TAG Pumpkin
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
NGC1499, The California Nebula
I always have a hard time getting around to nebulae in Perseus, Casseiopeia, &c. I don’t know why — maybe I’m still chasing the Summer constellations, or maybe that’s when it starts […]
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
NGC2174, The Monkey Head Nebula
I think I’ve finally gotten a decent shot of this object. What with one thing and another, I always seem to miss being able to give this guy the full treatment. I […]
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
IC2177, The Seagull Nebula
Here’s a first! There are lots and lots of winter nebulae, but somehow I have never spent any time digging deep into Monoceros (the Unicorn!). With halfway-decent shots of The Pleiades and […]
Astro knowledge / Deep Sky / General / Long Exposure Photography
Planes. Grr.
For how big the sky is, and how small an area I am capturing, I sure do catch a lot of airplanes. The astronomy gods chuckle.
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
IC405 and IC410, Nebulae in Auriga
Grand tour of the winter nebulae netted me another first, a pretty pair in Auriga, the Charioteer. I should probably make a pass through with Cassie someday, to get a little more […]
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
NGC2244, The Rosette Nebula
With the dome control back up and running, I set up for shooting, and The Rosette Nebula is turning into an old favorite. I didn’t want to stay up too late, so […]
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
M45, The Pleiades in Taurus
Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve been out in the observatory. I pulled the camera in favor of an eyepiece at one point, and just never really got back to putting the […]
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
NGC 7000, The North America Nebula
Last night, I mistakenly ran without a light-pollution filter, and that really threw off the white balance. With a quick run back through focusing &c, the trusty (and only somewhat dusty) IDAS-LPS […]
Deep Sky / Gear / General / Long Exposure Photography / Maintenance / Telescope
Trixie out, Pumpkin in
I had decided that I would leave Trixie on the mount, and focus on visual astronomy for awhile. I think that the Jr. Astronomer would appreciate learning to use the big scope, […]
Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography / Telescope
Pumpkin out, Cassie in
There are quite a few planets coming around for a pass; Jupiter is up pretty early in the evening these days, and by morning, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are arrayed across the […]
RECENT UPDATE
Polar Alignment Calculations
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 […]
Gear / Observatory / Telescope
Special Guest Star takes the mount at Hilltop O
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 […]
General / Maintenance / Observatory
Dome shutter is motorized again!
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 […]
Trixie 2017 – tube mods
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 […]
MOST COMMENTED
Observatory
Observatory 2.0 – Time has come today!
General / Maintenance
First Light, a deeper look
Mount / Observatory / Telescope
Observatory 2.0 – Result!
Observatory
Observatory 2.0 – The Pier goes in
Gear / General / Maintenance
Martin Farmer Wormblock installation notes
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
NGC2244, The Rosette Nebula
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
Another beautiful night.