#microobservatory — Public Fediverse posts

@ufofeed
That's a very clear shot. Better than I was able to get with the Harvard/Smithsonian #MicroObservatory 6 inch Maksutov telescope.

@ufofeed
That's a nice image, one of my favorite star targets.

I don't have equipment capable of star photography. So I use images out of the Harvard/Smithsonian MicroObservatory archive. I've put together my own processing software that works with the #MicroObservatory format, and here is my effort of stacking some of their photos of #M13.

@PhilipPugh
That's great.

I've tried to catch the Helix with the publicly available #MicroObservatory but it doesn't allow long enough exposures. I worked out some software that lets me download a batch of target exposures that I can stack. This is the best #Helix image I've been able to get with that equipment. It's pretty faint, but visible.

@PhilipPugh
That's very good. I've had explained to me that M33 has a spread out and low surface brightness, explaining my difficulties in trying to observe it in the past.

Here is a photo of #M33 I produced by stacking images from the #MicroObservatory archive. It's a more difficult target than you might suspect.

@PhilipPugh
That's very good. I've had explained to me that M33 has a spread out and low surface brightness, explaining my difficulties in trying to observe it in the past.

Here is a photo of #M33 I produced by stacking images from the #MicroObservatory archive. It's a more difficult target than you might suspect.

@PhilipPugh
That's very good. I've had explained to me that M33 has a spread out and low surface brightness, explaining my difficulties in trying to observe it in the past.

Here is a photo of #M33 I produced by stacking images from the #MicroObservatory archive. It's a more difficult target than you might suspect.

@PhilipPugh
That's very good. I've had explained to me that M33 has a spread out and low surface brightness, explaining my difficulties in trying to observe it in the past.

Here is a photo of #M33 I produced by stacking images from the #MicroObservatory archive. It's a more difficult target than you might suspect.

@PhilipPugh
That's very good. I've had explained to me that M33 has a spread out and low surface brightness, explaining my difficulties in trying to observe it in the past.

Here is a photo of #M33 I produced by stacking images from the #MicroObservatory archive. It's a more difficult target than you might suspect.

@cafuego
That's a great photo, amazing with a Seestar. I don't have one of those (yet). But I used the publicly available #MicroObservatory made available by a joint Harvard-Smithsonian project.

They make a few 6 inch Mak-Newts available. At least for a time a couple were at a Southern hemisphere location. I got this image of 47 Tucanea with one of those. My contribution was the processing software that made the image.

@kellylepo
Must you use the online tool?

I written my own software for reducing #MicroObservatory data.

@kreegan99
Impressive equipment.

I see now why I cannot compete in star photography. I don't have nearly good enough equipment, nor can I afford it.

So I put it to you. I've made use of the 6 inch Maknewts of the Harvard - Smithsonian #MicroObservatory to get some star photos. I apply my skill at the software level, writing my own code to process and sometimes stack images.

Is that cheating in some way?

An example of what I can get this stack of images of the #OrionNebula .

@catherinerhyde
Maybe a bit better framing would be nice, but a super image anyway.

When I make use of the Harvard-Smithsonian #MicroObservatory I get to pick targets from their moderate list, but I have no control over the framing. This #Andromeda image illustrates the problem.

@rsliva
That's a spectacular #M31 image. I envy you the equipment to take images like that. I envy you even the 5 inch refractor.

I offer for your sense of humor my cheat image. I used the Harvard-Smithsonian #MicroObservatory, a system of a half dozen or so 6 inch Maksutov-Newtonian telescopes available to the public. I provided my own image reduction and stacking software to get this image.

@philo @world_beauty
Nuts is right. I was able to use the Chili based #MicroObservatory to capture Omega Centauri also. I'd love to be able to observe it with one of my scopes, but that's unlikely to happen.

@world_beauty
Fantastic.

Being in the northern hemisphere, I've never seen it. But I became aware of the #microobservatory a couple of years ago. It's composed of a half dozen or so 6 inch Mak-newts, mostly in either Arizona or Massachusetts.

For a time though one was in Chile, and I was able to process an image of 47 Tucanae taken with it. Cheating in a way, as it's not my telescope, but a public one.

@catherineryanhyde
That's a terrific photo.

I tried the #RosetteNebula with the #MicroObservatory, and barely got an image. Their photo equipment is beyond most amateur astronomers' equipment, but is old. Plus the web site allows a max of a 60 second exposure. That just isn't sufficient for that target.

#StarGeezer

@photo
Clear atmosphere always helps. So from what I'm reading the objective lens is about 90mm in diameter?

You did better than my #M42 effort using the publicly available #MicroObservatory 6 inch Mak-Newts.

#StarGeezer

@world_beauty
Can you briefly describe the equipment used for that very good image?

I used the publicly available #MicroObservatory to get this image of the #TrantulaNebula. They provide 6 inch Mak-Newts. I don't have equipment that can adequately do star photography, so occasionally I use the Micro Observatory.

The raw images take some considerable processing, and I get enjoyment by providing my own #software for that purpose.

I tried for a couple of days to use the publicly available Micro Observatory to get a color image of the Andromeda galaxy. But during the times my request was enacted weather was always poor.

So I did the next best thing and went to their image archive for the last few days and found a time when the weather was clear, and found an r, g, b set of Andromeda images. I processed and aligned the components and was able to get the following color image of M31.

#M31 #MicroObservatory #StarGeezer

@ComradeRobot
That's a beautiful shot, especially being in color.

Do tell me, is this cheating? Not having the proper equipment for serious #StarPhotography, I make use of the publicly available #MicroObservatory. The Observatory makes available a half dozen 6" #Mak-Newts from different locations.

I can schedule and get raw b/w and R G B images. I then use software I've created to process and produce final results, like the #Andromeda photo below.

@PaulGreene @AlexSanterne
I don't have the tracking equipment to compete with that. I have the optics, but not the tracking.

I've make do by using the publicly available #MicroObservatory, a Harvard Smithsonian project. They make available a half dozen 6" #Mak-Newts, and on this occasion one in Chile. I processed the raw RGB images with my own software.

The #CarinaNebula, Micro Observatory 6" image.

@alrouen @AlexSanterne
That's a great shot.

Do you have some kind of auto-guider, as your tracking is spot on?

I don't have any way to take "through the scope" star images because of tracking. When I get the urge, I sometimes use the #MicroObservatory, a publicly available collection of about 6 Mak-Newts. They will send you a raw image through email, and you must reduce it.

A good option if you don't have astro-equipment, but have computer.

#DumbBell, #AstroPhotography, #StarGeezer

@catherineryanhyde
#StarGeezer

I cannot compete with you on small field #AstroPhotography. I have only have #PiggyBack star photography capability.

To get your quality of images, I've used the publicly available #MicroObservatory. The half dozen or so telescopes are 6 inch Mak-Newts. One can schedule targets and get emails of raw images. I process them with a Yorick program.

It's a solution for those lacking equipment but having computer.

Here's my best #M15.

@DavidBflower
That's a nice image. Was that a #piggyback, maybe using a telephoto?

Here's my best effort. Yeah, it's kind of another cheat, taken with the publicly available #MicroObservatory. More of these of these photos and my supporting logic is at

https://afterdark-skies.blogspot.com/p/microobservatory-photography.html?m=1