Sky Haze Experiment with Venus Jupiter Conjunction

SKY HAZE EXPERIMENT WITH VENUS JUPITER CONJUNCTION

SATURDAY JULY 21ST 2012

4:39:40 am

This test exposure is maximum processed to show clouds and haze (at top of photo) that was not visible to the naked eye. It's obvious that on nights of this typical haze, which apparently is often, the limiting magnitude takes a reduction hit. Planets shown are Jupiter and Venus next to Aldebaran in the Hyades star cluster in the constellation Taurus the Bull. This is a screen capture from the original 1016 x 1529 (752K) image. Exposed at 1/10th second, the ISO 1,600 image was at f/2 with a 28mm lens without zoom, using a Canon PowerShot S95.

The next color photo shows a normalized enhanced conjunction view with two planets and three brighter stars including Aldebaran in Taurus (at right of Jupiter and Venus) and Capella (far left) in the constellation Auriga, visible in this early morning dawn view. The conjunction view shows less stars around 4:30 am due to the encroaching sky glow. However, earlier clouds prevented completely clear sky imaging. Refer to the previous conjunction images for the identification of stars.




 
In the next view, a kind of "Where's Waldo" of stars, shown at larger image scale, a maximum number of eight stars are visible. Two above 101, four at left, and three at top.

07.20.2012 Venus Conjunction Sky Map Experiment

Above right: Taipei 101, Jupiter, Venus, Capella in Taurus

July 20, 2012 Venus Jupiter Conjunction Sky Map Experiment

Constellation Auriga with bright star Capella

Friday morning was clear enough to capture Venus Jupiter conjunction and the most stars ever photographed in the early morning dawn sky. This experiment shows that a simple hand held camera shooting a very clear sky at high ISO ratings can create a "downtown" star map from a heavily light polluted high density populated city. This 1 second exposed (2 EV) image was taken at 4:20:06 am with settings of f/2, a 28mm lens, and ISO 1,600. No UFOs were seen during the sequence of observations. Enough stars are seen to clearly define the constellations. This view is screen captured from the original 1064 x 1600 pixel image. The star map is rotated to match the actual view of the constellation Auriga and the brightest star Capella, in the photo to the left of the Taipei 101 skyscraper. The photo shows the Pleiades star cluster, Venus, Jupiter, Aldebaran in the Hyades star cluster, and the constellation Auriga with the bright star Capella. A PowerShot Canon S95 CCD camera was used to obtain the sequential images in this study. The camera eye is recording numerous stars not seen to the naked eye view. To conduct a program of creating the aforementioned sky maps, a simple tripod is recommended. It may also be possible to go deeper on the exposure and this deserves continued experimentation. The Lab 50 is obstructed by a brick structure on the South, so for an all sky mapping project another lab is recommended, like Area 51 atop the skyscraper.

Venus Jupiter Aldebaran Study

Venus Jupiter Aldebaran Conjunction

Venus-Jupiter-Aldebaran

NOTE: YOU CAN View this ongoing planetary conjunction of Venus and Jupiter with the star Aldebaran all throughout the month of July 2012.

IMPROVING CONJUNCTIVE VIEW STUDY

Tuesday July 10th 2012

Several factors improved images of the ongoing planetary conjunction with Venus, Jupiter and the star Aldebaran in the constellation Hyades. An earlier observation time led to a darker sky and better contrast and fewer clouds compared to the previous observation made the event appear spectacular. In this view, the focus is slightly offset to successfully make larger planetary dots and more accurately represent visual brightness levels. Jupiter is above Venus and the star is very close to Venus at the bottom right. The first photo shows both planets appearing very bright but does not come close to representing the human eye view which was spectacular. The star is barely visible in this view taken on July 10th 2012 at 4:24:36 am with ISO 1,600 at f/2 and 1.8th second exposure. This is a digitally enlarged snippet screen capture of the original 2594 x 3459 pixel 2.3 MB JPEG image.

Aldebaran to lower right of Venus

STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF CLOUDS & ATMOSPHERE PARTICULATES RELATIVE TO STELLAR EXTINCTION

In the next photo, taken at 4:27:49 am on July 10th, 2012, the star is clearly visible and most clouds have momentarily passed by this section of the sky. Cirrus clouds appear very light and tenuous although are very good at blocking stars - this is because the city of 8 million has many lights that can reflect off not only the bottom of the clouds but the atmospheric particulates. Keep in mind the clouds can absorb starlight, reflect starlight, and block out starlight with a shroud of reflective brightness. This image was captured with a Canon PowerShot S95 at Telephoto f/3.5 and 12.8mm focus. The 1/8th second exposure was combined with ISO 1,600 sensitivity to compensate for the encroaching sunlight. This is a screen shot snippet from the original 2736 x 3648 pixel 2.9 MB image.

Full Zoom & All 3 Conjunction Elements

ZOOM CAPTURE STUDY

In the Zoom Capture Study, full Zoom is set to include both planets and the star in the same FOV. This was shot at 4:36:16 am on July 10th, 2012. ISO was increased to 3,200 manually, and the 22.5 mm Zoom focus was combined with a 1/4th second exposure at f/4.9. This is a screen capture snippet from the original 2736 x 3648 pixel 3.4 MB JPEG image. The Zoom Capture is more suitable for measuring relative object positions. Due to the fast ISO and relatively fast exposure, this and similar images are made possible by merely holding the camera by hand.

OBSERVATIONS OBSERVATORY

These observations were made at Observatory Lab 50. The Lab is very convenient at it locates off an adjacent wing to Static Lab 49 where images are processed. For higher resolution on similar Zoom studies, shoot in RAW mode rather than JPEG mode to increase resolution and reduce artifacts.

Two more stars at left seen in between clouds

MORE STARS VS CLOUD COVER STUDY
At left in the image, two more stars are visible through clearing in the clouds. This was taken on July 10th at 4:27:21 am local time at ISO 1,600 with a 1/8th second exposure (no telephoto) and f/2 lens, using a Canon PowerShot S95 in 2662 x 3550 pixel 4.5 MB file size JPEG mode. The image is cropped and processed in this screen shot snippet.

GRAIN REMOVAL STUDY
Photographic grain at high ISO is removed with Apple iPhoto function. This effect further delineates the cloud to sky differential showing which areas of clearing will have the opacity to show better stellar and planetary viewing.

CONJUNCTIVE COVERAGE

This Conjunction is currently observed a total of four times. It was imaged on July 3rd, July 8th, July 9th and July 10th. Other days were overcast, cloudy or raining and observations were not possible.

Humanoido Labs List

http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2012/06/humanoido-labs-list.html

Other Observations of This Conjunction

Venus Conjunction 

Deep Camera Venus Experiment 

Venus Jupiter Conjunction Revisit 

Lab 50 Observatory 1st Astro Image

Lab 50 Observatory 1st Astro Image

Early Morning: Rare double planet

& star conjunction seen next to

Taipei 101 in the Hyades Cluster

BIG BRAIN LAB 50 TAIWAN OBSERVATORY 1ST ASTRO IMAGE

This is the first astro image photo taken at Big Brain's Taiwan Lab Static Observatory (TSO) early this morning 

JULY 3RD 2012 AT 4:27:38 AM - Taipei 101 and planets Venus (brightest) and Jupiter with the star Aldebaran in the Hyades Cluster. This is a rare twilight conjunction captured at 4:30 am this morning. The telephoto was shot at ISO 6,400 with an exposure of 1/20th second at F4 using a hand held Canon PowerShot S95. This example shows great sensitivity to capture planets and bright stars with a hand held telephoto lens and a rather fast exposure of 1/20th second. This demonstrates the real potential for fast shooting entire digital star maps at F2 with a hand held camera and a dark sky. Closer inspection of this photo (at full size) reveals another star. This image is taken downtown in the heart of Taipei. The Taipei metropolitan area consisting of Taipei, New Taipei and Keelung, has a population of 6,900,273. Taipei is the political, economic, and cultural center of Taiwan.

Twilight The diffused light from the sky during the early evening or early morning when the sun is below the horizon and its light is refracted by the earth's atmosphere.

New CCD Eye

Screen within a screen

BIG BRAIN GETS A POWERFUL NEW CCD EYE

The Big Brain can now look farther and deeper in the Universe depths with this new big color camera eye. On June 13th, 2012, the Big Brain gained a powerful new CCD eye, purposed for imaging great gains to ISO 27,000.

Features The electronic lensing eye employs a CCD element sensor which saves data to a 16 GB High Speed SD Ultra Card by Sandisk at a high speed data transfer rate of 30MBPS. The sensing element is a 10.0 Megapixel 1.1.7-inch Charge Coupled Device with a fast pre image forming F/2.0 to F/4.9 wide angle (28mm to 105mm) lens capable of zoom at 3.8 optical x 4 digital (15.2 combined). It contains a full size 3-inch bright LCD monitor with 461,000 pixels. The eye can time expose a quarter of a minute (15 seconds) for astronomical and dark area imaging and reaches a fast high end exposure of 1/1600s. Vision is as close as 2-inches or out to infinity and includes a timer. One great feature is the programmable function ring which can be assigned various modes.

Battery pack and recording media

The eye handles continuous imaging at 1.9 views a second and will also record video and stereo audio. The digital zoom is silent on the recording audio. The eye features the advanced Optical Image Stabilizer System. Capacity is 164,734 views per card fill. Resolution goes to 3648 x 2736 pixels. Data is saved in compressed or full JPG or high resolution RAW and is fully compatible with Apple OSX Snow Leopard 10.6.8 and iPhoto. The eye interfaces with High Speed USB 2.0, NTSC, PAL, and records in Stereo. The Vid can handle 5-hour stints and has an active optical zoom. (Capture 720p HD 24 FPS video in stereo sound; playback on an HDTV via the HDMI output.) Weight is only 6 ounces (170g) and approximate housing dimensions are 3.93 x 2.3 x 1.16 inches (99.8 x 58.4 x 29.5mm), ideal for both Brain and telescope mounting. Framing is selected from 16:9, 3:2, 4:3, 1:1, and 4:5. The battery used is NB-6L. The image camera can serve as an advanced robot eye, a Big Brain image center, the imaging device for the Ultra Space Program, a satellite imaging unit for launches into space, etc. The interior Canon S95 electronics is similar to the Canon G12 at half the price. (the G12 is larger, heavier, slower, with a smaller LCD display but has more external controls, a flip out LCD and a closer focus macro.) For more information refer to Canon PowerShot S95 information at http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_s95#Specifications

Monetary Investment What does this system cost when exported to overseas markets like Taiwan? The camera lists for US$399.99. A package with camera, one extra original manufacture's battery, LCD protect screen covering, a SanDisk 16GB 30MB/s Ultra Media SDHC1 Card (note: this is currently the fastest, class 10, data transfer card of this type offered by SanDisk), a Digital Cleaning Kit and the dealer service plan was $380.00. Separately added by Humanoido Labs is a specialized sides-reinforced black zippered bag that holds: the camera, one extra battery and the download USB cable plus notes. Note, the hard leather camera case recommended by the seller was not purchased as it had a bolt which did not line up with the camera and could not hold any accessories. www.amazon.com currently sells the camera for US$392.00 without any accessories.

Improvements Over the Previous Eye The new Canon S95 eye represents a great improvement and major upgrade over the previous Big Brain SONY T10 eye. T10 ratings: CCD, Sliding Lens Cover, F3.5 to F4.3, 38mm Lens, 7.2 Megapixel, 2.5” LCD 230,000 Pixels, 3X Optical 6X Digital Zoom (18 combined), 90x55x21mm size, 165 Grams weight, JPG Format, 30FPS Video, Shutter ¼ Sec. to 1/1000 Sec., Movie can zoom, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, Macro 1cm, 7.4 Million Photodetectors, Tripod Mount, Lithium Battery, 2Gb Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo, SONY Cyber-shot InfoLithium battery NP-FT1.
http://asia.cnet.com/product/sony-cyber-shot-dsc-t10-39268480.htm
http://asia.cnet.com/product/sony-cyber-shot-dsc-t10_specs-39268480.htm

SONY T Series Announcement

NOTE: According to internet sources, all known SONY T series cameras, such as T10, T20 etc. have a manufacturing defect. Apparently, new or old cameras can develop a lens vibration anomaly rendering the camera useless. A stabilizing lens gyro internally with glue mounts fails. SONY offered a free recall fix in 2011 that has now ended. Camera owners are now left with a very expensive fix, in which in some cases has failed again, or the route to purchase another brand camera.

Summary In summary, the new S95 eye has a faster lens, a more sensitive ISO rating, can take longer time exposures and faster exposures, is about the same small weight, size and has a similar timer, has a 2" macro instead of .75", has a larger brighter display, a larger megapixel CCD imager, adds stereo sound, and has a card with eight times the storage capacity.

SanDisk Data Card
Information and quotes from the SanDisk Web Site
SDHC (16 & 32GB), SDXC (64GB) form factor, Class 10 performance for Full HD† video (1080p), Read speeds up to 30MB/s* Capacities up to 64GB** Writeable label for easy identification and organization. Lifetime limited warranty*** Water-proof, temperature proof, X-ray proof, shock proof‡ Form factor: SDHC (16GB and 32GB), SDXC (64 GB) Available capacities: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB Performance/speed: Up to 30MB/s* read speed; write speed lower. SDHC card dimension: 0.94" x 1.25" x 0.08" (24 mm x 32 mm x 2.1 mm) Operating temperature: -13ºF to 185ºF (-25ºC to 85 ºC). Storage temperature: -40ºF to 185ºF (-40ºC to 85ºC) Compatibility: Compatible with all SDHC or SDXC supporting host devices. Security: Built-in write-protect switch prevents accidental data loss. Support: Lifetime limited warranty*** Jewel case included . Not all devices support SDHC and/or SDXC memory card formats. Check with your device manufacturer for more details. * Up to 30MB/sec read speed; write speed lower. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes. ** 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes. Some capacity not available for data storage. *** 10 year warranty in Germany, Canada, and regions not recognizing "lifetime" warranty. † Full HD video(1920x1080x30fps) and HD (1280x720x30fps) video support may vary based upon host device, file size, resolution, compression, bit rate, content and other factors. See www.sandisk.com/HD ‡ SD, SDHC and SDXC card formats up to 64 GB only. See www.sandisk.com/proof for additional information. SanDisk Ultra® Class 10 SDHC™/ SDXC™ UHS-I Card 30MB/s. Get the highest video recording performance with Class 10 rating for Full HD† video (1080p), plus more speed to catch the shot with your point and shoot camera. With SanDisk Ultra UHS-I cards you'll benefit from faster downloads, higher capacity, and better performance to capture and store more Full HD video. Take advantage of ultra-fast read speeds of up to 30 MB/s* to save time when moving images from the card to your computer. SanDisk Ultra UHS-I cards are water-proof, temperature proof, X-ray proof, shock proof‡, compatible with all SD/SDHC digital devices, and come with world-class customer support. 16 GB Item# SDSDU-016G-A11 SanDisk Ultra SDHC UHS-I cards are for point-and-shoot cameras and camcorders to capture Full HD† Video (1080p) and pictures. Featuring speed class 10 for the highest video recording performance available and more speed to take better pictures instantly.