No Nova again. Don't forget the webcast tomorrow at 2100 BST. Weather looks iffy in Italy though. Better here as it goes.
@Galu. Hmm... let's see 500 / (1.5 X 55)... about 6 seconds?
Voila!
Omicron 1 and 2. 2 is quite orange isn't it. Must be Red Type M.
I think this is artier... and we can see the third star.
Few random red pixels on some pictures tonight, and the black background is noisy. Must be the ISO 1600, since noise reduction is on. There is an ISO setting called Hi 1, but don't know what it does.
I shall go out and try it!
@Galu. Hmm... let's see 500 / (1.5 X 55)... about 6 seconds?
Voila!
Omicron 1 and 2. 2 is quite orange isn't it. Must be Red Type M.
I think this is artier... and we can see the third star.
Few random red pixels on some pictures tonight, and the black background is noisy. Must be the ISO 1600, since noise reduction is on. There is an ISO setting called Hi 1, but don't know what it does.
I shall go out and try it!
The high ISO setting and low light conditions introduce random noise which is "an unpredictable spread of imperfect pixels with either colour or intensity different from the surrounding pixels".
In terms we audio folks would recognise, you are suffering from a low signal to noise ratio!
The layman thinks "The more megapixels the better", but a sensor with 20 megapixels would actually produce more noise than your D60's 10 megapixels.
To squeeze in those extra 10 megapixels means they have to be shrunk in size so the gain has to be turned up to compensate, causing distortion.
I learned all this when I purchased my DSLR years ago. It only has 6 megapixels and I've never needed more for my purposes!
A quick search reveals that scrolling past the 1600 setting offers a HI-1 setting, which is one full EV step above 1600, equating to a value of 3200.
That (Boeing) Starliner capsule doesn't inspire me with much confidence! Awful Liquid Helium leaks which may affect the re-entry! Boeing are guessing IMO!
And praying. I'd feel safer coming back in the old reliable Russian Soyuz capsule. It is built like a tank!
I have already expressed my doubts about when this Nova will arrive, but at least my camera techniques are improving as we wait.
Maybe the (Advert Infested) Nova/Asteroid Web TV tonight at 2100 BST will explain it, if it is not in Italian...
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/
This Nikon lens business is a nightmare of different models and compatabilities...
My local CEX stores in Portsmouth and Portsmouth North End are low on lenses ATM. But a 55-200mm DX looks useful:
But there are about 4 versions of it. The VR (Vibration Reduction with the red lettering, which is essential in normal telephoto use) is the one to get, and I am not sure if the one here is that model!
FWIW, AF-P is no good on a D60 either. You need AF-S, as I have, or some things don't work.
But at least we have cleared up the ISO speed thing on Hi-1. Yes, it must be equivalent to ISO 3200. Thanks, @Galu.
And I have discovered that Professor Jim Al-Khalili (The famous BBC Radio 4 Physicist) lives only a 100 yards away from me. Perhaps I should pop round and ask him why the Nova is late?
And praying. I'd feel safer coming back in the old reliable Russian Soyuz capsule. It is built like a tank!
I have already expressed my doubts about when this Nova will arrive, but at least my camera techniques are improving as we wait.
Maybe the (Advert Infested) Nova/Asteroid Web TV tonight at 2100 BST will explain it, if it is not in Italian...
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/
This Nikon lens business is a nightmare of different models and compatabilities...
My local CEX stores in Portsmouth and Portsmouth North End are low on lenses ATM. But a 55-200mm DX looks useful:
But there are about 4 versions of it. The VR (Vibration Reduction with the red lettering, which is essential in normal telephoto use) is the one to get, and I am not sure if the one here is that model!
FWIW, AF-P is no good on a D60 either. You need AF-S, as I have, or some things don't work.
But at least we have cleared up the ISO speed thing on Hi-1. Yes, it must be equivalent to ISO 3200. Thanks, @Galu.
And I have discovered that Professor Jim Al-Khalili (The famous BBC Radio 4 Physicist) lives only a 100 yards away from me. Perhaps I should pop round and ask him why the Nova is late?
Last edited:
For sky photography, you really want a prime lens (a wide angle lens with no zoom).
I see that 24 mm or smaller is recommended, but these are prohibitively expensive.
This 35 mm one may be affordable, and will give a similar field of view as that of the human eye when mounted on your DX-format SLR.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S...+nikkor+35mm+f/1.8g+lens+,aps,439&sr=8-2&th=1
It won't fill the night sky with a blaze of light if that is what you think.
This nova will become as bright as the pole star, be visible for a short time and disappear from naked eye view for another 80 years.
The wider the aperture and the shorter the focal length the better. Best satisfied by a prime lens more expensive than the one I suggested!
An 85 mm telephoto lens would not be as good a choice as a 35 mm for Steve's purposes when it comes to minimising star trails.
Besides, I don't think Steve will be attempting to take a close-up shot of T Coronae Borealis.
What I am trying to figure out is also whether I can use this camera for Jupiter and Saturn.
Back to Omicron 1 Cygni:
The bright blue +4.8 one is 5.6 Arc Minutes from the Orange +3.8 one. The second +7.01 Blue one about 2 arcminutes. The Full Moon is 30 Arcminutes IIRC.
Here is 33.4" (arcseconds) Jupiter and Io currently. The other moons, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto must be about 4X as far away at around 2 to 4 arcminutes. They are about magnitude 5.
Saturn is visually about half the size of Jupiter discounting rings.
Based on what I have seen so far with 55mm, I reckon I will need 200-300mm to get much. Aperture another issue for brightness and focussing ease. Now must watch the webcast!
It may or may not appear here. I dunno...
Back to Omicron 1 Cygni:
The bright blue +4.8 one is 5.6 Arc Minutes from the Orange +3.8 one. The second +7.01 Blue one about 2 arcminutes. The Full Moon is 30 Arcminutes IIRC.
Here is 33.4" (arcseconds) Jupiter and Io currently. The other moons, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto must be about 4X as far away at around 2 to 4 arcminutes. They are about magnitude 5.
Saturn is visually about half the size of Jupiter discounting rings.
Based on what I have seen so far with 55mm, I reckon I will need 200-300mm to get much. Aperture another issue for brightness and focussing ease. Now must watch the webcast!
It may or may not appear here. I dunno...
Last edited:
At 200-300mm, you'll only be able to see their colour and the small round disc that distinguishes them from stars.
To see any detail of their surfaces you would need to use the "afocal method".
https://www.astronomyforbeginners.com/astrophotography/the-afocal-method/
9 people waiting on youtube... a minority interest it seems.
"Because of very high humidity and clouds, this event is now regretfully cancelled."
To be perfectly honest, I'm content with the simulation!
Close thing for The Azzurri. They scraped through against Croatia in the last minute. Must have been exhausting to watch for the faithful!
I have a computer simulation for purple Pallas, the third largest asteroid at 300 miles diameter, behind yellow Ceres which is about a 1000 miles across.
Blue is Jupiter, green is Mars and blue is us. Pallas has a very highly inclined orbit, so it goes way off the ecliptic. It is in an approx 1:1 resonance with Ceres.
No probe has visited it yet. Its orbit makes that difficult.
I have a computer simulation for purple Pallas, the third largest asteroid at 300 miles diameter, behind yellow Ceres which is about a 1000 miles across.
Blue is Jupiter, green is Mars and blue is us. Pallas has a very highly inclined orbit, so it goes way off the ecliptic. It is in an approx 1:1 resonance with Ceres.
No probe has visited it yet. Its orbit makes that difficult.
Pallas's orbit is 1.23 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point.
There's a nice orbital simulation here: https://www.spacereference.org/solar-system#ob=2-pallas-a802-fa
I advise you to click on "faster" three times!
There's a nice orbital simulation here: https://www.spacereference.org/solar-system#ob=2-pallas-a802-fa
I advise you to click on "faster" three times!
Hmm... that's weird. It looks like it's going retrograde initially. But if you look from directly above or below the Earth's orbit it is OK!
I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHED IT TONIGHT!
It's in there somewhere with image reduction at a 1/4 in pixels, but maybe Magnitude 10 is an ask....
18mm, 15s, ISO 800.
I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHED IT TONIGHT!
It's in there somewhere with image reduction at a 1/4 in pixels, but maybe Magnitude 10 is an ask....
18mm, 15s, ISO 800.
"IT" being T Coronae Borealis I assume.
I've just googled "Has T Coronae Borealis finally gone nova?".
Answer comes there none!
It appears you still have time to report your sighting and go down in astronomical history!
I had a bit of a scare for "My Place In History" when encountering this Star Chart of Corona Borealis when investigating the double star Nu 1 and 2 Bootis this morning.
https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/nu2-bootis-star
Could that blob bottom left be the Nova? Happily not. Just some fanciful optimists notion, not an auto update on a computer.
Nu Bootis has been discussed earlier. I shall definitely try and get a good snap since 10 arcminutes is within my ability. It looks quite pretty:
Now I really ought to try and get something USEFUL done today. Hasta La Vista, Star Fans.
https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/nu2-bootis-star
Could that blob bottom left be the Nova? Happily not. Just some fanciful optimists notion, not an auto update on a computer.
Nu Bootis has been discussed earlier. I shall definitely try and get a good snap since 10 arcminutes is within my ability. It looks quite pretty:
Now I really ought to try and get something USEFUL done today. Hasta La Vista, Star Fans.
I am back from my travels. I went in search of telephoto Nikon lenses. Starting with the CEX shop in Commercial Road:
Look, we got bombed in the war. You don't get nice architecture in Portsmouth. Alas, not a sausage.
I had to go to CEX Portsmouth North End and tried Cash Converters and Cash Dispensers while I was at it.
They had the two expected lenses, but the £55 55-200mm DX-ED was indeed not VR. Even worse it was metallic silver.
I can wait on this, since no planets are easily viewable right now.
There is little good to say about slummy North Portsmouth, except that swimsuit curvatious Penny Mordaunt is popular there.
I did however manage to cheer myself up in North End by going to "The Poor Shop", aka LIDL. Lots of cheap chocolatey things.
Weather clearing around midnight. We may see a Nova. Who knows?
Look, we got bombed in the war. You don't get nice architecture in Portsmouth. Alas, not a sausage.
I had to go to CEX Portsmouth North End and tried Cash Converters and Cash Dispensers while I was at it.
They had the two expected lenses, but the £55 55-200mm DX-ED was indeed not VR. Even worse it was metallic silver.
I can wait on this, since no planets are easily viewable right now.
There is little good to say about slummy North Portsmouth, except that swimsuit curvatious Penny Mordaunt is popular there.
I did however manage to cheer myself up in North End by going to "The Poor Shop", aka LIDL. Lots of cheap chocolatey things.
Weather clearing around midnight. We may see a Nova. Who knows?
I thought I'd discovered a new Nova tonight!
There between epsilon and delta. But it turned out to be a rogue noise pixel, like the red one near eta.
I was beavering away at broken symmetries in guage theories tonight, which explain why the W and Z bosons have mass.
Mexican hat potentials and vacuum energy and all that. Quite difficult still. Oh well.
I can recommend this visualisation of the Quantum Harmonic Oscillator with wave functions which I find interesting:
Recall that its energy levels include a zero-energy one of a half h(bar)w. And in the video we include linear and rotating oscillations, which are really just a phase shift in 2 linear ones.
But it occurred to me that even a classical pendulum has three degrees of freedom. Say x and y are each 1 unit horizontal amplitude.
So the sum is Root 2. Now the pendulum string can obey Hooke's Law which is the same potential, so we actually have a 1 unit vertical z oscillation too. Sums to Root 3.
But the three units of Energy all add nicely to 3. Because it's the square of the displacement.
What I found interesting, is the 2D and 3D Harmonic Oscillators both can have angular momentum, depending on the phase relationships, which is very like the Hydrogen Atom with n, l and m(l).
Spin m(s), not included.
Sort of Classical versus semi-classical and Quantum stuff that I like to think about.
There between epsilon and delta. But it turned out to be a rogue noise pixel, like the red one near eta.
I was beavering away at broken symmetries in guage theories tonight, which explain why the W and Z bosons have mass.
Mexican hat potentials and vacuum energy and all that. Quite difficult still. Oh well.
I can recommend this visualisation of the Quantum Harmonic Oscillator with wave functions which I find interesting:
Recall that its energy levels include a zero-energy one of a half h(bar)w. And in the video we include linear and rotating oscillations, which are really just a phase shift in 2 linear ones.
But it occurred to me that even a classical pendulum has three degrees of freedom. Say x and y are each 1 unit horizontal amplitude.
So the sum is Root 2. Now the pendulum string can obey Hooke's Law which is the same potential, so we actually have a 1 unit vertical z oscillation too. Sums to Root 3.
But the three units of Energy all add nicely to 3. Because it's the square of the displacement.
What I found interesting, is the 2D and 3D Harmonic Oscillators both can have angular momentum, depending on the phase relationships, which is very like the Hydrogen Atom with n, l and m(l).
Spin m(s), not included.
Sort of Classical versus semi-classical and Quantum stuff that I like to think about.
Last edited: