M1, The Crab Nebula

I had a case of photon fever, and didn't get this quite as focused as it should have been. Not terribly different than the 2006 version, maybe better tracking. Even that wasn't great--I threw out half of the frames for trailing in RA. Not sure where that's coming from.

Second light with the AT6RC, and I'm very happy with the new scope so far. Very little vignetting and a nice flat field with the AT2FF in place.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 15 x 120 sec (30:00) @ ISO 1600, 10 flat, 10 dark
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (stock)
Scope: AT6RC, AT2FF field flattener
Mount: Meade LXD 650
Guider: Zenithstar 66, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: Nebulosity, Photoshop

People Of Earth, I Lack Basic Social Skills

Citizens of Earth! Please, do not be afraid!

I come from a small green home on Edgemore Avenue. There I live in the basement, below my now elderly parents. I have been observing you and your kind for many years, primarily through the shades of my bedroom window and on the television set. Understand, I mean you no harm. I only seek to learn more of your strange earthling ways.

Your customs intrigue me. The casual and lighthearted nature of your conversations, the cultural references you so frequently employ to elicit laughter, the way you will sometimes pat another human on the back to display affection and foster an atmosphere of warmth. These behaviors are entirely foreign to me. For instance, how do you keep yourself from shifting nervously all the time?

Please, do not stare directly into my eyes! You are making me very uncomfortable! Look away, humans! Look away!

Galileo's Roommate

AT6RC First Light

After 4 months on back-order, my new AT6RC finally arrived. I built an adapter to attach the LXD 650 mount to the observatory pier, and got everything set up in time for tomorrow's lunar eclipse. We'll know more about how the scope performs on star fields in a couple of weeks, after we get past the full moon. Meanwhile, here's a single exposure of the moon one day before full:



Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 1/100 second (0.01)
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: AT6RC, AT2FF field flattener
Mount: Meade LXD 650
Guider: None
Filter: None
Software: Nebulosity, Photoshop

I'd Be Perfect!

I'll Make You A Deal

If you're a true believer, write me a check dated May 22, 2011, and I promise I won't cash it until then.

Good news, everyone! If you’ve been worried about the rapture and the second coming of Jesus Christ, you don’t have to worry anymore. A date has been set for Jesus’s return, so you have more than enough time to get your affairs in order and get right with the church of your choice. According to a billboard taken out in Nashville, Tennessee, Jesus will return on May 21, 2011.