Starship Asterisk*

by **geckzilla** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 8:55 am

You know, if hardware filters exist, I don't know about any of them. I know that was a joke but now I'm curious if they really do exist.

by **Nitpicker** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 6:45 am

Do you mean software or hardware filters? I can get my stars sizes down to zero, just by keeping the lens cap on.

by **geckzilla** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 6:26 am

Yes, sometimes a very thin layer of fog can scatter the brighter stars strikingly and similarly, but it can only go so far. There are special filters designed just for astrophotography for adding things like glow, reducing stars to smaller points, or diffraction spikes. They're much better than what I can come up with in Photoshop using the filters and tools that came with it by default.

(edit: I don't know what is causing the glow in your picture. Fog maybe, but didn't mean to say fog definitely.)

by **Nitpicker** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 3:06 am

geckzilla wrote:
starsurfer wrote:
henrystar wrote:The bright Orion stars seem almost TOO bright....has there been any "enhancement," as in that "big dipper" not long ago?
I think this is an effect of camera optics caused by really bright stars, the illusion of the brighter stars looking larger than they actually are.
I'm convinced that these are mostly effects added with graphics software later on, but I can't rule out the possibility that there is some kind of setup that would allow it to happen at exposure time.

I sometimes get (unwanted and unexpected) "auras" showing around the brighter stars in some of my raw images, which tend to be enhanced by stacking and processing. I've never really understood if this is caused by image saturation, high gain/ISO, moisture in the atmosphere, or something else entirely. The ones in this APOD do seem more deliberate and selective, however.

Not sure if this is the same thing we are seeing in the APOD, and this has a much narrower field, too, but here is what I am talking about, with a comparison of stacking 8 subs on left, with a single sub on the right:

by **geckzilla** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 7:39 pm

starsurfer wrote:
henrystar wrote:The bright Orion stars seem almost TOO bright....has there been any "enhancement," as in that "big dipper" not long ago?
I think this is an effect of camera optics caused by really bright stars, the illusion of the brighter stars looking larger than they actually are.

I'm convinced that these are mostly effects added with graphics software later on, but I can't rule out the possibility that there is some kind of setup that would allow it to happen at exposure time.

by **Ron-Astro Pharmacist** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 3:38 pm

With the foreground colors included it almost looks like Bill was able to complete the color wheel when you take into account the purplish sky with it's variety of colorful stars. That presents us with quite a balanced image very pleasing to gaze upon.

: Colorful Tree.jpg (7.43 KiB) Viewed 3165 times

Colorful trees come in handy as well as some ground lighting as noted in the yellows reflected from the branches below. The slight curve of the belt stars is surely hinting at the smile on the authors face today.

Well deserved. No bull - though it's" hyading" close by ready to spring. Y'all knew that was coming.

In fact it's here!

by **starsurfer** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:18 pm

henrystar wrote:The bright Orion stars seem almost TOO bright....has there been any "enhancement," as in that "big dipper" not long ago?

I think this is an effect of camera optics caused by really bright stars, the illusion of the brighter stars looking larger than they actually are.

by **Chris Peterson** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:07 pm

the1andonlydjt wrote:Very nice. Oh how I wish I could see stars like this from my back yard. Or from my front yard. Or even from some place clsoe to home! :cry:

You probably can. There are few places on Earth more than an hour from dark skies. And this image was taken in the middle of some of the most light polluted skies in the U.S.

by **henrystar** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 1:37 pm

The bright Orion stars seem almost TOO bright....has there been any "enhancement," as in that "big dipper" not long ago?

by **the1andonlydjt** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 1:23 pm

Very nice. Oh how I wish I could see stars like this from my back yard. Or from my front yard. Or even from some place clsoe to home!

by **SteveH** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 1:07 pm

This is definitely a beautiful frame; I'll soon be using it as desktop wallpaper on my computer. Did anyone notice the firefly traces in and amongst the branches of the tree on the left (dotted yellow line)?

-Steve

by **Ann** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 12:24 pm

Nitpicker wrote:
Mike A wrote:Looking at this picture of Orion I realise that the image of Orion as a Hunter is entirely different for residents of the northern and southern hemispheres. To see how Orion appears from Australia, for example, you need to turn this picture upside down. Living in the southern hemisphere, I have always seen Orion' sword raised to the heavens rather than hanging from his belt!!
At this time of year, from the temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere, Orion, never really looks upside down by comparison. He looks more like he's face planting.
orion_setting_over_brisbane.PNG

Orion is defeated! He is eating dust, at least cosmic dust!

Ann

by **Nitpicker** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:02 am

Mike A wrote:Looking at this picture of Orion I realise that the image of Orion as a Hunter is entirely different for residents of the northern and southern hemispheres. To see how Orion appears from Australia, for example, you need to turn this picture upside down. Living in the southern hemisphere, I have always seen Orion' sword raised to the heavens rather than hanging from his belt!!

At this time of year, from the temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere, Orion, never really looks upside down by comparison. He looks more like he's face planting.

: Orion setting over Brisbane.

by **Mike A** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 9:02 am

Looking at this picture of Orion I realise that the image of Orion as a Hunter is entirely different for residents of the northern and southern hemispheres. To see how Orion appears from Australia, for example, you need to turn this picture upside down. Living in the southern hemisphere, I have always seen Orion' sword raised to the heavens rather than hanging from his belt!!

by **Ann** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 6:06 am

This is a fantastic image. The wonderful power of life on Earth - reined in during winter, ready to explode in spring - is contrasted with the amazing beauty and power of the brilliant stars of Orion.

Is there a planet somewhere in the direction of Orion where there is also spring, and new powerful seasonal vegetation?

Ann

by **daddyo** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 4:34 am

I like the crimson tree as much as the constellation, always nice to blend the near and far to ground you and extend what may be out there

by **ta152h0** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 4:24 am

nicely framed, two APOD's in a row

by **APOD Robot** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 4:08 am

Orion Spring

Explanation: As spring comes to planet Earth's northern hemisphere, familiar winter constellation Orion sets in early evening skies and budding trees frame the Hunter's stars. The yellowish hue of cool red supergiant Alpha Orionis, the great star Betelgeuse, mingles with the branches at the top of this colorful skyscape. Orion's alpha star is joined on the far right by Alpha Tauri. Also known as Aldebaran and also a giant star cooler than the Sun, it shines with a yellow light at the head of Taurus, the Bull. Contrasting blue supergiant Rigel, Beta Orionis, is Orion's other dominant star though, and marks the Hunter's foot below center. Of course, the sword of Orion hangs from the Hunter's three blue belt stars near picture center, but the middle star in the sword is not a star at all. A slightly fuzzy pinkish glow hints at its true nature, a nearby stellar nursery visible to the unaided eye known as the Orion Nebula.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

[/b]

Starship Asterisk*

APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Post a reply

Expand view Topic review: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

Re: APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)

APOD: Orion Spring (2015 Mar 26)