Astronomical Photography

[dragonblade71]

The night sky, deep space, the universe and beyond. Feel free to share your photos of such intergalactic themes. I'll start the ball rolling with this photo of Comet McNaught which I photographed here in the Southern Hemisphere a few years ago.

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comet background by dragonblade712003, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[dragonblade71]

Here's another. While camping by the beach on Kangaroo island, I kept the camera's shutter open for about 6 or 7 hours on a clear, starry night.

[/url]star wilderness by dragonblade712003, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Those are very nice.

While I have a great deal of interest in amateur astronomy, I don't have the gear to produce desirable results. I have a decent 8" scope but it's mount (Dobsonian) does not lend itself to making a good astrophotography tool, so I'll have to be a bystander on this one.

 

[dragonblade71]

My brother has a nice looking telescope but I can't work out how to get the lens cap off! So i can't use it.

Tim, just get a shot of the night sky with a standard lens....that should suffice. The last photo was taken with a wide angle (though it was cropped.)

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Well, I still have a couple problems. I have a good 35mm standard camera that would perform quite well, but my digital is a point and shoot with no "bulb" setting. But the main problem is that the immediate area is pretty light polluted, so my long exposures would generally be over-exposed, probably.

You cannot figure out how to get the lens cap off? What kind of 'scope is it?

 

[dragonblade71]

But the main problem is that the immediate area is pretty light polluted, so my long exposures would generally be over-exposed, probably.?

Oh darn...light pollution. Always good when you take a trip out to the countryside and see the stars again. For the comet photo, we went out to the beach which wasn't all that far from the city but enough to give decent clarity. Would have been great though seeing that out in the country.

You cannot figure out how to get the lens cap off? What kind of 'scope is it?

My knowledge of telescopes is almost non-existant! I think the brand name begins with a 'C' - Celeston or something like that. It's got this big, strange lens cap that I just can't see any way of removing. It doesn't screw off and I can't see any sections that you press in like on a photographic lens cap. Maybe it's 'child proof'!

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Celestron. I THINK they were most well-known for their Schmidt Cassegrains ,of which I have zero experience, but I'm sure they have a full line of types including reflectors and refractors.
In any case, I've never heard of a lens cover-for the eyepiece or the optical tube assembly-that was anymore complicated than merely snapping it off.

Does it look like anything on this page?

 

[spider]

Here's another. While camping by the beach on Kangaroo island, I kept the camera's shutter open for about 6 or 7 hours on a clear, starry night.

[/url]star wilderness by dragonblade712003, on Flickr[/IMG]

Beautiful shot! Can you share details on fstop?

 

[dragonblade71]

Beautiful shot! Can you share details on fstop?

Thanks! F stop was f11 in combination with 100asa slide film. I also used a camera with a mechanical shutter so that I didn't have any issues with batteries for such a long exposure time (several hours.)

---------- Post added at 08:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 PM ----------

In any case, I've never heard of a lens cover-for the eyepiece or the optical tube assembly-that was anymore complicated than merely snapping it off.

Does it look like anything on this page?

Ahm...it's been a while since Ive seen the telescope. Though from memory, it didn't have a distinctive look...just a very large black lens cap. I just can't remember any other details. Are Celestron a good brand? It's my brother's first telescope which he received as a present.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Well, they probably have their top-shelf stuff and their more economical stuff as well. I'm not that familiar with their products, but they were an established name, I know that. I think they and Meade were the big two in the hobby. When it comes to telescopes (and most other optics) the higher the quality, the higher the price. It would all depend on the type and the model.

 

[dragonblade71]

A few years ago, during the Summer, there was a storm that went on for about 7 hours. I was shooting from the front verandah of my home and this is the very first shot that I exposed that night.

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