This URL is inactive ... same site is now at http://martingermano.com
Deep Sky images from suburbia
This site is going to be devoted to my new (August 2005) attempts at ccd imaging with the SBIG ST-8XME camera. When Kodak announced the demise of Technical Pan 2415 in December 2004, I knew it was time for me to move into charged couple device imaging. For now, my philosophy will remain unchanged ... to continue imaging in black and white (grayscale).
One of the advantages of ccd imaging is the ability to somewhat negate light pollution ... so for now I'm imaging from my home observatory in Thousand Oaks, California. The summer Milky Way is faintly visible on a dry, moonless night (Bortle scale 6 to 7, i.e. fifth magnitude stars may be visible at zenith), but with the ccd I can shoot relatively good 5 minute unfiltered exposures. However, it soon became apparent that longer sub exposures would improve the quality of the final image. Beginning March 2006, I began using an old (circa late 1970's) glass Hoya 25A Red 50mm filter in front of the ST-8. This filter is (was?) an inexpensive (~$8) screw-on 50mm camera lens filter I used when taking wide field film images with Tri-X, and later hypered Tech Pan 2415. It seems that the filter mainly serves to combat my local light pollution ... it is by no means like a modern narrowband filter, but it seems to give the same effect as a darker sky (site). In June 2007, I discovered I had an old Lumicon Deep Sky Filter. This filter is like a 'light pollution' filter, and I imaged with this filter for about a year. Beginning July 2008, I have 'retired' the Lumicon Deep Sky Filter, and I am now using a newly purchased Lumicon Red filter. I have standardized on sequences of 10 minute sub-exposures, with a minimum of 10 or 15 exposures for most open clusters, and 40 to 60 exposures for extended (nebulous) objects.
Photo Album
All Objects grouped by designation (name)
Objects grouped by Type (Galaxies, Open Clusters, etc.)
Images from the middle (?) of my learning curve ..... more to come as I get the new pages uploaded
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When I feel comfortable with all the new requirements for ccd
imaging, I'll start going to my
normal
dark sky observing site. For now, I'll image from my home
(the Rolling Roof Observatory). This is a simple page
with pictures of the observatory and equipment. I have more equipment to acquire (narrowband filters, filter wheel(?), etc.), but I am able to take some simple images of bright objects that I couldn't do with film from my backyard. |
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Images on these pages copyright © Martin C Germano, 2005-2008. Images may be used on a personal computer (for wallpaper, etc.), or for a not-for-profit organization (such as a club newsletter) with proper credit to the author. Any commercial or for-profit use of any image is prohibited without my permission. |
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email me comments, suggestions Also visit my retired Black & White Film Deep Sky Astrophotography page |
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