Astronomy Class on Saturday Night

Lonnie1212 · Sep 25, 2019

Hi Folks,

There will be astronomers and astro-physicists at the Havana Regional Airport in Havana, Illinois on Saturday September 28th. They are bringing telescopes and will be teaching a class on the stars, the moon, planets etc.... The briefing starts at dusk. It would be good knowledge for photographers. Sponsored by a local university.

Thank you,

Lonnie

Grandpa Ron · Oct 21, 2019

Astronomy is one of my many hobbies. I enjoy chasing photos of the moon phases, moon/cloud shots, constellations and even the planets.

A chance to talk to an astronomer would be a great help in making the leap from shooting the moon through a telescope and shooting nebulas. However, I do not think I can afford the dollar investment.

Lonnie1212 · Nov 2, 2019

Grandpa Ron said:
Astronomy is one of my many hobbies. I enjoy chasing photos of the moon phases, moon/cloud shots, constellations and even the planets.

A chance to talk to an astronomer would be a great help in making the leap from shooting the moon through a telescope and shooting nebulas. However, I do not think I can afford the dollar investment.

I am curious about the prices and equipment you are talking about. I have seen pictures of telescopes set up at a local campground. The Sangamon County Astronomical Society had a gathering. Would like to attend sometime in the future.

Jeff15 · Nov 2, 2019

It's OK for you, there is too much light pollution around where I live.........

Grandpa Ron · Nov 4, 2019

Lonnie,

I have a 6" Dobson style scope. They cost a few hundred dollars. It is great for viewing various space objects.

With my manually adjustable telescope I can watch the planets, moon or other object as it drifts across the eyepiece; then a gentle nudge to the scope and the object returns back to the eyepiece as I once again watch it drift across the eyepiece field of view.

The real issue for photographing is tracking the star or other object for a long exposure. This requires a very stable mount and clock drive of some sort. This is where the cost starts to rise.

In the old days some folks had a camera attached to a split view finder and could manually track the space object by eye while the camera took the shot.

To date I have found that the moon is bright enough for a short exposure through the scope and with digital ISOs in the 6400 range I have captured Jupiter and its moons at low magnifications. But, Saturn and various nebulae are too dim for short exposures, so I need some form of star tracking clockwork.

Talk to some of the serious hobby astronomers and they can give you more up to date information on the cost and type of gear you will need.

Good Luck

SquarePeg · Nov 5, 2019

Grandpa Ron said:
Astronomy is one of my many hobbies. I enjoy chasing photos of the moon phases, moon/cloud shots, constellations and even the planets.

A chance to talk to an astronomer would be a great help in making the leap from shooting the moon through a telescope and shooting nebulas. However, I do not think I can afford the dollar investment.

Someone on here posted a pic recently, I think it was Andromeda? Was it you @goodguy? I’ll see if I can find it. If you’re looking for info about that type of photography that’s who I’d ask.