I'll post these here in general chat rather than in the observational section, as it is not current event.
While I have been sorting out my old astro images stored in an old shoe box, I came across these ones. Four images taken of Comet Halley. My main issue is putting dates to these images, which I think will be near impossible. Dates and times are unknown, I do recall they were prime focus on a home-built 8-inch Newtonian taken in Gisborne, Victoria. So, yes, the quality is very poor compared to today's digital results, but remember these images were taken on Ilford B&W film, and self-developed in my boss's home built dark room! I scanned the prints onto the computer to end up with these here! I'm pretty proud of the fact that these are all my own work.
Thanks, Stephen. I remember viewing it from the top of Mt Dandenong. Huge crowd, people trying to take photos of the comet using a flash! We mocked up a fake Halley in the dark room, using cardboard cut-outs and yew berries to fool our friends. Great days.
Thanks, Stephen. I remember viewing it from the top of Mt Dandenong. Huge crowd, people trying to take photos of the comet using a flash! We mocked up a fake Halley in the dark room, using cardboard cut-outs and yew berries to fool our friends. Great days.
Did they believe it? I would have been tempted to put some little green men in the picture as well.
Nice shooting Steve, you must be about as old as I am mate, I have one as well taken on the 3rd March 1986, and as you said pretty poor detail, but all we had then was Hypered Kodak 2145, Black and White.
I also processed my own in my humble dark room, it dose bring back memories.
Great times those...... loading the film into the developer tank standing inside a wadrobe (so it was dark), a dark room in the garage at night...ahh....that was "real" astrophotography then!
Did they believe it? I would have been tempted to put some little green men in the picture as well.
We did a few different versions. Most people were suckered in with the first, blurry "photo", but usually twigged with the second image, which wasn't so blurred. One friend, though, fell for the most cartoon image of the lot, there were even stalks on the berries, and the "tail" of Halley's was three pointy triangles.
Just a footnote to my color photo, I have spent all of this evening calculating it's position in relation to Stellarium and Starry Night and I have deduced that it was taken on 9th March 1986 0200hrs AEDT (8th March 1500 UT). It's coordinates are: RA: 20 14.5, DEC: -19 12.5. The star HIP99782 is directly under the head of the comet and about 1/2 degree from Sigma Capricornus. Phew! Now for my other 4 images and 8 sketches from January '86 I located today.
Well, since you guys showed yours, I will show you mine :-)
This slide with Halley was taken from northern hemisphere, with this astrograph... only the camera was Practica and the lens was Tair-11A..
Memories....
And does anyone make their own barndoor/eq camera trackers anymore? Articles on them were very popular in magazines up until a few years ago. They were a very inexpensive way to take shots. I must try to find mind in the pile of boxes.
I reckon there are hundreds of photos stored away like ours.
I was fortunate enough to show my Great Grandmother Halley in '86. This was the second time she witnessed it. She would still recall the event in 1910 to us. Not too many people can say that!
you must be about as old as I am mate, 
I feel like jumping into a rendition of the Four Yorkshiremen Sketch from Monty Python. 
