Anybody get photos of Saturn & Venus occ. this weekend?

Hi folks,

Was anybody able to capture this occultation over the weekend? I'd love to see some pictures.. Damn clouds! Or did anybody find any good photos of this from other websites?

Thanks,
Brian

While I'm here, I might as well post up my first (successful) astrophotograph.

www.flickr.com/photos/9629318@N04/704642212/

Taken: May 3, 2007
Caption:
This is my first astrophotograph taken using the most cutting edge technology and techniques (i.e. I held my digital camera very steadily up to the eyepiece and clicked!!)
Camera: Canon Powershot 530A (standard, non-astro digital camera)
Telescope: DTG (Dublin Telescope Group) 8.75" Dobsonian

I have since gotten a webcam and a Celestron 11 Schmit-Cass. No pics yet though.. Clouds, clouds, clouds.. Sorry, yes it's my fault!!

While I'm here, I might as well post up my first (successful) astrophotograph.

www.flickr.com/photos/9629318@N04/704642212/

That's still a very good shot for such a hi-tech technique. Focus might be a tad bit off, and there is some aberation (blue tinge effect) to the bottom of the Moon, most likely caused by the eyepiece. Regarding the focus, next time you try shooting the Moon like this, try a couple of shots in succession, each time nudging the focuser bit by bit. That way, you'll have a greater chance of at least one shot being at prime focus, and nice and sharp!

Seanie.

Hi Brian
That’s a good first effort, sometimes simple techniques can work out well! I initially thought I was to blame for the bad weather after collecting my new Celestron 8SE telescope nearly four weeks ago, I don’t feel so bad now!
Best of luck with your new equipment, the universe is yours to explore (when the clouds clear :roll: ). Brian, I only had the new scope out for one night in June, but this was for mainly testing new software, hardware issues and trying to orchestrate everything to work together, it was time well spent and beneficial for when I do actually try to image on my next clear night out with a sensitive BW video camera.
I downloaded a free 30 day trial of “Maxim DL” software after some recommendations from fellow astronomers here on the forum. This software is amazing for video imaging and processing with many helpful features, and can be useful for future upgrades such as high end CCDs, Electronic focusers, dome control etc. here is more information if interested…
“Maxim DL” 30 day free trial… www.cyanogen.com/downloads/maxim_main.htm
Some useful tutorials on image capture and processing with Maxim DL (and indeed many other software titles)… starizona.com/acb/ccd/software/softwareintro.aspx

Have fun and clear skies
Mike

Hi Brian.
Thats a grand ''first''!

So, there are a few of ye that bought new scopes eh!?
That explains the crap weather!

Thanks for the tips and support lads. I'll try that Maxim download if the weather threatens to clear up anytime soon (although it did look pretty clear for a while last night). I'll let ye know how the new setup goes and I'm sure I'll be back here with many questions soon..

Brian