Y2K6: Your Best Shots for the Year ?

[2020BC]

2006 has been a good year for learning this hobby. I did my first prime-focus DSLR shot back in February and thanks most to the power of the internet I've learnt so much since then.

Thanks for your many kind words of encouragement here through the year. There is very little doubt that without the internet and Google I couldn't have got far in this hobby. Thanks, dudes.

If you've got some time, the inclination and some spare bandwidth check out what I think were my best shots for the year.

Eta Carina and the Keyhole Nebula (87 KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/galleria/EtaCarina.htm)
M8 (Lagoon) and M20 (Trifid) (288 KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/images/M8-M20LagoonTrifid7x4Mins800ISOLOGSpre ad24Jun06Web1280.jpg)
Eta Carina (Published in Australian Sky and Telescope) (113 KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/galleria/newsPublishedEtaCarinaJune2006.htm)
M42 Orion Nebula (UHC-S ED80) (330 KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/images/M42Orion33x3MinsED80UHCS1600ISO2Nig htsDarkedGamm3a25-26Dec06Try2Wall1280.jpg)
M42 (Orion Nebula My first prime focus SN-8) (59 KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/galleria/OrionsSwordZoom.htm)
M8 (Lagoon) (231KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/images/m8Lagoon3xDataCombinedWinter2006Con trastedWeb1280.jpg)
Moon (Clavius and Tycho) (173 KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/images/ClaviusAndTycho05Aug06.jpg)
Moon (Appennines) (122 KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/images/Appenines06Aug06MultiPoint.jpg)
Nebulae in the SMC (148 KB) (http://www.zodiaclight.com/galleria/SMC.htm)

Post some of your own best shots of 2006 in this thread. :D

Load maybe one or two images in this thread so that we don't create a problem for Iceman's website. Post the rest as links to your own website. As a courtesy put a size (in Kbytes) next to the links going to images on your site that are over 300 KBytes.

Show us what you got, deep sky dudes: :prey2: :thumbsup:

[asimov]

Nice thread Bill:thumbsup:

I consider this to be my one & only semi decent shot so far. Taken a few weeks ago with a 20DA on loan & my 8" GSO F4 newt. 3X2 mins. (JPG)

A lot to learn yet. :whistle:

[Phil]

Great shots
This is my best shot this year.:thumbsup: :D

[h0ughy]

Its been that long I almost forgot what I have taken this year - might try these

[davidpretorius]

Great images guys, top work!

sorry no DSO for me, just planetary, from March / April 2006

Happy with March one for detail on one of the Jupite Moons and April for absolutely superb seeing

[rogerg]

Excellent photo's from all. It has been a pleasure viewing through all these great shots all year, even though I don't actually reply to most.

I didn't have a particularly productive year for one reason or another and am now trying to get my enthusiasm back for it to start a fresh hit of astro photography at the next new moon.

I was interested to discover what could be achieved with a 350D and fixed tripod:
http://www.rogergroom.com/rogergroom/esh_rog_gallery.jsp?Item=352

.. and had a little fun with short wide field exposures in light polution, learning some more LP removal techniques:
http://www.rogergroom.com/rogergroom/esh_rog_gallery.jsp?Item=351

.. then achieved another nice simple wide field shot of the LMC:
http://www.rogergroom.com/rogergroom/esh_rog_item.jsp?Item=414

.. very recently added the CFW-8 which has huge potential for me:
http://www.rogergroom.com/rogergroom/esh_rog_item.jsp?Item=527
http://www.rogergroom.com/rogergroom/esh_rog_item.jsp?Item=524

BUT, the winner for me which takes the cake for the year is the fun I had with my Hubble Deep Field South project, reaching about mag 22.5, a distance of 4 to 5 billion light years and objects of about 9 billion years in age (older than our solar system of course..):
http://www.rogergroom.com/rogergroom/esh_rog_gallery.jsp?Item=418

I doubt I'll get a significantly larger number of images in 2007, but am hoping to achieve more with respect to fields of large numbers of faint objects, and pushing the limits further than HDF-S.

Roger.

[Space]

My best image of 2006 :
http://astrosurf.com/univers-p/images/Copie%20de%20M%2051.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/univers-p/images/NGC%201499%20compresse.jpg

Good bye !

[RB]

My best (favourite) shot for 2006 is this shot of Comet 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann taken end of May 06.

[h0ughy]

:thumbsup: Yep I agree RB that is a ripper!

[fringe_dweller]

great idea! - I was thinking a 2006 highlights (retrospective or year in review) thread was a good idea for a while now :)

didnt get much action this year, mostly due to weather (got some nice visual obs of SW3, maybe viewed components on about 10 occasions thru its apparition - that was a highlight of the year for me) - but here's a couple i am happy with

ple from sept - I was happy considering bad conditions, half the shots were thru cloud

http://southern-x.org/so_x/ple/plemos_1.jpg 300k

and comet 2006 A1 Pojmanski, morning of 27th feb 2006,
notice zodiacal light, and tail stretching 6d towards venus (team effort btw)

http://southern-x.org/so_x/a1_2.jpg 600k

[rogerg]

That's a nice image. Pleasing aesthetically. I like shots with a little twilight or glow of some sort (other than light pollution).

Roger.

[ving]

mine hardly ranks with these magnificent shots!!!
attached is copernicus wide

[Tamtarn]

WOW....The images you guys have posted so far are amazing:eyepop:

Those of us who don't have the patience and know how to image are in awe of what you do

KEEP THEM COMING !! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Phil]

Roger that Hubble deep field is great. I to think that is the best because of the time it took to get it. Great work mate.
Phil

[leon]

I haven't been imaging for very long, so all i can offer are these few from late 2006

Cheers Leon :thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

They aren't Leonardo Da Vinci's, but I like em coz I had fun taking them.

Some of my best for 2006. All taken with Toucam 840k Pro II

[leon]

That's what it's all about Ken, i reckon they are pretty cool for a little Web Cam.

Cheers Leon

[strongmanmike]

It was hard buuuut...

1st Place (although taken juuust in 2007):

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/72520092/original


2nd Place:

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/60449061/large


Perhaps a distant 3rd...?

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/62415236/large


:D :D :D :D :D :D

Mike

[h0ughy]

number 2 mike, the wife sees no 1 an axe will be through that very soon, the you ruined it by posting No 3, it was clear, contrasty and beautiful, with veiled colour whisps and treasures within!:D :whistle:

[davidpretorius]

excellent mike!

[janoskiss]

Wow, what a great thread! And I almost missed it if not for the image of the month on the IIS front page. Great images everyone. Love the B&W Orion, Bill.

[iceman]

Some of my best planetary images attached, and my best lunar images linked:

Plato Mosaic (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/downloads/20060803-platomosaic-full.jpg)

Straight Wall region Mosaic (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/downloads/20061001-strwall-arzachel-text-rp.jpg)

Thanks

[davidpretorius]

great memories there mike......defaintely gets the juices flowing for the coming joop season!

[rogerg]

Mike you certainly have the planetary and lunar imaging sorted out well. Stunning sharp clarity. Oddly enough though, my favourite is probably Uranus, great to see which is such a good view of it for an amateur scope.

[avandonk]

If I had to choose one.

LMC mosaic 2.2MB
http://avandonkbl.bigblog.com.au/data/2/13839/image/LMCmos9170320061128085710.jpg

If you view this at 70% of your screen resolution the full image is larger than A1 in size (594x841mm). It would be equivalent to about 800x800mm.

Bert

[Ric]

What a fantastic body of work from everyone, congratulations to all of you.

It has definitely inspired me to image more in 2007.

Cheers

[EzyStyles]

Very nice images indeed. These are my favourites of the year so far which got me all excited :P .. hopefully there will be more coming..... hopefully...

[anthony2302749]

Hi Guys

Sorry but I digress, this image is not an Y2K6 shot, but a Y2K5 shot. This particular image was taken on the night my son was born. One hour exposure, one hour dark frame, etc, two hours of sleep and 16 hours of labor. When ever I look at this image, what ever time of the year I think of my son. That is an image worth keeping.

Anthony

[PhotonCollector]

Hi everyone,

Wow what a great collection of images presented so far.

Here's my best 8 for 2006. You can see hires versions
at http://www.skylab.com.au/pmsa/

Clear Skies!

[danielsun]

WOW!!! These are the best comined images ever!!
What an excellent thread!!:thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

Yep Daniel, I agree. A terrific thread.

All are great images as they all take work and dedication and effort, and the results show!

Especially mine :lol:

[middy]

Mine aren't even in the same league as all of the above images, but here are the only three that I got a buzz from when I had processed them and which I consider worthy of reposting.

[RB]

They're great Andrew !!!

[xelasnave]

I enjoy using the scope to capture thru but the standard cheap lens of the old 300d on a cheap mount unguided gives me my biggest buzz.
alex