Joe Carr

The site in Costa Rica which Gary and S&T chose for this tour is very conducive to astronomical observing and astrophotography.  La Ensenada "Star" Lodge is located well away from the Capital of San Jose, and is on the dry Pacific coast of Costa Rica, however it does see some light pollution from the nearby town of Puntarenes in the SE sky. Nonetheless, magnitude 6 skies that are extremely stable are a fact at this site.  The Lodge staff work very hard to ensure night vision is preserved - there are no white lights to be found anywhere where the guests are likely to be observing from.  Over the last five years, this tour has been refined to well serve amateur astronomers keen to catch a glimpse of the southern sky.  La Ensenada is located at 10� north latitude, so many of the jewels in the southern sky are visible from here.  Both John and I captured some nice images of the southern sky, and unlike our observing in Canada, it was all done without having to get bundled up against the cold!  Average night time temperature was about 30�C. I had to take new dark frames to compensate for the high temperatures!

Eta Carina

Last evening my main target was M82, the Cigar Galaxy. The attached image is my best effort to date, and shows quite a bit of detail and colour for this irregular galaxy.

This is a stack of 34 images (ISO 3200, 60 secs each) taken with a Canon 30D at prime focus on my LX200R 8". Caibration using dark/flat/bias frames was applied using ImagesPlus. Noise reduction was applied using Neat Image defaults, and then digital development was applied using ImagesPlus.
Additional modest image enhancement, cropping, and image size and colour depth reduction was done using Corel PhotoPaint.

These photos of Jupiter were taken from Observatory Hill. The seeing was superb for the first few hours after twilight, yielding quite a bit of detail and some wonderful colour. Two of the closest moons are also just visible near the left and right edges of the top-most frame, and the bottom frame shows two moons as well.

Details for both images:
Meade LX200R 8", operating at f/25 (2.5x Powermate), Meade LPI a-focal, Envisage software (stack of 200 images). Some modest image enhancement was performed using ACDSee 8 Photo Manager.

Details: ISO 800, 1/125 sec. jpg image processed in ACDSee 8 Photo Manager - increased gamma and cropped.

This image is a combination of 38 images (30 sec, ISO 3200) acquired over two evenings from John McDonald's back yard using my Meade LX200R 8" operating at f/10 with a non-modified Canon 30D at prime focus. My image certainly isn't as deep as John's, so perhaps these modified cameras just "see" better generally, despite the configuration differences between our two setups.

Processing: Meade Autostar Suite Envisage auto-stacking, Hard Contrast, 70% quality setting.  200 original images stacked.

My latest image of Comet Swan was taken Monday evening when David Lee and I travelled to Sandy Barta's place to find some dark sky. The dust tail is super long (over 3� in this image), and if you look closely you will see a short ion tail just to the right of the big one. The head of this comet is so huge and bright, I could easily spot it in my finder scope. The image shows the head is not perfectly round, which indicates the comet is fragmenting. The bright star below the comet is 58-Epsilon Herculis.

Details:
26 raw images (30 seconds, ISO3200) taken with my Canon 30D and Canon 400mm L telephoto (operating at f/6.3) piggybacked on the Meade LX200R (tracking, no guiding). Processed in ImagesPlus centroid/translate&rotate, aligned on the comet head and a star in the comet's tail. Combined using Adaptive Addition (3.0), aggressive Digital Development, then default noise reduction in NeatImage, and finally cropped and colour depth reduced in Corel Photopaint X3.

I managed to use 9 images for this stacked image of Comet C/2006 M4 Swan. Canon 30D, 30 seconds, ISO 3200, Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L telephoto operating at f/6.3, piggybacked on my LX-200R tracking on the comet. Processed using ImagesPlus, sigma clipped average 1.4, and NeatImage.

There is a hint of twin tails at the 1 and 2 o'clock positions in the image. Considering the brightness of this comet's core, it should yield spectacular images if we can find darker skies and acquire more images.

Several members had a good observing session atop Observatory Hill on Friday night. We enjoyed wonderfully warm temperatures as we were above the fog bank enveloping much of the city, and the air was quite stable - a bonus for those of us who are astrophotographers.

I decided to image one of Malcolm Scrimger's favourite Open Clusters: NGC7789 (20 sec, ISO 3200). This was a relatively easy target with my Canon 30D at prime focus on my 8" Meade LX-200R. There are a remarkable number of red stars in this cluster, but it still has a good number of blue and white stars visible as well. A very interesting cluster.

I also had time to take images of the Splinter Galaxy (using the same setup), one of many objects Blair was hunting down with his 12" Dob. This faint object was more difficult to photograph, but I managed to obtain 14 images I could stack, and a reasonable image resulted (60 sec, ISO 3200). More detail would be visible and less noise would be apparent if I had managed to acquire more usable images for this edge-on galaxy.

I don't see any impact or resulting plume in the terminator region in my video, however the CFHT successfully took an Image of SMART-1 Impact. Please view my video and let me know if you spot anything. Finder chart (257k jpg).

Last night several of us went to Cattle Point, and had a good observing/photo session. The air was quite stable, although there was considerable moisture in the air. I wanted to add to the 7 guided images of Andromeda Galaxy taken a few nights before.

The attached image is a stack of 30 images exposed for 2 minutes at ISO 3200, which has produced my deepest image of Andromeda to date. Processing in ImagesPlus, Neat Image, and Corel Photopaint: aggressive Digital Development, and colour temp warmed to compensate for the IDAS LPS filter I was using.

M31, Andromeda Galaxy dominates the image with lots of dark lanes and mottling visible. M32 galaxy is visible in the lower part of M31's arms. M110 galaxy sits high above M31 centre-top of the image, and finally NGC206 galaxy is discernable in the right side of M31's arms. Some colour is also visible and more of the M31 galaxy is visible in this image, so the extra depth contributed by the higher number of images used has visibly improved my previous effort.

Photo taken with a Canon 30D and 400mm L series telephoto (efl=640mm) piggybacked on the LX-200R. 2 minute exposures at ISO 3200, 7 frames developed calibrated, aligned, stacked (average), and moderate digital development using ImagesPlus. Noise reduction using Neat Image, and cropped & finished using Corel Photo Paint X3.

This photo of Dumbell Nebula is a stack of only 6 images out of 30, however increasing my exposure time from 45 seconds to 60 seconds and increasing ISO from 1600 to 3200 gave me a bit more signal to work with than my previous photo despite only using 6 images.

Taken with a Canon 30D prime focus on an LX-90 operating at f/6.3. I used 20 images out of a total of 30, ISO 3200 for 30 seconds each, taken from the old 16" site on Observatory Hill on July 21st. Processed with ImagesPlus, Neat Image, and Corel Photopaint.

A few of us took advantage of the good weather the night before the Island Star Party by observing from Observatory Hill on July 20/21. I decided to try photographing a new and interesting object, the Deer Lick Group from the old 16" site as I fought off the mosquitos. In addition to the large galaxy NGC7331 which dominates this image, several satellite galaxies are also visible: NGC7335, NGC7336, NGC7337 and NGC7340. There was not much to see visually, but this group photographs quite well.

Canon 30D prime focus on LX-90 f/10. This astrophoto is a stack of 29 images out of a total of 50 originals, 30 seconds exposure time each, taken with my Canon 30D prime focus on my Meade LX-90 at f/10. ImagesPlus, NeatImage and Corel PhotoPaint were all used to process the image.

Last night on Observatory Hill I decided to concentrate on imaging each of the two Messier objects M81 and M82 individually using my Canon 30D dSLR mounted prime focus on my LX-90 at f/10, shooting at ISO 3200 for 30 second exposure times. Here is the M82 Cigar Nebula image after processing.

Using ImagesPlus I graded 37 raw images acceptable out of 45 original images, then converted them to FITS. Calibrated using dark, bias and flat frames, aligned, then combined using Adaptive Addition (3.5) and applied a fairly aggressive Digital Development (DD). Default Neat Image processing for noise reduction, although there wasn't much noise in the resultant images. Cropped and further contrast stretched using DD in ImagesPlus. Converted to 24 bit RGB using Corel PhotoPaint and output the resulting jpg file.

See above M82 for processing steps.  The only difference is that I used an even more aggressive Digital Development in ImagesPlus to process this image.

Canon 30D dSLR at prime focus on a Meade LX-90 operating at f/10.  ImagesPlus: digital development, calibration, alignment, combining using Adaptive Addition 2.5, moderate Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: 42 bit image reduced to 24 bit, then resized for website display.

ImagesPlus: digital development, calibration, alignment, combining using Adaptive Addition 2.7, moderate Digital Development, cropped. Filtered with NeatImage defaults. Corel PhotoPaint: 42 bit image reduced to 24 bit, then resized for website display.

Please refer to my Deep Space personal website for image processing details.

Canon 30D at prime focus on my LX-90 operating at f/6.3. ImagesPlus: digital development, calibration, alignment, combining using Adaptive Addition 2.5, fairly aggressive Digital Development. Default noise reduction using NeatImage. Saturation, mid-tones, contrast adjusted using Corel PhotoPaint. 42 bit image reduced to 24 bit, then resized for website display.

Please refer to my Deep Space personal website for image processing details.

21 images used out of 30 taken, with Dark Frames applied. Please refer to my Deep Space personal website for image processing details.

The movie file consists of all 24 images in sequence, which shows the shadow transiting the planet, and also illustrates how the "seeing" was quite variable.

Time Lapse Movie (29 seconds, 320x240, 293k WMV)
Hint: Right Click on movie link and "Save target as..." to download and play on your desktop.

217 images taken over 126 seconds using the Meade LPI webcam and Envisage software on a Meade LX-90 f/10 SCT. Envisage stretched the image between 0-71 out of 255 values. Red, green & blue components of the image were aligned using ImagesPlus; image cropped and annotated using Corel PhotoPaint X3.

2,310 original images acquired using the Meade LPI webcam and Envisage software on a Meade LX-90 f/10 SCT, resulting in 12 images. These 12 images processed using ImagesPlus to automatically align, crop and stretch images; Windows Movie Maker used to insert titles and create a movie from the 12 jpg files.

Time Lapse Movie (15 seconds, 320x240, 284k WMV)
Hint: Right Click on movie link and "Save target as..." to download and play on your desktop.

Taken when the comet was in Hercules. 68 Herculis is in the field of view of the photo below the comet. Schwassman-Wachmann C 73/P has a very distinct tadpole shape. I don't see two nuclei either visually or in this image.

Canon 30D dSLR 400mm telephoto (efl=640mm); f/6.3 exposure: 43 seconds each, ISO 1600, raw development using Canon Digital Photo Pro, 10 images aligned (on the comet head) and stacked, moderate Digital Development applied using ImagesPlus, NeatImage auto, crop and resize using Corel PhotoPaint.

We have returned from the Jalu South Camp through Benghazi to Tripoli. The eclipse was a tremendous success, with the weather being absolutely perfect. Our RASC group arrived the day before the eclipse and claimed our tents in the Sahara Desert at the camp. There were perhaps 500-1,000 people at our camp, and I could see at least two other camps nearby. Everyone was pretty excited to finally be at our destination - the reason for our long journey.

The following morning, everyone was well-rested and ready to go. First thing was equipment checks and setup. We had lots of curious Libyans and fellow campers (from around the world) asking us questions about ourselves, our equipment, and (in the case of the Libyans) what we thought of their country. The atmosphere was very energized. We had two weathermen with us, as well as a half dozen experienced eclipse chasers, all of whom I found personally very helpful.

As we counted down to First Contact, people were really getting excited. Finally, "first contact" was shouted out, and we all looked up to see the first chunk of the Sun being eclipsed by the Moon. What a strange site! Over the next few minutes more and more of the Sun was eclipsed, until we could feel the temperature of the Saharan heat start to drop. Next came a strange change in the colour of the surrounding light. As things started to darken more, the temperature also dropped more - a total of 7 or 8�C by the end.

At Second Contact, the Moon totally eclipsed the Sun, and the Diamond Ring (see my image above) appeared for a brief few seconds, closely followed by Baily's Beads and solar flares. What a site, and it happens so quickly! Then for 4 minutes we have the total eclipse to enjoy and photograph. The Sun's corona was magnificent, flowing outward from the Sun in huge streamers. I was taking photographs all through the sequence. The full eclipse phase is so strange, since no solar filters are needed to observe the Sun while fully-eclipsed by the Moon.

Too soon we came to Third Contact, where we have to again use solar filters, since the energy of the Sun is now at full strength. Some of our group observed until Fourth Contact, making observations along the way. Being less dedicated, I stopped photographing during this phase, and just enjoyed the occasional glance at the eclipsed sun through my binoculars. A solar eclipse can be enjoyed in many ways - direct observation, photography, and observing changes in the light and wildlife in the area, or just sharing the experience with others. We have a great group, with everyone helping each other to enjoy the experience. We did a fair bit of ambassadorship for Canada, the RASC, and astronomy in general - Sidewalk Astronomy in the Sahara!

More photos and details: The Sun

Details: Canon Digital Rebel 300D dSLR, Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM telephoto lens (efl=640mm), piggybacked on a auto-guided LX-90. 6 images, exp 60 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800, daylight WB, IDAS LPS filter. ImagesPlus: aligned using auto correlate rotate and shift, stacked using Adaptive Addition, aggressive Digital Development. Neat Image applied. Corel PhotoPaint: cropped, contrast stretch, saturation and contrast increased, hand-spotted processing artifacts.

Details: Meade LX-90 SCT operating at f/25, Meade LPI Imager, 0.08 sec exposure, gain=0, offset=54. 202, 143, 173, 221, 303, 100 images auto stacked and Hard edge enhanced using Meade Envisage AutoStar Suite software, resulting in 6 images.These 6 images were then auto planet aligned using ImagesPlus and stacked to one resultant image. Moderate contrast stretch, increased saturation applied, as well as up-sampling to 130% of original size (in 10% increments) using Corel PhotoPaint.

Details: Meade LX-90 SCT operating at f/25, Meade LPI Imager, 0.125 sec exposure, gain=0, offset=50. Moderate contrast stretch.. 59 images auto stacked and Hard edge enhanced using Meade Envisage AutoStar Suite software.

Details: Meade LX-90 SCT operating at f/25, Meade LPI imager, 0.125 sec exposure. Images Plus: 57 images aligned and stacked (averaged), moderate contrast stretch and saturation enhancement, 10 iterations of adaptive Richardson-Lucy 5x5.

Details: Canon Digital Rebel 300D, 400mm telephoto lens with IDAS LPS filter,  piggybacked on the LX-90 operating with normal tracking in alt-az mode. Exposures of 60 sec and 90 sec, f/6.3, ISO800 & 1600, 5 out of 14 images stacked, contrast stretched, noise reduced, rotated and cropped, spotted, and colour balance adjusted.

Details: Canon Digital Rebel 300D dSLR, Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM telephoto lens, tripod mounted, 1/430 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200, daylight WB, circular polarizing filter. Neat Image applied, cropped, contrast stretch, saturation and contrast increased, adaptive unsharp applied.

Details: Meade LPI mounted on a Meade ETX-60AT refractor using an Identiview solar filter. 54 images taken over 43 seconds, stacked and Hard edge enhanced using Meade Envisage AutoStar Suite software. Exposure time 0.003 sec, gain=76, offset=0. Moderate contrast stretch.

Details: Canon Digital Rebel 300D at prime focus behind the LX-90 operating at f/6.3 in polar mode. Exposures of 60 sec and 120 sec, ISO800, 7 out of 14 images stacked, contrast stretched, noise reduced, rotated and cropped, and colour balance adjusted.

Details: Canon Digital Rebel 300D, fl=10mm, f/4.5, ISO 800, 30 sec. Original image cropped and a moderate contrast stretch and noise reduction applied to enhance the aurora. Red channel contrast compressed reduce the effects of light pollution. Camera piggybacked atop a Meade LX-90, alt/az tracking

Details: Canon Digital Rebel 300D, fl=10mm, f/4.5, ISO 800, 91 sec. Moderate contrast stretch and noise reduction applied. Camera piggybacked atop a Meade LX-90, alt/az tracking.

Details: Canon Digital Rebel 300D, fl=10mm, f/4, ISO 800. Original image cropped and a moderate contrast stretch and noise reduction applied to enhance the meteor and reduce the effects of light pollution.

This Perseid meteor is zooming through the constellation Cygnus and the Milky Way. Deneb is the bright star to the right.  This widefield image also shows Cassiopia in the lower part of the image

Read Sid's preliminary Solarmax 40 Report.

Taken with a Canon Digital Rebel: 200mm fl, 1/3 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400.  Cropped, image size reduced, moderate contrast stretch applied to bring out the planets, and Neat Image applied to reduce noise.

Taken with a Canon Digital Rebel: 90mm fl, 1/25 sec, f/5, ISO 400.  Cropped and moderate contrast stretch applied.

Taken with a Meade LPI webcam, Gamma 100, Offset 32, Exposure 0.15 sec, 70% quality setting. Hard Edge Filter. 20 images auto stacked with AutoStar Suite.  Scaled up 5x10% to 150% of original size in Corel PhotoPaint.

Taken with a Canon Digital Rebel: 100mm fl, 1/6 sec, f/5, ISO 400.  Cropped, image size reduced, aggressive contrast stretch applied to bring out the planets, and Neat Image applied to reduce noise.

June 9, 2005, 11:04pm - Jupiter double shadow transit - David Lee and I rendezvoused at the Centre of the Universe as twilight faded. We had a mission: use our webcam planetary imagers to capture the double shadow transit on Jupiter. Clouds dogged our efforts, but at the appointed hour, the clouds thinned enough to allow David to image using the 16" CU telescope and his new Celestron Neximage, and I imaged using my 8" LX-90 SCT and my Meade LPI.  The two shadows are clearly visible side by side in this image.

April 9, 2005 - Saturn - At the Centre of the Universe, evening twilight revealed Saturn in all her glory.  An hour or so later, the air was very stable and the crowds were light, so I took advantage and connected my Meade LPI webcam to the 8" LX-90 SCT.  Cassini Division and an equatorial band are clearly visible in this image. Image details

Jan 4, 2005 - C/2004 Q2 Comet Machholz - observed from Bruno's place.  I used my LX-90's tracking, and stacked multiple images at f/6.3 using my Canon Digital Rebel 300D at prime focus. Still no comet tails visible (even in the negative image), despite the nice deep image. Photo details

Jan 4, 2005 - C/2004 Q2 Comet Machholz, Pleiades & Hyades - observed from Bruno's place.  I used my LX-90's tracking, piggybacked my Canon Digital Rebel 300D using my 18-55 zoom lens and stacked multiple images. Still no comet tails visible, despite the nice deep image. Photo details