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Northern Soul man

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Everything posted by Northern Soul man

  1. Northern Soul man

    sales

  2. Hi To All, Yes Cosford was a very good site, I only had a couple of outings up there but the sky was really nice and you had a really good 360 view with only a couple of trees to look around. I think, for its location, it was a really good compromise between travelling miles out of town and having darkish skies, I know probably not truly dark but a good compromise all the same. I think the Wolves Society have access to a field in Boningdale, but there hasn't been much activity as of late - this was very close to the Cosford site only a mile or so down the road - but it would be nice if we can get some sort of gathering for the Black country/wolves possie - the events up Barr Beacon are really good and very well attended though. Paul.
  3. Hi Leo, fantastic scope mate great choice. Looks like you've got everything sorted - a great first scope - your going to see a lot with that. Wonder if you have any star charts yet, they all look a little daunting when you first start using them, try and have a look for the brightest objects visible when you go out, try and make a log of what you want to observe, stick to it and spend a long time on each object - some you will be able to find quite quickly - others may need a little sweeping around for - but remember we're under very light polluted skies - so some objects just won't be visible - nothing wrong with you or the scope - its just how it is, people find the art of star hopping very frustrating to begin with, as the view in the scope is going to be upside down and back to front, so have the Bino's handy and just check from the charts for distinctive star patterns near to the object, get the red dot finder close in relationship of where you want to point the scope, then have a look, if its not there, just use a very low power EP (the longest focal length) for sweeping around the immediate area - as time goes by it gets a little easier, I first started out with a Dob, but moved to an SCT with GOTO - you will soon get used to the objects that are visible and the others that are just too faint for our skies - all of my observing is done from my garden, night after night you get used to re - visiting old friends around the sky. Don't get frustrated if you can't see much to start with - I think this is the most IMPORTANT point to make and to keep telling this to ourselves when we're outside - there are tips we can use to make the most out of the light pollution, use a dark cloak to cover your head whilst looking at different objects - it really does look stupid - but makes a hell of a difference in giving the best contrast. The light pollution filter will help - but only on certain objects which emit at certain wavelengths - much better on the emission Nebulae - M42,M27,M97,M76 for starters - as said - spend a while on each object try different mags to give the best contrast, especially whilst under the cover, especially make sure your eyes are dark adapted, spend the start of the session allowing your eyes to get dark adapted, this takes a while, maybe 30 - 60 mins - so start off with the brighter objects and work your way to the fainter objects as time goes by - any light here will ruin your dark adaptation. Most of all just enjoy your time under the stars, not getting too frustrated - but this happens to us all at the beginning - so take your time, work your way through your objects, spending long periods on each - it amazes me just how long the light has been travelling to get to our mirror/lenses and just being able to see what we can see from our back gardens. Paul.
  4. Great Leo - you say your just starting out but you seem to know your way around the sky and enjoy using your binoculars - I find that when I've got a few minutes or so its nice just to go out with the Bino's and have a quick look around the sky - wonder which scope you've opted for - as soon as you put a scope on the sky things become totally different - but one compliments the other - you have such a narrow field of view with the scopes, the Bin's are just great on the open clusters and the star fields in the Milky Way - the brighter Messier Nebulae - like the Dumbell Nebula are visible in Binoculars, for me, just a smudge of light - but as soon as you put the scope on it, it breaks out into so much structure - its a lovely sight. The star clusters in Auriga M36, M37, M38 - in Bino's, are just patches of light, but as soon as you put the scope on them and add a little magnification, they become structured star cities, with their own shape and density, again, M2 and M15 are small faint patches of light in the Bino's, but train the scope on them, add a little magnification, they become very bright, compact star clusters with star after star becoming resolved into pin point jewels in a very large jewellery box. Keep us informed when the scope arrives (wonder which one you've plumped for) and best of all, just enjoy the night sky from any location - I know I do !! Paul.
  5. Nice 1 Leo, I think the real test is when the Moon is out of the way, and to see if you can see the Milky Way, when we was over at the Boningale area you could just make out the Milk - Way when it was directly overhead - nothing like I would guess if you were at a truly dark site I guess - only I have never observed from a really dark site - just content with observing from my back garden - you can get away with the Moon and Planets - as light pollution doesn't really affect these views, but I bet these very dim Galaxies and Nebulae are a great site for a dark location - even with a small aperture. The brighter Messiers from the garden are very nice - my limits on sky condition are probably M1 - this is a good test for me, I tried a while back, but not the best viewing because it was quite low down on the sky at this time of the year - so I need to wait when its gets to its highest point in the sky before having another go. Its hard to use the magnitude scale on each object - some objects are much bigger than others so if these have a certain magnitude which only relates to an objects brightness measured as a single point of light which gets very confusing when you try and compare one object against another - your okay if its a star - here the magnitudes are a good guide to go by - but something as big as the Andromeda Galaxy becomes a poor measurement of magnitude to go by. I tend to stick to the brighter Planetary Nebulae, as these are a better reference - but again depending on their individual size - so variations with brightness against size can also be a little mis - leading. I always go by that if you can see the Milky Way very clearly against the night sky your going to have a good chance on the much fainter Galaxies - but as you know our location is far from the best near to large towns and conurbations - so the Moon and Planets it is then!! Paul.
  6. Nice 1 Leo its just that much better when you go out of town a little would be nice to get a farmers field or track where a group of us could meet up. Its just getting permission off the farmer with a good concrete path or similar as the fields can get rather muddy but wonder if you did any observing from there would be nice to go there when the moons out of the way to see how good it is but thanks for posting would be nice to get the farmers permission for a group of us to go. Thanks again Leo. Paul.
  7. Hi Guys, nice 1. I used to go up to a farmers field just outside Wolverhampton - I think it was near to the Albrighton/Boningale area - we had the permission of the farmer, it was just the back of a farm shop - a great location being close enough to get there by motorbike for me anyway, just after the last visit I noticed that there had been a gate placed across the track where we used to go to - so this site was a no no - the location was very nice, met up with a couple of guys off here Anweniel (Barry) and Dafman (Pat) - a really great night with them, but cold. Barr Beacons nice as well, met up with Barry and also Gartut200 (Gareth) on the Jupiter Watch last year had the scopes set up - not a cloud in the sky all night - just the light pollution to put up with, but the Boningale site was really good only just a little way out from Wolves but you just got a hint of the Milky Way overhead. I think the Wolves Astro Society have a site at Boningale, they had a meet there last but one Stargazers live (2014) I think, but Walsall usually meet up at Barr Beacon and I think they have a site over Pelsall way I think, but most of us just stay in the back gardens and observe - there's been a shortage of Planets around of late in the early evening - so not a lot to observe lately, only really the Moon and the brighter Messier's from the light polluted Midlands, but would be nice to meet up with a few of us again - its going to get better now Jupiters up earlier and we've got the mighty Mars soon. Paul.
  8. Just like to say a BIG Thank you to Simon and the Staff at the Widescreen Centre. I Rattled an e mail off to the Widescreen Centre regarding stock, had a reply in a few minutes with all the requested EP's in stock , I then e mailed them regarding postage costs and waited a while - to be fair to them, on their website it asks you to phone for details. I then sent the order in over the internet which places a "nominal" £5 delivery charge - I was a little unsure of this, so I phoned and asked if I could have Courier delivery to be on the safe side, Simon answered and said it would be advisable, so I asked if my order could be amended - Yes no problem, said the order would probably take a couple of days, but I think from the last phone call to delivery it was about 19 hours - so ahead of schedule - nice!! The internet order was processed only AFTER the phone call just to make sure that I was happy and that I had given them confirmation to adjust delivery charges to be certain - so a great result all round, especially for not just taking the order, but for waiting on confirmation - a nice touch I think. Thanks. Paul.
  9. Northern Soul man

    Mars 13 th April 2014

    [Philips ToUcam Pro Camera; Video] Frame Divisor=1 Resolution=320x240 Frame Rate (fps)=60.00 Colour Space / Compression=I420 Exposure=-7 Brightness=61 Contrast=37 Saturation=22 Gamma=4 ColorEnable=255 BacklightCompensation=255 Gain=63 Images taken on 13/04/2014 at 23:01 UTC using the Celestron CPC 1100, Philips Toucam Pro 2 Webcam, using a Meade x2 "Shorty" Barlow, Processed with Registax 5 and used Auto, Tone,Contrast and Colour in Adobe Photoshop CS6. I've tried to work out the Central Meridian when the image was taken and I think its around 120 Degrees - but not too sure. Showing Mare Acidalium (upper left), Aurorae Sinus (lower Left), Elysium Region (Mid to upper right) and Mare Cimmerium (lower Right) - I've tried to match the landscape with the given features but not too sure of this.
  10. Northern Soul man

    Jupiter

    webcam image of Jupiter
  11. Northern Soul man

    Jupiter 4

    From the album: Jupiter

    As of March 4 th 2014 (same equipment) - 1934 UTC - just resized in Adobe Photoshop CS6 - just altered the Wavelets to try and get a little more "natural" colour - probably tghe best resolution I can get from my current set up.
  12. Northern Soul man

    Jupiter 3

    From the album: Jupiter

    As of March 4 th 2014 (same equipment) - 1934 UTC - just re - sized in Adobe Photoshop CS6 - probably my best processing to date for detail anyway.
  13. Northern Soul man

    Jupiter 3

    From the album: Jupiter

    Using a different capture (5:22 second Video) from March 4 th 2014 - 1934 UTC - Celestron CPC 1100,Philips Toucam Pro 2 , Meade Shorty 2x Barlow, Processed 20/02/2015 using Registax 6 - altering the Wavelets and Colour Balance with added Gamma Correction this time, with Auto Tone, Auto Colour and Auto Contrast in Adobe Photoshop CS6.
  14. From the album: Jupiter

    As 11.58 with adjustment of the "Wavelets using the sharpen tools in the Wavelet "window".
  15. From the album: Jupiter

    As 11.58 with adjustment of the "Wavelets using the sharpen tools in the Wavelet "window".
  16. From the album: Jupiter

    Same settings as above (11.58) - just resized in Adobe Photshop CS6.- Just had a play with the "Wavelets" in Registax 6 also altered the Brightness and Contrast in Registax 6.
  17. From the album: Jupiter

    [Philips ToUcam Pro Camera; Video] Frame Divisor=1 Resolution=320x240 Frame Rate (fps)=30.00 Colour Space / Compression=I420 Exposure=-9 Brightness=52 Contrast=30 Saturation=-14 Gamma=3 ColorEnable=255 BacklightCompensation=255 Gain=55 Also from 11,03,2014 at 1158 UTC - managed to keep the camera settings - so as above, using the Celestron CPC 1100, Philips Toucam Pro 2, Meade Shorty x2 Barlow with a 3 1/2 Minute AVI Video, Processed in Registax 6 on 21/02/2015 and just using Auto Tone, Auto Colour, Auto Contrast in Adobe Photoshop CS6 6.
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