Sunset / sunrise pictures

[Guest Ferret1959]

Cheers matey.

[Steve Burke]

Tubular Belle - nice pics! The star photo you posted looks to be of the constellation Orion. Have you another of the Big Dipper, known as The Plough in the UK?

 

I'd add that I love star photos. I haven't taken any with my digital as the exposure is limited to 15 secs as I recall and even then I think is available only on fully manual. I especially like long exposures as these show trails as the stars move. Anything above roughly 20 to 30 secs on my 35mm with a standard lens used to show star trails, depending on how far from the celestial pole the stars are. Orion is on the celestial equator so is easier to get its stars to trail - but on the other hand harder to get the stars to show as points of light.

 

If you take a long exposure pic of the pole star in the northern hemisphere you can clearly see that all the stars appear to revolve more or less around it. It's much harder in Oz as there's no bright star currently near the northern celestial pole.

Edited February 2, 2006 by Steve Burke

[rabster]

Not ALL sunset photos but the first three were taken from our back porch since Xmas when HB got his new tripod,

 

Show off , if I posted a sunset photo taken from my back (or front) porch it would no doubt include several neighbours rooftops, chimney pots & TV aerials.

 

Some terrific photos here guys'n'gals, keep them coming.

[Newt]

Great pics. TB, wasn't aware you could see Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) from that far south. Thought the Southern Cross was more usual.

 

Can you also see the Little Dipper? We have them both in the sky at the same time.

 

UK folk - is Ursa Major called The Plough in the UK?

[ayjay]

UK folk - is Ursa Major called The Plough in the UK?

 

Yes.

 

I didn't realise it was visible in the Southern hemisphere either.

[Newt]

The "dipper" for folks in the US came from the resemblance to the communal scoop that was usually to be found in a bucket of drinking water. The end of the dipper points toward the North Star so if it is visible, you can always find your way since the North Star is ... well, is to the north of where you are.

 

 

A common item used as a dipper in the rural South years ago was a gourd of the proper shape. Thus the origin of the very interesting Civil War era song, "Follow the Drinking Gourd".

 

http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/gourd.htm

[TubularBelle]

Ok it appears that someone told me that was called The Big Dipper when I was very young and no-one has ever told me the truth. Definitely not the same cluster in Newts pic which is more of a ladle than a saucepan and I am surprised you can see it in England. The one we photographed just has the 3 stars which are the bottom of the saucepan and the handle coming off the right side. Will have to find out what it is called, and will try and get a photo of The Southern Cross over the weekend too, sorry about that star people.

 

Please tell me if I am taking up too much space but I have some really excellent photos of star clusters, or nebulaes that my brother has painted in oil all taken from a book that shows pictures taken from the Hubble telescope. Anyone interested I will post them, maybe in another thread though. Will have to ask my brother about The Big Dipper, or Google. I suspect I am going to learn something today!!!!

[Newt]

TB - this place is a continual learning experience for us all.

 

If you ever take too much space, I'll be sure to let you know but that ain't likely. Until then, post away and enjoy.

 

Here ya go for some info on the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, North Star, etc. with excellent photo illustrations.

 

http://my.execpc.com/60/B3/culp/astronomy/Spring/Polar.html

[Steve Burke]

TB, please do post the pics of the nebulae and clusters! I'd love to see them and I'm sure others will too!

 

Are you about at latitude 35S? If so parts of the Big Dipper would just rise above the horizon. However, you'd need nothing in the way, and the stars would easily get lost in any haze. It would be easy to see from northern Australia.

 

The Big Dipper, or The Plough as we in the UK call it, consists of 7 stars. It's only a small part of the constellation called the Great Bear (Ursa Major in the Latin that astronomers use). It does indeed look like a saucepan, and the 2 stars furthest away from the handle roughly point to the Pole Star (Polaris) in what US folks call the Little Dipper. We know it more as the Little Bear (Ursa Minor in Latin). It too contains 7 bright stars roughly in a saucepan shape, although the handle is curved. None of its 7 main stars would be visible from a latitude of even 18S.

Edited February 3, 2006 by Steve Burke

[n4lly]

Sunrise ca. 1981

M4 Devon bound

Yamaha Rd250LC