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tibbs1972

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Blog Entries posted by tibbs1972

  1. tibbs1972
    Hi
    I was taking a widefiled shot tonight by laying my DSLR camera flat on its back for a 60sec exposure at ISO400, F3.5.
    To my surprise, I caught the Advanced Land Observing Satellite "DAICHI" (ALOS), which apparantly is a satellite developed to contribute to the fields of mapping, precise regional land coverage observation, disaster monitoring, and resource surveying.
    See attached photo and flightpath from stellarium below.
    I also noticed a second satellite low down in the photo, but I am not sure what this one is, as its not on stellarium.
    Regards
    Neil
  3. tibbs1972
    I had a go at just using the DSLR tonight with a 30 sec exposure, ISO of 200, and set to F3.5.
    Had a lot of trouble trying to get rid of the light pollution, but I'm pretty happy with the result. I managed to get through the clouds.
    The best result was from laying the camera flat on its back on a 10sec timer.
  4. tibbs1972
    Just a smudge through the Monocular, but really pleased to finally locate it.
    I located Andromeda by following the line of stars out from Mirach.
    I can't get a better view, as the line of sight is above a 24hr Cement factory, which obliviously means lots of light polution.
    Pleased I finally located it, as it's the one galaxy I wanted to spot.
    Ok, a sense of achievement tonight, off for some sleep.
  5. tibbs1972
    Extemly clear night tonight. I haven't seen so may stars shining since January.
    If I didn't have to work tomorrow, I'd be out later.
    I've Located M44, the Beehive cluster in cancer with my Monocular.
    One of the few clusters almost visible with the naked eye, as a sort of smudge.
    Another Messier notched up. :)
  6. tibbs1972
    I located the M39 open cluster tonight with my 10x50 Monocular.
    I have to admit, I'm having more luck locating objects with the Monocular than with my telescope.
    I looked first between Deneb (Cygnus) and Alderamin (Cepheus) for p1 Cyg and p2 Cyg and then looked to the right of p2 Cyg. Hey presto, there was the M39 open cluster, just visible with my Monocular.
    I also used Stellarium for the first time tonight instead of the Celestron Sky X software that came with the scope. Stellarium is much easier to use.

  7. tibbs1972
    Caught another flyby tonight by the ISS.
    The space station was in view for about 2 minutes tonight. Still an amazing sight.
    I took some 0.5 sec exposures.
    I think I could just make out some sort of outline when I used my Minocular.
    Amazing !
    Regards
    Neil
  8. tibbs1972
    I'm going to try ang grab an image later. Probably widefield with a camera is best, as it's too fast for the scope.
    RE: The worst result possible.
    I panicked, as is obvious. Would have had more time if it hadn't ducked behind cloud.
    Oh well, better luck next time.
  9. tibbs1972

    Cloudy Tonight

    By tibbs1972,

    Cloudy & a full Moon tonight, what a mix.
    Still, sometimes it looks like the Moons at the end of a tunnel. Definitely worth taking an image.
    This image doesn't do it justice, I'm afraid.
  10. tibbs1972
    Here's my attempt to capture Sirius on a cheap Webcam through my Telescope.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c_vbVHAPkU&feature=player_profilepage
    Here's my first ever attempt to video the moon, again with my webcam, unfortunately upside down.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwQ3qD1FLQI&feature=player_detailpage
    Regards
    Neil
  11. tibbs1972

    Inspired by NASA

    By tibbs1972,

    I've just watched a documentary called Beyond the Moon for 90 minutes about NASA, which has inspired me.
    The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and the Columbia tragedy shown in the documentary moved me to express my thoughts tonight.
    I was unaware of the pressure that NASA has been under since the Apollo 11 flight. I was also unaware of the skill and commitment and dedication of the flight crew, mission control and the as stated 400,000 human beings involved in the Apollo program. I can only say the documentary I've watched has just inspired me and given me more faith in the belief in limitless future possibilities the human race will be able to achieve.
    Due to the issues with President Nixon and the Watergate Scandal, I was never aware of the challenges that the staff at NASA overcame to the repair SkyLab, risking their own lives in the process, repairing the faults with the solar panels and the heat shield.
    I wasn't aware until recently of the commitment and effort made by these amazing examples of human beings, achieving the almost impossible goal of repairing the Hubble Telescope, of which so many images are now taken for granted, by so many people.
  12. tibbs1972
    Now I'm really happy.
    At 04:49, I spotted the ISS pass over.
    It was brighter than Sirius, moving fast with a luminous glow.
    The ISS passed across the front of my south facing house for abouth 10 seconds.
    Another amazing first for me.
    I used the link below to track the ISS, which was really accurate.
    http://www.n2yo.com/?s=25544
    Definitely worth getting up for. I also used my Minocular to track it and I think I saw some slight detail.
    It would be great if I could track with the telescope, but I think it's too fast for that.
    WOW !
  15. tibbs1972
    Tonight, I was really lucky.
    1st I saw a meteorite fall across my line of sight fron north to south.
    Then I spotted a satellite around 21:20.
    I managed to follow this for about 30secs with my spotter scope in hand. That was quite interesting.
    The best thing of all, was through my 20mm eyepiece, as I was moving from East to North, a meteorite shot across the view of the scope. That was incredible. For a second it looked as if it bounced on the atmosphere. It caught me off guard, as through the eyepiece it was really bright.
    Great Night Stargazing.
  16. tibbs1972

    7th April 2011

    By tibbs1972,

    I didn't get solar film today, maybe tomorrow.
    Anyway, tonight is an excellent night for Star Gazing.
    For the first time, I have managed to get the polar alignment correct.
    I have also managed to get the speed correct on my single axis drive.
    As a result I have managed to take my best shot so far. The picture is of Arcturus in the east tonight about 22:00.
    This was taken with a 30 second exposure, with and ISO of 800. The DSLR camera was mounted directly on the scope.
    I realise there is a lot of light pollution, but besides that problem, I'm really pleased with the image.
  18. tibbs1972

    Tibbs Blog

    By tibbs1972,

    14th March 2011
    Tried a few images tonight using the prime focus method.
    I am having trouble finding Nebula with the Live View on the new DSLR camera.
    I found the Orion Nebula with my 20mm lens, but lost it when I swapped to the camera lens.
    I think my main problem is the spotter scope. The spotter scope I received with the main telescope from Celestron is useless, I can't align it very easily. It always seems to be a few degrees out.
    I lost Orion below the horizon after numerous attempts, fortunately it will be back another night. Better luck next time.
    It's not gonna get away, I want a Nebula framed on my bedroom wall before the end of the year.
    Anyway, not to be defeated, I ended up going for Betelgeuse, I thought I better get a shot before is goes nova.
    This is the best image I have taken of a star so far, shows more detail than I normally get.
    I also had a go at the moon again, but it was very bright. I think I need to get hold of a moon filter for next time.
    Finally, I had another look at Saturn as well tonight, I think I will need better lenses for Planetary observations.
    Seems like every time I make an observation, I need another accessory.
    Anyway, pleased again to make a few observations on one of the few clear nights we get in the UK.
  19. tibbs1972

    Tibbs Blog

    By tibbs1972,

    11th March
    Picked up my T-pice and T-ring from work today. Great service from First Light Optics, cheap price and 2 Day delivery.
    Looking forward to another clear night.......
    .....
    .....
    ....
    Still waiting .....
    .......
  20. tibbs1972

    Tibbs Blog

    By tibbs1972,

    8th march
    Reliased I needed a T eye piece and T-ring for the Cannon EOS 1000D camera, looking to order from somewhere.
    Still, I'm managing to take some shots with just the Camera on its own, linked to my laptop. Having a lot of fun, although proably getting funny looks from the neighbours. I'll have to hold a street star party to give them peace of mind.
  22. tibbs1972

    Tibbs Blog

    By tibbs1972,

    6th March 2011
    Woolsthorpe Manor
    I Visited the home of Sir Isaac Newton today. Amazing to think I stood next to the same Apple Tree as the man himself did over 300 years ago.
  23. tibbs1972

    Tibbs Blog

    By tibbs1972,

    27th February 2011
    Luckily a clear night, managed to spot Saturn this morning @04:56 in the south.
    Using a 20mm lens and my webcam again, I had a shot at getting an image.
    Although the image was clear using the lens and my eye, the Webcam wasn't so good.
  24. tibbs1972

    Tibbs Blog

    By tibbs1972,

    24th January 2011
    Chuffed tonight, really clear night, managed to spot Jupiter tonight in the south.
    Using my trusty webcam I had a go at getting an image.
    I think I also caught some of Jupiters moons aswell.
  25. tibbs1972

    Tibbs Blog

    By tibbs1972,

    21st January 2011
    After checking some videos on the sky at night website, I decided to see if I could find the double stars Mizar & Alcor in Ursa Major (The big dipper).
    To my surprise, I did manage to locate the two stars, which are supposedly
    caught in each others gravitational pull.
    I must admit I am amazed to think the two stars I was looking at are actually caught in a tug of war with each other.
    I also watched a video tonight that explains that each star is also a separate binary system, as well as orbiting each other, so there are
    actally four stars in total.
    Unfortunately, I couldn't spot the smaller stars, and it also clouded over,
    but I hope to get a picture tomorrow.
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