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HomeMacastronomer

Macastronomer

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@macastronomer

Active 6 days, 16 hours ago
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    Macastronomer replied to the topic Orion website, telescope.com in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    If you want a crazy bright laser… the one that I bought on Amazon that disappeared was listed as this:

    UNBIU Long Range Laser Pointer High Power – Green Laser Pointer Flashlight with Adjustable Focus for Night Astronomy, Outdoor Camping, Hunting, and Hiking – USB Charging

    It was only $13. But like I said, I basically treat it like a gun. I…[Read more]

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    Macastronomer replied to the topic Orion website, telescope.com in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    I posted to this thread yesterday, and my comment is not here today. This site is very frustrating. I’ll do it over again.

    My favorite pointer is:

    https://www.opticsplanet.com/z-bolt-military-pride-green-laser-briefing-pointer.html

    I don’t know if you can get it as a non-military pride version or not.

    What I like about it is that it has a…[Read more]

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    Macastronomer replied to the topic RAC Logo Redesign in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    Of course this still requires two logos, one for dark on light and one for light on dark.

    RAC Logo Inverse

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer started the topic RAC Logo Redesign in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    Many years ago I created the RAC logo, and it although it has changed a bit since then I have always been troubled with the whole thing because it isn’t a two-tone logo, meaning it can’t be made with a single color. A single color logo makes it much easier to put on hats, shirts, or a vinyl cutout which is what I’m trying to do right now.

    The…[Read more]

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    Macastronomer replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    Great info. I always thought it was an 11 year cycle but that must be short of what’s happening now.

    Josef, thanks for the spell check. I’ve been saying it wrong for years. 😮

    And thanks for turning out the light.

    Check this out. I got a Cricut for my daughter and I decided to print out a tribute to Dean for my scope. Just added this…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    Also, Joseph spotted this… Corpuscular rays shooting upward!

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    Ooooo….   What scope and mount did you get? Do tell!

    I’m thinking the same thing… I want the rig I want and it’s taking forever to get it; but eventually I’ll get there. I keep seeing cheaper compromising equipment for less and I keep ignoring it, but it’s so tempting.

    Equipment I need to get to finish my setup: Astro-Camera (preferably the…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    Here’s the Milky Way shot I took last night:

    Milky Way from Root River

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    That is one big sun spot! I think we’re now past the active part of the sun’s cycle and it’s supposed to be gradually calming down. That seems to be taking a while.

     

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    Thanks for posting. Looking up it was pretty good. I could see all the stars in the Little Dipper and a lot more within that I normally can’t see. But that was looking most upward. Looking at the northern horizon was hazy (see pic).

    Looking east and west, all but the brightest stars disappeared.

    Great sky while looking upward, but the lower you…[Read more]

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    Macastronomer started the topic Who all is Planning on Eagle Bluff? August ‘24 in the forum Star Parties 1 year, 10 months ago

    Just wondering, who all is planning on being at Eagle Bluff on Friday?

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Blaze Star in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 10 months ago

    The Blaze Star is probably going to saturate on my camera… I’m going to keep working it out and see if I can figure out how to get the whole light curve. I don’t think my camera can get the whole 8 magnitudes in the same exposure setting. It will be interesting. I’m glad it hasn’t blown yet.

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer started the topic Blaze Star in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 11 months ago

    After a few nights of observation and imaging, I think I’ve settled on a camera setting to image the Blaze Star, T Cor Bor. The issue isn’t getting a good image of the star as it is, the issue is getting a good image of the star that isn’t saturated or adulterated after it blows. For that reason I need to save room in the exposure gamut of the…[Read more]

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    Macastronomer started the topic 55 Years Ago Today! in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 11 months ago

    Apollo 11 Moon Landing…

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic T Cor Bor in the forum Meetings 1 year, 11 months ago

    Answer to Question.

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer started the topic T Cor Bor in the forum Meetings 1 year, 11 months ago

    After Randy’s talk I decided to start shooting T Cor Bor. Can you pick it out in this photograph? Here’s a hint: the brightest start in this image is Epsilon Cor Bor.

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer started the topic Root River Light Pole in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 11 months ago

    Look what’s now installed in the Root River parking lot!

     

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Fireworks & Fireflies in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 11 months ago

    Love it! We should start a new thread to share images. Seeing what everybody is doing is wonderful—and inspiring! Keep ’em comin’!

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Fireworks & Fireflies in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 11 months ago

    Nice pics. How many subs and how long? What’d you use to process?

    Keep’em coming. I’m jumping into the game astrophoto game soon and it’s great to see what others are doing.

    Until I save up and get a scope and astro-camera, I’m planning on putting my Canon R50 (not an ideal astro-camera but it will do) on my EQ6-R Pro and see what it can do.…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of Macastronomer

    Macastronomer replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 11 months ago

    Nice. Thanks.

    For clarity:

    NELM = Naked Eye Limiting Magnitude
    MPSAS = Magnitude per square Arc-Second

    I think I’ll make a chart using the info on that link and see if I can look at the sky and get the same result.

     

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Upcoming Events

Jun
19
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9:45 pm Public Sky Observing 2026-06/19 @ Watson Soccer field
Public Sky Observing 2026-06/19 @ Watson Soccer field
Jun 19 @ 9:45 pm – 11:45 pm
Public Sky Observing 2026-06/19 @ Watson Soccer field | Rochester | Minnesota | United States
Public Sky Observing of the young Moon – 5.1 days after New Moon, planets Venus bright stars, double stars, and more by telescope with guidance members of the Rochester Astronomy Club. What to expect at Public Sky Observing – click here. Reload this page before you leave for the event. Event can be cancelled in case of cloudy weather or [...]
9:45 pm Public Sky Observing 2026-06/19 @ Watson Soccer field
Public Sky Observing 2026-06/19 @ Watson Soccer field
Jun 19 @ 9:45 pm – 11:45 pm
Public Sky Observing 2026-06/19 @ Watson Soccer field | Rochester | Minnesota | United States
Public Sky Observing of the young Moon – 5.1 days after New Moon, planets Venus bright stars, double stars, and more by telescope with guidance members of the Rochester Astronomy Club. What to expect at Public Sky Observing – click here. Reload this page before you leave for the event. Event can be cancelled in case of cloudy weather or [...]
Jun
27
Sat
11:00 am Public Sun Observing 2026 06/27 @ Soldiers fields
Public Sun Observing 2026 06/27 @ Soldiers fields
Jun 27 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Public Sun Observing 2026 06/27 @ Soldiers fields | Rochester | Minnesota | United States
Public Observing of the Sun through a telescope with guidance from members of the Rochester Astronomy Club. Reload this page before you leave for the event. Event can be cancelled in case of cloudy weather or another reason. Warning: Never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection, as it can cause permanent eye damage. This includes not looking [...]
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