Pickett State Park Dark Sky Celebration Weekend (8/30/2019)

 AP900GTO, Astronomical, Canon 6D, Cluster, Dark Nebula, Emission Nebula, FSQ-106ED, Nebula, Open Cluster, Star Parties, SX-46, Widefield  Comments Off on Pickett State Park Dark Sky Celebration Weekend (8/30/2019)
Sep 302019
 

We had some great weather for the annual star party at Pickett State Park, TN last new moon. This star party is still young and looking to grow. The park rangers are doing a great job, it’s a great venue for presentations and a great field for observing / photography. I’m not sure why it still remains a hidden gem of sorts.

Overall sky quality, other than some early clouds, was excellent. With SQM measurements around 21.77 mag/arcsec^2 this was the darkest I’ve seen Pickett. I would note too that of the other dark sky sites I routinely visit, this quality of night is nothing to complain about.

Presentation Space
Setup on the field
Dusk; waiting for the thin stuff to clear
Last few clouds clearing with the MW shinning through!
The rig is facing N,NE towards the Constellation Cepheus imaging Sharpless Object SH2-154
SH2-154: AP900GTO, FSQ-106ED with SX-46 CCD. Image scale of 2.33 arcsec/pixel. Exposure time ~13.5 hours. Also plainly visible on the right edge of the frame is SH2-155 The Cave Nebula. Sometimes the faint objects like 154 don’t get a lot of love because they’re not much to look at. At least it’s got a nice tight open cluster NGC 7419 nearby to draw some attention.
Annotated

Pickett State Park Dark Sky Celebration Weekend 2018 (Sept 7-9)

 Astronomical, Canon 24-70 f/2.8L, Canon 6D, Star Parties, Widefield  1 Response »
Sep 092018
 

Unfortunately we were mostly clouded out for the star party.  From the sounds of it some of the other big star parties going on concurrently were also clouded out.  It just wasn’t a good weather weekend for a large portion of the eastern US.  Regardless of the clouds, the rangers at Pickett put together some good food and speakers for the event to keep it entertaining.  I stayed for only one night and snapped a few pics of the hazy skies with the Milky Way trying to peak through.

 

 

Cherry Springs Star Party 2018

 AP900GTO, Astronomical, Canon 6D, Canon 70-200 f/2.8, Dark Nebula, Emission Nebula, FSQ-106ED, Nebula, Reflection Nebula, Star Parties, SX-46, Uncategorized, Widefield  1 Response »
Jul 012018
 

I made the 13 hour trip up to Cherry Springs State Park for the Annual CSSP Star Party hosted by the Astronomical Society of Harrisburg PA, Inc. I went up a few days before the star party since it’s always helpful to get a good spot.  Those of us that were there early on Monday night were treated to a fabulous night with SQM measurements >21.9!  Overall it was an amazing streak of clear weather for PA with a total of 4 imaging nights.  I was hoping for one or two so as not to set my expectations too high so I was very pleased with four nights!

I even did a little visual at low power with a 4″ refractor.  LDN 1795 (large 50’x50’dark nebula in Scorpius) looked absolutely amazing to me at 19X.  First time I had a WOW moment visually.

Waiting for Darkness

Just Some Slightly Concerning Weather Passing Through
Everything is buttoned up and locked down. Luckily it skirted us to the North.

Rho Region
Canon 6D @ ISO 3200
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 5.6

B312 on the Edge of Sagittarius and Scutum
Canon 6D @ ISO 3200
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 @f/4
8x240sec Exposure

M8 & M20 Nestled Among the Stars
Canon 6D @ ISO 3200
Canon 70-200 f/2.8 @ f/4
10x240sec total exposure

CSSP 2018 Milky Way
Canon 6D @ ISO 3200
Canon 17-40mm f/4 @ f/6.7 and 37mm
1 x 240 seconds

The North American Nebula And The Pelican
Canon 6D @ ISO 3200
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 @ f/4.5
10x240sec exposure

The Cave Nebula
Tak FSQ-106ED
SX-46 w/ Maxi Wheel and Lodestar OAG
AP900GTO Mount
6.5 Hours Exposure Time over two nights

The Cocoon Nebula
FSQ-106ED
SX-46 w/ Maxi Wheel and Lodestar OAG
AP900GTO
3 hours total Exposure

Cherry Springs Star Party 2017 – Gallery

 Astronomical, Canon 6D, Star Parties, Widefield  No Responses »
Feb 042018
 

A couple images from last years 2017 CSSP that I finally got around to looking at.  It wasn’t a very productive astrophotography trip but enjoyable none the less.

 

If you’re going to come to a star party like this please follow the rules and don’t be a rude jackass like the following guy.  We all understand and tolerate some light issues, car alarms, and emergencies but when you light the place up over and over without any regard for your neighbors I would suggest staying home and not ruining everyone else’s vacation!

BFSP 2016 – Cherry Springs State Park Sept 1 – Sept 5

 Apogee A694, Astronomical, Canon 6D, Dark Nebula, Emission Nebula, Nebula, Orion Atlas EQ-G, Reflection Nebula, Star Parties, StarSync Tracker, SVQ100, Widefield  No Responses »
Nov 292016
 

Just getting around to publishing some pictures from the 2016 Black Forest Star Party at Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania.  What a great stretch of weather for PA!  The nights weren’t the darkest or most transparent (SQM 21.4-21.5) nights I’ve had at CSSP but clear and a little murky was way better than the alternative after driving up from Knoxville TN.  Had a great time with some old friends and good to see some old club members too.

Had a few imaging problems related to dithering and settle time / settle criteria that made me lose a fair number of shots but I got two images which, I have to be honest, I’m not real pleased with.  They are however, more challenging objects, but would have come out better had the sky conditions been closer to the SQM 21.8 that I’ve seen before at CSSP.  But, we take whatever quality of clear sky we can get during a pre-planned star party!

ngc-7129

Reflection Nebula NGC 7129 Stellarvue SVQ100, Apogee A694 CCD, Atlas EQ-G Mount, Baader LRGB Filters Lum 9x10min: 1.5 hours RGB each 8x10min: 4 hours Total Time 5.5 hours

sh2-115v7

SH2-115 Atlas Eq-G Mount, Stellarvue SVQ100, Apogee Ascent A694 CCD, Baader narrowband filters Ha: 8x20min, O[III]: 10x20min, S[II]: 13x20min Total Exposure: 10.3 hours

Tennessee Spring Star Party 2016 – Fall Creek Falls

 AP900GTO, Apogee A694, Astronomical, Canon 6D, Galaxy, Star Parties, SVQ100, Widefield  No Responses »
May 152016
 

M63 - Close Up

Galaxy M63 – Close Up

M63 - AP900GTO, Stellarvue SVQ-100, Apogee Ascent A694, Baader LRGB Filters, 4.5 Hour Total Exposure TIme.

M63 – AP900GTO, Stellarvue SVQ-100, Apogee Ascent A694, Baader LRGB Filters, 4.5 Hour Total Exposure Time.

 

 

M63 - Annotated

M63 – Annotated

Messier 63 (also known as M63, NGC 5055, or the Sunflower Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici consisting of a central disc surrounded by many short spiral arm segments. M63 is part of the M51 Group, a group of galaxies that also includes M51 (the ‘Whirlpool Galaxy’). M63 is an active galaxy with a LINER nucleus.[3]

M63 was discovered by Pierre Méchain on June 14, 1779.[4] The galaxy was then listed by Charles Messier as object 63 in the Messier Catalogue.

In the mid-19th century, Lord Rosse identified spiral structures within the galaxy, making this one of the first galaxies in which such structure was identified.[4]

In 1971, a supernova with a magnitude of 11.8 appeared in one of the arms of M63.

Information courtesy of Wikipedia.

 

Tennessee Spring Star Party at Dusk

Tennessee Spring Star Party at Dusk

Sat Night had some thin clouds moving through

Sat Night had some thin clouds moving through

 

Friday night was fantastic without a cloud to be seen.  Saturday night was less pristine with a lot of thin cloud moving through.  I thought we had some clearing later but a lot of the images from Sat night showed very inconsistent background values which leads me to believe we had thin stuff moving through all night.  Still, how many clear nights can you ask for?  It was a great TSSP and looking forward to the Fall Star Party.

SQM measurements topped out around 21.3 on Friday night and 21.4 on Saturday night.

Pickett Astronomy Weekend April 1 – April 3, 2016

 Apogee A694, Astronomical, Canon 24-70 f/2.8L, Canon 6D, Dark Nebula, Emission Nebula, Galaxy, Nebula, Star Parties, SVQ100, Widefield  1 Response »
Apr 042016
 

Field_setup

The first arrivals setting up on the astronomy field

On April 1st through April 3rd Pickett State Park, a newly designated IDA Dark Sky Site, held its first Astronomy Weekend Star Party. We were clouded out Friday night but clouds on Saturday finally yielded to clear skies albeit with some very gusty winds until the wee hours of the morning.

Waiting for Clouds to Clear

Waiting for Clouds to Clear while Orion sets

MW_Rising

Early morning Milky Way rising over the astronomy field

Star Trails over the astronomy field

Star Trails over the astronomy field

Polar Region Star Trails

Polar Region Star Trails

Leo_Triplet2

The Leo Triplet – M65, M66, & NGC 3628
Stellarvue SVQ 100, Apogee Ascent A694, AP900GTO Mount, Exposure 4 hours, SQM 21.48

Rho

Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex stretching down to the Lagoon Nebula Canon 6D with 40mm f/4 ISO 1600 4min single exposure

 

 

 

Pickett State Park and Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area – Silver-tier International Dark Sky Park

 Astronomical, Canon 6D, Star Parties  1 Response »
Sep 132015
 

Earlier this year (2015) Pickett / Pogue State Park was named a Silver Tier IDA dark site.  I haven’t made it up for a night of astrophotography yet but have been wanting to visit the area and scope it out before lugging all the equipment up there for the first time.  On Sunday my wife, the dogs, and I made a visit up to hike the short trail to the Pogue Canyon Overlook.  The trail head is connected to the parking lot that adjoins the astronomy field at the Pogue SNA.  First off, finding the place wasn’t difficult BUT google maps does not have current satellite imagery from there so I couldn’t pinpoint it easily.  The address given didn’t seem to match up with anything in the imagery.  So, to make it a little easier, here is an image of the location:

Pogue Google

Pogue Creek Canyon – State Natural Area ; 36°31’19.35″N, 84°49’5.31″W

I’ve been interested in Pickett / Pogue for a while since it appears to be one of the darkest places in Tennessee and is located only 1:40 from my home.  Here are a few light pollution maps showing where it is in relationship to sources of light pollution:

Pickett Pogue East TN Light Pollution

Pickett / Pogue East TN Light Pollution with some notable astronomy observing locations highlighted.

 

Pickett Pogue Light Pollution02

Pickett – Pogue local light pollution from Jamestown & Oneida

 

Pickett Pogue Light Pollution01

Pickett – Pogue Light Pollution – Globe at Night

 

I also wanted to share a few photos from the site to show you all what to expect when you arrive at the site:

Pogue_parkinglot

Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area Parking Lot

PogueSE

Astronomy Field South – Facing Pickett Park Hwy (154)

 

PogueSW

Astronomy Field West

 

PogueNW

Astronomy Field North

 

IMG_1188

Pickett’s Dark Sky Project

A little bit of side information that might be of interest as it contains SQM measurements, photos, and upcoming event information:

Pickett – Pogue Dark Sky Press Release

Pickett – Pogue Internation Dark Sky Assoc. Application

Picket – Pogue Lighting Plan – Dark Sky Friendly Lighting

Don’t forget, the Fall Star Gaze is happening 9/19/2015 at this location!  I’d love to see you there but I’m tied up and can’t make it.  Hope to make it out under the stars there another time.

2015 Tennessee Fall Star Gaze @ Fall Creek Falls (9/4/2015 – 9/5/2015)

 AP130EDT, AP900GTO, Apogee A694, Astronomical, Canon 6D, Dark Nebula, Emission Nebula, Nebula, Star Parties, Widefield  No Responses »
Sep 072015
 

This was my first visit to Fall Creek Falls for the 2015 Tennessee Fall Star Gaze.  It’s a casual get together held at a clearing within walking distance from the Inn.  The site is reasonably dark measuring 21.42+ on Friday and 21.31 on Saturday after some thundershowers upped the humidity level.  Both nights were good so long as you were prepared for dew.

I spent both nights gathering data on SH2-155; the Cave Nebula.  It’s a fairly dark object and I’d like more than the 4.5 hours of exposure time I got on it but a couple technical issues coupled with the early moon rise limited my time….

SH2-155 AP130EDT f/8 reduced to f/6 AP900GTO3 Mount Apogee Ascent A694 CCD 9x10min Lum 7x10min Red 6x10min Green 5x10min Blue

SH2-155
AP130EDT f/8 reduced to f/6
AP900GTO3 Mount
Apogee Ascent A694 CCD
9x10min Lum
7x10min Red
6x10min Green
5x10min Blue

 

SH2-155 Annotated

SH2-155 Annotated

S 155, also known as the Cave Nebula, Sh2-155 or Caldwell 9, is a dim and very diffuse bright nebula within a larger nebula complex containing emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity. It is located in the constellation Cepheus.

Visually it is a difficult object, but with adequate exposure, makes a striking image. The nebula gets its name Cave Nebula from the dark lane at the eastern side abutting the brightest curve of emission nebulosity which gives the appearance of a deep cave when seen through a telescope visually.

Information Courtesy of Wikipedia

 

Fall Creek Falls Milkyway Pano Canon 6D, 17-40mm @ 17mm f/4, 20sec

Fall Creek Falls Milky Way Pano
Canon 6D, 17-40mm @ 17mm f/4, 20sec

This was my first time to Fall Creek Falls and I was not sure what to expect in terms of amenities.  For those of you considering going:  Restrooms are a 1000+ ft walk from the site.  There are no restrooms at the field, nor is there any power, water, etc.  The only things available at the site are trashcans.  The Inn, as I mentioned before, offers restrooms, along with buffet meals, vending machines, and accommodations on the lake.

 

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