Sunday, February 10, 2013

Polaris Vortex

Winter observing...not for pansies.


Last night was the most gorgeous sky we've seen in a long time.  A high, bright, and long ISS pass started the evening on the right foot but eventually it was just too cold to keep frost off the optics...and our fingers. Good thing we had good company, good food, and good beer so it wasn't a total bust.

While we stayed warm inside, I set up the camera for consecutive 1 min exposures at 18mm, f4, ISO1000 and left it out in the cold for 75 min.  I'm perpetually unprepared and forgot a frost shield so I wasn't comfortable with my gear out there much longer than that.  I used Startrails to create the final image as well as the "comet" images used in the progessive trail video.

I think my next investment will have to be a super wide angle lens so I can get more sky and foreground without feeling like I have to be in portrait orientation.
Make sure you view the vidoes in full screen and HD or they look awful.

Sunset on the trees




This was the scenery I drove through on my way home this morning.







...and I made my first GIF!

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