Old Dog Learning New Tricks
Although I do have an extensive background in aerospace, aviation, astronomy, mathematics and physics, at this point in my life I need to dig into the recesses of my memory to remember what I once knew quite well. Additionally, there is a tremendous amount that is quite new in the fields of aerospace, aviation and astronomy so I've been trying to wrap my brain around all of this too. Right now, I'm feeling like an old dog trying to learn new tricks.
As if I don't have enough hobbies... or enough things to get accomplished around the house... or enough medical appointments... or enough 'down days' due to poor health and being sick as a dog... I've stepped back into the fields of astronomy and aerospace. To be more specific, I am hoping to combine two of my interests... photography and astronomy... to capture beautiful photos of celestial objects that can't be seen with the naked eye.
A lot has happened in the field of astrophotography in the past ten years and I feel as though I'm trying to catch-up with all the latest advances in the field. On the positive side, these advances provide me with an opportunity to capture photographs I never would have been able to capture in the past. On the down side... WOW... there is a lot to learn. These advances haven't really made this field easier but these advances have made it possible to capture some stunning imagery if I do manage to do everything just right.
The past few days and nights, I've been focused on learning about ways to guide telescopes so I am able to capture long exposures of celestial objects as the Earth turns relatively quickly. This is all completely new to me and, to be honest, it is wearing me out! That being said, I feel as though I am slowly making some headway.
I have a "Go To" telescope mount. It is a big heavy thing that requires some time and energy to set up in the yard before it gets too dark outside. This, of course, requires planning and nice weather. My health is quite unpredictable so that adds a bit of frustration to attaining my goals in this endeavor. I have figured out how to set it all up though including aligning it precisely with the North Star, Polaris.
Fatigue is another issue I struggle with everyday so by the time it gets dark outside my body has had it for the day. I think I may need to squeeze in another short daily nap as darkness descends upon us on these clear nights.
The latest thing I have been attempting to master is the technology involved in making the Go To telescope mount much more precise in tracking the stars. The more precise the telescope mount is, the sharper my astrophotography will be.
I have recently added an "autoguider scope and camera" to my telescope and this is requiring a lot of research, reading, experimenting and learning. I'm making progress here too though. This is all new to me and, at times, I find myself a bit overwhelmed and even lost. The fact that this autoguider came with directions for a different autoguider has only complicated things! After approximately six hours of struggling with nothing working correctly, I realized that I must have some bad info in the supplied directions. Fortunately, I found some info online which resolved my issues. I would later find out that I did indeed get the wrong directions with my autoguider... never a dull moment.
This autoguider focuses on a star through a separate finderscope which is piggybacked onto the top of my main telescope. My little Surface tablet and appropriate tracking software (which is also rather complicated with a steep learning curve) then communicates with this autoguider. At the same time, the autoguider communicates with my telescope mount. As my Go To telescope mount tracks a celestial object, the autoguider and computer will notice any little discrepancies in the speed and direction of the tracking. If things aren't tracking perfectly, then the autoguider tells the telescope mount how to correct itself. Other astronomers have been able to track perfectly for 10 to 20 minutes capturing perfectly sharp images. That is the beauty of an autoguider... accuracy over long periods of time.
The learning curve is steep but it is going quite well though. Honestly, my biggest obstacle has been that I am having a problem with finding enough energy for all of this. I am running out of energy very quickly... and, I'm feeling a bit like an old dog trying to learn new tricks.
Here's hoping for some clear skies... a lot of extra energy on these clear nights... and some stunning imagery this summer!
As if I don't have enough hobbies... or enough things to get accomplished around the house... or enough medical appointments... or enough 'down days' due to poor health and being sick as a dog... I've stepped back into the fields of astronomy and aerospace. To be more specific, I am hoping to combine two of my interests... photography and astronomy... to capture beautiful photos of celestial objects that can't be seen with the naked eye.
The past few days and nights, I've been focused on learning about ways to guide telescopes so I am able to capture long exposures of celestial objects as the Earth turns relatively quickly. This is all completely new to me and, to be honest, it is wearing me out! That being said, I feel as though I am slowly making some headway.
I have a "Go To" telescope mount. It is a big heavy thing that requires some time and energy to set up in the yard before it gets too dark outside. This, of course, requires planning and nice weather. My health is quite unpredictable so that adds a bit of frustration to attaining my goals in this endeavor. I have figured out how to set it all up though including aligning it precisely with the North Star, Polaris.
Fatigue is another issue I struggle with everyday so by the time it gets dark outside my body has had it for the day. I think I may need to squeeze in another short daily nap as darkness descends upon us on these clear nights.
I have recently added an "autoguider scope and camera" to my telescope and this is requiring a lot of research, reading, experimenting and learning. I'm making progress here too though. This is all new to me and, at times, I find myself a bit overwhelmed and even lost. The fact that this autoguider came with directions for a different autoguider has only complicated things! After approximately six hours of struggling with nothing working correctly, I realized that I must have some bad info in the supplied directions. Fortunately, I found some info online which resolved my issues. I would later find out that I did indeed get the wrong directions with my autoguider... never a dull moment.
This autoguider focuses on a star through a separate finderscope which is piggybacked onto the top of my main telescope. My little Surface tablet and appropriate tracking software (which is also rather complicated with a steep learning curve) then communicates with this autoguider. At the same time, the autoguider communicates with my telescope mount. As my Go To telescope mount tracks a celestial object, the autoguider and computer will notice any little discrepancies in the speed and direction of the tracking. If things aren't tracking perfectly, then the autoguider tells the telescope mount how to correct itself. Other astronomers have been able to track perfectly for 10 to 20 minutes capturing perfectly sharp images. That is the beauty of an autoguider... accuracy over long periods of time.
The learning curve is steep but it is going quite well though. Honestly, my biggest obstacle has been that I am having a problem with finding enough energy for all of this. I am running out of energy very quickly... and, I'm feeling a bit like an old dog trying to learn new tricks.
Here's hoping for some clear skies... a lot of extra energy on these clear nights... and some stunning imagery this summer!
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