My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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bobharmony
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My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by bobharmony »


I have been anticipating this night for the best part of a week. The weather was cooperating with a high pressure system directly overhead, meaning no clouds and no wind. Clear Outside and the local weather shamans have been calling it since last Friday. I spent time getting darks last night at the correct temperature so I would be ready to process when I finished my session.

Then I saw the morning sky today. It looked like high clouds, but I was told there isn't a cloud in the sky. What is up there at high altitude is smoke from the West coast wildfires. The sky was a light tan in color most of the day. I took a quick shot of the Sun at 300mm fl, and the surface looked completely smooth, no granulation at all, which is not what I should be seeing. I stuck my head out at full darkness. Vega, Altair and Deneb are barely visible. Jupiter is glaring in the southwest with Saturn barely visible if I look closely. I'm glad I didn't take the time to set up!

I found one smoke simulation on the net that indicates clearing by 1PM tomorrow but it doesn't run any further than that yet. We'll see how things look then. Of course we will be on the back side of the high, which will bring higher temps, and more moisture in the air, not the crisp Fall-like night I was looking forward to tonight. Yet another letdown in a year that has been full of them!

On the bright side, the smoke is high enough in the atmosphere that it doesn't present any respiratory problems, and the air doesn't smell smoky. A few years ago we could smell the smoke from wildfires in Canada when the wind came in from the northwest. That was really freaky!

Reporting from the smoked-out East coast.

Bob
Hardware: Celestron C6-N w/ Advanced GTmount, Baader MK iii CC, Orion ST-80, Canon 60D (unmodded), Nikon D5300 (modded), Orion SSAG
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by Shabadoo »


Uh huh.
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by XCalRocketMan »


Ditto. On the 14th I couldn't even see Jupiter!! Maybe this weekend and then early next week we might get some decent skies.
Scopes Celestron EdgeHD-11; William Optics GT102; William Optics ZS61; Criterion Dynamax-8 SCT
Mounts AP1100GTO mount w/APCCpro; iOptron iEQ30 Pro; Criterion Dynamax-8 SCT
Lenses Hyperstar-III; Celestron 0.7x FR; WO Flat/Reducer 0.8x
Guiding Celestron OAG w/ASI174mm mini; WO 50mm; Orion ST80
Cameras and Filters ZWO2600mm Pro w/Optolong 3nm NB and RGB; ZWOASI1600mm Pro (ZWO LRGB and Astrodon Ha-5nm, Oiii-3nm, Sii-5nm), QHY10, Canon 50D; ASI174mm mini; ASI462MC; ASI120MC
Misc Moonlite focuser on Edge - Feather-Touch focuser on GT102; ZWO EAF on ZS61; ZWO 2" and 31mm FWs; Kendrick Dew System, Temp-est Fans
Software NINA; PHD; APT; BYE; PI; APP; PSP; Registax; FireCapture; SharpCap
Blog at: SkyAndRockets
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by bobharmony »


Not looking any better tonight - I hope you are right about the weekend!

Bob
Hardware: Celestron C6-N w/ Advanced GTmount, Baader MK iii CC, Orion ST-80, Canon 60D (unmodded), Nikon D5300 (modded), Orion SSAG
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by Lowjiber »


Bob, living in Las Vegas I feel your pain.

Here's a good link that will give you the smoke coverage across the country. Just allow it to access your location. You can zoom in/out. https://fire.airnow.gov

Clear Skies & Stay Safe
John (Urban Astronomer) Apertura AD10 Dob; XLT 150 Dob; XLT 120EQ; Lunt Solar 60 PT/B1200; ES AR102; SW Pro 100ED; 2 SW Pro 80ED's; 90mm Eq; WO Z-61; SW 90mm Virtuso Mak; 2 Orion ST-80's; Quark-C; Cams: Polemaster, ASI120MM-S, ASI174MM & ASI174MM-C
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by bobharmony »


Lowjiber wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:10 am Bob, living in Las Vegas I feel your pain.

Here's a good link that will give you the smoke coverage across the country. Just allow it to access your location. You can zoom in/out. https://fire.airnow.gov

Clear Skies & Stay Safe
Thanks, John. I will add this one to my toolbox, and hopefully never have to use it again!

Bob
Hardware: Celestron C6-N w/ Advanced GTmount, Baader MK iii CC, Orion ST-80, Canon 60D (unmodded), Nikon D5300 (modded), Orion SSAG
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by helicon »


Hope it clears up Bob. I was able to take out the Z10 and 5am this morning for a short session of semi-winter observing. Grabbed the Crab Nebula and the OC's in Auriga, NELM has improved to about 4 from the smokiest days.
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by XCalRocketMan »


Thanks for that resource on the smoke map John.
Scopes Celestron EdgeHD-11; William Optics GT102; William Optics ZS61; Criterion Dynamax-8 SCT
Mounts AP1100GTO mount w/APCCpro; iOptron iEQ30 Pro; Criterion Dynamax-8 SCT
Lenses Hyperstar-III; Celestron 0.7x FR; WO Flat/Reducer 0.8x
Guiding Celestron OAG w/ASI174mm mini; WO 50mm; Orion ST80
Cameras and Filters ZWO2600mm Pro w/Optolong 3nm NB and RGB; ZWOASI1600mm Pro (ZWO LRGB and Astrodon Ha-5nm, Oiii-3nm, Sii-5nm), QHY10, Canon 50D; ASI174mm mini; ASI462MC; ASI120MC
Misc Moonlite focuser on Edge - Feather-Touch focuser on GT102; ZWO EAF on ZS61; ZWO 2" and 31mm FWs; Kendrick Dew System, Temp-est Fans
Software NINA; PHD; APT; BYE; PI; APP; PSP; Registax; FireCapture; SharpCap
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by XCalRocketMan »


bobharmony wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 2:09 am Not looking any better tonight - I hope you are right about the weekend!

Bob
Well, I'm hoping too. Here is the Clear Outside forecast for the ext few days: :dance:
ClearOutside.jpg
Scopes Celestron EdgeHD-11; William Optics GT102; William Optics ZS61; Criterion Dynamax-8 SCT
Mounts AP1100GTO mount w/APCCpro; iOptron iEQ30 Pro; Criterion Dynamax-8 SCT
Lenses Hyperstar-III; Celestron 0.7x FR; WO Flat/Reducer 0.8x
Guiding Celestron OAG w/ASI174mm mini; WO 50mm; Orion ST80
Cameras and Filters ZWO2600mm Pro w/Optolong 3nm NB and RGB; ZWOASI1600mm Pro (ZWO LRGB and Astrodon Ha-5nm, Oiii-3nm, Sii-5nm), QHY10, Canon 50D; ASI174mm mini; ASI462MC; ASI120MC
Misc Moonlite focuser on Edge - Feather-Touch focuser on GT102; ZWO EAF on ZS61; ZWO 2" and 31mm FWs; Kendrick Dew System, Temp-est Fans
Software NINA; PHD; APT; BYE; PI; APP; PSP; Registax; FireCapture; SharpCap
Blog at: SkyAndRockets
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by John Baars »


Sorry to hear all this.
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by Dragonsfire »


The Copper color on everything is nice to look at :) lol
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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by bobharmony »


Clear tonight, but very windy. Here's hoping for blue skies tomorrow and a good night for AP!

Bob
Hardware: Celestron C6-N w/ Advanced GTmount, Baader MK iii CC, Orion ST-80, Canon 60D (unmodded), Nikon D5300 (modded), Orion SSAG
Software: BYE, APT, PHD2, DSS, PhotoShop CC 2020, StarTools, Cartes du Ciel, AstroTortilla

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Re: My imaging session tonight - not! Smoked out

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Post by terrynak »


Thanks for the update Bob. Can't believe that the fires from my state is affecting conditions in the East Coast as well.
Scopes: Reflectors, refractors, and 1 catadioptric. Ranging in aperture from 50mm to 150mm.
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