Imagery or Observation?

[the milster]

What do you prefer?

As a complete novice my first thoughts after getting my scope was, like many I assume, those deep sky images look great, I want to do some of that. I started looking around seeing what I might need to do a bit of photography, what scope, what camera etc. I'd already half decided in my head what I'd go for next.

How things change after a couple of sessions under the stars! My whole outlook has changed, the buzz I've had after seeing some of these objects in the flesh has madee think differently. Now my thinking for a next scope is purely for observational purposes.

I think the images help in the fact thatyou can go in and view pictures of what you've just been looking at. I think it gives it the extra wow factor.

[Orion_the_Hunter]

Hi Milster, I have always been fascinated by the sky. Looking at some of the deep sky images on here made me want to do imaging.

But after looking at the kit needed (£££), lots of thinking and being realistic I decided that observing is the way to go. I'm about to order a scope, and I'm really looking forward to seeing whats 'up there'.

[eriwig]

I would love to try some imaging to share the whole view with family and friends but for now i'm being selfish and unless they want to come and stand in my garden with me and freeze then they aren't seeing anything

[oldfruit]

Hi Milster, I have always been fascinated by the sky. Looking at some of the deep sky images on here made me want to do imaging.

But after looking at the kit needed (£££), lots of thinking and being realistic I decided that observing is the way to go. I'm about to order a scope, and I'm really looking forward to seeing whats 'up there'.

A cheap way to try imaging is using a webcam like a philips spc900 for imaging the moon or planets. This way you could try imaging to see if you liked it without having to break the bank.

[Nexus 6]

Purely visual for me milster, like you have said, its observing through the ep that really gets me, knowing I am actually seeing as it is, was, is a great feeling, of course the images the guys post on here are fantastic and I love looking at them, just prefer looking at the grey smudges though.

[the milster]

I'll probably do some imaging at some point but for now I just feel that observing is for me

My brother-in-law is a photographer so no doubt he'll be trying to get in on the act at some point

[bish]

I would love to be able to produce pics of the quality you see on this forum but will never tire of finding new DSO's and seeing things in the flesh. It's been said many many times but seeing Saturn with your own eyes is something you don't forget.

[Photosbykev]

Observing isn't something that captures my imagination very much especially when I know that there is far more up there than we can see with the naked eye. My wow factor normally comes after the first 2-3 minute camera exposure and a galaxy or nebula jumps out of the screen

The wow factor is for several reasons:

a. the previously invisible target is, hopefully, close to the middle of the frame, thanks to EQASCOM and the NEQ6 Pro mount

b. the first frame is generally only a low quality version of the final stacked image so there is a lot more to come after the 1st frame.

[Demonperformer]

While I do get a buzz seeing things live, I have found that living in Light Poole-ution Central, I can get so much more on an image (even a 10 second sub) than I can see at the e/p I tend to spend most of my time imaging. Also I can show the results to friends and try to get them interested. Even when doing a telescope night for the cubs last summer it was done using a camera and laptop to display the image ... they loved it!

[Moonshane]

strangely, as in other hobbies I am an extremely keen and I'd like to think reasonably competent photographer (mainly natural history macro stuff), I have no interest in AP and am 100% visual.

I love the whole feeling of researching, searching for and finding amazing things in space. don't get me wrong, I think the images created by the guys on here are simply incredible and I love them all. however, when I have tried the odd shot of the moon or what have you, I have missed being at the eyepiece and have been itching to have a look. almost like when you are allowing someone else to use your scope and start to get impatient as they spend ages ooohing and aaaahing (although that's nice too!).

there is just so much to see and find that I am not sure I'll ever get into imaging as there's just so much time invested in it and that's a commodity I have too little of already.

thankfully there's lots of both types of astronomers on SGL and this keeps the banter (and great images/transfer of findings and info) flowing.

[Dave S]

I love images and imaging. But at the moment getting the kit is not an option. However, widefield using kit I own is. DSLR + various lenses on a basic mount keeps me happy for now. I still love observing though. I just love open clusters. With my small mak and its sharp contrasty views open clusters really sparkle in a way images just don't seem to recreate.

Dave...

[jgs001]

I started visual, wanted to capture what I could nearly see, went into imaging... now do both...

View with Bino's whilst imaging ... I love the total lack of setup needed with Bino's

[planetdnb]

Observing isn't something that captures my imagination very much especially when I know that there is far more up there than we can see with the naked eye. My wow factor normally comes after the first 2-3 minute camera exposure and a galaxy or nebula jumps out of the screen

The wow factor is for several reasons:

a. the previously invisible target is, hopefully, close to the middle of the frame, thanks to EQASCOM and the NEQ6 Pro mount

b. the first frame is generally only a low quality version of the final stacked image so there is a lot more to come after the 1st frame.

Ditto!

[the milster]

Sorry, without meaning to offend the imagers (sp),( like I say my brother-in-law is a photographer.) but is not a massive part of what you do not done on computer software? For instance, my brother-in-law spends a Saturday morning doing a wedding but says he earns his money on the Mac adding this, removing that etc.

[Nexus 6]

I guess that may be true, but they don't half post some great stuff on here! Although I only do visual I love looking at the imaging pics.

[jgs001]

Yes, there is a lot of work on a computer, but there's a lot of time and effort spent, setting up the kit, tuning everything for best performance, capturing the data etc. And the buzz I get when I finally get a result at the end of the process is very much worth all the effort and pain to do so... And I can 'see' far more in my images, than I can with my eyes. But, yes, I do love looking too... I saw the outer two planets with my 15x70 bino's whilst the imaging rig was doing it's stuff for instance.

[the milster]

Yeah, I don't mean to take anything away from the images at all, I also think what they do is awesome. Like I say, it inspires me, I just don't think I have the patience for it.

[ollypenrice]

I was a very relctant convert to imaging and took the step largely because I felt my small business needed it. I was in fear of IT products, cables and computer screens when I might be outside under the stars. (I still am in fear of IT products!!)

I am now utterly passionate about imaging, but that doesn't prevent me from being a visual observer at the same time. The charms of imaging are hard to describe. You get to know objects very well, particularly those that are totally invisible and can never be seen in any visual device. (Eg Barnard's Loop.)

You are constantly pondering how to capture the tricky parts of the object, how to slightly better next time, etc.

You develop a reverential desire to do justice to the beauty of your target, to tease out its details and little sectrets. It is as humbling as visual observing.

Long live both activities!

Olly

[Moonshane]

"Long live both activities!"

Totally!!

[Nick P]

Although I am a visual star gazer, I still like to mount a digital camera on a tripod and get some lovely wide field views, and using most photographic manipulation software can remove light pollution or any other distractions simply and quickly - its surprising what a 30 second exposure can capture with a wide angle lens!

However the patience and technical know how needed to create the pictures we see here regularly (and other sites) is way beyond me in terms of time needed to produce the image, and investment in the kit.

Time's precious and I would rather use it viewing some details in a known object I haven't seen before or finding new objects.

Both disciplines produce great rewards and I am thankful to those people with the nouse to produce great shots of the skies, they really do show us what we are truly looking at, but I'll stick to visual and the odd wide field picture with my compact camera - and keep my sanity