!astrophotography@lemmy.world
Welcome to !astrophotography!
We are Lemmy's dedicated astrophotography community!
If you want to see or post pictures of space taken by amateurs using amateur level equipment, this is the place for you!
Please read the rules before you post! It is your responsibility to be aware of current rules. Failure to be aware of current rules may result in your post being removed without warning at moderator discretion.
Astrophotography refers to images of astronomical objects or phenomena exclusively.
Images that show objects or people below the Kármán Line (100km) will be removed. (equipment posts or photos where the photographer themselves is above the Kármán Line are allowed)
Images must be an accurate representation of a real astronomical object.
Image posts can only be images that you have captured and processed yourself, or discussion about capturing and/or processing your own images.
Images acquired from public sources, professional observatories, or other professional services are not allowed.
If you have done a drastic alteration or reprocessing of a prior submission, you may repost your edit - but only after a minimum of one week has passed.
Image posts are to link directly to the image, not to landing pages, personal galleries, blogs, or professional sites. Link to these in the comments. (AstroBin and Imgur, are allowed)
Questions are welcome here for the time being.
Links to blogs, articles or external websites should be interesting and promote discussion about amateur astrophotography.
If your post is removed, try reposting with a different title. Don't hesitate to message the mods if you still have questions!
All submitted images must include acquisition and processing details as a top-level comment. All posts without this information may be given a warning, and if not updated will be removed.
This includes the telescope, mount, camera, accessories, and any other pieces of equipment you used to capture the image.
You must also include processing details, i.e. the programs you used and a general rundown of the workflow/processes you used within those programs. “Processed in Photoshop” is not enough.
!astrophotography
@lemmy.worldSo I bought 2 sets because it looked like one set was briefly lost in the mail and this past week I got an email from Amazon that said one set I bought were "fakes."
So, what I suspect is that I actually received a crappy set of "real" glasses and a well made set of counterfeits, this seems in line with the press release made by the American Astronomical Scociety.^[0]^
Some of these newly identified counterfeits are indistinguishable from genuine Qiwei products and appear to be safe. Others look like Qiwei’s eclipse glasses, but when you put them on, you realize they are no darker than ordinary sunglasses. So, these products are not just counterfeit, but also fake –– they’re sold as eclipse glasses, but they are not safe for solar viewing.
So, did anyone get unlucky enough to get some 'real-fake' glasses? An did anyone get a set of legitimate glasses with the non-metalized filter?
^[0]^ https://aas.org/press/american-astronomical-society-warns-counterfeit-fake-eclipse-glasses
On Monday April 8th, 2024 there will be a total solar eclipse over the USA, Mexico, and Canada. If you are able to travel to the path of totality, I'd highly recommend it, as the next eclipse over the US won't be until 2045. The difference between a 99% partial eclipse and totality is literally night and day. Remember: it is only safe to look without solar filters during the totality period if you are in the narrow band where totality occurs.
These are good resources for finding out exactly when/how long totality will occur for your location, as well as recommended camera exposure settings:
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipseExposure.html
Here is some random assortment of advice:
Don't forget your solar filter. This goes on the FRONT of your lens/telescope before the light hits any of the optics. Do not look through a telescope or viewfinder with only eclipse glasses on your eyes. You will burn your retinas and damage your equipment.
Have backup location(s) in case your main observing spot is cloudy on the day of.
Use an intervolometer or control your camera via PC to automate your camera during totality. It's better to take in the eclipse with your own eyes instead of fiddling with camera settings. If something goes wrong at the last minute just leave it be and enjoy the eclipse.
Do a full practice run to test out all of you equipment before hand. Get used to taking your solar filter on and off quickly. Bring extra batteries, cables, SD cards, etc.
You're gonna be outside for a while on a (hopefully) sunny day. Bring plenty of water, suncreeen, and snacks.
Don't forget your solar filter. You want to focus your camera during the partial phases with the filter on, so that way you're ready to go as soon as totality starts.
Be prepared for eclipse traffic. During the 2017 eclipse I drove to my site in 3 hours the day before, and took 9 hours to drive back right after the eclipse. Top off on gas beforehand.
For those with widefield setups, comet 12P will be fairly close to the eclipse and about mag +4.7. Several planets will be visible too.
It's okay if you aren't exactly on the centerline in the path of totality. Even going 2 miles into the zone of totality will get you a whole minute of total eclipse time, and going halfway to the centerline will get you over 3 minutes.
At this point it's probably too late to book a flight or hotel that isn't stupidly expensive. Personally, I'm gonna sleep in a walmart parking lot the night before the eclipse.
DON'T forget your solar filter.
Please keep our community rules in mind when sharing your eclipse pics (titles, acquisition/processing info, etc). I can't wait to see what everyone is going to capture in just a few more weeks!