Space...the final frontier!

I'm quite interested in Astronomy. Prior to moving home in 2005, I lived right out in he sticks with the darkest skies possible. During the summer, there where so many stars and the Milky Way was so bright that it used t make you go dizzy!

Unfortunately, the skies a my new address are less favourable, but still not as bad as they could be. My greatest enemy is the street light right outside my back garden. Despite this, I still like to get my telescope out now and then and over the last couple of years I've been experimenting with photographs.

Due to a lack of time and understanding, I've never been able to get my telescope properly polar aligned, so most of my photos are made of a composite of several very short exposures that are then 'stacked' together and then processed to bring out the best details. They are very rough looking, and some are slightly blurred, but it is very exciting to capture anything that is seen through the eye piece!

Saturn ~ this was a quick point and shoot. Due to its tiny size it was very difficult to get a clear image, you can make out the rings though. It appears much better though the eyepiece.


Jupiter ~ several images stacked and enlarged to show the cloud belts.


Comet Holmes ~ taken a few years back, this was my very first astro photo!


Orion Nebula ~ I took hundreds of photos of this nebula. Although bright, I found it very difficult to capture all the details.


The Ring Nebula ~ This is the remnant of a Sun like star that has died and cast off its outer layers. The exposed core (a White Dwarf) causes the gas to glow. This is such a small object that I didn't expect to capture anything, I was just trying my luck. Although very rough looking, I was quite excited to find that I had successfully captured it!

 

The Moon~ this one doesn't need any explanation!




The following where taken just via the camera, no telescope.

Total Lunar Eclipse.


Full Sky Milky Way.


Aurora ~ April 6th 1996, visible from most of the UK

 

Great photos coolsox.

 

Cor Blimey, excellent stuff

 

Brilliant Coolsox

 

That's good is that Could you tell us a bit more about your telescope?

 

Lovely images Coolsox. Loved all of them,
thank you,
Jenny

 

Skywatcher Skymax 127 MAK. This is my 3rd telescope and does very well I highly recommend it.

 

Stunning pics coolsox.
My dad has taken up a interest in astronomy in the last few years and takes his telescope into the Canadian Rockies when on holiday he has some stunning pics too.
My 4 year old wants a telescope for his birthday, we were in curry s the other day and was looking through one and made everyone laugh because he said he could see mars and aliens!

 

Thanks for that C/S.

I've toyed with the idea of getting one for years, but not sure if I want to be up in the dead of night freezing my butt off.

 

Its not always cold at night Freddy, not sure you'd see a lot from Brizzle though. Might have to drive to Exmoor or cross the bridge into Wales.

 

Very impressive, have you been down to the County Council offices and invited someone 'in authority' to come and see your set-up? You can then ask for part of the streetlight to be blackened and explain why. (Hopefully).

Cheers, Tony.

 

I don't really use my telescope regularly enough, as its quite portable I now tend to take it with me when I go camping.

Besides, I wouldn't want the light switched off. It illuminates an alley way behind my house, it would be a security risk if it wasn't on!