As a beginner, I started with the equipment that I already had. But the telescope that I have is really not suited for photography. The recommendation for astrophotography telescopes for beginners are: short focal length, lightweight, refractors, with a large image circle. My telescope is a very long focal length, heavy, reflector, with a small image circle. There is nothing […]
Astronomy has been a difficult hobby for me to share with people. I try to take pictures, and share at work, with friends, or even here. Most of the time, it doesn’t get the enthusiasm that I feel stargazing. It is this desire to share, and see what more experienced astronomers are doing that has made me interested in joining […]
It has been a while since providing any updates about my astrophotography progress. And I have made some significant improvements. Seen below are some of my first good galaxy photos on the left. On the right are the same targets, but with some improved equipment, and technique. This dramatic improvement is due to a new camera. I put some money […]
This time of year is when many interesting celestial objects start to set too early in the night to take good pictures of. Liz’s favorite, the Pleiades, is already below the tree line by the time the sun begins to set, and is below the horizon by the time it is dark. My own favorites, Andromeda and the Orion constellation, […]
Part 1: The Bug I told myself a year ago, when I bought my telescope, that I was not going to get into astro-photography. There are lots of reasons not to get into this hobby. It is time consuming, expensive, and very challenging. Furthermore, the photos are not really marketable because NASA already took all of the photos that I […]
I have wanted to build a boat for a long time now. Sometimes I wanted to build a sailboat, and at other times, a rowboat. This time, I decided on a canoe. I figured, if I built something, I needed somewhere to store it, some way to carry it, and some reason to have it. A canoe is really the […]
New Astronomy Gear This fall, I was determined to use my telescope a little more than I had over the summer. Over the past months I seem to have found myriad excuses not to get it out. From the fine weather bike trips, to the excuse of finding a new job, I continually failed to get it out. With my […]
I used to love video games. They were a way to escape. I certainly have not outgrown the need to escape into fantasy, but I can’t seem to use video games to do it anymore. Now I’d rather read a book, listen to a podcast, or binge Netflix with Liz. That isn’t to say we don’t ever play. We still […]
Look, I know it is not as cool or as powerful as a conventional server, but I’m trying to save a buck. What Is Raspberry Pi? The Raspberry Pi computer is a tiny, single board computer. They cost around $35, and run on Linux. I have owned around a dozen, and keep three of the newest ones in my server […]
For a couple of months, I’ve been converting old film slides to digital. Crates, tubs, and zip-lock bags full of slides from 135, 126, and medium format were left behind by Grandparents on both sides. Before you could share your photos online, or on your TV, they were shared with a projector. Now, to preserve those memories, and to remember […]
