Philip's Astrophotography - Latest Additions

Yes, I admit it....I've got my eyes on the stars above. The apparition of Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997 encouraged me to try my hand at astrophotography. To see and learn more about the now-departed Comet Hale-Bopp and astronomy in general, check out Topi Tuomi's Backyard Astronomy Page.

The local astronomy club, of which I am a member, the Oglethorpe Astronomical Association, also has its own web page. Check it out for computer-generated star charts and local activities. Also, Becky Lowder of the Statesboro Astronomy Club is very active with her organization.

Check my good friend Andy Backburn's new Astronomy/Astrophotography Webpage .

In case you decide to venture into the strange world of astrophotography (inhabited by even stranger creatures armed with old 35mm cameras), read my next page entitled-

Things to Remember For The Would-Be Astrophotographer

Be Afraid......Be Very Afraid!

For additional astronomy links, go to my list of favorite sites on my personal page.

Keep in mind, however, that this astrophotographer has only been clicking away since mid-March, 1997. I am still learning the vagaries of my Olympus OM-2, which I absolutely love. I recently spent an obscene amount on a Vixen newtonian reflector, so I have even more complexities to deal with in addition to those already inherent in astrophotography. Also see the index page of this site for other photos taken using this instrument.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves.....look at the pretty pictures first!!

Conjunction of Jupiter and Venus - Fort Pulaski Bridge, Savannah, Georgia

This photograph was taken on February 20th, 1999, at 7:15 PM. I was using Fuji ASA 800 film, about a 1 second exposure, and the lens was set at F/2. Venus is the brighter and lower of the two planets. Several other OAA members met me at the site after I took this picture in order to see the Iridium satellite pass. This photograph is particularly pretty since the last bits of glow from the sunset are still visible.

Conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, with Mercury below - The Salt Flat at Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, Georgia

This photograph was taken on February 22th, 1999, at 7:30 PM. Andy Blackburn and I travelled to the park in hopes of escaping the massive western skyglow from downtown Savannah, which is evident to some degree in the picture taken from Ft. Pulaski. If you look just above the treeline below Jupiter and Venus, you will see Mercury low on the horizon. The particulars are identical to the Ft. Pulaski picture with regards to exposure, film, etc.

The Great Nebula in Orion as Imaged from Nashville, Georgia

This photograph is perhaps my third of this object, taken on November 27th, 1999. This time I used my newest instrument; the Vixen R200SS 8" F/4 Newtonian reflector on a GP-DX mount. The dual axis drive system is the Vixen SkySensor 2000PC. The exposure was 1 minute using Fuji 800 ASA film. No guiding was used....only the clock drive was turned on after polar alignment. This was my first attempt at photography with the new scope...not quite point and shoot, mind you. The original photograph was not printed very conscientiously by the developer. As a consequence, this image has been processed somewhat with Paint Shop Pro 5 and cropped. The negatives, however, look fine. Its very difficult nowadays to find a decent place to get one's film developed. The photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy on the home page was also processed and cropped.

Click Here for More Astrophotos...

Haydn go seek?

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Page last updated on December 12th, 2003 by Philip Neidlinger