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

[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.