I have managed to upload some images via Astrobin
No processing, straight out of the camera:
Images approx 20 secs, 1600 Iso f3.5 and auto darks, custom white balance on camera tripod.
Taken at Myvatn a remote dark site in the NE
Have also done a couple of time lapse sequences, to be processed when we get back. Coming home today.
(http://astrobin_images.s3.amazonaws.com/7d2a244a-4a63-46ac-99b1-ec9a973ec9e1_resized.jpg)
This one shows the pseudo craters opposite the hotel:
(http://astrobin_images.s3.amazonaws.com/535f5cd9-242b-4241-a9d2-fc26a38b775b_resized.jpg)
This one shows the corner of the hotel.
(http://astrobin_images.s3.amazonaws.com/84ec01ae-9ddb-4687-abdc-0b3148ddcba9_resized.jpg)
Nice one Carole. Glad to see that you got to see the Aurora :D
Fantastic!
A successful trip then!
Mark
Thanks Paul and Mark.
Yes we've had a fantastic time, lots of interesting geological stuff to see as well. Lots of laughs.
Doing a presentation on it at the April meeting.
Carole
Wow! Fantastic. It's great that you finally got to see them.
Thanks Mike. I think we were very lucky as both trips to a dark site out of Reykjavik were unsuccessful and since we've been back in Reykjavik some trips were cancelled due to weather conditions.
The second day in Myvatn was cloudy and the 3rd day had been snowing all day, then suddenly just after the evening meal the skies cleared completely and the constellations were stunningly clear, then the aurora started and lasted several hours (though it became more hazy after the first hour). The staff at the hotel also said we were very lucky as they sometimes only last for a few minutes. Even the first night although hazy went on for several hours.
One thing of note is that the aurora is not so sharply defined as we have come to expect, with the naked eye. I guess we have all been expecting what we see in photos. Nevertheless you can still see all the shapes twisting and twirling.
Carole
Carole,
Well done on the images.
This is 1 of 2 things that I want to see before I die, the other being a tornado, which in a way have crossed off my list, after seeing 4 waterspouts on a fishing trip off Littlehampton years ago.
Still fantastic that you managed to get some images as earlier reports from Iceland, were not looking promising.
Tony G
Thanks Tony, Yes it was one of the things I wanted to see before I die.
Can now cross that off my list, but would love to see it again given the opportunity.
Carole
you were lucky Carole. great pictures!!
Great pictures Carole, I like the ghost in the first image.
:lol: :lol:
Nice images,
Glad you actually managed to get to see them,
Nothing more frustrating then going somewhere to see something and not actually getting to see it.
Mac
Thanks Fay, Robert and Mac.
QuoteNothing more frustrating then going somewhere to see something and not actually getting to see it.
Exactly.
Well we did everything we could to maximise our chances, near solar maximum, new Moon, dark site, it was definitely good that we went to Myvatn as you could just pop out of the hotel any time you wanted to and stay up all night if you liked which some of us did on two nights.
If you go out on a Jeep from Reykjavik, although they did stay out until after 1am, you are then brought back, so if the aurora appears later you miss it. This actually happened to one group in our Reykjavik hotel, very annoying.
Of course having done all that we were still weather dependent, but the weather changes very quickly in Iceland, so it is worth waiting it out.
Carole
QuoteI like the ghost in the first image
Yes I've been trying to fathom that out Robert. It seems like the person was only there for part of the 20 sec sub, but then why don't I get a trail of him/her walking into/out of the image?
Actually on closer inspection there is a faint "trail" of the person getting into position.
We're back by the way, came back last night.
Carole
Very annoying that we missed that X class flare a couple of weeks before we went, and yesterday was reading about another CME giving aurora 2 days after we come home.
Still can't grumble, but would have been nice to have seen a mega display.
Carole
Quote from: Carole on Feb 25, 2012, 08:38:49
It seems like the person was only there for part of the 20 sec sub, but then why don't I get a trail of him/her walking into/out of the image?
Carole,
If you look closely enough, you can just about make out the figure walking into the centre of the image, and then they must have stopped for a few seconds, which has resulted in a more solid image of the person.
Quote from: Carole on Feb 25, 2012, 08:41:52
Very annoying that we missed that X class flare a couple of weeks before we went, and yesterday was reading about another CME giving aurora 2 days after we come home.
Still, if you think about it some parties go all that way and see nothing. So it must have been a great relief to see what you did.
Welcome back!
Tony G
Excellent Carole & definitely one to cross off the 'old' bucket list... Was it really all that green....? John
well the pictures are quite impressive, Carole, you really were lucky to see anything.
Bit upsetting just to miss a good display, but that is how it is with the aurora, it doesn't play ball..................
Yes Tony, I spotted that afterwards and amended the post (see page one last post)
QuoteActually on closer inspection there is a faint "trail" of the person getting into position
QuoteWas it really all that green....?
Not with the naked eye John, it was much paler, when only a small display you could mistake it for clouds.
However when the display got stronger you could see the green and obviously normal clouds don't make all those patterns but it was not as green as in the images. I guess that's imaging all over, more detail than the eye can see, and of course those of us who've never seen it expect it to look just like the images we've seen.
Not sure what a really strong display after a CME would look like though as we missed that, as above.
I am hoping to get some more images sent to me by Ken Pearson's friend Ken Harrison (from Loughton AS) who went with us, as he stayed up all night on the Saturday and witnessed a really big display that happened when we had all gone to bed for an hour or so when it clouded up. Typical!!!!
He managed to drag himself away at one point to get us all up out of bed, but by the time we got there it had died down somewhat.
Carole
I've got a bunch of images that I took one after another, so am hoping to do a couple of time lapses, although not done that before. Mike has offered to help if I can't manage to do it myself as he has some clever software.
Not quite sure how soon I will be able to sort it out as I arrived home to hear my mum is not well and might have to spend some time with her this week. Just waiting to hear from my brother as to what is happening.
Carole
I've just uploaded the images to my desktop and for your info, the one with the Ghost person and the one with the curtains are 23 secs and 26 secs respectively, but the one showing the hotel was only 7 secs as the aurora got quite bright at that point.
I've also done a couple of time lapse animations using windows movie maker, but can't seem to upload VLC files to the forum, so have hosted them temporarily on my website. They are approx 20 secs each with a gap of 20 secs (the wait for noise reduction in between):
Just click on the icons
http://www.caroleastronomy.webspace.virginmedia.com/page87.html
Carole
As stated above all of the images were straight out of the camera with no processing. Unfortunately I have not had a chance to do any adjustments myself yet as when I arrived home I found my mum was ill and I have been looking after her ever since, so just using the laptop for internet.
Simon on UKAI has tweaked the colour balance for me as I agree they needed some adjustment.
It also looks like I have captured the Corona Borealis through the aurora borealis, how cool is that.
Simon's colour balance of my aurora image:
(http://ukastroimaging.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=54945.0;attach=66908;image)
Carole don't know what went wrong but......................
(http://ukastroimaging.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=54945.0;attach=66908;image)
and very nice