tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22589039035947045862024-03-20T04:32:19.381+00:00telekilnesisPhotography with a telescope, in and around East Kent.Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-86644321963673303602021-11-03T20:18:00.000+00:002021-11-03T20:18:03.408+00:00The Desert and the SnowOne of the highlights of living on this corner of East Kent is that it sometimes plays host to interesting or unusual birds, particularly during the passage seasons of spring and autumn. Occasionally you might even get two such visitors in the same week, as happened recently with one rare bird and one not quite so rare (though no less charming). And better yet, neither of them were camera-shy.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/51580411951/in/dateposted/" title="Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)"><img alt="Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51580411951_4c00481f29.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The first was a <b><span style="color: #ffd966;">Desert Wheatear</span></b> (above) which spent several days foraging for insects on and around Joss Bay. On the day I went to see it, it was frequenting the edge of the cauliflower field overlooking the bay.</div><div><br /></div><div>The all-black tail pattern (as compared to the T-shaped pattern of the more common Wheatear) is one of its main distinguishing features, but it can be difficult to see unless the bird is in flight (as shown below).</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/51614674420/in/dateposted/" title="Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)"><img alt="Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)" height="281" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51614674420_816201d36a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div><div><br /></div><div>A few days after the Desert Wheatear departed, a <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Snow Bunting</span></b> turned up on the stretch of coast between Dumpton Gap and Louisa Bay. Unlike the Desert Wheatear, Snow Buntings are annual winter visitors to the Kent coastline, though I usually have to go out to Reculver to see them.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/51606241901/in/dateposted/" title="Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)"><img alt="Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)" height="500" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51606241901_5640e24556.jpg" width="375" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div><div><br /></div><div>This little bird was even more confiding than the Desert Wheatear, and not at all fazed by the people walking past and the array of lenses pointing at it. I had to back away from it several times just to keep it in focus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whereas the Desert Wheatear was feeding on insects, the Snow Bunting was foraging for seeds, using its beak to break open the husks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Will we receive any more visitors before the end of the year? It has been a long time since I saw a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/eremophilaalpestris">Shore Lark</a>, and a Lapland Bunting would be very welcome...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>See also:</i></div><div><a href="https://telekilnesis.blogspot.com/2013/01/birds-of-east-kent-snow-bunting.html">Birds of East Kent: Snow Bunting</a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/oenanthedeserti">More of my Desert Wheatear Photos on Flickr</a></div><div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/plectrophenaxnivalis">More of my Snow Bunting Photos on Flickr</a></div></div><div><br /></div></div>Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-61280716994087760482021-07-13T18:17:00.003+01:002022-03-22T19:17:45.338+00:00How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Night Sky<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/49981486222/in/album-72157594358673931/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="M13 Revisited"><img alt="M13 Revisited" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49981486222_46353e6c2d.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Messier 13: The Great Hercules Globular Cluster</td></tr></tbody></table>
<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote><i>"For my part, I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of the stars makes me dream." – Vincent Van Gogh</i></blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>First: apologies for the lack of posts recently. It turns out that "mapping Mars from my back garden" is a tough act to follow; also, the whole lockdown "thing" tends to put a limit on where you can go (on this planet at least).</div><div><br /></div><div>On the plus side, I'm pleased to say I recently became a contributing writer for the astronomy website <a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/" target="_blank">Love the Night Sky</a>. If you're new to the hobby, or coming back to it after a break, this site has all the information you need to get up and running. Unlike many other astronomy-themed websites and YouTube channels (which tend to obsess about getting the perfect astrophoto with little or no information about the object being photographed), the emphasis here is on learning and observing: helping you find your way around the night sky, while enriching your experience with scientific and historical context. I've been observing for years, but it's that sense of there always being more to see and more to learn that keeps me coming back to the eyepiece again and again.</div><div><br /></div><div>My first three articles (with more to follow) are available via the links below, covering some of the finest deep-sky objects you can see though a telescope. Each article explains what the object is, when to see it, how to find it, and what you can expect to see through telescopes of different apertures, as well as links to other sources of information.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-see-the-wild-duck-cluster/" target="_blank">M11: The Wild Duck Cluster</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-see-m13-great-globular-cluster/" target="_blank">M13: The Great Hercules Globular Cluster</a> (as shown in the image above)</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-see-m8-lagoon-nebula/" target="_blank">M8: The Lagoon Nebula</a></div><div><br /></div><div>All three of these objects are visible on summer nights, and you don't need a large telescope to see them. So, if the sky is clear and the stars are out, why not grab a pair of binoculars, turn your lights off, and enjoy the view? I could say more, but a certain very famous professor has already said it for me:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote><i>"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious." – Stephen Hawking</i></blockquote></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>UPDATE</b>: More articles now available, as linked below:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-find-and-observe-m80-globular-cluster/" target="_blank">M80: Globular cluster in Scorpius</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-observe-the-ring-nebula/" target="_blank">M57: The Ring Nebula in Lyra</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-find-m72-globular-cluster/" target="_blank">M72: Globular cluster in Aquarius</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-find-m77-squid-galaxy/">M77: Spiral galaxy in Cetus</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-find-m76-little-dumbbell-nebula/" target="_blank">M76: The Little Dumbbell Nebula in Perseus</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-find-m52-open-cluster/" target="_blank">M52: Open cluster in Cassiopeia</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-find-m37-open-cluster/" target="_blank">M37: Open cluster in Auriga</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-find-m78-reflection-nebula/" target="_blank">M78: Reflection nebula in Orion</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lovethenightsky.com/how-to-find-orion-nebula-m42-m43/" target="_blank">M42 (and M43): The Great Nebula in Orion</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Remember: a telescope doesn't take up space; it <i>gives </i>you space.</div><div><br /></div>Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-49085991208662463252020-11-12T21:15:00.004+00:002021-02-04T14:03:53.149+00:00Mars 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HjyIuGDvwqN_PGGQGjfiUBQJNcx0BVVcr7OSAlLlYwD7tvHHUFQYdz6sX1P5nGnfHizAI30Bb_R0eFDKmtXH3TMWQ8GAe9dsEArw3jhiG1ldjo8-v_namXmG0Bi21dr3EJiUBK1l-72b/s756/composite-map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="756" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HjyIuGDvwqN_PGGQGjfiUBQJNcx0BVVcr7OSAlLlYwD7tvHHUFQYdz6sX1P5nGnfHizAI30Bb_R0eFDKmtXH3TMWQ8GAe9dsEArw3jhiG1ldjo8-v_namXmG0Bi21dr3EJiUBK1l-72b/w400-h231/composite-map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>If you'd told me twenty years ago that I'd one day make a map of Mars compiled from images taken from my own back garden, I wouldn't have believed you. Even six years ago - <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/13985344531/in/album-72157594358673931/" target="_blank">the last time I had a good look at Mars</a> - I probably would have been doubtful. Back then I was using a 102 mm achromat, and while I was able to identify Syrtis Major and the polar cap through the eyepiece, seeing anything more than that was beyond my capabilities.<div><br /></div><div>The 2018 Mars opposition took place a few months after I got my 254 mm reflector (an Orion XT10 Plus), but an unfavorable southerly declination and a global dust storm meant I couldn't see much more than a shimmering yellow blob (albeit an impressively large blob).</div><div><br /></div><div>As you've probably noticed, this year's opposition has been much more favourable for northern hemisphere observers. I started taking test images in early September (using a Tele Vue 2.5x Powermate to boost the XT10's focal length to 3,000 mm), and it was while experimenting with my ZWO ASI120MM Mini camera that I had my first stroke of luck. I bought this camera to use for autoguiding during long-exposure astrophotography, but it also functions well as a highly sensitive monochrome planetary imager, capable of capturing significantly finer detail than my Canon 80D DSLR. By sheer coincidence (I didn't plan it that way), the two cameras have almost exactly the same pixel size, making it relatively easy for me to combine the monochrome and colour data in Photoshop, as shown below:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAzbZcz4vyjZ_mvUheVS_05kWmLzidyQZeVnu4BDYQNgXNmz_NltLdek0SUZSXQixhCGjbQgKT2C78BTg3pNFZiXLpGp1nPx8kbT3Arsxddl8S3xejq5pngpXMLtno1pp9QE03SQ5sgRE/s600/Mars_20201022-23h01m18s_process.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAzbZcz4vyjZ_mvUheVS_05kWmLzidyQZeVnu4BDYQNgXNmz_NltLdek0SUZSXQixhCGjbQgKT2C78BTg3pNFZiXLpGp1nPx8kbT3Arsxddl8S3xejq5pngpXMLtno1pp9QE03SQ5sgRE/w400-h166/Mars_20201022-23h01m18s_process.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>One downside of using the ASI120MM is the difficulty of getting your target planet to drift perfectly across that tiny 1.2 megapixel chip - and then repeating that feat multiple times (remember, I'm using an undriven Dobsonian). I don't recommend trying this yourself unless you have a very well aligned finderscope, preferably one with illuminated crosshairs. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another problem is that switching cameras (and their associated adaptors and software) can take several minutes - long enough for Mars to show an appreciable amount of rotation. One way round this is to capture your colour and monochrome data exactly 24 hours and 37 minutes (one Martian day) apart and hope that neither your sky nor the Martian sky clouds over in the meantime. Another, better solution is to sandwich your colour image set with two monochrome sets and use the WinJUPOS software to merge and derotate the monochrome data; aligning the "bread" with the "filling", so to speak.</div><div><br /></div><div>I won't go through the laborious process of stacking and sharpening, then registering and merging the data in WinJUPOS and Photoshop, when perfectly good tutorials already exist online (see the links at the end of this post), but if you image Mars regularly over the course of several weeks, eventually you should get enough data to make a map like the one at the top of this post. A run of very poor weather through the middle of October meant my coverage of the region centred on 130 degrees longitude wasn't as good as I would have liked, but hey, in an English autumn you take what you can get. Admittedly, I probably could have done a better job of hiding the vertical seams between the different sections, but the end result was still better than anything I could have hoped to achieve when I embarked on this crazy project.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another thing you can do in WinJUPOS is to wrap your carefully assembled map back onto a sphere and make a rotation video, as shown below:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/50566551472/in/dateposted/" title="Mars Rotation Video"><img alt="Mars Rotation Video" height="280" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/50566551472_81139a959c.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Seeing Mars</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>This autumn wasn't purely devoted to imaging; I also took time to observe Mars through the XT10, switching between the following magnifications depending on what the atmospheric seeing would allow:</div><div><br /></div><div><div>171x (7mm DeLite)</div><div>240x (5mm Nagler)</div><div>333x (9mm Nagler + 2.5x Powermate)</div><div>428x (7mm DeLite + 2.5x Powermate)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>And here's my second stroke of luck: while browsing the <a href="https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/706515-discussion-of-visual-mars-filters/" target="_blank">Cloudy Nights forums</a>, I learned that the <b>Baader Contrast Booster filter</b> (which I bought years ago for the refractor) is also very good at enhancing detail on Mars. It also has a warming effect: without the filter Mars has a pale butterscotch hue; with the filter in place it appears more tangerine in colour, closer to the Mars you typically see in photos.</div><div><br /></div><div>A stubbornly persistent jet stream meant that the moments of truly excellent seeing I was hoping for were limited to a few fleeting seconds at best (fine for imaging, but not so great for observing), but for the most part the visible detail approximated that shown in the first Canon 80D image above.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a pastel sketch of Mars as it appeared on the night of 21 to 22 October, with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solis_Lacus" target="_blank">Solis Lacus</a>, the "eye" of Mars, at centre stage. This view shows south at the top, as it appears in a Newtonian reflector.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiDfamYvIurKvgJkmdaIXq8x4crjKSuQdhnn5OV5nFMyey1WWidhxZCXum_ihFRRdfD_kAcBAogVppPHCjIQTWTc7N3p2hkEhQtDHre97Sm8ZAGCXxtJpUuG4ztSlA8NpEyjOQIukDoHh/s800/mars-sketch_9159ps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiDfamYvIurKvgJkmdaIXq8x4crjKSuQdhnn5OV5nFMyey1WWidhxZCXum_ihFRRdfD_kAcBAogVppPHCjIQTWTc7N3p2hkEhQtDHre97Sm8ZAGCXxtJpUuG4ztSlA8NpEyjOQIukDoHh/w320-h320/mars-sketch_9159ps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>It's important to note that I've greatly exaggerated the contrast in this sketch; even with the Baader filter in place the differences between the dusky southern highlands and the lighter northern plains are subtle. It's also worth pointing out that the detail shown here doesn't present itself all at once. The first thing you notice when looking through the eyepiece is that Mars is very small and very bright (even at the highest magnifications). After a few seconds, as your eyes adjust, the tiny but brilliant South Polar Cap (SPC) should become apparent - although, at time of writing, it has shrunk to about half the size shown above. As most astronomers know, the art of seeing - and I mean <i>really </i>seeing as opposed to just looking - is a skill that requires many nights of practice: the first time I looked at this region of Mars (in September), I could immediately tell that the southern hemisphere was darker than the north, but it took a few minutes before I realised that Solis Lacus was staring right back at me. When I looked at it again in October, it was obvious straight away. Over the last couple of months I've been lucky enough to see all the major albedo features shown on the map at the top of this post, as well as the hazy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_polar_ice_caps#North_polar_cap" target="_blank">North Polar Hood</a> - its subtle blue tinge contrasting with the intense whiteness of the SPC (these cooler hues are best seen without the Baader filter). However, there is always room for improvement; the finer details revealed by the ASI120MM have eluded me so far: I haven't seen Olympus Mons (yet) which is why it wasn't included on the sketch.</div><div><br /></div><div>At time of writing Earth is now racing ahead of Mars, but the red planet will remain a fixture in the evening sky for a few months to come. For the next opposition in 2022 it will occupy the winter constellation of Taurus, but its apparent size will max out at a more modest 17 arcseconds (compared to this October's maximum of 22.4 arcseconds). In the meantime there's plenty to look forward to with three new missions due to arrive at Mars in February 2021, aiming to advance our understanding of this enigmatic planet:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.emiratesmarsmission.ae/" target="_blank">Hope Orbiter</a> (United Arab Emirates)</div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianwen-1" target="_blank">Tianwen-1</a> (China), including an orbiter, lander and rover</div><div><a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/" target="_blank">Mars 2020</a> (USA), including the <i>Perseverance </i>rover and the <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/" target="_blank"><i>Ingenuity</i> helicopter drone</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Links</b></h3><div><a href="https://britastro.org/node/23843" target="_blank">Which side of Mars will I see tonight - Ade Ashford</a> | British Astronomical Association</div><div><a href="https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/astrophoto-tips/how-photograph-mars/" target="_blank">How to capture scientific images of Mars - Pete Lawrence</a> | Sky at Night Magazine</div><div><a href="https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/astrophoto-tips/use-winjupos-derotate-planetary-images/" target="_blank">Use WinJUPOS to derotate your planetary images - Martin Lewis</a> | Sky at Night Magazine</div><div><a href="https://www.thelondonastronomer.com/it-is-rocket-science/2020/9/13/imaging-the-planet-mars" target="_blank">Imaging the planet Mars - Roger Hutchinson</a></div><div><a href="http://jupos.org/gh/download.htm" target="_blank">WinJUPOS download site</a></div><div><br /></div></div>Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-57203102090556493202020-07-20T02:01:00.002+01:002022-01-04T12:46:13.898+00:00A Very Photogenic Comet<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/50119374422/in/dateposted/" title="Comet NEOWISE over Viking Bay"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50119374422_980eee7b81_c.jpg" width="533" height="800" alt="Comet NEOWISE over Viking Bay"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want." - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_H._Levy" target="_blank">David H. Levy</a></blockquote>
I must admit, when I first heard that comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was on course to reach naked-eye visibility, my initial reaction was one of mild scepticism. After all, similar predictions had been made about comet C/2019 Y4 ATLAS (which promptly disintegrated) and comet C/2020 F8 SWAN (which also fizzled out). However, NEOWISE didn't just live up to expectations, it surpassed them - becoming certainly the best comet I've seen since Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, the two Great Comets of the 90s.<br />
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Bright though it is however, NEOWISE (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide-field_Infrared_Survey_Explorer" target="_blank">named after the space telescope that discovered it</a>) is by no means a Great Comet like those two. Nor is it the first significant comet of the digital age (that honour must go to the spectacular <a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091206.html" target="_blank">Comet C/2006 P1 McNaught</a>), but - due to its favourable placing for observers in the northern hemisphere - it's likely to become the most photographed comet in history (at least until the next bright one comes along). <a href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=60298464%40N00&view_all=1&text=comet" target="_blank">This is the fifth comet I've pointed a camera at</a>, and it's easily the most photogenic, even if it did require me to leave the house at some very unsociable hours.<br />
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Comet NEOWISE should remain visible for the rest of the month, although it will - barring outbursts - become progressively fainter. At time of writing NEOWISE can be found in the late evening sky below Ursa Major (see the links at the end of this post for finder charts). You don't need a telescope to spot it; if your sky is dark enough it should be visible to the naked eye, and a modest pair of binoculars will give a really good view.<br />
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You don't necessarily need a long lens either if you want to try and photograph it (the image at the top of this post was taken with a standard 50mm prime). However, you will need a tripod and some means of operating the shutter without touching the camera (either a timer delay or a cable release). As I was shooting at a high ISO I also stacked multiple images and subtracted dark frames to further improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Here's another one taken at 400mm, showing the characteristic golden dust tail:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/50115071013/in/dateposted/" title="Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)"><img alt="Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50115071013_2914e07629.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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It's worth making the effort to see Comet NEOWISE at least once before it's gone; after all, it won't return to the inner solar system for nearly 7,000 years.<br />
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<i>Links:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/skills/how-to-see-comet-c-2020-f3-neowise/" target="_blank">How to see Comet NEOWISE over the coming nights (Sky at Night Magazine)</a><br />
<a href="https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/comet-neowise-dazzles-at-dusk/" target="_blank">Comet NEOWISE dazzles at dusk (Sky & Telescope)</a><br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-75882732761655147302020-06-13T12:52:00.000+01:002020-06-13T13:02:42.402+01:00Siril: Old Data, New TricksSiril (<a href="https://www.siril.org/" target="_blank">https://www.siril.org/</a>) is a (relatively) new freeware program for stacking and processing astronomical images. I've been using it for a couple of months now and although I'm still very much in the learning curve stage, I'm already finding it to be significantly better than its freeware rivals.<br />
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Shown below is a crop of an image of Messier 33 (the Triangulum Galaxy), compiled from two hours of data and processed in Siril. Move your cursor over the image to see my previous attempt at processing the same data in DeepSkyStacker (DSS).<br />
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(The full-size version of this image is available <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/50001399037/in/dateposted/" target="_blank">on my Flickr page</a>.) As you can see, the improvement is quite dramatic, particularly in the faint outer spiral arms where a wealth of extra detail is revealed. Siril also does a much better job of preserving the colour information from the original raw files. If you've used DSS to stack raw files you may have noticed that the colours come out very muted (as explained in <a href="https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/695995-deepskystacker-preview-looks-different-to-the-saved-file/" target="_blank">this informative thread on Cloudy Nights</a>). Prior to using Siril, my workaround was to stack the data again in Sequator (effectively using that as an RGB layer and the DSS output as a luminance layer), which always seemed an unnecessarily convoluted way of going about things considering I'm not a dedicated astro-imager.<br />
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So how does it work? Video tutorials and manuals are <a href="https://free-astro.org/index.php/Siril:Manual#Manual_page_for_Siril" target="_blank">available online</a>, but here's a quick step-by-step guide (applicable to version 0.9.12) to get you started.<br />
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When you install Siril it will create four sub-folders in your Pictures directory, one each for light frames, dark frames, flats and bias frames. Make sure your raw files are in the appropriate folders and from the Siril menu select <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Scripts > DSLR_preprocessing</span></b>. (Variant scripts are available if you don't collect darks or flats or some other combination.) You'll need a generous amount of disk space because Siril will create individual fit files for every single raw file - but you can safely delete these once the process is completed (just don't delete your raws!).<br />
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A live <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Output Log</span></b> window shows the script's progress. It takes between 30 and 60 minutes to run on my laptop (about the same time as DeepSkyStacker).<br />
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Upon completion, the script will save a file called result.fit in your Pictures folder. This is the linear 32-bit file (if you've used DeepSkyStacker it's equivalent to the autosave.tif file) and it will look excessively dark because most of the useful data is bunched over to the far left of the histogram. At this point I would recommend renaming the result.fit file to something more meaningful and keeping it somewhere safe, just in case you later find you've overcooked your histogram-stretching and want to have another crack at it.<br />
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The image will require a bit of work before it's ready for processing in Photoshop or whatever your preferred image editor is. Fortunately Siril has all the tools you need under the <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Image Processing</span></b> menu.<br />
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First, change the Display Mode dropdown at the bottom of the image screen from Linear to AutoStretch or Histogram to get a better sense of the quality of your data. The Histogram display mode (like Equalize in Photoshop) is useful for showing the dark boundaries caused by tracking drift over the course of the imaging session. Draw a box on the image to exclude these dark areas and then right-click and select <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Crop</span></b>. (You can always carry out a more precise crop later on in Photoshop.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhff3w30cN7jjMpbSp-68bjAGHLPM_9aGCyOVk7Vd0eO1fwXL_6HRRZRte-tbFYLH7VaduReq1WECsdbRRMdIPs8RyNPEbmkCjsnhN6GlTMGzsCylxf8gscIBbTDIiE2EiHVmvCJYHl4K1G/s1600/siril-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="735" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhff3w30cN7jjMpbSp-68bjAGHLPM_9aGCyOVk7Vd0eO1fwXL_6HRRZRte-tbFYLH7VaduReq1WECsdbRRMdIPs8RyNPEbmkCjsnhN6GlTMGzsCylxf8gscIBbTDIiE2EiHVmvCJYHl4K1G/s400/siril-screenshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siril image window in AutoStretch display mode</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Histogram preview will also show if there's a light pollution gradient in your image. Remove this by selecting <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Image Processing > Background Extraction</span></b>. You can select background samples manually or click on the <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Generate</span> </b>button to have Siril select them automatically. Then click <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Apply</span> </b>to correct the image.<br />
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Change the display mode back to AutoStretch. The RGB image will now likely have a strong green tint. Remove this by selecting <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Image Processing > Remove Green Noise...</span> </b>and click on <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Apply</span></b>.<br />
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Any remaining colour bias can be corrected by selecting <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Image Processing > Colour Calibration > Colour Calibration</span></b>. Here you'll need to select an empty part of the background before clicking on <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Use Current Selection</span></b> and then <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Background Neutralisation</span></b>. Then repeat the process for the <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">White Reference</span></b> section (this time drawing a box around the brightest part of the image).<br />
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Now you're ready to begin stretching the image. Change the preview mode back to Linear and select <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Image Processing > Histogram Transformation</span></b>. You may have to magnify the histogram to see where the data is. Drag the Midtones slider to the left and the Shadows slider to the right (making sure you don't clip your data). Click on <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Apply</span> </b>to apply the transformation. As you're probably aware, histogram stretching is an iterative process and will need to be repeated several times to get the desired result. (Hopefully the preview display modes will have given you an idea of where the data ends in your image and where the noise begins.) For images with complex dynamic ranges (such as the Orion Nebula) you may have to create two separate stretched images (one for the core and one for the fainter outer regions, and carefully layer them together in Photoshop).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HaA9LgNS2brs3w1lnEzxmo9cbjQJu_rSwJ5m7O5CWksBOGPRNrft5UuN77wJgikpE6-qEDJiOFJU0SXeXv0gfd45D9LlGbRe7ylGNmjl8qwO2eNfBjIl7wWDrPSg2t7OQlwd_tenXCzb/s1600/siril-histogram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HaA9LgNS2brs3w1lnEzxmo9cbjQJu_rSwJ5m7O5CWksBOGPRNrft5UuN77wJgikpE6-qEDJiOFJU0SXeXv0gfd45D9LlGbRe7ylGNmjl8qwO2eNfBjIl7wWDrPSg2t7OQlwd_tenXCzb/s1600/siril-histogram.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siril histogram window</td></tr>
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Other functions on the image processing menu which may be useful at this stage include <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Colour Saturation</span></b> (for boosting the colour), <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Median Filter</span></b> (for reducing noise), and <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Deconvolution</span></b> (for sharpening) - although the latter does take a long time to run. Otherwise, you can export the image as a 16-bit TIF by selecting <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">File > Save as...</span></b> ready for finishing off in Photoshop or your image editor of choice.<br />
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Here's one more example, showing Messier 27 (the Dumbbell Nebula) in Vulpecula. Again, move your cursor over the image to see the original (DSS) version.<br />
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<img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBh-GqkVG0q8GxXIHXqlsapgEvxirWjfoyUE9Okihh0M4sObQ56mdRcOn3sk9T1HxH60gml8DBvWLxbL4gxOJYsMAbFK8gNvxAhoY6M8uNHTKQQYR5O8gXszOzrcxJ-llxbGps2E0AFecs/s1600/m27-new.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_WHlzgXsbrt1hlsNvj7LGxVaCVOqnKeGg5qStOiXcD4bnG8eZLKhW7d1bRpuW4ojfM4hyovqYFtX99I_j3A11cuClvS8aa_oeTLSxABfw4uoO1hSoJ0JqaDnHZbHErAmF9R9Lhl3-qBG/s1600/m27-old.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBh-GqkVG0q8GxXIHXqlsapgEvxirWjfoyUE9Okihh0M4sObQ56mdRcOn3sk9T1HxH60gml8DBvWLxbL4gxOJYsMAbFK8gNvxAhoY6M8uNHTKQQYR5O8gXszOzrcxJ-llxbGps2E0AFecs/s1600/m27-new.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /> </div>
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(A larger crop of this image is available <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/49896947313/" target="_blank">on my Flickr page</a>.) Detail-wise, the differences are subtle (because M27 is one of the brighter DSOs), but look closer and you'll see that the fainter outer regions of the nebula stand out more clearly in the Siril version. I also prefer the rich blue colour in the newer version. Which one do you prefer?<br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-34252538316075141972019-12-31T20:54:00.000+00:002019-12-31T20:55:39.819+00:002019 in PicturesA very wet (and unseasonably cold) autumn put a bit of a dampener on 2019, but otherwise it was another good year for photos, with a few surprises along the way...<br />
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<b>January</b><br />
An old favourite to begin - a <b>Stonechat </b>at North Foreland:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/31862124757/in/datetaken/" title="Stonechat (female)"><img alt="Stonechat (female)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/7924/31862124757_4a73bcd7a6.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>February</b><br />
A long overdue return visit to Bossenden to see some woodland birds, including this <b>Coal Tit</b>:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/46361233304/in/datetaken/" title="Coal Tit (Periparus ater)"><img alt="Coal Tit (Periparus ater)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/7884/46361233304_36ea163d5c.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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And a <b>Nuthatch</b>:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/47371598321/in/datetaken/" title="Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)"><img alt="Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/7816/47371598321_9be0f58655.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>March</b><br />
A <b>Guillemot </b>(not a penguin) stretching its wings at Ramsgate:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/33717897098/in/datetaken/" title=""I'm not a penguin!""><img alt=""I'm not a penguin!"" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/7922/33717897098_7406b12480.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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No mistaking this <b>Yellowhammer </b>at Dover:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/46590766135/in/datetaken/" title="Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)"><img alt="Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/7805/46590766135_3c0ee72f12.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>April</b><br />
More wing-spreading, this time courtesy of a <b>Tufted Duck</b> at Stodmarsh:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/47023918184/in/datetaken/" title="Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)"><img alt="Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47023918184_2ae957a75a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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<b>May</b><br />
<a href="https://telekilnesis.blogspot.com/2019/05/pied-crow-tour-of-britain-reaches.html">A Pied Crow (of all things) on Broadstairs jetty</a>:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/47876250211/in/datetaken/" title="Pied Crow (Corvus albus)"><img alt="Pied Crow (Corvus albus)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47876250211_26eda74883.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>June</b><br />
+ 1 <b>Peregrine</b>, -1 pigeon:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/47985138482/in/datetaken/" title="Peregrine & Prey"><img alt="Peregrine & Prey" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47985138482_45f8837d01.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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I'd like to tell you I spent hours patiently waiting for a glimpse of this elusive <b>Purple Heron</b>, but it emerged from the reeds only a few minutes after I entered the hide. After catching a couple of fish it flew off - apparently never to be seen again. Sometimes (but only sometimes) I'm in the right place at the right time.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/48160380572/in/datetaken/" title="Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)"><img alt="Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48160380572_677c2493ec.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>July</b><br />
The month in which winged insects take centre-stage, while the birds enjoy a well-earned break.<br />
This is the first shot of a <b>Banded Demoiselle</b> I've managed where the wings weren't completely closed:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/48198465682/in/datetaken/" title="Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens)"><img alt="Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48198465682_4ee7123b7b.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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<b>August</b><br />
X marks the <b>Dragonfly </b>spot:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/48654159532/in/datetaken/" title="Hawker Dragonfly"><img alt="Hawker Dragonfly" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48654159532_e5f7922219.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>September</b><br />
A <b>Snipe </b>at Stodmarsh, photographed from the Reedbed Hide:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/48789415202/in/datetaken/" title="Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)"><img alt="Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)" height="281" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48789415202_b63688e868.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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This very charming <b>Grey Phalarope</b> at Birchington was another first for me in 2019. I took a Friday off work to see it (and lucky I did because it was gone by Saturday).<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/48805755716/in/datetaken/" title="Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)"><img alt="Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)" height="281" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48805755716_41df05df70.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>October</b><br />
An shot looking over the cliff at the Kingsgate <b>Sanderling </b>roost:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/49008445386/in/datetaken/" title="Sanderling Roost"><img alt="Sanderling Roost" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49008445386_34ab03a79a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>November</b><br />
This might well be the second-most photographed bird in England (after that Cuckoo at Thursley Common), but I never get tired of seeing a <b>Kingfisher</b>:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/49079669597/in/datetaken/" title="Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)"><img alt="Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49079669597_8f88963e10.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>December</b><br />
And finally, the obligatory <b>Kestrel</b>, seen here flying off with a tasty meal:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/49269394483/in/datetaken/" title="Kestrel with Prey"><img alt="Kestrel with Prey" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49269394483_16e27e962d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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All the photos on this page were taken with a Canon 80D DSLR and my trusty <a href="http://televue.com/notamnomen/2018/08/29/tele-vue-tv-60-surprisingly-versatile-mini-apo-refractor" target="_blank">Tele Vue-60 refractor</a> - that's right, no autofocus.<br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-85353079928924801852019-10-30T19:43:00.000+00:002019-10-30T19:43:02.903+00:00Meet the Galactic NeighboursWhat's the most distant object you can see with the naked eye? Unless you live near a <a href="https://www.nightblight.cpre.org.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3Lvc_Pi-5QIVzLHtCh3X3gVgEAAYASAAEgIX1fD_BwE" target="_blank">dark-sky site</a> (and have exceptional eyesight) the answer is most likely the Andromeda Galaxy. To find it, go outside on a clear, moonless autumn evening and allow a few minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. The Andromeda Galaxy is located about midway between the square of Pegasus and the "W" of Cassiopeia.<br />
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<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andromeda_constellation_map.svg" title="Andromeda_constellation_map.png: Torsten Bronger
derivative work: Kxx [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Andromeda constellation map" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Andromeda_constellation_map.svg/256px-Andromeda_constellation_map.svg.png" width="256" /></a></div>
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You should be able to see a faint smudge of light that increases in size when you look slightly to one side of it. (If you're not sure you're looking in the right place, use a pair of binoculars and you should spot it straight away.) That faint smudge of light takes on new meaning when you consider it's a vast complex of stars and dust and gas 220,000 light years across and 2.5 million light years away. It's also barrelling towards us at 110 kilometres per second, so if you hang around a few billion years it's going to get a whole lot bigger and brighter.<br />
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In the meantime we'll have to make do with views like the one below. This is an image I made from an hour's worth of exposures using a Canon 80D DSLR and a Tele Vue-60 refractor (focal length approximately 400 mm):<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/45010173091/in/album-72157594358673931/" title="Andromeda Galaxy"><img alt="Andromeda Galaxy" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/1959/45010173091_7ea3fd7b4d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Telescopically, M31 is impressive whatever instrument you point at it, but picking out the kind of detail shown in the photo above is more of a challenge than you might think. On a good night I can see the two dark dust lanes northwest of the core region, and also a vague suggestion of clumpiness in the spiral arms, particularly around the star cloud NGC 206. The two companion galaxies, M32 and the fainter M110, are also easy to spot.<br />
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Andromeda and our own Milky Way are the two largest members of the Local Group - a modest collection of at least 50 (mostly dwarf) galaxies occupying a region of space 10 million light years across. Roughly 14 degrees south of M31 is the third largest member of the Local Group, M33 (aka the Triangulum Galaxy). Here's an image I took at the end of August, using the same camera/telescope combination, this time assembled from two hours of data.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/48699173283/in/album-72157594358673931/" title="Triangulum Galaxy"><img alt="Triangulum Galaxy" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48699173283_518b10c4bd.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Although M33 is only little further away (relatively speaking) than M31 at 2.73 million light years it has a very low surface brightness - and is consequently much harder to see. It's also very sensitive to light pollution. Oddly enough I always found this galaxy easier to spot in a pair of 7x50 binoculars than in my 4-inch refractor. Even on a good night it was vanishingly faint.<br />
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In the 10-inch Dobsonian it appears as an extended misty patch of light with a tiny star-like nucleus. On a favourable night I can just about make out the two main spiral arms (the northern one is brighter and easier than the southern one). Higher magnification reveals a prominent misty spot 13 arcminutes northeast of the nucleus (visible as a blue blob in the image above), lurking close to an 11th magnitude foreground star. This is NGC 604, one of the largest star forming regions in the Local Group. It's a whopping 1,500 light years across, which is roughly the distance between here and the Orion Nebula.<br />
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Both M31 and M33 have been extensively studied by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and, as you might expect, the images are spectacular:<br />
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<a href="https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2015/news-2015-02.html" target="_blank">Hubble's high-definition panoramic view of the Andromeda Galaxy</a><br />
<a href="https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2019/news-2019-01.html" target="_blank">Triangulum Galaxy shows stunning face in detailed Hubble portrait</a><br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-16493460357459263562019-05-28T20:11:00.000+01:002019-05-28T21:11:10.333+01:00Into the WhirlpoolAsk someone to draw you a galaxy and chances are they'll come back with a spiral shape. Even a small telescope will show you plenty of galaxies (if you know where to look), but how large a scope do you need to see those dramatic spirals? Edge-on galaxies like M82 and NGC 4565 show lots of detail in modest-sized scopes because their light is concentrated into a smaller area, but the majority of face-on galaxies have such a low surface brightness that the slightest haze or encroaching light pollution can render their spiral arms invisible.<br />
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There are a few notable exceptions however, and for northern hemisphere observers, the consensus seems to be that Messier 51 (commonly known as the Whirlpool Galaxy) is the best of the bunch. It resides some 25 million light-years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs), and can be found high overhead on spring evenings near the tail of the Great Bear (Ursa Major).<br />
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Here's a photo I took (actually forty-three 90-second exposures, stacked together) in March, showing the spiral very clearly:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocTtEA83wuRq8O1jf9d3JJngpMBwkcS18W5TrG5v62O-qPCZhNzWLtuBNOrmFfkVyvWbhyphenhyphenEhtX8uOTUDi6l0r6f35wIvYuNl2USfkR0nIOfvaOXUanHQXUM_7jZH6M25mFAAYPYIqF-FC/s1600/m51-65m-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocTtEA83wuRq8O1jf9d3JJngpMBwkcS18W5TrG5v62O-qPCZhNzWLtuBNOrmFfkVyvWbhyphenhyphenEhtX8uOTUDi6l0r6f35wIvYuNl2USfkR0nIOfvaOXUanHQXUM_7jZH6M25mFAAYPYIqF-FC/s400/m51-65m-crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M51 & NGC 5195, 28 Mar 2019; Canon EOS 80D + Tele Vue-60 + Vixen Super Polaris</td></tr>
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For a larger crop, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/46641200195/in/dateposted/" target="_blank">see the version on my Flickr page</a>.<br />
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Sixty-five minutes' worth of sensor data is one thing, but how much of that detail can you actually <i>see </i>with your own eyes? M51 and its interacting companion NGC 5195 are easy enough to spot through even a small scope, but it wasn't until I got the 10-inch reflector that I was able to see them as more than a pair of faint fuzzy blobs. Even then, the detail was elusive, with the dark spaces between the Whirlpool's arms often more apparent than the arms themselves.<br />
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My sketching skills are very rusty so it took me three attempts before I got something I was happy with, but here's an approximation of what M51 looks like through a medium-sized scope on a good night:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfgFv1T6pgdKKf2_mvwO1hOdNdKPgxADspJE9nviMHcwFw4ZRoYFA3_3svdH-vEJbtGBeyJzcuX88AA9xFUzOL5slrixYVE5n-lt5CUOcg2nP5f1wvm5RPlsqPL9OcMhAgWLEwNOMG1q7/s1600/m51_sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfgFv1T6pgdKKf2_mvwO1hOdNdKPgxADspJE9nviMHcwFw4ZRoYFA3_3svdH-vEJbtGBeyJzcuX88AA9xFUzOL5slrixYVE5n-lt5CUOcg2nP5f1wvm5RPlsqPL9OcMhAgWLEwNOMG1q7/s400/m51_sketch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For this I used the 10-inch Orion XT10 and a Tele Vue Nagler 9mm eyepiece, giving a magnification of 133x.<br />
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Depending on the quality of your night sky, you may be able to see M51's spiral with a smaller telescope. I was never able to make it out with my 4-inch refractor (although the two galaxies themselves were obvious), and even with the XT10 I can't always see it, as demonstrated by these excerpts from my observing notes:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>19 May 2018</b> (first night out with the new scope; sky a little hazy)</i><br />
Not well placed (wrong side of meridian), but both galaxies showed bright cores. Strong hint of spiral arm structure, and a star superimposed over the face of the galaxy (not a supernova!).</blockquote>
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<i><b>10 February 2019</b> (cold, but not freezing; sky transparency improved considerably once the crescent moon got out of the way)</i><br />
In a night of highlights, M51 was the undoubted stand-out. After staring at it for a couple of minutes I suddenly realised I could see the spiral arms quite clearly, defined by the dark space separating them. One arm curling out from core region around a foreground star. A magnificent sight at 133x, even though it was still some way from the zenith. With averted vision it started to look like a ghostly monochrome photo.</blockquote>
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<i><b>31 March 2019</b> (slightly chilly, windy with occasional strong gusts; transparency good, but not up to the standard set on 10 Feb)</i><br />
Tonight M51 and NGC 5195 had an almost ghostly aspect about them; the spiral arms seemed to fade in and out of existence independently of averted vision. The view wasn’t substantially improved at 240x, other than highlighting some of the brighter areas with a milky glow. </blockquote>
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<i><b>4 April 2019</b> (chilly, gusty evening; excellent seeing, transparency improving as night went on)</i><br />
Best view of spiral structure since 10 Feb; showed particularly well in averted vision. Dark areas between arms just about visible in direct vision. Also found a faint, round little galaxy roughly south of M51 – not plotted in the Pocket Sky Atlas, but later identified as NGC 5198.</blockquote>
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(If you're into this sort of thing and you want to read more of my observing notes, I'm in the process of putting them online at <a href="https://mskastro.blogspot.com/">https://mskastro.blogspot.com/</a> )<br />
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The visibility of the spiral is very sensitive to sky conditions, so if you don't succeed on one night, try again on another (and make sure your eyes are fully dark-adapted). Patience and persistence are vital. And here's another tip: if M51's spiral still seems maddeningly faint, steer your scope to the other side of the Great Bear's tail and see what you make of the larger (and fainter) spiral galaxy M101. Trust me, when you return to M51 it will seem positively bright by comparison.<br />
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So now you have an idea of what it takes to see the spiral in M51, but what about resolving <i>individual stars</i> in this beautiful galaxy? For that I recommend taking a very deep dive into <a href="https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic0506a/" target="_blank">this image by the Hubble Space Telescope</a>...<br />
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<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/column/phil-harrington-s/cosmic-challenge-m51s-spiral-arms-r3190" target="_blank">Cosmic Challenge: M51's Spiral Arms - Phil Harrington</a> (Cloudy Nights)<br />
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Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-31291573197695803382019-05-21T22:24:00.001+01:002019-05-21T22:34:11.344+01:00Pied Crow Tour of Britain reaches Broadstairs<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/40935750673/in/photostream/" title="Pied Crow (Corvus albus)"><img alt="Pied Crow (Corvus albus)" height="500" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40935750673_b6d7d9e0c1.jpg" width="375" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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When I first heard about a Pied Crow being sighted in East Kent I assumed it was some kind of birders' in-joke. After all, what is a "pied crow" if not the definition of a magpie? Also, there's no such bird mentioned in either the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Bird-Guide-Lars-Svensson/dp/0007268149/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3G7XQ3CADR1BF&keywords=collins+guide+british+birds&qid=1558470905&s=books&sprefix=collins+guide%2Cstripbooks%2C162&sr=1-4" target="_blank">Collins Guide</a> or the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Britains-Birds-Identification-Britain-WILDGuides/dp/0691158894" target="_blank">British Birds (WILDguides)</a> book, not even in the once-in-a-lifetime lists of obscurities tucked away at the back.<br />
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But it turns out the Pied Crow is definitely <i>not </i>a magpie, as I found out when I caught up with it on Broadstairs jetty last Saturday (18 May). Even from a distance the white "vest" was obvious, and the bird itself is bigger than a conventional carrion crow (though not as large as a raven).<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/47876250211/in/photostream/" title="Pied Crow (Corvus albus)"><img alt="Pied Crow (Corvus albus)" height="333" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47876250211_26eda74883.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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So is this smartly-dressed corvid (normally a resident of sub-Saharan Africa) a genuine wild specimen or an escapee? I won't get into the speculation on where it might have come from as there's already plenty of that online by people far more knowledgeable than me on such matters, but I will refer you to this <a href="https://www.birdguides.com/articles/pied-crow-wild-or-escape" target="_blank">excellent article by Sam Viles on BirdGuides</a>. Will it fly (or hitch a ride) across the Channel or will it continue its tour of Britain's seaside resorts? Like the outcome of B****t, your guess is as good as mine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7X_lHNTgZ9QAGyBf2nwz_4Hmbec4iOKjklgwvxMFcSRvfwMdeM5bHS43PR-5Ve3FrAn54jG7WpJwgvOvm57H01eWXzYFIHPbPBPHVNQeO_6-bkH2d37pUlOE-5b3oJPdPeqVOEAHXxLgr/s1600/piedcrow2854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7X_lHNTgZ9QAGyBf2nwz_4Hmbec4iOKjklgwvxMFcSRvfwMdeM5bHS43PR-5Ve3FrAn54jG7WpJwgvOvm57H01eWXzYFIHPbPBPHVNQeO_6-bkH2d37pUlOE-5b3oJPdPeqVOEAHXxLgr/s400/piedcrow2854.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next stop France?</td></tr>
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As I think I've stated before on this blog, I don't keep a count of the birds I've seen and photographed (although I do keep an <a href="https://telekilnesis.blogspot.com/p/avian-index.html">index</a>), so it makes little difference to me whether or not it gets accepted onto an official list by the powers-that-be. But I do know that this unusual and striking bird has traveled a long way to get to where I live, so I'm glad I got to see it.<br />
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<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.birdguides.com/species-guide/ioc/corvus-albus/" target="_blank">Birdguides: Pied Crow</a><br />
<a href="https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pied_Crow" target="_blank">Birdforum Opus: Pied Crow</a><br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-42564336412193934292019-01-13T16:02:00.000+00:002019-08-31T18:16:50.122+01:00Into the Orion Nebula<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/46490679752/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Orion Nebula (reprocessed)"><img alt="Orion Nebula (reprocessed)" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7918/46490679752_9b4e87a89f_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M42, Orion: Tele Vue 60 + Canon 80D + Vixen Super Polaris</td></tr>
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"An unformed fiery mist, the chaotic material of future Suns" - William Herschel, 1789 </blockquote>
Herschel's description (written long before spectroscopy revealed the true nature of gaseous nebulae) could hardly have been more prescient. The Great Orion Nebula (Messier 42) is indeed a cradle of new stars (at 1,300 light years, the nearest star-forming region to our own sun), visible to the naked eye as a misty patch in Orion's Sword on winter nights.<br />
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<b>Viewing M42</b><br />
I'm occasionally asked what it looks like through a telescope: a one-word answer would be "Majestic", but don't expect to see the full extent of the nebula - or indeed the vivid colours that you get in photos like the one above. As with most deep-sky objects, the Orion Nebula rewards careful and prolonged examination. Here's a sketch I made a long time ago (for GCSE Astronomy coursework!) illustrating the typical low-power view through a small telescope under suburban skies:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75HCWtoGRzQTcvH_Dfv36iNi1Rr0XwFZ_kLTo0ksq0Bv5ZNu6PB95IrhoAWu5vtHkZjgjSXrpq40Gq_4NunzlOJdoI7jNoblgqmae7ky9ZtgnIhACgS5wSA1giyRKTcze1rCfrwiSK-Vq/s1600/m42-sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75HCWtoGRzQTcvH_Dfv36iNi1Rr0XwFZ_kLTo0ksq0Bv5ZNu6PB95IrhoAWu5vtHkZjgjSXrpq40Gq_4NunzlOJdoI7jNoblgqmae7ky9ZtgnIhACgS5wSA1giyRKTcze1rCfrwiSK-Vq/s1600/m42-sketch.jpg" /></a></div>
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One telescopic feature you won't often see clearly in photographs is the Trapezium, a tight grouping of four hot young stars whose ionising radiation has helped sculpt the nebula into the shape we see today. In my 4-inch refractor the nebula is nicely framed in a 24mm Panoptic eyepiece (42x magnification) with layers of nebulosity building up to the core. Add in an Ultrablock filter to improve the contrast and the nebula takes on the appearance of a swooping bird of prey. With a 5mm Nagler (200x) under steady skies, a fifth member of the Trapezium is just visible.<br />
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So far the weather has only allowed me one opportunity to look at M42 with the XT10, but even under less than ideal viewing conditions it was immediately obvious that the extra aperture had improved the view dramatically. The core region had a strong green tint and averted vision made it so bright that the Trapezium was almost lost in the glare. Lots of finely detailed structure was visible with dark rifts cutting through the nebulosity. The Ultrablock filter wasn't really necessary for such a bright object, but it did seem to increase the overall extent of the nebula, particularly on the northern side.<br />
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<b>Photographing M42</b><br />
For any birders who've made it this far, the Orion Nebula is arguably to astrophotography what the kingfisher is to bird photography, the gateway drug that lures you into a lifetime hobby. (<a href="https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/see-orion-nebula-3d12172014/" target="_blank">It even comes with its own fish</a>, of a sort.) The image at the top of this post is a stack (not a mosaic) of 108 thirty-second exposures (plus 15 dark frames and 21 flat frames). As I'm still shooting unguided (for now) I've been careful not to choose targets too far away from the celestial pole, so at -5 degrees declination M42 presented the biggest test yet of my polar alignment accuracy. Fortunately the Great Nebula is a forgiving target - you can pull out a considerable amount of detail and colour even with relatively short 30-second subs. If you look closely, some slight trailing is evident, but not enough to spoil the final image.<br />
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<b>Processing M42</b><br />
<a href="https://telekilnesis.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-journey-into-astrophotography.html" target="_blank">As I've said before</a>, acquiring all the light-frames (plus darks and flats) is only half the battle; there's still a lot of work to do. The image above was assembled using the freeware program Sequator. Compare it with <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/45699818014/in/dateposted/" target="_blank">my first attempt</a> using the more widely-known freeware <a href="http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html" target="_blank">DeepSkyStacker</a>. The samples on the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/sequatorglobal/" target="_blank">Sequator website</a> suggest it's optimised for landscape astrophotography (i.e. wide-angle shots in which the horizon is visible), but it seems to do an equally good job for deep sky photography. In terms of workflow, I certainly found it easier to process the stacked image produced by Sequator. As you can see in the mouse-over comparison below, Sequator did a much better job of retaining the detail around the Trapezium area. There's less noise too, although the DeepSkyStacker version shows more of the fainter regions of the nebula.<br />
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<img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJp1JqTHiFM9f4dgeocm0lw8OzhvBiR71KBWltoAiz9U_v2WsQfWwmI8d_RtO8J-1iX0IbBzj2zc03wUzymmPMg1fPcyXL_u3nPu3ajASUZcOpZRj4_ZpS0dmjpEWjiWAPNWRAvpXMUBY/s1600/trapezium-seq.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBZRtss0KIQC76une_uaKMzsvFESC-qxpfXcI-M8Q6jlqgJEjjlqGSBXSQ2tx-FDoeAoye_AIarlaQWTgnWk_F4lwXVlLY6fC-PwZg-FZFxFoaFOhPvwS_xi43F9WpVhl5IrYMHoM7WIm/s1600/trapezium-dss.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJp1JqTHiFM9f4dgeocm0lw8OzhvBiR71KBWltoAiz9U_v2WsQfWwmI8d_RtO8J-1iX0IbBzj2zc03wUzymmPMg1fPcyXL_u3nPu3ajASUZcOpZRj4_ZpS0dmjpEWjiWAPNWRAvpXMUBY/s1600/trapezium-seq.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /> </div>
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It's also worth noting that Sequator did an excellent job of identifying and removing the light pollution gradient. DeepSkyStacker doesn't cater for this so I used the Light Pollution Removal tool in <a href="https://www.prodigitalsoftware.com/Astronomy_Tools_For_Full_Version.html" target="_blank">Noel Carboni's Astronomy Tools</a> Actions set (which, despite having more user control, did on this occasion leave a series of contour lines in and around the brightest parts of the nebula). The Sequator stack did contain some colour noise, but this was easily removed using the Colour Blotch Reduction tool from the same set.<br />
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Other pros and cons: Sequator was fast (less than 30 minutes processing time compared to up to an hour for DSS). However, it also left some curious purple "appendages" around some of the brighter stars, as shown in the crop below:<br />
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I've seen Sequator described as "stacking for dummies" on one popular astro-forum, but on the above evidence I think it'll be this dummy's image-stacker of choice for the foreseeable future. This is by no means a rejection of DeepSkyStacker, but more likely an indication that I still haven't learned how to get the best out of it.<br />
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I like the colours better in the Sequator version too, although that's a matter of personal taste.<br />
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Which one do you prefer?Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-87348001136339060692018-12-30T15:01:00.001+00:002018-12-30T15:01:04.606+00:002018 in PicturesI didn't think I'd be able to top the previous year, but 2018 served up a bumper crop of sightings (September in particular had enough highlights to fill a best-of list all by itself). But here for your viewing pleasure, after much vacillating, are the pick of the bunch:<br />
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<b>January</b><br />
There's nothing like a <b>Waxwing </b>to brighten up a dull winter's day:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/24946112357" title="Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)"><img alt="Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4710/24946112357_3ca626fd92.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>February</b><br />
I've got to include at least one <b>Kestrel </b>(it's the Law) and this bird was a bit special:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/39352941275" title="Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)"><img alt="Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4662/39352941275_632a2a2663.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>March</b><br />
Why go to the trouble of catching your own frog when you can steal one from a Marsh Harrier?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/40902540122" title="Buzzard vs Marsh Harrier"><img alt="Buzzard vs Marsh Harrier" height="640" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4781/40902540122_9ff5006fdc_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>April</b><br />
The light wasn't great that morning, but it's not every day that a <b>Cuckoo </b>pops up right in front of you:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/41739077492" title="Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)"><img alt="Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/945/41739077492_1862c49f3a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>May</b><br />
Here's something else you don't see every day, a <b>Mole</b> out in the open:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/41979924721" title="Mole (Talpa europaea)"><img alt="Mole (Talpa europaea)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/974/41979924721_9a8433c0ed.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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...though <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/41263746244" target="_blank">it really wasn't the best day</a> for small furry things to come out of hiding.<br />
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Also at Stodmarsh, a <b>Hobby </b>grabs an in-flight snack:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/41961626511" title="Hobby (Falco subbuteo)"><img alt="Hobby (Falco subbuteo)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/976/41961626511_4bf17f9898.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>June</b><br />
At Foreness <b>Housemartins </b>collect mud for their nests:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/41411616540" title="House Martins (Delichon urbicum)"><img alt="House Martins (Delichon urbicum)" height="281" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1783/41411616540_117fb6c12d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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And a <b>Stoat</b> pops up at Stodmarsh:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/41819723205" title="Stoat (Mustela erminea)"><img alt="Stoat (Mustela erminea)" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1729/41819723205_ac48bd45e0.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b>July</b><br />
A typically quiet month for birds, but not for dragonflies such as this <b>Norfolk Hawker</b>:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/28771646587" title="Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles)"><img alt="Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/921/28771646587_92f1dd6e5a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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<b>August</b><br />
Last ones to arrive; first ones to leave. A <b>Swift</b> prepares for its autumn migration at North Foreland:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/30444144178" title="Swift (Apus apus)"><img alt="Swift (Apus apus)" height="375" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1861/30444144178_165fe4201e.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>September</b><br />
1st September at Grove Ferry was one of those rare and remarkable days where everything falls into place. It included Spotted Flycatchers and a Bullfinch (<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/30607532668" target="_blank">in the same tree</a>), a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/29723606327" target="_blank">Whinchat</a>, and even a surprise <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/44408201912" target="_blank">Bittern</a>. But it was the reserve's star attraction that stole the show:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/30558708868" title="Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)"><img alt="Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1871/30558708868_a9bb6d3290.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Return visits later in the month uncovered a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/29723609597" target="_blank">Small Copper butterfly</a> (the first one I can recall seeing at the reserve), plenty of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/45075159202" target="_blank">Willow Emerald damselflies</a>, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/44718431492" target="_blank">Lizards</a>, and this juvenile <b>Green Woodpecker</b>:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/44789118371" title="Green Woodpecker (Juvenile)"><img alt="Green Woodpecker (Juvenile)" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1896/44789118371_3a0c6fd1ce.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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<b>October</b><br />
Winter birds start arriving along the coast, including this handsome <b>Brambling </b>at North Foreland:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/44462958244/in/dateposted/" title="Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)"><img alt="Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1960/44462958244_dc3bc8ac3a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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<b>November</b><br />
Not the best photo, but arguably the best bird of the year; <a href="https://twitter.com/shrikefinder" target="_blank">Scott Haughie's</a> <b>White-billed Diver</b> (in summer plumage!) which attracted birders and photographers from across the country:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/31844863098/in/dateposted/" title="White-billed Diver (Gavia adamsii)"><img alt="White-billed Diver (Gavia adamsii)" height="357" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1944/31844863098_b5ccb58989.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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I expect I'll be frowned on in some quarters for including it, but this ESCAPED <b>Hoopoe </b>brought some entertainment (unless you're a grub) to an unlikely part of Thanet:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/46031671831/in/dateposted/" title="Grub's Up (again)"><img alt="Grub's Up (again)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4859/46031671831_72dcd9b861.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<b>December</b><br />
Another month, another loon; a <b>Red-throated Diver</b> (not in summer plumage) in Ramsgate Harbour:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/31509004917/in/dateposted/" title="Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)"><img alt="Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7837/31509004917_76c94cfa01.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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All the photos on this page were taken with a Canon 80D DSLR and the trusty <a href="http://televue.com/notamnomen/2018/08/29/tele-vue-tv-60-surprisingly-versatile-mini-apo-refractor" target="_blank">Tele Vue-60 refractor</a>.<br />
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In the next post, I will be returning to outer space.Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-30594422334947209252018-08-22T20:07:00.002+01:002018-08-29T13:01:38.446+01:00A Journey into AstrophotographyI'll say one good thing for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Retweeted; he's encouraged me to turn my attention away from this increasingly nonsensical planet and back into deep space*. I've dabbled with astrophotography before (hand-tracking with a 50 mm lens), but mostly I've stuck to the brighter objects like the moon and Jupiter. Long-exposure astrophotography at focal lengths greater than 300 mm requires precise motorised tracking, but it was only after a trip to <a href="http://europeanastrofest.com/" target="_blank">Astrofest 2018</a> (and some intensive research) that I figured out a practical and affordable way to go about it.<br />
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Here's a picture of the trusty Tele Vue-60 (the same scope I use for most of my wildlife shots) in its latest mode atop the equally trusty Vixen Super Polaris mount (fitted with Skywatcher dual-axis motor drives and an ADM dovetail plate adaptor):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvJm3iyjb1loVz-SuQ6zi2O2Aw2xL1YWe_Q02ecm1iLFZLU_XHwAh7C9iua26LncK6un8MEkhWLAkMWJOtRJKTznTSz4CsSWWRrr-IDmAQkxHBdBG3V0IdHEjVNsOKFDghY29wOUi6JJE/s1600/astro8644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvJm3iyjb1loVz-SuQ6zi2O2Aw2xL1YWe_Q02ecm1iLFZLU_XHwAh7C9iua26LncK6un8MEkhWLAkMWJOtRJKTznTSz4CsSWWRrr-IDmAQkxHBdBG3V0IdHEjVNsOKFDghY29wOUi6JJE/s320/astro8644.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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With a field-flattener attached the TV-60 is roughly equivalent to a lens of 400 mm focal length. So far, this arrangement is good enough for exposures up to about two minutes duration depending on the accuracy of my polar alignment. (The Skywatcher handset does have an ST-4 port for autoguiding should I wish to attempt longer exposures in the future.) Here's another angle showing the motor drives attached to the Right Ascension and Declination axes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdsq3HbXWVzbgqccHOeVvSL0evxhP-d7b4_zNHYptTjGC7kHWy_MHswmRJs-rBKz-ne7Aw9cPPjEzu9zHTWaqWwNoVtdEjn8Hysy7PuV-YP3mTNtbzDuwUBhPlwnZebpKY7u0SEYF0d9m/s1600/vixensp9736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdsq3HbXWVzbgqccHOeVvSL0evxhP-d7b4_zNHYptTjGC7kHWy_MHswmRJs-rBKz-ne7Aw9cPPjEzu9zHTWaqWwNoVtdEjn8Hysy7PuV-YP3mTNtbzDuwUBhPlwnZebpKY7u0SEYF0d9m/s320/vixensp9736.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Any serious astrophotographers visiting this blog might be shaking their heads at this point and muttering about vignetting and edge-of-field distortion, red sensitivity, thermal noise etc. in much the same way that serious wildlife photographers might mutter about autofocus and aperture control when they see what I'm using. But the point is, I don't get enough clear, moonless nights a year to justify spending the kind of megabucks that others spend on their gear. And, crucially, I can use the same DSLR and the same little scope for multiple purposes (which probably explains why the focuser is starting to look a little worse for wear). And (whisper it quietly) one good photo of the Orion Nebula looks very much like another good photo of the Orion Nebula, no matter where you are on the earth. Unless you have your own observatory equipped with an adaptive optics system, you're probably not breaking new ground.<br />
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That's not to say I won't be eagerly imaging the Orion Nebula when I get the chance just like every other amateur, but M42 is a spectacle of the winter sky, so for my first target I chose the globular cluster <b>M13</b> (because it's big, bright, and not too far away from the north celestial pole):<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/41592087072/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="M13 Globular Cluster"><img alt="M13 Globular Cluster" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/828/41592087072_5afa8e942b.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M13, Tele Vue-60 + Canon 80D (30 x 1 min @ ISO 800)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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The long exposure times required to make an image like this turn pinprick stars into blobs of light, giving the false impression that they are almost touching each other. Although direct interactions in globular clusters do occasionally happen (the most likely origin of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_straggler" target="_blank">blue stragglers</a>), the average distance between stars in a typical globular is actually 0.1 to 0.5 light-years, a fraction of the distance between here and Proxima Centauri (4.2 light-years), but still many times the size of our planetary system. <a href="http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1011a/" target="_blank">This image from the Hubble Space Telescope</a> resolves the core of M13, giving a better impression of the star density. Around 150 globular clusters are known to orbit our galaxy, dipping in and out of the galactic plane in highly inclined orbits. To put that in perspective, M87, the giant galaxy at the heart of the Virgo Cluster, is surrounded by <i>16,000</i> globular clusters.<br />
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I recently had the pleasure of looking at M13 through a 10-inch telescope and the result was breath-taking (so much so that I completely forgot to look for NGC 6207 - the "little" galaxy visible towards the bottom-left of the image above).<br />
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In my 4-inch achromat M13 takes on the appearance of a "grainy snowball thrown against a pane of glass", always on the brink of being resolved but never quite making it, except when averted vision is employed. In the 10-inch scope (at 133x magnification with a 9mm Nagler eyepiece) it was transformed into a vast three-dimensional city of stars, its brighter members glinting like crushed diamonds right across the face of the cluster, with hundreds - perhaps thousands - more revealing themselves in averted vision. The longer I looked, the more impressive it became, as I began to discern chains of stars arcing out from the centre.<br />
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M13 is arguably the most spectacular globular cluster visible from UK latitudes, but there are several others which run it close, such as <b>M3</b> in the constellation Canes Venatici:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/40910643555/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Messier 3"><img alt="Messier 3" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/979/40910643555_b8fbef094d.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M3, Tele Vue-60 + Canon 80D (31 x 1 min @ ISO 800)</td></tr>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Of course, acquiring the images is only half the battle; processing them is an art-form in itself. I'll leave those details for another time as I'm still very much a beginner at this, but if you want to know what software I used, <a href="https://telekilnesis.blogspot.com/p/useful-links.html">the links are here</a>.<br />
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In the meantime, if you ever get the opportunity to look at M13 or any of the other showpiece globulars through a medium to large-sized telescope, I strongly recommend it. Drink in the spectacle, contemplate what you're seeing, and then look at it again. Photographs just can't do it justice.<br />
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<i>See more of my <a href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?sort=date-taken-desc&safe_search=1&tags=deepsky&user_id=60298464%40N00&view_all=1" target="_blank">TV-60 deep-sky photos on Flickr</a>.</i><br />
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*Famous last words... While I was drafting this post, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Retweeted announced the creation of SPACE FORCE (I swear I can hear the echo as I'm typing it). It seems there really is no escape from the Tangerine Nightmare.<br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-88419838864992732632018-05-13T22:17:00.000+01:002018-05-13T22:17:04.286+01:00Birds of East Kent: Kestrel<i>Latest in an occasional series of posts discussing the different birds that can be found in East Kent and how easy (or not) it is to get a decent picture of them.</i><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/39331849725/in/photolist-3U5k6u-bZuxV9-5XenkA-dFQ4YU-5UQct3-6pffN6-9oB3Jk-3uLSbe-5J53ZK-xy9fE5-z6Fkk9-9rgxRg-4Tn2f4-5xTxHv-65ky8a-bEtF9o-bD8ta7-6uLTev-5VNxnm-7RGszL-9tFJbL-4Wk5Ga-GZ7mfB-5xTxHH-BZzMHS-8KgEMJ-25TvTRN-228EMg1-21HoShu-24gYLdw-22Xu7pv-22VC1C6-21pngaG-ZXBZs1-ZgBm6N-YoNwyE-YyCLpV-Y8niwd-BvTkJH-5Ww4S1-CyLcVC-zAdCaV-xwRCEm-xXLnyJ-UsHJTS-97aerC-qFcsy" title="Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)"><img alt="Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)" height="500" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4668/39331849725_1d4e0aac89.jpg" width="375" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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I don't usually bother with top-ten lists or stuff like that, but if I had to choose a favourite bird it would undoubtedly be the Kestrel. It's not the biggest (or smallest) bird of prey; nor is it the most colourful. It's not even the only British bird that hovers, though the other contenders can't hope to match its precision or its tenacity. But, more than any other bird, it's always been a small part of my life in some shape or form. It was there on the striking red badge I received when I joined the YOC:<br />
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It was there in Ken Loach's famous film (adapted from the novel by Barry Hines) that I saw in my early teens. And it was there at the start and end of the summer holidays, glimpsed from the side window of a car; a bird that seemed to defy not just gravity but time itself as it hovered above the roadside verges while the twentieth century flowed around it.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/7214178454/" title="Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)"><img alt="Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)" height="500" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7214178454_009da226c1.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<br />
I've had the privilege of seeing a wild kestrel up close on a couple of occasions, most recently in February of this year when I encountered one perched in a small tree by the North Foreland golf course. I took some photos and continued on to Botany Bay to see if there was anything interesting on the shore. When I turned around to walk back I was surprised to see the same kestrel standing on a fence post. Naturally, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take some more photos:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/40218585302/" title="Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)"><img alt="Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4665/40218585302_6315e4e6f5.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<br />
From badges to films to poetry (see: <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windhover" target="_blank">The Windhover</a></i> by Gerard Manley Hopkins) there is something about the kestrel that seems ingrained in the British psyche. A good example of this can be found in Powell and Pressburger's 1944 wartime classic <i>A Canterbury Tale</i>. In the film's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rFWlT5gdgw" target="_blank">prologue</a>, a group of medieval pilgrims make their way towards Canterbury while a voiceover narrates a passage from Chaucer's text. A falconer stops to release a kestrel into the sky. The bird dips and soars ... and transforms into a Spitfire flying above the English countryside. Four hundred years of history spanned in a single cut.<br />
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<img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUIMOmbH0Fcg7HbEEHGukLVWTv7BQ491fDnPMol0djfpyfxsZvSNUsMatdX6GeItw5ohpBUj7v32aRHrQLYqzlgMfacYxSJxHZfYMzCiAF89Elo82pTwgJu08FWsh5hnsXbQbx4uddAyv/s1600/kestrel3690flip.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYEq-Od347etljt_57-9ijbszysxAR4wU-xXlT82OpEictdKyWV4XO4W5hEev-TMPZ1G-46Nrfo5eS6eUQuljW38CZ8t5z_3leONRoqbvsnFOHwHHDtUIxsV4MSQHSyYQi_QLzV3W_KgU/s1600/spitfire4647.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUIMOmbH0Fcg7HbEEHGukLVWTv7BQ491fDnPMol0djfpyfxsZvSNUsMatdX6GeItw5ohpBUj7v32aRHrQLYqzlgMfacYxSJxHZfYMzCiAF89Elo82pTwgJu08FWsh5hnsXbQbx4uddAyv/s1600/kestrel3690flip.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" />
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If the description of that scene rings a bell it's because Stanley Kubrick used the same trick in the famous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtbOmpTnyOc" target="_blank">bone-to-spacecraft transition</a> in <i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i>. Coincidence, homage or blatant rip-off? It's a question that's been debated for fifty years, and will probably be debated for fifty more. In the meantime, the kestrel continues to soar above fields, along cliff-tops, and across marshes - hovering, observing, sometimes descending for prey, and then moving on, seeing colours that no human eye can see as it patiently constructs its daily map of the world.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Effortlessly at height hangs his still eye.<br />
His wings hold all creation in a weightless quiet,<br />
Steady as a hallucination in the streaming air. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ted Hughes, <i>The Hawk in the Rain</i> (1957)</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/falcotinnunculus" target="_blank">More of my Kestrel photos on Flickr</a><br />
<a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/kestrel/" target="_blank">Kestrel (RSPB)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eurasian_Kestrel" target="_blank">Kestrel (Birdforum)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.birdguides.com/species-guide/ioc/falco-tinnunculus/" target="_blank">Kestrel (Birdguides)</a><br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-79705257228913604882017-12-24T16:35:00.001+00:002018-02-11T20:17:45.883+00:002017 in PicturesI normally leave end-of-year round-ups to the more prolific bloggers, but this year I've taken a lot more photos that usual, partly because I bought a new camera, and also to serve as a welcome distraction from the <strike>daily</strike> hourly news maelstrom generated by Brexit and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Retweeted. It's reassuring to know that there are still some quiet corners of the world where wagtails still wag, kingfishers still fish, and kestrels still hover, unconcerned by the sound and fury of angry old men who never stop to listen.<br />
<br />
But enough of all that; here are some highlights.<br />
<br />
<b>January</b><br />
Photographers often rhapsodise about the "golden hour" just before sunset, and it doesn't get much more golden than this:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/31764863050/" title="White on Gold"><img alt="White on Gold" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/289/31764863050_6799ec6ab1.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<br />
<b>February</b><br />
A Water Rail breaks from cover at Grove Ferry:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/32612760792/in/datetaken/" title="Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)"><img alt="Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/671/32612760792_3f027b588f.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
<b>March</b><br />
This colourful <b>Pheasant </b>took it upon himself to greet visitors to the Stodmarsh car park:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/33664196562/" title="Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)"><img alt="Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/33664196562_a8c3156d57.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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<b>April</b><br />
A smart <b>Shelduck</b> flies overhead at North Foreland:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/33090544744/in/datetaken/" title="Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)"><img alt="Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3939/33090544744_3ecc94db89.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<b>May</b><br />
A dull and drizzly May Day at Grove Ferry was livened up by this magnificent <b>Kingfisher </b>(one dive, one fish caught, one lucky photographer):<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/34087681410/in/datetaken/" title="Dive!"><img alt="Dive!" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4158/34087681410_197307a2e0.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
Later in the month, a decent view (for a change) of a <b>Cuckoo</b>:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/34933052406/in/datetaken/" title="Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)"><img alt="Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4243/34933052406_56f87bb988.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
<b>June</b><br />
The dragonflies at Grove Ferry / Stodmarsh attracted lots of visitors, including this dashing <b>Red-footed Falcon</b>:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/35466058212/in/datetaken/" title="Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus)"><img alt="Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus)" height="640" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4105/35466058212_c2fed7d12a_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<br />
<b>July</b><br />
Fortunately there were still plenty of dragonflies left after the Red-footed Falcon departed, including this <b>Norfolk Hawker</b> (aka the Green-eyed Hawker):<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/35648466252/in/datetaken/" title="Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles)"><img alt="Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4289/35648466252_ff33f0ec17.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<br />
<b>August</b><br />
Lots to see in North Yorkshire, including <b>Red Grouse:</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/36617297585/in/datetaken/" title="Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus)"><img alt="Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4400/36617297585_94fa491bea.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
...and the famous <b>Gannets </b>of Bempton Cliffs:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/24079144358/in/datetaken/" title="The Gannets of Bempton Cliffs"><img alt="The Gannets of Bempton Cliffs" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4471/24079144358_a18170727c.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Back in Kent, a relative newcomer to Grove Ferry, a <b>Willow Emerald Damselfly</b>:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/36147121700/in/datetaken/" title="Willow Emerald Damselfly"><img alt="Willow Emerald Damselfly" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4384/36147121700_565708eaf1.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>September</b><br />
Some drastic Photoshopping saved this image from the bin. The <b>Marsh Harrier</b> changed direction so suddenly I cut off half of the upper wing and had to clone it from the other one. I wouldn't normally do this much work to an image, but I think in this case it was worth it:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/37621412461/in/datetaken/" title="Marsh Harrier"><img alt="Marsh Harrier" height="640" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4506/37621412461_c04478a4f7_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<b>October</b><br />
Fortunately my reflexes were a little better when this <b>Kestrel </b>made a quick getaway:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/38041765232/in/datetaken/" title="Flight of the Kestrel"><img alt="Flight of the Kestrel" height="500" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4485/38041765232_ab678b9e84.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>November</b><br />
After seeing a Red-throated Diver in 2014 and a Great Northern Diver in 2015, I wondered how many years I'd have to wait to see a <b>Black-throated Diver</b> in Ramsgate Harbour. Turns out it was only two:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/38536279762/in/datetaken/" title="Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica)"><img alt="Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4560/38536279762_0e9ffb63c0.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>December</b><br />
Another new visitor to Ramsgate Harbour, an <b>Iceland Gull</b>:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/38121781544/in/datetaken/" title="Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)"><img alt="Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4585/38121781544_b8f7377522.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
The year started with a Little Egret against a golden backdrop, so it seems fitting to end it with its larger cousin, a <b>Great White Egret</b>, looking for fish in front of the golden reeds of Grove Ferry:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/38497303455/in/dateposted-public/" title="Great White on Gold"><img alt="Great White on Gold" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4640/38497303455_2b7812652a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
<br />
No autofocus was used in the making of these pictures.<br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-9559066110416950502017-10-28T18:08:00.000+01:002017-10-28T18:09:27.686+01:00Shooting with the Canon 80D<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/34347024866/in/photolist-qJPW1-Hnb1nb-TkztHG-qJPW2-t2KYV-qJPW3-BfJkB-4XkSRW-26jUmC-5o1HUF-51inX5-6uLTev-4XNoVC-qcqtJs-qEd2pS-qJPVM-7AQRoi-55wroM-5kKgVL-qJPVX-qJPVT-crH32o-51in1w-W5Tk2u-ViiN9y-TWdh61-Uk8tRU-97aerC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)"><img alt="Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4185/34347024866_17ee5e4f30.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canon 80D & Tele Vue 60 refractor, 1/1250 sec, ISO 640</td></tr>
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I tend to steer clear of technical write-ups on this blog as the Internet is already stuffed with photographers telling you all about what their camera can do rather than what they've actually done with it. However, given that the bulk of the traffic to my Flickr pages this year has been driven by people specifically looking for photos taken with the Canon 80D, I thought I'd share my impressions after several months of shooting with it. Please bear in mind that this is all very subjective and I can only compare the 80D against other Canon DSLRs I've used (namely the 350D, 40D and the 7D Mark I).<br />
<br />
Noise-handling is significantly improved over the 7D Mk I. Tastes vary of course (I don't mind a little grain as long it doesn't look too obviously "digital" - and I actually prefer it to the over-aggressive noise reduction that some photographers insist on), but I find the 80D gives exceptionally clean images up to ISO 400, and stays workably clean all the way up to ISO 3200. The image below was taken in very gloomy conditions at ISO 3200, but I was still able to get a good 12x8 print out of it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/34660140615/in/photolist-6uLTev-ThcT6o-2p515N-5kaRn4-2iV974-6hqABH-ppgosG-Hpf9J1-671oVN-beVCGB-aCh1Pe-65wCkr-UscXZW-UNNhgi-T7p7Jy-RU4E85-M3Zb11" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Coot Chicks"><img alt="Coot Chicks" height="333" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4171/34660140615_2abab7b4a5.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canon 80D & Tele Vue 60 refractor, 1/1250 sec, ISO 3200</td></tr>
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<br />
From ISO 4000 the noise gets progressively more obtrusive, but still manageable (as demonstrated in <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/35046873304" target="_blank">this shot of a black cat</a>, taken in poor light at ISO 5000 and downscaled to 12x8). Even at the highest ISOs the 80D's large pixel count means that you should be able to get an acceptable 6x4 print provided you don't have to crop too much.<br />
<br />
The 80D's default colour setting seems slightly desaturated compared to previous models, but this can be easily fine-tuned in-camera or in post. The "<a href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=60298464%40N00&sort=date-posted-desc&view_all=1&text=peacock%2080D" target="_blank">Peacock Butterfly</a>" test certainly produces reds that look closer to nature than the over-saturated reds of older Canon DSLRs.<br />
<br />
I use manual focus for most of my wildlife photography so I can't really contribute anything to the 80D vs. 7D Mk II autofocus debate, but on the occasions I've used the touchscreen focus I've found it to be fast, responsive and very intuitive to use. If, like me, you plan to use your camera for astrophotography now and then, you might consider the 80D's articulated touchscreen to be a more valuable feature than the 7D Mark II's advanced tracking.<br />
<br />
Birds-in-flight are always going to be a challenge using manual focus, but so far I've found that my hit-rate is better than with any previous Canon DSLR. Would autofocus have successfully tracked this tern or would it have zeroed in on the coots in the background?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/34732721140/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tern (with fish)"><img alt="Tern (with fish)" height="640" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4228/34732721140_1b79b0633e_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Canon 80D & Tele Vue 60 refractor, 1/1600 sec, ISO 400</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
Much has been made of the 80D's improved dynamic range at lower ISOs, and you'll find plenty of examples online where photos have been deliberately underexposed by an extreme number of stops and then fixed in Lightroom/Photoshop to demonstrate the camera's capacity for shadow recovery. In real-world terms you'd have to be doing something drastically wrong to underexpose a photo by that much without realising (and the metering is almost always spot-on - more so than any other camera I've used), but the improved DR does give you scope to be more adventurous in your post-processing, especially when trying to emphasise a particular mood. See this black-and-white shot of Whitby Abbey below for an example (move your cursor across the image to toggle the before-and-after):<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU1Pta8HmFmKexfmyo3xg0yu9QwH2JupfQYh7PfHHweNguWtHRGMa6OJHJXyTRefh56k54vwj_lWqyxD7vrhtl5apA7EXc8B9h1zdj0d03BlZVY1805_3d2kr3G-wMXQ7mNcDrve6bUGn/s1600/whitby5069mono-tk.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWLqHYS_2d3uvam4RQuz8h3lKLLw0xxRVnaHw0NXZTLAm58WOSVwgzNFpl7_FmXrZFXfAuL4R-nV1Jdr1EQ8qjMPuwBE-hYILKOx9v0Z-G09x3dQ4OOKWDgi6iXJ96WFS1dEpdfAjnb-p/s400/whitby5069-tk.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU1Pta8HmFmKexfmyo3xg0yu9QwH2JupfQYh7PfHHweNguWtHRGMa6OJHJXyTRefh56k54vwj_lWqyxD7vrhtl5apA7EXc8B9h1zdj0d03BlZVY1805_3d2kr3G-wMXQ7mNcDrve6bUGn/s1600/whitby5069mono-tk.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canon 80D + EF50mm f/1.8; 1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 125</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
I'm struggling to think of anything I don't like about the 80D: I miss the mini-thumbstick from the 40D and the 7D, but the touchscreen makes up for this. Overall the Canon 80D is a user-friendly and feature-packed camera (including settings for time-lapse, multi-exposure, minimum shutter speed, flicker detection, and so on) that does everything I would want from a DSLR.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=60298464%40N00&view_all=1&text=80D&sort=relevance" target="_blank">More of my photos taken with the Canon 80D</a><br />
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<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-62002514268203001572017-05-08T22:36:00.002+01:002017-05-08T22:36:38.020+01:00Answer: "It's a Tele Vue."<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/33236614384/in/dateposted-public/" title="Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)"><img alt="Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)" height="400" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2922/33236614384_8030689bea.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The question being, typically: "What's that on the end of your camera?"<br />
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As the name of this blog suggests, I do most of my photography with a telescope - a <a href="http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=32" target="_blank">Tele Vue-60</a> refractor to be precise. What it lacks in autofocus and aperture control it more than makes up for in sharpness and colour correction. It's compact and portable and it doesn't need to be stopped down to hit the sharpness sweet spot. Recently Tele Vue embraced the world of social media and - as part of their ongoing 40th anniversary celebration - they asked if they could feature me on their new blog, in particular why I chose the TV60 and why I've stuck with it over the years. You can read the resulting post here:<br />
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<a href="http://televue.com/notamnomen/2017/05/02/tele-vue-is-for-the-birds/#.WRC_XNQrL4Y" target="_blank">http://televue.com/notamnomen/2017/05/02/tele-vue-is-for-the-birds/#.WRC_XNQrL4Y</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQCz-MHgeTChJ8FQjdKc2fA_cgGYAxQ_Lr2kWcV3iF2uB4V71-BIDnM_NxvBrTJoulm7i9SNygVOIBneqMozvWIX8rFP8TvV8actb2nSMtnaOQ9xlxAB8UGb0f-t_IV1Vnl6mIY7VmYkt/s1600/tv60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQCz-MHgeTChJ8FQjdKc2fA_cgGYAxQ_Lr2kWcV3iF2uB4V71-BIDnM_NxvBrTJoulm7i9SNygVOIBneqMozvWIX8rFP8TvV8actb2nSMtnaOQ9xlxAB8UGb0f-t_IV1Vnl6mIY7VmYkt/s400/tv60.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Three scopes in one: astro-scope, spotting scope and telephoto lens</span></td></tr>
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Astronomers of course need no introduction to Tele Vue, but for those who don't know, they're a Chester, New York-based company founded in 1977 by Al Nagler. Prior to that Al designed lunar landing simulators for the Apollo missions, using his knowledge of optics to create realistic wide-field vistas to aid the astronauts' training.<br />
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Tele Vue started out making lenses for large projection-screen televisions, but they've since become renowned for their high-quality eyepieces and telescopes. If you ever get the chance to look through one of Tele Vue's wide-field eyepieces, I highly recommend it. They call it the "spacewalk" experience and with good reason: if, like me, you started out in astronomy squinting through a cheap and cheerful 0.965" eyepiece, the difference is startling. When looking through a Nagler it's as if the eyepiece "gets out of the way", leaving you immersed in the stars (or suspended above the moon if lunar observing is your thing). And if the 82-degree apparent field-of-view of a Nagler isn't enough for you, they also do an Ethos range, which goes up to a whopping 100 degrees.<br />
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In the interests of fairness and transparency I should point out that:<br />
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a) Other telescopes and eyepieces are available<br />
b) I was not offered any incentive by Tele Vue (financial or otherwise) to contribute to their blog or write this post. I'm just a proud TV-60 owner and I wouldn't dream of parting with it.<br />
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<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=27" target="_blank">Tele Vue home page</a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=60298464%40N00&sort=date-posted-desc&text=tv60&view_all=1" target="_blank">My TV-60 photos on Flickr</a>Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-63724091373493784722017-01-08T15:52:00.001+00:002017-01-08T15:52:26.103+00:00A few thoughts on Google's Nik CollectionBack in March, Google made the entire <a href="https://www.google.com/nikcollection/" target="_blank">Nik Collection</a> photo-editing suite available as a free download. Despite my initial scepticism (and wariness of filters that claim to replicate the "look" of film), I have to admit - now that I've been using it for a few months - it is actually really good and serves as a helpful complement to Photoshop. The <a href="https://support.google.com/nikcollection/answer/3000962?hl=en" target="_blank">Control Point</a> technology is particularly useful for carrying out localised enhancements, saving a lot of time compared to manually creating masks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOY_4oZD-EGqYd3eVY9pw0YU66F_oazXJizxwY_TqqwQOZ8CpcKQ-ra9du2LbvT18Tztj_yfRhk8oNsXMheRWxjJHiaWa1Aytksoa3lQ5tBj2WHg3tuAwsqhkV8xFq753sWpeZ0K5d_DE/s1600/sharpen-example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOY_4oZD-EGqYd3eVY9pw0YU66F_oazXJizxwY_TqqwQOZ8CpcKQ-ra9du2LbvT18Tztj_yfRhk8oNsXMheRWxjJHiaWa1Aytksoa3lQ5tBj2WHg3tuAwsqhkV8xFq753sWpeZ0K5d_DE/s320/sharpen-example.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selective sharpening using colour range masking</td></tr>
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Of course, no amount of software wizardry can turn a bad photo into a good photo, but with a little care you can get some interesting results, as shown below. (Note: my photo-editing steps are usually a lot more subtle than this. I provide these photos as examples because it's easier to see the difference.)<br />
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Move your mouse across the images to see them as they appeared before processing. Most of these results were achieved using <a href="https://www.google.com/nikcollection/products/color-efex-pro/" target="_blank">Color Efex Pro</a>, but the first image (the helicopter over the house) was enhanced using <a href="https://www.google.com/nikcollection/products/silver-efex-pro/" target="_blank">Silver Efex Pro</a> to create a High Dynamic black-and-white luminosity layer.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIkfYPzr_zaiermAEumqYzZmzC27-p8KUCzO6gsDyJQpvq5wOG4KrhKYPCugZzH-n5G1EIcST6PyqBTDlIKwTSmNihCJV4O-vWnJDUH287U8JfpQrNgMgj_ImkK7zsf4HsiUqiIuiv57S/s1600/foreland7025f.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimyGB07ECnkJBP52UBGxPfrTkAVYSQY3lvHDdCiiWNi0zCLYBO0bwbK-aFuQNhFHwHDAT6-YU7FYeibUOmAXttfxYkrNdd9DkxgRHXDIRIw4laVbqUwYbd2Ml_6FOTc8nN0ZiEZ70U0MK/s1600/foreland7025r.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIkfYPzr_zaiermAEumqYzZmzC27-p8KUCzO6gsDyJQpvq5wOG4KrhKYPCugZzH-n5G1EIcST6PyqBTDlIKwTSmNihCJV4O-vWnJDUH287U8JfpQrNgMgj_ImkK7zsf4HsiUqiIuiv57S/s1600/foreland7025f.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/26168715714/in/dateposted-public/" target="_blank">Helicopter at North Foreland</a>, April 2016 </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7P-KtwjoBbxEa0WRer-solcb6XeHHcjzYK1gcWRc6xYkzLoeZYWaiqyfpAf85ncElF7rJwGvaOZgNVdVKbg4RZg0bcr0O-EunKbSML5yvk6j6w2Yx_IaCN0frDrDcwliWqVHnWxRx7SZ6/s1600/hobby7544f.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzoBE7X8oHepZeV2QfgB6Dydu0ZlMJJlN8Z9pVgh9-E6IcA_K7hTn6Ha45HQPnp3bJhfroLvJjGZawjOc2DiwnCertghql-MAOtMdzUQTvfuIiQ41hLhespV-_0vqrKIFTrLGTj7sqyt1/s1600/hobby7544r.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7P-KtwjoBbxEa0WRer-solcb6XeHHcjzYK1gcWRc6xYkzLoeZYWaiqyfpAf85ncElF7rJwGvaOZgNVdVKbg4RZg0bcr0O-EunKbSML5yvk6j6w2Yx_IaCN0frDrDcwliWqVHnWxRx7SZ6/s1600/hobby7544f.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/27190773505/in/dateposted-public/" target="_blank">Stodmarsh Hobby</a>, May 2016</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMzghmulJBad_2P5RfH9ozy9OiF0fYo6gMUorQRRfBcmEcXECY5-MY2BmxeLEmp4f0-Kj7trwX2vZGrvJ6U_oCHxP180F-p-z44UUqk1Cs-9s1ydZPpmlgCL5hoHzyeq7X-Xl4PlJBTFB/s1600/nforeland6544f.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0qb4d5dWzH1S0mUfVSN-hI9H2HrbSOfva5ROs2odHzr54bMrCAxNvLakw-c7OlWgR0yNMt4gGLtVCGMp36RoIpRaBdd1H6x8Uv4jInFZTB59vajtGOlM53FOLilUcv2CtcOBRCaD2Eg-/s1600/nforeland6544r.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMzghmulJBad_2P5RfH9ozy9OiF0fYo6gMUorQRRfBcmEcXECY5-MY2BmxeLEmp4f0-Kj7trwX2vZGrvJ6U_oCHxP180F-p-z44UUqk1Cs-9s1ydZPpmlgCL5hoHzyeq7X-Xl4PlJBTFB/s1600/nforeland6544f.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/31281405721/in/dateposted-public/" target="_blank">Bright Wake on a Dark Sea</a>, November 2016</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcbKxtKNOXlHSWPIPIls2f9iOxiQO01IBQOZlimj2EhIhyphenhyphenHOFB6oQjuhGOFZQklqzN4X4SzP1eMI8ComMShdGC9xM3SYJwe8DaKkH3FLemcMKppXWpHty7As-F8ytOR8stdUTHXjoc9-O/s1600/tern7394f.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLstXNYv-ozwENrk3GqEzFEr6ssaibdKNJVP_qo_E3nRpwAeZLuHzBOljHKgmnFLj-l60abO-urhpYRmiR9rJwv1G4ikToB1QQjSrrkaP28pSxmFY8yNyfWvfxVnFRwUDbyApF5PQtP3nt/s1600/tern7394r.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcbKxtKNOXlHSWPIPIls2f9iOxiQO01IBQOZlimj2EhIhyphenhyphenHOFB6oQjuhGOFZQklqzN4X4SzP1eMI8ComMShdGC9xM3SYJwe8DaKkH3FLemcMKppXWpHty7As-F8ytOR8stdUTHXjoc9-O/s1600/tern7394f.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/26492956843/in/dateposted-public/" target="_blank">Common Tern</a>, May 2016</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" onmouseout="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDs8KNzeGuKL1h-WyTTx6ozKvAgCr80WUsP6uDAB7Oa9Ggfz369RfRzBp2e8sHwTsYSBKqULvyitVZwj5H9bxFMEzGU8v8Sqf6y3rCISBLmaSkO3U-IijlNGt3_gQTSiMLhRyM4EWzqNV/s1600/stodmarsh4514f.jpg'" onmouseover="this.src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxREO1-9OW3QEmA5RwREsmostOJbUhkqowaUwRQjYrIHc8oHWe3kOIojwKth-Eg96S4_TP4vCcqhGWPIkrh_MUXvT46v5kRYSn8QO-vsXoZI3jtnbhMWN14hleZw_2b-JBb_dLLVbwoS5/s1600/stodmarsh4514r.jpg'" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDs8KNzeGuKL1h-WyTTx6ozKvAgCr80WUsP6uDAB7Oa9Ggfz369RfRzBp2e8sHwTsYSBKqULvyitVZwj5H9bxFMEzGU8v8Sqf6y3rCISBLmaSkO3U-IijlNGt3_gQTSiMLhRyM4EWzqNV/s1600/stodmarsh4514f.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/27584248370/in/dateposted-public/" target="_blank">Stodmarsh NNR</a>, June 2016</td></tr>
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The complete Google Nik Collection suite is available at:<br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/nikcollection/">https://www.google.com/nikcollection/</a><br />
It works best as a Photoshop plugin (under the Filter menu), but you can also run each application as a standalone program if you create short-cuts to the individual .exe files.<br />
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<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-21879644406365601562016-12-10T15:44:00.001+00:002016-12-10T15:44:21.471+00:00Birds of Ramsgate HarbourGiven that one of the attractions of going out with the camera is to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a busy harbour wouldn't normally be my first choice of destination. However, a visit to Ramsgate during the winter months may occasionally provide close-up views of certain sea-bird species which, while not being particularly rare, are more usually seen as distant specks flying above the waves.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/15742985248/in/photolist-qcqtJs-qeGJ2k-pXGB4J-pZ9V39-pYu8kf" title="Afloat"><img alt="Afloat" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7476/15742985248_f706b959c5.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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This <b>Red-throated Diver</b>, photographed in November 2014, visited Ramsgate at a time when the harbour was getting a bit of a reputation for being a Diver graveyard. It wasn't feeding and the only time I saw it do anything other than float listlessly was when it was being <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/15907622725/in/photolist-qcqtJs-qeGJ2k-pXGB4J-pZ9V39-pYu8kf/" target="_blank">harassed by a seal</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/24526522571/in/photolist-DnjQEP-BSJap1-qjdXiH-qjZRnt-DyiFDT-DpeXuP-Cn4ine" title="Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer)"><img alt="Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer)" height="333" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/2/1575/24526522571_51cd4a04ae.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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The R-TD eventually disappeared (almost certainly perished), but this <b>Great Northern Diver</b>, which arrived at Ramsgate the following winter, was in a much healthier condition. During its long residence it demonstrated that the harbour is home to a surprising variety of fish and crabs (at least, it was until the Diver ate them).<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/24276327531/in/photolist-CZdwpe-CppJQ1-CdSRy2-6aktPD-yg8pnG" title="Eider (Somateria mollissima)"><img alt="Eider (Somateria mollissima)" height="333" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/2/1559/24276327531_a043e8b238.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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This female <b>Eider</b> (a sturdy sea-duck usually seen bobbing up and down a long way offshore) visited the harbour in January 2016. It paddled in, spent about half an hour looking around, diving, and flapping its wings, and then it paddled out again. Fortunately I happened to be in the right place at the right time (for once).<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/31273592565/in/photolist-PDxkvP-PhG8QE/" title="Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)"><img alt="Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)" height="333" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5547/31273592565_3f646053e5.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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Although you can't see it from this angle, this <b>Shag</b>, photographed in November 2016, is sporting a blue colour ring (letters AUR). As <a href="https://twitter.com/shrikefinder/status/801464282676334592" target="_blank">reported by Scott Haughie</a>, it was ringed on <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Staple+Island/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4880ae46c1d942d3:0xb9185563daa16bd0?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAz5-l4unQAhVLAcAKHSOvDQwQ8gEIdTAP" target="_blank">Staple Island</a> up in the Farnes in June and made its way south to Ramsgate (other sightings from the scheme have been in Holland).<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/31433940021/" title="Guillemot (Uria aalge)"><img alt="Guillemot (Uria aalge)" height="333" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5592/31433940021_8f990bb28b.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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The Collins Guide says of auks: "Most commonly seen at coasts during and after gales", and so it proved with this little <b>Guillemot</b>, which took shelter in the harbour after Storm Angus had swept through the Channel.<br />
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Sea-going species aren't the only birds that make Ramsgate their home during winter. If you're lucky you may spot one of the local kingfishers, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puLmpombHfE" target="_blank">as documented by Keith Ross</a>.<br />
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<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=60298464%40N00&view_all=1&text=ramsgate%20harbour" target="_blank">More of my photos from Ramsgate Harbour (Flickr)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/johnkeithross/videos" target="_blank">Keith Ross's Video Channel (YouTube)</a><br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-69695352127296017002016-06-17T18:19:00.003+01:002016-06-17T18:27:43.161+01:00Birds of East Kent: Peregrine Falcon<i>Latest in an occasional series of posts discussing the different birds that can be found in East Kent.</i><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/7397317592/" title="Beady Eye"><img alt="Beady Eye" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7240/7397317592_7ba9138140.jpg" width="333" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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The peregrine makes its presence felt long before you see it: a dead pigeon lies on its back on a windswept beach, its wings spread and its breastbone stripped of meat; a golfer notices your camera and calls out to tell you that you "just missed a peregrine"; fulmars cackle their disapproval as a crossbow-shaped shadow glides over their nests and across the cliff-face. You walk and you walk until finally you see a hunched, powerful-looking bird poised on an outcrop of flint. On the beach below a man is walking his dog, blissfully unaware of the apex predator right above his head, but when you peer through the lens you see that the peregrine is looking at you, not the dog or its owner. A peregrine sees everything and misses nothing. It spotted you the moment you stepped into its field of view, and now that it knows you're looking at it, the peregrine alone will decide how close you will be allowed to get.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/25636570131/" title="Peregrine Falcon"><img alt="Peregrine Falcon" height="281" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/2/1535/25636570131_d3e2dab3f4.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
<br />
Thanks to works like J.A. Baker's <i>The Peregrine</i>, the eponymous falcon enjoys a near-mythical status unmatched perhaps by any other British bird. Baker's account (I can't really call it a memoir since the author effectively excises himself from the narrative) condenses a decade's worth of observations into a single year, a structural choice which also has the effect of condensing his patient study of the peregrine into a singularly obsessive quest. Reading it, you're left in little doubt that Baker - short-sighted and afflicted with a rare and rather unpleasant form of arthritis (I speak from experience on the latter) - wishes he were a peregrine himself:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Free! You cannot know what freedom means till you have seen a peregrine loosed into the warm spring sky to roam at will through all the far provinces of light. Along the escarpments of the river air he rose with martial motion. Like a dolphin in green seas, like an otter in the startled water, he poured through deep lagoons of sky up to the high white reefs of cirrus.</i></blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/25127911989/in/photolist-cdja5L-c1XF4f-c4WjPJ-mMKE1B-cb6nkG-ciWnVS-aBHAy4-bT4QUV-cgFbNu-cccgwd-bWHyoy-bVMhb1-cpSeNq-bUtyt3-Er3QiK-Eht7MT-bQ27pK-bY6Vnj-uTa6nK-F4q88R-Eg6uQk-EsiHLb-G4yVbx" title="Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)"><img alt="Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)" height="333" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/2/1610/25127911989_0f29cdaccf.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
Like dark chocolate, Baker's dense, synaesthetic prose is probably best savoured in small chunks. And yet, for all the linguistic fireworks on display, the narrative is tinged with a wistful, elegiac tone. Baker had good reason to be pessimistic; at the time he wrote his book the peregrine was in serious decline - its numbers ravaged by persecution and pesticides.<br />
<br />
But for once, the story has a happy postscript (albeit one that Baker himself didn't live to see). Peregrine Falcons have enjoyed a spectacular resurgence and you can now see them right across the country, repopulating urban environments as well as their more traditional hunting grounds. If you live near a cathedral or a high chalk cliff, there's a good chance you also live near a peregrine. And when you see one for yourself you'll understand why these majestic birds inspire such reverential prose.<br />
<br />
<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/falcoperegrinus" target="_blank">More of my Peregrine photos on Flickr</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/johnkeithross/videos" target="_blank">Keith Ross's YouTube channel</a> (includes a series of short films on the Ramsgate Peregrines)<br />
<a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/p/peregrine/" target="_blank">Peregrine Falcon (RSPB)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Peregrine_Falcon" target="_blank">Peregrine Falcon (Birdforum)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=032060" target="_blank">Peregrine Falcon (Birdguides)</a><br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-86211670185023141372016-04-08T13:44:00.000+01:002016-04-29T15:14:57.633+01:00Oare Marshes<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/25834255471/in/dateposted-public/" title="Grey Heron in Flight"><img alt="Grey Heron in Flight" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1539/25834255471_f6dd0c2b29.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
<h3>
Alternative Title: A long overdue write-up of a long overdue trip </h3>
<br />
The Oare Marshes KWT reserve is a bit further afield than my usual haunts, but I fancied a change of scene and so I took advantage of a warm March day to pay my first visit. The walk from Faversham station is actually quite pleasant if you don't mind a bit of a trek, but it seems a lot of the visiting photographers/birders park along the road that runs through the middle of the reserve, get the required photos/ticks, and then drive off to the next location - sometimes without even leaving their cars! Such is the accelerated and competitive nature of modern life, but you'll forgive me if I prefer a more sedate approach.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/25880572325/in/photolist-ErYcjw-EvpktQ-FjVEbV-FFGLW9-FmTj6M-FqYGue-FnYkTh-FrciyU-FCKJYr-EtPVm2-ECksgJ-FxWsVU-FdrBJ1-FyjJ5H-FG5VCr-FpLeB1-FAsTa3-EMZG7j-EVSiX5-FKZnpe" title="Pintail (Anas acuta)"><img alt="Pintail (Anas acuta)" height="281" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1537/25880572325_d7ce70a0d7.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
The reserve is quite contained; you can walk all the way around it a lot quicker than, say, the extended Grove Ferry/Stodmarsh circuit. I must have walked round it one-and-a-half times while I was there - perhaps more if you factor in the distance I covered trailing after the mixed flock of Goldfinches and Lesser Redpolls:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/25256452293/in/photolist-ErYcjw-EvpktQ-FjVEbV-FFGLW9-FmTj6M-FqYGue-FnYkTh-FrciyU-FCKJYr-EtPVm2-ECksgJ-FxWsVU-FdrBJ1-FyjJ5H-FG5VCr-FpLeB1-FAsTa3-EMZG7j-EVSiX5-FKZnpe" title="Lesser Redpolls (Carduelis cabaret)"><img alt="Lesser Redpolls (Carduelis cabaret)" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1613/25256452293_79d7a9333d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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For those who wish to give their feet a rest, there are three hides on the reserve. On the day I visited they were all in pretty good condition. They also happened to be completely empty, which is not entirely surprising given that a) there were no birds anywhere near them, and b) they were facing directly into the wind - which made for an eye-watering experience. Fortunately most of the highlight species could be seen quite easily from the viewing points along the road, including this uncharacteristically obliging Water Rail:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/25883031680/in/photolist-ErYcjw-EvpktQ-FjVEbV-FFGLW9-FmTj6M-FqYGue-FnYkTh-FrciyU-FCKJYr-EtPVm2-ECksgJ-FxWsVU-FdrBJ1-FyjJ5H-FG5VCr-FpLeB1-FAsTa3-EMZG7j-EVSiX5-FKZnpe" title="Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)"><img alt="Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1522/25883031680_0beab635cf.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
I don't generally keep lists, but on this occasion I jotted down all the birds I'd seen and heard (written that same evening, from memory). I counted forty-one different species, which were - for those who are interested in such things - as follows: Avocet, Bearded Tit, Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Cetti's Warbler, Coot, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine Falcon, Pintail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Snipe, Starling, Teal, Tufted Duck, Water Rail, and Wood Pigeon.<br />
<br />
Not bad for a first visit, though having read subsequent reports it's possible that I may have walked past a Little Owl without spotting it. Sounds like a good excuse for a return trip...<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?sort=interestingness-desc&safe_search=1&tags=oaremarshes&user_id=60298464%40N00&view_all=1" target="_blank">More of my photos from Oare Marshes</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/oare-marshes" target="_blank">Oare Marshes (Kent Wildlife Trust)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kentos.org.uk/blogs-sightings/oare-marshes/" target="_blank">Oare Marshes Latest Sightings (KOS)</a>Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-22994224588758521072016-01-12T13:09:00.000+00:002016-01-12T13:21:35.778+00:00Birds of East Kent: Curlew<i>Latest in an occasional series of posts discussing the different birds that can be found in East Kent and how easy (or not) it is to get a decent picture of them.</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/22933278209/" title="Curlew (Numenius arquata)"><img alt="Curlew (Numenius arquata)" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5754/22933278209_c77dcc84d6.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Curlews in April<br />
Hang their harps over the misty valleys<br />
<br />
A wobbling water-call<br />
A wet-footed god of the horizons<br />
<br />
Ted Hughes, "Curlews", <i>Remains of Elmet</i> (1979)</blockquote>
<br />
What's your favourite bird song? Probably the first birds that spring to mind are Robins or Skylarks (or even a Nightingale if you've been lucky enough to hear one), but for me there are few sounds more evocative in English nature than the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zqzsv" target="_blank">fluting call of a Curlew</a> echoing over a mudflat or across a fog-shrouded beach. It has something of a plaintive quality to it, which is perhaps appropriate as the Curlew is now sadly <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/redliststory.aspx" target="_blank">on the UK's Red List</a> due to severe declines in its breeding population.<br />
<br />
In the winter at least there are still plenty to see around the coast as the numbers are bolstered by European visitors. In my little corner of the country, they're a common sight at low tide, probing for food with their unmistakable long bills on the seaweed-covered rocks. At high tide you'll often find them sheltering in one of the communal roosts between Foreness and Kingsgate Bay, protected by the cliffs on one side and the sea on the other. You may also spot them on the fields near the North Foreland lighthouse, or flying in loose flocks close to the shore:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/24107684815/" title="Flight of the Curlews"><img alt="Flight of the Curlews" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1552/24107684815_d01f26192a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<br />
With regards to photography they don't tolerate people as much as the other local seaside birds like Turnstones and <a href="http://telekilnesis.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/birds-of-east-kent-purple-sandpiper.html" target="_blank">Purple Sandpipers</a>, but as they're Britain's largest wader you don't need to be <i>that</i> close to get a good shot. Best advice is to approach very slowly, keep low if possible, and always be ready for that dramatic take-off:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/22795407904/" title="Curlew (Numenius arquata)"><img alt="Curlew (Numenius arquata)" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5827/22795407904_47ee476212.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<br />
And of course, that amazing song.<br />
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<br />
<i>See also:</i><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/numeniusarquata" target="_blank">More of my Curlew photos on Flickr</a><br />
<a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/c/curlew/" target="_blank">Curlew (RSPB)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eurasian_Curlew" target="_blank">Curlew (Birdforum)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=057010" target="_blank">Curlew (Birdguides)</a><br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-4576465225380365892015-10-11T21:10:00.000+01:002015-10-11T21:10:58.946+01:00Two Days in the Camargue<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21635851222/in/dateposted-public/" title="Portrait of a Flamingo"><img alt="Portrait of a Flamingo" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5731/21635851222_cbfbc15a9b.jpg" width="333" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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As much as I love writing, if there was one thing I dreaded at school it was having to complete the "What I did on my holiday" essay. So, rather than bore you with every detail, I'm going to boil the trip down to its essentials (i.e. what I anticipate visitors to this blog would want to know about) and let the pictures do most of the talking. If you have any questions not covered by the ones given below then please use the comments section and I will do my best to answer them - though bear in mind that I'm more of a "photographer who happens to shoot birds" than a "birder who happens to have a camera". The object of the trip was not to track down the rarest species, but to have a good time and hopefully get some decent photos along the way. It's also worth noting that the Camargue is B-I-G; two days really only allows time for a whistle-stop tour, but you could easily spend a week there and still only scratch the surface.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21729677126/in/dateposted-public/" title="Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)"><img alt="Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/778/21729677126_6178f236d5.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<i><br /></i>
<i>Quick question: Was it worth it?</i><br />
Quick answer: Absolutely, yes!<br />
<br />
<i>Did you have a guidebook to the region?</i><br />
Most of the guidebooks I could find for sale are a few years out of date, but there is a free booklet online which proved to be extremely useful. It contains maps, species lists, and much more. The English-language version is available via this link:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.parc-camargue.fr/getlibrarypublicfile.php/2d5297d875236bd10071d0f8f5471167/parc-camargue/_/collection_library_fr/201500014/0001/Birdfair_Camargue_English.pdf" target="_blank">Where to watch birds in the Camargue Regional Nature Park - France (PDF)</a><br />
<br />
Using Arles as a base, we visited four of the eleven sites listed, as well as the very pretty - and very touristy - town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21938104286/in/dateposted-public/" title="Fortified Church"><img alt="Fortified Church" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5689/21938104286_ee5414061b.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
<i>So what's the big deal about the mistral?</i><br />
The mistral is a wind, but it's not like any wind you'll experience in England. When it decides to blow it will do so all day - at the same speed and in the same direction - and it won't ease off until the sun goes down. The Camargue is mostly flat, so there aren't many places you can shelter from it. A light, windproof jacket is recommended.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21498368130/in/dateposted-public/" title="Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)"><img alt="Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5646/21498368130_423901d796.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<i>What else should I take?</i><br />
Sun cream and insect repellent. Make sure you carry plenty of drinking water too; even in September the temperatures can reach the high twenties.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21622118072/in/dateposted-public/" title="Red Dragon"><img alt="Red Dragon" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/567/21622118072_4893dd3b9f.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<i>Best place to go to photograph birds?</i><br />
There may well be other reserves (that we didn't have time to visit) within the Camargue that provide a similar experience, but if you want to see the key species of the region at close quarters and get photos "in the bank", so to speak, then the <a href="http://www.parcornithologique.com/" target="_blank">Pont de Gau bird sanctuary</a> is the place to go. As well as the famous flamingos, we saw, among other things, grey herons, little egrets, cattle egrets, spotted redshanks, black-tailed godwits, avocets, black-winged stilts, spoonbills, and a sacred ibis (below). Admittedly, with the exception of the flamingos and the ibis, these are all species you can see in England with increasing regularity, but probably not all in one place, and certainly not within a few feet of the viewing hide.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21674869282/in/dateposted-public/" title="Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)"><img alt="Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5688/21674869282_4e047afaef.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
<br />
<i>Recommended eating?</i><br />
All three of the restaurants we visited in Arles were good, but the <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Le+Plaza+-+La+Paillotte/@43.6781915,4.6263049,3a,75y,17.36h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swdFRDoOQPcHd8PdPwsPGlA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x3b8a7ffc88834b72!6m1!1e1" target="_blank">Restaurant Le Plaza La Pailotte</a> was exceptional. I had the duck breast (don't tell the wildfowl!) and it was, quite simply, one of the finest meals I've ever had. (And no, I didn't take a photo of my food.)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21724992419/in/dateposted-public/" title="Rue Porte de Laure"><img alt="Rue Porte de Laure" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/631/21724992419_b05a052b15.jpg" width="333" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<i>Other highlights that you can't convey in a photograph?</i><br />
Bats flying above the Rhone at sunset, the strangely soothing background noise of insects (presumably crickets) chirping at night, stumbling upon a bizarre tractor parade in Arles on Saturday evening, still being able to feel the lingering warmth of the sun and the force of the mistral on my face long after the sun had gone down, the sheer physical and historical presence of the Arles Roman Amphitheatre (below), waking up early to see Sirius shining higher in the sky than I've ever seen it before, and of course a welcome reminder that you can't beat a genuine French baguette.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21672706668/in/dateposted-public/" title="Arles Amphitheatre"><img alt="Arles Amphitheatre" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/629/21672706668_e664aee3a2.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Anything else worth knowing?</i><br />
The SatNav on the rental car was, unsurprisingly, in French. After some fumbling we found the option screen to change the language. English was <i>not </i>one of the available languages. Fortunately, if you know your <i>gauche </i>from your <i>droite</i>, you should be able to cope.<br />
<br />
Finally, special thanks must go to my friends Mark, for his organisational and driving skills, and to Tony, for his near-supernatural ability to liken almost any situation to an episode of the old TV show <i>Only Fools and Horses</i>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/tags/france2015" target="_blank">See more of my photos from the Camargue and Arles on Flickr</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-30693232571574288232015-10-05T15:34:00.001+01:002015-10-05T15:34:16.072+01:00Photographing the 2015 Total Lunar EclipseLunar eclipses aren't that rare - certainly not as rare as some uninformed sections of the media would have you believe, but I hadn't photographed one since <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/410487328" target="_blank">March 2007</a>, so I stayed up till stupid o'clock the other week to get some images of the so-called Super Blood Moon eclipse. The wind was a little gusty, but fortunately the clouds didn't interfere.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21602665430/in/photolist-ymHfpY-yUXiNN-CgRzJ-Cbtvi" title=""Supermoon" Eclipse (Canon 7D + Televue-60)"><img alt=""Supermoon" Eclipse (Canon 7D + Televue-60)" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5650/21602665430_b87e013638.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<br />
One thing the photos don't convey is just how much the moon dims during totality. (The reason it doesn't go completely dark is because it's illuminated by sunlight refracted through the earth's atmosphere. Or to put that in a slightly more lyrical way, an observer standing on the moon during an eclipse would see all of the earth's sunrises and sunsets compressed into a beautiful ring of light.) The first image in the sequence above (the barely eclipsed moon) was shot hand-held with a 1/1600 second exposure at ISO 800. The last shot (fully eclipsed) was taken on a tripod with a cable release, with the mirror lock-up function enabled; exposure time 1/2 second, ISO 1600. At long focal lengths (400 mm and above), these slow exposure times can be problematic. Shoot for anything longer than about half a second and the earth's rotation will start to smear the image.<br />
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So, as is often the case in astrophotography, there's a trade-off to be made. Do you under-expose and increase noise, or do you expose correctly and lose detail? A tracking mount which will correct for the earth's rotation is one way around the problem, but the good ones don't come cheap. Another method (if you find high ISO noise objectionable) is to shoot lots of under-exposed images one after the other, stack them in RegiStax or AviStack to increase the signal-to-noise ratio, and then push the exposure in Photoshop. I did think about doing this, but it was late and I was tired and it seemed like a lot of effort given that I still had several hundred photos from the Camargue to sort through (a post on that is coming soon).<br />
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Maybe it's something I'll try for the next eclipse in 2018; or maybe by then cameras will have progressed so much that high ISO noise won't be a big deal... Anyway, to tide us over till then, here's an uncropped view of the eclipse taken at ISO 6400, and carefully pushed in PS to bring out the background stars. A red full moon surrounded by stars; now that's a sight worth staying up for.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/21237794574/in/photolist-ymHfpY-yUXiNN-CgRzJ-Cbtvi" title="The Moon and the Stars"><img alt="The Moon and the Stars" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/620/21237794574_ed5892f422.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-68444823641635217692015-08-30T21:28:00.000+01:002015-08-30T21:28:52.163+01:00Anatomy of an Air Display<div style="text-align: center;">
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It’s a hot August afternoon and the Broadstairs Water Gala is in full swing. The photographer watches from the promenade overlooking the bay, waiting for the air display to begin. Below him a Punch and Judy stall provides entertainment on the beach; an audience of kids laughing at the antics of model husband and doting father, Mr Punch. Out on the sea a flyboarder performs tricks in front of the jetty, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/20109907233" target="_blank">rising up on a column of water as if he were a human missile launched from a submarine</a>. A light breeze brings various smells wafting by: chips and suntan lotion and cigarette smoke.<br />
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At approximately 14:45 a Pitts Special aerobatic biplane appears in the sky above Broadstairs, its brilliant red and white livery mirroring the red and white stripes of the Punch and Judy stall on the sand below. The woman in the cockpit, Lauren Richardson, is a skilled pilot, tumbling and looping and rolling her aircraft to great effect. At the end of her display she performs one final pass of the bay, waving to the crowd. Some of the spectators wave back; some don’t even bother to look up from their smartphones. It’s as if, in their minds, an event isn’t real until it’s been uploaded to the Internet, even when it’s taking place directly above their heads. In two weeks they’ll be watching a wholly different event unfold on their screens – the senseless murder of two young journalists captured from both the viewpoint of a live TV broadcast and from the viewpoint of the gunman who shot them – and if they don’t see it online they’ll see it splashed across the front pages of the newspapers the following morning. But that particular horror will have to wait its turn; another tragedy beckons first.<br />
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Only five minutes pass before the next display begins: two RV8 planes trailing plumes of white smoke. After performing a sequence of close-formation loops and rolls, the two aircraft break to opposite sides of the bay and then fly straight at each other, appearing to avoid collision by a hair's-breadth. It’s a tried and tested manoeuvre, guaranteed to draw a collective “Oooh!” from the crowd. It’s also perhaps the one manoeuvre where the implicit threatens to become explicit, highlighting the unspoken subtext that underlies every high-speed form of entertainment, from air-shows to Formula 1. No one wants anything to go wrong – of course they don’t – but the potential for disaster is ever-present, adding a tangible air of frisson to the occasion.<br />
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The photographer tenses, tracking one of the planes as it flies right to left. In the back of his mind he wonders what he’d do if something did go wrong and one or both of the planes ended up in the sea – or worse. Would he keep shooting? What if he captured something truly harrowing? Would he sell the photos to the highest bidder? Would he sell them to the <i>Daily Mail</i>? Would he sell them to the <i>Sun</i>? He likes to think he wouldn’t, but of course, until we’re in that situation none of us know for sure. Not really.<br />
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The RV8 planes perform a variation on the loop-the-loop manoeuvre, using their smoke trails to draw a huge heart in the sky. Then they fly across the bay, left to right, one after the other, and the display is over. The wind is noticeably stronger now; the third scheduled display will not go ahead. The smoke trails disperse quickly and so do the spectators, kids nagging their parents for ice-cream. Already long queues are forming outside the two main parlours, Morelli’s and Chiappini’s. The tannoy crackles but – not for the first time that afternoon – the speaker’s words are inaudible to a large section of the crowd.<br />
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The photographer retreats to the shade of Ballard’s Lounge and orders a cold <i>San Miguel</i>. He sits by the window and reviews his photos. None of them are remarkable as aircraft photography goes, but there are enough keepers to meet his own modest expectations. He finds one from the end of the display, almost the last photo he took: it’s a close-up of one of the RV8 planes, smartly painted in shades of silver, blue and black, designation G-HILZ.<br />
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He enlarges the photo on the LCD, zooming in on the cockpit. The pilot’s left hand is raised to acknowledge the crowd, but frustratingly – from an aesthetic point of view – his face is not visible. Perhaps he’s concentrating on the smoke trail left by his colleague moments earlier. Perhaps he’s already thinking ahead to the display he’ll be attending at the weekend.<br />
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The pilot’s name is Andy Hill. In three days’ time he will take to the skies above Shoreham in a very different kind of plane – a Hawker Hunter jet. I don’t need to describe what happened next; we’ve all seen the pictures and the footage, and sometimes, when the images linger in our mind like a bright light that takes forever to fade, we might find ourselves thinking about the dividing line between life and death, and wondering if we’ve seen too much.<br />
<br />Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2258903903594704586.post-26368105395856303772015-07-08T20:04:00.002+01:002015-07-12T02:12:34.478+01:00Fast Bikes and Red Kites<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/19418551101" title="Red Kite (Milvus milvus) by Mark Kilner, on Flickr"><img alt="Red Kite (Milvus milvus)" height="281" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/390/19418551101_f00324a682.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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A noisy race circuit isn't the first place you'd expect to find interesting wildlife, but a trip to <a href="http://www.lyddenhill.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lydden Hill</a> last Saturday turned up an surprise bonus in the unmistakeable shape of a Red Kite. It spent a good half-hour hunting along a tree-line just to the east of the circuit, during which time I was able to get close enough for the kind of view you'd normally have to travel at least as far as Oxfordshire to see.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Kite with prey, Lydden Hill, July 2015.</td></tr>
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The trees prevented me from spotting whether the Kite was scavenging or targeting live prey, but it reappeared with at least two successful catches, one of which it ate on the wing, Hobby-style:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/RHa95XFqawtr0dMPN07QkKW-F8uBIuht-5dUZYibJCQ=w800-h700-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/RHa95XFqawtr0dMPN07QkKW-F8uBIuht-5dUZYibJCQ=w800-h700-no" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-flight meal, Lydden Hill, July 2015.</td></tr>
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And as if that wasn't enough a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/19562856071" target="_blank">Buzzard</a> also showed up, giving me hope that I'd get a photo or two of both birds locked in combat, but a pair of angry crows intervened to escort the buzzard "off the premises". Later, with the bigger birds-of-prey out of the way, two Kestrels came to hunt in the same area. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I did remember to photograph some bikes while I was there.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markkilner/19307262640" title="Lydden Track Day by Mark Kilner, on Flickr"><img alt="Lydden Track Day" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/405/19307262640_c963e0e753.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
Mark Kilnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03675877524814420424noreply@blogger.com0