Milky Way galaxy and 1.5W blue

[RA_pierce]

Hey guys. It's been a while. It looks like not much has changed around here since I last stopped by.

I just wanted to share a photo from my trip to the desert last night. There was supposed to be a new meteor shower. It ended up being a dud but I went out there more for the snakes than the stars. However, the Milky Way was looking pretty good, despite the poor atmospheric conditions, and someone else was playing with a green laser so I decided to pull out my blue guy and show off a bit. Needless to say, the laser was the brightest thing in the sky that night.

About the laser: It's built with Jayrob's chrome pen kit, one of Lazeerer's amazing drivers (I don't remember which - it's been so long since I built this), an M-140 diode and 405-G-1 lens from DTR, and with a custom stainless focus ring made by the one and only Flaminpyro. Thanks to these guys for their awesome stuff and skill!

So here are the photos:

(Click this one for full res)

 

[Shakenawake]

I was going to go out to rattlesnake canyon tonight to do the same, only with more colors, but it's all cloudy. I will soon though. cant get enough stars and lasers. how long of an exposure, is 16 seconds enough? (for the stars) I know the laser is only turned on for a split second

strange how sometimes cameras make 445s look like 405s and visa versa

 

[RA_pierce]

I was going to go out to rattlesnake canyon tonight to do the same, only with more colors, but it's all cloudy. I will soon though. cant get enough stars and lasers. how long of an exposure, is 16 seconds enough? (for the stars) I know the laser is only turned on for a split second

strange how sometimes cameras make 445s look like 405s and visa versa

Exposure time really depends on your gear. If your lens' widest aperture is less than f/2.8 you will have a hard time getting the shot in less than 30 seconds.
The exposure here was 30 sec. at f/2.8. I don't remember the ISO and I'm too lazy to check but it was around 1000 with LE noise reduction on. I wasn't far from the city so you can see a lot of light pollution.

Head out during the summer during a new moon. If the sky is clear, the view is unbeatable (almost). The only time I've ever seen a better night sky was in 2012 when I visited Mauna Kea in Hawaii... Absolutely stunning.

 

[Shakenawake]

yup, new moon. have May 28 marked for that. my favorite. will try to go camping

darn, the camera I'm borrowing maxes at 16 seconds, will still try

mauna kea is kick ass

 

[IsaacT]

Great, now I have to try this. Did you have to use a telescope or anything? Or just a DSLR and a Tripod? And what focal length was this shot at???

Thanks,
Isaac

Ps - now I am furiously trying to figure out how far out I would have to drive to get away from Austin Lights.

PPS - I love that laser you have. The elegance is stunning.

 

[gismo]

Milky way with laser beam shower (no meteors in sight? no problem, let's give the 445nm multi-beam a chance) above and dark desert with a cactus loner as a foreground (similarity with avatar). Atmospheric picture, indeed:beer:.

On a side note, I'm well equipped for a nightscape session right now (camera/fast lens/tripod and accessories), but the current weather won't allow me to do much. Your pic, RA_pierce, will serve me as an inspiration once I go out there to a less light polluted areas.


Isaac/WBS: Dark Sky Finder

 

[RB astro]

Great shot there, the Milkyway stands out nicely.

I hope you don't mind if I share a test shot I took a few weeks ago.
(I'll delete it if you want me to.)

I wanted to test my new toy with an idea I had so this is a quick 30sec shot.
Reminds me of a Sci-Fi warp scene.

I'm hoping to do better next time.

:yh:

 

[dubious speculation]

Nice shot RA-pierce good to see you back :beer:

@RB: Nice pic! Since you live in a fairly light polluted city p) where did you take this photo?

 

[RB astro]

@RB: Nice pic! Since you live in a fairly light polluted city p) where did you take this photo?

Thanks Will, I took this about 90 min out of the city.
Still not very dark but better than in Sydney.
Light pollution is getting worse everywhere. :yabbem:

 

[Lotus_Darkrose]

RA_pierce, and RB astro, both of those pictures are awesome.

And I agree on that pen host, incredibly sleek looking.

 

[Gadget]

Ps - now I am furiously trying to figure out how far out I would have to drive to get away from Austin Lights.

Hey WBS...check out Hubbard Lakes. It's near Waco.
They hold Star-parties there all the time.

My New Website Hubbard City Lakes Activities


--edit--
@Gismo....Great find on the Dark Sky Finder!!
--/edit--


G

 

[Dr_Evil]

Great, now I have to try this. Did you have to use a telescope or anything? Or just a DSLR and a Tripod? And what focal length was this shot at???

Thanks,
Isaac

Ps - now I am furiously trying to figure out how far out I would have to drive to get away from Austin Lights.

PPS - I love that laser you have. The elegance is stunning.

It was at 17mm according to the details.

 

[IsaacT]

It was at 17mm according to the details.

I'm not sure where you found those details but thank you

 

[RA_pierce]

yup, new moon. have May 28 marked for that. my favorite. will try to go camping

darn, the camera I'm borrowing maxes at 16 seconds, will still try

You should be able to get something. It won't hurt to try.

Great, now I have to try this. Did you have to use a telescope or anything? Or just a DSLR and a Tripod? And what focal length was this shot at???

Thanks,
Isaac

Ps - now I am furiously trying to figure out how far out I would have to drive to get away from Austin Lights.

PPS - I love that laser you have. The elegance is stunning.

Yep, just a DSLR and a tripod (a decent one). The lens I had on it was a 17mm f/2.8. A wide lens allows you to capture more of the sky. A telescope will give you a narrower field of view which is better for objects with small angular size, of course.

For clear skies, it helps to gain a lot of elevation. The higher up above the smog and fog you get, the better your view of the stars will be. Pick a day or location that won't be windy.

And thanks, I do like the pen hosts. I like to keep things simple and you can cram a surprising amount of power into it. I've got a solid chunk of aluminum in there to help with the heat. It warms up quick but cool down doesn't take long either.

Great shot there, the Milkyway stands out nicely.

I hope you don't mind if I share a test shot I took a few weeks ago.
(I'll delete it if you want me to.)

Thanks, and no problem. This place is for sharing, right?
Cool shot! You guys in the southern hemisphere have the Magellanic clouds... A lot of photographic potential with those, so I'm a little jealous of the southern sky.

I'm not sure where you found those details but thank you

You can right-click and view details. I usually leave exif data in all my images just in case.

If you guys are interested, you can take a look at my photo project I've been working on for the past few years. I photograph wild animals and environments from the beautiful southwestern US. The link below takes you to a few of the images I like best.
Daniel Pierce | 500px

 

[Neel]

Pretty sure I've found my new wallpaper from this thread. Looks amazing.

 

[upaa27]

These shots are amazing... Will you be posting more later?