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How's that for click bait, lol. Been a while. Been a busy beaver, new to me home, new pier, new neighbors security light 30ft away from my 'second' pier installment. Lots of remodeling has passed, but I think I finally have things under control till spring comes back around (for us northern folk anyway.) I'll probably post several updates in their appropriate locations around the forums, but for now here is todays folly. Mercury transit. Got started about 5:45am with getting out 'the required stuff', I used the ole CG-5 mount as I did for the 2017 eclipse. Canon utilities still had my settings for full Sun, (NOT full btw,) and focus was still almost spot on. AFTER mucking around with the mount for about 30min because apparently some of the jacks had corroded since it's last use (only 2yrs ago, wtf?) Finally I got power and a late start. Long story short, clouds, clouds, clouds, and a few lucky captures. Finally, jeeze! S quick GIF of the session. I'll try and catch up with you fellers, sorry about the walk-about/haciades/absence. Tim.

Orchid over the New Forest this morning. Greg

Hi For those that have been interested in my astroimages and time lapse videos, I had a website called "Imaging the heavens" Unfortunately the hosting site has announced that they are "pulling the plug" on June 30th and will no longer be hosting any websites so I've been having a go over the last 4 days at building a new website using Wordpress and Elementor and have managed to get something up and running, it will have a new name but the theme is largely the same ie night and astrophotography. It is called "In the still of the night". It is largely finished now apart from a few tweaks or possibility of extra pages in the future. If you'd like to have a look at how far I've got so far it can be found at the link below. There was no ".com" available but I did get a ".space" which I thought was very apt https://www.inthestillofthenight.space Best wishes Gordon

As I had the macro out for the Bee - I also took some flower pics. Greg

Great work guys! An inspiration to those of us in the city to aspire towards!

lol, I know, I'm just looking for the easy way out, but its time to clean them anyway. I have had a long hiatus from AP (work, study, family, broken observatory computer). So I am looking forward to getting some photos right after this full moon goes away. I am thinking Sombrero is well positioned at the moment. Ray

Well out of practice with both capture and processing but better than the last few months of nothing. Object:NGC 3201 Object Info: NGC 3201 (also known as Caldwell 79) is a low galactic latitude globular cluster in the southern constellation of Vela. It has a very low central concentration of stars. This cluster was discovered by James Dunlop on May 28, 1826 and listed it in his 1827 catalogue. He described it as "a pretty large pretty bright round nebula, 4′ or 5′ diameter, very gradually condensed towards the centre, easily resolved into stars; the figure is rather irregular, and the stars are considerably scattered on the south". The radial velocity of this cluster is unusually high at 490 km/s, larger than any other cluster known. This corresponds to a peculiar velocity of 240 km/s. While high, this is lower than the escape velocity of the Milky Way galaxy.[10] It is located at a distance of 16,300 light years from the Sun and has an estimated 254,000 times the mass of the Sun. This cluster is about 10.24 billion years old. The stellar population of this cluster is inhomogeneous, varying with distance from the core. The effective temperature of the stars shows an increase with greater distance, with the redder and cooler stars tending to be located closer to the core. As of 2010, is one of only two clusters (including Messier 4) that shows a definite inhomogeneous population. Number of Subs: L 50 , R 50 , G 50 , B 50 Sub Length: 30sec Total Integration Time: 120min Date Captured: 04/02/2020 Imaging Camera: Moravian G2 2000 Imaging Telescope: GSO RC8 CF Reducer: no Focal Length: 1625 Image Scale: 0.94 arcsec/pixel Field of View: 19 x 25 arcmin Mount: Ioptron CEM60 Guide Scope: Orion ST80 Guide Camera: Prostar LP colour (toupcam) Capture Software: Voyager Guide Software: PHD Guiding 2 Processing Software: PixInsight Shane

Glad you got it sorted out Greg. My own CGE Pro mount is currently only good for manually choosing targets. I guess if I was old school, I would learn to use those R/A and declination guides. Nah, I'm a wuss. A new mount will be in order soon. Should have a lottery for these bloody things as much as they cost Tim.

Some text on the outside. Some other minor tweaks coming. Far cry from where it was. Finally back in there at nights as well. I've almost finished a tarantula (which has taken about twelve months). Ray

Here is the whole of the Transit of Mercury courtesy of NASA's SDO. One image every 15-minutes from 12:45 a.m. until 18:00 Greg

Great to see your images being used mate. We wanna see the gaming mats once they are finished. I think they will look super cool. Ray

These two images were taken with a TRIAD filter from urban site in Pasadena California. Both were ten minute exposures. Used Stellarvue 102sv Refractor with a field flattener, iOpron CEM60 mount.

Very nice mate. I so need a terrestrial digital camera for AP. I still have over 20 rolls of kodak elite chrome 200 and three film bodies, which I will certainly use. when I upgraded my mount from a Losmandy G11 to an AP, the new owner of the G11 also loved it, as I did when I first bought it. AP is a journey of technical, scientific and cosmic knowledge. It is an incredibly rewarding and sophisticated pastime. Ray

The old NEQ6 has been sold and moved into her new home. The new owner is absolutely loving it and having a ball learning to drive it, as evidenced by the numerous messages I get on a daily/nightly basis. Like myself, Leon, the new owner, has made a huge leap in equipment coming from a EQ2/3 to a goto mount. I well remember the overwhelming feeling with such a huge jump in technology. Shane

Getting New or Used equipment that is in good functional condition is always a joy to experience. I have sold used gear and bought used gear as part of upgrades. One cannot always afford new. I sold my EOS 350D to a friend and she is having great experiences with it. Last week I took delivery of an used Canon EOS 7D Body, with low shutter count. Functions like it just came out of the new box. At $425 it has given me a step up in the photography world. Waiting now for the storms and clouds to disappear to try it on the 10" Skywatcher. Of course my collection of Canon EF mount lens are all compatible for terrestrial photography. Dave

I found a product called circuit board lacquer. Also called circuit board varnish or clear coat. Dries super fast, does not conduct electricity. For anyone considering this, make sure not to spray it inside any open plugs for obvious reasons. Keep away from fans as well. Moisture proof your observatory electronics people. Ray

Not the type of orchid I’m used to seeing. Shane

Looks like what we call a Christmas beetle.

Great timing mate. Ray

Data captured between 27/04 & 03/05, 4 hrs total. Object:NGC 3766 Object Info: NGC 3766 is an open star cluster in the southern constellation Centaurus. It is located in the vast star-forming region known as the Carina molecular cloud, and was discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille during his astrometric survey in 1751–1752. At a distance of about 1745 pc, the cluster subtends a diameter of about 12 minutes of arc. There are 137 listed stars, but many are likely non-members, with only 36 having accurate photometric data. Total apparent magnitude of 5.3 and integrated spectral type of B1.7. NGC 3766 is relatively young that is estimated as log (7.160) or 14.4 million years, and approaching us at 14.8 km/s. This cluster contains eleven Be stars, two red supergiants and four Ap stars. 36 examples of an unusual type of variable star were discovered in the cluster. These fast-rotating pulsating B-type stars vary by only a few hundredths of a magnitude with periods less than half a day. They are main sequence stars, hotter than δ Scuti variables and cooler than slowly pulsating B stars. Number of Subs: L 60 , R 60 , G 60 , B 60 Sub Length: 60 sec Total Integration Time: 4 Hrs Date Captured: 27/04/2020 & 03/05/2020 Imaging Camera: Moravian G2 2000 Imaging Telescope: GSO RC8 CF Reducer: no Focal Length: 1625 Image Scale: 0.94 arcsec/pixel Field of View: 19 x 25 arcmin Mount: Ioptron CEM60 Guide Scope: Orion ST80 Guide Camera: Prostar LP colour (toupcam) Capture Software: Voyager Guide Software: PHD Guiding 2 Processing Software: PixInsight Shane

Wow Prof, that is quite incredible. Ray

Noted Ken, I have a number of Canon Cameras, including film versions plus the last one made by Canon H1n film cam. I have used the range from 350D to the 7D. At Present I have the EOS 500d 750d and 7d. Each have their pros and cons. Basically I judge their performance on the results I get and and personally not particularly interested in what some of the "Rivet Counters" think -- Also there is a lot of bias between brands, each one trying to outdo the other. Over the years I have handled Pentax and Canon film and Canon Digital. I cannot speak of Nikon as I have never used one. but there are two very divided schools between Canon and Nikon. The later model I have of the 7d, I use mainly for Terrestrial use and birdwatching. having a very wide range of EF lens also keeps me to the Canon brand

Great job Prof. Ray

lol, we all know what that's like mate. Ray

Ray was asking what gear I am currently using and I couldn't find a 'Members Equipment" section. so I stuck it in here Here ya go: NOTE: ignore where I labelled the large scope as an 8 inch. It is a 6 inch OOPS!

Reprocessed in PhotoShop CC - I think it came out a bit better. Greg

The faint fuzzies capture the coldness and vastness. Ray

Probably Shane - likely to be next season now though, not getting dark till past my bed time now Greg

Great central dust lane Greg. Ray

Well done Greg. I don't find the noise a problem (I can barely see it anyway). Those 3 very distant galaxies directly under Arp214 are interesting, 2 of them look like they might be colliding or gravitationally affecting each other.

And here's a similar amount of original Hyperstar data added plus some star spikes. Greg

No - not the bright thing underneath the galaxy, go straight up from there much closer to the galaxy where there is a smudgy line (quite faint) that's the string of Quasars described by Arp. Greg

Beautiful little target mate. That would look great through my C14 as well. Ray

Epic mate. I'm a bit jealous. My PC in the obs died a few weeks back, and I have missed some great skies. Ray

No Comment. Just to let y'all know I am still alive Dave VID-20191223-WA0000.mp4

Interesting! One of the issues sorted on the Hyperstar III was a dead video card as well!! Greg

Your collection on FB speaks volumes mate. You are doing great work. This glob is awesome, and globs come with their own set of challenges. Ray

Well as I always say Greg, you can’t let the truth get in the way of a good story. Shane

I know I am very late in posting this but thought I would anyway. I see on here many time lapse images of a streak across the sky. This day I was ready with my Canon T31 on a tripod with fluid head. I set the camera to sports shot and multi shot. I was using the Canon 75-300mm lens at 300mm. I started tracking manually when the station came into view and shot until it faded out. Out of some several 100 images I got one good one! This is highly cropped to get any detail at all and the station is only 10's of pixels wide but it is the ISS and discernible! Due to the sun and my angle of the shot not all of the solar panels are lighted but I was pleased with this attempt. Eric

I had a PM from a member on Ancestry. At first I thought it was some type of scam, but there was a DNA alert flashing on my account saying something like "father, exact match" or something similar. So it was pretty cool. We made contact and sure enough, a whole new family. Crazy. Ray

Last night I went back to one of favourite haunts to shoot some time lapse, star trails, animated star rails and some nightscapes. It sounds like a lot but all of these are done from the same data. I got to Ribblehead station at about 2:30pm which left me plenty of time to have a cup of coffee at the Station Inn before setting off for the viaduct where I was based for the night. In all I shot 6 time lapse clips from which I also made a couple of animated star trails, star trail images and some single image nightscape shots. I was using a Sony A7Sii with a Samyang 12mm f2.8 fisheye lens and all the exposures were 40 seconds at f2.8 with ISO varying between 1000, 6400 and 8000. For the other clips I used my Sony A7iii with Samyang 24mm f1.4 and all exposures were 20 seconds at f1.4 and ISO 1000 and 6400. Even though the cameras aren't astro modified I found that on the one clip showing the milky way moving across the viaduct I could easily make out the North America Nebula as well as Andromeda galaxy which I thought was pretty good for a 20 second exposure. In all I took a total of about 2,600 images between 5:30pm and 5:30am. It was very clear with no wind during the night but very cold and frosty, during one of the clips you can actually see a puddle in the foreground icing over. From downloading all the data from my cameras to uploading to youtube took me about 6 hours. The video can be seen at the link below and it is available in HD and 4K (4K is much better) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OmT577aEwk

Hi fellas - nice & warm in Adelaide atm!

Dude, my we've been busy! Lookin good! Tim

Ok, now my second one of these, my latest outdoor pier thingy. I dug down about 18" and water started coming in. Left over from all the rain. Highest water table I've ever seen. So add some concrete and mix it in the hole. Sure would be nice to have a level surface to work off of. Wonder if I could fit an obs on that thing? Cheers, Tim.

looking good buddy Shane

Man that is a "lot" of work. i collected around 15 hours worth of RGB and around 8 hours processing my first mosaic. Works out to 4.5 hours integration time for each RGB pane. I don't think I'll try for mor than 2 panes at this point. Trying to get my head around building a mosaic in PI from individual R, G, & B subs and merge them is a bit of a mind blower. Shane

Added Luminance 4 hrs each panel. Shane

My observatory is always delivering surprises this like. Mostly it behaves itself, but yeah, the temperature drops and moisture outside can wreak havoc on certain facets. I keep tools in the observatory now for instant repair work. This sport of AP teaches you a lot, especially patience. Ray

Hi each N All. Just recovering from nasty Flu Attack and Bronchitis infection. First time for years. Seems like the vaccine I had did not include the beast that invaded me. Not a very nice 2 week session. Howsomeever, I had time to browse around and few pennies to spare and picked up this Canon EOS D7 body with low shutter count and in excellent condx for a little over $400AU. I have an almost full range of EF lens for my EOS 750D so they are interchangeable. The white thing ? It can also be found in black under the Opteka brand. This one, from Keldalens.com designed in Japan has Bell and Howell lens 650 to 1300mm Telephoto Zoom f/8 16 MF. Have looked through it terrestrially. - Skies at night are disgusting, after all it is winter and we are actually getting some rain as well However even on the Manfrotto RC2 tripod/mount, manually releasing the shutter causes wobblys. esp at 1300mm. I also have in my ditty box a T thread 2X converter from my 500mm Mirror lens, which is compatible. 2600mm !!??!! I think I will have to mount it on the EQ6Pro ! ATM I have a remote shutter/Timer control coming for the D7. That will be essential using this beast. Reviews appear to give similar overall views that the glass is of reasonable quality, but at 1300mm is pushing one's friendship a bit. The units do vary from who made the optics. Bell and Howell is a very old established company, better known for their manufacture of cinematic projection equipment. Will be interesting what it can produce astronomically with the moon as the subject. Hopefully I will be feeling more inclined soon and that a few occasional clear nights rock up. Quite impressed with the D7, which mechanically is based on the old 1N film camera (Which I also have) similarly built like a tank and weighs as heavy. Note: The photo with the lens extended to 1300mm does tend to indicate a bit of 'sagging' this is not the case the telescoping is very positive and has a lock ring. Its an optical 'confusion' and is quite straight One reviewer said he had issues focusing, for my part I found no difficulty - even with my ancient eyes. However it would be very unfair to compare it with a Genuine Canon Telephoto lens costing $5K!!. Dave.

Awesome mate. When I get back there I will definitely pop in. It is always dangerous for me to visit telescope shops. Ray