Well, before the heat wave is able to melt my camera gear, I thought I’d better take advantage of a relatively clear sky last night. I’m currently training myself with the gear I plan to use for upcoming road trips where weight restrictions (the gear, not me) will limit what goes. So last night I worked on aligning my new Star Adventure tracker and mounted the Nikkor 28-300 mm lens. This moon shot is a stack of what started to be nearly 1000 images. I removed the photobombing by planes and satellites and whittled it down to about 750. My stacking program whittled it even more to 647 in selecting the best images. I’m pleased with the results even if it was a bit of overkill. The tracker holds the camera steady as a rock over long periods of time. 300mm, f5.6, 1/250 X647.
And this shot, over the roof of the Big Dipper, is a composite of 35 images. It started out with 150 images but was cut way down to improve the quality. Stacking improved the vast number of stars that are out there, to the point where the dipper is tough to find. I love it! (You might have to double click on the image to see all the stars. 28mm, f5.6, 5 seconds X 35.
Witt’s End 