130928 - OkieTex Star Party 2013 - under the Milky Way
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click image to enlarge
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ASTRO:
type=Barred Spiral galaxy, const=Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aquila (nucleus), mag=-20.9 (integrated), dist=27k ly, size=185k ly IMAGE: location=Okie-Tex Star Party 2013, BrtlCls=1; moon=35% WnCr; exposure=DSLR OSC: 1x30s, f/2.8, ISO3200 EQUIPMENT: camera=Nikon D90 (stk); optics=NIKKOR 10.5mm "fisheye"; filter=(none); mount=simple tripod SOFTWARE: acquisition=(in-camera) processing=PhotoshopCC |
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Every year, the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club organizes and hosts an amateur astronomers' event called the Okie-Tex Star Party. It is one of several dozen similar events that occur across the U.S. and Canada each year. At Okie-Tex, amateur and semi-professional astronomers come together from across the country to spend a week to 10 days in late September to observe under Bortle Class 1 nighttime skies (very dark & clear; absent of light pollution), discuss equipment and techniques, listen to lectures and presentations, meet & greet with equipment vendors, review the latest releases of the vendors' equipment, and generally participate in 'all-things-Astronomy'. The event takes place at a remote location in the far western tip of the Oklahoma panhandle. It is usually attended by between 150 and 250 amateur astronomers.
Here, a wide-angle view of the Milky Way galaxy from across the Okie-Tex viewing field reveals the Summer Triangle asterism which is enhanced with artificially added starbursts. The constellations of Sagittarius, Scorpio (partial), Ophiuchus, Serpens, Lyra, Cygnus, Capricorn (partial), and Aquila are all visible.
The red lights across the bottom of the image are from the astronomers "tinkering" with their equipment. They use red lights to see, but also preserve their nighttime vision - similar to using a red light in a dark room where photographic film is being processed.
Captured very early in my astrophotography journey, this image was caught using only an old, stock Nikon DSLR camera mounted to a simple fixed tripod. Using an IR remote actuator to release the shutter without touching the camera, this single exposure was recorded internally in the camera, and then later transferred to a laptop PC for processing using Photoshop. It truly is the simplest form of astrophotography that can be pursued; but, it also illustrates the long-exposure technique used, in its simplest form possible, to capture an image of the nighttime sky. AP truly is a "deep-dive" study into extra-long exposure nighttime photography. Traditional approaches to daytime photography have to be completely un-learned; and replaced with a new understanding of full, manual control of camera functions and post-processing techniques.
...From very humble beginnings comes a beautiful, life-long pursuit of learning and excellence!
Here, a wide-angle view of the Milky Way galaxy from across the Okie-Tex viewing field reveals the Summer Triangle asterism which is enhanced with artificially added starbursts. The constellations of Sagittarius, Scorpio (partial), Ophiuchus, Serpens, Lyra, Cygnus, Capricorn (partial), and Aquila are all visible.
The red lights across the bottom of the image are from the astronomers "tinkering" with their equipment. They use red lights to see, but also preserve their nighttime vision - similar to using a red light in a dark room where photographic film is being processed.
Captured very early in my astrophotography journey, this image was caught using only an old, stock Nikon DSLR camera mounted to a simple fixed tripod. Using an IR remote actuator to release the shutter without touching the camera, this single exposure was recorded internally in the camera, and then later transferred to a laptop PC for processing using Photoshop. It truly is the simplest form of astrophotography that can be pursued; but, it also illustrates the long-exposure technique used, in its simplest form possible, to capture an image of the nighttime sky. AP truly is a "deep-dive" study into extra-long exposure nighttime photography. Traditional approaches to daytime photography have to be completely un-learned; and replaced with a new understanding of full, manual control of camera functions and post-processing techniques.
...From very humble beginnings comes a beautiful, life-long pursuit of learning and excellence!