Astrophotography

[nmonks]

Except for the eclipse photo, these were all done using a simple webcam attached to one or other of my telescopes. The eclipse photo was done by holding a digital camera over a wide angle eyepiece, with the front of the telescope being covered with a solar filter to stop most of the light from getting in. Though the skies were cloudy, I actually think the clouds add some drama to an otherwise mundane event.

Cheers,

Neale

Jupiter, with the Great Red Spot face-on. The Great Red Spot is a hurricane of sorts, but in width about twice the size of the Earth.

Jupiter with its four biggest moons.

Saturn, photographed last year. You can see the major divisions in the ring system quite well.

Saturn with its biggest moon, Titan.

Partial solar eclipse, 29th March 2006, viewed from my backyard in England.

This crater on the Moon is about 100 miles across, with a distinctive series of little craters forming a curved live on the inside.

6-day old Moon. A mosaic of 14 frames, stuck together and adjusted in Photoshop to hide the joins.

 

[callum_parsons]

my mum has i really good teleoscope i might ask her if i can use it for a few nights that looks like fun.
they are really good photos

 

[Piltdownpaul]

I too enjoy astronomy-how big is the telescope?

 

[kev350d]

Nice shots just shows us what is capable with a point and shoot camera such as the Nikon 3200 and a little imagination. Great stuff.

 

[nmonks]

The pictures of the Moon and the solar eclipse were done with a 76 mm refractor, while the planets were done with a 200 mm SCT, so both pretty standard pieces of kit. Moon pictures are easily done with pretty well any telescope. The mosaic picture was done simply by moving the telescope by hand from side to side to "sweep" across the surface, videoing the entire thing using the webcam. I then copied individual frames into a graphics document to make the mosaic.

Cheers,

Neale

I too enjoy astronomy-how big is the telescope?

 

[geo7x]

wow, they look stunning neale! the moon pictures are so clear! My favourite is the saturn picture

 

[Cheffi]

Stunning photo's Neale

 

[nmonks]

Thanks for the kind words! Saturn, let me tell you, has been my nemesis when it comes to taking pictures. It's very small down the telescope, being twice as far away as Jupiter. Almost all the pictures I've taken of it are rubbish. Jupiter always looks good, and the Moon is fairly easy to do, but Saturn is a pain. Anyway, one last picture, and that's Venus. Everyone knows it as the Evening Star, but through a telescope it doesn't look like a star at all...

Good night!

Neale

 

[SugarQube]

The photos`are FAB I will have to show my sister she is into astronomy (did I say FAB they are truly amazing)

 

[Bex]

Awesome photos! Always liked stuff about the moon and stars and planets but never had the chance to get into it.

Would love to get a decent telescope. Do they cost a lot?

I wouldn't even know where to look though to be honest!

 

[nmonks]

Hi Bex,

A good, basic telescope will cost you around £200-500. Telescopes are one of those things that are quite a bit cheaper in the US, so if you're visiting the US, that's a good time to buy. Anyway, have a read of Scope Reviews before thinking about spending any money. Cheap telescopes (under £250) can be (usually are) bad telescopes, and you'll have more fun with a regular pair of binoculars than with a wobbly telescope that provides blurry pictures. The telescopes sold in department stores and toy stores at Christmas time are especially nasty.

On the flip side, a decent telescope lasts forever as the expensive parts -- the glass and mirrors -- don't wear out. The Moon looks amazing through any telescope, and Jupiter and Saturn are really special. There's something amazing about seeing them for real instead of on TV. If you want a book to look through to get some idea of what to look at, consider "Turn Left at Orion". It's old fashioned in some ways, but tailor-made for people with small telescopes under suburban skies. Very good value.

Cheers,

Neale

Would love to get a decent telescope. Do they cost a lot? I wouldn't even know where to look though to be honest!

 

[Bex]

Nice one! Thanks Neale! Will look into it. I know what you mean about cheap ones being crappy. My dad has a cheap one in Spain and although we could see the moon quite clearly, it was very hard to get a decent view.

 

[Lateral Line]

Yesterdays Astronomy Picture of the Day had a nice Venus/Moon composition.

 

[vancouver]

sHweet pics

 

[johnnyjtaylor]

Good pics. I must get a tracking mount for mine(8" newt) just got to convince the Mrs to let me blow more cash on 'toys'.