I have started a website and have uploaded a few pictures I have taken over the years. Its pretty basic at the moment - but i`ll be adding to it over the coming months (weather permitting).

Feel free to take a look

http://www.stormloader.com/users/moony/AstroHome.htm

Hi Moonhawk. I love the lightning images! Kinda like trying to take pictures of fireworks, but there you at least can see the rocket going up and you have an idea where to aim the camera. Great job!

Clear skies!

Paul

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Photons are free. Take some!

Thanks - I was out for about 3 hours and got loads of pictures including one that hit the lamp post across the road (I must have been about 30ft away at the time). You can actually see the bolt arcing around the metal post (to the far left of the image).

Attached Images

thunder 009sml.jpg (36.0 KB, 14 views)

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My Website: http://www.jupiterrising.co.uk/

Very nice web site and nice gallery of photos.

Thanks - these photos are just some very early attempts. I bought a new 10" LX90 last year and have been experimenting with aToucam and EOS 300D.

I'm going to have a go at Saturn sometime soon. I'd also like to try some long exposure shots of DSO`s but at the moment I dont have an equatorial wedge. I like the look of the milburn one - but the import duty and postage to the UK make it too expensive for me at the moment.

The shot of Andromeda on the website was taken using my EOS 300D piggybacked on the LX90 - tracking in Alt-Az mode. I guess I could try exposures longer than 30s as there is no field rotation evident.

Does anyone have any experience piggybacking in Alt-Az mode - what sort of exposure time can I look at without seeing field rotation. I have a standard 18-55mm lens fitted (I think the shot I took of andromeda was at 55mm).

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My Website: http://www.jupiterrising.co.uk/

I like those lightning photos too. The one with the hedge in the foreground has an especially eerie cast to it.

Regarding the piggybacking in alt/az mode and field rotation, I think the time will depend on the field of view. On a narrow FOV, you should be able to go longer than on a wide field. Or, put differently, I think the objects on the edge a wide field view will have more noticeable image motion than at the centre. As for actual exposure times. . . . . .