mcrowle

Many thanks, @FenlandPaul and @AstroNebulee! Various forecasts have Friday night, into Saturday, clear, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's finally an imaging session.

Hoping to locate and image comets C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (in Virgo) and C/2021 S3 PANSTARRS (in Cygnus).

Regards, Mike

While I await a night suitable for deep sky imaging here in Cornwall (6 weeks now, and counting), I intend to re-process more existing data to include Starnet++ steps. 

The following image was created with data captured in 2019 during an excellent landscape astrophotography workshop with the late Alyn Wallace, in Tenerife. Here the location was Minas de San Jose, at the foot of Mount Teide. The exposure details were 13 x 30-second exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 6400, taken with an astro-modified Canon EOS 600D and Leica Summicron 50mm f/2 lens on a Vixen Polarie star tracker.

The second version has been re-visited with Starnet++, but I also reduced the stars in the star layer using Noel Carboni’s tools in an ancient version of Photoshop Elements. So maybe I’ve overdone the star reduction - the spectacular clusters M6 and M7 won’t thank me for that! Still, the dark and emission nebulae show up well.

Regards, Mike.

A short timelapse from last night.

Regards, Mike.

Actually I haven't been out again, as indications are that activity has fallen away. The following image was taken about 11:30pm.

Regards, Mike.

Having fun with the aurora here in Cornwall  - pink glow visible to the eye for a while a little earlier, despite the gibbous Moon, and pillars caught on camera. Heading out for another look shortly.

Regards, Mike.

Lots of tributes to Alyn under his last YouTube video: 

I was fortunate enough to be able to join him on a landscape astrophotography workshop in Tenerife in 2019. Such a great experience that I would have loved to repeat. I never got around to posting about it on StargazersLounge, though - I returned with so much data that by the time I worked through it I felt that the moment had passed.

RIP, Alyn.

Mike

That’s shocking to hear, so very sad, especially given his young age. His astrophotography, YouTube channel and book really were an inspiration.

Mike.

Ah, the weather forecast could not be worse here, with heavy rain from this evening and right through tomorrow, but I’ll keep an eye out for the reports from others! Good luck, all.

Regards, Mike.

As mentioned, I headed out to the footpath (thankfully now less muddy) last night for another look at Pons-Brooks. I'm not sure after all whether the transparency was better, as unfortunately there were now a couple of floodlights affecting my night vision at the location (they appeared to be illuminating an entirely deserted outdoor basketball court). 

Despite this, the comet was easily visible in the 7 x 50s, and the tail was clearly longer in the photo frames. Here's a slightly cropped 135mm lens image, which is from a stack of 22 x 30 sec frames (with Starnet++ having been employed to temporarily remove the stars before stretching the contrast).

Regards, Mike.

Transparency is looking better tonight, so going out for another look.

Regards, Mike.

2 hours ago, PeterStudz said:

Fabulous sketches! Sadly the view to this is totally obscured from my house. Might give a go at looking somewhere else. That’s if we ever get a clear evening. 

Yes, I have to do the same as I cannot see westwards from my observing location. There are some places along (currently very muddy) footpaths nearby that I can observe from with binoculars, and/or image with a star tracker and short telephoto.

This was the comet last night, the tail showing nicely to the camera (though not to the eye, via 7 x 50s).

Regards, Mike.

I too had another look at Pons-Brooks tonight, with 7 x 50 binocs.

Although it has brightened apparently since I last viewed it on 29 February, it was not easy to pick out due to the rather murky conditions. Shortly afterwards, low cloud moved in, so I was glad I hadn’t set for the planned deep sky session!

Regards, Mike.

Caught aurora on camera here in Cornwall between 8:30 and 9pm this evening, but not visible to the eye, sadly. Just going out for another look.

Regards, Mike.

Only a brief session - my first of February (good job it's a leap year  ).

Viewed Comet 12P Pons-Brooks via good intervals between shower clouds, easily in 7 x 50 binocs, from a local footpath (as I cannot reach its location from my telescopic observing location).

Regards, Mike.

Not your typical January for me: 10 sessions (though some were of limited duration due to cloud).

A wonderful report and photos, Nicola!

Brings back a few memories for me  - and a regret. I was lucky enough to visit the observatory during a walking holiday in the region back in 1998. I remember queuing to view the Moon through the 24” Clark, but when it came to my turn I looked at the wobbly view (due to turbulence) for about half a second, said “thanks” to the staff member managing the viewing, and walked off. I should have savoured the view through such a classic instrument for a little longer at least! 😄

Regards, Mike.

2 minutes ago, glafnazur said:

It was lovely and clear when I got home, I had something to eat and just looked out and now there's a layer of high cloud.

Yes, similar here in Cornwall. Very clear from mid-afternoon, with all forecasts showing it staying so until later in the evening. I set up about 6:45pm but have a lot of thin cloud ever since.

Regards, Mike.

Not me, in mid Cornwall. Totally clouded out this evening, but can't really complain as the last 7 nights have been mainly clear (bar a little intermittent cloud).

Regards, Mike.

Been lucky enough to have had a full week of mainly clear skies here in mid Cornwall, though the clouds have returned now.

The wind gusts caught me by surprise on Wednesday evening, though. I clearly hadn't paid enough attention to the forecast, and had set up my 12" Newtonian to image M42. Typically my Total RMS error is around 0.6", but Tuesday it was 2.5"! I've deleted the worst frames, but am hoping to salvage something from the rest 🤞.

Regards, Mike.

That looks good! Excellent modelling skills.

Now, if only a full size one was as easy to carry!

Regards, Mike.

17 hours ago, CCD-Freak said:

Looking forward to seeing your image.  I recently picked up one of those 12" F4 OTAs but have not had much clear sky to test it.

 

 

Thanks. Here's the result, 31 x 4-minute exposures at ISO 1600 taken over 2 nights.

Regards, Mike.

46 minutes ago, Vroobel said:

It's time to think about a dew heater... 🙂

Yes, perhaps! I don’t have dew issues here often though. Actually I was imaging the same galaxies tonight with no issues even after several hours. The humidity was certainly lower than last night.

Regards, Mike.

My 12” Newtonian, out imaging M81 and M82 last night, shortly before the secondary dewed over. I’m adding more data this evening.

Regards, Mike.

Intriguing!

I hope it's a new C11 that weighs 3kg, fits in carry-on luggage and has an automatic rain cover 😃.

Regards, Mike.

It's great to find a dark site, and yes that is the Milky Way, in Sagittarius! Also, the pink blob towards the right edge is the Lagoon Nebula, M8.

Regards, Mike.