Our Beautiful Universe - Photos and Videos

[bruha]

Its just simple southern sky image in Bohmerwald -6 sec.exp. (Orion, Pleaides are recognizable...)

 

[DennisN]

I changed my mind and just bought a bluetooth remote control; I chose this one, which had good reviews and was recommended: CamKix Bluetooth Remote Control (about $7). I bought it on German Amazon, so I won't have to pay shipping/import fees. Instead of buying one of those dreaded selfiesticks , I instead bought a https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087JQW8TM/?tag=pfamazon01-20 for my camera when doing normal (i.e. non-astro) photography.

Brief review:

The Camkix Bluetooth remote control for smartphone photography works excellent. The only "downside" is that it is so small that it is easy to misplace/drop. But I've tied a small red cloth stripe to it, so it can be more easily found.

The K&F Concept tripod is excellent. Full size (up to 177 cm in height), but incredibly light. And very quick to set up. I am very pleased with that buy .

I also bought a good, sturdy https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5C4DRV/?tag=pfamazon01-20, and a quite https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WC99RTF/?tag=pfamazon01-20 for future photography trips. The backpack is not specialized for photography, but it will work fine for me; I wanted a comfy, mediumsized backpack with many pockets, and the Mardingtop fit the bill (there are other backpacks specifically designed for DSLR photography, like this one (Lowepro)).

 

[chemisttree]

NASA has published a fairly significant e-book on smartphone astrophotography. It’s free!

192 pages, baby!

 

[DennisN]

NASA has published a fairly significant e-book on smartphone astrophotography. It’s free!

Thank you! I've downloaded it. Perfect info for me, and it's probably a great read during cloudy times .

 

[davenn]

06/12/2020 -- Jupiter and Saturn, getting closer together by the day
Canon 6D, exp - 50th sec, 70-200mm @80mm pic1, 200mm pic2, ISO 2500
In Pic2, the small bright point just above Jupiter is Jupiter's moon Ganymede, Saturn is much further to the upper right

cheers
Dave

 

[bruha]

Hi, its very nice and illustrating.. just is it left /right turned? because here in Czech by the evening Saturn is upper left
Have nice days and nights

 

[bruha]

Hello,
do you have somebody experience with eyepiece camera SVBONY SV105? ( I just bought it, because my old camera Bresser got damaging.) My first shot of Mars was overlighted and with strange blurring on the margins..
Thank you

 

[chemisttree]

I get that too when the image is overexposed. Try a faster frame rate and/or lower gain?
Good luck and keep trying!

 

[bruha]

Thank you

 

[chemisttree]

Thank you

I’ve read on Astro forums about the SV105. A variable density filter is recommended to bring the brightness into range since the camera has a limited maximum frame rate of about ~ 1/30th sec? That filter is great for the Moon as well.

 

[bruha]

Hi, and thank you very much for advise- I try to get this one. Yes camera has maximum frame rate 0.033 s.

Thanks and lot of succes

 

[davenn]

Finally, a small break in the clouds to the west ...
5 mins later and they were gone into the next approaching storm clouds
Last evening, 17 Dec 2020 Moon, Jupiter and Saturn
Canon 6D, 70-200mm lens @200mm, Exp. 40th sec, ISO 2000
So much closer than when I last photo'ed them on the 6th Dec

 

[bruha]

Hello, very nice and interesting (dark moon contour), where you from -what is place of shooting?

Have nice nights :)

 

[davenn]

Hello, very nice and interesting (dark moon contour), where you from -what is place of shooting?

Have nice nights :)

Thankyou

I am in the inner west suburbs of Sydney, Australia

 

[bruha]

Hello, almost globe opposite to my (Prague, Czech Rep.) I was there few years ago- beautiful city. and Blue Mountains as well what about light pollution)-. Prag is bad but hope this evening on Bohmerwald (our cottage) it is better and should be clear

 

[davenn]

almost globe opposite to my (Prague, Czech Rep.)

Yup

I was there few years ago- beautiful city. and Blue Mountains as well

Not too bad as far as big cities go I do get up into the Blue Mt's occasionally some good photographic scenery

what about light pollution)-. Prag is bad but hope this evening on Bohmerwald (our cottage) it is better and should be clear

pretty shocking at home, I can only see the planets and brightest stars

For deep space viewing and photography, I have to travel at least an hour to get away from the worst of the city lightscheers
Dave

 

[bruha]

Oh, here in Bohmerwald I must offen travel to upper places due to inversion. Unfortunately this week
was inversion too high...

 

[Stavros Kiri]

Finally, a small break in the clouds to the west ...
5 mins later and they were gone into the next approaching storm clouds
Last evening, 17 Dec 2020 Moon, Jupiter and Saturn
Canon 6D, 70-200mm lens @200mm, Exp. 40th sec, ISO 2000
So much closer than when I last photo'ed them on the 6th Dec

View attachment 274551

I saw them around that time too (same semi-cloudy conditions). What about today?! (Dec 21, 2020) Anyone with no clouds to capture the big event of the giant conjunction?
All clouded up here.
Anyone? Anywhere? [Even yesterday or tomorrow perhaps?]

+ Don't miss checking out today's doodle ... It's hilarious! ...

 

[Stavros Kiri]

I saw them around that time too (same semi-cloudy conditions). What about today?! (Dec 21, 2020) Anyone with no clouds to capture the big event of the giant conjunction?
All clouded up here.
Anyone? Anywhere? [Even yesterday or tomorrow perhaps?]

+ Don't miss checking out today's doodle ... It's hilarious! ...

Cf. 1) https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/space-stuff-and-launch-info.879196/post-6433582
2) https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/space-stuff-and-launch-info.879196/post-6433862

 

[Tom.G]

Photographer Captures ISS Passing Between Jupiter and Saturn
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https://petapixel.com/2020/12/22/photographer-captures-iss-passing-between-jupiter-and-saturn/
The article has several links in it that may be of interest. One is a video of the above.


Cheers,
Tom

 

[bruha]

Hello, its Moon halo from yesterday... nice to see from Prag...

 

[bruha]

Hello, yesterday , I realize one sunspot

 

[Devin-M]

andromeda galaxy (2.5 million light years) - 8p 12/31/2020, northern california, stacked 20x lights (300mm, f/4.5, 2.5sec, 12600iso) + 10 darks (lens cap on) + 10 flats (white plastic bag over lens), no tracking / no equatorial mount, bortle 5:

post processed:

preprocessing:

astrometry.net

 

[bruha]

Hi, excelent

 

[DennisN]

andromeda galaxy (2.5 million light years) - 8p 12/31/2020, northern california, stacked 20x lights (300mm, f/4.5, 2.5sec, 12600iso) + 10 darks (lens cap on) + 10 flats (white plastic bag over lens), no tracking / no equatorial mount, bortle 5:

post processed:

Gorgeous!

 

[Devin-M]

cropped for better screen-viewing:

 

[Devin-M]

this one of Orion Nebula (1344 light years distance, 12 light year radius) was also done similarly to the last one... 8x lights (300mm nikon lens, f/4.5, 2.5sec, 12600iso, raw w/ 36mp full frame nikon dslr body), 10x darks (lens cap on) and 10x flats (towards light w/ plastic bag over lens), no tracking equatorial mount, bortle 5, cropped, software: lightroom, starry landscape stacker & photoshop, northern california 12/31/20 ~8p

pre-processing:

 

[bruha]

Hello, it is very nice,
what is measuring (zooming) i.e. where is for ex. Orion main stars...?

Have nice day

 

[Devin-M]

Hello, it is very nice,
what is measuring (zooming) i.e. where is for ex. Orion main stars...?

Have nice day

I used this site for the astrometric calibration:
http://nova.astrometry.net/upload

You can see a couple individual stars are labeled in the image (42 & 45 Orionis):

To find targets I use the starmap app on my phone.

 

[DennisN]

I used this site for the astrometric calibration:
http://nova.astrometry.net/upload

Hehe, I use that site too.