Medicine for Melancholy

[pyat]

"One always looks to the heavens for
solutions to one's problems...but
many times one finds the simplest of
answers to the most sublime questions
in one's very own backyard."
-Edwarde Younge


A lot of my friends seem to be a bit run down this February. I know I was feeling rather run down and run over last week. I took a few minutes to do some stargazing tonight, as it was not freakishly cold for once. I took some photos. I'm pleased with the results.


I even made an effort to resolve Venus as a disk, but the zoom is not quite up to it.


Orion's Belt looking bright and alien.

Comments

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

I like those quite a bit! It's nice to see some stars in the winter.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Thanks Jenn! And yes, it is. :)

[slwatson.livejournal.com]

Nice shots!

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[catsarah.livejournal.com]

Did you crop that photo? I can't seem to get a decent shot of the moon :(

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I did crop it fairly closely, yup.

Pyat's Moon Shots

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

(http://flickr.com/photos/ankhorite/3265348895/)My dearest savant_da_rat laughed at me cuz he got to your entry before I did. "Pyat's moon shots are better than yours."

Oh, indeed they are. :)

Savant watched me struggle yesterday to get some moon shots of my own.

I used a tripod! And a timer! And the focus is still too soft. Why?

Re: Pyat's Moon Shots

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I like that one! It's pretty.

As for focus, I'm not sure. Though, I know the atmosphere is cloudier and murkier in warmer temps.

Re: Pyat's Moon Shots

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

Hmmm! That was a fairly warmish evening, so perhaps that's it. Thanks!

I put up several more moon shots here (http://flickr.com/photos/ankhorite/tags/moon/), a bit different from those you've already seen.

Thanks for visiting and for the comment! A lot of what everyone posts on Flickr or other photo sites just goes unseen (and unremarked).

Pyat's Moon Shots, PS

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

I meant to say how much I like the shot of Orion.

And also, this (http://flickr.com/photos/ankhorite/2415332474/in/set-72157602243080917/), but I'm not mad about the soft focus on the moon in this one because I wanted the oak branches sharp.

In the sycamore shot above, I wanted the branches to be bokeh and the moon sharp—and instead got blurry branches and a too-soft moon. Grrr!

Okay, stargazing is more relaxing for some of us than others.

[shadow-maze.livejournal.com]

Now I have to get my own digital camera and take some moon shots too!

Venus is in a crescent phase at the moment, even though it looks very bright.

Keep looking up!

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Definitely! Post 'em up, too!

You really need a tripod, though, and a camera that lets you adjust the aperture or shutter speed, otherwise the moon comes out as a big white blob.

[shadow-maze.livejournal.com]

You may have this link, but an interesting site which often has links to some neat amateur and professional sky photography is www.spaceweather.com

They are also great for providing advanced notice of comets, eclipses, interesting conjunctions, etc.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

That is very cool. When I get some spare income, one of these days I'm going to buy a new telescope. Mine is pretty battered - the tripod is a frankenstein if bits from a camera tripod and the original telescope mount, and I've lost most of the lenses.