Posts Made By: Anthony Ayiomamitis

Robert Howe said:

Added October 13--Does this mean NO ONE has taken a GT on a trip by air?

I would be MORE than happy to volunteer. Up next is the longest annular eclipse of the millenium this coming January and where I plan to be in Nairobi, Kenya. Weather prospects are excellent at around 80-85% probability for clear skies.

Anthony.

PS. Just came across a review on CN ... there is lots of false colour when imaging.

Thanks.

Greg,

I was also very happy with my Coolpix 995. It had an amazing white balance setting that yielded stunning foregrounds. Due to my three Canon EOS digitals, I had set the CP995 aside for a couple of years and, recently, when I decided to take it with me for some quick and dirty shots, it would not power up. I recharged the battery (just in case) but it would still not power up.

It really saddened me since I really liked it.

Anthony.

Hey Ron,

Both of these photos are STUNNING and especially for a lens that sells for so little. One can easily call the photos fake given the quality.

I will look into it right now in getting one.

Thanks for the heads-up!

Anthony.

Rolando,

This one is better known as "Jones-Emberson 1" and it is especially impressive in colour. Hopefully Gilles will RBG data to it.

Impressive result!

Anthony.

Jack,

It does not qualify you for the AP130 list and you will have to sign up. Since this particular refractor is in production for the immediate future, don't let a single minute go to waste and sign up now.

Anthony.

Martin,

Flats require just a few minutes at the end of your session and it is really unfortunate to spend all night imaging and to then skimp the final ten minutes by skipping the flats.

Flats not only correct for the differential sensitivity between pixels on your CCD but they also allow you to remove the effects of dew stains and dust motes.

Since most of us stretch the heck out of our images, these dust motes and dew stains suddenly surface their ugly head if you do not calibrate using flats.

Not matter how tired I may be at the end of an all-nighter, I will take a complete set of bias and flat frames (fifteen of each). The darks are prepared on a monthly basis around full moon (great preoccupation to be productive) and are immediately available to me for use.

Just to give you an idea, my master bias is usually around 100 ADU for each pixel (ST-10XME). Subtract the master bias from my master dark and I am left with an average pixel value of approximately 6-10 ADU. However, this does not stop me from pursuing the acquisition of master darks since I would like to look after each possible uninvited ADU.

Anyway, calibration is VITAL and I would suggest you do not skimp on any portion of this critical step!

Anthony.

Greg,

That is an awesome image. I am not sure it gets any better than that!

Anthony.

Jim,

I am going by memory but I think it was $7950 in the first year when I got mine and $8950 the following year.

Anthony.

Rolando,

This is a great result and which showcases the AP305 astrograph in the best way possible.

A check on the internet will yield only a couple of images of Abell 71 and this is due to its mag 17.0 surface brightness! If you can do this with 40 minutes of h-alpha, it really is an indication of the uniqueness and power of this scope.

Abell 71 is also known as Sh2-116 and the nebulosity in your image and above Abell 71 is Sh2-115.

Anyway, great catch by a great instrument!

Anthony.