My first attempt at the Andromeda Galaxy (Canon EOS 20D at prime focus, single 20 second exposure.) I stacked eight such photos with Registax but didn't see any improvement. Doesn't look like the Andromeda Galaxy I see in everyone else's pictures, but I'll keep working it. Seeing conditions were not very optimal as it was getting cold and hazy; and there was a lot of reflected light in the air. It will take extremely good seeing conditions and a lot more than 8 stacked images. :)

Posted by Jim W Coleman at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was the second night out with the LX90 and the Meade LPI. This time, I got much better focus. Practice makes perfect. Unfortunately, seeing conditions were not quite as good. I finally quit the moon and slewed over to the Andromeda Galaxy, hoping to get my first deep-sky image. You'll see the result of that on this blog later. However, for now - here are some more great lunar shots ... some with the Meade LPI and others with the Canon EOS 20D ...

Click below to see a gallery of photos...

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Posted by Jim W Coleman at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday was as clear as a bell and I was anxious all day, hoping that the skies would remain clear long into the evening. I had never yet been able to use the 12" LX-90 for any serious attempt at photography and was ready to try. As luck would have it, the skies were clear, but I had to move the telescope outside of the observatory to be able to point it to new areas of the sky.

From all I've heard and experiences I've had in recent past, focusing is the real challenge with any astrophotography, so I decided to work on something fairly easy - the moon. Here are some images I got in about two hours of work last night. Yes, the focus is not perfect but on the other hand, I don't know how clear I can expect to get with the Meade LPI. Once my tele-extender arrives, I'll be able to hook the EOS 20D up and that should help resolve better images.

Click on the link below for more photos:

Photo taken with Canon EOS20D, prime focus, 12" LX-90.

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Meade LPI, 2x TeleXtender, 12" LX-90.

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Meade LPI, 2x TeleXtender, 12" LX-90.

Posted by Jim W Coleman at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The long holiday weekend has been a bust thus far for opening the observatory for its first time - it's been hazy in the evening or downright cloudy in the morning. Sunday night, though, I got up at about midnight to find a clear sky, and spent several hours out in St. Wiggles Observatory, putting the equipment through its paces. Some of the equipment is still so new that I haven't quite figured out how to use it, so it's no small wonder that I didn't get any stunning pictures. Here, however, is an image of Saturn, I got while figuring out the bulb settings on the Canon EOS 20D. Turns out this was 1/200 of a second, single shot, unstacked. Basically a throw away image, but at least I got something to show for all those sleepless hours out in 28 degree weather. (12" LX90 GPS, LPI imager)

Posted by Jim W Coleman at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As some friends and coworkers joined me to spot the elusive Comet McNaught between 4:30 and 5 p.m., we soon realized that a low cloudbank on the horizon would obscure our view and hide the comet from us. But then, amazingly, we spotted the comet streaking laterally across the sky! We got a good laugh out of it - the so-called "comet" was actually just a jet contrail, but we laughed at how many people were out watching the "comet" as it blazed over the horizon. You see, the local television stations had really hyped up the night's event, touting it as the "final night to see Comet McNaught flash across the sky." Not at all an accurate description, but I'm sure it went a long way to give people the thrill of their lives as they watched Comet McNot "flash" across the evening sky. In the end, we got skunked by the Pacific Northwest weather (as usual) and never saw the comet. But, despite freezing ears and Scott's gas, it was a good time.

Posted by Jim W Coleman at 07:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At risk of falling into the same trap Ronald Reagan fell into with this word I do knock on wood and declare that the ST. WIGGLES OBSERVATORY is operational. This weekend, I finished running power to the observatory. Now the telescopes, computers, photography equipment and more have power and are ready to go! Here is a picture of the trench dug across my garden (sniff sniff). As much as I hate defacing great garden soil, I did have to suck it up to get power out to the observatory. Now, if only the Seattle-area weather would cooperate so I could actually use the observatory. I figure that will come in May or June. Of next year. :)

Posted by Jim W Coleman at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)