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Darryl Van Gaal
Is it dark out yet?
Occupation: Coatings (Paint) defect analyst.
Location: Waterford, Ontario
His ProfilesRankThis is the rank of 'Darryl Van Gaal' out of all Google+ Profiles.: 1,974 (GenderRankFor the gender 'Men'.: 1,104)
His ProfilesRankThis is the rank of 'Darryl Van Gaal' out of all Google+ Profiles. in Canada: 47 (GenderRankFor the gender 'Men'.: 26)
Followers: 29,177
Following: 1,697
Cream of the Crop: 12/28/2011
Added to CircleCount.com: 08/17/2011That's the date, where Darryl Van Gaal has been indexed by CircleCount.com.
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Latest postings
2013-05-22 01:58:12 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 36 +1s)
Taking a break
My son and a teammate taking a break today at baseball practice.
2013-05-20 14:28:53 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 51 +1s)
Please save a star
Give me dark skies
Here is a photo that I took last weekend. The image is a single shot and I did not add the Milky Way into this image. Of course there is processing done that will help the Milky Way be a tiny bit more visible, but I did not "push" the processing on purpose.
This image was taken in an area that falls into a 4.5-5 range on the bortle scale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bortle_scale)
Most of you know that I mainly photograph in the dark.
It started out as a love for the skies. As a child, and into my adulthood I found myself staring up at the sky at night. I've had the opportunity since being child of seeing some of the darkest skies in the world (Northern, Ontario), so I truly know what the stars look like.
Sadly most people will never experience the true beauty of dark skies.
The absolute worst ... more »
2013-05-17 19:54:34 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)
Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888, Caldwell 27, Sharpless 105
Too technical for me so this is from Wiki
An emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light years away. It was discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1792.[2] It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163) colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 250,000[3] to 400,000[citation needed] years ago. The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. The inward moving shock wave heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures.
2. Erdmann, Robert. "NGC 6888". The NGC/IC Project.
3. "WR 136".
Specs on the shot
Scope - Orion ED80T CF
Mount - Orion Sky View Pro
Tracking - PHD used with an Orion Off Axis Guider
more »
2013-05-17 17:08:14 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 45 +1s)
A Needle in a proverbial haystack
NGC 4565 (The Needle Galaxy or Caldwell 38) is an edge-on spiral galaxy about 30 to 50 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy sits perpendicular to our own Milky Way galaxy and is almost directly above the North Galactic Pole.
It is a giant spiral galaxy more luminous than the Andromeda Galaxy and some have predicted if it were seen face-on, it would be one of the most spectacular spiral galaxies. (I still think it's pretty spectacular). And to think Messier missed this beauty.
Specs on the shot
Scope - Orion ED80T CF
Mount - Orion Sky View Pro
Tracking - PHD used with an Orion Off Axis Guider
Camera - Nikon D7000 (unmodified)
Exposure - 28 mins of light frames (1 min subs) (20 Darks - 20 Bias - 20 Flats) ISO 1600
Processing - Deep Sky Stacker - Photoshop
<... more »
2013-05-17 05:13:39 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 41 +1s)
This is but a mere single 60 second image shot on my d7k @ iso 5000 with NO Dark frames subtracted.
Just bored and letting those who can make out NGC 6888 in the center, know what I'm shooting tonight.
Finished image to come sometime tomorrow.
2013-05-15 00:15:42 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)
Here's some photos shot in Sutherland, South Africa (6&7 April 2013)
2013-05-14 20:45:48 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 27 +1s)
=
My First Milky Way!
We're such city kids, we don't even see all that many stars where we live; Linda may have never even really seen the Milky Way before last night. So we were thrilled to have our first chance to take photos, over Balanced Rock in Arches National Park. There are lots of things wrong with this photo both artistically and technically, but I'm so excited to have at least gotten started!
Huge thanks to +Darryl Van Gaal, who has been teaching us about night sky photography through his #astrophotography101group (+Astrophotography 101 group) and #astromentorship -- we would never have known where to start without him.
For #todaytuesday with +Brian White; #nightscapes with +Christopher Prins (+Nightscapes); and #landscapephotography .
2013-05-11 18:23:20 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)
My goal here is not about giving you the best lunar image you've ever seen. Ain't gonna happen. It's about giving you the best glimpse I can of a most rarely seen lunar image. This is a heavily-manipulated shot from last night, cropped full-res, and only those who understand the difficulties might appreciate it.
More after the "expand this post" thingy:
********************************************************
I blended the RGB curves as best I could in a full-resolution crop, then expanded the mid-tone contrast extensively, and masked/sharpened as much as possible (sacrificing to the noise gods in doing so, you see), to give as much of the crescent via brightness/contrast as I possibly could.
I then grey-scaled it all (which didn't change much as the RGB was tightened as I went). Taking out that dust ... more »
2013-05-09 22:12:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)
All of my tutorials
With Scorpius making it's entrance in the night sky it's time to share these again
feel free to share
Tips for Photographing the Moon - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2011/12/ive-been-thinking-quite-hard-about-how.html
Photographing Star Trails - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2012/01/astrophotography-101-assignment-number.html
Why Subtract Dark Frames? - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2012/02/why-subtract-dark-frames.html
The Power of Stacking Images - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2012/02/the-power-of-stacking-images.html
Deep space photography is not as hard as you think it is! - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2012/02/deep-space-photography-is-not-as-hard.html
Why a GEM for astrophotography? - h... more »
2013-05-09 23:19:57 (17 comments, 11 reshares, 48 +1s)
feel free to share
All of my tutorials
With Scorpius making it's entrance in the night sky it's time to share these again
Tips for Photographing the Moon - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2011/12/ive-been-thinking-quite-hard-about-how.html
Photographing Star Trails - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2012/01/astrophotography-101-assignment-number.html
Why Subtract Dark Frames? - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2012/02/why-subtract-dark-frames.html
The Power of Stacking Images - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2012/02/the-power-of-stacking-images.html
Deep space photography is not as hard as you think it is! - http://darkclearskies.blogspot.ca/2012/02/deep-space-photography-is-not-as-hard.html
Why a GEM for astrophotography? - h... more »
2013-05-05 14:08:55 (20 comments, 3 reshares, 66 +1s)
Midnight Cruise
Last night I started out with the "Best laid plans". Those plans were to image the Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104) as a bit of a tribute to Cinco de Mayo, but as the saying goes... "The best laid plans of mice and men always go astray." After a couple of hours of imaging I looked at one of the images.... _@#%&*!$%@_ focus was off!!
Plan B - Drive a bit and try to capture the milky way and the lighthouse on the pier at Port Dover, Ontario.
This area is somewhat light polluted. Not as bad as a big city, but it does lie around a 4.5. getting light on the landscape isn't a problem, but imaging the Milky Way although possible, it does present a challenge.
Here is the result of 2 single images (not an exposure blend) stitched together (panorama) in photoshop. The milky way lacks the colour and details that are ... more »
2013-05-05 08:03:21 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 37 +1s)
Star Beacon
This is a single shot image that I took tonight in Port Dover, Ontario.
The Milky Way is to the left of this image and I may just have a photo or two to share after processing.
For Now enjoy the scenery. I know I did!
specs
Nikon D7000, 18mm f/3.5, 20s @ ISO 1600.
2013-05-05 08:01:16 (13 comments, 4 reshares, 85 +1s)
Star Beacon
This is a single shot image that I took tonight in Port Dover, Ontario.
The Milky Way is to the left of this image and I may just have a photo or two to share after processing.
For Now enjoy the scenery. I know I did!
specs
Nikon D7000, 18mm f/3.5, 20s @ ISO 1600.
2013-05-04 22:45:12 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)
Calling all Astrophotographers
In honor of Cinco de Mayo I think we should all target and post M104, NGC 4594, The Sombrero Galaxy!
Ok so that's a bit cheesy, but it's the reason and the image I'm trying tonight.
2013-04-30 00:05:41 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)
Toronto Island PhotoWalk with +Jim Davis and the one and only +Sandra Parlow is quickly approaching.
This shot obviously won't be reproduced since we're going to be hanging out on the island for the day, but there will be some excellent opportunities to meet some great people and have some great times.
Come on out and have some fun!
the OP can be found here https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/csql2r2ukhsdf26ak99ktmf6pos?authkey=CI-y6KGuyr63uQE
2013-04-28 15:45:15 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)
This is what you get when you let a 6 year old pick their color. Primer and paint in one we will see how it goes. #amazingred
2013-04-27 17:22:05 (15 comments, 1 reshares, 15 +1s)
One of a Landscape Astrophotographers "Must Have" tools
Stellarium and Landscape Photography.
There are a ton of tools out there for photographers to use when planning a photo shoot. One "goto" tool that I find myself coming back to time and time again is +Stellarium (yep they are on G+)
If you are, or know any Landscape photographers you will know that getting the "perfect light" is an obsession. Why is it an obsession, simple, because it is the "special sauce" of photography. Lighting is what will transform a good photograph into an excellent work of art!
With Landscape astrophotography the light isn't from our sun, it is from all of the suns that light the night sky (normal people might call them stars).
Stellarium is a free download and works on most computer platforms out there.
The ... more »
2013-04-27 14:56:17 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 46 +1s)
Full moon..... or is it?
I've taken photographs for several years, starting back in the film era with a Pentax ME-F. The unfortunate thing is back in those days it was simply a camera, and I simply took snapshots.
Over the last while (going on 2 years), I've turned into what I'd call an amateur photographer. My specialty is the night sky, both landscape astrophotography, and actual astrophotography through my telescope.
As most, I started with photographing the moon. I've taken several photos of the moon but I've never really considered if it was truly full when I pressed the shutter.
Example
This month in my location (southern Ontario, Canada) we actually didn't have a full moon that was visible to us. The moon was only full from around 12:29pm until 18:25pm on the 25th. During those hours the moon was below the ho... more »
2013-04-22 22:19:14 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)
This is simply just a large Re-post, thanks mainly to a request from +russ vallelunga .Unfortunately G+ wont allow me to post full size.
A little history behind this image, This is a 16 shot panoramic taken at Inskip Point on the Mid Coast of Queensland,Aus. It took nearly 20 minutes to align the tripod to allow for getting the full Milky Way and also getting detail in the foreground.
Yes it would have been better not to have the LandRover in there, and not to have the lens flare coming off the moon, but as you will find from me I am not one for adding or removing things/events from my photography.
Sometimes I guess when you take a full 360 degree photo there will be something in that view that you dont want.
+Sandra Parlow Hope this lives up to your #bigskies .
This image is also testament to the tutoring of +Darryl Van Gaal for sharing his knowledge of #nig... more »
2013-04-11 00:38:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)
►Top Photographers Circle 3.0 / A-K◄ - of ►Top Photos on Google+◄
+10000 PHOTOGRAPHERS by +Robert SKREINER
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
In this Circles are included all ►Top Photographers,
who contributed and participated in the daily photo theme:
#10000photographers since the G+Page and Group
+10000 PHOTOGRAPHERS by +Robert SKREINER
is established, respectively all, whose photos were shared as
►TOP Photos on Google+◄ until today.
This circle is renewed and expanded regularly! Those who have once or even several times not shared this circle are not included in this circle. Who wants to be included in the next circle again, please share this circle. This is only a fair rule. Who wants to be promoted must also concede this to the others.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░... more »
2013-04-08 21:24:26 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)
Pano comparison take 2
Full disclosure
Since I posted cropped images from the stitch, I think it made things a bit clouded so here is another version where I've posted the image as is with no cropping or anything.
The image consists of 14 separate images covering about 140 degrees of the night sky. There was about a 70 percent overlap in each image.
single original image
795 pixels wide
1200 pixels high
Autostitch
4343 pixels wide
1365 Pixels High
resolution 72 pixels/inch
Photoshop
Auto Layout
Blend Images Together
Vignette Removal
NO GEOMETRIC DISTORTION CORRECTION
3861 pixels wide
2142 pixels High
2013-04-08 21:25:07 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 33 +1s)
Posted for Educational Purposes
You be the Judge
More info and comparisons here https://plus.google.com/u/0/115831773236070302803/posts/gwX921fqvEN
I always just used Photoshop when stitching images for a night pano. I thought I'd give Autostitch a try.
I thought that before I decide which program is better I'd post both images for you to look at/judge.
These are far from a finished product. They are simply posted to compare both programs.
To make things fair I did some basic adjustments in LightRoom to allow for easier comparison.
Both programs used the same files (autostitch only uses jpg format) and no processing other than cropping was done. The cropping was taken to eliminate areas that had no image in it. This is what each program left us with.
2013-04-08 10:17:21 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)
A look inside the Milky Way
This image was taken from my back yard using an unmodified DSLR (Nikon D7000) and a "run of the mill" 18-70mm lens at 50mm focal length.
The camera was mounted on an Orion SkyView Pro "goto" mount and 39 - 120s images were taken at ISO 1600.
The images were stacked using Deep Sky Stacker (DSS) and processed in LR and PS.
2013-04-04 22:52:02 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 52 +1s)
A sure sign that summer is coming
Messier 63 - NGC 5055 - or simply the "Sunflower Galaxy"
In the north here you can always tell that that weather is soon going to warm as you can start to photograph the likes of this little beauty.
With a mass of only 10 Billion of our suns and a diameter of a measly 60,000 Light-years, it is but a pipsqueak in comparison to our Milky Way.
My tracking could have been (and will be in the future) better, but I am still pleased with this image.
Stats on this image
Camera - Unmodified Nikon D7000
Scope - Orion ED80t-CF
50 - 120 second "light" images - ISO 800
29 - Dark Frames
19 - Flats
Stacked using Deep Sky Stacker
Processed in LR and PS
2013-04-01 21:54:30 (15 comments, 4 reshares, 58 +1s)
Websters Falls
I have posted a couple of pano shots of this. Here is a single image.
Information and history credit to cityofwaterfalls.ca
Webster's Falls is a curtain waterfall 22 metres in height. Located at the Spencer Gorge / Webster's Falls Conservation area in Greensville, its source is Spencer Creek. It is one of two falls within the Spencer Gorge, and with a crest of 24 metres, it is the largest in the region.
According to romantic legend, an Indian maiden named Na-Go-She-Onong (Evening Star in the Ojibway language), fell in love with a white man. Her lover was killed by a jealous Indian suitor, and rather than live without him, she pressed his dead body to hers and plunged into the roaring waters of Webster's Falls.
I can't wait to return to this location under more favorable conditions to get shot I'm looking for.
more »
2013-03-30 18:17:12 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 34 +1s)
I had this crazy idea yesterday around dinner time so I fired off a text to my good friend, photography mentor, and one of the best landscape photographers I know. +Jim Davis knows this area better than most so I felt that if I wanted to go hiking on some pretty icy trails in the middle of the night, where one wrong step could result in a rather nasty tumble down the Niagra Escarpment, he was my man!
He did not disappoint..... unless of course you are the recipient of my life insurance.....
Unfortunately when we reached the bottom of the falls, the currents were too strong to safely cross the river at night. There were also very heavy mists being thrown from the falls which were thundering from the spring thaw. Due to the poor conditions at the bottom of the falls, Jim suggested we shoot it from above.
This is the result, although not what I had in mind this 3 sh... more »
2013-03-30 18:06:04 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 33 +1s)
I had this crazy idea yesterday around dinner time so I fired off a text to my good friend, photography mentor, and one of the best landscape photographers I know. +Jim Davis knows this area better than most so I felt that if I wanted to go hiking on some pretty icy trails in the middle of the night, where one wrong step could result in a rather nasty tumble down the Niagra Escarpment, he was my man!
He did not disappoint..... unless of course you are the recipient of my life insurance.....
Unfortunately when we reached the bottom of the falls, the currents were too strong to safely cross the river at night. There were also very heavy mists being thrown from the falls which were thundering from the spring thaw. Due to the poor conditions at the bottom of the falls, Jim suggested we shoot it from above.
This is the result, although not what I had in mind this 3 sh... more »
2013-03-30 07:38:48 (11 comments, 2 reshares, 51 +1s)
Getting the rust out
It's been some time since I've done some night time landscapes. It's late and I'm not seeing straight but I thought I'd post this "Quick and Dirty" image from tonight's shoot.
The moon was/is 90% illuminated and the falls are located near a big city so the sky isn't what you are used to seeing from me.
With that being said, I still think this area has potential, and I'll be going through the rest of the shots this weekend.
2013-03-27 23:40:03 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)
Build a astrophotography mount on the cheap
Way too much information to do in a regular post so I linked it to my blog.
Hope you find it helpful/useful.
Clear skies
Darryl
2013-03-19 02:31:05 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 15 +1s)
So you want to be a master of the night sky
Ok, so you might not be a master, but you sure can pretend to be by using this little trick from our friends at Flickr and astrometry "dot" net.
2013-03-18 23:27:43 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)
another 106 post
This isn't my strongest image but it's acceptable.
One thing I've decided to do lately is label the other deep space objects that are imaged with the main target.
In this case there are 7 that I know of (for sure) including m106 the main target.
Let me know if you find labeling worthwhile project to continue
2013-03-18 23:26:45 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 29 +1s)
another 106 post
This isn't my strongest image but it's acceptable.
One thing I've decided to do lately is label the other deep space objects that are imaged with the main target.
In this case there are 7 that I know of (for sure) including m106 the main target.
Let me know if you find labeling worthwhile project to continue
2013-03-18 19:36:06 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 38 +1s)
Messier 106 and a few friends
This is the result of 20 - 3 min frames shot at ISO 800
I had about triple the amount planned along with flats and darks but unfortunately it's only the light frames you get due to both some high winds causing shake on my mount and an inability to get the proper darks and flats.
All of that aside, I'm still pretty happy with the results.
2013-03-18 19:35:15 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 30 +1s)
Messier 106 and a few friends
This is the result of 20 - 3 min frames shot at ISO 800
I had about triple the amount planned along with flats and darks but unfortunately it's only the light frames you get due to both some high winds causing shake on my mount and an inability to get the proper darks and flats.
All of that aside, I'm still pretty happy with the results.
2013-03-18 00:33:53 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 45 +1s)
Jupiter within 1 degree of the moon
While waiting for the northern skies to clear I turned the scope to view our moon and Jupiter within 1 degree of each other. That is so close I was able to capture them both in the same frame.
The scope and camera added together have a focal length of 720mm
2013-03-17 21:49:00 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 31 +1s)
Ready for potential clear skies tonight.
What do you think NGC1396? I'm using an unmodified d7000
2013-03-15 23:46:15 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 41 +1s)
Black Eye Galaxy
M-64, NGC 4826, PGC 44182, MCG 4-31-1, Uppsala 8062
Visual Magnitude: 9.3
Apparent Diameter: 10.7' x 5.1'
Mean Surface Brightness: 22.3 mag/arc-sec2
Distance: 10-20 million ly
I shot this image from my back yard in Waterford, Ontario using an unmodified Nikon D7K and using an Orion ED80T-CF prime focus.
Stacked in DSS using 2x drizzle
further processing via Photoshop
2013-03-14 00:58:09 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)
A tip that I forgot to take out of draft mode the last time I shared my list of "Tips and Tricks".
This is a very simple tip and one that most people who wish to start shooting at night should look at.
2013-03-12 19:22:49 (1 comments, 4 reshares, 14 +1s)
I just found this video, and it is an excellent resource for people wanting to get started in astrophotography. There is a lot of great information about telescopes and how to find the best one for your application/budget.
+Darryl Van Gaal +Astrophotography 101 group
2013-03-10 12:50:27 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 53 +1s)
Final image ..... for now...
I decided to re-stack my image of the Virgo cluster from the other day. In this image I cropped it down (in stacking) to only show the area of the photo where most of the action is. It has also become a regular practice of mine to use the drizzle option when cropping an image in DSS. For this particular one I used 2x drizzle
Specs
173 - 30 second light frames ISO 1600
53 - Dark frames
20 - flats
Shot on 3/8/2013 in Waterford Ontario Canada.
Camera - Nikon D7000
Prime focus with an Orion ED80T-CF
Darkness - 4-5 Bortle scale
wind - minimal
Temp - -1 C
Himidity - 70-75%
No guiding
2013-03-09 19:48:06 (17 comments, 4 reshares, 61 +1s)
Stacked and Stretched
*Finished product to come)
What do you get when you point your camera south east for 1 hour and 42 mins?
I haven't counted the number of galaxies that are in this image and I have by no means completed the processing of the image, that will come in due time.
This is an image of part of the Virgo Cluster as shot through my Orion ED80T-CF. Last night I was able to shoot this from my back yard. It consists of 284-30 second images shot at ISO 1600. I Stacked it in DSS along with 50 dark frames and 20 flats.
The Virgo Cluster contains over 100 galaxies which include spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies. The Virgo Cluster is so massive that it is pulling our Galaxy toward it.
2013-03-09 20:25:24 (9 comments, 7 reshares, 67 +1s)
Stacked and Stretched
*Finished product to come)
What do you get when you point your camera south east for 1 hour and 42 mins?
I haven't counted the number of galaxies that are in this image and I have by no means completed the processing of the image, that will come in due time.
This is an image of part of the Virgo Cluster as shot through my Orion ED80T-CF. Last night I was able to shoot this from my back yard. It consists of 204-30 second images shot at ISO 1600. I Stacked it in DSS along with 50 dark frames and 20 flats.
The Virgo Cluster contains over 100 galaxies which include spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies. The Virgo Cluster is so massive that it is pulling our Galaxy toward it.
2013-03-03 21:26:23 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 45 +1s)
Playing with drizzle
Pretty much only DSS heads will understand the heading.
This image is a MAJOR crop (less than a 1/10 of the original image) ran through deep sky stacker.
This is NGC 1977 better known as the "Running Man Nebula" it has the unfortunate distinction of being a close neighbor (in our view) to the famous Great Nebula in Orion, and is close enough to the Horse Head Nebula to be overlooked by many who image the stars.
It is a reflection nebula which means essentially that it does not emit its own light. It is only visible to us because of the reflection of light from close stars off of the cosmic dust present. The effect is very similar to the illumination of fog around a street light.
This is about 40 mins of images shot with my D7000 and 80mm f6 telescope.
2013-03-02 03:04:00 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 43 +1s)
Discovering the old
This is another re-stack and process of an old image that I've taken in the past. Most times I crop the image before stacking. This particular one consisted of only M81 and M82 in the final image.
That is a behavior that I've put to rest. I never realized how many DSOs (Deep Space Objects) I've actually photographed and never realized it.
This image was shot in Just over a year ago, which was before I purchased the adapter that would allow me to take multiple minute exposures.
In this image you see:
NGC-3077 below to the right
NGC-2959 Upper right
M-82 (cigar galaxy) on the left
M-81 (Bodes galaxy) largest one near the center
Stats on the image
Camera - Nikon D7000 (unmodified)
Mount - Orion SkyView Pro
Scope - Orion ED80T CF
67 - 30 second light frames shot at iso 10... more »
2013-03-02 18:23:53 (10 comments, 2 reshares, 55 +1s)
Discovering the old
This is another re-stack and process of an old image that I've taken in the past. Most times I crop the image before stacking. This particular one consisted of only M81 and M82 in the final image.
That is a behavior that I've put to rest. I never realized how many DSOs (Deep Space Objects) I've actually photographed and never realized it.
This image was shot in Just over a year ago, which was before I purchased the adapter that would allow me to take multiple minute exposures.
In this image you see:
NGC-3077 below to the right
NGC-2976 Upper right
M-82 (cigar galaxy) on the left
M-81 (Bodes galaxy) largest one near the center
Stats on the image
Camera - Nikon D7000 (unmodified)
Mount - Orion SkyView Pro
Scope - Orion ED80T CF
67 - 30 second light frames shot at iso 10... more »
2013-03-01 18:23:09 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 23 +1s)
M101 and Friends
When I originally took this image I had no idea how many DSO's that I had captured in it. I'm sure that I've missed a few but here is a re-processing of the original image and I've included the 11 DSOs that I know are it it.
Hopefully I get some clear skies so I can attack another area of the sky with several good targets.
Specs on the shot
Camera - Nikon D7000
Scope - Orion ED80T-CF
Guider - Orion Off axis guider (using phd)
Mount - Orion SkyView Pro
Exposure - 2 hours of 5 min subs
Dark Frames - 10
Processing - DSS, LR, PS
2013-03-01 18:22:35 (13 comments, 8 reshares, 46 +1s)
M101 and Friends
When I originally took this image I had no idea how many DSO's that I had captured in it. I'm sure that I've missed a few but here is a re-processing of the original image and I've included the 11 DSOs that I know are it it.
Hopefully I get some clear skies so I can attack another area of the sky with several good targets.
Specs on the shot
Camera - Nikon D7000
Scope - Orion ED80T-CF
Guider - Orion Off axis guider (using phd)
Mount - Orion SkyView Pro
Exposure - 2 hours of 5 min subs
Dark Frames - 10
Processing - DSS, LR, PS
2013-02-18 03:29:19 (1 comments, 9 reshares, 108 +1s)
This is the edited version of a 6 shot Pano taken last week, Yes I needed help bringing the iridium flare back into the picture as PS didn`t like it.
Sharing is caring, feel free.
2013-02-18 03:11:56 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 37 +1s)
Getting back onto the bike.
Sometimes you have to start slow. I've been neglecting both Luna and my love of photography.
Sometimes life gets in the way.
This image was taken from my back deck tonight. I apologize if it isn't as sharp as you are used to. I've had a back flare up and didn't feel like moving the heavy mount to eliminate the camera shake. Although it's a good image I know I can and will do better for you in the weeks to come.
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