The best camera is the one you have with you: all my years of seeing sun dogs without a camera changed yesterday. As I circled up the ramp from K-10 E to K-7 N en-route to the Jack Johnson concert what do I see before me?
For once I had a camera on me, albeit a little 3-megapixel iPhone. A bit of PS work to clean it up and ta-da, my first sun dog picture (click picture to embiggen).
The plan was part-week at the Nebraska Star Party (NSP) testing a super wide angle lens during the Perseid meteor shower. None of it worked out as planned. Excellent timing (no moon) for this years Perseid shower made it a must see event. The weather, as always, determines ones meteor watching. On Wednesday I figured my best option was Monument Rocks in western Kansas.
Wednesday evening the sky was clear as predicted. After sunset the moon, just 2 days old, sat low in the west. As the sky darkened a trio of planets appeared with Venus leading the way (click images below for larger size).
Then came the meteors. Averaging 30 or more per hour, every hour I watched. Some faint and short lived, others burning brightly across the sky. All this with the glorious Milky Way as a backdrop, simply spectacular! This is why I go the distance, why I stay up all night.
Thursday night did not work out, just before sunset I checked the radar to find a serious storm bearing down on me. In thirty minutes I was packed up and on the road. As the sun set the approaching storms’ colors were awesome. One of the most interesting pictures of the trip I took out my truck window as I left Monument Rocks (click to enlarge).
It was clear at my house and even after driving for hours I watched the Perseids from my backyard. They only come once a year.
Updated to WordPress 3.0 tonight.
I’ve finally fixed the damn Moon phase error being displayed on the right column here. Originally I modified MoonPhase Plugin for WordPress to show percent illumination and days until new moon. For the past year its been reporting the wrong phase. Turns out there was a problem in the original code ( incorrect TZ format leading to strtotime error ) .
Roadtrip to Northwest Missouri Tuesday night hoping for clear skies and to get a look at Comet C/2009 R1 McNaught in the morning, perhaps even a picture? Things almost came together.
The night is short this time of year, before long the comet was above the horizon. After rising higher I found the comet was not bright or distinct in the sky. Much better viewed with binoculars. Intermittent clouds near the end of darkness, very heavy dew and operator error nearly ruined any chance of a picture. Despite all that I captured a few exposures. Click image on the right to see.
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need
It’s been five years since I was up by Gilman City, MO and I find the dark sky is still pretty good. It was a real pleasure seeing the milky way blazing overhead, a good night under the stars.
New image: From my April 9th trip to the Flint Hills, click image for bigger version.
My favorite picture from the night. The wind at the time was strong and this part of the grass fire is raging. Its hard to get a sense of how much area is on fire in this picture. Miles and miles. Look in the lower right corner where you make out a couple of horses, these are about a quarter of a mile away from me.
There is always a risk they’ll be burning the Flint Hills this time of year, its usually just a smoky annoyance. I never intended to end up surrounded by fire but it was a cool sight.
Wow, really nice night tonight with the moon just past first quarter. Casts a good light. After two days of clouds and rain the clear sky and dry air is refreshing!
Two weeks ago this night I stood in the Flint Hills watching both the stars and fire. Pictures to follow shortly….
Today is the Vernal Equinox and I have four fresh inches of snow on the ground. One week ago today I setup at Monument Rocks under clear skies. Wild weather.
New image: Markarian’s Chain. Click thumbnail on the right for larger version.
Last trip was not only a new location but the first using different pieces, parts and techniques in the field: ST80 guidescope w/SSAG and a new perl script to control PHD dithering and camera exposures. In addition, this week I used DeepSkyStacker (DSS) to stack the exposures. Highly recommended.
Phase: Waning Crescent
20.6% of full
New moon in 4.4 days
