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| M80 and M81 |
As I'm writing this, I'm remembering the thrill I felt again when I went out last night and it had been a long time since I felt that exhilaration.
Since getting the Seestar, my planners are split into two separate tables. One is for the long-exposure DSO shots of which I have figured out the correct procedure. Second is the list of visual targets I won't be trying to photograph. That list comes in handy as it keeps me occupied while the process of photographing the DSOs drags on.
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| Eagle Nebula with the "pillars" |
Last night I was able to view "La Superba", or the gamma star in Canes Venatici. It's a red giant which does not show up in a lot of charts. I had had lots of bad luck trying to track it down but finally nailed it last night, and it didn't disappoint.
Another spectacular target was Albiero, a double star in Cygnus. It was a very striking blue and yellow double.
At the top of this post is the M81 group, which I had not been able to adequately photograph until a week or so ago. Last night when I was keeping busy, I went back there for just a visual. And then just slewed the scope around looking at whatever might be out there.
And that's when things started going to my head. Just what is out there? The galaxies, clusters and other objects all represent a part of the universe that may be a home for some other kind of life. The distances involved and the sheer number of celestial objects is overwhelming. And I got a big charge out of being able to see and photograph them.
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| Iris Nebula |
I feel very fortunate to be able to experience this and to share this with others. It really puts our existence here into perspective and adds appreciation for our fragile situation on this speck of dust we call home.
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| Caldwell 33, Veil Nebula |
The only downsides has been the unusually cloudy weather this season, which makes an outing infrequent. A scheduling conflict the other night (a New Moon) got me to my site just after 10pm. I had the C50 planned for up to 1am at that point, but come midnight I had to shut it down. Fall is coming on fast, though and with it earlier sunsets and longer nights.
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| NGC 5128 |
I'll be able to finish my Outer Limits Challenge which I posted about before. I'll dedicate an entire post to it and include the original pictures used on the 1963 series.
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| M31 |
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