Post pictures of anything, with comment...couple words.

[DonH56]

@DonH56 -- do you live in a dark sky location, or are you using an interference filter (or both, or neither)?

These images are pretty incredible from my extremely amateur sky-gazer perspective!

We're not dark sky, but we're not that far from good dark sky sites (30 or 40 miles). If it weren't for the streetlights at the snooty prep school in the center of our village, it'd be pretty good here. Heck, we still get some decent Milky Way nights now and again, when the air's clear enough.


25Aug2019 (not bad for summertime)


06Oct2024 -- looking (unsuccessfully) for the aurora.

Technically not a dark sky region, could drive just a few miles, but our house is a couple of miles outside a small town and about 500' above it (house at ~7500') in a rural area so pretty dark. Town's not visible; biggest source of light pollution is actually Colorado Springs, the big city about 20 miles south of us. Biggest problem is we're in the tress so have a fairly modest section of the sky we can actually see, and to see a lot of stuff I'd have to stay up into the wee hours when it's nearly overhead unless it happens to be in a hole between trees.

The Milky Way is pretty spectacular on a clear night. Altitude helps!

The 'scope has an "enhanced vision" mode and that is how I got the pictures I posted. It averages noise and colorizes the images as it goes, getting clearer and more detailed the longer you let it run. A minute or two is enough for most things I've seen so far, but 5+ minutes can make a big difference for fainter things like nebulae and comet tails. The ability to pick an object from it's catalog (37M+ objects) and have it find it automatically (while I sit on the couch inside) is awesome, turning a lazy ignorant interested observer into an "expert".

 

[DonH56]

M27 Dumbbell Nebula

M33 Triangulum Galaxy

 

[DonH56]

This is the unenhanced ("live") view of the comet. Also caught a shooting star zooming by in the upper right (pure luck).

 

[mhardy6647]

Technically not a dark sky region, could drive just a few miles, but our house is a couple of miles outside a small town and about 500' above it (house at ~7500') in a rural area so pretty dark. Town's not visible; biggest source of light pollution is actually Colorado Springs, the big city about 20 miles south of us. Biggest problem is we're in the tress so have a fairly moderate section of the sky we can actually see, and to see a lot of stuff I'd have to stay up into the wee hours when it's nearly overhead unless it happens to be in a hole between trees.

The Milky Way is pretty spectacular on a clear night. Altitude helps!

The 'scope has an "enhanced vision" mode and that is how I got the pictures I posted. It averages noise and colorizes the images as it goes, getting clearer and more detailed the longer you let it run. A minute or two is enough for most things I've seen so far, but 5+ minutes can make a big difference for fainter things like nebulae and comet tails. The ability to pick an object from it's catalog (37M+ objects) and have it find it automatically (while I sit on the couch inside) is awesome, turning a lazy ignorant interested observer into an "expert".

It's outstanding (and astounding) to a tyro like me.
As are others here, I am curious as to the specific model.
The only proper "stargazing" scope here (and the backstory's kind of interesting, actually) is a fairly nice, and fairly fast (low f-ratio) 6" Newtonian on an equatorial mount, but with no clock drive, so not much help for astrophotography of any kind as is. I usually just use a wide angle lens on my DSLR and long exposures, and let the passage of time impact the images as it will.



It'd be cool to take some nice photos of nebulae though!
(i.e., I am officially on the record as being jealous)

 

[DonH56]

It's outstanding (and astounding) to a tyro like me.
As are others here, I am curious as to the specific model.
The only proper "stargazing" scope here (and the backstory's kind of interesting, actually) is a fairly nice, and fairly fast (low f-ratio) 6" Newtonian on an equatorial mount, but with no clock drive, so not much help for astrophotography of any kind as is. I usually just use a wide angle lens on my DSLR and long exposures, and let the passage of time impact the images as it will.



It'd be cool to take some nice photos of nebulae though!
(i.e., I am officially on the record as being jealous)

Sorry, thought I had posted it: Unistellar eQuinox 2: https://www.unistellar.com/ and specifically https://shop.unistellar.com/products/equinox-2?variant=40467965018135 They were having a special a week or two ago, ~$2500 for the 'scope and they included the backpack case and solar filter free. There's no eyepiece, a $1k option, but since it has to be controlled by the app and the whole idea was to view inside out of the weather, I skipped that option. They have a smaller, more portable version that doesn't require any manual setup to use (no collimation or focus) but the cost was about the same so I opted for better optics (larger mirror, higher-resolution imager). Collimation, an hour or two for my old 'scope, is quick with this one using a couple of external screws you adjust, and focus is a big knob on the bottom. They include a Bahtinov mask in the dust cap to make it easy to really dial in the focus if you want more than just eye-balling it.

I've been interested since I was a kid, and many years ago bought a decent but inexpensive 8" reflector on a Newtonian mount (no drive, totally manual). I bought several eyepieces and doubled the cost. Probably 20 years ago, after the kids were older and we moved to our current place out of the city, I had planned to get a nice Meade or Celestron reflector with all the trimmings, but could never justify it given my job schedule and such. A few years ago I finally decided to get an 8" or 10" reflector and at that time the ones I was looking at were in the $3k~$5k range with computerized drives but without camera or imager. Things came up and I dropped it (Dad fell, leading to months of trips from CO to MS, then he passed away). A couple of years ago I looked at smart telescopes and decided on a cheaper one but again life and work took over and I never got it. After my younger son and I spent a couple of hours with one of my cheap refractors and failing to get a decent look at the comet last week, and realizing there were lots of other interesting things to see, my wonderful wife said to get a new 'scope while we still could afford it and use it. After reading some reviews I bumped up to the Unistellar and am loving it so far. No more star maps and trying to figure out what I can see, no more standing out in the cold, just set it up, go inside, and tell the app what I want to see. My old 8" would collect more light and probably have a clearer picture, but the convenience and ability to instantly capture images is fantastic.

I have a friend that has since moved away, who had a 21" reflector with isolation platform, fancy drive, imager, and all the goodies. Plus a few smaller 'scopes, about $60k invested in astronomy gear. Awesome setup, and I miss our occasional trips over the ridge to the west to get in the dark open skies, but I can settle for what I've got.

I've posted on several fora, losing track of what I posted where! I can't get over what $2500 gets you.

 

[mhardy6647]

Sorry, thought I had posted it: Unistellar eQuinox 2: https://www.unistellar.com/ and specifically https://shop.unistellar.com/products/equinox-2?variant=40467965018135 They were having a special a week or two ago, ~$2500 for the 'scope and they included the backpack case and solar filter free. There's no eyepiece, a $1k option, but since it has to be controlled by the app and the whole idea was to view inside out of the weather, I skipped that option. They have a smaller, more portable version that doesn't require any manual setup to use (no collimation or focus) but the cost was about the same so I opted for better optics (larger mirror, higher-resolution imager). Collimation, an hour or two for my old 'scope, is quick with this one using a couple of external screws you adjust, and focus is a big knob on the bottom. They include a Bahtinov mask in the dust cap to make it easy to really dial in the focus if you want more than just eye-balling it.

I've been interested since I was a kid, and many years ago bought a decent but inexpensive 8" reflector on a Newtonian mount (no drive, totally manual). I bought several eyepieces and doubled the cost. Probably 20 years ago, after the kids were older and we moved to our current place out of the city, I had planned to get a nice Meade or Celestron reflector with all the trimmings, but could never justify it given my job schedule and such. A few years ago I finally decided to get an 8" or 10" reflector and at that time the ones I was looking at were in the $3k~$5k range with computerized drives but without camera or imager. Things came up and I dropped it (Dad fell, leading to months of visits from CO to MS, then he passed away). A couple of years ago I looked at smart telescopes and decided on a cheaper one but again life and work took over and I never got it. After my younger son and I spent a couple of hours with one of my cheap refractors and failing to get a decent look at the comet last week, and realizing there were lots of other interesting things to see, my wonderful wife said to get a new 'scope while we still could afford it and use it. After reading some reviews I bumped up to the Unistellar and am loving it so far. No more star maps and trying to figure out what I can see, no more standing out in the cold, just set it up, go inside, and tell the app what I want to see. My old 8" would collect more light and probably have a clearer picture, but the convenience and ability to instantly capture images is fantastic.

I have a friend that has since moved away, who had a 21" reflector with isolation platform, fancy drive, imager, and all the goodies. Plus a few smaller 'scopes, about $60k invested in astronomy gear. Awesome setup, and I miss our occasional trips over the ridge to the west to get in the dark open skies, but I can settle for what I've got.

I've posted on several fora, losing track of what I posted where! I can't get over what $2500 gets you.

I might put one of these on my holiday gift wishlist.
Hey, I can dream, right?

 

[pkane]

Sorry, thought I had posted it: Unistellar eQuinox 2: https://www.unistellar.com/ and specifically https://shop.unistellar.com/products/equinox-2?variant=40467965018135 They were having a special a week or two ago, ~$2500 for the 'scope and they included the backpack case and solar filter free. There's no eyepiece, a $1k option, but since it has to be controlled by the app and the whole idea was to view inside out of the weather, I skipped that option. They have a smaller, more portable version that doesn't require any manual setup to use (no collimation or focus) but the cost was about the same so I opted for better optics (larger mirror, higher-resolution imager). Collimation, an hour or two for my old 'scope, is quick with this one using a couple of external screws you adjust, and focus is a big knob on the bottom. They include a Bahtinov mask in the dust cap to make it easy to really dial in the focus if you want more than just eye-balling it.

I've been interested since I was a kid, and many years ago bought a decent but inexpensive 8" reflector on a Newtonian mount (no drive, totally manual). I bought several eyepieces and doubled the cost. Probably 20 years ago, after the kids were older and we moved to our current place out of the city, I had planned to get a nice Meade or Celestron reflector with all the trimmings, but could never justify it given my job schedule and such. A few years ago I finally decided to get an 8" or 10" reflector and at that time the ones I was looking at were in the $3k~$5k range with computerized drives but without camera or imager. Things came up and I dropped it (Dad fell, leading to months of visits from CO to MS, then he passed away). A couple of years ago I looked at smart telescopes and decided on a cheaper one but again life and work took over and I never got it. After my younger son and I spent a couple of hours with one of my cheap refractors and failing to get a decent look at the comet last week, and realizing there were lots of other interesting things to see, my wonderful wife said to get a new 'scope while we still could afford it and use it. After reading some reviews I bumped up to the Unistellar and am loving it so far. No more star maps and trying to figure out what I can see, no more standing out in the cold, just set it up, go inside, and tell the app what I want to see. My old 8" would collect more light and probably have a clearer picture, but the convenience and ability to instantly capture images is fantastic.

I have a friend that has since moved away, who had a 21" reflector with isolation platform, fancy drive, imager, and all the goodies. Plus a few smaller 'scopes, about $60k invested in astronomy gear. Awesome setup, and I miss our occasional trips over the ridge to the west to get in the dark open skies, but I can settle for what I've got.

I've posted on several fora, losing track of what I posted where! I can't get over what $2500 gets you.

Welcome to the club, Don! Nice first light shots with the new scope! It's not a cheap hobby, and there's a bit of snake oil in it, as well, but not nearly as bad as in audio

 

[DonH56]

I might put one of these on my holiday gift wishlist.
Hey, I can dream, right?

View attachment 401296

It's way cheaper than a pony. At least initially... Actually even in the long run; annual vet bills are expensive.

 

[DonH56]

Welcome to the club, Don! Nice first light shots with the new scope! It's not a cheap hobby, and there's a bit of snake oil in it, as well, but not nearly as bad as in audio

Thanks! And yah, it's one in a long line of expensive hobbies, but compared to what I was thinking of spending a few years ago, this is cheap! Having it all integrated is a mixed blessing; no upgrades, but no money to spend on them, either! Been down the "but another inch or three would help, and that motor drive is so smooth, and gee that $1000 eyepiece is so much better than the $300 one I've got now!" path. I have my camera, stereo, and Jeep, for that...

 

[mhardy6647]

Welcome to the club, Don! Nice first light shots with the new scope! It's not a cheap hobby, and there's a bit of snake oil in it, as well, but not nearly as bad as in audio

I really like optics of any kind!
Y'all gotta admit, the discipline/industry of optics (particularly in terms of actually making superb lenses) blends science and art quite nicely.

The fam & I are fans... particularly my son, who approaches glass kind of the way I approach audio.



Somewhat inexplicably, some of his glass collection overflow resides at his parents' house...

 

[DonH56]

I really like optics of any kind!
Y'all gotta admit, the discipline/industry of optics (particularly in terms ofmaking superb lenses) blends science and art quite nicely.

The fam & I are fans... particularly my son, who approaches glass kind of the way I approach audio.



Somewhat inexplicably, some of his glass collection overflow resides at his parents' house...

How many of us slaved over an Edmund mirror kit in our youth?

He's got me way beat on camera glass; after my last "professional" camera purchase (Canon 6D) that went into a box the day it arrived due to wildfire bug-out, and I've not (10 years later) gotten back to, I only have a few lenses around.

 

[mhardy6647]

Speaking of the intersection of multiple hobbies*, this shelf queen was found on the swap pile at the town dump transfer station in long-time hometown (Harvard, MA) one Saturday some years back.

______________
* in this case, dump diving and collecting photographic apparatus.

 

[Timcognito]

 

[xray]

Yeah, I find having a lot of ballast weight gives me a very stable platform to take handheld shots with my phone.

 

[DonH56]

This is what the telescope and its backpack looks like. The telescope tube is about 21.5" long and 5" in diameter; the overall length of the 'scope and mount (drive base) is about 27", and it weighs about 16 pounds (7 kg). Focal length is 450 mm (17.7"), mirror is 114 mm (4.5"), focal ratio is f/4. Resolving power is 1.23 arcseconds.

 

[DJBonoBobo]

One of the highlights of my two birding trips to Ireland a while back was seeing one of these beauties.

Beautiful and deadly.

 

[nobodynoz]

old house in France...
iPhone 6s

 

[AL1827]

Morning walk around neighborhood - Mahogany, Calgary Alta

 

[Ken1951]

Smith's Cove, Grand Cayman

 

[mhardy6647]

Phil Lesh, Bassist Who Anchored the Grateful Dead, Dies at 84

One of the first rock bassists whose instrument regularly took a lead role, he also had a hand in writing some of the band’s best-known songs.

www.nytimes.com