Thank you for the reminder! I did what I could, I'm still learning. This was taken with a Dwarf II, 150 shots, stacked.
RAD! I'm still learning myself. I just got my star tracker a week ago-ish and the weather has been pretty crummy for observing. I actually fell asleep last night like a dumbass, but I'm off tomorrow so I'm going out to the beach this evening to hopefully shoot the exact same thing. I'm very much a beginner wrt processing images though. If you don't mind me adding what do you use to process?
Oh, cool! So the Dwarf II is an "older" smart telescope by dwarf labs. It's pretty much an all in one solution. Takes the shots and stacks them all in one go. They've got an online processor you can use to take things further, and all the photos it takes are available for you to use in a third-party program, but I haven't gotten to that point yet. Honestly, I've mostly just been using it to take pics of the moon and sun for the most part. I really need to get a better feel for where things are in the sky so I know what's available to shoot and when. The dwarf does have an option to schedule shots and let it work overnight, but I find part of the appeal is to just kinda chill outside while I watch the picture on my phone get clearer and more defined. My first time taking astrophotos was in the middle of the woods with a borrowed camera while camping at a dark site and I had such a good time that I'm kinda hunting down that high. lol.
I've always enjoyed staring at the night sky and just letting my mind run wild. Last summer I went camping w my teenagers and while we were laying in the bed of the truck I started messing around w my phone camera and taking photos of stars. One of them I was adjusting the exposure some and something I did made the galaxy just show up. I've been hooked since then more or less.
I spent a lot of time with a tiny tripod taking photos w my iPhone. I've been saving money for a decent camera, glass, a tracker and all the assorted shit that comes w it. I finally started pulling the trigger on all of it a couple months ago. I've spent the last few weeks here and there learning how to set everything up and the last couple days practicing. I have some really fast wide angle glass and a cheaper kit zoom lens that I'm going to try using too. Going to try for galactic center photos and some nebula photos.
I'm currently rounding everything up to load up and head out. I live in a city now, so it's like Bortle scale 8-9 but I'm about 45 miles from a Bortle scale 2 location. The weather is supposed to be really good for star viewing, plus the like 1% moonlight should be my best chance at some beach milky way photos for at least another month.
It's such an insignificant thing to most folks but I'm so looking forward to this, not just the photos but all of it, really.
it's raining here 
i love looking at the stars though. i live in such a rural area that they're so bright
In addition to what's mentioned here:
If you can find Orions belt, follow the line it makes to the left and you'll find the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. Sirius is more than twice the apparent magnitude (how bright it appears to an Earth observer) compared the next brightest star in the sky. It's a part of the constellation Canis Major, Orions hunting dog. If you look more upwards by about 15° or so, towards the zenith (the topmost point of the sky) you'll find Canis Minor which is a silly constellation of only two stars, but both are actually fairly bright. The brighter one of the two is named Procyon.
If you follow the line of orions belt to the right (it's not an exact line like Sirius, but it's close enough), it will point you towards the red giant, Aldebaran, which is typically depicted as the "eye" of the constellation Tauros the bull and one of the 12 (or 13 depending on who you ask) a zodiac constellations that lie along the ecliptic, the path the sun appears to follow as it moves through the sky. It's also home to the Pleides star cluster, a bright cluster of 7 stars, which goes by the other names such as the Subaru(the namesake and logo of the car company) and the the Seven Sisters depending on the local folklore.
Orion is very useful for locating the ecliptic, which is necessary for celestial coordinate systems, because of how prominent it is.
Great post!
One of my favorite things to show people is the Pleiades through astronomical binoculars. That low magnification + wider viewing angle + huge fuckoff lenses to collect tons of light renders the cluster as gorgeous glittering cosmic jewel box. Literally breathtaking, highly higly recommend.
Thanks! I worked for a planetarium and observatory for a few years so I've got a script ready for most of the summer and fall sky in the northern hemisphere for my latitude because of how many night sky tours I've done.
I'm excited because I've finally got a decent pair of binoculars and am joining a group this weekend for an event to test drive them so I'll be able to check out the pleiadies, just like you say, before they set for the season. It's always a treat!
I love all of what you said here! Your script was easy for me to follow in my mind's eye... makes sense with your background. Happy viewing!
Damn it's overcast tonight. Can't see shit boss
Aw shit I knew those astronauts were up to something fishy but I didn't think they'd actually replace the whole moon.
It's cloudy tonight but I'm there in spirit. Orion is a rad constellation. When it's low in the sky and appears sideways, belt stars more or less vertical, I like to reimagine it as a colossal butterfly.
I live in like bortle 50 skies i stg the light pollution is so bad i can't even see the moon lol
I look at Orions belt every night from my balcony, but sadly there is too much light pollution to see much else but the brightest stars. It's still one of my favourite constellations.
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