Comet this week

wxwax

Here's the press release info. You guys with cameras mounted to telescopes - we expects piccies!

Space Weather News for April 25, 2004
http://spaceweather.com

If you have wake up before dawn this week for work or school, take a pair
of binoculars outside and scan the eastern horizon. You might see Comet
Bradfield. The comet, which had a close encounter with the sun on April
17th, is now emerging from the sun's glare. Although it's too dim to see
with the unaided eye, at least for most people, by all accounts Comet
Bradfield is a beautiful sight through binoculars, its long tail
stretching 10 degrees above the rosy glow of the rising sun.

Visit Spaceweather.com for pictures and a sky map.

Bodwick

Transit of Venus
There is a Transit of Venus on June 8th, 2004 which is worth a look. There is an article on photographing the Transit in Sky & Telescope may issue.

FIRST RULE - Never ever point your camera at the sun and look through an unfiltered lens. This is so important. You can blind youself very easily. SO [email="DON@T"]DON'T[/email] DO IT.

You'll need at least a 500mm or a telescope to watch Venus pass accross the face of the Sun.

A solar filter is a must but is inexpensive. You will not see any colour on the surface of the Sun unless you buy a very expensive Hydrogen-Alpha filter.

There is a good article 'Astro Imaging with Digital Cameras' on the Sky&Scope site at:-
http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/imaging/article_176_1.asp



If you miss this then there is the next pass on June 5th-6th 2012....



How many people are into Astronomy?




Paul

wxwax wrote:

Here's the press release info. You guys with cameras mounted to telescopes - we expects piccies!

Space Weather News for April 25, 2004
http://spaceweather.com

If you have wake up before dawn this week for work or school, take a pair
of binoculars outside and scan the eastern horizon. You might see Comet
Bradfield. The comet, which had a close encounter with the sun on April
17th, is now emerging from the sun's glare. Although it's too dim to see
with the unaided eye, at least for most people, by all accounts Comet
Bradfield is a beautiful sight through binoculars, its long tail
stretching 10 degrees above the rosy glow of the rising sun.

Visit Spaceweather.com for pictures and a sky map.

wxwax

We have had the pleasure of a few telescope/camera shots here.I think there are some enthusiasts.

Great link, Bodwik. That should help anyone who wants to get into it. And with results like this, I can understand why someone would.

ian408

Bodwick wrote:

There is a good article 'Astro Imaging with Digital Cameras' on the Sky&Scope site at:-
http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/imaging/article_176_1.asp

How many people are into Astronomy?

Not me...




I was expecting more from the dSLR article. It was still a good read.

ian

rutt

ian408 wrote:

Not me...




I was expecting more from the dSLR article. It was still a good read.

ian

I get almost identical result using my 200mm L + 2x teleconverter. I was so jealous of Pathfiner's moons. Some has to be due to where he lives, but perhaps some is optics. Anyway, I found that sharpening the moon with very low threshold (0-3) in the L channel produced much better looking results. Then I discovered that the moon is a good place to apply Dan Margulis' separate layers for darkening and lightening halos trick.

So here is the before and after (still not prrofessinoal astrophotography):

pathfinder

wxwax wrote:

Here's the press release info. You guys with cameras mounted to telescopes - we expects piccies!

Space Weather News for April 25, 2004
http://spaceweather.com

If you have wake up before dawn this week for work or school, take a pair
of binoculars outside and scan the eastern horizon. You might see Comet
Bradfield. The comet, which had a close encounter with the sun on April
17th, is now emerging from the sun's glare. Although it's too dim to see
with the unaided eye, at least for most people, by all accounts Comet
Bradfield is a beautiful sight through binoculars, its long tail
stretching 10 degrees above the rosy glow of the rising sun.

Visit Spaceweather.com for pictures and a sky map.

I have been keeping an eye on the articles about the comet expected in the next few days. I am hoping to hava a chance to see it and shoot it when I am in the SouthWest next week.

The night skies of Utah and Arizona should make for good viewing around Escalante National Monument. I am planning on taking some binoculars just for this and I hope to have a few pictures also - Hopefully - more on this in a couple of weeks.