Pictures of my Universe

4-m Mayall Telescope

2011-11-06T04:59:00.001-07:00

The 4-m Mayall Telescope on Kitt Peak is prepared for a night of observing asteroids. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens as we set up for the start of the night. The exposure was 8 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

4-Meter telescope in moonlight

2011-11-06T00:53:00.000-07:00

The 4-meter Mayall Telescope atop Kitt Peak is bathed in moonlight as we use it to observe Near-Earth Asteroids observed with the WISE spacecraft. This shot is taken with a 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 120 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Space Station, clouds and domes

2011-11-04T23:07:00.001-07:00

The International Space Station appears over Kitt Peak on November 3. The ISS was traveling upward and passed into the Earths shadow, fading out at the end of this exposure. Also in the frame is the Spacewatch 36 inch telescope at center and the Bok 90 inch and Kitt Peak 4-meter telescopes to its right. The Moon provides lighting for the domes, the landscape and the clouds, making the scene appear almost like daylight. This image was taken with my Canon 20D with a 10mm fisheye at f/2.8, ISO 400, 60 second exposure.

Dutch Air Force Flyover for Tom Gehrels

2011-09-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Dutch Air Force kicked off the memorial for Tom Gehrels yesterday (Sept. 16) at LPL by flying over the UofA campus to honor his service in the Dutch resistance during WWII. Here, the crowd watches the F-16 jets as they overhead (visible in the upper left).

Atlantis 6 hours after landing

2011-07-27T00:14:00.000-07:00

How often do you get to see a space shuttle up close just 6 hours after landing? Well, after this view - never. Photography from the KSC tour bus was difficult due to reflections from the bus windows. They would not stop to let us out for a better view, but this wasn't bad. This image was taken at 160mm focal length with an exposure of 1/800 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 400.

Atlantis rolling back to the OPF

2011-07-26T00:05:00.001-07:00

Atlantis is being rolled back from the runway to the Orbital Processing facility for is post-flight processing. This image was taken about five and a half hours after touchdown as it approached the area around the OPF and VAB, fresh from its 13 day mission to the ISS. This image was cropped from a 300mm shot taken at 1/500 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 400 while riding the tour bus heading out to the LC-39 gantry viewing site.

Sunrise after Atlantis final landing

2011-07-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

The Sun rises about an hour after Atlantis landed at KSC after its final flight of STS-135, July 21, 2011. The runway is approximately at center in this image taken from the Causeway bridge at the north end of Titusville. The VAB is at right. Also visible if you know where to look are both LC-39A and LC-39B; the Saturn V center, the Ares I launch tower (just left of the VAB) and several other Kennedy Space Center facilities. This image was taken with a 24mm lens with a setting of f/8 at 1/1000 seconds, ISO 400.

Tricolored Heron

2011-07-20T09:26:00.002-07:00

While at the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge I found this Tricolored Heron fishing in a small lake. On the way back out of the area, he had moved and was standing on this log, so I took this image. It took me a while to figure out what brand of bird he was - he didn't quite match the pictures found in a couple books, but I did take a photo of a "Birds of Pelican Island" display up at the viewing platform at the end of the trail we took which matches this specimen quite well. It was nice of him to pose for me....

White Ibis

2011-07-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

While out walking a Florida Beach south of Melbourne today, we "chased" a group of White Ibis birds down the beach. I got close enough to get a good shot of this guy who looks at me a bit suspiciously. This image was taken with an Canon SD850 point & shoot.

Hey, where did the Delta IV go?

2011-07-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

LC-37B stands empty after the GPS IIF-2 was successfully in orbit after a spectacular launch on its Delta IV rocket.

Delta IV launch plume

2011-07-16T18:33:00.001-07:00

About 5 or 6 minutes after launch, the moonlit plume from the Delta IV GPS IIF-2 vehicle hangs over LC-37B at the Cape Canaveral AFS.

Bright lights and Delta IVs

2011-07-16T17:54:00.001-07:00

About an hour before launch, the skies are clearing over LC-37B at the Cape Canaveral SFS. The Delta IV rocket with the GPS IIF-2 payload on board is lit up by xenon lights around the pad, much as the Atlantis was just a week earlier as it prepared for launch.

Delta IV GPS IIF-2 late in the countdown

2011-07-16T17:03:00.001-07:00

The Delta IV with GPS IIF-2 satellite sits poised and ready for launch at Cape Canaveral AFS LC-37B. It's just about half an hour to launch.

Delta IV GPS IIF-2 launch

2011-07-16T16:17:00.001-07:00

Still in Florida and after two launch delays, the Delta IV GPS IIF-2 launch from pad 37B finally got off the pad. Launch was on time at 2:41 AM EDT on the morning of Saturday, July 16. This time exposure was taken with my 24mm lens at ISO 100, f/22 with a length of 100 seconds. It flew out of my field (should have used my 10mm fisheye, but then overhead power lines would have added some "character" to the image).

SpaceX Dragon spacecraft

2011-07-15T10:22:00.001-07:00

On Sunday July 10, after we were told Liberty Star would not be going through the Canaveral Lock until later that night or the next day (incorrect info), we went over to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Museum which is right next to the SpaceX offices. They had the first flown Dragon spacecraft there. This view shows the scorch marks as well as one of the drogue chute cannisters with a strip of the heatshield that is torn away by the drogue chute lines. Of course, while we were here enjoying our look at the Dragon, Liberty Star and the right SRB were going through the Locks, unbeknownst to us at the time....

Liberty Star, SRB & the VAB

2011-07-11T01:41:00.001-07:00

We had "fun" chasing Liberty Star and the SRB it carried through Port Canaveral. We spent more than 2 hours at Canaveral Lock waiting for it before we were told that it would not come through on Sunday afterall, so we went to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Museum to see the Dragon Spacecraft only to find out after our visit to the museum that it in fact was "in the lock now!" So we missed the lock passage and dashed around to A1A where I got this picture of it in the distance with the VAB in the background.

VAB the night before STS-135 launch

2011-07-09T01:02:00.001-07:00

The VAB stands silently by while Atlantis hogs all the attention the night before the launch of STS-135 and the final shuttle flight. This immense building is where two generations of NASA spacecraft, the Apollo-Saturn rockets and Space Shuttles have been assembled before being transported out to Launch Complex 39 and sent off on their missions. It stands empty now with no manned launches from Kennedy Space Center in the near future. The tall tower at left is a relic of the recently canceled Constellation program and was built to launch the Ares I rockets with Orion capsules on them at a cost of about $390 million. This image was taken with my 75-300mm lens at f/5.6, ISO 100 and 30 seconds.

Go Atlants Go!

2011-07-08T20:00:00.002-07:00

Atlantis climbs into the Florida sky as it makes the 135th and final launch of the Space Shuttle program on July 8, 2011. The boat in the foreground dragged its anchor and ended up right in line with our view from Space View Park in Titusville as the main engines and then SRBs lit to begin its flight. This image was taken with my 75-300mm lens at 300mm focal length, 1/400 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

STS-135, the night before

2011-07-08T19:39:00.002-07:00

We watched the launch of Atlantis on the final shuttle flight of STS-135 on July 8. This was the view of the launch pad with low hanging clouds the night before launch as viewed from Space View Park in Titusville where we watched the launch. The bright xenon lights illuminate the shuttle and launch pad as well as the sky overhead. This exposure was with my 70-300mm lens at f/5.6, ISO 100, 30 seconds.

Bighorn Sheep

2011-06-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

A Bighorn Sheep at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson. These wonderful animals used to be very abundant in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of town, but their population has shrunk considerably with the incursion of human activity in and around the mountains.

Hummingbird at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

2011-06-11T00:21:00.001-07:00

The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson has a wonderful hummingbird display where you can get up close to many of them. Here one works at a flower, his wings blurring even a fast camera shutter.

Every snowstorm needs a snowman

2011-03-02T03:03:00.002-07:00

Someone made this small snowman outside the Kitt Peak visitors center on Sunday. This image was taken with my 24mm lens with an exposure of 1/320 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100.

Baboquivari in the snow

2011-03-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Baboquivari Peak is the tallest peak in the Quinlan Mountains and is located south of Kitt Peak. Here it sits with its summit almost touching the clouds overhead on Sunday after a winter storm blanketed the area with about 6 inches of snow. This view is from Kitt Peak, near the 84 inch telescope, taken with my 24mm lens and an exposure of 1/500 seconds at f/7, ISO 100.

84 inch and snow

2011-02-28T16:07:00.004-07:00

I hiked around the mountain mid-afternoon on Sunday. We were having a few snow flurries, but much of the snow that had fallen over night and early in the morning was still around. Here, the Kitt Peak 84 inch telescope sits on top of a snow covered hill. This image was taken with my 24mm lens with an exposure of 1/500 seconds at f/7, ISO 100.

Winter Wonderland

2011-02-27T16:16:00.001-07:00

We got about 6 inches of snow last night and this morning on Kitt Peak. It's starting to clear and the snow is starting to melt. Here is the Spacewatch 36 inch dome with the sun poking out of the clouds. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/800 seconds at f/11, ISO 400.

Fog on Kitt Peak

2011-02-24T05:24:00.002-07:00

Not too much observing tonight on Kitt Peak, and here is the reason: fog and high humidity. Here, the Spacewatch 36 inch dome pokes out of the fog rolling over the mountain top. The 1.8-m dome is also visible to the left. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 30 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 400, and cropped a bit.

Moonrise over Tucson II

2011-01-21T00:15:00.004-07:00

Here's another view of Wednesday night's moonrise. Turns out my friend Dave was set up only a few hundred feet away taking photos of the moonrise. This image was taken with my 75-300mm lens at 130mm focal length with an exposure of 2 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Moon rise over Tucson

2011-01-20T00:28:00.002-07:00

We had a pretty full Moon rise over Tucson today. On the way home, I detoured partway up Sentinal Peak (A Mountain) to get this view over downtown Tucson. This image was taken with my 75-300mm zoom at 75mm focal length with an exposure of 4 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Morning Twilight

2011-01-19T10:59:00.001-07:00

As the morning twilight grows in strength, telescopes on the north end of Kitt Peak prepare to shut down. In this image, the Spacewatch 36 inch telescope left of center is visible with the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok telescope and KPNO 4-m Mayall Telescope near center. Just right of the 4-m is the glint of an Earth orbiting satellite. The Big Dipper is near the top of the frame. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 59 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

90 inch in moonlight

2011-01-14T00:58:00.001-07:00

Here's another image from last months observing run on the 90 inch Bok Telescope. The Moon shines in the upper left and Cassiopeia is visible through the aperture of the dome just below center. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

90 inch and the Moon

2011-01-11T00:44:00.001-07:00

I took this image last month when we were using the 90 inch Bok Telescope on Kitt Peak. We were waiting for the moonlit cirrus to clear out, so I set up my camera and used my LED flashlight to indirectly light up the telescope. The telescope itself is green (as you can see in some of my other photos) but the LED flashlight gives it a blue tint. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Iridium Flare

2011-01-10T07:18:00.001-07:00

It's a bird, it's a plane. Well, actually it's an Iridium satellite flare and a nice bright one, with the prediction being magnitude -8! This image was taken from the landing outside the 1.8-m with my 10mm fisheye lens set at f/2.8 with an exposure of 60 seconds at ISO 400.

Tucson from Kitt Peak

2010-12-30T13:53:00.002-07:00

Looking back towards Tucson from the 90 inch Bok Telescope on Kitt Peak. This image was taken with a 30 second exposure at f/2.8 with my 10mm fisheye lens.

Total Lunar Eclipse - Totality

2010-12-21T02:42:00.002-07:00

This image was taken during totality with a 300mm focal length and an exposure of 1 seconds at f/8, ISO 800.

Total Lunar Eclipse #3

2010-12-21T02:39:00.003-07:00

As we neared totality, a small sliver of sunlight still lights the western edge of the Moon while the rest of the Moon is lit by light scattered through the Earth's atmosphere. This image was taken at 300mm focal length with an exposure of 1/2 seconds at f/8, ISO 800.

Lunar Eclipse II

2010-12-21T02:34:00.003-07:00

A little later than the previous image, this was taken with a longer exposure to show the color in the umbral shadow during the lunar eclipse. This image was taken at 300mm focal length with an exposure of 1/20 seconds at f/8, ISO 800.

Total Lunar Eclipse #1

2010-12-21T02:29:00.003-07:00

Earlier tonight, we watched a total Lunar Eclipse unfold. Here is an image taken just before the umbra had moved halfway across the Moon. This image was taken with my 75-300mm Canon telephoto at 300mm focal length with an exposure of 1/800 seconds at f/8, ISO 800.

Geminid?

2010-12-17T00:40:00.001-07:00

A probable Geminid meteor streaks through the sky over Kitt Peak last Sunday night (December 12/13). The meteor appears at left over the McMath Solar Telescope. Orion is prominant right of center with the constellation Gemini near center top. The fisheye distortion in this 2 minute exposure with my 10mm fisheye at f/2.8 (ISO 800) may account for the meteor pointing closer to Leo than Gemini.

A storm in the desert

2010-10-12T09:39:00.003-07:00

A rainshower falls in the desert north of Kitt Peak. The Spacewatch 36 inch telescope is in the dome on the right. This image was taken with the kit lens at 25mm focal length with an exposure of 1/640 seconds at f/8, ISO 200.

Rainbow & domes

2010-10-12T09:39:00.002-07:00

A stormy afternoon last week offered a pretty rainbow to go with all the stormy grey clouds. This image was taken with the kit lens at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/800 seconds at f/8, ISO 200.

Ares I Mobile Launch Tower

2010-10-09T16:28:00.002-07:00

The new Mobile Launch Tower for the Ares I rocket was recently completed and stands next to the VAB. Like The Apollo/Saturn V stack, the Ares rockets will be assembled on a mobile launch tower and carried out to the launch pads on the giant crawlers. The permanent towers on the launch pads that have stood on pads 39A and 39B will be torn down. This image was taken with the kit lens at 38m focal length with an exposure of 1/500 seconds at f/5, ISO 400.

LC 39 crawlerway

2010-10-08T20:58:00.002-07:00

This gravel filled crawlerway is used by the giant crawler/transporter to carry Space Shuttles (and in the days of Apollo, the mighty Saturn V rockets) from the VAB out to the launch pads about 3 miles away. This image was taken with the kit lens at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/80 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Apollo 14 CM

2010-10-07T01:32:00.001-07:00

The Apollo 14 CM is on display at the KSC Saturn V center. The last time I visited, this CM was over at the nearby Astronaut Hall of Fame. It shows the affects of entering the atmosphere at 25,000 mph on its return from the Moon. When it flew it had a silver mylar insulation over the forward heatshield. At left is the open hatch which shows the round window. Below the hatch are two hand rails that might have been used if the crew had to return to the CM by EVA if they failed to dock the LM. Between the hand rails are two pitch RCS motors. Near the bottom center are two roll RCS motors and at the right edge of the CM are 2 yaw RCS motors. At the apex of the CM are packed parachutes & other recovery components. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/15 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Looking into the LM descent stage engine nozzle

2010-10-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

Here's one view you can have during lunch. The LM descent engine nozzle is at center with the heat shield around it and the legs in the four corners. The contraption left of the engine at the edge of the stage is the landing radar. The front of the LM with the ladder on the front landing gear is at lower right.

Lunar Rover Trainer

2010-10-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Lunar Rovers, this is the 1-G Rover trainer used by astronauts at KSC before launch.

The LM at the Moon Rock Cafe

2010-10-04T01:01:00.001-07:00

If you have lunch at the Moon Rock Cafe in the Saturn V center, you can sit at tables right underneath a real live Lunar Module. This is LM-9 which was originally scheduled to fly the Apollo 15 mission before that mission was canceled. LM-9 was an "H" series LM similar to what flew on Apollos 11, 12, 13 and 14. Apollo 15 flew LM-10, the first of the "J" series LMs designed for longer stays on the Moon and to carry more weight to the lunar surface (including the Lunar Rovers). LM-9 became an unflown spare and one of only three flight ready LMs that rest in museums (LM-2 at the NASM in Washington D.C and LM-13 is at the Cradle of Aviation on Long Island). Several other simulators, replicas and test articles can be found in other museums. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/40 seconds at f/5, ISO 400.

S-IVB J-2 engine

2010-10-03T01:09:00.000-07:00

The S-IVB used a single J-2 engine to finish propelling the Apollo spacecraft into low Earth orbit where the crew and ground controllers gave the spacecraft a thorough checkout before initiating the Trans-Lunar Injection burn by restarting the J-2 engine. This image was taken with the kit lens at 34mm focal length with and exposure of 1/60 seconds at f/4.5, ISO 1600.

The Saturn V S-IVB at KSC

2010-10-02T01:01:00.001-07:00

Here is the third stage of the Saturn V rocket on display at KSC, the S-IVB. This one is actually S-IVB-514 which would have launched Apollo 19 on its canceled mission to the Moon. Nicely visible is the lone J-2 engine that would have made two burns, first putting the Apollo spacecraft into Earth orbit after separating from the S-II stage and then a second time to put the Apollo spacecraft on a path to the Moon during a burn called Trans-Lunar Injection or TLI. Starting with Apollo 13, these rocket stages were targeted to impact the Moon to provide a large explosion to create vibrations for the previously installed seismometers left by earlier Apollo landings. This image was taken with my fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/25 seconds at f/5, ISO 400.

The 5 S-II J-2 power plants

2010-10-01T01:02:00.000-07:00

A closer view of the 5 J-2 engines that powered the S-II second stage of the Saturn V rocket.

Saturn V S-II

2010-09-30T00:56:00.000-07:00

The 2nd stage of the Saturn V was called an S-II and was powered by 5 J-2 engines which can be seen on the left. This S-II stage was S-II-14 which would have powered Apollo 19 on its canceled flight to the Moon. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye with an exposure of 1/60 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 400.

USA

2010-09-29T00:48:00.000-07:00

Everything about the Saturn V rocket is huge, including this "USA" painted vertically on the side of the S-IC rocket stage. This image was taken with the 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/30 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 400.

S-IC - another view

2010-09-28T00:40:00.002-07:00

This is probably the closest I came to taking an image of the entire Saturn V rocket - in this fisheye view, the top of the rocket disappears off in the distance to the right. The huge F-1 engines are at the left of center. This image was taken at 1/50 seconds at f/8, ISO 400 with my 10mm fisheye lens.

The Saturn V S-IC first stage

2010-09-27T01:18:00.001-07:00

Even with a fisheye lens you almost can't get far enough back inside the Saturn V center at KSC to get a picture of the entire S-IC rocket stage. This stage is dressed up like S-IC-6, the first stage that launched Apollo 11 on its historic journey to the Moon but it is really S-IC-T, a test stage. The real S-IC-6 impacted the Atlantic ocean after completing its mission and rests on the seafloor several hundred miles off the Florida coast. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens at 1/50 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 400.

Imagine 7.5 million pounds of thrust

2010-09-26T12:34:00.001-07:00

The Saturn V rocket at the Saturn V center at KSC demonstrates just how large the rocket was. This is the business end of the S-IC first stage and I stood under the 5 F-1 engines with my fisheye lens to capture this shot. At launch, these engines actually had some insulation around them which is something I didn't learn until reading a recent book on the F-1 engines. Of the 5 F-1 engines on this stage, 2 were test fired on this stage, another is a production F-1 and the final 2 are mockups. This image was taken at f/8 with 1/30 seconds exposure, ISO 400 with my 10mm fisheye.

LC 39 Apollo era Launch Control Center

2010-09-25T00:34:00.002-07:00

This is a recreation of the Apollo era Launch Control Center of LC39 which was located adjacent to (and part of) the VAB. This exhibit is at one entrance to the Saturn V center and the experience of launch as viewed from the LCC is reproduced here. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens at f/2.8, 1/10 seconds at ISO 400.

SLF control tower

2010-09-03T00:06:00.002-07:00

The Shuttle Landing Facility is the runway that the Space Shuttle lands on at Kennedy Space Center when it returns from orbit. This is the control tower adjacent to the runway. To the left of the building are the viewing stands used by family of the crew and VIPs during shuttle landings. This image was taken at 42mm focal length with an exposure of 1/125 seconds at f/8, ISO 400.

Launch pad 39B

2010-09-02T23:49:00.002-07:00

Launch complex 39 includes the VAB and pads 39A and 39B. Built for the Apollo program in the 1960s, both were converted for Space Shuttle operations in the 1970s an early 1980s. The first Space Shuttle launch from pad 39B was the ill fated Challenger flight on January 28, 1986. Recently this pad has started undergoing changes including the addition of 3 lightning towers that now surround it. The changes were aimed at making it the launch pad for the Ares I and Orion spacecraft whose future is very uncertain at the moment. In the near future, the launch tower and rotating service structure on the pad will be demolished. The next time we visit KSC, probably for the launch of Endeavour early next year, this launch pad will look very different. This image was taken with the kit lens at 55mm focal length with an exposure of 1/160 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

The VAB up close

2010-09-01T01:24:00.000-07:00

During the KSC tour, we stopped next to the VAB - actually at the site where the Saturn V rocket used to be displayed before it was moved to the Saturn V center not too far down the road. This image is slightly cropped from the original that was shot with the kit lens at 28mm focal length with an exposure of 1/200 seconds at f/8, ISO 400.

The VAB

2010-08-31T22:14:00.004-07:00

The Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center is visible from all over the area. This is the view from one of NASAs public viewing sites for shuttle launches. This image was taken with the kit lens on my 20D with an exposure of 1/320 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100 with a focal length of 55 mm.

ATHLETE

2010-08-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

The ATHLETE (All Terain Hex-Legged Extra Terrestrial Explorer) makes use of both legs and wheels to move equipment around in simulated lunar exploration. Something like it will quite likely be used in future exploration on other worlds. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye with an exposure of 1/50 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

LER visits Shorty Crater

2010-08-29T01:02:00.000-07:00

A replica of the Lunar Electric Rover (LER) is at the KSC visitors center. In this case, the LER appears to be climbing out of a crater in the Taurus-Littrow Valley called "Shorty" at which Jack Schmitt, the first professional Geologist to explore the Moon in December 1972 found orange colored soil. Obviously, the museum chose a picture from the Apollo 17 mission as a backdrop. The LER is a test vehicle that is being used by the Desert RATs program which is helping to both practice for future lunar exploration and test procedures and hardware. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/50 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Mercury Launch Control

2010-08-28T01:07:00.000-07:00

The original Mercury Control center was recently demolished as it was deteriorating with age. NASA has a good sense of history and recreated the facility at the KSC visitors center (the old MCC was only shown to visitors on a bus tour which took visitors through the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station). The consoles and displays look primitive even compared with the later Apollo facilities, but they got the Mercury spacecraft into space and back home successfully 6 times. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/5 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Goddard's rocket

2010-08-27T01:01:00.001-07:00

After looking at the rockets that helped take us to the Moon in the 1960s, it's interesting to pause and reflect on the beginnings of modern rocketry. This is a replica of one of Dr. Robert Goddard's early liquid fueled rockets which is on display at the Kennedy Space Center. This image was taken with my fisheye lens on my 20D with an exposure of 1/30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Fisheye Mercury Redstone

2010-08-26T01:09:00.000-07:00

Exercising my first rule of fisheye photography: "If you think you're close enough, take a step closer", here is a shot of the Mercury Redstone rocket in the KSC rocket garden. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens on my 20D with an exposure of 1/250 seconds at f/11, ISO 100.

Saturn IB

2010-08-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

The "jewel" of the KSC rocket garden has to be this Saturn IB rocket. But other than taking long shots from across the area of this rocket, it is hard to get a good image of it without other exhibits in front of it. So I tried using my 10mm fisheye lens. Well, it's different. This is a spare Saturn Rocket numbered SA-209 - it is the 9th Saturn IB rocket built and became a museum piece after the last of the Apollo flights (the 3 manned Skylab Saturn IB flights and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project that also used a Saturn IB rocket). This image was taken at f/11 with an exposure of 1/160 seconds, ISO 100.

The Mighty F-1

2010-08-24T01:02:00.000-07:00

I wish I'd taken a shot with a human beside this monster rocket engine for scale! This is the Mighty F-1 engine which powered the first stage of the Saturn V rocket. 5 of them were clustered together to provide over 7.5 million pounds of thrust. This engine was the largest liquid rocket engine ever built. You can see some closeups of another F-1 engine that is on display at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamagordo N.M. here. This image was taken with the kit lens on my Canon 20D at 21mm focal length with an exposure of 1/320 seconds at f/6.3, ISO 100.

KSC Rocket Garden

2010-08-23T00:13:00.002-07:00

Here's the the first of a few pix from our visit to the Kennedy Space Center last month. This group of rockets is next to the main visitors center at KSC and is very similar to what I remember it looking like when I saw it when I was much younger. From the left is a Mercury-Atlas, an Atlas Agena, a Mercury Redstone, a Thor, a Juno and a Jupiter dressed up like the rocket which launched the United States first satellite, Explorer I. On the far right is an F-1 Engine that powered the first stage of the Saturn V (with 5 of them) and the tail of a Saturn IB rocket (which I'll show better in a bit). This image was taken with the kit lens on my 20D with an exposure of 1/250 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100.

Beaches and launch pads

2010-07-25T19:14:00.002-07:00

I'm on vacation in Florida and I decided to scout out some possible viewing locations for my next Florida vacation during a Space Shuttle launch. This beach is Playalinda beach north of KSC in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Looking south in this image shows the LC39A launch pads just over the dunes off the beach on the right side of this image. Not sure if this area would be open during a launch, though, but it would be a great area as the shuttle climbs out towards the northeast off the launch pad. This image was taken with the kit lens at 55mm focal length with an exposure of 1/250 seconds at f/6.3, ISO 100 with a circular polarizer.

Apollo Soyuz Test Project - Apollo Capsule

2010-07-20T00:46:00.002-07:00

This Apollo capsule (the CM in CSM-111) was originally slated to fly the Apollo 18 mission to the Moon, but after that mission was canceled, it was reassigned to the fly the Apollo Soyuz Test Project which happened 35 years ago this month (the Apollo & Soyuz docked on July 17, 1975 and undocked on July 19). Commanded by Tom Stafford with Mercury 7 astronaut Deke Slayton and Vance Brand, the Apollo rendezvoused and docked with Soyuz 19 commanded by Alexei Leonov with Valeri Kubasov as his Flight Engineer. The ASTP Apollo capsule can be found in the California Science Center. You can see a replica of the Cassini spacecraft that still orbits Saturn in the background. This image was taken with the kit lens at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/40 seconds at f/3.5, ISO 400.

Mercury Redstone 2

2010-07-19T01:01:00.002-07:00

Here is another spacecraft at the California Science Center. This is the Mercury capsule that carried the first hominid into space (an immigrant American, BTW) on January 31, 1961, about 2 and a half months before Yuri Gagarin's spaceflight. The Mercury Redstone 2 carried Ham, a Chimpanzee on a suborbital flight that paved the way for Alan Shepard (the 2nd American in space...) 4 months later. This image was taken with the kit lens on my 20D at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/160 seconds at f/3.5, ISO 400.

The view inside the capsule shows the capsule within the capsule that Ham rode in during his flight. This image was taken at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/100 seconds at f/3.5, ISO 400.

Iridescent clouds

2010-07-18T20:01:00.006-07:00

Pretty sunset tonight with iridescent clouds above the setting sun. You can also see a crepuscular ray coming up from the sun going across one of the most prominent of the iridescent clouds. This image was taken with the kit lens at 55mm focal length with an exposure of 1/1000 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100.

The Hatch

2010-07-05T20:36:00.002-07:00

I found the Apollo Command Module from the Apollo Soyuz Test Project at the California Science Center. Being the Apollo Geek that I am, I started taking closeup pictures of every part of the machine that I could get close enough to. This is part of the hatch mechanism. This image was taken with the kit lens at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/20 seconds at f/3.5, ISO 400.

There goes the sun du'n do do...

2010-07-01T09:53:00.002-07:00

Can't help singing my 2nd favorite George Harrison tun with the alternate lyrics as our nearest stellar neighbor sinks slowly below the waves.... This image was taken with the kit lens at 55mm focal length with an exposure of 1/60 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100.

Another view of a San Diego sunset

2010-06-30T01:05:00.000-07:00

Another view of the setting sun near Encinitas California, north of San Diego. This image was taken with the kit lens at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/320 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100.

Sunset on the Beach

2010-06-29T00:52:00.002-07:00

The sunset approaches near Swami's Seaside Park north of San Diego. This image was taken with the kit lens at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/400 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100.

Surfer

2010-06-28T08:53:00.002-07:00

With the sun approaching the horizon behind him, this surfer rides a wave on a beach near Encinitas north of San Diego. This image was taken with the kit lens at 55mm focal length with an exposure of 1/1000 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100.

Sleeveless the Magician

2010-06-27T23:18:00.003-07:00

Sleeveless the Magician does his show at Balboa Park in San Diego. If you happen to see him, be sure to stop and enjoy his magic and his humor. This image was taken with the kit lens at 30mm focal length with an exposure of 1/80 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Flowers in Balboa Park

2010-06-26T14:15:00.002-07:00

Last Saturday I visited the Ruben H. Fleet Science Museum in San Diegos Balboa Park. Across the street was a large flower garden in whiich I found this flower. This image was taken with the kit lens at 41mm focal length with an exposure of 1/1000 seconds at f/6.3, ISO 100.

Swimming with the sharks

2010-06-25T01:42:00.000-07:00

While I was at the California Science Center, I got to "swim with sharks". Ok, actually, we were in the shark tunnel and he was swimming on the other side of some glass. This image was taken with my 20D and the kit lens at 31mm focal length with an exposure of 1/500 seconds at f/5.0, ISO 400.

California Sunset

2010-06-24T22:29:00.003-07:00

I was in LA last Friday and stopped to watch the sunset south of LA while driving to San Diego. I didn't get to put my toes in the water Friday night, but Saturday night I made sure to take a long walk on a beach near San Diego. This image was taken with the kit lens at 55mm focal length with an exposure of 1/80 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 100.

Hey, stand still, I'm taking a long exposure!

2010-06-11T04:39:00.002-07:00

Dave and Bill work at the 90 inch Bok Telescope on Kitt Peak while I took some pictures of the telescope. In this case, the exposure of 2 seconds at f/2.8 with my 10mm fisheye lens with the camera at ISO 200.

Sunset on Kitt Peak

2010-06-10T19:05:00.002-07:00

While observing at the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok Telescope, we got this view to the south around sunset. It was a pretty sunset for a photographer, but not very pretty for an astronomer..... This view shows the Spacewatch 36 inch dome in the foreground and the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope in the background. This image was taken with my 20D with an exposure of 1/60 seconds at f/5.6 and ISO 400 with my kit lens at 55mm focal length.

Spiderman works on the 90 inch

2010-04-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Who do you call when your leaky telescope dome needs repairing? Spiderman, of course. This image was taken at 55mm focal length with an expsoure of 1/400 seconds at f/10, ISO 100.

Fisheye Sunset

2010-04-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

This fisheye sunset shows the Spacewatch 36 inch with the Steward Observatory 90 inch and the Kitt Peak 4-m telescopes on the right. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an expsoure of 1.200 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 400.

The 90Prime comet - another view

2010-03-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here's another angle on the "90Prime Comet" as its dewar is filled with Liquid Nitrogen. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1 second at f/6.3, ISO 100.

Topping the 90Prime dewar

2010-03-24T14:10:00.002-07:00

We spent the evening last night training to use the 90Prime camera on the Steward Observatory 90 inch telescope for a night of observing this Thursday. One of the things that needs to be done is to top the CCD camera dewar with Liquid Nitrogen to keep the detector cold and reduce noise when observing faint objects. This image shows the 90 inch telescope with the prime focus camera dewar at right with what looks like a comet coming from the end of the dewar. That is just the nitrogen gas venting as the liquid is forced into the dewar. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 20 seconds at f/22, ISO 100. The long exposure not only allowed the motion of the venting to be smeared but also helps keep the entire image in focus with the small f-stop. It also gives a really cool star pattern to the lights in the background due to diffraction affects in the optics.

Halos and domes

2010-03-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

The two Spacewatch telescope domes are shown against a sky with the Moon and its halo. The 1.8-m telescope dome is on the left and the 36 inch Mosaic camera dome is just right of the Moon. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Halo around the dome

2010-03-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Another shot from Sunday night, this one shows the lunar halo apparently around the dome of our 1.8-m Spacewatch telescope. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Of halos and telescopes

2010-03-21T22:44:00.001-07:00

Cirrus is keeping me from observing, but not from getting pretty pictures of the sky and telescopes on Kitt Peak. The Moon is producing a nice halo (unless you're trying to observe faint asteroids and comets in which case it is a bad halo). At lower right is the Spacewatch 36 inch telescope dome. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye with an exposure of 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

4-m at dewar fill position

2010-02-06T06:23:00.001-07:00

Modern telescopes need to have their instruments attended to before most nights - in this case, the dewar that keeps the Mosaic detectors cold to reduce background noise must be filled. Dave the Observing Assistant who runs the telescope all night is at far left on the orange platform and the telescope is pointed low so that he can get at the dewar. The black cylinder is the secondary mirror support for the Cassegrain focus and is also the "Prime Focus" cage. The Mosaic detectors are mounted at Prime focus with the mirror removed from the bottom of the cage. In the old days, the observer would ride inside the prime focus cage all night, guiding on a field star to get one of those spectacular photos you probably remember from your grade school science class. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/15 seconds at f/3.2, ISO 400.

4-meter, another view

2010-02-05T02:07:00.001-07:00

Here's another view of the KPNO 4-m Mayall telescope, taken from the northwest side of the telescope shortly after the louvers on the west side were opened. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 5 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

KPNO 4-m Mayall Telescope

2010-02-04T20:57:00.002-07:00

Guess where I am tonight - Ok, the photo gives it away. I am at the Kitt Peak 4 meter Mayall telescope learning how to use the Mosaic camera for a Target of Opportunity observing program this spring involving WISE spacecraft discoveries. This image was taken in twilight as the telescope was being prepared for the night. Unfortunately, the humidity has closed us down for the time being, but it's fun to type this from the control room next to the telescope. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/10 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Sunset downtown

2009-12-29T20:12:00.001-07:00

The sun sets behind the Courthouse in downtown Tucson. I captured this image as I headed for the bus stop using the 5Mpixel camera in my Droid.

Andrea & the Catalina Schmidt

2009-11-29T20:44:00.003-07:00

My good friend Andrea Boattini stands next to the Catalina Schmidt which is the survey telescope for the Catalina Sky Survey on Mt. Bigelow in the Catalina mountains. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 1/50 seconds at f/3.5, ISO 800. I used this telescope with film back in 1992 before it was converted to using a CCD camera.

Jupiter

2009-11-21T00:34:00.001-07:00

I dropped my sweetie off at the Catalina Observatory with some students for a weekend education program held there at the 61 inch telescope. This view of Jupiter was made with eyepiece projection from the 61 inch (1.54-m) Kuiper Telescope on Mt. Bigelow north of Tucson. The exposure of 1/200 seconds. you can clearly see the red spot, a giant storm that has persisted on Jupiter since it was first recognized in early telescopes. It was difficult to focus the image while hand-holding the camera to the eyepiece. Best image quality was hit and miss as you tried to align the camera with the eyepiece in the dark while focusing the camera lens or telescope.

Leonid fireball train

2009-11-17T07:21:00.001-07:00

In the next exposure, you can still see the train blowing in the winds in the upper atmosphere. The meteor left this trail behind which I could trace out in images stretching over about half an hour! Must have been pretty neat to see. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 2 minutes at f/2.8, ISO 800.

Leonid Fireball

2009-11-17T07:18:00.002-07:00

I took 99 exposures overnight from my light polluted back yard hoping to catch some bright Leonid meteors. In this frame taken over 2 minutes starting around 04:55:49 AM MST, a bright fireball flashed across the sky in the south part of Orion on the right side of this fisheye image of the night sky. Leo is on the left part of the frame (trace the image of the fireball back towards the left and you'll pass through Leo - hence the name of the meteor shower). It must have been spectacular to watch. I was asleep at the time as the camera kept its vigil outside with a timer remote faithfully exposing image after image. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with a 2 minute exposure at f/2.8, ISO 800.

Sonoran Sunset III

2009-11-15T14:14:00.001-07:00

When out taking photographs, don't forget to look the other way. As my previous 2 images show, I was out shooting the sunset, but the view the other direction was pretty nice too. This image was taken with my 24mm lens with an exposure of 1/25 seconds at f/4, ISO 200.

Sonoran Sunset II

2009-11-14T10:36:00.001-07:00

Another view of the sunset in the Tucson Mountains. This is a wider view with a few more colors and the rays from the sun which is trying to peek out from behind the clouds. This image was taken with my 24mm lens with an exposure of 1/500 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 200.

Sonoran Sunset approaches

2009-11-13T13:38:00.001-07:00

This view of an a partly cloudy sunset was taken west of the Tucson Mountains not far from McCain Loop road off of Kinney Road. The suns rays beam down on the landscape with a Saguaro Cactus surrounded by typical desert plants like Ocotillo and Palo Verde. This image was taken at 70mm focal length with an exposure of 1/6400 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 800. I'd use a slower ISO normally, but I think I had forgotten to set it slower after using the camera for some astrophotography in the days before.....