Posts Made By: Tyler Allred

Hi all. I thought I would share a few images of the beginnings of my observatory. Here is a link:

http://71.18.228.62/gpage9.html

So far, I have just poured the footings and the pier, and then poured the pad and the roof supports. I hope I don't run out of funds for this project!

Cheers,
Tyler

Hello all.
Here is another image from my trip to Kanab, Utah in mid October. The nebula itself is fairly bright but the dust takes some exposure time to get right. I could have used more color data on this one, but it turned out OK anyway. Comments are always welcome.
Cheers,
Tyler

Link to clickable full version:
http://www.allred-astro.com/gpage8.html

Hi all. I have been working hard on the observatory and it is getting pretty close to "ready" status. I still need to finish half of the metal roof panels and close in the gable ends. Then I can tack-weld the angle iron tracks in place and add the permanent steel support posts, but other than that it is essentially operational. I have been adding images to my website that show the progress. The newest images are now at the top of the page. Take a look if you have any interest. Comments are always welcome.
Cheers,
Tyler

Link:
http://71.18.228.62/gpage9.html

Hi all. I finally got a chance to get the scope into the new observatory and try everything out. So far, it looks like everything is working perfectly. The roof rolls off easily despite being 12'x16' is size. The pier seems solid and is nicely isolated, which allows me to move around at will. It was really cold and there were loads of ice crystals in the air, so the seeing was pretty lousy, but I bundled up in a king-sized electric blanket and stayed warm and cozy. This image is just a few shots of the "Running Man" that I took to see if everything was working.

AP130 Starfire F/6
Losmandy G11
Starlight H16

Hi all. I decided to call it Nocturne Observatory!

Definition:
Nocturne
1. A painting of a night scene.
2. An instrumental composition of a pensive, dreamy mood, especially one for the piano.

I thought it a fitting name.
Cheers,
Tyler

Hi all.
This image was taken by a group of local astronomy enthusiasts from the Salt Lake Astronomical Society (SLAS) on the night of Friday, January 15th. It was captured using the 2-meter Faulkes North telescope on Haleakala in Hawaii.

The image nicely illustrates the intricate structure of this remnant of a huge supernova that was recorded by Chinese and Arab astronomers in 1054 CE. The nebula has a spinning neutron star at its core that has been dubbed the "Crab Pulsar". This neutron star has a spin rate of roughly 30.2 revolutions per second, and it is extremely energetic: giving off radiation at wavelengths from gamma rays to radio waves. The pulsar has been creating shock waves that can be seen near the center of this image as concentric arcs. These shockwaves have been captured in many images and their speed has been computed at an astounding 24,000 km per second, or nearly 8 percent of the speed of light. The diffuse blue light, called synchrotron radiation, is emitted from curving electrons traveling at up to 1/2 the speed of light.

This image was possible due to the hard work of many individuals, who handled all the arrangements, including Rodger Fry and Bob Moore, among many others. A special "Thank You" goes out to J.D. Armstrong, who made this entire project possible.

For a larger version, go to:

http://71.18.228.62/gpage8.html

Cheers,
Tyler

I decided to join Jeff and post what I have collected so far, since it may be a long while before I get any more data. I managed to get a three hour window of clear sky the other night, and I collected 160 minutes of hydrogen-alpha data with the scope pointing at the Rosette Nebula. I used the AP130 EDFS F/6 and the FLI Microline 3200 camera. Here is my result. Someday, I would like to add RGB, OIII, and SII data into the mix.

I have been testing out PixInsight, which I used for all processing except calibration and bloom removal (which I did in MaxIm DL). I am impressed with PixInsight, which seems to offer an excellent set of tools, but is a little intimidating to run at first. I have been playing around with some older data, however, and I am liking the program more and more as I get more familiar with it.

This is a 50% reduced version.

Hi all. I got a few hours of clear sky on two nights last week. I fired up the new observatory and pointed the AP130 at M108 and M97, which both fit within the filed of view of my Starlight Xpress H-16 camera. I took 18 x 10 minutes luminance on the first night, then added 80 minutes each RGB on night two. Here is the result of my efforts. I managed to capture a hint of the outer shell on M97, which is rarely imaged. The field is also scattered with small galaxies. The seeing was pretty bad, but the image turned out OK. I have attached a 33% version. For a full version, go to the "Latest Images" page on my website at the following link.


Link:
http://www.allred-astro.com/gpage8.html


Be sure to click the smaller images to get the full version. Take a look around the image... there is a lot to look at. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Cheers,
Tyler

Hi all. I fired up the ASA N8 last night and did some narrowband imaging. I decided to try the area around Sharpless 2-254, which contains a number of interesting objects. I only have one night of data, but it turned out OK. I guess imaging at F/3.6 with a super sensitive chip helps a lot. I prepped a Hubble palette version and a pseudo-natural color version. The full versions can be seen here:

http://71.18.228.62/gpage8.html

Here is the reduced Hubble palette version.

Hi all. I finally managed to get a little more imaging time in on the nights of the 14th and 15th. I decided to try a new version of an old friend... the Leo Trio. I spent one evening collecting luminance data (160 minutes in 10-min subs), and another on color (60 minutes each RGB in 10-min subs). Here is a cropped and reduced version. The full version and equipment info can be seen on my website by clicking the link below.

http://71.18.228.62/gpage8.html

Be sure to click the thumbnail a couple of times to see the full version. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Cheers,
Tyler