Picture-A-Week 2019 - Week 10

[pierces]

Pictures taken between Monday, March 4 and Sunday, March 10.

 

Rules: See above

That's it. This isn't a contest.

All photos taken this week are welcome (not just cruising).

Prizes will not be awarded. Discovering the joy of photography is the prize.

The idea is to get folks out using their cameras for more than vacations and toddler birthdays.

Post one. Post many. Up to you.

Have fun with your camera and share your fun with others!

[shootr]

10th Anniversary vacation has commenced! 

[pierces]

2 hours ago, shootr said:

10th Anniversary vacation has commenced! 

 

And is off to a good start, apparently!

 

Dave

[Docker123]

Bears who Lunch:

 

[AL3XCruise]

So after taking photos of the Blood Moon I got interested in doing a little astrophotography.  This was the first time the weather has cooperated so I decided to try a few shots of the Orion Nebula.

 

Any good results are primarily due to the quality of my equipment since I know very little, and in the interest of getting done quickly in below freezing temps I applied even less...  From Polar Alignment to Processing this could be better, but its a fun start!

 

Single 20 second exposure at ISO800, 2032mm f/10 Telescope.  30 seconds would have been better, but my mount wasn't well enough aligned.  Even this was pushing it.  In the future I'll try stacking multiple exposures.

 

Edited March 5, 2019 by AL3XCruise

[ski ww]

That's a great star shot, thanks for sharing.

[shootr]

Cathedral Rock, Sedona 

 

[shootr]

15 hours ago, AL3XCruise said:

So after taking photos of the Blood Moon I got interested in doing a little astrophotography.  This was the first time the weather has cooperated so I decided to try a few shots of the Orion Nebula.

 

Any good results are primarily due to the quality of my equipment since I know very little, and in the interest of getting done quickly in below freezing temps I applied even less...  From Polar Alignment to Processing this could be better, but its a fun start!

 

Single 20 second exposure at ISO800, 2032mm f/10 Telescope.  30 seconds would have been better, but my mount wasn't well enough aligned.  Even this was pushing it.  In the future I'll try stacking multiple exposures.

 

I had a 12" Meade when I lived in very rural area - it was fantastic for deep sky use. Traded it in for an 8" so I could more comfortably move it around. 

 

Looking forward to your further efforts. 

[AL3XCruise]

1 hour ago, shootr said:

I had a 12" Meade when I lived in very rural area - it was fantastic for deep sky use. Traded it in for an 8" so I could more comfortably move it around. 

 

One of the Meade SCTs or a reflector?  The focal length on the SCT is a challenge, but it is way more portable than an 8" scope the same size!

 

Wish I had some dark skies more conveniently located, but the 8" is small enough to take on a trip (assuming travel by car).

[shootr]

1 hour ago, AL3XCruise said:

 

One of the Meade SCTs or a reflector?  The focal length on the SCT is a challenge, but it is way more portable than an 8" scope the same size!

 

Wish I had some dark skies more conveniently located, but the 8" is small enough to take on a trip (assuming travel by car).

It was a SCT - had it on a pier in the backyard with a heavy canvas cover. They have those 6.3 screw-on focal reducers that helped with the FL. 

 

Now that I'm in the city the 8" doesn't get the use as much. 

[AL3XCruise]

4 hours ago, shootr said:

It was a SCT - had it on a pier in the backyard with a heavy canvas cover. They have those 6.3 screw-on focal reducers that helped with the FL. 

 

Nice set up.  I can see why you used that more ;).  And that focal reducer is definitely on my to get list... problem is, the list is just too long!

[shootr]

Loving Sedona... 

 

[cruises42]

Red-shouldered hawk in our yard.

[shootr]

[boeckli]

[Oakman58]

I'm still nursing my broken ankle back to health but at least now I'm becoming somewhat mobile.  Unfortunately I didn't have to go far to take some pictures for this week.  My neighbor's house just behind mine and was engulfed in flames last week.  I don't know the cause of the fire but it spread incredibly fast and the fire department was on the scene quickly.  The fire house is next to our subdivision and the fire was less than one half mile away door to door.  Four children and one adult were in the house and the children got out safely.  The adult had minor burns but was transported to the hospital.  The flames were intense enough to cause damage to an adjacent house.  Scary stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2019 by Oakman58

[boeckli]

Scary stuff alright, especially at night! Good to hear that everyone got out OK (or at least only minor injuries)

Hope your ankle continues to improve!

[pierces]

I remember the first time I sat on a real motorcycle and revved the engine. I remember twisting the throttle and hearing the engine roar and the feeling that you were sitting on a rocket ready to blast off. That feeling eventually led me to purchase a used Kawasaki H1 Mach III as my first owned vehicle. In the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, it was considered a superbike. Capable of a mid-12 second ¼ mile and 0-60 times at around 3 seconds, it was a formidable street bike with as much horsepower as a VW beetle but weighing only a little over 400lbs with a full tank. I was wearing a full-face helmet the first time I really opened it up, so nobody saw me making a face like Daisy did.

 

Vrrrroooommm!

 

 

Dave

[zackiedawg]

Finally sorted through my Saturday wildlife pics:

 

Angry screech owl:

 

Male yellow-bellied sapsucker:

 

Banded watersnake, coiled up comfortably in a palm frond:

 

Colorful green iguana, lounging out on a branch and catching some sun:

 

Belted kingfisher flying above the water, looking for a fish to dive on:

 

Female red-winged blackbird sitting on the end of a branch:

 

A male boat-tailed grackle showing off his iridescent black feathers in the sun:

 

A wood stork, coming in to land right in front of the press gallery (yeah, there are a few wildlife photographers out there this time of year!):

[kenevenpar]

I feel for the three with their backs to the wood stork.  Been there, done that. You have to try to keep your head on a swivel.

[dileep]

 

[dileep]

 

[dileep]

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great pictures.

 

But the house on fire -- very scary.