POOR MAN'S ASTRONOMY WEB SITE

WELCOME TO THE POOR MAN'S ASTRONOMY WEB SITE

I SHOOT PIX OF THE SKY AND WORK PRIMARILY WITH FILM. HERE ARE SOME SHOTS TO SHOW YOU THE VARIETY OF WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH THIS CHEAP MEDIUM.

LOOKING HIGH IN THE SKY SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET IN THE FALL MONTHS, YOU WILL SEE THESE CONSTELLATIONS. TO THE LOWER CENTER OF THE CHART YOU WILL SEE "pn 6853" WHICH STANDS FOR PLANETARY NEBULA 6853 WHICH IS MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE DUMBBELL NEBULA OR IN MESSIER'S CATALOG, M27.

PEERING INTO THIS REGION WITH BINOCULARS WILL REVEAL A SMUDGE THAT INDEED DOES RESEMBLE A DUMBBELL. THIS PICTURE WAS SHOT PIGGY BACK WITH A 400MM F6.3 LENS ON FUJI ASA 1600 COLOR PRINT FILM. THE EXPOSURE WAS ABOUT THREE MINUTES.

THIS SHOT WAS WITH MY CELESTRON C8 AT PRIME FOCUS WHICH IS A 2000MM F10 LENS. EXPOSURE ABOUT TWO MINUTES. THIS IS THE VIEW YOU WOULD GET WITH A TELESCOPE.

VEGA IS THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE CONSTELLATION LYRA. BETWEEN THE TWO STARS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PARALLELOGRAM IS THE RING NEBULA, M57.

LOOKING AT THESE TWO STARS WITH BINOCULARS SHOWS A SMALL SMUDGE. THIS SHOT WAS TAKEN WITH A 400MM F6.3 LENS WITH A THREE MINUTE EXPOSURE.

THIS IS THE APPEARANCE THROUGH A TELESCOPE. CELESTRON 8, PRIME FOCUS, ABOUT TWO MINUTES. 2000MM F10. THIS REGION IS DEFINED BY THE SQUARE ON THE PREVIOUS PHOTO.

THIS CHART SHOWS THE CONSTELLATION ORION IN THE LOWER LEFT. TO THE UPPER RIGHT LOCATE THE STAR CLUSTER KNOWN AS THE PLEIADES. ALL THE WAY TO THE UPPER RIGHT LOCATE THE DOUBLE CLUSTER IN PERSEUS.

HERE IS A LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF ORION. THE SWORD AND BELT REGION CONTAINS THE GREAT ORION NEBULA IN THE LOWER CENTER. THE REGION OF RED TO THE UPPER LEFT CONTAINS THE FAMOUS HORSEHEAD NEBULA.

THIS IS A VIEW OF THE GREAT ORION NEBULA M42 AS TAKEN WITH MY CELESTRON C8 PRIME FOCUS. 2000MM F10 TWO MINUTES, FUJI ASA400 FILM.

THIS IS A VIEW OF THE PLEAIDES AS IT WOULD APPEAR THROUGH BINOCULARS. 400MM F6.3 FUJI ASA 1600 FILM THREE MINUTES EXPOSURE.

ALSO, IN THE CONSTELLATION OF TAURUS WE FIND THE CRAB NEBULA. IT CAN BE SEEN AS A SMALL SMUDGE TO THE UPPER RIGHT OF THE BRIGHT STAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ABOVE PHOTO, WHICH SHOWS THE VIEW AS IT WOULD LOOK THROUGH A PAIR OF BINOCULARS. THIS STAR IS KNOWN AS ZETA TAURI AND, ON THE CHART, IS JUST TO THE LOWER LEFT OF ELNATH. ZETA TAURI AND ELNATH REPRESENT THE HORNS OF THE BULL WITH THE BRIGHT RED STAR ALDEBARAN REPRESENTING THE BULL'S RED EYE. LOCATE THESE STARS ON THE CHART.

THIS VIEW SHOWS A TELESCOPIC VIEW OF THE CRAB NEBULA. CELESTRON 8 PRIME FOCUS, 2000MM F10 TWO MINUTE EXPOSURE.

HERE IS A VIEW OF THE DOUBLE CLUSTER AS IT WOULD APPEAR THROUGH BINOCULARS TAKEN WITH THE 400MM F6.3 LENS AND FUJI ASA1600 FILM.

NOW ON TO MORE PICTURES OF STARS, PLANETS AND NEBULAE AND A DISCUSSION OF TELESCOPES...