High Sierra Topix

If you're close to the Sierra or other places where you can do such photography, hauling a tracker setup up into the dark sky places for a day or two wouldn't be so bad. I don't think I'd be able to build anything accurate enough to be satisfied (I have seen many DIY instructions, just have no clue how to align these things with anything), so I'd just go rent a setup with spotting scope to find the proper alignment - like this one that retails for over $1000 I think:

http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/support ... ing-system

and while at it, I'd probably include a Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 (the 24mm/f1.4 of choice for night sky work) and a D810a, the new "astronomy" modified body from Nikon. that rental place is dangerous - you get cool gear for a few days, then you want to use it more, or even buy it...

For the wooden barn door tracker, I taped a 1/2" dia tube (actually, it's a report binding comb) to the top of the hinge or the bottom depending. I have a little program that shows exactly where DNC (the celestial center) is with respect to Polaris then I can put Polaris right on the perimeter of the binding comb (If DNC is at 12:00 with respect to Polaris, then Polaris just touches the bottom of the tube perimeter). I have a clock drawn out on the board and a Popsicle stick as a pointer mounted on the bolt with a string on the end to hold when I move it. I use a metronome app on my phone set at 60 beats/minute so I can hear the seconds and track with the clock. I can get about 20 minutes worth of rotation out of the bolt.

For backpacking, I'd build one out of about a 12" strap hinge. I'd probably cut a small circle out of a milk jug for a clock and velcro it to the hinge. Haven't thought to far into that one. Haven't convinced myself yet that it's worth the effort, but maybe.

I'm seriously looking into a 10 - 22 mm 3.5 - 4.5 zoom. I'll have to get rid of the kids before considering L series lenses or tracking contraptions, but I can pick up that lens for under $400.

Great pictures.

Should be a pretty familiar spot to many.. I'll let you all guess. This was taken in June of 2014. Single exposure. ISO 2000 only. F/3.5 with a fixed 20 mm on a Nikon D7000. For not being full frame this camera still delivers with incredible detail for things like this..

alpinemike wrote:Should be a pretty familiar spot to many.. I'll let you all guess. This was taken in June of 2014. Single exposure. ISO 2000 only. F/3.5 with a fixed 20 mm on a Nikon D7000. For not being full frame this camera still delivers with incredible detail for things like this..

Nice shot alpinemike. The scenery does look familiar, but I can't quite place it. Is this somewhere in/near the Ritter Range? Either way, looks like a great backdrop for a Milky Way photo

edit: lake ediza?

Here are a couple from Thousand Island Lake, taken last June. I am hoping to go up to Sabrina Basin at the end of this month, and I am hoping for clear skies.

Welcome to the forum dbourke and thanks for sharing the photos! I'm liking that one with the clouds

ExploreABitMore wrote:Welcome to the forum dbourke and thanks for sharing the photos! I'm liking that one with the clouds

I like the clouds shot as well. Still enough moonlight to see them, and the Milky Way sort of just looks like another cloud, but acts as that hidden element that creates more interest.

Both are single 20 second exposures at 15mm APSC f4 ISO 2500, and pushed in Lightroom, by the way.

I have been scoping out places near my house in Alpine Meadows to get the Milk Way lower and more horizontal in the sky. I think I will need a moonless night to do this, but it has cloudy cloudy here for the last week or more. I may miss my opportunity for this spring.

dbourke wrote: I have been scoping out places near my house in Alpine Meadows to get the Milk Way lower and more horizontal in the sky. I think I will need a moonless night to do this, but it has cloudy cloudy here for the last week or more. I may miss my opportunity for this spring.

I think you can usually get a decent Milky Way arc in June, but not too long after dark. Pretty sure I took one up by Sailor lake around mid-June last year. I'm hoping to still get one this year too, before it gets too vertical too early in the evening.

Star walk is a great iPhone app for tracking things like this, if you don't have something similar already.

I'll have to check out Star Walk. Sky Guide is a good app for iPhone as well. It even has soothing celestial music