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Saturday, February 28, 2015

Puerto Rico Radio-Telescope Arecibo Observatory

There are photos from my trip to Puerto Rico. Arecibo Observatory is one of the famous radio observatories in the world. I still remember photos of the radio telescope in astronomical books which I saw when I was young.

Arecibo Radio Telescope - Puerto Rico
The Receiver of  the Arecibo Radio Telescope
Flowers and Arecibo Radio Telescope
Anatomy of the Arecibo Radio Telescope
Arecibo Observatory Logo
Galaxy Shop
Arecibo Observatory visitor center
Angel Ramos Foundation Visitor Center inside
Observatory Visitor Center inside
Star planetarium
Milky Way Model
Poster
Observatory Flags
Arecibo observatory and Angel Ramos Foundation Visitor Center
Telescope

Arecibo Telescope

Sunday, February 1, 2015

M42 Orion Nebula using iOptron SkyTracker in NYC

This is my first test of iOptron SkyTracker. Orion Nebula M42 is in the list of top 10 deep sky objects for amateur astronomers. So I choose it for first test. I tried exposer 15 seconds. For fixed tripod with Canon Telephoto Lens EF 200mm f2.8 L II USM it gives star trails. With iOptron SkyTracker even without precise alignment stars looks like points. Weather was good but NYC light pollution, plus it was 3 / 4 Moon near Orion nebula. So I use small ISO (Urban astrophotography). There are results:

M42 Orion Nebula one single file from NY City

Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens, Exposure 15 sec; f/2.8; ISO 320, New York City

Using DeepSkyStacker stacked multiple images. Every Canon Row CR2 image first updated in Canon Row 7 saved as Tiff file and later stacked in DeepSkyStacker. Post processing after that was done in Photoshop.


Orion Nebula M42 from New York City Backyard - 8 photos iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60Da
Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens;  f/2.8; ISO 320; Exposure 15sec x 8 - Total time 2 min, New York City

M42 Orion Nebula NYC 36 photos iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60da Canon 200mm
Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens;  f/2.8; ISO 320; Exposure 15sec x 36 - Total time 9 min, New York City, Messier 42 or NGC 1976

iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60Da Orion Nebula M42 Astrophotography 204 photos
 Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens;  f/2.8; ISO 320; Exposure 15sec x 204 - Total 51 min

Sunday, January 11, 2015

iOptron SkyTracker Astrophotography Equipment

Equipped with his five senses,
man explores the universe around him
and calls the adventure Science.

--Edwin Hubble


My dreams happen in reality and I got iOptron SkyTracker! Still using piggy pack of the Celestron 4SE I can track sky by camera at home but it too heavy to get the telescope to the long trip. The SkyTracker is pretty compact and not so heavy and can do the same – follow the rotation of the sky. So fly by air plane to places with dark sky I can get more stars, the Milky Way during one shot, increasing camera exposure.   iOptron SkyTracker pretty much can handle Canon 60Da with Wide Angle EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM or Telephoto EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM lens.

Astrophotography Equipment iOptron Sky Tracker Canon 40D Canon EF 16 35mm f2.8L II USM

iOptron SkyTracker Astrophotography Equipment dslr
iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60Da and EF 200mm f2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens
SkyTracker for Astrophotography
Astrophotography Equipment Sky Tracker iOptron

iOptron Sky Tracker.

Sky Tracker Astrophotography Gear

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Milky Way over Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful geyser Night Sky Landscape Astrophotography Canon 60Da




Do you believe that the Milky Way was not created by a geyser?

Night Sky Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful geyser and Milky Way - Nightscape Astrophotography

Old Faithful Geyser located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Green colors of sky near horizon also does not result of the geyser, this is sky Airglow.

Milky Way over Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful geyser Night Sky Landscape Astrophotography Canon 60Da
 Canon 60Da, Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, Exposure 30 sec; f/2.8; ISO 3200- Yellowstone Night-scape Astrophotograpgy


There are a lot of legends about origin of the Milky Way all over the Word. Every culture spoke about the Milky Way in terms of allegories that have special meaning to each individual culture. Definitely it should be legend about Milky Way from Yellowstone. However Yellowstone was very special land for Native Americans and they don’t trust white people and don’t like that they know about it. So only little Yellowstone myths we know now. Last year my daughter learned about Native American and I asked her to write the “missing” legend about geyser and the Milky Way.  There is the legend.
      
                                         The geyser, crow, corn, and the Milky Way

During fall the Native Americans were harvesting corn. One day a crow came, it wanted back some of the corn it gave to the Native Americans. It kept stealing the corn until the village made noise shakers and scared the crow away. While the crow was flying away holding corn in its beak, a geyser erupted and the corn kernels flew out of the crow’s beak. The crow chased it into the sky. From this day forward the corn kernels became the stars, and the dust has become the Milky Way.

Pretty much it is very close to what you see on picture above.

Interesting, recently, astronomers founded giant geysers in the center of our Galaxy. So such legend about connection the Milky Way and geysers even make sense but only on other level of understanding of the nature.



There is supervolcano night sky video on youtube. A supereruption of Yellowstone volcano will affect all word. Nobody knows when it happens. Geyser eruptions show that the Yellowstone giant volcano is still active, it just sleeping under wide and starry sky.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Halloween Astrophotography - Night, New Moon, Street-Lamp and Spider Web



This photo I did in Yellowstone Lake Hotel. Just tested new Lens Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM for astrophotography. It was new Moon. All street-lamps in the hotel are open and have spider web.  Therefore I got my first Halloween Astrophoto.


Halloween Astrophotography - Night, New Moon, Street-Lamp and Spider Web
 Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens, Exposure 1/400 sec; f/2.8; ISO 3200- Yellowstone Nightscape Astrophotograpgy

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Grand Teton National Park Nightscape Astrophotography Colter Bay Village Starry Sky Canon 60Da

The beauties of sky in the absolute silence of one of the dark place in the word - Grand Teton National Park. Nightscape or starscape astrophotography Canon 60Da, Colter Bay Village

Grand Teton National Park Nightscape Astrophotography Colter Bay Village Starry Sky Canon 60Da
  Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 20.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000

Night Sky Grand Teton - Canon 60Da
  Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 8.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000

Grand Teton Starry Night Sky
   Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 20.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000

UFO Cloud and Milky Way Grand Teton Astrophotography Night Sky Canon 60Da
  Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000

Starry Sky Reflection Grand Teton Astrophotography
Night Sky Grand Teton Milky Way Astrophotography
Milky Way and Colter Bay Cabin Astrophotography

There is YouTube video

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Yellowstone Night Landscape Geyser eruption Canon 60Da

One more photo from Yellowstone National Park trip - Eruption of Old Faithful Geyser. Eruption was so strong that take most space on photo with wide angle lens. Dew was so big after eruption that it took some time to heat the lens to start photography again after that photo.

Yellowstone Night Landscape Geyser eruption Canon 60Da

Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000

Yellowstone Geyser eruption and the Milky Way
 Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000

Yellowstone night sky Geyser astrophotography Canon 60Da
  Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 15.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 3200

Yellowstone night  photography - black and white - Old Faithful Geyser
   Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000

Milky Way Galaxy Over Yellowstone National Park Starry night Sky Astrophotography Canon 60Da
   Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000
Yellowstone Park Milky Way Galaxy Geyser Airglow Night Sky Landscape Astrophotography
 Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 3200

Yellowstone eruptions and Pleiades seven sisters M45 Astrophotography
 Camera Canon 60Da; Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 15.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 3200
Pleiades and geyser Yellowstone night starry sky landscape Canon 60da
Yellowstone starry night astrophotography Canon 60Da

Monday, October 13, 2014

Reflection of Ursa Major (Big Dipper) Grand Teton Nightscape Astrophotography Canon 60Da



Night sky at Grand Teton is so dark that you can easily to see reflection of stars. Jackson Lake, Colter Bay, Grand Teton National Park – reflection of Big Dipper (Ursa Major constellation). You can see green Airglow near horizon and "star paths" -  lengthened reflection of stars from slightly agitated water.  

As simple as possible

Reflection of Ursa major (Big Dipper)  Grand Teton Nightscape Astrophotography Canon 60Da


Canon 60Da; Canon Wide Angle Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Exposure 15.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 4000