Rob’s Astropics

Welcome to Rob's Astropics! 

This site is dedicated to those people who might be overwhelmed by the astonishing astro-images being churned out by amateur astrophotographers around the world, armed with expensive telescopes, computer-controlled mounts, expensive cameras and the latest whizz-bang guiding, capture and processing software.

You don't need a lot of expensive stuff to have fun with astrophotography, and get some reasonable results.  You can start off with a basic point-and-shoot camera!

My gear is pretty basic, and apart from my DSLR, my entire kit is worth just a bit over $AU1000.  So no 'Hubble' shots here I'm afraid, just a few samples of my best efforts that I hope you enjoy!  Navigate through the photo galleries from the menu at left...

 
GALLERIES:

"General interest":

Deep sky

 

Solar

Only for the obsessed:

Comets

Cataclysmic variables

Star spectra

 

Atmospheric phenomena

 

MY EQUIPMENT:

My gear...

 

SOME USEFUL LINKS:

Links

 

GREAT AUSSIE ASTRONOMY FORUM:

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Sun today:
(Latest SOHO SDO/HMI Continuum image)
 
 
Occultation of Jupiter by an orange "Bushfire Moon", 18 February 2013.  Imaged from central Victoria, Australia.

 
 Total Solar Eclipse, November 2012, Clifton Beach, Far North Queensland, Australia
 
 
Transit of Venus across the face of the Sun, 01:32, 06 June 2012 UT.
Canon 400D and MTO 1100/10.5 mirror lens.
 
 
Behemoth sunspot, AR #1476, 12 May 2012.
MTO 10.5/1100 mirror lens on Canon 400D.
 
Comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy), the Great Christmas Comet of 2011.
17:00, 26 December 2011 UT.
 
 Milky Way, 15 October 2011
 
 
Totally-eclipsed Moon over Mt Buffalo and the fog-filled Ovens Valley, North East Victoria, 16 June 2011.
 
Planetary alignment in the dawn light, 6 May 2011.  From top to bottom: Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars (just above break in trees).
Canon 400D, 55mm, 4 sec at ISO 400, F/5.6.
 
The Crux area, imaged from Snake Valley, Vic, Australia on 6 March 2011.
Piggybacked Canon 400D, 4 x 2 min, hand-guided on unmotorised EQ1 mount.
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Total Solar Eclipse, 11 July 2010
Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia
Canon 400D on tripod, taken at sea aboard the Aranui 3:
 
First "Diamond Ring"
 

Eclipse from start to finish, showing partial phases

Solar Corona (processing by Paul Haese)
 
Prominences showing just after second contact
 
 
 Tropical dawn, Crusoe's Retreat, Viti Levu, Fiji, 16 July 2009
 
 
 Moon & Jupiter, White Cliffs, NSW
 
 Large Magellanic Cloud
 
 Eta Carinae Nebula
 
 Comet C/2006 P1 McNaught