Saturn Photo: February 28, 2008

I guess this is about as good as I'm going to get with this setup: 6" f/8 with a 24mm eyepiece, aimed at the subject. Add a camera on a tripod, set to manual focus, with a 2 second shutter delay (to stop vibrations before the shutter is released). Aim the camera into the telescope eyepiece for about ten minutes, while continually adjusting the telescope and camera to follow the moving object. If the subject appears in the camera viewfinder, set the manual focus and take the shot. Adjust the shutter speed as might seem appropriate and try again. This photo is the best of about 100 frames:
Canon PowerShot S80
ISO: 50
Shutter: 1/6 sec
F/Stop: 4.5
Focal length: 6mm

The moon Titan was visible below and to the left, well inside the frame, but was not bright enough to register with a 1/6 sec shutter speed. Slower exposures only made Saturn grow and get blurry, and turn into a streak in the frame. Notice the definition between the planet and the ring.

Lunar Eclipse 2008

OK, I gave up on image processing. Here is my best single frame of the lunar eclipse, complete with a camera artifact (a horizontal line). At least it includes both Saturn and Regulus, and you get a hint of the moon features.

Technical Details:
Canon PowerShot S80
Shutter: 1 sec
Aperture: F/5.3
Focal Length: 21mm

Saturn Photo: June 30, 2007

While photographing the phases of Venus last summer, I took a little time out to snap a few shots of Saturn. This one was taken on June 30, while the evening glow still colored the sky slightly blue. The camera was on a tripod, up against the eyepiece of the telescope. I didn't record the eyepiece or camera zoom settings. Saturn was not in a preferable location, so this photo is a poor example of what can be done. Since Saturn is at opposition, a better location, I might try to get some better shots tonight.

Wool Slippers

Here is a sequence of photos showing how I made these wool slippers.

I started with 100% wool, knitted intentionally over-sized. Then I ran them through the washing machine and dryer, using full heat to shrink and stiffen them. At the end, I stitched on the leather soles to help them last longer.