[Theme] Night sky shots

[Erik Lund]

Unique night selfies!

[Olivier]

For sure you know how to handle cold weather... In the astronomy world there is a say that goes like "always dress as if the temperature was 10 degrees below actual temperature". You will stay outside and move very little...
I am enjoying this thread very much, thank you very much.

[golunvolo]

Now, that´s a selfie proper. Spectacular views. Sorry the sky had too much light for your intended purpose?
 

[armando_m]

Can't wait to try the new toy ...


Local weather had a different opinion it will be cloudy over the weekend, and then I'm traveling .. will have to wait at least a week

[Øivind Tøien]

Congratulations, Amando - have fun with your new toy! Waiting for a clear sky is certainly part of the game.
You might want to check the tightness of the base. My copy was initially wobbly, I opened it up (screw inside the bottom mounting threads) and removed one of two steel washers - problem fixed (needed some care in how tight I made the screw again).

Thanks so much for the selfie and clothing comments Erik, Oliver and Golunvolo.

Edit: I should add that even without a clear sky, a lot of practice is possible in setting the Skytracker up in daylight (much easier in the dark once the routine is there), get the polar scope properly focused, and download the polar scope application for PC or smartphone. You do not need to use the recommended one for iPhone, on Andriod I am using a free one called Polarisview (and Polarfinder on the PC). I think I described my setup routine in the beginning of the thread. The first steps, having tripod and tracker facing true north using a good compass (not the included one which is useless, remember adjusting for possible compass deviation) leveling the tripod with the tracker at 0°, and then turning the altitude knob to you latitude can all be done in daylight, and is the procedure be used when tracking the sun (with a solar filter on the lens!). While no dedicated tracking rate for the sun or moon is available, it tracks both pretty well for quite a while and makes it a lot easier to follow.

The tracker does not come with a level; if mounting one on the top, be aware that the box of the tracker is slanting slightly so that the level needs some adjustment to be 90° to the back/front plate.

[armando_m]

....
You might want to check the tightness of the base. My copy was initially wobbly, I opened it up (screw inside the bottom mounting threads) and removed one of two steel washers - problem fixed (needed some care in how tight I made the screw again)
.....
Edit: I should add that even without a clear sky, a lot of practice is possible in setting the Skytracker up in daylight (much easier in the dark once the routine is there), get the polar scope properly focused, and download the polar scope application for PC or smartphone. You do not need to use the recommended one for iPhone, on Andriod I am using a free one called Polarisview (and Polarfinder on the PC). I think I described my setup routine in the beginning of the thread. The first steps, having tripod and tracker facing true north using a good compass (not the included one which is useless, remember adjusting for possible compass deviation) leveling the tripod with the tracker at 0°, and then turning the altitude knob to you latitude can all be done in daylight, and is the procedure be used when tracking the sun (with a solar filter on the lens!). While no dedicated tracking rate for the sun or moon is available, it tracks both pretty well for quite a while and makes it a lot easier to follow.

The tracker does not come with a level; if mounting one on the top, be aware that the box of the tracker is slanting slightly so that the level needs some adjustment to be 90° to the back/front plate.

Thanks !!

My copy also had a wobbly base, while trying it last night I was surprised how bad it felt, this morning I did remove a washer from the base and now feels solid.
Good tip about making the tripod level

[Øivind Tøien]

I am glad I could be of help.
Another small modification: The indicator (little arrow) for the altitude setting is not easy to see in the dark as it is just cast in the metal; I painted it white.

I did also one more modification that could be considered, however I would wait with that one until you have a good feeling for the need for it and also are confident that the tracker works well and does not need exchange etc: It looks like the screw that locks the altitude adjustment is clamping the fork of the base together from both sides, however that is not the case; it is only clamping the center to the right side. This can cause a shift in horizontal position when it is tightened. To alleviate this I took the fork apart, buffed away the paint on the surfaces and inserted a very thin tight fitting plastic washer/shim in the space between fork and center piece on the left side. It was very hard to fit it in. It is so tight that the altitude worm gear struggles, so I have to help it by pushing with my hand. I do not necessarily recommend this modification, however it is something to consider. It took away the problem with the shifting. It is possible that taking away more material to make space for a thicker but tight fitting teflon/polyethylene washer would be better and provide smoother action of the worm gear.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

My humble contribution is a snapshot of Aurora Borealis ('Northern lights') at Reine, Lofoten Islands, arctic Norway. Done in IR for good measure. D200 (IR) 30 sec. with Nikkor 18/4.

[armando_m]

Result from a session with the skytracker ...

Oivind, I can understand why yo got the 90 degree viewfinder , I ended up with a pain in my neck 

It was quite a challenge to find Andromeda, even with the very dark sky it is faint, and my sight is not good to see it without significant aid
I was 7 hrs from home and forgot to bring the app to tell me where to place the north star, forgot my level, but I wasn't alone and got help from a few guys,
one with a laser pointer, another with an iphone level app, another with amazingly good sight, another with an 80-200f2.8 lens, another a microfiber to keep the lens without dew, and other few to keep me committed, in the end it payed up

The sky tracker was aligned and worked wonderfully, 30 seconds exposures at 200mm showed no significant start trails

Fed some images -15 - to deepskystacker , then some levels in PS + nik colorefex to get this image

Edit: replaced the image with a new one with less saturation

[golunvolo]

This kind of images amaze me.

  Thanks Armando!

[Akira]

Congrats, Armando!  This is a fascinating result!  Thanks for sharing!

[Akira]

My humble contribution is a snapshot of Aurora Borealis ('Northern lights') at Reine, Lofoten Islands, arctic Norway. Done in IR for good measure. D200 (IR) 30 sec. with Nikkor 18/4.

Bjørn, which color was this IR-captured aurora to the naked eyes?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Bjørn, which color was this IR-captured aurora to the naked eyes?

Green or yellowish green, as far as I can recall.

[Akira]

Green or yellowish green, as far as I can recall.

Thanks for the confirmation!

[Jakov Minić]

Armando, stunning!