One of the great benefits flowing from the $30 annual membership fee of the Canberra Astronomical Society is that you also get free use of the society’s 350mm (14″) telescope up on top of Mount Stromlo. A scope worth more than $10,000, with some gorgeous Nagler eyepieces, in an observatory with a roll-off roof. For $30? The only negative about this bargain is the chronic Canberra light pollution…
You can also attach a DSLR camera to the telescope to do your own beginner-level astrophotography.
And that’s just what I did last night. Here are a few of the better shots, with minimal and rushed processing this morning before heading off to work. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a reasonable shot of Juptier out of the collection too.
The Moon came up after midnight, giving me a chance to get some nice sharp close-ups straight off the camera. I hope to stack a few and mosaic them over the weekend…
There are more details of the items featured and how to find them over on my blog.
[Photos: Great Orion Nebula, 47 Tucanae globular cluster, Tarantula Nebula, Moon]
