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Hawksmoor

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  1. Hawksmoor

    Antares Base 07

    Hawksmoor posted a gallery image in Member's Album

    Antares Base 07

    From the album: Backyard Astronomy

    Stack of 5 second images using modded Canon 200d and unmodded Canon 600d cameras and a Samyang 135mm lens at F2. Affinity Photo, FitsWork4, Registar etc. Literally uncropped other than removing our neighbour's roof from underneath!
  2. Hawksmoor
    Brian at his best!
  3. Hawksmoor
    Deneb absolute bestsmall

    From the album: Backyard Astronomy

    Bit of a trial run for my recently acquired Samyang F2 135mm lens affixed to my modded Canon 200d camera on a fixed tripod. The waxing gibbous Moon and LED street lighting were banging out the lumens and Cygnus was low in the East, so was not expecting much from a stack of 20x8 sec lights at ISO800. Was surprised and pleased with the result. Deneb (top left) and Sadr (top right). NGC7000 (bottom left). Image (uncropped), stacked and developed using Affinity Photo software.
  4. Hawksmoor
    In Suffolk and Norfolk cliffs I often find similar looking nodules of Limonite an iron based mineral. Not usually as big as your find and often with a hollow centre, known locally as 'box-stones'. George in Lowestoft
  5. Hawksmoor
    Absolutely beautiful! George
  6. Hawksmoor

    IMG_1538cropcomwarm

    Hawksmoor posted a gallery image in Member's Album

    IMG_1538cropcomwarm

    From the album: The Moon

    First go with my new Samyang F2 135mm ED lens. Nice bit of glass!
  7. Hawksmoor

    In between the fast moving clouds tonight, I tried out my recently acquired Samyang F2 135 mm lens for the first time and in concert with my modded Canon 200d. Nice hefty bit of glass delivering  circular stars right across the APS-C sensor at F2. I am looking forward to using this combo on my Star Adventurer mount once the nights get a bit darker and longer.

    George in Lowestoft next the sea.

    1. orion25

      orion25

      Can't wait to see some images! :) 

  8. Hawksmoor
    The Great Peacock Globular - NGC 6752
    Lovely crisp image of a globular star cluster I haven't seen imaged before. Thanks for posting. George
  9. Hawksmoor

    Woo-hoo! Got my Lenovo laptop back from the menders with a new screen, runs like a greyhound!

    1. orion25

      orion25

      Great news, George!

    2. Hawksmoor

      Hawksmoor

      Hi Reggie hope you are well and star gazing in Georgia. It is good to have my trusty laptop operational again. Mrs H and I are feeling much better. We very much appreciated your kind wishes when we were ill. All the best and hope you get to see the lunar eclipse that is soon to happen. I think it is going to be too close to the horizon for me as I am located at the most easterly point in the United Kingdom with a very poor local south west aspect.

      George

  10. Hawksmoor

    First day I have felt a little better since contracting covid. Mrs H still testing positive but looking a bit more like herself. Both of us have been under the cosh for thirteen days with different sensory symptoms. This is a very surprising and unpleasant virus to contract. In the past I have had flu and pneumonia more than once and my experience with covid has been comparable and not at all like a head cold as some report. Take sensible precautions to avoid it, particularly if you are getting on a bit or have other medical issues.

    Stay safe stargazers.

  11. Hawksmoor
    Hello and welcome back to SGL from Lowestoft. Best of luck with your new kit and looking out the window, you were right about the clouds turning up! George next the Sea
  12. Hawksmoor
    Mrs H treated me to an evening tour and open-evening at the Royal Observatory Greenwich - I think in 1999. I was much impressed with the whole visit. Part of the tour was a walkthrough the large dome in which there was a very large refractor. A big video screen had been set up showing the view via the scope of part of the Moon. It was quite a view! I must say one of the most thrilling bits of the evening at the Royal Observatory was to walk through a room in which the likes of Sir Christopher Wren, Sir Isaac Newton, Samuel Pepys and Sir Robert Hooke at one time or another sat down to dine (pre-dates sandwiches and a thermos). The only time I've viewed the Sun in H alpha through a scope was at the Stefanik Observatory in Prague. I was very pleased to see a prominence. It's amazing how some sights stick in the memory. George.
  13. Hawksmoor

    You know I mentioned it never rains but it pours. Well Mrs H with her 'new hip' has now tested positive for Covid and in a fit of dyspraxic stupidity I sat on my Lenovo laptop and broke the screen. Lenovo's may be robust enough to withstand a trip to the ISS but my 'backside' is obviously a more stringent test of robustness! I am now typing on an old Dell which is 'clunky' to say the least and will have to wait until I'm Covid free before I can have it replaced. Lets hope today goes without further unfortunate incidents in the House of the Hawksmoors!

    1. orion25

      orion25

      You and Mrs. H take good care of yourselves. I wish you both a speedy recovery!

  14. Hawksmoor

    I had a positive Covid flow test today. It never rains but it pours. On the other hand it does explain the dry cough, temperature and head ache!

  15. Hawksmoor
    Thanks Reggie
  16. Hawksmoor
    With a bit of spare time each day, while Mrs. H sleeps after her recent surgery, I have processed a stack of 5minute lights at ISO800 using DeepSkyStacker, Affinity Photo, APS, Topaz Denoise AI and Fitswork4. Canon 200d DSLR with Altair Triband filter, Sigma zoom lens at f=15mm, all on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount . The image was marginally cropped at the edges. The very bright meteor appeared on one of the light frames. I was surprised how much hydrogen alpha and oxygen lll my modded DSLR captured in this area of the night sky. I decided to go full technicolor on this one.
  17. Hawksmoor
    Great Bear plus meteor crop small best dusty

    From the album: Backyard Astronomy

    Looking through some images from March, I noticed I had captured a lone-some bright meteor rushing through Ursa Major. Decided to process the stack of 12x5miin lights in a different way to bring out the Halpha and 0111 captured through my modded DSLR and Altair Triband filter.
  18. Hawksmoor
    Whilst Mrs H was having a sleep after her hip replacement operation, I processed over One hours worth of two minute lights etc taken with my newly acquired astro-modded Canon 200d DSLR and clip in Altair Astro dual band filter. Plenty of light pollution as captured before the LED street lighting goes out in Lowestoft. There was also a bit of moonlight about. So all in all quite pleased to capture a few dim fuzzies amongst the stars and H alpha glow. I used my 66mm Altair Doublet with a 0.8x focal reducer and field flattener. The tracking is a bit off as I was using my Star Adventurer rather than my NEQ6 mount. Processed with Affinity Photo, APS and Fitswork4.
  19. Hawksmoor
    Truly splendid image. Very impressed! In my opinion, the best of some very good images. best regards George
  20. Hawksmoor

    Not been up to much astronomy for a while as Mrs. H had her hip replaced yesterday. She is in hospital for a couple of days but doing well! I shall be swapping my personal technical challenges from 'Astro Kit' to 'Washing Machine'. Who would have thought Bosch washing machines would have got so 'digital' over the last 48 years? 

    George contemplating a short-medium term period of domestic drudgery in Lowestoft.

  21. Hawksmoor
    Excellent work Reggie! Really nice photos. George
  22. Hawksmoor
    Dusty Bear. Using my latest acquisition a pre-used astro-modded Canon 200d camera, an Altair Triband clip in Filter and my Sigma widefield zoom lens at f=15 F 5.6 and ISO 800 24x5minute lights. Taken before the LED street lighting went out. Processed and cropped using Affinity photo software.
  23. Hawksmoor
    Ursa Major and Friend5small

    From the album: Backyard Astronomy

    My first widefield effort with an astro-modded Canon 200d , Altair Triband Filter and Sigma EX lens at f=15mm. F5.6. 24 x 300sec lights at ISO800. LOL
  24. Hawksmoor

    The weather tonight in Lowestoft followed the Metcheck forecast to the letter. I managed two hours of fun with my mini rig before the clouds arrived. Have purchased a new toy before my increased monthly payments to Octopus Energy kick in! I seized the opportunity to buy a used Canon 200d astromodded camera in mint condition with only 10,000 shutter actuations for a remarkably good price. Have been trying it out with my Sigma wide lens and my Altair Astro 66mm Doublet refractor. The processing is more demanding than I'm used to with an unmodded camera but so far I am pleased with my purchase. On a different  tack, I was happy to receive a letter from CEFAS informing me that, after careful consideration of my requests for them to address the light pollution coming from their new HQ building, they would in future limit the hours of operation of their external lighting. A good week for stargazing in Lowestoft all round!

    Nighty night stargazers.

    George now in bed.

     

    Stargazers

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. orion25

      orion25

      BTW, close conjunction of Venus & Jupiter before dawn on April 30 for us in the States (about 14 arcminutes apart). I don't think you'll be able to see from your latitude though.

    3. Hawksmoor

      Hawksmoor

      Hi Reggie - very nice to hear from you. I look forward to seeing your images of the conjunction. I'm not sure whether it is visible from Lowestoft or whether I could get out of bed before dawn. I do however, have a very fine eastern horizon out over the North Sea.

      I am still getting to grips with my recently acquired modded DSLR and Triband filter.  Its easy enough to produce Ha saturated (very red) images but getting just the right amount of red to make an interesting composition is quite difficult particularly when going widefield.  Hats off to the people on SGL that produce such splendid narrow band images, it is certainly not easy!

      I attach a copy of one of my first images taken with the modded Canon 200d DSLR and a Triband filter and a Sigma EX camera lens at about f=15mm F5.6 (ISO800). 2hrs worth of 5minute lights stacked, cropped and processed using Affinity Photo software. The  lights were taken before the street lights went out so you can see how well the filter deals with LED street Lighting.  I think I could improve the stars by using my unmodded camera and combining images from both.  A project in process.

      Best regards from George1752086230_GreatBearetcselectredwidefieldcrop02.thumb.png.fa8e5ad70c8d417577560fa00c6fb9ff.png

    4. orion25

      orion25

      Brill, George!

  25. Hawksmoor
    Is a light giraffe a measure of distance or weight? Perplexed of Lowestoft
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