Sunrise

[AstroTasmania]

Hi All,

The season of nice pictorial sunrises & sunsets is with us again, the sunrises are spectacular some mornings and here some for a starter. Taken from our property outside Hobart looking from our front porch across our top paddock.

Waning crescent Moon in the last shot at sunrise.

Sunrise skies...

[Radar]

Stunning Shev. :thumbsupmate:

I love the first one.

[Draig]

hi Shevill,

Beautiful Photos. Thanks for sharing them.

Cheers Colin

[hpcoolahan]

absolutely stunning Shevil, is that after a full night in the observatory going home to bed?.....lol

Patrick

[AstroTasmania]

Hi Patrick,

Fortunately I am already at home, we have an elongated sloping 5-acre bush block in a location outside Hobart (10km)- in the Cambridge valley, which is surrounded by hills of the Meehan Range. We have a pretty good 360 views and from the kitchen windows we see the sunrises and from the lounge windows we see the sunsets. The main observatory is 35 metres from the back door and is higher than the house, so not far to stumble back to bed!

I can go to various places on our hilly block to take in different views to include trees, dead or alive and various hill top views. I don't leave our little spot in paradise unless I need to. Browse through my Picasa albums to see what I mean. The main obs is up the slope on the left and the new one is at house level, the workshop is down two more levels etc. We do our gardening with a Bobcat & excavator as we are on mudstone-very hard rock.

We are just so fortunate to live in this delightful spot on the planet.

Clear skies...Shevill

[Maia]

Wow,it's like your own slice of heaven. Beautiful! I woudn't be wandering too far away much either, if I were you.

[phoenix]

Hi Shevill

Stunning shots, love them all. Makes me wanna get my camera out.
What are the best settings to set for sunrise and sunsets? What do you usually set your camera at ?


Thanks Jason :pipethinker:

[AstroTasmania]

Hi Phoenix,

Most shots are manual settings with the camera on a tripod. I take quite a few at various length of exposure times, like a bit under and a bit over. The camera light meter is often fooled because it is looking at a bright source and tends to underexpose.

Clear skies...

[wakaleo]

Yes, Shevill, looks like you have a little slice of heaven itself. I'm rather envious of your setup too, but wouldn't know what to do with most of it!

[phoenix]

592 Fire in the Sky.



I took this one from my Backyard.



Cheers Jason :pipethinker:

[Radar]

Beautiful sunset Jason.

Shevill, if I hadn't seen that picture of the inside of the octadome I would never have realised how big that thing is. That is a monster setup.

So you have a mewlon riding a massive newt? I take it that is the newt you built? And is the mewlon used as a guidescope?

How does the mount cope with all the weight? I imagine easily.

That truly is a big boys toy. Well done buddy :thumbsupmate:

[AstroTasmania]

Hi Radar,

You must have been looking at my main observatory, a 4-metre all rotating structure that I built many years ago.

It is a 12" f/5 Newtonian with all sorts of mods built in and it will eventually be replaced with a 16" on a much bigger mount of much the same design.

The 12" Newtonian carries on one side a Tak Mewlon 210-f/11.5 Dall-Kikham, which is for high mag imaging.

On the opposite side are 4 scopes mainly for solar use, each set up with special attachments & cameras. The Tak FS-102 f/8, f/6 does white light via a Baader Herschel Solar Wedge, The SW 102 f/10 does solar prominences with a Baader Solar Coronograph, and a WO 80SD with a SolarMax BF 10 40mm unit does disc H-alpha. Another scope 800mm f/15 with a Lumicon H-alpha 1.5 Angstrom unit also does H-alpha solar disc,

It carries all the above with no trouble at all. Nothing like self built gear to be over engineered. I enjoy making all this stuff.

Now, the "OctaDome" is a separate observatory under construction only 2.2 metres across flats, 2.5 high walls plus the peak at 45 degrees. It is located nearer the house, and it is to house the multi wide field system scopes on the big Alhena GEM. Tak Epsilon 180ED f2.8 Astrograph, and Meade SN-10 mounted side by side plus 80mm guide scope. The Tak Mewlon may well be transferred to this system for use with the Starlight Express Adaptive Optics and CCD Guider system. It is too inconvenient to keep having to uncover for use and out in the open it is soon dripping wet with dew, not good for all that expensive equipment.

I have a set of Antaries tube rotators for the Tak 180 and a set is on the way for the Meade SN-10. When I have fitted these I can then work out how to fit the Tak Mewlon.

This leaves my EQ6 out in the open as my take anywhere system, it currently carries my new WO 90 APO and the WO Petzval 66.

I have got my modified Canon 350D back from its Baader UV/IR filter and Peltier Cooler conversion. The weather is now 100% cloud cover & fine rain. I have taken normal daylight shots with it but that's all so far.

Clear skies...

[Maia]

That's quite beautiful Phoenix.I see you know about photographing the sky.To have an interesting,but not "overdone" subject in the foreground.I like photography,and I also draw,which carries the same rules.



:cool!:

[Mick]

Nice sunset/rise photos. Do you think winter sunset/rises are more colorful?

[Radar]

Hey Shev,


That is a monster setup you have there on your property. Are you making the 16 inch yourself?

Yes, I posted a link to the album yesterday, I had unwittingly not had it as a Public view album. Now fixed.
http://picasaweb.google.com/AstroTasmania/ConstructingA16InchNewtonianTelescope

What are the brands of solar scopes do you use?

On the opposite side are 4 scopes mainly for solar use, each set up with special attachments & cameras. The Tak FS-102 f/8, f/6 does white light via a Baader Herschel Solar Wedge, The SW 102 f/10 does solar prominences with a Baader Solar Coronograph, and a WO 80SD with a SolarMax BF 10 40mm unit does disc H-alpha. Another scope 800mm f/15 with a Lumicon H-alpha 1.5 Angstrom unit also does H-alpha solar disc, Regards, Shevill

Cheers

Radar

[AstroTasmania]

Hi Radar,

Yes, I have been building the 16" bit by bit, it's a major project as a fork mounted scope. Optics finished and enhanced aluminised with quartz over coat. The elliptical flat is 4" minor axis.

Here is the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/AstroTasmania/ConstructingA16InchNewtonianTelescope

Clear skies...

[hpcoolahan]

My god im sorry Shevill for not replying sooner, i have been away a bit and havent been in to see your reply ,,,sorry:crying23:

Those pics are terrific, i did look in your folders and saw the images of the aurora ,, you could hear my jaw drop..you lucky devil:crazy:
I saw them from Vancouver, Canada 15 years ago and sat outside all night watching them , amazed.
The new obs is comming along nicely, cant wait to se how the petals are going to seal up.

Mine is neally there , got all the soldering and circuitry done for the motorization . All hooked up and working , az sensor for the dome works too!!
so hopefully will have a tracking, automated dome by the end of the week.

Attatched is the pic of it all in testing, im using a velleman usb interface and the lesvedome driver for control.works well so far , and a cheep home built setup.

Clear skies ,.
from further north

Patrick

[Draig]

Wow Shevill,

That's quite a project you have going there. And you have time to build a new observatory as well.

Well Done.

Cheers Colin

[AstroTasmania]

Hi Patrick and Colin,

Time to take more pics of the 16" parts. Thank you both for your encouraging comments.

Not a problem, Patrick, the aurora images have been seen and now used in may promotional web sites for Tasmania, including a Japanese version in Japan. Also for scientific purposes. Below.

http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/senior/cosmicengine/sun_earth.html

One on these images will feature in a unique way in a National project the future, however, I am sworn to confidentiality - and if I told you, well you know the rest of that!

The 16" is taking a back seat while I work on the "OctaDome", I don't envisage any problems with the Petals sealing, I have plan A, plan B etc.

We have had fine rain since last Saturday which is set to continue for the rest of this week too. So no work outside.

I like your dome automation, it is something that has been at the back of my mind for my big observatory. The whole building rotates on a track with a revearsable 12Volt geared motor, so it should be possible with sensors on the slit edges. I will look at your electronics, if you have more details or pics that would be very handy.

I am always amazed at the ingenious methods us amateurs come up with to build observatories and solve problems. Also, almost no two observatories are ever alike.

With the OctaDome I want to be able to open all the roof for 180 degree shots, but just a normal slit for the usual stuff. I am having sleepless nights trying to come up with a workable solution to being able to raise and lower the whole pier, which is a bit of a challenge!! I woke this am and think I cracked it during much brain storming during the night.

Great to see your project coming to a satisfactory conclusion, I share your enthusiasm.

Clear skies...

[hpcoolahan]

Shevill, i will get together all the info together with some pics and web links to all the relevant sites. If you already have 12volt drive set up , all you need is the USB interface board ,from Wavecom instruments in south aust, azimuth sensor from technical inovations in usa.And the driver for the board which is free from pierre de ponth's web page which has all the info you need to set it up.email to you tomorrow morning.

Best regards
Patrick Coolahan
Yamba