"N2310D" wrote in message
news:Q1Yeh.716$IO5.347@trnddc01...

"Wade Hasbrouck" wrote in message
...


I have a 10" Mead LX200GPS "Cloud Magnet." Sitting here in Seattle
waiting for clouds to go away as it is "M42 Season" and M31 is straight
over head. :-) Hoping to get a better picture of the Horsehead this
year.

With a 10" telescope? I do most of my nebula photos with a 300mm lens on
my Canon -- although I do have it strapped to my C-8 Celestron and use
that with the equatorial drive to chase a guide star.

I have been contemplating buying another 'scope so when your cloud magnet
gets too dusty over in the corner G, send it down here to the Mojave
Desert. Our nominal cloud cover around here is "clear and a million" for
at least 300 days a year.

I've made six trips to Whidby(?sp) Island and I can unequivocally report
that the sun never shines in that part of Washington.


The astronomical society that I belong to (Eastside Astronomical Society -
www.eastsideastro.org) took over the Deception Pass Star Party this year,
and we had pretty good weather in August for it. Deception Pass is at the
north end of Whidbey, but the only problem with Deception Pass is that it is
really really really "wet" and Dew Heaters are a requirement if you want to
observe for more than 5 minutes. :-) Summers are typically pretty good
weather, but we won't admit it. :-) Eastern Washington is much better, and
much much drier.

I have done quite a bit of Piggyback astrophotography, and have that down
pretty well... I have always been working on my prime focus stuff. I have a
wedge for my LX200. I recently got the 80mm Orion Apochromatic, to mount on
the LX200 to use a guide scope, and have been manually guiding, but may move
to autoguiding. I shoot slide film, while my flight instructor is a digital
guy and uses a Canon 10D. He harasses me about "How did your pictures turn
out last night???? Oh!!! that is right you use film... :-)" but then I
tell him, "At least I don't need a portable nuclear power reactor to power
my equipment. :-)" I will probably also start doing some prime focus stuff
with the Orion scope and guiding with the 10".

My flight instructor and I go to Table Mountain every year (www.tmspa.com).
It has some pretty good dark skies, but the "Ellensburg Nebula" and
"Wenatchee Nebula" seem to get a little bigger every year.

If you are curious, if have some photos at
www.doodlespace.com/astro/gallery.htm , but I haven't posted anything from
this year yet as I have been too busy between work and getting my PPL. :-)
My instructor has some pictures at his site,
www.eastsideastro.org/observatory