ZapperZ's Great Outdoors Photo Contest

[Astronuc]

The Chinese have "the investigation of things", Aborigines have "walkabout", and we can go outside and see, hear, smell, touch, . . . .

 

[Andy Resnick]

First clear night in a month- here's the Fickle Finger of Fate pointing at Cassini:

[PLAIN]http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/4152/dsc08841f.jpg

 

[Andy Resnick]

Jupiter's come into view now:

[PLAIN]http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/9980/dsc09522o.jpg

Are these some of the moons? (some trickery was used here...)

[PLAIN]http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1492/dsc0948.jpg

Orion is visible in the early morning now- my practice shots are awful, hopefully I'll have something worth posting during the next few weeks...

 

[Andy Resnick]

Here's a better shot of Jupiter and the Galilean moons:

[PLAIN]http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/79/dsc1016b.jpg

From the bottom left is (I think): Ganymede, Io, Europa, and Callisto.

800mm f/5.6, ISO 100 1/40s (Jupiter), ISO 400 1/6s (moons). Fortunately, the forecast is for good weather the next few days because I left my diffraction grating at work- I'd like a chance to image the spectra.

 

[Andy Resnick]

good viewing at 2am- here's the Trapezium cluster in Orion with A, B, C, and D resolved:

[PLAIN]http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/5494/dsc1029h.jpg

The nebula itself has been more difficult- even at full aperture, ISO 6400, I still need to expose for a couple of seconds to see anything:

[PLAIN]http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/2013/dsc1035y.jpg

and it comes out blue instead of red. This is straight off the camera, any of the background subtraction tricks I've tried so far severely degrade the image. The smaller reflection nebula M43 is barely visible as well.

 

[Astronuc]

Here's a better shot of Jupiter and the Galilean moons:

[PLAIN]http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/79/dsc1016b.jpg

From the bottom left is (I think): Ganymede, Io, Europa, and Callisto.

800mm f/5.6, ISO 100 1/40s (Jupiter), ISO 400 1/6s (moons). Fortunately, the forecast is for good weather the next few days because I left my diffraction grating at work- I'd like a chance to image the spectra.

Nice. In space physics lab way back when, I had to photograph Jupiter and it's moons in order to determine the periods of the moons. Unfortunately, it was just black and white and Jupiter was a bit fuzzy.

During another lab, I did get to observe Saturn with a 14-inch reflector, but I didn't have a camera set up.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Nice. In space physics lab way back when, I had to photograph Jupiter and it's moons in order to determine the periods of the moons. Unfortunately, it was just black and white and Jupiter was a bit fuzzy.

During another lab, I did get to observe Saturn with a 14-inch reflector, but I didn't have a camera set up.

Thanks! Back in the day, I was lucky to see Shoemaker-Levy smack into Jupiter through a (IIRC) 12"- no camera then, either...

The joke is (for me anyway) is that finally, after years of study and careful assembly of a modern high-performance imaging system, I can finally duplicate an observation made in the 1500s :)

 

[Andy Resnick]

Ok- here's something Galileo couldn't do- image the spectrum (composite image)

[PLAIN]http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3522/dsc11051.jpg

Jupiter's spectrum:

[PLAIN]http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2639/plotofdsc1105.jpg

does look somewhat different from saturn (upper) and Porrima (lower):

[PLAIN]http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/332/spectra51.jpg

The two moons are too dim; I'll try again later. Note- the wavelength axis of the spectra is reversed from the image.

 

[lisab]

That's great, very interesting, Andy!

 

[Andy Resnick]

That's great, very interesting, Andy!

Thanks!

 

[Andy Resnick]

The clouds parted momentarily this evening to reveal the full (99.1%) moon, which deserves a full-color closeup:

[PLAIN]http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/2703/dsc11422.jpg

and a 1:1 crop-

[PLAIN]http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8729/dsc11423.jpg

 

[Borek]

Wow.

Time? ISO? f-number?

I guess it is 800 mm at work? That is, 400 times 2?

 

[lisab]

Andy, your moon is now my desktop background pic .

 

[Dembadon]

That's a fantastic shot, Andy!

 

[Andy Resnick]

Wow.

Time? ISO? f-number?

I guess it is 800 mm at work? That is, 400 times 2?

Andy, your moon is now my desktop background pic .

That's a fantastic shot, Andy!

Thanks, all!

Image data- 800mm f/5.6 (yes, 400mm + 2x tele), used wide open. ISO 100, 1/250s exposure. If you would like the high-resolution image (1750 pixels on a side), PM me.

 

[Gokul43201]

Just below 14,000 ft up (Gannett Peak, WY).

 

[rhody]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhmzmOwkRuM&feature=pyv&ad=7879208084&kw=helmet camera"

Pay careful attention at 8:20, unbelievable.

And its a love story to boot, what more could you ask for.

Rhody...

 

[Andy Resnick]

Just below 14,000 ft up (Gannett Peak, WY).

Thanks for reminding me that Cleveland is a s--thole... :)

 

[ArcanaNoir]

It's a bird! It's a bug! It's a...tree?

 

[Astronuc]

Just below 14,000 ft up (Gannett Peak, WY).

Nice!

 

[lisab]

It's a bird! It's a bug! It's a...tree?

Is that a loquat?

 

[ArcanaNoir]

Is that a loquat?

It is indeed. Oh the deliciousness. This is from last year though. Not quite loquat season yet.

 

[Borg]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhmzmOwkRuM&feature=pyv&ad=7879208084&kw=helmet camera"

Pay careful attention at 8:20, unbelievable.

And its a love story to boot, what more could you ask for.

Rhody...

 

[Andy Resnick]

There was a 10-minute window to get these shots this morning, (nearly) the opposite of the full moon:

[PLAIN]http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9382/dsc1333hm.jpg

[PLAIN]http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8862/dsc1328b.jpg

The lower shot (unfortunately) shows the tree branches I was shooting through...

The upper one was taken at 800mm, f/5.6, 1/8s ISO 100- comparison with the exposure time for the full moon (1/250s) implies only 3% of the moon is visible- in good agreement with the 'official' skyguide, which says 2.2%.

The lower one was taken at 800mm, f/5.6, 1/2s ISO 1600.

 

[Andy Resnick]

The seeing conditions this time of year are really awful. To try and compensate, I took an image of a single star and have used that as a point spread function to deconvolve one of the images above. Here's a 1:1 crop of the original:

[PLAIN]http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/8738/dsc1338r.jpg

And after deconvolving:

[PLAIN]http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/9083/deconvoluteddsc1338gamm.png

Definite improvement!

 

[Astronuc]

Surfing's new big-wave hunters do battle with Western Australian monster
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/30822/surfings+new+big-wave+hunters+do+battle+with+western+australian+monster/

 

[turbo]

Surfing's new big-wave hunters do battle with Western Australian monster
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/30822/surfings+new+big-wave+hunters+do+battle+with+western+australian+monster/

Oh, Man! I would hate to be driven into a reef by one of those monsters. Having your flesh shredded by coral is a high price to pay for that ride when the waves start breaking badly.

 

[turbo]

My favorite uncle passed away (cancer) this morning. I post this here because I always think of the outdoors when I think of him. He taught me some handy fly-casting techniques, taught me how to tie flies (and gave me some materials and a few tools to get me started), and taught me how to properly handle a canoe. He had more patience and understanding than any other adult that I knew as a kid. My life-long passion for fly-fishing for trout is due to him in no small part. RIP, Uncle Edgar.

 

[Dembadon]

My favorite uncle passed away (cancer) this morning. I post this here because I always think of the outdoors when I think of him. He taught me some handy fly-casting techniques, taught me how to tie flies (and gave me some materials and a few tools to get me started), and taught me how to properly handle a canoe. He had more patience and understanding than any other adult that I knew as a kid. My life-long passion for fly-fishing for trout is due to him in no small part. RIP, Uncle Edgar.

I'm sorry to hear that, Turbo.

It sounds like you have some great memories with him though.

 

[turbo]

I'm sorry to hear that, Turbo.

It sounds like you have some great memories with him though.

Thanks. I certainly have some great ones! When he was teaching me to canoe the first time, he was sitting in the front, and I was totally in control. I was so excited about paddling that I lost focus on fishing until my fly-rod whacked against my leg. I had a BIG trout on. I hauled it in, snapped its neck, and was generally whooping it up.

He quietly asked me if my fly had been dragging in the water behind the canoe, and I told him that it was, since I had been paddling, not casting. He told me that dragging a fly behind a boat is considered trolling, and that is forbidden in waters that are fly-fishing only. I must have looked pretty down, because he told me that the local warden (a friend of both our families) wouldn't charge a 10-year old for a mistake like that. I followed the law meticulously after that. I was the only kid on the camping trip, and the only person to catch a fish. My father and my other uncles kidded me that they would have to start trolling flies if they were going to take home any fish.

 

[Astronuc]

My favorite uncle passed away (cancer) this morning. I post this here because I always think of the outdoors when I think of him. He taught me some handy fly-casting techniques, taught me how to tie flies (and gave me some materials and a few tools to get me started), and taught me how to properly handle a canoe. He had more patience and understanding than any other adult that I knew as a kid. My life-long passion for fly-fishing for trout is due to him in no small part. RIP, Uncle Edgar.

We send our condolences, turbo.

 

[turbo]

We send our condolences, turbo.

Thanks. He was a very nice quiet, reserved man. He halted chemo because he felt it made him too upset/combative, and he didn't want to be that way toward his son and daughter-in-law (retired lifers from the Air Force), and he didn't think that the chemo was going to actually prolong his life. My father and I had a very long phone conversation about him this morning. Every time we face our own mortality, we should look at the "balance sheet" as honestly as we can.

 

[rhody]

Sorry to hear that your life long outdoor mentor and friend passed Turbo. From your words, it sounds like he did it on his terms, with a clear mind. It is never easy to lose a part of you. I know you will cherish your memories of him.

Rhody...

 

[Andy Resnick]

My favorite uncle passed away (cancer) this morning. I post this here because I always think of the outdoors when I think of him. He taught me some handy fly-casting techniques, taught me how to tie flies (and gave me some materials and a few tools to get me started), and taught me how to properly handle a canoe. He had more patience and understanding than any other adult that I knew as a kid. My life-long passion for fly-fishing for trout is due to him in no small part. RIP, Uncle Edgar.

Sorry for your loss. I'm glad that you have a lot of good memories to keep.

 

[turbo]

Sorry for your loss. I'm glad that you have a lot of good memories to keep.

Thanks Andy. In the end, memories are all we have to carry us though.