West Texas March 2009 Astronomy Pictures
Images and text Copyright © 2009, Dick Locke.  All Rights Reserved.  Contact and Image Use Information

Here are the trip results:

Antares and Rho Ophiuchi Area - Working Version	The Scorpion's Tail: NGC 6357 plus Cat's Paw Nebula, NGC 6334
Antares Area, Prime Focus Pictures.	NGC 6188 & 6193 Area in Ara: Two Views
Rho Ophiuchi Nebula, IC 4603, IC 4604 (New Version)	M84, M86, and the Markarian Chain of Galaxies
High Resolution & Mouseover: Abell Galaxy Cluster from 2009	M98 and M99
Updated: IC 417 (and NGC 1931) Pictures (The Spider and the Fly)	Zodiacal Light on Fixed Tripod Page
Earthshine & Moon from 3/28/2009	Thin Crescent Moon (7% illuminated), 3/28/2009
Galaxies M95, M96, and M105	A Bad Picture of the Moon? No, it's a shot of Venus in broad daylight.  Like the moon, Venus has phases and was 1.14% illumined when shot at 5:30 p.m. on 3/24/2009, about 3 hours before local sunset.
October 2008 Astronomy Images, including interesting moon shots.	New West Texas 2009 Scenic Pictures
Cactus Flowers	All West Texas Scenic Photography

Comet Lulin was Fading 3/26/2009

"Fully Laden" Davis Mountains Setup - Triad Bar, 2009

I am able to run two astronomy cameras at the same time physically, though the mental aspects are a challenge.  The picture above shows how I do this with my "triad bar" configuration.  The guide scope, an ST80 attached via a Losmandy plate and rings, with a SBIG STV autoguiding camera, is on the left. The Takahashi TOA 130 Telescope is the main imaging scope in the middle, with the QHY8 CCD camera and Tak focal reducer attached.  The Canon EOS 20Da Digital SLR is attached on the right using a Losmandy plate and DCM 2 camera adapter.  During this trip I used an Olympus Zuiko 135mm MC f2.8 lens on the Canon DSLR via use of an small lens adapter ring.  Note the camera is out to the extreme right, which allows better balance as well as more clearance from the main scope (so as not to get the scope in the picture.  Also note the white gaffers tape, which I use liberally to secure wires so they don't end up ruining exposures by tugging on the equipment, or coming loose in the case of the 3 wires to the QHY8 CCD camera.  All this is hooked up to and sitting on the Astro-Physics AP 900GTO mount.

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