Show us your observing location view....here's mine!

[Brent]

I've often read (and enjoyed !) descriptions of other members observing sites (usually back gardens) and thought this thread might be interesting to start.....so to kick it off, below is my back garden

I think it is pretty bad as far as visible sky and horizon is concerned (with houses above us) but I'm sure there are people with worse views. It actually looks quite a bit better on this image than in real life, probably down to the wide field of view!

The tree will have to go I think - at least I don't have to convince my wife, she wants some decking there instead

The photo is a 180 degree panorama, I've labelled east, and the red line is (about) the horizon. The city is to the South so LP is worst there. I set up 2 feet in front of where I was standing to take the pic, on flags, with the grass three feet above.

The neighbours to the right have two security lights lit all night (straight into my garden, the main reason I don't set up on the grass) and the fence is slatted, so I pin cardboard across the first 8 feet of fence to block them out when I observe.

I can, at least, just about see Polaris all year round.

Incidentally, setting up on the garage roof (to the left) would give a much better view but there is no way to block out the neighbours security lights that high up.

I'm really interested to see other peoples views if anyone has some pics.

[Peter Drew]

At least the sky is pretty clear. .

[JamesF]

Oh, go on then Here's (roughly) what I've used for my landscape image for stellarium for my usual observing location. The edges of the image are a smidge west of north.

James

[pete_l]

OK, since you've shown me yours, I'll show you mine

Here's a thumbnal

The whole thing is available as a Stellarium landscape that you can download and install from my website here.

[Brent]

True, Peter

James & Pete, I hate you both!

[Nexus 6]

Looks as if you have some tough lighting to deal with Brent. I see why you want to remove that tree!

great locations posted from Peter and James!

[Adamski]

Hello Brent, not to teach granny how to suck eggs but have you spoken with them about the lights? I'm very fortunate where i live, just on the edge of dartmoor, i'm a few hundred feet above everything to the south and also have good views east and west. Facing north is tricky cos my house is in the way but if i set up further down the garden it gets better. Also all the street lights get switched off at 2am and nobody has security lights. Any way heres a view facing south. lucky git aren't i?

[Nexus 6]

Fantastic location Adamski! bonus with the streetlights too!

[ollypenrice]

This is east. The south is the darkest of all which works out well. Altitude is 3000 feet.

Olly

[Photosbykev]

my view to the North, from here the South view sucks lol

[Nexus 6]

This thread is starting to hurt, so many wonderful places from which to see the night sky.

[tony69]

i notice a few of you have said about stellarium can you use your own pictures as backgrounds or not if so how please.

[Photosbykev]

i notice a few of you have said about stellarium can you use your own pictures as backgrounds or not if so how please.

try this thread http://stargazerslounge.com/primers-tutorials/122628-tutorial-custom-stellarium-landscapes.html

[pete_l]

i notice a few of you have said about stellarium can you use your own pictures as backgrounds or not if so how please.

The first thing you need is a panorama view of your site. It's obvious to all, but I'll say it anyway - this should be taken during the day

I produced mine by taking about a dozen stills in JPG format and "stitched" them together with software. There are a few packages that will do this and some of them even work and some of the ones that work are free! (I used photoshop, 'cos that's what I've got.

Next I removed the sky - all the stuff above the horizon, and resized it to be 2048 pixels wide. The width of your image should be a power of 2: 512, 1024, 2048 pixels.

I don't know if it's important, but I started and finished my panorama so the edges were at due east. It just seemed easier.

Save the file as a PNG format image

Next, you need to create a config file for Stellarium called landscape.ini. the one I made is here

[landscape]

name = CdN

author = Peter Lynch

description = Cuevas del Negro, Andalucia

type = spherical

maptex = cdn-panorama-2k.png

[location]

planet = Earth

latitude = +37d36'00"

longitude = -2d46'00"

altitude = 600

and a readme.txt file that describes your work - the location and some installation instructions.

Next, put all three files (the .PNG the .INI and the README.TXT) in a directory called the name of the Stellarium landscape you want to use. go up one level and zip up the directory to a file called <landscape>.zip (<landscape> being the name of the landscape and directory you created it in).

Then test it out on your local version of Stellarium. The new Stellarium 0.11.0 has the ability to automatically install the landscape when you give it the name of the .ZIP file that contains it. Once that works and you're happy with the way it looks as a background, add an entry to the Stellarium landscapes page at http://www.stellarium.org/wiki/index.php and add a description. You must also upload the .zip file to a location on the web that other people can get to - then put the name of that link in the Stellarium description

Then as the french musican says Viola! it's done.

[Brent]

Wow, some really lovely places - never mind taking the tree down, I need to move!

And Olly, I was waiting for yours. I had a feeling it would be spectacular, lol

Whilst we're talking about creating a panorama for Stellarium, if you have an iPhone there's an app called Photosynth (it's by Microsoft which I found quite funny!) which stitches photos as you take them so is really quick.

That's what I used for the photo in the OP. If you take a little more time over it than I did you can avoid errors like the disjointed wall and washing line.

Please keep the photos and descriptions coming, I'm really enjoying them (no, really, I am, I'm just really jealous! )

[laser_jock99]

Some good (& not so good) sites so far- here's my site in Mid Wales, the white house in centre of shot as viewed from the South. Altitude approx 1400 feet.

By day

By night- Milky Way nearly down to southern horizon.

[lukebl]

Some lovely locations. Doesn't ANYONE live somewhere rubbish, like me?

[Johnboy2011]

Hmmmm, this is the first thread that has upset me. The sky from my back garden is like the view from inside an orange wine gum.

I will try and get round to posting a photo to show Olly and laser jock what they are missing!

[Brent]

Some lovely locations. Doesn't ANYONE live somewhere rubbish, like me?

Yes, me. lol

[astro_al]

Interesting thread. I am going to try and create a panorama of my garden for use in Stellarium, although I suspect that it will look like I am observing from the bottom of a well!

[laser_jock99]

Hmmmm, this is the first thread that has upset me. The sky from my back garden is like the view from inside an orange wine gum.

I will try and get round to posting a photo to show Olly and laser jock what they are missing!

Don't worry, I have previously lived in some badly light polluted areas, I feel your pain.

[garethmob]

heres mine middle of the back garden (where i usally set up camp)

its a 360degree, the washing line points towards north

[astro_al]

Here's mine.

[astro mick]

This is my view to the South.I have good views East/South/West.

The building is my Roll Off.

To the East is the North Sea,about 2 miles from me.

On certain nights i can often here the waves when observing.

Interesting thread.

Mick.

[callisto]

I'll not show you mine, you will need a welders helmet to protect you're eyes from the glare