Want to make your inexpensive dobsonian reflector perform like an instrument that costs twice as much? The Televue Paracorr is the best addition you can make to your reflector's eyepiece collection. Look through a typical reflector's eyepiece and you'll see a nice central image, but the closer you get to the edge you'll see an effect called coma. It's particularly bad with inexpensive, fast (f5.0 or less) dobsonian reflectors. Put this corrector in front of your eyepiece that'll all go away and you'll have nice round pin-point stars. :-)
Click here for an image of the Paracorr.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Dark Sky Sites -- Greenwater, WA
As promised, the Greenwater, WA area is the next in my list of dark sky sites. Greenwater is a small town on highway 410 on the way to Crystal Mountain Ski Resort and Mount Rainier National Park. It is only 45 minutes from my house in Auburn, WA, but, due to the mountainous terrain, has some great dark skies. Hopefully you noticed that I said "area." Greenwater is the gateway to a vast complex of forest roads. Intermingled in the forest are old clear-cuts giving great access to the sky in all directions.
The real fun begins when you travel about 2 miles to the east of Greenwater. On your right will be forest road 70. FR70 takes you into the heart of the Mount Baker - Snoqualmie National forest around the Greenwater river valley. Like I mentioned there are any number of clear cuts that could be used for astronomy -- the trick is finding them. Google Earth is an excellent way to find sites before you travel to the forest. But for starters try following FR70 until you reach FR7030. It'll be on your right and it crosses the Greenwater river. Follow FR7030 until you reach FR7036. FR7036 follows a ridge line that is approx. 5,000 to 6,000 feet in altitude with a large number of clearings. The location you use for observing is up to you :-)
Here's a Google map link to the area: Link to Greenwater area
M31 from a Greenwater mountaintop:
One thing to note. This is a remote area with mountain weather. Prepare yourself accordingly!
The real fun begins when you travel about 2 miles to the east of Greenwater. On your right will be forest road 70. FR70 takes you into the heart of the Mount Baker - Snoqualmie National forest around the Greenwater river valley. Like I mentioned there are any number of clear cuts that could be used for astronomy -- the trick is finding them. Google Earth is an excellent way to find sites before you travel to the forest. But for starters try following FR70 until you reach FR7030. It'll be on your right and it crosses the Greenwater river. Follow FR7030 until you reach FR7036. FR7036 follows a ridge line that is approx. 5,000 to 6,000 feet in altitude with a large number of clearings. The location you use for observing is up to you :-)
Here's a Google map link to the area: Link to Greenwater area
M31 from a Greenwater mountaintop:
One thing to note. This is a remote area with mountain weather. Prepare yourself accordingly!
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The New Astro Zone System for Astro Imaging
Ever wanted a thorough step-by-step guide to processing your astrophotographs in Adobe Photoshop, well Ron Wodaski just answered your prayers! Ron's previous book, "The New CCD Astronomy", has become a classic among astrophotographers and now he's followed it up with "The New Astro Zone System for Astro Imaging".
This book covers image processing after the calibration and combining phase that's typically done in programs, such as, MaximDL. Ron covers bringing out fine, dim details, removing gradients, fixing bloated stars, and refining color balance. The book also comes with a DVD filled with excellent examples.
For more information check out Ron's website at The New CCD Astronomy
This book covers image processing after the calibration and combining phase that's typically done in programs, such as, MaximDL. Ron covers bringing out fine, dim details, removing gradients, fixing bloated stars, and refining color balance. The book also comes with a DVD filled with excellent examples.
For more information check out Ron's website at The New CCD Astronomy
Friday, July 28, 2006
Table Mountain Star Party 2006
Life at 6,350 feet can be very good, especially when a big high pressure system settles over the Ellensburg, WA area. It was time for the 2006 edition of the annual Table Mountain Star Party and my family and I were determined to get a good spot by arriving Monday afternoon (the event starts officially on Thursday). The spot we chose overlooked Ellensburg, WA, but was clear in all directions. The first night the temperature plummeted to 36 degrees with a stiff wind. Not ideal astrophotography conditions! Still I managed some wide-field sky shots and decided it was a good night to catch some Zs.
Tuesday dawned with crystal clear blue skies -- an excellent day for a hike to Lion's rock. The hike to Lion's rock allowed ample opportunity for wild flower photography and conversation with other astronomers. Tuesday night was the first of 5 excellent nights for astronomy. With the wind gone it was non-stop astrophotography!
By Wednesday the Table Mountain site was rapidly filling up. The big dobsonian reflectors had begun to dot the main scope field. These beasts of the amateur astronomy world can have mirrors as large as 40 inches! By Thursday the speakers tent went into action. One of the strengths of TMSP is its ready access to the University of Washington. This year Dr. Brownlee of the NASA Stardust project was the UW highlight. Dr. Brownlee was like a proud father discussing his successful Stardust comet return mission. But the star speaker didn't come until Saturday night, David Levy. David Levy, of comet Shoemaker-Levy fame, gave a great talk on the passion of his life, astronomy.
One of the great things about star parties is meeting new friends. Jim, Ed, Kerri and Mark, where just a few of those new friends. I hope to see them next year at TMSP!
Tuesday dawned with crystal clear blue skies -- an excellent day for a hike to Lion's rock. The hike to Lion's rock allowed ample opportunity for wild flower photography and conversation with other astronomers. Tuesday night was the first of 5 excellent nights for astronomy. With the wind gone it was non-stop astrophotography!
By Wednesday the Table Mountain site was rapidly filling up. The big dobsonian reflectors had begun to dot the main scope field. These beasts of the amateur astronomy world can have mirrors as large as 40 inches! By Thursday the speakers tent went into action. One of the strengths of TMSP is its ready access to the University of Washington. This year Dr. Brownlee of the NASA Stardust project was the UW highlight. Dr. Brownlee was like a proud father discussing his successful Stardust comet return mission. But the star speaker didn't come until Saturday night, David Levy. David Levy, of comet Shoemaker-Levy fame, gave a great talk on the passion of his life, astronomy.
One of the great things about star parties is meeting new friends. Jim, Ed, Kerri and Mark, where just a few of those new friends. I hope to see them next year at TMSP!
Dark Sky Sites - Scooteney Reservoir
One of the problems plaguing today's amateur astronomer is light pollution. Sometimes a little travel is in order to solve this problem. In this post and in future ones I'll try to identify dark sky sites in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. If you know of such a site feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.
Scooteney Reservoir is a nicely maintained BLM campground 17 miles southeast of Othello, WA on state route 17. The skies are very dark and the campground has minimal lighting. Better yet the horizons are very open (high desert has its advantages!) and camping is only $15 a night. The campsites are flat and grassy with little dust.
During the day there are ample opportunities for hiking, watersports, and fishing. Here's a Google Maps link:
Google Maps Link to Scooteney
Scooteney Reservoir is a nicely maintained BLM campground 17 miles southeast of Othello, WA on state route 17. The skies are very dark and the campground has minimal lighting. Better yet the horizons are very open (high desert has its advantages!) and camping is only $15 a night. The campsites are flat and grassy with little dust.
During the day there are ample opportunities for hiking, watersports, and fishing. Here's a Google Maps link:
Google Maps Link to Scooteney
Monday, July 3, 2006
Fire in the Sky 2006
This past Memorial Day weekend at Mansfield, WA saw the 2006 edition of the Fire in Sky rocket launch. Started by Scott Binder of BSD rocketry this event continues to grow in size. The event has grown to include amateur astronomy groups and near space groups.
Unfortunately Friday and Saturday saw intermittent showers and clouds which restricted launching and night time star viewing. Sunday and Monday provided better weather allowing many more launches, clear star viewing, and a near space balloon launch. This FITS showed a wide range of rocketry equipment. Rockets ranged in size from model rockets all the way up to a complex "N" powered rocket flown by Vern Knowles.
Another great project was the Dreams in Flight rocket built for Tom Van Etten by a team of rocketeers led by John Hawkins. Tom was diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago and was forced to put his rocketry on hold. John bought the Dreams in Flight rocket from Tom and finished it for Tom's Level 3 attempt. Normally for Level 3 the builder and flyer need to be the same person, but Tripoli, the certifying organization, recognized this as a special case. The flight was flawless and Tom is now a Level 3 flyer!
Unfortunately Friday and Saturday saw intermittent showers and clouds which restricted launching and night time star viewing. Sunday and Monday provided better weather allowing many more launches, clear star viewing, and a near space balloon launch. This FITS showed a wide range of rocketry equipment. Rockets ranged in size from model rockets all the way up to a complex "N" powered rocket flown by Vern Knowles.
Another great project was the Dreams in Flight rocket built for Tom Van Etten by a team of rocketeers led by John Hawkins. Tom was diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago and was forced to put his rocketry on hold. John bought the Dreams in Flight rocket from Tom and finished it for Tom's Level 3 attempt. Normally for Level 3 the builder and flyer need to be the same person, but Tripoli, the certifying organization, recognized this as a special case. The flight was flawless and Tom is now a Level 3 flyer!
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Hearts on Wings
If you're not concerned about science and technology education in this country, you should be. In recent years education funding for science and technology has been severely cut in our Nation's schools. Fortunately several people have begun to fight back. One such individual is Sandra Peters. Sandra has started an organization named Hearts on Wings and its goal is to bring an aviation experience to young children. Check out Sandra's work at Hearts on Wings!
Look for other information on educational sites on Earth, Sky, Stars in coming months.
Look for other information on educational sites on Earth, Sky, Stars in coming months.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Book Review: Astronomy Hacks - Tips & Tools for Observing the Night Sky
Just finished reading the Astronomy Hacks book from O'Reilly books. It's part of the "Hacks" series of books from O'Reilly. Astronomy Hacks is basically compilation of tips and advice for astronomers. While there is a definite bias towards dobsonian reflectors, authors Robert and Barbara Thompson do a great job of showing how to get the most out of any piece of astronomy equipment. They also give a great list of open source software for astronomy. One of their suggestions, Cartes du Ciel, has become a favorite star charting program of mine.
Recommended!
Recommended!
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