Album Night Shots and Star Trails

[Wanderlust073]

Sick

 

[Artemus]

In the past month and a half, I got a new OTA and the means to take my full rig "mobile"

To our great advantage. Thanks, Swims!

Could I bother you for and ID of each please?

 

[wsp_scott]

In the past month and a half, I got a new OTA and the means to take my full rig "mobile"

OTA = new telescope? How mobile is your new rig? Take it backpacking? Or just easier to transport?

I love the deep sky stuff, but I would need to backpack for dark enough skies to even attempt something like this.

 

[SwimsWithTrout]

OTA = new telescope? How mobile is your new rig? Take it backpacking? Or just easier to transport?

I love the deep sky stuff, but I would need to backpack for dark enough skies to even attempt something like this.

OTA="Optical Tube Assembly= New telescope, a 65mm/f7 quad APO.

By "mobile", I can now drive everything out to the Pawnee National grasslands an hour east.

 

[Wanderlust073]

I can now drive everything out to the Pawnee National grasslands an hour east.

I didn't realize Pawnee was dark skies. You live around Ft Collins?

 

[SwimsWithTrout]

I didn't realize Pawnee was dark skies. You live around Ft Collins?

I shoot from the closest section near Ft. Collins. It's a "dark blue" zone. As long as dont't shoot back to the SW, towards the "modest" Greeley light dome, the skies in any other direction are very dark. The east section , further out has patches of "Black Zone" skies.

 

[SwimsWithTrout]

To our great advantage. Thanks, Swims!

Could I bother you for and ID of each please?

Top down

NGC 1499, The California Nebula
IC 410 on the left and IC 405(The Flaming Star Nebula) on the right.
The Pleiades
M42, the Great Orion Nebula

 

[Wanderlust073]

I shoot from the closest section near Ft. Collins. It's a "dark blue" zone. As long as dont't shoot back to the SW, towards the "modest" Greeley light dome, the skies in any other direction are very dark. The east section , further out has patches of "Black Zone" skies.

I'm going to have to drive up there. Thanks for the info!

 

[SwimsWithTrout]

I'm going to have to drive up there. Thanks for the info!

I can send you GPS coordinates to my pullout if you want, though i think I'm going to move 1/2 mi further east next time out.

Where are you driving from ?

 

[Wanderlust073]

I can send you GPS coordinates to my pullout if you want, though i think I'm going to move 1/2 mi further east next time out.

Where are you driving from ?

I'm down in Castle Rock.

 

[SwimsWithTrout]

I'm down in Castle Rock.

You should be able to find something out east of you ! It might not be on "public property", but there are plenty of off the beaten path county roads down there that should be just as good !

My secondary dark site is a grey zone, just a few minutes further drive and verging on black, but it's extremely weather dependent, closed during the winter, and prone to high winds all year long etc.

Close and "Good Enough" beats darker, but rarer good nights. We're talking only 0.25 to 0,35 mag difference in the background darkness.

 

[chandlerwest]

I took this shot during the winter of 85/86. It sure was cold.

 

[b.stark]

Quick phone shot through a spotting scope tonight. Got a phoneskope case to try to improve the experience of using a phone through a spotting scope. Not sure how it'll work out in the end, it was dark when I got home to try it, but it seemed OK when doing some shots of the moon.

 

[Nick]

The current view from the top of the inversion along the Wasatch Front in Utah. Just in case you needed some inspiration to go camping in the desert this weekend...

 

[Rockskipper]

Looks really bad. I remember driving up there from Moab one January when it was hard to even make out the signs along the freeway. Logan can get really bad too. I remember when I was going to school up there that some winter days it had the worst air pollution in the country.

 

[Nick]

Looks really bad. I remember driving up there from Moab one January when it was hard to even make out the signs along the freeway. Logan can get really bad too. I remember when I was going to school up there that some winter days it had the worst air pollution in the country.

I'm originally from Logan and it is definitely worse. This recent inversion looks particularly bad because of thick fog along with it. I'm so happy our new place is usually out of it. Makes me want to quit my job and work out of the house full-time again.

 

[slc_dan]

bleh. No getting down south this weekend, but probably a day in the hills if it snows saturday. Pray harder everyone.

 

[SwimsWithTrout]

 

[Rockskipper]

Wow - the Horsehead Nebula in Orion's Belt, I think. Incredible. Is that the actual color?

 

[SwimsWithTrout]

Wow - the Horsehead Nebula in Orion's Belt, I think. Incredible. Is that the actual color?

Yes, that's natural color.