Secret Still Observatory

'I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the Moon'

Mark

1 minute read

    Integration time (running total):
    * L 70 X 180s (210m)
    * R 60 X 180s (180m)
    * G 64 X 180s (192m)
    * B 65 X 180s (195m)
    * HA 68 X 300s (340m)
    * Total: 18h37m

Notes

Imaged over the course of three nights where the seeing was the best for several months. M81 was high in the sky thus avoiding (though no totally) the negative effect of the ever-worsening light pollution. I included a lot of time on the Hydrogen Alpha channel to enhance the star-forming regions in the spiral…

Day six Moon with Earthshine

Views of the day six Moon with Earthshine in HDR

Mark

1 minute read

The seeing has been exceptional (for the UK) for the last few nights. This combined with the IR Pass filter seems to have helped to create the sharpset Moon photo I have ever made. Additionally, a monochrome camera was used and the combination appears to have made a significant improvement over similar images taken with a OSC camera. This is in fact two photos, the first being one of this evening’s shots of the illuminated Moon and the second another image with a different exposure…

Mark

1 minute read

    Integration time (running total):
    * L 70 X 60s (70m)
    * R 60 X 60s (60m)
    * G 64 X 60s (64m)
    * B 65 X 60s (65m)
    * L 70 X 10s (11m40s)
    * R 60 X 10s (10m)
    * G 64 X 10s (10m40s)
    * B 65 X 10s (10m50s)
    * HA 10 X 180s (30m)
    * Total: 5h32m

Notes

Orion will soon be gone from the sky for another season. I wanted to have a new attempt to produce a satisfactory photogrpah of the bright star-forming region around the Trapezium in the Great Orion nebula which is so…

Mark

1 minute read

    Integration time (running total):
    * OSC 85 X 120s (170m)
    * Total: 2h50m
    
    Integration time target
    * Target: 7 hours
    * Progress: 40%

Seeing index: Good (3)
Jet stream: Poor (30 m/s)
Transparency: Good (3)

Mark

1 minute read

    Integration time (running total):
    * S 57 X 300s (285m)
    * H 54 X 300s (270m)
    * 0 51 X 300s (255m)
    * Total: 13h30m

Notes

Imaged over the course of three nights and processed using the Hubble palette.

Mark

1 minute read

    Integration time (running total):
    * S 54 X 300s (270m)
    * H 53 X 300s (265m)
    * 0 51 X 300s (255m)
    * Total: 13h10m

Seeing index: OK (3)
Jet stream: Poor (40 m/s)
Transparency: Good (4)

Day 11 Moon

Views of the day 11 terminator

Mark

2 minute read

The ASI662MC has small 2.9 micron pixels which give excellent resolution, especially in a long scope such as the CC. The 10th Jan was the stablest and most transparent evenig we have had for weeks if not months and the Moon was really high at over 65° in altitude. The 12th was lkess clear but still gave a really good view of the full Moon.

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