Astronomy

add news feed

post a story

I've given the astrophotography and astronomy a little bit of a break for a while. Work and family commitments have kept me away from the dark skies for quite some time. I'm off to Australia son and hope to take some wide field shots dow...
I've given the astrophotography and astronomy a little bit of a break for a while. Work and family commitments have kept me away from the dark skies for quite some time. I'm off to Australia son and hope to take some wide field shots down there, so will hopefully have some interesting shots to share when I get back.In the meantime, check out my new photography site here. I've been spending more time shooting motorsports and photojournalism.this past year, picking up the odd official gig here and there.Have a safe summer, and more astro images to come soon!Cheers,Phil
34 minutes ago
Having followed the activities of a small army of freelance space imagers that lurk in various places on the internet for about 10 years now — it is truly unusual for me to come across images that I know I have not seen before. Michael B...
Having followed the activities of a small army of freelance space imagers that lurk in various places on the internet for about 10 years now — it is truly unusual for me to come across images that I know I have not seen before. Michael Benson’s exhibit titled, “Planetfall” at the American Association for the Advancement of Science offers [...]
about 1 hour ago
<p><a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130617.html"><img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_130617.jpg" align="left" alt="What creates these long and nearly straight grooves on Mars?" border="0" /></...
<p><a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130617.html"><img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_130617.jpg" align="left" alt="What creates these long and nearly straight grooves on Mars?" border="0" /></a> What creates these long and nearly straight grooves on Mars?</p><br clear="all"/>
about 1 hour ago
Bokeh. There’s that word again. It’s one of the most obsessed-over words in photography, from how to pronounce it to how to “make it.” It often seems as if too many photographers — primarily newer practitioners — have placed ...
Bokeh. There’s that word again. It’s one of the most obsessed-over words in photography, from how to pronounce it to how to “make it.” It often seems as if too many photographers — primarily newer practitioners — have placed a disproportionate premium on the concept of bokeh without fully understanding what it is. Bokeh originates from the Japanese word meaning “blur” or “haze.” As it relates to photography, bokeh refers to the aesthetic quality of a photograph’s out of focus areas, including the specular highlights that most easily reveal a lens’ aperture shape (often rendered as the bright circles that people so love); it does not refer to the blur caused by subject or camera movement. Bokeh is not a quantitative concept; unlike lens aperture or shutter speed, bokeh has no associated system of measurement. What matters is the quality of the blur, not the amount. Accordingly, bokeh is a rather subjective idea; one person’s opinion of “good” bokeh may not fall in line with another person’s opinion. ? The Drongo Love ? Happy Valentine’s Day ? by VinothChandar, on Flickr As you may have gathered from the brief definition above, bokeh is a feature of a photograph, not necessarily a feature of a lens. Lenses do, however, possess certain design characteristics that affect how the bokeh is rendered in photo. There are scenes that just sort of lend themselves to producing smooth, creamy bokeh even with not-so-great lenses, while other scenes — such as those with harsh lighting or lots of specular highlights — present a much greater challenge. It is in situations like these where the quality of the lens will have a more noticeable impact on the quality of the bokeh, but there is no such thing as a perfect bokeh lens. Which brings us back to the point of subjectivity. You probably have your own ideas of what constitutes good bokeh, so it is important to understand how the lens you are using renders blur. It’s no different than knowing at which apertures or focal lengths your lens vignettes; some photographers like vignetting and use it to great artistic effect. Others hate it. There’s no right or wrong here; lenses are tools that you have to learn and master in order to make the most of them. Hu Jieqiong by Jonathan Kos-Read, on Flickr The lens, of course, isn’t the only thing that plays a role in creating bokeh. What follows are some tips on how to bring together a number of factors that will help you achieve the “best” possible bokeh in your shots. Use a large aperture. To be more specific, use the largest aperture (smallest f-number) available on your lens. A large aperture decreases depth of field, dramatically isolating focus on a narrow part of your subject. Everything surrounding this focal point will be blurred, thus creating bokeh. Use a fast lens. Lens speed refers to the maximum aperture (smallest f-number) of a lens; the larger the maximum aperture, the faster the lens is considered to be (f/1.8 is faster than f/4), the more light you can let in, the more you can decrease depth of field, the more likely your image is to exhibit smooth, pleasing to the eye out of focus areas. Go long. Zoom lenses are often criticized for not being up to par with the image quality of prime lenses (though there are some notable exceptions), but if you have a zoom lens, use it to your advantage. Zooming in on your subject will separate it from the rest of the scene and, depending on your lens, should leave you with beautiful bokeh. Move in. The closer you get to your subject, the blurrier the background will be. Every lens has a minimum focusing distance (MFD); this is simply a measure of how close you can be to your subject and still lock focus. The concept of getting in close to your subject while blurring the background is maximized in macro lenses. Any lens can be used this way, however, though to considerably less dramatic effect. And it’s probably not advisable for most portrait work. Blades of glory.
about 6 hours ago
Carnival of Space #306 is now up at the Urban Astronomer. There is a Black Hole Bonanza, science outreach in libraries, Martian Streambeds, robotics for space development and more! Clank on over and have a read.
Carnival of Space #306 is now up at the Urban Astronomer. There is a Black Hole Bonanza, science outreach in libraries, Martian Streambeds, robotics for space development and more! Clank on over and have a read.
about 17 hours ago
After images are added to the database they are cataloged to provide metadata. Note that the number of records returned by the link will be less than the number of newly cataloged photographs if some of those cataloged photographs have ...
After images are added to the database they are cataloged to provide metadata. Note that the number of records returned by the link will be less than the number of newly cataloged photographs if some of those cataloged photographs have no digital image available.
about 17 hours ago
Images are added to the database prior to being cataloged for metadata. This makes them available for viewing while the catalog process is in work.
Images are added to the database prior to being cataloged for metadata. This makes them available for viewing while the catalog process is in work.
about 17 hours ago
The evening sky facing east in Sydney on June 20 at 5:05 pm AEST showing the waxing Moon just about to cover alpha2 Librae (Zubenelgenubi). (similar views will be seen from other locations at a similar local time eg 5:08 AEST Canberra). ...
The evening sky facing east in Sydney on June 20 at 5:05 pm AEST showing the waxing Moon just about to cover alpha2 Librae (Zubenelgenubi). (similar views will be seen from other locations at a similar local time eg 5:08 AEST Canberra). The inset shows a telescopic view of the Moon at 5:05 pm AEST, with alpha2 Librae about to go behind the Moon.The waxing Moon passes in front of the bright alpha2 Librae in the constellation of Libra on the evening of June 20. Alpha2 Librae, which rejoices in the name Zubenelgenubi, is a bright white star readily visible to the unaided eye (magnitude 2.8). The occultation will be seen from eastern Australia and South Australia. Everywhere else will see a nice, close approach. Appearance and disappearance times are shown in the table below.CityDisappears Dark LimbReappears Bright LimbAdelaide-17:23 ACSTBrisbane-18:05 AESTCanberra17:08 AEST18:08 AESTDarwin-1deg at twilightHobart17:28 AEST18:07 AESTMelbourne17:13 AEST18:03 AESTSydney17:06 AEST18:10 AESTPerth-1deg at twilight With the Moon not far from Full (23 June), this event is really best seen with binoculars or a small telescope (especially for the reappearance of the star on the bright limb of the Moon). If you have a tripod or other stand for your binoculars, it will be much easier to observe. Set up about half an hour before the occultation to watch the star dissapear (so you are not mucking around with equipment at the last moment).
about 18 hours ago
<p><a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130616.html"><img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_130616.jpg" align="left" alt="APOD Turns Eighteen " border="0" /></a> APOD Turns Eighteen </p><br...
<p><a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130616.html"><img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_130616.jpg" align="left" alt="APOD Turns Eighteen " border="0" /></a> APOD Turns Eighteen </p><br clear="all"/>
1 day ago
Another week comes to a close and Toad Hollow Photography has been very busy searching for the best links to tutorials, reviews, special features, great photography and interesting blogs to share here with everyone. This week’s li...
Another week comes to a close and Toad Hollow Photography has been very busy searching for the best links to tutorials, reviews, special features, great photography and interesting blogs to share here with everyone. This week’s list contains a little of everything, ranging from feel-good stories to abandoned power stations to huge landslides. We really hope you enjoy checking out these links as much as the Toad did in bringing this week’s list to you. Alien Onions – Explore #1 6/13/13 by goingslo, on Flickr TUTORIALS Using One Light in the Studio or On Location – sometimes the best solutions are the most straightforward, as is evidenced by this lighting setup discussed by Joe Farace. This simple setup produces striking results, as shown by the photograph Joe shares in the post to illustrate his key concept. REVIEWS Gear Review: LOWEPRO TRANSIT BACKPACK 350 AW – this is a great review, written by Ren Bostelaar, discussing the latest bag offerings from LOWEPRO. Ren’s great write-up includes a couple of images to show you how great the bag is full of gear, and he talks about how reliable and multi-faceted these items truly are. County Courthouse – Ehpem takes us to the County Courthouse in the San Juan Islands where he showcases the great architectural statement made by the building itself. He also shares a few shots showing different aspects of his processing on this image, including the use of the latest Topaz Labs offering Clarity. This presentation makes it easy to see the subtle differences and adjustments the varying algorithms make in the post-processing phase. SPECIAL FEATURES Video: Photographer Joe McNally Shoots From the Tallest Building in the World – what’s better than getting a chance to see one of your favorite photographers in the world behind the scenes at a shoot? How about a chance to see an amazing image unfold right in front of your eyes! This captivating video presentation takes us along as Joe McNally climbs to the tippy top of the highest building in the world to capture an iconic shot. Timelapse of a supercell near Booker, Texas – an epic natural event occurs as Mike Olbinski and his friend chase the perfect perspective to capture a time-lapse video of the unfolding phenomenon. The results of this forward thinking and hard work is a once in a lifetime time-lapse that strongly resembles a highly dramatic scene unfolding on another planet entirely. Simply Forgotten: Jon Crispin – this special feature documents the effects of people institutionalized earlier in the century. This project undertaken by Jon Crispin delivers a profound and poignant look into the fabric of the person these items once belonged to, leaving the visitor with a deep sense of sorrow for the lives spent and forgotten in these facilities. Kinsol Trestle – this refurbished wooden trestle is widely considered to be one of the largest of its kind in the world, and it happens to live just a few miles away from us. Local photographer Keith takes us along on a detailed exploration of this incredible piece of engineering, showcasing it from all angles. It’s absolutely amazing to see, and it happens to be one of our favorite subjects to visit. For comparison, here is a link to our gallery of Kinsol Trestle photographs. Power Plant Mega – Germany, May 2013 – a massive power plant facility, now long unused, forms the prime subject for Urbex explorers to visit and come away with an incredible set of photographs. The incredible scale of this place becomes evident as you spend time with each image posted, taking in the great details carefully composed to showcase the awesome size and scale. Massive landslide stops production at Bingham Canyon Mine – this is not just an amazing story, it’s also an amazing compendium of photographs documenting what is believed to be one of the largest recorded landslides in the US in history. Reading the article leaves the visitor
1 day ago