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Post by milspec on Jan 12, 2019 15:53:58 GMT 10
Pretty much my whole career has revolved around surveillance. I've recently added some new surveillance gear to my collection at the farm, I put this in the long range, optical class. In fact part of the reason for acquiring the farm is so that this equipment could be utilised effectively (aka dark skies for astrophotography). So here it is. Last target imaged successfully at a range of 1344 light years (aka Orion Nebula). As I mentioned in the title the topic is a little tongue in cheek  Humour aside, this and our other telescope do make for some excellent long distance observing. Then we have our binoculars and spotter scopes etc.
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Post by Joey on Jan 12, 2019 19:22:05 GMT 10
That's a nice bit of kit there MS  You should do a dedicated thread of the photos you take. I've been wanting to get into astrophotography for yonks but never found the spare cash for the initial investment of the GOTO tracking base and scope to do it. So I just have to settle for using my DSLR and a tripod and experimenting on exposure times/ISO etc to get as-good-a starscape as I can. Had the perfect opportunity 2 yrs ago when I camped at Weipa on the beach and had perfect skies for it. Just never got around to editing the photos still lol Though I haven't managed to get any more definition then a photo full of stars. Should prob be a wider lens to get a wider shot to try and get at least some resemblance to the milky way in my shots |
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Post by spinifex on Jan 12, 2019 19:37:24 GMT 10
Pretty much my whole career has revolved around surveillance. I've recently added some new surveillance gear to my collection at the farm, I put this in the long range, optical class. In fact part of the reason for acquiring the farm is so that this equipment could be utilised effectively (aka dark skies for astrophotography). So here it is. Last target imaged successfully at a range of 1344 light years (aka Orion Nebula). As I mentioned in the title the topic is a little tongue in cheek Humour aside, this and our other telescope do make for some excellent long distance observing. Then we have our binoculars and spotter scopes etc.
There's a few farmers in my district that have astronomy equipment set up in their living rooms to keep an eye on their landholdings. Not so great for ground observations on hot days though. Good move! |
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spatial
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Post by spatial on Jan 12, 2019 20:32:39 GMT 10
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Post by milspec on Jan 13, 2019 11:01:57 GMT 10
So you like to watch, Milspec? Funny that you mentioned Uranus the other day, some things cannot be unseen.  Oh and we all like to watch a little. |
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Post by milspec on Jan 13, 2019 11:03:03 GMT 10
I'll do my best. |
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Post by milspec on Jan 13, 2019 11:09:27 GMT 10
That's a nice bit of kit there MS You should do a dedicated thread of the photos you take. I've been wanting to get into astrophotography for yonks but never found the spare cash for the initial investment of the GOTO tracking base and scope to do it. So I just have to settle for using my DSLR and a tripod and experimenting on exposure times/ISO etc to get as-good-a starscape as I can. Had the perfect opportunity 2 yrs ago when I camped at Weipa on the beach and had perfect skies for it. Just never got around to editing the photos still lol Though I haven't managed to get any more definition then a photo full of stars. Should prob be a wider lens to get a wider shot to try and get at least some resemblance to the milky way in my shots It does feel rewarding to get good astro photos done. I'm shooting them with a monochrome camera though, so it is taking several nights worth of imaging to collect enough frames to build one photo. I'll add some when I get them done. Plenty of peeps are using DSLRs for astro and getting good results if the scope and equatorial mount are decent. |
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Post by jonasparker on Jan 17, 2019 5:01:13 GMT 10
With that rig, Milspec can watch me in Texas! I better start closing the bathroom curtains...
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Post by graynomad on Jan 17, 2019 6:06:45 GMT 10
Nice rig Milspec, I used to be into astronomy and have often thought of buying something myself, but it's a very cold hobby and I already have more that enough interests. |
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Pion
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Post by Pion on Jan 17, 2019 12:13:19 GMT 10
With that rig, Milspec can watch me in Texas! I better start closing the bathroom curtains... Its Texas! I use Google Earth to look in your windows! I see you now...lol |
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cindy
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Post by cindy on Aug 8, 2020 20:02:18 GMT 10
Pretty much my whole career has revolved around surveillance. I've recently added some new surveillance gear to my collection at the farm, I put this in the long range, optical class. In fact part of the reason for acquiring the farm is so that this equipment could be utilised effectively (aka dark skies for astrophotography). So here it is. Last target imaged successfully at a range of 1344 light years (aka Orion Nebula). As I mentioned in the title the topic is a little tongue in cheek Humour aside, this and our other telescope do make for some excellent long distance observing. Then we have our binoculars and spotter scopes etc.
I do a bit of astrophotography (currently the observatory I'm a member with is closed) I'm yet to hook up the software that came with the scope to my laptop currently using the scopes controller. I've got a Celestron Nexstar SLT scope. It's awesome. Along with a few lenses. And some Barlow's as well. |
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cindy
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Post by cindy on Aug 8, 2020 20:06:42 GMT 10
Pretty much my whole career has revolved around surveillance. I've recently added some new surveillance gear to my collection at the farm, I put this in the long range, optical class. In fact part of the reason for acquiring the farm is so that this equipment could be utilised effectively (aka dark skies for astrophotography). So here it is. Last target imaged successfully at a range of 1344 light years (aka Orion Nebula). As I mentioned in the title the topic is a little tongue in cheek Humour aside, this and our other telescope do make for some excellent long distance observing. Then we have our binoculars and spotter scopes etc.
My viewing was going alright managed to locate sombrero galaxy, couple of planetaries.....then the neighbours installed a bunch of spotlights 😔 which is on a sensor that's super sensitive. |
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Aug 14, 2020 3:41:03 GMT 10
CRYKEY..... That machine looks like a combination Bofors AA oerlikon blaster from Star Wars... Glad it works well for you..
I do wish I had a reasonable priced night vision scope. On the occasions I have needed to reach out and touch something across the big pasture, it would have saved a lot of work, time, and livestock loss. A thousand $ I could handle, but several thousand $ is not in the budget yet.. I keep looking..
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bug
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Post by bug on Aug 14, 2020 9:35:39 GMT 10
Pretty much my whole career has revolved around surveillance. I've recently added some new surveillance gear to my collection at the farm, I put this in the long range, optical class. In fact part of the reason for acquiring the farm is so that this equipment could be utilised effectively (aka dark skies for astrophotography). So here it is. Last target imaged successfully at a range of 1344 light years (aka Orion Nebula). As I mentioned in the title the topic is a little tongue in cheek Humour aside, this and our other telescope do make for some excellent long distance observing. Then we have our binoculars and spotter scopes etc.
My viewing was going alright managed to locate sombrero galaxy, couple of planetaries.....then the neighbours installed a bunch of spotlights 😔 which is on a sensor that's super sensitive. I had a wacko neighbour set up spotlights which had sensors facing into my yard, as did the light. I'd go out for a piss at night on the compost heap and it would be lit up. I tried talking to her (no avail) then went to a government mediation centre. VCAT was next. Ended up they agreed she would put lattice on top of the fence and the sensor got turned off. It's a cursed house I'm sure. Past 3 neighbours have all been nut jobs. |
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Post by milspec on Aug 14, 2020 18:09:07 GMT 10
Yeah its nice living in a 'dark' region away from towns. Actually its just nice living away from people. |
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cindy
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Post by cindy on Aug 14, 2020 18:33:03 GMT 10
Yeah its nice living in a 'dark' region away from towns. Actually its just nice living away from people. Oh how I yearn for the day! |
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Post by spinifex on Aug 15, 2020 18:06:15 GMT 10
My viewing was going alright managed to locate sombrero galaxy, couple of planetaries.....then the neighbours installed a bunch of spotlights 😔 which is on a sensor that's super sensitive. I had a wacko neighbour set up spotlights which had sensors facing into my yard, as did the light. I'd go out for a piss at night on the compost heap and it would be lit up. I tried talking to her (no avail) then went to a government mediation centre. VCAT was next. Ended up they agreed she would put lattice on top of the fence and the sensor got turned off. It's a cursed house I'm sure. Past 3 neighbours have all been nut jobs. How tempting was it to solve that with a slingshot and marbles? |
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Post by vesselsandvalves on Oct 6, 2021 10:06:58 GMT 10
Yeah its nice living in a 'dark' region away from towns. Actually its just nice living away from people. I am the same , i like rural and i dont go out much either , not real keen on people as i met so many low quality specimens.
Love your 'scope.
Its on my list to get one / build one that i can set up with high res 4K CCD , feed them to a recorder and sit in a very comfortable recliner chair inside where its warm and operate / navigate the telescope remotely while viewing it all on a 55 - 75 inch screen.
If you're going to do astronomy why not be comfortable i reckon ?
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Post by Joey on Oct 6, 2021 19:51:42 GMT 10
When are we going to see some starscape photos?
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malewithatail
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Post by malewithatail on Oct 6, 2021 20:39:59 GMT 10
And an expensive hobby. Have you heard of the Australian web site, Iceinspace ? www.iceinspace.com.au/I used to have a 3.5 meter (10 foot) diameter radio telescope dish, with a homemade receiver based on a Pye tv receiver (It had 2 rf stages and 5 If stages, so was classed as a 'super fringe' set and very sensitive) The tv set was re tuned to max sensitivity to audio, not stagger tuned to video as well, and I remember could easily detect the rf spectrum's from some of the planets in our solar system, as well as some that I am sure were not meant to be heard ! It was an all valve set, no transistors apart from the power supply,which I modified to use silicon diodes instead of a thermionic rectifier diode valve.. I could tune it up on sun noise and then detect Jupiter, Saturn and indeed lots of point source emissions from outside our solar system. The Milky way has lots of noise sources, and I could separate a few, the Large Magellic cloud was one I remember. (This was all 40 years ago !). I built a pre amp, operating at 220 megs, using the then new Gaas fet, and even tried cooling it with some liquid nitrogen from work. (To reduce the noise generated by the pre amp). Unfortunately, when we moved here, it wasn't practical to bring the dish up, so I sold it. By then I had an all solid state amplifier system driving a surplus chart recorder, with selson indication readout, and a DC drive system. I then got into monitoring and prediction of severe weather, and still monitor the Earths electric field, which can give hours to days notice of electrical storms, well before anything is visible to weather radar. (My thesis was on this idea). also, ive detected the French nuke tests in the Pacific, (EMP), as well as meteor showers (which also ionize the upper atmosphere). Earthquakes are also detectable electrically, as the rocks 'let go' under stress, causing a piezo electric pulse, much like that from a gas igniter, but on a much larger scale. I run a seismograph now as well as the atmospheric detector, and had 45 minutes warning of the Fukushima quake as the electric pulse happens almost instantly, but the earth movement took 45 minutes to reach us here. I essentially had 45 minutes warning of the quake. Ive also detected the volcano quakes in the pacific ocean recently, the Newcastle quake, (Which I detected electrically and consisted of 3 spikes of charge). Meteor shower tonight...bring your own soap ! |
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Humour aside, this and our other telescope do make for some excellent long distance observing. Then we have our binoculars and spotter scopes etc.
