DNTash
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/02/07
Posts: 629
Loc: New Delhi, India
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The question is this:  what are the most courageous, or perhaps outrageous, things you have done or experienced in order to get that perfect astro-photograph? 
As I sit here trying to drum up some courage to go out in the yard and make my first attempts at astro-photography, this subject popped into my mind. It's not that I'm afraid to try astro-photography, it's rather the circumstances --in this case some nasty mosquitoes -- but that's another story (which I decided to edit out of my original post earlier today).
What do you think? What have you done or seen done in order to get that great astro-photo, that was way out there in terms of courageousness or outrageousness (e.g., withstanding freezing tundra, fighting off wild animals, perching your tripod among snakes, dodging lightning bolts)?
What stories can you share with a guy who's been watching monsoon rains on almost a nightly basis for the past several weeks?
Dale
Edited by DNTash (09/21/08 11:40 AM)
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cam1936
sage
Reged: 08/01/08
Posts: 240
Loc: Alberta, Canada
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Oh how I love living is a climate where the first frost comes in August and all the mosqitoes are dead really early.
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C8-SGT
Nikon 10x50 Action Ex
Canon 350D
Manfrotto tripod
Various EPs and accesories
Edited by cam1936 (09/21/08 11:59 AM)
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AlexN
sage
Reged: 08/09/08
Posts: 358
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Most outrageous thing I've done is braving -10°c temps with frost and dew all over $8k of gear. Whats worse is the images were ruined by the lack of accurate autoguiding due to frost on the guide scopes objective lens....
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Celestron C11 11" f/10 SCT With MoonLite Motorized Crayford :: EQ6 Pro + EQMOD :: William Optics M102ED :: William Optics Megrez 90 FD :: Orion ST80 Guidescope :: Thousand Oaks Dew Heater :: 2" 13nm Ha Filter :: DBK31.AU :: QHY8 :: 5x Powermate :: 2.5x Powermate :: Canon 350D ::
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DugDog
super member
Reged: 12/19/07
Posts: 714
Loc: Temecula, Ca. USA
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Wait a few weeks...not worth it to die over a bug bite! Or get some strong bug repellent with heavy clothes!
Will citronella candles around your area help too? My last adventure bug repellent didn't seem to stop the mosquitoes. Not sure...would the citronella candles would ruin the optics?
DD
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Orion StarShoot Pro DSI.
EON 120MM, and 80MM F11.4 Guide Scope.
Atlas Mount.
Celestron CPC 800 XLT
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NyxAither
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 09/11/07
Posts: 774
Loc: Arlington VA
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My sister got dengue fever while on a missions trip to Haiti with our church. It wasn't pretty, wait until November.
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Thomas
Orion XT8i
Orion 80-T Refractor
CG5 GoTo Mount w/ COL
Meade DSI II Color
Meade DSI (THANKS TODD N!!!)
Orion 4.5" Imaging Reflector
Laptop: Trusty Mac osX Powerbook G4
Early 1960's Gilbert 3" astronomical telescope
10x50 binoculars
SPC900NC
..::*~*Clear Skies*~*::..
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DNTash
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/02/07
Posts: 629
Loc: New Delhi, India
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You are right about that NyxAither, and I hope your sister recovered well and fully. A couple of close friends of mine have had it over the last two years, and it is no fun.
I've edited my original post to exclude the dengue fever concern, as my real interest was in hearing some fantastical stories of astro-photography courage (e.g., blizzards half way through the shoot) or outrageous astro-photography episodes. It was the mosquito issue that simply spurred the thought.
And thanks, DugDog, I will be waiting at least until the weather cools here. Thank you, too, Alex: -10C (-50F) certainly qualifies as courageous to me.
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jay52
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/26/04
Posts: 2280
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I have a lot of critter stories. Other than that, I suppose cold, heat, and mosquitoes are the normal measure of my insanity.
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jay
www.allaboutastro.com
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Jerry3672
Vendor - Quantum Astronomy Products
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 279
Loc: Lexington NC
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The first week in September I wanted to take some shots in a dark sky spot. So looked at the dark sky chart for an area near where my dad lives in Ocala fl. I loaded my LXD75 SN8, Wife and 5 kids in my Trail blazer. 9 hours later we were at his door. I spent too much time planing this trip around a dark sky spot to look at the weather. Oh yea, Hurricane Hanna. I never even got to take the scope out if the truck.
I did sit out under the clouds one night a got a visit from a couple of Florida mosquitoes. One said to the other " do you want to eat him here or take him back to the nest?" the other mosquito replied " no, if take him back the big ones will take him away" 
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Meade LXD75-SN-8
DSI Pro
Sony H7
Canon XSi 450D unmod
www.spike-a.com
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Jaxdialation
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 1759
Loc: St. Augustine, FL
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Of course they are larger than eagles and as voracious as piranhas until that time 
Mosquitoes are a pain in the neck, I hate it when neighbor ladies see me out with my scope and ask me to apply repellent for them. 
Quote:
Oh how I love living is a climate where the first frost comes in August and all the mosqitoes are dead really early.
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John
Someone please make sure that when I die, my wife doesn't sell my astro gear for what I told her I paid for it. SST/Tak/RCOS/SBIG/CCDWare
New Zhumell Owner? Read this: New Zhumell Owner Upgrade Mega Thread
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cdndob
sage
Reged: 07/28/06
Posts: 468
Loc: The Great White North
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Mainly the standard stuff, temperature, dew, fog, one run in with the police and a few good woodland creature stories. Best one was I once had a skunk walk right under the tripod legs of my scope, I froze, trying not to make a sound (no breathing either) and 30 seconds later it was all over with no smell.
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johnny9s
member
Reged: 09/07/08
Posts: 38
Loc: Whistler BC
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Had a bear walk within 20 feet of me a couple of nights ago. Hear him coming and thought it was just going to be a racoon or coyote. After seeing the bear I had to go inside and recover my nerve for a bit. Since the skies were clear and I am not too smart I went back out and continued to shoot.
John
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orenabah
member
Reged: 05/21/08
Posts: 72
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Well, we have a large family of about 10 skunks that treats our yard as their personal buffet/sandbox, because they sniff around and make all these little holes digging for grubs or whatever. Occasionally when I stand up or something I see something white and furry run off into the dark. Never had a problem with them though, they for the most part are aware of my presence and keep away.
The biggest was during this year's Perseids. To get a clear view of the radiant I had to go into the field next door where all manner of wildlife runs around. Typically clouds interfered even at 4:30 in the morning, when the first howls of the coyotes came. So I figured ahh, so long as they stay away, I'll finish this exposure. Next howl was closer, and by the third one, which was closer still, I bugged out of there. I got back into my yard and thought "hey, look, Orion! I won't see this for a few months still-- let me take a quick exposure but the damn things sounded as if they were right were I was standing not a minute ago. So I thought to hell with it and just went in. For all that adrenaline I got not one meteor in my photos.
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Celestron NexStar 130 SLT
Celestron NexImage
Zhumell 20x80 binos
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Stathis
member
Reged: 10/05/07
Posts: 70
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Coyotes! Now that's interesting. We dont have them in Greece. Only wolves and an occasional bear, but mostly in the northen mountains. There really are no worries from wild animals, except dogs maybe. One time i was photographing at the yard at my village, and 2 dogs one chasing the other past by me like formula 1 cars. Another time there was a really silent cat that i only saw when she was passing under the mount. She really freaked me out.
As for mosquitoes, there is nothing that repels them except that little "snake" as we call it, that you light up and burns through the night. But even with that, the suckers still manage to get some bites.
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http://www.freewebs.com/vega-starsystem/index.htm
Edited by Stathis (09/22/08 03:12 PM)
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DaemonGPF
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/08
Posts: 1391
Loc: New Mexico
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I live way out of civilization, and the coyotes swarm into my neighborhood every night around 11pm like clock work. There is nothing but open fields around me for miles. They come in and hunt down the outdoor cats, wild rabbits, and quail that linger around my house. They howl as they close in and you can distinguish there are at least 6 of them or more. You can tell they are well coordinated. This summer I put up a full 6' cedar fence to enclose my back yard from the elements and wildlife. But it's creepy out there at night sometimes as you listen to them swarming around and howling, and occasionally catching and killing something, and you listen to some animal give off it's last yelp.
One night a few weeks ago I heard something come flying over that fence and charge towards me. I was half asleep in my scope chair waiting on exposures when it happened. I kicked up out of the chair so fast I almost sent my laptop stand and scope wires flying. By the time I was standing, it was already upon me, and ran right past me and I realized what it was.. My neighbors cat was fleeing from the Coyotes and decided to hurdle my fence and run darting under me and across the yard and over the other side. Stupid cat scared me half to death.
Coyotes typically don't concern me as they typically ignore humans, but out here, I have seen a few big ones that aren't too far off from having the mass of a great dane. The fact that they seem to hunt so agressively and coordinated around my neighborhood at night has me a bit more cautious, especially with small kids and cats in my household.
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-Josh
*Orion Starblast Imaging 150mm OTA
*Orion Starblast Imaging 114mm OTA
*Meade 50mm AR short tube OTA
*Meade DSI Pro IIc
*Orion Starshoot DSCI
*CG5 mount
http://cleardarksky.com/c/AlbuqNMkey.html
My Messier Project Gallery
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DaemonGPF
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/08
Posts: 1391
Loc: New Mexico
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Stathis, I used to live in Athens Greece several years back, in the Glyfada area. Beautiful country, plenty of dark places to photograph from. I remember the mosquitos during parts of the year were horrible though.
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-Josh
*Orion Starblast Imaging 150mm OTA
*Orion Starblast Imaging 114mm OTA
*Meade 50mm AR short tube OTA
*Meade DSI Pro IIc
*Orion Starshoot DSCI
*CG5 mount
http://cleardarksky.com/c/AlbuqNMkey.html
My Messier Project Gallery
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Dean
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/31/04
Posts: 4356
Loc: Bailey Co Elev 8780 feet
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Quote:
... I suppose cold, heat, and mosquitoes are the normal measure of my insanity.
Cold? In Texas?  (hi Jay)
A couple years ago young elk came running through where I was imaging and tried to stop on a patch of ice when he saw me. His legs went all over the place until he fell flat on his chin. Funniest thing I ever saw.
I do get other visitors. My neighbor across the road took this with her cell phone. The spot I set up my scopes is about 20 feet behind and in front him...
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deanrowe.net/astro
Whats with that avatar?
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FarmerDave
sage
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 372
Loc: Northern Virginia
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I told my wife what some of my equipment actually cost once.
Once.
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Celestron C6/C9.25/CG-5GT Mount
Orion 80ED/EON 72/Supercharged Atlas EQ-G
Garrett Optical Signature Series 10x50
Canon XTi (soon to be modded)/Canon 40D (unmodded)
Meade DSI/Meade DSI Pro/Philips SPC900N
1944 Ford 2N/1948 Ford 8N
Bahtinov Mask Generator * AstroCataLink * 40DShutterCount
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Nils_Lars
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/04/08
Posts: 920
Loc: Santa Cruz Mountains , CA
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Quote:
I told my wife what some of my equipment actually cost once.
Once.
HAHA priceless
I always use the wife formula if of M=T/50% or money equals truth divided by 50% and then I still get alot of grief.
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Erik
Orion ED 80
Orion Atlas GOTO mount
Williams Optics reducer
Various eyepieces and other gear
Baytronix 80mm guidescope
Orion Starshoot Autoguider
PHD guide
Canon 400D (unmodded)
Stilleto Focuser
Tamron 75-300mm&28-80mm lenses
NexImage webcam
http://home.comcast.net/~eriknlarsen/site/?/photos/
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Jerry3672
Vendor - Quantum Astronomy Products
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 279
Loc: Lexington NC
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David- Are you nuts??
By the way, Happy B-Day   
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Meade LXD75-SN-8
DSI Pro
Sony H7
Canon XSi 450D unmod
www.spike-a.com
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Stathis
member
Reged: 10/05/07
Posts: 70
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Oh boy, that bear is not what you would want to stumble across while setting up the scope. Imagine if you have loud motors in your mount too :P
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http://www.freewebs.com/vega-starsystem/index.htm
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