Mercury Transit

[avandonk]

Here is a quick pic taken with Tal at 1790mm 1/1000sec ISO 200

[ving]

picture number 2 :)

thanks bert, almost like being there! :)

[avandonk]

I am taking one pic every thirty secs, couldn't start until Sun cleared trees at about 9am.

bert

[ving]

you going to do some closeups bert?

[Ric]

Top image Bert,
thanks for posting, thats the first image that I've seen today.

cheers

[sheeny]

Thanks Bert!

Like a lot of people I'm clouded in here.:sadeyes: Looking forward to an animation!;)

Al.

[matt]

Good work Bert

Keep 'em coming;)

[Lee]

Another one - ED80, D70.... little bit of photoshop sharpening.....

Was a better sight visually - with the 20mm TV Plossl and the 10mm Pentax, she was a beautiful little sharp disc..... those clouds are lucky they parted at the eleventh hour..... :D

[matt]

Good stuff Lee

I like the white-light filters. They do a nice job with contrasting the sun with sunspots and little Mercury:thumbsup:

What filter you using?

[ving]

looks like a baader...

nice lee!

[avandonk]

It's a JMB type A full aperture solar filter ( coated glass). Bought it at the last minute yesterday from Bintel. The pic is unprocessed. May do better with some enhancing.

Bert

[gbeal]

Me too, wet as for a while and I managed a few between the heavy showers, and hail.
Maybe another before it finishes, maybe.

**Edit**. the first shot was a quick and dirty, I revisited Photoshop with it.

[matt]

Hey! Very nice.

Crisp detail. Nice sunspots and other surface detail.

Well done Gaz!

What scope/cam combo?

[ving]

gee that sun spot if gunna be great when it comes around a bit further! :)

nice shot gary! :)

[gbeal]

Thanks guys. If only the weather was better, but I am happy to have just seen it. I saw the last one as well, 1998 or 1999??
Scope was the Takahashi FC100 @ prime focus, and Canon 20D 1/800th second @ISO800. More to come, if it clears.

[rat156]

Here's my efforts.

LX200GPS @ f10 and 6.3. Nikon D100.

More at
http://tinyurl.com/ylro8v

Cheers
Stuart

[ving]

cool stuart!! :)

[sheeny]

Nice shootin' guys!!!:thumbsup:

...but no-ones put that bullet hole through the 10X yet!:lol:

Al.

[tornado33]

Good images folks.
Heres my effort, taken through 6 inch f3.6 Schmidt Newtonian, in a clear patch before cloud again came in, modded 350D 2x ISO 100 prime focus images with MPCC. masking used, one processed in colour other greyscale
Scott

[Ric]

Thanks to everyone whose posted images.
They are all fantastic, love em.

cheers

[Starkler]

Here is mine :whistle:

Kodak easyshare snappy hand held to the eyepiece:

Vixen R130 newtonian fl=650mm
14mm pentax xl (sunspot pic)
7mm TMB/Burgess (Mercury pic)
Baadar solar film in pizza box cel
processed in Irfanview (contrast only) :lol:

First pic is Mercury shortly before exit, second is the rather large sunspot on the opposite limb.

[avandonk]

A really quick process. Yes its a bit red.

[WadeH]

Good shots everyone, it seems that those of us that had good weather were realy lucky.:2thumbs:

[janoskiss]

My motor drive seized up half way through the session. :doh: Here is the best pic from my Fuji F30 hand held to the eyepiece XW-10 in the MK65, f/10 150mm Mak. Green channel processed. :D

[matt]

Good one Steve

Has a real "up close and personal" feel:thumbsup:

[ving]

nice steve. got the sun spot in there too for added niceness :)

[jjjnettie]

Wasn't that fantastic!:D
I spent the morning at Mt Kilcoy Primary School.
Didn't get much time for pics, I had the kids and teachers lining up, clouds, rain, more kids. Managed to capture these two. Taken through a 30mm EP with the old camcorder.
Just as exciting was watching the two smaller sunspots close to Mercury developing during the transit.
Handed out heaps of IIS stickers to all the budding young Astronomers.

[Garyh]

Enjoying all the great shots here.....:thumbsup: love your closeup Steve and great work jjjnettie!!
I managed all of 2min of sunshine through all that cloud for a quick volley of shots through my tv genesis at f/10 1/500 sec iso 200..with thousand oaks filter...Glad I got a shot in well worth waiting 2 hours...:)
Cheers Gary

[iceman]

Great shots everyone! I've got some shots from a very frustrating morning, but won't get around to looking at them for a while.

I'll enjoy everyone else's in the meantime!

[h0ughy]

nice images guys

[Mick]

Amazing event, lots of awesome images posted. Here's my effort, we had good weather with a few clouds. How about that big sunspot!

[iceman]

Excellent work Mick!

Here's a few starter images (mostly unprocessed):

1. Afocal through the 32mm gso plossl with 350D + 17-70mm sigma lens
2. Afocal through some other eyepiece :)
3. A picture of the laptop screen while capturing through h0ughy's 5" mak (just in case the avi didn't work :P)
4. Single frame (small contrast adjust) from the DMK + 2x barlow + my 10" dob
5. Single frame (small contrast adjust) just before 3rd contact with the DMK + 5" mak on EQ6.

[h0ughy]

i am glad it worked Mike;)

[Mick]

Wow Mike I'm lost for words they are great. We had the local rag come and interview and photo Trevor and myself for an article about the transit. I think they are going to run some of our photos as well.

[stephenmcnelley]

Here a are a couple that were done afocally by people that really had no idea of what they were doing:doh: :shrug:

[ving]

and thats the beauty of it all stephen:)
anyone can do it! :)

[Sausageman]

Only if you don't forget your camera.
Like I did.

Mike.

[RB]

Well done everyone, lovely to see everyone's shots !

Here's mine using Mike's (Iceman) dob + 32mm EP and my 24mm Lens + 20D.
Lot's of cloud but lot's of fun too.

[stephenmcnelley]

I now agree anyone can image the sun ving, i am truly astonished at how it can be done without mega-gear, providing we dont forget our camera and have clear skies that is.

Sorry to hear you and many others had such a hard time, many of you would have had a better chance at getting good shots than any of us did.:whistle:

Now if only it was so easy to image those galaxies....:(
Thanks for the encouragement.:)

[jakob]

I'm very impressed with all the nice shots.

My own effort were fruitless!
Trip to town to buy filter, car packed to take off to East-facing park, set alarm for 5am, getting up 4.45, checking for clouds:mad2: :sadeyes: ....

First view of sun 5pm!

Now enjoying your work :eyepop: :thumbsup:

[acropolite]

Great shots, I didn't get a chance to take any, the first hour was cloudy, but I managed c ouple of quick peeks between bites, then off to work; should have had the morning off. :(

[Lee]

Thanks Matt.... Mine is a JMB type A too.....

[venus]

Some awesome pics, no one should feel like they missed anything when they can view the spectacle right here;)

[Lee]

True - but there is still something about seeing in through a scope! I only wish I could have seen the contacts.... :(

[Ric]

I didnt see any of the transit unfortunately due to work commitments, so thanks to everyone whose posting in images. They really have been amazing and detailed images.


cheers

[alan meehan]

so many good pictures,glad to see you got some photos mike .thanks to andrew for some end of transit viewing,sorry about the newcastle clouds even though we all managed to get sunburt.well done chaps

[RB]

Alan, I really enjoyed myself and am glad we came up there.
The company was great and we got some nice images despite the clouds so a big thank you to all up at Newcastle.

Here's another I got using Houghy's awesome C8, JMI full app solar filter on an EQ6 using the 20D.

Cheers

[h0ughy]

:rofl: :rofl: since I never took it out of the wrapper I couldn't tell you what brand it was;) :lol: thanks RB for christening the filter for me:whistle:

BTW Andrew put in on the scope too:)

[avandonk]

I went to Bintel to get an LPR filter to cut up and found out they had a solar filter to suit the TAL 200K. Even though the forcast said cloudy morning for Thurs I bought it any way. When I got up Thurs morning very surprised to see it was really clear. So set up even though I had not planned anything. Had to 'trim' some trees to get a chance at an earlier shot. Glad now I took the punt. Once the camera was rolling had a cold beer at 9AM (hot from trimming trees)
Sometimes you win with the elements. Managed to get about 250 images 30s and 10s apart for the last half of the transit. I even remembered to use mirror lock.

If anybody wants any or all to play with can put them on a CD or DVD and post them. Just PM me.

Bert

[RB]

That's the way Bert.

9am hah?

I'll have to try that one, but not when the wife's looking, it's bad enough sneaking cigars.

:thumbsup: