Some photos to relax with.

[Superman]

Grand Prismatic Hot Spring, Yellowstone National Park

So hard to do that site justice in one image. Too bad drones aren’t allowed.

 

[Superman]

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Makes you want to take a stroll up the river to the mountains.

 

[pellicle]

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Makes you want to take a stroll up the river to the mountains.

Nice work, deserved a tweak (you may not agree)

 

[pellicle]

Yesterday, heading into town to get some groceries

 

[Critter]

Taking up new hobbie . Using a different camera.

 

[Critter]

Taking up new hobbie . Using a different camera.

My next target will be heart nebula

 

[Critter]

Whirlpool Galaxy . It would take traveling at at 187,000 miles/sec for 31 million light years to get there. I doubt galaxy is even there. Taking that amount of time for a photon of light to get here. Shot was only 112 minutes of stacked photos.

 

[pellicle]

Whirlpool Galaxy . It would take traveling at at 187,000 miles/sec for 31 million light years to get there. I doubt galaxy is even there. Taking that amount of time for a photon of light to get here. Shot was only 112 minutes of stacked photos.

well, no doubt we could calculate where it shuold be (if we wanted to) but in our life time its not significant where it actually is.
None the less such a stellar picture deserves a little about its production (mount, stacking, camera, lens ...)

 

[Critter]

I was into visual astronomy about 25 years ago. I have taken shots underwater, topside, and now going to the heavens. That shot was taken with a Seestar telescope. It is quite the cheat it has built in gps, Wi-Fi, Hydrogen/Oxygen filter, triplet 50mm lens design. It is on an Alt/Az mount which is not ideal for astrophotography. That is why I shoot 10 second exposures that are stacked one on top of the other unless there are star trails which then it gets tossed. That scope is about $500 US. Smart telescope. The second scope, Evostar 120mm has not seen anything yet, it is worth 10 times as much. Has 2 astrocameras, One for guiding, and the other cam is for the main scope which is 765mm focal distance since I have a $400 dollar chunk of glass that brings it down from 900mm at F7.5 to 765mm at F6.1. It speeds up the scope. I have an Zwo ASI533 color cooled pro camera and a Zwo ASI120 black and white guide camera. The red box on the scope is a computer with Wi-Fi and GPS. The mount is computerized Go-to in an Equatorial mount which will allow several minute exposures because the guiding is so precise. It is able to hold up a payload of 40 pounds. Going to Southern Cross Astronomy Party at Key West to start taking pics of Southern Hemisphere constellations. Have to learn a brand new photo processing program called Siril , which is a free program. It is different from photoshop in that it is not a paint program but one that you can subtract the stars from the nebula, then accentuate the data you captured and bring stars back in. It is a complex mathematical program to enhance your image. I want to take a pic of the heart nebula for obvious reason, since it means so much to all of us. My field of view is too narrow and this will require a Mosaic to put it all together. I read a book on a primer of astrophotography and the first 3 chapters took me back to college physics where you are trying to capture photons of light from object and not photons from light pollution, camera heat/noise, dark energy. It bends my head with the science and it makes me feel that I am one with the Universe.

 

[Critter]

I was into visual astronomy about 25 years ago. I have taken shots underwater, topside, and now going to the heavens. That shot was taken with a Seestar telescope. It is quite the cheat it has built in gps, Wi-Fi, Hydrogen/Oxygen filter, triplet 50mm lens design. It is on an Alt/Az mount which is not ideal for astrophotography. That is why I shoot 10 second exposures that are stacked one on top of the other unless there are star trails which then it gets tossed. That scope is about $500 US. Smart telescope. The second scope, Evostar 120mm has not seen anything yet, it is worth 10 times as much. Has 2 astrocameras, One for guiding, and the other cam is for the main scope which is 765mm focal distance since I have a $400 dollar chunk of glass that brings it down from 900mm at F7.5 to 765mm at F6.1. It speeds up the scope. I have an Zwo ASI533 color cooled pro camera and a Zwo ASI120 black and white guide camera. The red box on the scope is a computer with Wi-Fi and GPS. The mount is computerized Go-to in an Equatorial mount which will allow several minute exposures because the guiding is so precise. It is able to hold up a payload of 40 pounds. Going to Southern Cross Astronomy Party at Key West to start taking pics of Southern Hemisphere constellations. Have to learn a brand new photo processing program called Siril , which is a free program. It is different from photoshop in that it is not a paint program but one that you can subtract the stars from the nebula, then accentuate the data you captured and bring stars back in. It is a complex mathematical program to enhance your image. I want to take a pic of the heart nebula for obvious reason, since it means so much to all of us. My field of view is too narrow and this will require a Mosaic to put it all together. I read a book on a primer of astrophotography and the first 3 chapters took me back to college physics where you are trying to capture photons of light from object and not photons from light pollution, camera heat/noise, dark energy. It bends my head with the science and it makes me feel that I am one with the Universe.

 

[Critter]

Monkey Head nebula shot for 21/2 hours

 

[Critter]

Been at/near Key West got some decent Astro photos. bode’s and cigar galaxy; Re-framed flame and horse nebula

 

[Critter]

More Key West photos. The tarpon are as big as humans. . They are a challenge to photograph under water with their reflective scales. The Seestar had a couple of firmware updates and added a 2 to 4x zoom. 4x not really usable since it’s all digital.

 

[pellicle]

More Key West photos. The tarpon are as big as humans. . They are a challenge to photograph under water with their reflective scales. The Seestar had a couple of firmware updates and added a 2 to 4x zoom. 4x not really usable since it’s all digital.

nice shots ... liked the moon with sun angle contrast showing off the surface features.

scales? Interestingly I'd never heard anyone in Australia use the word scales about shark skin, so I did a quick google and found this
https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/biomimicry-shark-denticles

not from that article but interesting

Thanks

 

[Critter]

My post did not include these shots of the tarpon this my reference to scales

 

[Protimenow]

Relax with photos? Huh?

 

[Superman]

@Critter - your Astro work is pretty great. I lack the patience, the equipment, and the dark skies for it.

I did a single exposure of the Milky Way at a vacation rental a couple years back. But none of the stacking and noise removal and star tracking exploits.

 

[Superman]

Relax with photos? Huh?

It’s an off topic thread. Some of us enjoy it.

 

[pellicle]

Relax with photos? Huh?

should we start another thread of cartoons?

 

[Critter]

@Critter - your Astro work is pretty great. I lack the patience, the equipment, and the dark skies for it.

I did a single exposure of the Milky Way at a vacation rental a couple years back. But none of the stacking and noise removal and star tracking exploits.

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