[Plamadude30k]

I was already leaning that way, anyway, so no worries. I guess I can post the bees now:

Taken in Hawaii a couple of years ago at christmas:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OYwFTvJvSLU0p0Y0MghrzA?feat=directlink

Taken in a previous trip to the Sierra, close to the same location (actually on buttermilk road, which fans of Galen Rowell may know of from some of his incredible pictures):
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TuR7cklTNUvg3cohKpZfhQ?feat=directlink

Same trip as the A-side milky way, just lots of stars. I might use this one in some other contest:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LsRnPesy_j82PcnxnlNmAw?feat=directlink

Almost exactly the same as the A-side milky way, I just like the colors in the A better. Also, a car drove across the bottom of the frame (which you can see).
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DnKChjTDgzk3njEzU7OWcQ?feat=directlink

The streetlight from my above post. Didn’t really turn out as well as I was hoping:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ki-Jw1T1kf3hGsZyJ-i63Q?feat=directlink

[Plamadude30k]

Alright, I’ll trust you on this one, rav. On your head be it if I completely fail! 🙂

[Plamadude30k]

GAAAH, I’m having a really hard time deciding this week. I’ve got 8 prospectives, which I’ve narrowed down pretty well such that I’m faced with one last decision. One of these will be an entry, one will be a bee, anybody care to help me decide which?

First:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ikBXxBcxAAkCTlsZeQUnuw?feat=directlink
I love this pic, but is it star-related enough for this contest?

Second:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ki-Jw1T1kf3hGsZyJ-i63Q?feat=directlink
Streetlight taken with a star filter. Is it interesting enough? Will enough people get it?

Any and all opinions welcome.

[Plamadude30k]

I’ve always thought using three different types of pictures (or three different interpretations of the theme) is the most interesting/fun way to do these contests, if not the most vote-intensive.

I agree 100%

After agreeing 100%, I find that I have only two categories at present. Heh. Mild facepalm.

I have another idea and might pull it off tomorrow after work…

I said it was the most fun and/or interesting way, not the only way to go. Time, budget, location, and other constraints usually prevent me from doing three substantially different photos in any given contest. This week’s photos are shaping up pretty nicely, though, I’m going to have a lot of Bs.

[Plamadude30k]

Those will be top 10-15.

That would be nice, but my original reading of the theme had me thinking astrophotography was only incidentally related. I’ve got lots of choices for this contest, but at MOST two will be nighttime stars. I’ve always thought using three different types of pictures (or three different interpretations of the theme) is the most interesting/fun way to do these contests, if not the most vote-intensive.

[Plamadude30k]

Another technique that gets used is LRGB imaging… the normal R,G, and B filtered images plus one unfiltered for a Luminance channel. Normally this is done with a dedicated CCD imager, which is monochromatic (hence the need for filters and I think what Plamadude30k is speaking about), but I think if one has a DSLR the RAWs can be de-Bayered; leaving a luminance channel at twice the resolution of a color RAW… I need to dig into this yet, I’ve been wanting to try de-Bayering for a while now just for grins…

edit: debayering does not affect resolution (just found some info and trying to make sense of it…)

Yes and yes. De-Bayering has been in the back of my mind for a while, but I’ve never found a program that can do it. If you work out some nifty interpolation routines, you can see how it’s possible to get the original resolution back (loosing only some edge pixels, which I believe is why DSLRs always list ‘effective’ megapixels in their stats). With science CCDs, that’s not much of a concern, though. We’re less concerned with prettiness than with data.

By the by, here’s a picture of the Montreal 4K CCD imager that I use for all my science observations (and for the odd pretty picture when I’m bored):
http://flic.kr/p/4MUVkj
It’s 16.7 Mp, the chip is 2″ on a side (actually two chips, 2″x1″ side-by-side), LN2 cooled, and backside thinned for increased blue spectral response. Also bit more expensive than your run-of-the-mill 16 Mp digital camera.

ANYway…stars. I actually bought a couple of star filters especially for this contest. I took an entire set of images from the top story of a high building in Albuquerque last time I visited my parents, only to find out that none of them were usable due to internal reflections from the double-paned windows up there. ARRRGH.

[Plamadude30k]

Hmm. Well, I’d better get to work then. I took a nice image of M3 last Thursday on the off chance I could use it for this contest. I hope it turns out well.

[Plamadude30k]

How could ANYBODY hate bacon?

[Plamadude30k]

Let me briefly explain what I mean by false-color imaging.

With big telescopes, the only way we have of making a full color image is taking separate images with different colored filters (the ones I typically use are Harris B, V, and R filters which have center wavelengths of 433, 546, and 647 nm respectively. I sometimes also use near IR and near UV filters.) This results in 3 black and white images at different wavelengths:

b: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Y1T_Tb6enZuc-MAAiMF35BxSdVnS5UXY6FXQUhEu-Uw?feat=directlink
v: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FWs6OJHJzFphuAhfcFbPjhxSdVnS5UXY6FXQUhEu-Uw?feat=directlink
r: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PoQMN-Hp08YBuNRiMA9ZuhxSdVnS5UXY6FXQUhEu-Uw?feat=directlink

After some (relatively minor) noise-reduction techniques, there are a couple of ways I can turn these three images into one color one. The easiest way involves a program called SAOimage DS9, where I can load each of the images in the appropriate color (for example, the r image will be red). I’ve used other methods in the past, but those are way more time intensive-this is probably the simplest. Here’s a result using that method (without applying any noise-reduction):

color: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NUUH7qWas58IRqc56RQVFRxSdVnS5UXY6FXQUhEu-Uw?feat=directlink

I know for sure that this is way beyond the usual farktography rules, and wouldn’t be used in any normal contest. If I can’t use any images like this in this particular contest, I’ll just wait for the next astro-themed one.

[Plamadude30k]

A comment in another thread made me start thinking about this one, and I’ve got a question: Is exposure stacking/false color image manipulation allowed for this contest? I’m assuming not, but I want to make sure just in case.

[Plamadude30k]

Great stuff this week, gang. I’m looking forward to a stellar smackdown next week between Soosh, Ravnostic and Plamadude.

Crap, expectations. I actually don’t have any advantage in that contest, since I can’t use my giant research telescope-those images require way more software processing than allowed.

[Plamadude30k]

Wow–Choc-Ful-A–nice!! There’s a lot of really good ones, actually. Plamadude‘s opera theatre, sleeping‘s mail, millera9‘s skylight and stadium seats among them. It’s going to be a good race!

Thanks, Rav, I love your succulent and butterfly but I have to note you didn’t mention U-man‘s icy chain link fence. When I saw that one, I almost gave up on this contest-just amazing.

[Plamadude30k]

Heh heh. They’re building 3 more just like that, you know. And I’m going to be working there for the next half a decade!

You may also be interested in it’s main competition (not online yet, or for quite a while probably) here: http://www.lsst.org/lsst

the LSST will come with a 3200 Mp camera to the PanSTARRS 1400 Mp (though there will be 4 PanSTARRS telescopes and just one LSST).

As it happens, they’re building that one where I am currently! It’s a good time to be an observational astronomer.

[Plamadude30k]

plama, love that Sandia shot.

Thanks, I was really tempted to go with it, but the cables from the tram in the bottom left are what made me shy away. The set that shot came from was taken just a few days after I got my camera, so the fact that I got a good shot out of it was heartening.

Also, thanks U-Man, the fact that you agree with my choices actually makes me feel better about them. Still, I don’t think this week is going to be one of my better showings. I’m just hoping I’ll keep my average up.

[Plamadude30k]

I have many bees…and a feeling that I’ll choose wrong. 🙂

Is there one among us who doesn’t go through this, weekly? I have three b’s to share (which ain’t bad for a guy living in Phoenix):

I’m right there with ya, buddy. I’ve got two bees and I’m really worried about my choices this week, but I decided to be brave for once.

Aforementioned b-sides:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9mlPf2wZcHTp320ULyxg7A?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zs_304DJXK0gS90t47j_vw?feat=directlink

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