[APML] New Images Posted

["Jon Kolb" <jkolb@datawest.net>]

Finally some new material!  I hadn't been out since February, and that
trip was a bust, so at long last here are a few new film images, taken
during adventures in three states.

This one is a composite of a Provia 400F shot done at Hovenweep National
Monument in Utah back in January with an E200 shot done a couple of
weekends ago out on the eastern Colorado plains.  Both are 75 minutes
with the TMB 152, pushed one stop.  I tried a new technique for
combining the images this time.  After registering the images in
Registar, I made a mask of the stars, then added the two shots instead
of blending them, using the mask to keep from adding the stars and
blowing them out.  It turned out alright, I suppose.  There was a little
water vapor in the air on the 400F shot, but it seemed to help the final
image more than it hurt it. 
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/ic405-410_tmb152.htm

I haven't had a decent shot of Gamma Cygni up for awhile, so here's an
attempt with the TMB 152.
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/gamma_cygni_tmb152.htm

This is one you don't see often, and it took several attempts over the
last year to get even a marginal shot like this.  There is some
trailing, and the color balance looks a bit off, but this one is as good
as it's going to get for now.  I probably won't keep shooting this one,
but if I do I'll use some Provia 400F to try and get more of vdB 140 in
the lower right. Perhaps John Mirtle has done a better job of this one
on Tech Pan - it seems like a target he might shoot.
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/sharpless_2-129.htm

Here's a widefield shot with the Pentax 67 and 200mm f/4 lens at f/5.6.
This one came out very crisply, and shows what this lens is capable of
during periods of terrific seeing. 40 minutes on E200, manually guided.
Registar says there are 169,762 stars in the frame!
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/cygnus_200mm6x7.htm

This one shows a familiar area around IC1396 and includes Sharpless
2-129 that was shot with the TMB 152.  It looks like the Barnard objects
and rampant nebulosity east of IC1396 might make a good subject for the
big refractor - one reason I like to take widefield shots like these.
Another 40 minute shot on E200, manually guided. 
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/southern_cepheus_200mm6x7.htm

Here's another survey shot.  I wanted to see if there was anything worth
shooting at longer focal length around Sharpless 2-205 way down in the
lower left.  vdB14 and vdB15 near the center of the frame are almost
there, but has anyone else ever noticed the faint bubble of nebulosity
just west of these objects and ESE of IC1848? It's pretty faint, but
it's there.  This was manually guided for 45 minutes on E200.  Registar
says there are a whopping 176,649 stars in this one - almost hard to
believe and I wonder if it's counting hot pixels or something.  Still, I
love all the stars in this shot. 
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/cassperscam_200mm6x7.htm

And finally, what adventure would be complete without a star trails
shot.  This one is of a big tree of unknown species (to me, anyway) at
the site I've used a few times now in the San Mateo Mountains, Cibolla
National Forest, New Mexico.  This place is the darkest site I've used,
south of the VLA and southwest of Socorro. 
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/san_mateo_mountains.htm 

Comments, constructive criticism, and inveterate tinkering are welcome
as always.

Sincerely,
Jon Kolb
Adventures in Astrophotography
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/
Life Member, International Dark-Sky Association
jkolb@datawest.net


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