ-1-Equatorial-Mount/dp/B0000XMX7K/ref=pd_sim_p_2) would I be able to mount my camera to it? Would I be able to use my existing lenses?

I have always been fascinated by astrophotography and I think I live in a good area to try it out. We have no street lights in our town and it is up in the mountains. No light pollution at all.

If anyone else has some suggestions on a decent starter setup please let me know.

John

[Wazza]

Great work posted by all! I wish I had clearer skies where I am - but not in NZ no longer

Here's my favourite,

http://www.warrenwilliams.co.nz/gallery/astro/moon_jup_01.jpg
Taken with 20D in June 2005. Jupiter and the moon

And a larger different shot:
http://www.warrenwilliams.co.nz/gallery/album/astro/slides/moon_jupiter_50pc.html

[canonloader]

If anyone else has some suggestions on a decent starter setup please let me know.
My only suggestion is get a wide angle lens. Your telephotos aren't going to show much and may not stay steady enough for star shots. The longer the lens, the more it wiggles.

[Adrena1in]

I currently have a 40D with 70-200mm f/4L and a 400mm f/5.6L lenses plus others. If I picked up the EQ mount and electronic drive from Amazon listed earlier in the thread Here (http://www.amazon.com/Orion-EQ-1-Equatorial-Mount/dp/B0000XMX7K/ref=pd_sim_p_2)would I be able to mount my camera to it? Would I be able to use my existing lenses?

I've attached my camera directly to my mount before. I just used some blocks of wood and bought a 1/4" screw thread for the job. Ugly, but works.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9250/cameramountfm8.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cameramountfm8.jpg)

However, I did this to take a wide-angle shot of the Milky way with a 10-22mm lens...if I had a large lens on the camera and the mount was tilted sideways, chances are it would spin under the weight, so an extra support of some kind would be a good idea. What I would do is mount the camera on the other end of the block, in the same orientation, and then put a curved support of some kind on the other end to wrap round and support the lens.

I did think the EQ-1 was a good starter, but I'd definitely suggest you get one with a motor. It might not be the most accurate, and at 400mm you may notice trails and stuff on even fairly short exposures, but it at least won't be a waste of too much money if you decide it's not for you. (However, being up in the mountains and away from light pollution, I think astrophotography could prove VERY rewarding!)

[canonloader]

I am patiently waiting for cooler nights with no bugs, and less haze in the air to get out and use my new EQ-1. The cooler weather is coming tomorrow, along with a week of rain. :(

[Adrena1in]

I am patiently waiting for cooler nights with no bugs, and less haze in the air to get out and use my new EQ-1. The cooler weather is coming tomorrow, along with a week of rain. :(
I can imagine you're quite excited about it if it's all new to you. The EQ-1 will be great for learning Polar Alignment, and the Drift Method, what with it's lack of a Polar-Scope and Alignment programs such as GOTOStar. I practised on mine when I had it, but was never patient enough! :o

[canonloader]

I'm just hoping I have the theory down well enough to even align it close. I have tested the motor drive and found how everything works and fits together, but I have not set it up completely yet. I guess I should be doing that before the day? :lol:

[Ballen Photo]

There are some "very" impressive image's in this thread by some names I recognize, (Nighthound to name one) and some that are new to me. A.S.I.G.N., Dusty, and more.
You guys are an inspiration. :cool:
-Bruce

[Celestron]

I am patiently waiting for cooler nights with no bugs, and less haze in the air to get out and use my new EQ-1. The cooler weather is coming tomorrow, along with a week of rain. :(


I think myself and NightHound (Steve) forgot to mention that when you buy astronomy equipment it's usually followed by some type of bad weather.......:( :o , but rest asure it will happen for you :lol: ! When i bought my Celestron C8 on an EQ5 mount it clouded the same day and rained for 2 weeks :evil: . Just be patient !

[canonloader]

I've already been through the new equipment bad weather treatment. When the EQ mount and motor drive arrived, it rained the next 8 days. This is just the end of mosquito season bad weather stretch now. :)

[SKnight]

I think myself and NightHound (Steve) forgot to mention that when you buy astronomy equipment it's usually followed by some type of bad weather.......:( :o , but rest asure it will happen for you :lol: ! When i bought my Celestron C8 on an EQ5 mount it clouded the same day and rained for 2 weeks :evil: . Just be patient !That's the truth! My 14" Dob had one good weekend right out of the box, then two solid months of clouds! It's directly proportionate to the cost of/desire to use the item in question.

Beautiful weekend at http://chiefland.org/ I bought two Pentax eyepieces from a vendor, that night someone nearby set the world on fire and caused a haze over the field that night. You just can't win!

[Celestron]

I am really interested in trying this out. I currently have a 40D with 70-200mm f/4L and a 400mm f/5.6L lenses plus others. If I picked up the EQ mount and electronic drive from Amazon listed earlier in the thread Here (http://www.amazon.com/Orion-EQ-1-Equatorial-Mount/dp/B0000XMX7K/ref=pd_sim_p_2)would I be able to mount my camera to it? Would I be able to use my existing lenses?

I have always been fascinated by astrophotography and I think I live in a good area to try it out. We have no street lights in our town and it is up in the mountains. No light pollution at all.

If anyone else has some suggestions on a decent starter setup please let me know.

John

Sounds like you have the perfect spot for viewing or imaging ! The EQ1 would be a good mount to help you decide whether or not you want to stay in astrophotograhy . Be sure and learn Polar Alignment thought cause if you don't have some knowledge on it you may become dissappointed and discouraged and give up too easy . I will promise you this , as a beginner you are not going to have perfect images and thats a fact unless you have been under the wings of someone already experienced to start with . Polar Alignment seems to be everyones pull back but once you get the hang of it you will get better over time . This is the reason the Go-To mounts have been so popular for so long now but before you invest in this type mount you have to get your feet wet and make sure this is what you like ! Just remember it's a hobby and it's suppose to be fun and not work ! However it will seem like work for a while ;) . If after trying this with the EQ1 and you like it well enough to stay with it then you might consider upgrading your mount and equip over a period of time . It is expensive depending what you want to do . Don't use your long lens to start with , use a short lens like 50mm and shorter to start with then move up but remember the bigger the lens the more weight and problems you will have ! Good luck though and let us here your progress ! Those of us here with experience will be glad to help what we can !
Have a nice day :D !

[Nighthound]

John,it looks like you have what you need to et started. Your 400L/camera might be pushing the weight limit of the EQ-1, not sure what the limit is. Definitely worth a try. Shooting at 400 mm may be a challenge with that mount but where there's a will, there's a way. A good alignment will be crucial. Your dark skies will make things so much easier than the skies here do. No light pollution?, I'll be right over! :D

Wazza, that's a beautiful shot of the conjunction. We had clouds here for that one, I got a peek but no decent shots.

Tim, that's what I like to see. Use what you have whenever possible. As long as it gets it done.

Thanks Bruce, great to hear from you. I hope you'll come back to visit when you can.

The weather curse has been on us here for so long I must have banked some of it over the years of buying gear. It's bad enough when you go long stretches but what grinds me is loading up my gear(a bunch), driving an hour, setting up, aligning/drift aligning and looking up at on and off(mostly on) thin clouds the rest of the night. This has happened the last 4 times out. The forecast was said to be "Clear" each night on multiple weather sights and the clear sky clock. The reports are getting laughable. I like "clear with some clouds" the best. Come on guys make a choice already. I think what these guys need is an office with a window. Just venting and having some fun, no offense to the meteorologists out there, you do important work and I'm grateful as the "canes" approach us that you're out there for us.

Here's M45(Pleiades), TAK Sky 90 II • Losmandy G-11 w/Gemini.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/m4507bcc.jpg

[Wazza]

Thanks Steve, I'll hopefully get some more astro shots Jan-March next year when I'm in NZ again.
That shot is fab!

[Ballen Photo]

Thanks Bruce, great to hear from you. I hope you'll come back to visit when you can.
Thanks Steve, I'll definitely be checking in on you guys from time to time. :)

Here's M45(Pleiades), TAK Sky 90 II • Losmandy G-11 w/Gemini.
And this is one of the type of image found here that keeps me coming back. ;)
-Bruce

[Johnny9s]

Thanks for all the info. I have a 10-22 and 50mm lens that I can start out with. I have been reading up on all the polar alignment but I need to actually try it out before it will make sense.

Here are a couple from my driveway that I shot a while ago. I hope that with the proper equipment I can do some longer exposures and figure out the stacking programs.

This one was shot with my 50mm f/1.8 ISO 400 8 seconds.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/2240699843_a08b13c2f4_o.jpg

These 2 are shot with my 400 f/5.6

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2319/2208583926_10593748dd_o.jpg

And here is the same shot overprocessed to give it some colour.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/2209109927_e7bd42c6f8_o.jpg

John

[Celestron]

WOW John , your not so much a newbie after all :shock: ! Those are really good ! Especially the Orion constellation shot . Stars aren't bad and the colors look pretty good . Do you remember what settings were used with your camera to get these ?

[Johnny9s]

Thanks for the reply. My settings were 50mm f/1.8 ISO 400 for 8 seconds.

[Adrena1in]

I have a 10-22 and 50mm lens that I can start out with. I have been reading up on all the polar alignment but I need to actually try it out before it will make sense.

I borrowed a friend's Canon 10-22mm to take some Milky Way Wide shots, and loved it...definitely want one. I was also watching a Canon 50mm Prime f/1.8 lens on eBay the other day...don't think it went for much...I should have got it really. While a part of me wants to take nebulae and galaxy shots, another part like the wide-angle constellation/Milky Way shots...and they're a little easier I think. Alignment issues aren't as noticeable.

The idea of Polar Alignment made sense to me straight away, but the idea of Drift Alignment took ages to get a grasp on. I didn't have a problem with understanding the errors involved in Drift Aligning on stars in the East or West...that was easy to visualise. It was the issue of correcting for drift on a star in the south that messed my head up.

Someone once wrote a technique which involved imagining two hula-hoops. (Not the crisps...the rings that girls used to wiggle round their waists!). One hoop would indicate the motion the stars would travel along, the other hoop would represent the path your mount would take. By visualising these hoops together, but mis-aligned to represent the mount error, it became easy to understand why when a star drifts in a certain direction it means the mount is misaligned in a certain way.

Hard to explain, but as you said, the more you test it the more you'll get to understand it.

[Nighthound]

Great stuff John. Star color is very nice.

Thanks Tim, now I just need to figure out how I'm going to fit two hula hoops in my equipment cases. :D

This hobby seems to be a series of hurdles that with each jumped comes some degree of image improvement. The trick is endurance, the patience to pace one's self and to realize there are no major shortcuts. It's great that today there are so many astrophotographers out there willing to share ideas and knowledge and it's only a click away. For me the difficulties/frustrations and technical nature of the hobby make it very challenging but also extremely rewarding when things come together. I do a lot of nature/wildlife work as well. Both types of imaging present their own set of challenges. One consists of subjects that never move but rather I'm shooting from a moving object using a very technical approach. The other consists of subjects that are many times unpredictable, moving and have to be located, sometimes in areas where I'm on the menu for some of the animals. I like the balance of these two types of nature work and I thoroughly enjoy the wonder I get to witness when doing each.

Here's IC 405(Flaming Star Nebula) and IC410 at right. This is one of my favorite pieces of the night sky to compose. It fills the frame nicely at 407mm.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/flamingstrrev2cc.jpg

[Johnny9s]

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

[Johnny9s]

I went out last night with the 10-22 and tried out some shots. I forgot about focusing so only 1 came out halfway decent.

Shot from my driveway pointed straight up.

10mm for 85 seconds.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2825965573_8d71eb91d8_o.jpg

Let me know what you think.

John

[SKnight]

For unfocused, it's pretty damn good. Looks like the zoom slipped a bit though. Look at how the stars around the edges are streaks while the middle ones are dots? That's a telltale of a slipped zoom. Very cool effect if you can plan it, looks like the jump to hyperspace!

[renderwerks]

Nice Milky Way John, I like it.

I didn't have much luck this weekend with our trip to Parker, AZ. It was really cloudy Friday night, so I thought that would be a bust... At about 3:00am, my daughter woke us up saying the trailer was shaking. I could hear the wind howling and went outside. You could see lightning in the distance coming our way and it was raining some. By 3:30am the storm was right on top of us, and there were lightning bolts every couple of seconds all around us. I decided to take advantage and try and catch a few. All at 17mm, 4 seconds @ f/5.6, ISO 200:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/2826902582_f460a76502_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2826064113_a51a5df870_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2826902896_55ffbf775f_o.jpg

It was an awesome show!

It was cloudy Saturday night as well, no images... When I went to bed Sunday night, there were some clouds in the sky. I woke up at 3:30am and went outside and it was beautifully clear! I quickly threw my gear in the van and took a drive out in the hills away from any lights. I had to work fast as the sunrise was going to be upon me pretty quick. I only had a chance to take a few series (this was my first time) before it began to get light.

I ran them through Deep Sky Stacker (again, first time), and this is what I got:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2826062695_c450fbfdd9_o.jpg
4 x 15 sec, ISO 400, 17mm

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/2826902270_982189de06_o.jpg
3 x 30 sec, ISO 800, 17mm

Unfortunately, that's all I had time to do. I'm not sure if I'm using the stacking software correctly. I alternately shot light and dark frames, and later shot bias frames. I just used the default settings.

[Johnny9s]

Wow..those lightning shots are amazing.

I just downloaded deep sky tracker and am going to try it out on my next shoot. I haven't tried stacking images yet.

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?

[renderwerks]

Wow..those lightning shots are amazing.
Thanks, this was the first time I've tried it. Just got lucky with the exposure.

I just downloaded deep sky tracker and am going to try it out on my next shoot. I haven't tried stacking images yet.

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?


I just pointed my camera up and took shots one right after another without moving the camera. I noticed the stars are elongated about 2x1 in the 30 second exposures... Not sure if I'm doing it right or not.

[Celestron]

.

Here's IC 405(Flaming Star Nebula) and IC410 at right. This is one of my favorite pieces of the night sky to compose. It fills the frame nicely at 407mm.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/Nighthd/PS%20Gallery/flamingstrrev2cc.jpg

WOW Steve ! Excellent shot of the FS !Probably the best i've seen yet !

[Celestron]

For unfocused, it's pretty damn good. Looks like the zoom slipped a bit though. Look at how the stars around the edges are streaks while the middle ones are dots? That's a telltale of a slipped zoom. Very cool effect if you can plan it, looks like the jump to hyperspace!

Sorry SKnight but thats not zoom slippage . Thats called rotation of the stars and this image is a perfect example . Look at the edges all around this image and you can see that the star trails go left to right especially on the right side of the image the stars seem to streak in a downward motion while the stars in the center are more pinpoint . The reasons the stars in the center are pinpoint is because your looking toward the southpole and unless your extremely far south near the equator you won't be able to see the southern pole area but you can see the effects as in this picture because the closer to the center you get the more pinpoint the stars are . When you point your camera to Polaris which is less than 1 degree off True north then you get the same exact results , StarTrails (http://www.astropix.com/HTML/SHOW_DIG/011.HTM) as shown in this image of Jerry Lodriguss a professional photographer . A camera Zoom Slip which comonly called Zoom Creep (http://i.pbase.com/o4/75/6975/1/61592411.6PHEajtg.060906_DSC_7395_35135mmAfricanIr is.jpg) shows streaking from center to outward . Perfect example is also the SHow StarTrek when the SpaceShip went into Warp speed , thats done with Zoom Creep effect .

This is perfect example if n image that is not on a Tracking Mount with motors and it also shows mis Polar Alignment but it's very close which is expected in these type images with a camera on a Tripod thats non-tracking .