Photo observing log: 02 MAY 2003

Purpose:
Observe and photograph objects under new moon skies. Messier objects received attention, as well as rising Mars.

Location:
Sunrise Highway (alt. 4100'). Conditions: clear, calm winds.

Time:
Begin 00:20 PDT 02 MAY 2003, end 04:47 02 MAY 2003.

Best results:

M7 Ptolemy Cluster in Scorpius at 27 seconds. Image uncropped. 2003.05.02 00:48:28 800.0 mm 30 sec, f/5.7Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 1250 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,293KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions:CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

M57 Ring Nebula in Lyra. Image uncropped. 2003.05.02 01:12:41 800.0 mm 30 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 3200 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,398KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions: CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

M4 globular cluster in Scorpius. 2003.05.02 02:39:17 800.0 mm 30 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 3200 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,992KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions: CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

M99 spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices. M99 is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It is a diffuse object of mag 10.5 at distance 70000000 light years. It barely registers at the highest sensitivity and longest exposure. This is about the limit for this camera. 2003.05.02 01:43:08 800.0 mm 30 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 3200 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,680KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions:CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

M13 globular cluster in Hercules. Using a higher sensitivity than yesterday, more stars were resolved. 2003.05.02 02:49:25 800.0 mm 20 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 3200 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,815KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions:CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

M8 Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius. The tracking slipped a bit here. 2003.05.02 03:07:57 800.0 mm 20 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 3200 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 3,003KBImage size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions: CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

M20 Trifid Nebula and M21 open cluster in Sagittarius. 2003.05.02 03:08:42 800.0 mm 20 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 3200 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,996KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions: CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

4 Vesta in Virgo. It is making a sharp turn in Virgo. 2003.05.02 01:30:43 800.0 mm30 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 1250 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,062KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions: CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

2002 v4743 No. 3 nova in Sagittarius. The nova has diminished to magnitude 12. 2003.05.02 03:23:24 800.0 mm 30 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 1600 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,281KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions: CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

Satellite flyover. Identity unknown; possibly Cosmos 1867 according to starrynight pro. 2003.05.02 03:15:09 800.0 mm 8 sec, f/5.7 Mode: Manual Metering: Center-weighted average ISO: 1600 AF mode: Manual Focus Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1 White balance: Auto Color matrix 1: sRGB natural-looking hue and chroma Flash: Off File size: 2,075KB Image size: 2464 x 1648 Sharpness level: Off Custom Functions: CFn 3: Extended ISO sensitivity

Above exposures Canon EOS 1D, mounted on a Meade LXD300 eq mount. Image postprocessing included crop, resize and despeckle, and unsharp mask. Note that times displayed in the EXIF data are behind one hour (i.e., the camera is set to standard time not daylight time).

Star clouds in Scorpius and Sagittarius.

Disk of Mars. As Mars approaches this summer's opposition, its surface features become more clear. Eyepiece projection through Helios-Orion 8" f/5.

Delta Lyrae. Angular separation 10 minutes of arc. Eyepiece projection through Helios-Orion 8" f/5. More binary images in the Stars folder.

Conclusion:
The tracking ability of the Meade LX300 depends entirely on the tightness of the RA lock lever. A philips screwdriver must be kept on hand to keep adjustment. One of the legs on the Meade tripod failed, in that the lock failed to keep the leg extended.

All focus was attempted manually. The procedure requires manual focusing several images in sequence, in order that at least one sharp one is obtained.

NEXT LOG PREVIOUS LOG