clarkpm4242

The Yorkshire Dales NP and Nidderdale AONB are working towards IDA accreditation. We are undertaking measurement of sky bright/darkness. About 20:00 I went to out measure and found all the readings about 0.2 down on previous, around the 21.1 mark. The light domes were up and transprency was obviously down. Wind the clock forward to 04:25 this morning. The sky was CLEAR and DARK. SQM from my garden averaged 21.5, repeated 10 mins later. The moisture had been 'frozen' out of the sky, about-8C. This was an improvement of 0.2 on previous best taken in the early hours last year. I'm sure many in remote areas have darker skies but this was an eyeopener for me. The Canon 15 x 50 binoculars showed some spiraling in M51 and M81. NGC 3077 (mag. 9.89) was a smudge near 81 & 82. M101 didn't need searching for The Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565 (mag. 9.6) showed good elongation. M66 & 66 were quick spots in Leo. Paul

-9C no wind though!

W-i-d-e field. Lined up along Swaledale this morning. Cheers Paul Canon 7D MkII Sigma 24mm 2s f2.8 iso800. Cropped in Lightroom etc.

Well, my Xmas pressie was a battery grip for my camera. It enables much longer single take time lapse videos. Like this 3+ hour session. Free to air music by Lee Rosevere. Turn up the volume cheers Paul.

Generated from the middle 3/4 of the time lapse sequence posted earlier. Convenient foreground illumination from a passing vehicle

Generated from the middle 3/4 of the time lapse sequence posted earlier. Convenient foreground illumination from a passing vehicle

Basic edit. 1100 frames 5s f2 samyang 16mm Canon 7D MkII. Cropped and WB in Lightroom. About 04:00 - 07:00. Tired. Paul. Lunar Eclipse 2019

Basic edit. 1100 frames 5s f2 samyang 16mm Canon 7D MkII. Cropped and WB in Lightroom. About 04:00 - 07:00. Tired. Paul. Lunar Eclipse 2019

I understand that Hawaii has an inversion layer, cloud/rain above which the observatories are located. Others may have more info. on this. You may need to go above it for clear skies. Paul

Less is definitely more... Though I'm always one for a more nuanced, deft and light touch. Pity I don't have such a thing. Thanks for posting. Paul

Astrometry.net

It is not a description of what you see. When the moon is 1/4 the way through its 4 week/28 day orbit it is at 1st quarter and half illuminated as we see it. WHen the moon is 3/4 the way through its 4 week/28 day orbit it is at 3rd/last quarter and half illuminated as we see it.

Hi John, Some good suggestions. Up to now I've not had much success ( To my satisfaction anyway ) with light painting. The poundland LEDs interests me as some of the pro LEDs can be a touch expensive. I'm going to trawl the cheapo shops and tell them you sent me I've seen sites such as this but not tried it yet. I will now though - https://waynepinkstonphoto.com/Low-Level-Landscape-Lighting It's funny you specifically mention the Ashness bridge shot as something happened that has never happened to me before ....... I was not alone ! I felt rushed and under pressure to get the shot and get out. All my own fault and in no way a reflection on anyone else. Due to that I decided to avoid the stone circle altogether ! This highlights different approaches/atitudes. I spend my time planning for low moon illumination, silhouettes etc. rather than light painting. Though can then end up with compositing different length exposures or copying and layering/blending in PS...whatever floats ones boat. Have been 'freaked' out a few times when supposedly alone in the dark. Usually the more really remote location the better. Cheers Paul

I wonder which village that was? We also had an early Xmas Eve evening session before moonrise TMB 92mm f5.5 APO. Comet 46P, M31, Milky Way etc. The relatives were entertained! NV is not a usual accessory for our SQM 21.4 sky pity about the moon...glad you were successful! Happy New Year Paul

Nice work... ...apart from the chocolate bounty, disgusting!!! Coconut hating Paul.

For deep sky try the RASC Finest NGC objects. Chosen for visual appeal. A step up in difficulty from the Messier list. The H400 has many unappealing objects. Good luck Paul

Says 21.6 for us up in Swaledale. Recent meter reading managed 21.4 in the early hours of a really clear night. I am very fortunate! Paul

...and Jupiter on the horizon right of the 3 Sisters. This morning about 07:15. Welcome to 2019. Paul Canon 7D MkII Sigma 24mm at f3.5 1/5th sec iso 400 LR and CS2. 24mm at f3.5, iso400 and 1/5 sec RAW in LR and CS2.

Cool engineering. I made an airline 'carry-on' 10" using marine ply. Nowhere near as sophisticated as your solution! Flew it to the Canaries severl times Hope you get good views!! Paul

Another explanation was that they used very long focal length scopes with small exit pupils. This caused the blood vessels on the back of the eye to become 'visible' to the observer as a network. Cheers Paul

Make more use of the kit that I have! Hopefully aided by an astro-shed for easier deployment of dobsonian and my imaging setup. Another trip up to NW Highlands Do a few more outreach sessions. Have 2 booked so far. Hope you all have a fulfilling astro year. Paul

Yep. As the above 2 posts. It is a very rich cluster! Works well through a range of apertures and magnifications. Must be a LP issue...or Specsavers Cheers Paul

If you look at the V magnitudes here, in green. http://wirtanen.astro.umd.edu/46P/46P_status.shtml You can see it is peaking around 3.5. The predicted curve suggests it will remain 'bright' for a few more weeks. Should be OK for the next period of moon free dark nights. Fingers crossed. Paul

Grabbing frames twixt the clouds. Canon 7D MkII, Samyang 16mm at f2. 15s, ISO 1600. Cheers Paul

Thanks Gordon. My problem is probably down to trying to make do with a cheap Pan/Slide/Tilt solution. Cable management issues have caused some jerky motion on the vids. Am looking to get an 'on board' solution... ...maybe. Cheers Paul