Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

B33, The Horsehead Nebula in Orion

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A decent try at this nebula which has a large range of brightness, from gigantic Zeta Orionis to the wispy details of the back-lit cloud.

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M42, The Great Orion Nebula

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It’s amazing to me when I look back at the gear I was using and the results I was getting with my first few astrophotos.

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M16, The Eagle Nebula in Serpens

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The Eagle Nebula in Serpens, M16 Film: E200 Camera: K-1000 Lens: ED80 (600mm f/7.5), prime focus Guiding: ST-4 Exposure: 15min Date: September 9, 2004

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

NGC7000, The North America Nebula in Cygnus

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The birth of a nemesis. NGC7000 is so big and relatively dim that it’s a challenge to pick up the whole nebula in one shot. This is a full 35mm frame, carefully […]

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M31, The Great Andromeda Galaxy

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Another treatment of the same data (Reprocessed March 18,2005): Film: E200 Camera: K-1000 Lens: ED80 (600mm f/7.5), prime focus Guiding: ST-4 Exposure: stack of 11 images, 7×20min, 4×45min Date: September 9, 2004

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M20, The Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius

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Film: E200 Camera: K-1000 Lens: ED80 (600mm f/7.5), prime focus Guiding: ST-4 Exposure: 12min Date: September 12, 2004 Object was setting over the top of the house as I shot. This was […]

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Techniques

Polar Alignment Calculations

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Here’s a page that derives Polar Alignment Calculations. (update 5/2020: the original site is gone, so I found the text on Wayback and am inserting it below. This is by the original […]

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Gear / Observatory / Telescope

Special Guest Star takes the mount at Hilltop O

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The Astro Jedi needed somewhere to store his light sab—- I mean, bucket, and I was only too happy to accommodate him. I have decided that I need to come to a […]

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General / Maintenance / Observatory

Dome shutter is motorized again!

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I finally decided to bite the bullet and fix the shutter motor. Things went sideways last winter, and I’ve been opening the shutter manually (and tying it shut with rope, so we […]

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ATM

Trixie 2017 – tube mods

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I finally got around to cutting the MTA-UTA tubes to length; the only eyepiece that would come to focus with the focuser spacer in place is the Televue 55mm Plossl. If I […]

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