Andromeda slipping into the trees

[Fumesucker]

The moon was far too bright last night for any serious deep sky imaging so I was tweaking my polar alignment setup routine and got a series of 34 images of the constellation Andromeda and the galaxy named after it as they slipped into the trees. Canon 350D with a Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ f3.2 30 seconds per exposure @ ISO800. Resized and processed into an animated GIF with VirtualDub. My tracking mount is an Ioptron Cube Pro used in equatorial mode.

The galaxy is near the center of the image and you can see a satellite sail through the frame about 3/4 of the way through the cycle.. Also note the color of the light on the tree to the right, that's from Christmas lights on the front of the house. Thanks to the moonlight and the local light pollution there were only a few stars that could be seen with the naked eye in the field, the only way I could tell the galaxy was even there was by looking at the images as they downloaded to my laptop.



Next time it's clear with moonlight like it was last night I'm going to try and get Orion rising through the bare deciduous trees we have on the east side of the property, that constellation is a lot more obvious and colorful than Andromeda, the galaxy is really the only standout thing about it.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I'll be watching for Orion.

For some reason, ever since I was a young girl, the three stars of Orion's Belt have been my favorite stars in the sky -- even before I knew the constellation. It's interesting to learn now that many earthly structures, such as the pyramids of Egypt, appear to have the same alignment. (I know, I know, too much "Ancient Aliens." LOL.)

[alfredo]

2. Comet Lovejoy is below and to the right of Orion. Find a sky map

showing the path.

[Fumesucker]

3. By the time it's dark enough to get a decent shot Lovejoy will be in Taurus

Anything much below Orion is in the trees and light pollution anyway for me, I have a ball field to the immediate south of me only about a half mile away and when they light it up for night games and practice there's not much use in even looking that way until around 11 pm or even later. Once the Moon is gone from the evening sky Lovejoy will be highest in the sky around 8 pm or so I think.

[alfredo]

4. Do you have a filter for clouds?

[intheflow]

5. Very cool, Fumesucker.

I can't wait to see your Orion shots. He's the only worthwhile thing about winter, like an old friend who visits every year.