Last night was a starry night which I could't appreciate cos no Telescope . MR.LKM must be having a field day yesterday......

This post has been edited by julchin_09: May 26 2006, 12:40 PM

It's excellent! Please check my blog for the observation report later ya.

By the way, bro Julchin, I didn't take any photo. When I replied you, I have packed my equipment.

I would like to report, sirs, that the sky was excellent too, in my SNP!

Oh well, weekend's coming up. Let's hope the KL skies clear up as a personal favour to me.......I'm still green with envy.

Hahaha, bro, I am sure that the sky will clear up. Good luck! Have you found the contact details of all the astronomy clubs?

Hi guys,

I am a backyard astronomer wannabe on a budget. Can somebody suggest a good telescope I can get for under 1k? Perhaps a meada one?

Regards

Hi starry...oops sorry, stanny, may I suggest you start with a pair of good binoculars and a planisphere/star charts first?
You may not get a very good telescope system at that budget, and poor optics/struggling with siderial tracking could damage your interest in astronomy right at the start.
Unless you have an enthusiast living nearby to quide you.

Wah. Quiet Thread today....

MR.LKM. You must be enjoying the night sky tonight. So clear you can identify all the constelations of the zodiac..... ... I was checking out the Moon which appeared until 8:45PM before it finally set as it dimmed down towards the horizon. Was trying my best to get shots of it, Couldn't get very good pics out of it this time around .





This post has been edited by julchin_09: May 31 2006, 02:00 AM

Did you catch the earthshine? I was driving when I saw the thin moon in the corner of my eye. Unfortunately when I got home the moon had set.
julchin_09, pls post whatever you got.

Whats earthshine? Im thinking its the glare from the moon? Anyway the moon was like you described. Here are some of the resized pics......

Yea, yesterday night was quite clear but I just use my binocular to do observing. I was just too tired to setup my telescope.

If you do longer exposure, the entire moon will show.

March05, can you give me an idea on what should I post in my blog and in what way (pages or post in the main page of my blog)?

This post has been edited by Mr.LKM: May 31 2006, 02:05 PM

Wouldn't that result in the picture being too bright?

I think this is when stacking comes in handy.

Care to explain?

Wah...Another starry night illuminated and the presence of a cresent Moon.

julchin_09, as Mr.LKM suggested, you need to give it a longer exposure. By my reckoning, you need to push the exposure by at least another 2 stops. Then you should be able to see the details in the darker parts. The bright crescent will be overexposed, of course.
However, since you have maxed out your aperture at F/3.5 already and were using 1/2 sec shutter speed, 2 stops would mean a 2 second exposure. That could be a problem as you will encounter motion blur unless you have a motorised equatorial mount. The only other alternative is to increase your iso and bear with increased noise.

But you made a jolly good attempt anyway. I can just manage to make out the full circle of the moon in your first shot!

Hey, aren't you supposed to be teaching me to blog?
I think you're doing fine anyway. Just be your natural self and post your nightly observations as you see it (or don't see it).

Ok. I think I get what you two are going at. See the details on the moon's surface eh?

Ok...I think I will try again tomorrow.......

You will most likely have to wait another 4 weeks for the next opportunity. The moon with earthshine is one of the most beautiful astronomical sights, and best captured when the moon is extremely thin.
This is very challenging as success depends on your timing, the sky conditions, and the quality of your camera lens (good contrast etc).

lol. Ok, let's say I have mainly four subjects to focus on, that's News and Events (most of the times copy and paste ), My observing notes , instruments information and usage, celestial objects information.

So, where should I post them? At the moment, I will post news and events and my observing notes at the main page. What about the instruments and celestial objects information? Should I post them in main page as well or different pages (created specially for the specified subjects).

If you put in too many articles it won't feel like a blog site anymore. Just provide a link to current news and events that have caught your eye instead of reproducing those articles in your blog. You can throw in your own original opinions and comments, of course.

Your observation notes should be on the main page (after all, your blog is called `Astronomy Notes') and other items can be kept secondary (i.e links or on next pages).

These are just my opinions. I'm quite a dull & conservative person so you understand......

Wow bro, your opinion is really great! So, currently in my mind, I will post events, observing notes, news and images of celestial objects in the future. I think I will write about the instruments in pages but somehow, it won't show in the main page and so it won't get much attraction. Or should I post in the main page as well??