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I have been interested in Astronomy for many years. Recently I became even more interested to the point that I actually did
something about it. My thanks goes out to my older brother Tony for rekindling my interest. At Christmas time in 2003, my
brother had gotten me a book entitled "Backyard Astronomy". It was the most enthralling book on the hobby I had
ever read, being clearly written for the amateur. In the early spring of 2004 I bought a new 6" telescope to replace
my 50mm refractor that I had since I was very young. Since then, I have taken this hobby to levels I never quite expected.
I am continually buying new eyepieces, filters and accessories to enhance my enjoyment of the heavens.
The following is the equipment I have acquired.
Orion Astroview 6 EQ
Type: Equatorial Reflector
Aperature: 150 mm
Focal Length: 750 mm (F/5.0)
Extra: Orion White Light Solar Filter, Orion Variable Polarizing Filter, Orion Ultablock Nebula Filter, Baader Planetary
Contrast Booster, Orion Variable 2-3x Barlow, Orion Shorty 2x Barlow, Orion 1.6x Focal Reducer, Orion Electronic Eyepiece,
Meade Electronic Eyepiece, Meade LPI, Meade DSI, a converted Dynex webcam for astrophotography, Burgess Binoviewers with (2)
20mm Bino-lite eyepieces, Highpoint 8x50mm Right Angle Finder, 20x40mm Bushnell Competitor spotting scope mounted as a guidescope
and the following Orion Eyepices: 40mm, 25mm, 20mm, 10mm and 3.7 mm.
UPDATE July 28, 2007: I have sold my 6" reflector for funding for my new telescope: An Orion XT10 Dobsonian.
Equipment
| Astroview 6 EQ |
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| My original scope - modified with lots of goodies. Sold to finance "Goliath". |
Make / Model : Orion Astroview 6 EQ
Type: Newtonian Reflector
Aperature: 6" (150mm)
This was my original scope. I bought this in the spring of 2004. In the 3 years I owned
it, I did alot of planetary, solar, lunar and DSO observing. It was with this scope that I started my road to astrophotography.
I added a wealth of accessories to this scope including a 20x40 guidescope, an upgraded finder and a single-axis motor drive.
I finally sold it in the summer of 2007 to finance my new scope...a 10" dob.
| "Goliath" |
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| My new 10" scope - a full 4 feet of length weighing nearly 60 pounds. |
Make / Model : Orion SkyQuest XT10
Type: Dobsonian (Newtonian) Reflector
Aperature: 10" (254mm)
This is my current lightbucket. Bought after selling the Astroview, I've taken DSO observing
to a new level. Also, the planetary viewing is awesome. This is probably an all-round best buy in telescopes. Alot of aperature
for the smallest price available. I manage taking some astrophotography with this due to the fact that I have an equatorial
platform which enables me to utilize "motorized tracking".
| Celestron NexStar 80 Refractor |
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| My all around refractor for wide views of the sun. moon and terrestrial viewing. |
Make / Model : Celestron NexStar 80GT
Type: Refractor
Aperature: 3.1" (80mm)
This is my latest addition. This is great for terrestrial as well as lower power viewing
of the sun, moon and wide open clusters. The images through this are crisp enough to perform astrophotography through. This
is actually a mish-mosh of different pieces. The scope itself is Celestron, the finder is a 6x30 Meade finder mounted
using a modified PVC pipe hanger (hand-bent and drilled out to fit a Celestron L-Bracket bino holder that originally
came with my Skymasters. It was too wobbly for the weight of the binos so I employed it to support this scope. The tripod
is from an old Meade 565 telescope.
| Celestron Skymaster 15x70 |
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| My Giant 70mm binoculars. These are most used when I am up north on camping / fishing trips. |
Make / Model : Celestron SkyMaster 15x70
Type: Giant Binoculars
Aperature: 2.75" (70mm)
These are my Giant Binoculars. I have heard alot of complaints from dissatisfied owners about
these binos but I think they perform admirably. I have NEVER had a problem nor have I ever been dissapointed with them. These
are phenominal. When I bought these around 2000, they were $64 not including shipping. They still are pretty cheap today,
under $85. They pick up an enormous amount of light and are very heavy duty. They are multicoated Bak-4 prisms. These see
alot of use on the road. Because I am paranoid about tripping with my equipment and damaging my far more expensive scopes,
I use these when camping and fishing. They are great for terrestrial viewing too! Mine are mounted on a Pro Master 6400 Tripod.
| Tasco 20-26x60 Zoom Spotting Scope |
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| This was an original given to me by my Dad. |
Make / Model : Tasco 20-60x60
Type: Spotting Scope w/ Zoom
Aperature: 2.4" (60mm)
This scope is a zoom powered 60mm spotting scope that was my Father's. This had a ton of
use when we used to go shooting more frequently at the rifle range. Because of it's very limited eye relief, it has become
obsolete in favor of the Celestron 80GT and the Binoculars. I decided to extend it's life indefinetly by making it a dedicated
Solar Projection Scope. Using a solar screen from our family's original telescope (A Sears brand 50mm) I drilled the mount
onto the tube assembly and added a sun shield. Using the zoom power on this will allow the sun to be projected fairly visible
up to about a 6" diameter projection. It's my version of a poor-man's PST.
The Sun
| Sunspot #1005 |
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| Finally, after a drawn-out lull, sunspot cycle #24 emerges. |
| Full-view of the Sun |
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| This view taken with a focal reducer fits alittle better. Small sunspot 1005 is still visible. |
Solar Cycle #24 - October 2008
Another new sunspot has recently emerged on the face of the sun. Dubbed, Sunspot 1007, it
too is a member of the newest Solar cycle #24. Though small, it is yet another visual confirmation that the sunspot count will
be accelerating soon. This is the 4th sunspot in a month after more than a year of blank disks.
This and the previous Sunspot 1005 were the only ones that lasted more
than 48 hours.
Solar Cycle #24 has just begun. Over the past few weeks, small sunspots have occasionally
dotted the surface of the sun. None survived long enough to have a sunspot number appointed to them until Sunspot 1005 a few
weeks ago.
| Sunspot # 1031 |
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| The latest member of Solar Cycle 24. Taken November 17, 2009. |
| Sunspot #1007 |
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| Yet another small group of Sunspots |
| Sunspots |
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| A detailed image of a Sunspot group in late 2005. |
| Sunspot Group 865 & 866 |
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| This group of sunspots was prominent in early April, 2006. |
The Sun - Calcium Filter
| The Sun in CaK |
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| Our nearest star imaged in the Calcium K-Line spectrum. |
This is the Sun taken through a Calcium filter.
The Calcium K-Line (CaK)
is a 8nm wide bandpass, centered at 395nm. This bandpass provides ample contrast for high-resolution imaging
of super granulation, flares, and other features that are prominent in CaK.
There is little to be seen in this picture at the time due to solar
activity progressing along at minimum pace. Once sunspots start to appear, this image will look much much different.
This picture is a single exposure of 0.001 seconds taken with a Celestron
Nexstar 80GT, the Meade LPI, a 0.5x Focal Reucer, the Baader CaK Filter and a homemade pre-filter using the
Baader AstroSolar Safety Visual Solar Filter Film which provides a Neutral Density rating of 3.8 which is ideal for image
capturing.
The Moon
| 1st Quarter Moon |
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| A fully complete shot of the moon (not a mosaic) |
| A Reduced Image |
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| This shot was taken a few seconds after the above image with a 0.5x focal reducer. |
| A crescent moon. |
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| This was shot in dayligt around 3:00 PM EST on January 2, 2009. It's the reason is rather faded. |
| Copernicus |
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| Undoubtedly my most detailed shot with the smallest object visible about 3/8 mile in size. |
| Lunar Appenines |
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| A giant mountain chain spanning hundreds of miles and 2,500 feet in height. |
| Lunar Limb |
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| My attempt to recreate what it would have been like on an Apollo mission. |
| Archimedes |
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| Another one of the most famous craters on the moon. |
| Rupus Recta |
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| A 300-meter high fault line almost 100 miles long. (bottom center) |
| The Crater Archimedes and vicinity |
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| Mighty Archimedes watches over the 2 smaller craters, Autolycus and Palus Putredinus. |
| Eratosthenes |
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| The huge crater at the base of the Appenine Mountains. |
| Plato |
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| Plato dominates the Caucusus Mountains. Note the shapes/heights of the shadows from the mountains. |
| Pal Nebularum |
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| The strange shallow crater towards the middle of the picture w/ 2 smaller impact craters inside. |
| Crater Copernicus |
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| My most detailed image of this object showing structure at the base of the crater. |
| Crater Clavius |
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| The 140-mile wide Crater Clavius located on the Moon's limb. |
| "Rupus Rectus" |
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| The "Straight Wall" on the Moon - a fault line 900 feet high toward the lower left in the image.. |
| Aristoteles |
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| A nice view at 250x of the crater. The smallest detail in this picture is less than a mile wide. |
| Maurolycus |
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| The dominant crater in this photo is on the opposite side of the moon as Aristoteles |
| Posidonius |
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| The double crater towards the center of the Moon. |
| The Crescent Moon and Venus |
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| A handheld Camcorder shot of a few hours old moon and Venus. |
Venus
Venus - Inferior Conjunction 2009
On January 29, 2009, Venus and the Moon were close together. It was
a great oppurtunity to get some pictures of Venus during it's 3rd quarter phase. It's on it's way to it's inferior conjunction in
late March.
It was this same sight, seen by Galileo 400 years ago, that had him almost tried as a heretic
by the church. This sight proved that the Earth was not the center of the universe, for if it was, we would have never seen
the inferior planets continuously changing phases. Just the very nature of this picture disproves the idealogy of an Earth
centered universe.
Venus' apparent size will grow dramatically as it accelerates through it's changes
from half-lit to a slim crescent over the next 2 months.
At the time of this image, Venus was 0.57 AU from the Earth, or roughly 52.84 Million miles
away. It spanned just over 29 arcseconds in apparent diameter and was -4.53 magnitude. It will grow to over double this size
by the time of inferior conjunction.
| Venus - 1/29/09 |
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| Venus on January 29,2009. Just 2 months before it's Inferior Conjunction in 2009. |
| Venus |
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| The planets apparent size will grow over 200% in the next 2 months. |
UPDATE: 02/23/09
I tried to salvage this image because unfortunately, now that Venus is starting to set earlier,
a clear shot is obscured by my neighbor's tree. At the moment Venus becomes visible in the evening, it's already about 6°
below the top of the treeline. As the trek towards Inferior Conjunction continues, it will only become more difficult to get
any shot at all. This may well be my last shot of the year!!!
As of February 23, 2009, Venus is currently about 0.41 AU (38 million miles) from the earth.
It's apparent size is 41.8 arcseconds and it has a magnitude of -4.63.
| Venus-02-23-09 |
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| Venus closes in on it's Inferior Conjunction date in late March 2009. |
| Venus |
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| A picture of Venus from it's 2006 Inferior Conjunction. |
Mars
| Mars |
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| Mars in Late October, 2007, just 2 months before it's opposition. |
Mars - Opposition 2007
No planet in the course of human history has sparked the imagination as much as Mars has.
Ever since telescopes scrutinized its surface, it was believed that somehow, Mars could harbor life. Today we still believe
that there may be fossils found or simple single-celled organisms just under the martian surface.
These photos are of the Mars Opposition in December of 2007. At the time of closest approach,
Mars' apparent size was 15.9 arcseconds.
A Martian Opposition occurs every 26 months. The next opposition will be in January of 2010.
| Mars - at Opposition December 17, 2007. |
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| An unprocessed image of Mars during the height of it's 2007 Opposition. |
| Mars - Opposition December 17, 2007 |
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| Another image the same night but processed through Registax. |
Jupiter
The King of Planets spans some 88,000 + miles and is an average
distance of almost 500 million miles from the earth. Long a favorite of astronomers and astrophotographers, Jupiter sports
a massive storm, the Great Red Spot as well as smaller festoons which are commonly visible. Because of Jupiter's extremely
quick rotation (once every 10 hours) the shape is actually distorted at the equator. It spins so fast that you can actually
watch the planet change in a matter of 10 minutes or so. On just about any given night that Jupiter is visible, anywhere from
1 to all 4 of it's Gallilean moons is visible. They are Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto. They are constantly changing positions
and can easily be filmed showing there rotation in front of and behind Jupiter over a period of a few hours. Transits of these
moons in front of Jupiter are common and occur multiple times each month.
| A stormy Jupiter - September 19, 2009 |
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| 4 festoons can be seen lined up along the same parallel. The moons are Callisto (lower left) and Io. |
| Jupiter at Opposition - August 15, 2009 |
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| Jupiter at about 360 million miles from Earth. |
| Jupiter, the Great Red Spot and Red Spot Jr. |
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| A nice image of the GRS almost front & centered. Note the "Red Spot Jr." just beneath the GRS. |
| Jupiter with Io and Europa |
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| Jupiter with Io (the innermost) and Europa. 2 of the 4 Galillean Satellites to the far upper right. |
| Jupiter |
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| Another fine image of the King of Planets. |
| Jupiter Returns |
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| Mighty Jupiter returns to dominate the summer evening skies. Ganymede is in the 2:00 position. |
| Almost perfect |
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| ...if it wasn't for the camera error along the bottom. |
| Jupiter - April 2, 2006 with the Great Red Spot |
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| My first stacked image of Jupiter. 7 pictures stacked at 90% quality using a Meade LPI. |
| Jupiter's "Quiet Side" |
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| The opposite side of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. |
| Another early shot of Jupiter |
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| One of my first shots while just learning how to stack images. |
| Transit of Jupiter |
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| The satellite Europa passes in front of Jupiter, casting it's shadows onto the clouds. |
| Jovian System |
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| Jupiter and it's Satellite System. |
Saturn
Believed by most to be the most beautiful planet because of its majestic ring system, Saturn is a sight
to behold. On a clear night when Saturn is visible, multiple rings can be seen as well as the Cassini Division, which is the
black empty gap between the inner and outer rings. Also, up to 7 of Saturn's moons are withing reach of a 10" scope. Every
14 years, the Earth passes through Saturn's plane of rings. When this happens, transits of the shadows of it's moons are visible
on the clouds.
| Saturn - May 20, 2009 |
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| A shot from Saturn's "edge-on" year. |
| Saturn - May 20, 2009 |
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| My last attempt at Saturn for this season. |
| Saturn - May 11, 2009 |
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| A more recent shot of Saturn shortly after recollimating my telescope. |
| Saturn - April 24, 2009 |
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| A shot of Saturn with it's ring system almost edge-on. |
| Saturn - May 28, 2008 |
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| My most detailed shot of the planet. 15 images make up this picture. |
| Saturn - The Ringed Wonder |
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| My latest attempt at Saturn using a combination of a 3x barlow and a 1.9x barlow. |
| Saturn - March 29, 2006 |
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| My first stacked picture EVER using the Meade LPI. |
| Saturn - April 9, 2006 |
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| Saturn glowing a cool aqua color. |
The Outer Planets & Comets
| Uranus & Titania |
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| A shot of Uranus & it's largest moon Titania. |
| Comet 17/P Holmes |
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| A color picture of the comet that surprised the world in late October 2007. |
| The Core of Comet 17/P Holmes |
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| Using a black & white exposure, the core is readily evident. |
This site was last published January 25, 2010.
Next update...soon!
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