Show Your Astrophotos

[Wrangellian]

Snolly, I think you're in the best location.    This, and the solar eclipse a couple years ago...

This Vancouver Islander would have had trouble at 18F too... I'm used to damp and cold but not too far below freezing.

I don't make notes of the settings I used - I try to let the camera do most of the work unless it tries to do too much and has trouble focusing or something, like the Coolpix camera did. Stupid thing. The Nikon D40 allows a little more control but even at full zoom the telephoto I've got doesn't quite magnify like the Coolpix can. Anyway I just play around with the M function (shutter) on the D40 until I get good results and use that. (It would overexpose if I let it do that automatically.) Best if you've got the luxury of time to do some test shots first!

I made sure my batteries were charged up the night before...  I got everything ready the night before, including sticking on the filters I made from those 'eclipse glasses' you get.

Is that a hint of Mercury I see near the center of your shot, Mike?

[minnbuckeye]

I shot this at 1/2000 sec at an F/25 and the other at 1/1000 at f/8 using a Nikon  5200  with a 200 zoom lens. Should I have seen Mercury or was I out of focus?

[minnbuckeye]

Wait, I think I can see Mercury in the center!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Idarkened everything and switched to black and white. But that spot is where it was suppose to be at the time I took the photo.

 

 

[Wrangellian]

I think you've got it, then!

 

[Wrangellian]

Jupiter and Venus are coming together for a conjunction on the 23rd-24th, and they're calling for cloud and rain here, so I hope others are able to get some shots and show them!

Tonight (and for the next couple days probably) it is clear, so I'm able to see the approach, at least -

These were telephoto shots - the planets are about 3° apart. Jupiter to the upper left.

Venus sure has moved a ways to the south (left in these shots), in the last 3 weeks or so. When I first spotted it back then it was setting far to the right in the wider-angle shot (#2) below.

 

[Ptychodus04]

I shot Jupiter and Venus through the front window of a charter bus going 70 mph on a bumpy highway in Oklahoma Sunday night. It only took about 40 attempts to get one in focus!

 

[minnbuckeye]

70 mph!!! Did the light from the planets have a blue shift or red shift to the light they emitted? I would assume blue since it appears the bus was traveling east.

[Wrangellian]

Astrophotography at 70mph, that sounds tough. I have enough trouble when stationary, I might have given up well before 40 attempts.  That's an accomplishment!

[Ptychodus04]

10 hours ago, minnbuckeye said:

70 mph!!! Did the light from the planets have a blue shift or red shift to the light they emitted? I would assume blue since it appears the bus was traveling east.

We were traveling west at the time. Honestly, Pretty much all I cared about was getting offtgat bus! 

5 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

Astrophotography at 70mph, that sounds tough. I have enough trouble when stationary, I might have given up well before 40 attempts.  That's an accomplishment!

40 was hyperbole. It was really more like 15-20 attempts in reality. That being said, I’m still surprised I got a decent picture. The trick was getting the image while the bus was between bounces. 

[minnbuckeye]

My pre attempt at the Jupiter/Venus conjunction. I am SLOWLY getting better at low light pictures. Hopefully there will be breaks in clouds on Sunday to catch the best pictures of the conjunction. If so, I will likely have some pictures to post again.   

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

[Wrangellian]

Some nice ones there, Mike. Are you doing them handheld? Mine would probably be all blurred/smeared if I tried without the tripod.

How do you get them to stand out so well without the sky washing them out? I'm not enough of a photographer to know what combination of factors will do that (aperture, etc).

This evening it was cloudy here (just on the horizon in the direction of the planets, not above me!) so I'm SOL, and looks like I will be through the next few days, but I might post a couple that I took last night.

[minnbuckeye]

9 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

How do you get them to stand out

@Wrangellian If needed, I use Picasa's gradual tint and just darken things a bit if needed to get the planets to show up better.

[Wrangellian]

Ah... I was thinking your pics looked like the contrast had been enhanced a bit - that must have done it.

[Roanoker]

Even without the planets, the scenes and pictures of them are beautiful.

[snolly50]

On 11/22/2019 at 8:08 PM, minnbuckeye said:

Jupiter/Venus conjunction.

I very much like the 1st and 2nd images you posted.

[Bobby Rico]

On 23/11/2019 at 1:08 AM, minnbuckeye said:

pre attempt at the Jupiter/Venus conjunction. I am SLOWLY getting better at low light pictures. Hopefully there will be breaks in clouds on Sunday to catch the best pictures of the conjunction. If so, I will likely have some pictures to post again.   

I really like the hay bail very beautiful with the last of the colour of sunset on it. Cheers Bobby 

[Bobby Rico]

I took this photo a check of week’s show I think. The dog did hold a good pose.

 

 

[Wrangellian]

Here's a few more I took around the conjunction Nov 25 and 26...

(Venus L, Jupiter R)

[Wrangellian]

On the night of the 28th the moon joined the party:

As you can see my viewing locations from here at home are limited to this gap in the trees. At least the sky changes...

(Jupiter is in a gap in the trees in #1, Venus in the gap in #2)

 

[snolly50]

Tonight's buttery, crescent Moon through the distant trees....

 

 

[Wrangellian]

Like the sky itself, I like the moon's colors as it approaches the horizon. The word 'honeymoon' comes to mind but that usually means something else!

[Bobby Rico]

An optical illusion, caused by reflections of ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. This is called the Lunar Halo, and it is caused by light rays diffracting around the moon. It is about 20 times bigger than the moon . Sorry it is the best picture I can get with my phone.

[snolly50]

Dusk at SC's coast, Venus over the salt marsh...

 

[snolly50]

Waxing gibbous Moon, 94% illumination

 

Luna smiles radiantly down, playfully revealing the Moon Rabbit. Can you see it?

 

If not.....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit

 

[Ptychodus04]

Not the best pic taken with my iPhone on the way out to the prep lab tonight. Venus shining bright, high in the west with Mercury hanging out right above the neighbor’s house.