Perseids?

[soosh]

this may not be exactly where I’m talking about out north, but I think it is. I remember it right down to the gates. If it’s not, it’s somewhere in the general area, and can be found just by looking for the highest spot with a road going up it.

6916 N Cincinnati Ave E

[CauseISaidSo]

Hey, just out of curiosity, where are you going out of town to view stars? I grew up in Tulsa from 1968-97, with the exception of a few years down in Norman at school.

Don’t remember where I saw it (maybe your FB?), but I knew that you’re from these parts. My wife graduated from Memorial in ’82. I’m a Bixby graduate myself from ’80. I lived here from ’68-’86 and just moved back again in ’02.

I’ll have to check out the places you mention. You know, in all my years of living in Tulsa, I’ve never made it to Turkey mountain. They’ve actually got mountain bike and hiking trails there now, although after-hours activity is most likely still illegal.

The place I went for the meteors is just outside of Haskell. I like country roads/highways when riding my cycle (less idiots to deal with and better scenery) and I’d driven this section many times in the day and just thought it would be ideal for star watching since it’s so flat and relatively far away from the city lights. Turns out it was a pretty good place; I’ll definitely be going back there for future astral events, although they’ll have to be somewhat significant since it’s a bit of a drive.

Anyway, my actual location was within a few yards of here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=N4150+Rd,+Haskell,+OK&sll=35.815255,-95.625815&sspn=0.016774,0.032938&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=N4150+Rd,+Haskell,+Wagoner,+Oklahoma+74436&t=h&ll=35.819727,-95.621138&spn=0.033546,0.065875&z=15

What took you to Alaska, if you don’t mind me asking?

[chupathingie]

When you say “mount”, are you referring to a star-tracking mount (i.e., one that will automatically move to keep the celestial objects in the same position versus time)? Sorry if that’s a stupid question, but I’m more or less a complete noob when it comes to astrophotography.

Yup… tracking mount. The one I’m eyeing is overkill for just a camera and telephoto lens, but plans are to have a 10″ F5 to ride on it.

If you’re just planning on starting out with a camera and lens, google up plans for a “barn door tracker”; a relatively easily constructed cheap alternative. There really are a great number of objects that are huge in the sky, just too faint to see unaided and a zoom lens is more than enough to capture them. Better glass=better images of course, all other factors being equal. The andromeda galaxy for instance extends about 4 degrees, or 7-8 times the size of the full moon.

If you have a scope, a tracking mount is almost a must. I’ve seen some awesome images done with manual guiding, but the patience and endurance it takes to keep a guide star in one spot for several hours is more than I’m willing to attempt.

You’re only about 6 hours from me, maybe next summer we can get a weekend shoot together if I manage to get all my gear scared up. I’ve got some mag6 skies less than an hour from the house here.

Heck, with the folks in Phoenix maybe getting interested we could all converge in Albuquerque and set up in the mountains out towards Taos somewhere. There is some seriously pristine sky out that way.

[CauseISaidSo]

You’re only about 6 hours from me, maybe next summer we can get a weekend shoot together if I manage to get all my gear scared up. I’ve got some mag6 skies less than an hour from the house here.

Heck, with the folks in Phoenix maybe getting interested we could all converge in Albuquerque and set up in the mountains out towards Taos somewhere. There is some seriously pristine sky out that way.

That would be awesome! And thanks again for the info.

I don’t have a scope. I have some decent glass, but it may be not enough for this? F/2.8 70-200mm, plus 1.3x tele-extender.

[chupathingie]

Oh, just a reference you folks might find useful as a bookmark:
http://www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/

[chupathingie]

“CauseISaidSo wrote:

I don’t have a scope. I have some decent glass, but it may be not enough for this? F/2.8 70-200mm, plus 1.3x tele-extender.

That sounds like an outstanding piece of glass for doing AP with. As fast as that is, you’ll be able to stop it down a bit to cut down on chromatic aberration/coma and still be able to pull off F4 likely. I’ve noticed that even Canon’s L Series glass shows flaws when used for AP (hard to get more demanding than pinpoints that are 10 stops brighter than the background).

[orionid]

Heck, with the folks in Phoenix maybe getting interested we could all converge in Albuquerque and set up in the mountains out towards Taos somewhere. There is some seriously pristine sky out that way.

*glances at expedia for arbitrary week in mid january* *sees that it’s cheaper than expected at $315* Hmmm…. *glances at budget, cringes* *thinks about a whole lotta oatmeal and mac and cheese*

Keep me and Kes informed. Just don’t schedule it over mardis gras.

[CauseISaidSo]

If anyone’s interested in more of an event setting, there’s also the annual Okie-Tex Star Party hosted by the OKC astronomy club. They go to a ranch just inside the OK border in the Black Mesa area of the panhandle:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36%C2%B053.87%27+N,+102%C2%B0+57.12+W&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=65.645551,134.912109&ie=UTF8&ll=36.465472,-103.125916&spn=2.129269,4.216003&t=h&z=9

It’s at 4439 ft altitude (highest pt in OK) and their website claims that it offers “some of the darkest skies anywhere in the Southwest.” It’s usually held in Oct every year (10/2 – 10/10 this year).

[ravnostic]

You’re only about 6 hours from me, maybe next summer we can get a weekend shoot together if I manage to get all my gear scared up. I’ve got some mag6 skies less than an hour from the house here.

Heck, with the folks in Phoenix maybe getting interested we could all converge in Albuquerque and set up in the mountains out towards Taos somewhere. There is some seriously pristine sky out that way.

I’d be up for it; I’ll bring the scope (11 inches of light-bucket goodness, though only at f/6.7–but still–and I developed a piggy-back system for it. Now that I’m a permanent employee, I have vacation time so I can even get paid for it!

[chupathingie]

This got me to scouting out a possible location…
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=36.041882,-104.116745&spn=0.448611,1.144638&z=11
looks pretty appealing to me. It’s in a nice, dark hole in the light pollution map, federal land so it will have public access, and the Canadian River has carved a canyon through the western edge so there will be opportunity for hiking and terrestrial photography during the day. Atop the rim, it looks pretty flat so there should be plenty of horizon for some of the farther-south stuff near the center of the galaxy. It’s grassland, so there should be few if any trees to interfere.

Oh, and you BETTER be bringing the lightbucket, Rav! 😆

[ravnostic]

Oh, and you BETTER be bringing the lightbucket, Rav! 😆

How DARE you Sir! Threaten ME with a good time!!

‘Shoot the ball! I have a whole bucket full!’

I have an aunt in Cortez, Colorado–it’s also purdy derned dark there; or even better, Dolores CO, if we can find a hotel to accomodate the ‘teeming dozens’ of us…

[chupathingie]

hmmmm… know anyone who owns some land south/southwest of town by a few miles? Or even a hilltop with a trail (I’ll likely bring the Jeep anyway) that’s unlikely to be intruded upon with headlights/flashing blue/red strobes, etc…

As far as accomodations go, I’m good to go with a tent and bag, but I understand if others want something a bit more comfy and secure.

[orionid]

Hmm… October’s too soon, and mostly full on the schedule, and likewise January is also too soon, I just picked an arbitrary, non-holiday timeframe that was far enough away to not have the last-minute price-rise. As far as accommodations, tent and bag are fine by me, and definitely in budget, but Kestrana has recently stated that she had enough camping this year. If y’all do something sooner, that’s cool but if sometime next summer, another itch starts drawing you guys out to the desert, by all means let us know. Maybe between the three of you, someone can show me what I’m doing wrong with the mount on my scope.

Or, I could completely throw off the airlines by checking the big-ass newt as an oversized, overweight, fragile baggage. That should only cost another $300 or so. Hell, maybe I’ll just buy it a ticket of its own and carry it on.

[Kestrana]

Well when I said that I meant, we don’t have to plan another camping trip this year since we were looking at our other travel options, but I would be fine with camping for this trip.

[chupathingie]

I was actually thinking for this (if it actually garners enough interest) to be a late spring thing next year. I have little time to spare this year, and plan on working as much OT as I can pry out of the folks paying me.

May/June will see Scorpio high up due south in the middle of the night. The temps aughtta be decent, and night time temps in the 60’s should be the norm (good for thermal noise on long exposures). That’s for the site I was originally looking at in NE NM. If we go out towards Rav’s suggested area, we’ll be an additional 2500 feet up (at about 7,000 feet) which means cooler temps at night (better for imaging) at the expense of a very marginal increase in light pollution (there’s not a lot of difference between the 2 locales on the LP front, and the difference in altitude may very well cancel that out). Also, Rav’s location is near Mesa Verde, something I’ve always wanted to see (cliffside ruins).

Probably the biggest thing we should consider is if we can set up “camp” for the all-night shoots out away from other folks and any courtesy/safety lighting. I’d hate to keep the normal people up all night, or have to deal with the streetlight over the bathrooms…

Not to mention I STILL need to pull the trigger on that Losmandy.

[Author]

Posts