Astronomy

<p><a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130525.html"><img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_130525.jpg" align="left" alt="Lunar Corona over Cochem Castle" border="0" /></a> Lunar Corona over Cochem Castle</p><br clear="all"/>

Did you miss the eclipse and why did I NOT mention it? First off, don’t worry, you didn’t miss much if anything. Secondly I didn’t mention it because, well if you look at the cartoon depicting the eclipse you’d soon ask and answer the same question I did – would it even be noticable? Probably not. Hope everybody in the US is enjoying the holiday weekend. Even if it was the best eclipse going, it wouldn’t matter. The weather here is about as miserable as it can be – without being destructive that is – windy and rain / snow with a temperture of 6oC / 43oF. Snow? Yes, snow, not right on me yet but only a few miles away at elevation. So everyone stay safe this weekend no matter where you are. I am going to town to get a few things I need for a project and perhaps I will start it – building a new ultra-light spinning rod. Seems like a good thing to do on a weekend like this. Image: Wikimedia Commons

<p><a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130524.html"><img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_130524.jpg" align="left" alt="A close series of consecutive exposures are combined in this intriguing" border="0" /></a> A close series of consecutive exposures are combined in this intriguing</p><br clear="all"/>

Join us once again as we enjoy this list of links from Toad Hollow Photography that shares the best tutorials, reviews, special features, collections, great photography and interesting blogs found during the week.  This comprehensive list showcases some of the very finest artists in the field of photography, and we hope you enjoy checking out these links as much as the Toad did in bringing them to you. Always with you ! (Explore 19/5/13) by Craig Sunter, on Flickr TUTORIALS Lightroom 5 Features: Using the Radial Filter – this 10 minute video tutorial takes the viewer through the process of using the new radial filter feature in Lightroom 5.  This terrific new feature allows the artist to non-destructively apply local changes to an image being worked on, helping to simplify the process of creating great imagery. Photoshop Tutorials: Advanced Masking – this is a highly advanced tutorial that takes the reader through the entire process of using different approaches and features for advanced masking in post-processing.  Plenty of screenshots are included and sample images illustrate the finer key points being presented. 50 Incredible Photography Techniques and Tutorials – this is a pretty epic collection of links featuring great tutorials and articles on many different photography techniques and genres.  Some of the sample shots included really give the reader an idea of what to shoot for, if you’ll pardon the pun, with a particular project. 10 Things You Don’t Know About Working With Models – Diana Elizabeth shares some great insights into shooting and working with models in photography.  These brief and concise points are full of common-sense tips and tricks, helping to expose some insights into this specific genre of work. Photographing People is Not Just About Equipment… – another article on the art of photographing people, this one penned by Joe Farace.  Joe really does a great job of sharing insight into two categories of models, letting the viewer learn a little on how to direct a shoot better. REVIEWS The Latest Evolution In Post-Processing: Topaz Clarity Review – how about a new review from yours truly, the Toad here, for a change of pace?  We were recently asked by Topaz Labs to take their latest plug-in for image post-processing, called Clarity, out for a try.  We post a detailed review on the product and show an image we created using it as an example, walking the reader through the act of post-processing the shot using these new tools. SPECIAL FEATURES Lahore Inferno: Losing the battle with fire – WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT – this is an important story, one that shows another side to the craft of photography.  Damir Sagolj bears witness and photographs a dramatic story unfolding right in front of him and his camera, forever documenting the raw horror as desperate people fought to live, many of them ultimately losing the battle.  We can all honor the memory of those people by sharing the story with others, with the hope of preventing a future tragedy of this sort from ever happening again. A Mysterious Place: Hengki Koentjoro – mysterious doesn’t even begin to describe the images taken by Hengki Koentjoro, all taken in the depths of the ocean in black-and-white.  This brief collection represents a small sampling of his incredible portfolio, and if you spend some time exploring his pieces you will find it time well spent, indeed. Most incredible volcano footage ever – this minute long YouTube video contains something I almost guarantee you’ve never seen before.  What I have to believe would have to be certifiable lunatics stand right on the very edge of an active volcano that boils and bubbles mere feet away from where they stand.  Dressed in protective suits, any kind of an event in the volcano would have catastrophic consequences, making these some very brave individuals. COLLECTIONS Wheels on Academy: Cary Classic Car Show 2013 – Jason Knight heads

New polar-topo maps of Saturn’s moon Titan. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/JHUAPL/Cornell/Weizmann Anybody know how accurate the splining is given the data sets available? From the JPL site: These polar maps show the first global, topographic mapping of Saturn’s moon Titan, using data from NASA’s Cassini mission. To create these maps, scientists employed a mathematical process called splining, which uses smooth curved surfaces to “join” the areas between grids of existing topography profiles obtained by Cassini’s radar instrument. The topography maps at bottom focus on the polar regions (north at left, south at right) in stereographic projection. The top maps show the 2-D radar data in gold and black, with topography data color-coded by elevation. The bottom images are from the new topography map, with contour lines added at 656 feet (200 meters) apart in elevation. Visible are deep basins at 72 degrees south latitude and 20 degrees east longitude, and a wider basin at 68 degrees south latitude and 105 degrees east longitude. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and ASI, the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the US and several European countries.

Asteroid 1998 QE2, 24 May, 5x120 second exposures stacked in ImageJ and MAX Z-project applied. R filter, iTelescope T9,Animated GIF from the 5 framesI may be wrong in my assessment of the ability of iTelescopes to track Asteroid 1998 QE2 with automated tracking, it might be just a tad too fast at closest approach on May 31. Will try a couple of approaches over the next few days and see if I can catch its rotation period (if the Moonlight isn't too much of an issue, but closer to maximum approach I can use shorter exposures).

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.

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.

<p><a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130523.html"><img src="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_130523.jpg" align="left" alt="Beautiful barred spiral" border="0" /></a> Beautiful barred spiral</p><br clear="all"/>

Light Stalking is one of the biggest photography resources in the world and is seen by nearly a million photographers each month.  Chock full of frequently published articles and great photography uploaded by the Light Stalking community, it’s easy to see they we are so popular.  With so much to sift through, it can be easy to miss some of the important, helpful and inspiring content we have to offer.  So, we have decided to sum it up for you every week.  Here is what you missed on Light Stalking this week. Photo of the Week Congratulations to roni chastain for this ghostly photo of the week, ‘Ghosting Effect’!  You can comment on this photo here. The Most Popular Stories from the Last 7 Days •95 Amazing Photography Links – It’s been a great week in the world of photography, as usual, and Toad Hollow Photography has done a great job of bringing the best of it to you.  Each week, he scours the internet for the best tutorials, collections, photos and photography blogs and compiles it all into one place.  Tutorials featured this week include a video tutorial on how to fix skin tone in Photoshop, posing tips for facial expressions and props such as hats, getting the perfect photo of a cup of coffee and camera settings for HDR photography.  Special features included this week include a photo collection of the body in nature, silhouettes in a giant moonrise, photos from a Camaro car show, starting a photography business in our bad economy and more!  Also, be sure to check out the image collections, great photography and photography blogs. •5 Tips to Male Your Photos More Compelling – We all want our photos to be as eye catching as possible, but sometimes it can be hard to know just how to begin improving them.  This article features a solid set of 5 composition tips that can be adapted to any skill level and style of photography.  The best advice of all is to simply slow down and really think about what you see before taking the photo, since getting the shot right in-camera is always ideal. •How to Jumpstart Your Photography With Self Assignments – Looking for spontaneous opportunities to practice the craft of photography is great.  However, these impromptu photography sessions may not always be the most educational.  A self assignment is exactly as it sounds.  Whatever your skill level in photography, you can benefit from assigning specific photographic tasks to yourself.  This article is broken down into three sections each aimed at different levels of photographers.  So, if you are a hobbyist, serious amateur or pro photographer you will find something helpful.  Finally, learning the technicalities of photography is always going to help you further your ability, but be careful not to burn yourself out.  Enjoy yourself in the process.  Isn’t fun ultimately why we became photographers in the first place? •How to Get Great Photo Effects With Camera Shutter Speed – Shutter speed is one of the three pillars of exposure in photography, along with aperture and ISO.  Thoroughly understanding it is vital to becoming an accomplished photographer.  The basic theory and application of shutter speed is discussed in this article.  How shutters work, what different shutter speeds do to an image and using shutter speed in panning are introduced.  However, as with all practical knowledge, it doesn’t do you any good unless you use it.  Practice.  Practice.  Practice. What You Missed in the Light Stalking Community Submit your photo to this week’s photography challenge – Details! Details can be large or small, but they are what make whatever you are shooting special in some way.  Perhaps they are abstract or perhaps they are realistic.  Whatever this subject means to you, we hope you share your photos of details with us in the forum. We have had some great responses to our last few photography challenges on the forum.  Last week’s photography challenge was Light!  This is about as open ended as you can get when it comes to