The conditions were just about perfect this morning to try capturing the ISS in video mode on the Nikon D300s. I set up in one of my dark sky locations in Marlborough, Ct. that had a good WSW view of where the ISS was going to appear at 6:07 am. The sky was starting to brighten just enough to give some good contrast against the ISS at magnitude -2.5 as the Heavens Above … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2010
Looking deep into the Orion Nebula
This photo was released this week by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) using the new VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) of the Orion Nebula. It shows a deeper wide angle look into the nebula in the infrared, allowing astronomers to look into the dusty areas never seen by astronomers before. (PHOTO CREDIT ESO) … [Read more...]
Super-Sol Sunday!
Super-Sol Sunday! Get it? Ok, my brain froze a little while I was out for yet another weekend doing solar astronomy. It was 26 degrees outside with the wind gusting at about 15 miles per hour as I set up my scope in Farley Field in Marlborough, Ct. After checking Spaceweather.com it looked like a nice sunspot complex 1045 was growing very large, very quickly. Observing … [Read more...]
An eye to the sky spots a sun halo
I was traveling down Route 9 in Middletown the other day enroute to a photo assignment when I spotted a sun halo at about 45 degrees in elevation. This one the frist I have seen a in quite a while. I surmize that there was plenty ice crystals in the air from the blizzard that was hitting Baltimore and Washington D.C. to make this visable. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
M42 test of the Nikon D300s
After work I took a quick look at the Clear Sky Clock for my area. It looked pretty good for a few hours this evening. So, I took advantage of the 30 degree temperature and continued astro testing the Nikon D300s camera. I choose the astrophotographers most favorite target of the winter to shoot tonight. M42 the Orion Nebula and the area around it. During the evening I … [Read more...]