Corinthian

How dark is it at the farm? Can you see the milky way at all? Even just a hint of it? If so binoculars are awesome for stargazing. You can get a planetarium program for you phone and use it to help find objects with the binocs. On page 13 of this thread, Tomas has an amazing photo of the milkyway. If you look at the image I just shared.. you can find that same nebula in Tomas's milkyway shot. Telescopes come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. You have to decide if you want a goto mount or a manual mount. Manual is cheaper, and some people like finding objects by star hopping. Others prefer to see the object without playing where's waldo in the sky. Taking images raises the complexity and challenge. It's difficult to get a telescope/mount combination that is good for both visual use and astrophotography on a modest budget. Generally, we're talking an equatorial mount to counter the earths rotation for long exposure shots and attaching a camera to the scope so that the camera is in prime focus. For astrophotography I recommend starting off with a small refractor.. in the ~70-80mm range. For purely visual, you can get a Newtonian or dobsonian for a good price that will give great views. Reflectors in general are the best bang for buck. Imaging with them is very challenging though so they dont make great choices if you want to get into AP. Alternatively, if you already have a dslr or a newer mirrorless camaera, and you have a decent lens, you can start shooting with lens and a camera tracker. That would give you experience with all the basics (polar alignment, exposure/settings, stacking, post processing, etc) while freeing your first scope for pure visual use. Be warned... this is a hobby where you can start off thinking you can start without spending too much. My first camera/mount combination was right around $300.. a few short years later and I'm in more than I care to admit Yeeeeeeeeeup. Cyber_Ghost here once told me prepare to hemorrhage money in this hobby. Hoping to get a CEM25P mount in September or October.

Nice shot! So envious.....

I did manage a quick shot last night... not very good but at least I got something, lol. Its been very hot.. but most nights have been clear. I have two telescope rigs running now. I should have something to share in a few days. Lucky you! Weather did not and is still not cooperating (rainy season) so I wasn't able to take any photo let alone see C/2020 F3 NEOWISE.

Thanks! Very useful. I might as well ask here instead of starting another thread, did the T-80 ever get external anti-radiation cladding (nadboi?) like the T-72 and T-64? Any photos with the T-80 with such cladding?

Your summary would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Stuart.

Was there a time when all three tanks - T-64, T-72, and T-80 - all served at the same time in the GSFG? If so, what units had which and when were all three in the GSFG at the same time?

Wait until I perfect the BALlistic Uberwaffen Terminator 5000 aka the BALUT 5000. MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! In the meantime, no astrophotography for a while due to weather. It's the rainy season and it's mostly cloudy nowadays. I hope for clearer skies when C/2020 F3 NEOWISE comet appears low on our horizon again after the 15th so I can photograph it. Any luck with C/2020 F3, JamesR?

Well future earth dictator, maybe you'll only have COVID-9.5 Positively negative result. It was a rapid test (colloidal gold method whatever that means, boson test kit used, with IgM and IgG ( ) at non-reactive. Test isn't accurate though (I read somewhere accurate or thereabouts). I thought they'd use a blade to prick my finger. Turns out they used something that looked like a big thumbtack. Hurt like hell as it was a deep puncture they made to ensure a lot of blood is taken for the testing. All of us at the office tested negative. Of course we can still get infected after the test.... Just learned that another court employee here at the office building tested positive for COVID-19. They might lockdown the whole building again like last week.

Tomorrow I'll undergo rapid testing for COVID-19. Results out in two days I think. Accuracy rate is 60% or less (or more).

I'm in for April 2024 if any will be scheduled at that period in time hoping to fly to the USA for the solar eclipse on 8 April 2024

+1

https://www.livescience.com/lost-continent-zealandia-new-tectonic-map.html Considering that NZ is Middle Earth, the sunken parts may be Numenor

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-fans-apocalyptic-movies-coping-pandemic.html?fbclid=IwAR0eFqqr15LSO3kxRgexW_wkqK9J_IN3GpLY-8i8TG8M1fA3m3MNggHJdsw :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Looks like a modern day Churchill

Yes, right until the ChiComs tell state leaders etc how much money they will pour into a project in their jurisdictions. And then it's happily sign contracts and all that because money money money....

Yes, you are right. I shudder of the thought of what this would be like if it was Ebola. We have had 2 close escapes on that one, I dont suppose we will get a third. Ebola Zaire kills so fast, it'll burn out quickly if current quarantine measures were implemented. Adding to its burning out quickly is that it is scary. People will be more afraid of Ebola Zaire vs SARS-CoV-2, so much so people will be going around wearing masks, face shields, long sleeves and pants, gloves, closed footwear because they don't want to have their organs melting and having blood streaming out of their orifices. The fear of Ebola Zaire will prompt people to comply with quarantine measures.

Thanks Ssnake! You weren't kidding about the colour accurate monitors costing more. I've seen 100% sRGB ones that are affordable, but the 99% Adobe RGB ones are as expensive as a decent laptop for photo editing. I'm currently shooting in sRGB but will be shotting Adobe RGB soon for landscape photography and astro. My current 27" is a LG IPS277L (https://www.lg.com/hk_en/monitor/lg-IPS277L) which has been with me since 2013 I think. I have no idea how accurate it shows colours.

Judging from all those IG models who posted those pointless black squares some weeks ago, not so. Or whatever trendy social cause at the moment so they can post from the comforts of their homes trivial and ultimately pointless gestures of support.

I'm looking to get an Adobe RGB 27" monitor to replace my current LG IPS LED one for photography and videos as I am starting to receive print orders of my photos. Adobe RGB would be necessary to that end for accurate colours and for photo editing. That said, how do Adobe RGB accurate monitors fare with games? I was told gaming monitors are more saturated in colours.

A few nights ago, the ISS flew overhead here. Me and my sisters were the only ones on the street looking up. Our neighbors were probably wondering what the hell we were doing making such a noise as we watched a small bright dot fly across the getting-very-cloudy sky that time.

Beautiful pix! Especially Saturn, so lovely.

Black holes.

JamesR: I'll checkout that Topaz Denoise thing. I heard it's pretty good. Very nice moon photo.

BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!