Solar Photography - August 21, 2017
My contribution to the 2017 Solar Eclipse craziness. I shot nearly 200GBs of video and still images with a QHY5III178 CCD camera, Nikon 300mm lens, Seymour Solar filters.
I did manage to pick up some decent sun spots on all the filtered images:
Solar eclipse and moon composite shot:
Here's the simple setup I used for these solar shots: QHY5III178 CCD camera, Geoptik Adaptor for Nikon lenses, Nikon 70-300mm lens, Seymour Solar filter. I used SharpCap under Windows 10 to capture frames. And before you ask I'll say, yes, I am using dew heater strips to hold on the solar filter, which is sized for 4.1" diameter scopes (like the William Optics GT-81). And yes, that isn't very safe if I was looking directly through the lens, but since I was doing all of this from the shady comfort of my garage...well, that's okay then, right? Sometimes you just have to rig something up to take some pictures.
Posted August 21, 2017
Remote Astro - July 24, 2017
I'm down with the LMC--let me hear you say Large Magellanic Cloud. I took some wide field images of a small portion of the LMC, centered on the Dragon's Head Nebula (NGC2035), that colorful stretch of star-forming cloudiness in the middle of the pic. Astro specs: 8 stacked 300 sec exposures, Takahashi SKY90 APO, SBIG ST2000 XMC camera, Paramount PME.
Now, before you go thinking that I've teleported to the southern hemisphere, which is where you have to be to see our nebulous galactic neighbor, the Large Magellanic Cloud, I assure you I haven't. I have merely bought a tiny slice of observatory time on some fantastic hardware that happens to be located at the Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales, Australia.
I will also tell you that I can fly from here to Australia seven or eight times--first class--for what that equipment setup costs. It's so much easier pretending to be there under the stars near Coonabarabran, using some totally badass astronomical gear. And it's easy, and inexpensive. Besides, it's pouring rain here, and I miss seeing the sky. Wait, I don't have to justify my imaginary stargazing trip to Australia to you! Go check it out yourself: https://www.itelescope.net (The observatory in Spain is lovely as well).
A portion of the Large Magellanic Cloud
