Images from my second Night Skies Network (NSN) broadcast.

     I had a chance to setup the scope again for a Broadcast on Night Skies Network (NSN) and managed to capture 3 images. Images are 2-14 seconds of exposure / intergration. I am a bit out of  focus and the mount is not properly aligned and had a lot of drift issues. These are single frame images not stacked but I will get better.

The first was Jupiter with 3 moons I believe to be Io closest to Jupiter and casting a shadow on its surface, Ganymede, and furthest out Callisto.

The second Image was the Trapezium in the Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976)

The final image of the night was The Eskimo Nebula

The Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392), also known as the Clownface Nebula or Caldwell 39

The next time I set up I finally learned I had forgotten a step in setting up and had not done a polar alignment which is why I had drifting issues. I will be learning what to do before my next broadcast so I am hoping for much better images and perhaps my first stacked images as well.

So Hurry back and keep checking in as I take you on my journey of learning and discovery through pictures of our marvelous Cosmos.

May your skies be dark and your visions bright!

First Light, First Broadcast, First.... Everything!

     Well today I attempted to get everything set up for the first time but discovered that I had no focal extender so I could not reach focus. My friend Andy helped me try to get everything aligned and came up with the idea of double stacking two barrows with the lenses removed to use as a focal extender. (Update: Only one was needed to reach focus but I am using two one for the main scope and one for the guide scope).

      After several cold body numbing attempts 13 degree windchill at the time Andy had to go home. I believe he figured I would be done for the evening and I was, but when I went out to break it all down I had to try just one more time. While I did not get the alignment correct nor the focus right I am still pleasantly surprised at the results. 

     This was a night of firsts, My first time setting up and using a equatorial mount, first light with the biggest scope I ever owned, first time using a Mallincam Hyper Plus Color Astro Cam, first broadcast on Night Skies Network, and the first ever Planetary Image.

I find this new hobby to be educational and challenging on many levels and look forward to see where it will take me. And also look foward to you my friends visitors and viewers taking the journey with me and who know maybe.. Just maybe you will start your own journey into the Night Skies.

My new Astronomy equipment.

I have pretty much everything together now to start learning to broadcast on Night Skies Network (NSN)
My CGEM DX 11" EdgeHD has arrived, I now have the scope, Starlight Xpress Lodestar auto guider, Mallincam Hyper Plus (Will upgrade to Extreme x2 class 0 as soon as I can afford it), waiting the arrival of my Scope Buggy. all I need now is to get a clear day to align the 80 mm guide scope, polar scope and the Telrad to the Scope. I am still waiting for an extra counter weight for the mount so I can use the guide scope right now it is too heavy to balance. also waiting for the focal extender for the guide scope.

     I am eager to learn this hobby and make new friends in the process but I must be honest looking at the size of this setup is a bit overwhelming it is the largest scope I have ever owned. I have found a lot of wonderful new friends on NSN who are just as eager to help me as I am to learn so I look forward to a future of excitement, new visions of the Universe all the while knowing I will trip stumble and have days of frustration but such is the way on the path to trying new things and expanding our knowledge and abilities as we go through life. So please join me on this journey of discovery and learning encourage me when I fall, correct me when I am wrong, and celebrate with me at even the smallest new discovery.

May your skies be dark and your visions bright.
AstroEd

Scope images.

I got a little behind it seems. My new Telescope has arrived thought I would share a few images.

It is a CGEM DX 1100HD (11" EdgeHD)

And a few accessories...

Stay tuned for First Light.

Our place in the Cosmos

     Since the beginning of human awareness of their surroundings the Cosmos has been a source of wonder, fear, awe, and even spiritual awareness as they struggled to understand their place in the Universe. What did the first humans think of the heavens above them while huddled together for warmth even before the discovery of fire? We do not know. We imagine, theorize, even romanticize about times past and what thoughts and life were like. As time moved on and our curiosity grew we struggled to find our place in the Cosmos and initially it was a small cosmos indeed. We surrounded the heavens in terms we could understand molding our understanding from our cultures and Religions from the Aztec to the Zuni and everything in between. each one offering different and sometimes very similar stories about the creation of the Universe and as our knowledge grow so it seems did our Universe. Beliefs ranging from a Earth-centered Universe to our modern day discoveries are only the newest understandings of our place in the vastness of space. From a view of this tiny planet is all there is to today's knowledge of the unimaginable size of our tiny corner of the Universe. And still we have new theories and beliefs that change and grow as does our limited understanding. Is there just one Universe? Is there a Multi-Verse? Perhaps Multi-Dimensions each with its own Universe, Or perhaps we are just a computer simulation being run by other being's trying to understand their place in their own Cosmos.

     Chances are that we will never know all the answers and mysteries of our Universe in the short time span of Human existence, But one thing I do know is our place in the Cosmos here and now is a wondrous place of imagination turned reality, discoveries never imagined, and dreams to still be those discoveries in the future. So find your place in the Cosmos and settle down get comfortable enough to enjoy the ride, but with the desire to always want to look forward for the next discovery, the next understanding. Our journey is short but wondrous and I for one am eager to find....

Our Place in the Cosmos.

My first real night of imaging

     Last night (11/02/2013) I went over to my friend Andy's house for 3 hours at 38° (BRRrr) and had my first real night of imaging where I did most of the work instead of Andy doing everything for me. I managed to Image The Pleiades, Ring Nebula, and the Dumbbell Nebula. How ever at this time have not figure out how to use Deep Sky Stacker and as of now have no images to show for my nights work. Every attempt to stack my images has resulted in a message stating that only 1 of 120 images will be stacked. I think that maybe there is too much distortion in the images to allow the software to lock onto the stars. I will be taking the images to Andy later to see what he can do with them.

     If it turns out that it is a result of the scope not being stable enough I will move up my purchase date on getting a new Celestron Advanced VX 8" EdgeHD to replace my Meade ETX-125ec. It is my plan to remove the ETX from the fork and put a dovetail on it so I can use it on the Advanced VX mount as a Planetary viewing / imaging scope both it and the 8" EdgeHD should make a good grab and go setup for me to learn on. Coupled with a Mallincam Astro video camera, and the best Starlight Express CCD I can afford should put me well on my way to learning the basics of Astrophotography.