Wow, wow, wow! I just got back from my first big "star party" -- the 25th Okie-Tex Star Party that was held in the Black Mesa area of the Oklahoma panhandle. It was a 9 hour drive from Big D but totally worth it. I tent camped for 4 days under some of the darkest skies in the country... and the weather was perfect! It was incredible. I saw stuff I've never seen before... like the Zodiacal light and the Gegenschein (more about those later).Expect a full report (with pics) coming soon. I also did LOTS of astro-imaging on multiple targets, so I will have a steady stream of new astro images to share very soon. In the meantime, here is a shot I took of some "star trails". This is done by simply taking a LONG exposure from a fixed camera on a tripod pointing north. As the Earth rotates, the sky seems to spin and thus blurs/streaks the stars. All the red lights are from the flashlights of folks in the field.
It was an exhausting trip, but completely cool. I'm hooked!
3 comments:
WWOOOOOOOO! Time warp!
Nice piccy. SOunded like a gas, and I am sure the best is yet to come...
I'm glad you liked. Can I post a link back to your Blog from the Okie-Tex website?
~Travis, webmaster for the OTSP
Howdy Travis, sure, feel free to link away! I'll be posting my astro images within the next few days, as well as my "review" of the trip.
I am certainly planning on returning next year : )
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