Feeling bad, but mustered the strength to go outside and see this total lunar eclipse (shot taken on a Canon 300D through a 300mm lens). Next one is in 2010; hopefully, I feel better by then. Click on the picture for larger size.
An amaetur shot of a comet (click on link please) that seems to have ‘exploded’ to some degree and got a lot brighter. Used a demo version of ImagesPlus (will likely buy this as it is user friendly) so hence, the hatchmarks for the demo version…
Tonight is supposed to be clear and I’ve been waiting to try some more test shots as I try to improve the astrophotography. Instead, I’m here sick and can barely get out of bed. I need a new daytime hobby.
Well, they were new for us anyway. Really clear night on Sunday night. Got to see Uranus and Neptune. I’m thinking I need to photograph each of the planets just to keep a log/record of the ones we’ve observed. Both planets were low in the sky so not very clear but Uranus definitely has a bluish tint to it. Pluto will be hard to observe given its magnitude but I should be able to record it in a photo. That’s for another night…
On a really clear night, was able to expose to about 8 minutes. Andromeda Galaxy was low but shots came out okay. This was an unguided shot so guiding should help. A skyglow filter would also help.
Did some PEC training and Smart Mount training (want to do some more polar alignment) but this has definitely improved the alignment. Took a test shot (here) — removed the UV filter, stopped down the aperture and used larger files (but not RAW just yet) and the results are reasonable.
Quick update — my attempts to make Starry Night Pro work in Vista have failed so far. My solution for now is to either use Stellarium (freeware / coolware) or use the dual boot I setup for Windows XP.
Took the plunge and bought a laptop for use in the observatory. I’m dealing with Vista issues. Fairly sure my DSLR won’t connect with Vista but I can deal with that. Starry Night Pro (which them claim works with Vista) is not working with Vista. The company is sending me an update disk. We’ll see… In the meantime, I’m installing XP as a virtual PC running under Vista to see if that works.
Had just a few hours to play a little bit more with polar alignment and take a test shot. This is a stack of 5 2-min non-guided shots and 1-dark shot. A few lessons to try for next time: (1) somehow put a piece of foam between the lens and the scope to keep the lens from shaking, (2) use RAW format, (3) remove front UV lens (I think this is creating inner reflections), and (4) take pictures on a clearer night! Also might help to stop down the lens one or two stops.
