Bored? Start a hobby!

[Old55]

4 minutes ago, stevewool said:

I am into photography and star gazing too, and i am quite happy sitting there for a hour or so trying to get that best picture, cant wait to retire so i  can spend more time enjoying something both me and the wife enjoys.

Yes! I am also looking forward to retiring and enjoying something both me and my wife enjoys. 💋💥🎯

[stevewool]

Can i just ask  the last few times i have been in the Philippines i was not as keen as i am know in taking  a better picture it was more of holiday snaps.

I notice that there was not as many stars in the night sky or could it be a case i was not looking properly, i am told  that Australia  is the best place to see the night sky and all its glory.

I did manage to get a few good  night pictures when we was at the lake district here in England,

[Clermont]

27 minutes ago, stevewool said:

i am told  that Australia  is the best place to see the night sky and all its glory.

Yes Steve, Australia has one of the best star displays on earth, but it is also one of the sparsely populated countries too. You need to get outside the lights of the cities and on a cold winter's night, before the stars stand out in all there glory. The Southern half of Australia is where you get the best pictures, below Brisbane to Tasmania on the Eastern seaboard. I once read that it had something to do with the ice crystals in the upper atmosphere that magnified the stars. Out in the central part of Australia away from towns you get good stargazing too, mainly because of flat desert country and the temperatures can get down to below freezing. Australia has a lot of observatories spread across the continent and many photos of different locations are on line. 

In my youth, my boss used to call me a star gazer, never understood why, my eyes were always on the ground looking out for snakes.

[allancomeau]

 

Also

Reading - ebooks and BookSale keep me happy

Gardening  / vegetable plot 

 

For those who enjoy photography where do you post your work online? Flickr seems a good choice.

 

[Gary D]

13 hours ago, stevewool said:

Can i just ask  the last few times i have been in the Philippines i was not as keen as i am know in taking  a better picture it was more of holiday snaps.

I notice that there was not as many stars in the night sky or could it be a case i was not looking properly, i am told  that Australia  is the best place to see the night sky and all its glory.

I did manage to get a few good  night pictures when we was at the lake district here in England,

I wonder if as you get closer to the equator and ambient temperature rise there's more thermal movement in the atmosphere. Hense colder nights give better veiwing

[Jollygoodfellow]

3 hours ago, Gary D said:

I wonder if as you get closer to the equator and ambient temperature rise there's more thermal movement in the atmosphere. Hense colder nights give better veiwing

Could be but city lights or any where there are lights I think are the main cause. 

[GeoffH]

I am only a visual amateur astronomy hobbyist but I do remember reading that atmospheric transparency is adversely effected by increased humidity.  Less light reaches the observer.

 

Warm air (tropical) where it meets cold upper atmosphere is more turbulent which reduces the stability and hence definition of the image.

 

And of course light pollution is a large issue in densely populated countries and in particular near large cities.

 

Amateur astronomers doing photography can stack multiple images to reduce these effects but us visual astronomers have no other option but to wait for good ‘seeing’.

 

Oh and I recently bought a proper planetary camera to use with my scope, but I’m still trying to figure out exactly how to use it... oh yes... my hobby... err amateur astronomy ;-)

Edited January 12, 2018 by GeoffH

[Mr-T]

I can see without a hobby life can be boring here. My hobby is cycling and i ride my road bike at least four times per week. I ride for fitness so most of my rides are from 50KM up to 100KM. 

[stevewool]

12 hours ago, allancomeau said:

 

Also

Reading - ebooks and BookSale keep me happy

Gardening  / vegetable plot 

 

For those who enjoy photography where do you post your work online? Flickr seems a good choice.

 

On here , Facebook only ,it's something I enjoy doing its for my pleasure and I do know it can bore lots of folk if you show to much.

I have been told of some sites where you can sell your pictures, but am j that good, I don't think so.

[stevewool]

3 hours ago, Gary D said:

I wonder if as you get closer to the equator and ambient temperature rise there's more thermal movement in the atmosphere. Hense colder nights give better veiwing

Dark skies is best and I find the older it is the better, I have some good pictures of the night sky from my back garden but that could have been down to luck .