My first non-Oscar winning attempt at capturing a full motion clip of the moon rising from the treetops a mile and a half across the valley from me.
Watching the moon rise up through the trees over a forested ridge is one of my absolute top favorite observing events, especially if there are lateral wisps of cirrus slicing across the ascent.
Here's a link to the clip:
http://www.pswalsh.com/moonvie2.mpg (.5 megabyte - best to
Right-Click-Download first and then view it.)
This first attempt is way flawed but it begins to indicate the grandeur a little bit.
I hope to improve on my technique - this was essentially a first draft at getting the basic equipment to function and what settings are useful - also to get a feel for how well my copy of The Sky could show me where to aim to catch the first rays poking through the limbs. It got me very close to dead on.
If anyone else has attempted this, I'd love to see your results.
Image Specs:
Scope: Sky 90 with reducer/corrector on a Bogen tripod.
Processing: First edited in Pinnacle Studio 9 and then time-compressed using Roxie Videowave 5.
Camera: Phillips 740k webcam w/scopetronix adapter at prime focus, using the included software set to Auto. This was shot through a thermapane window (hey, it's FREEZING out there :-) and, yes, moving outside would be my first priority on a serious endeavor. I would also set up down on the valley floor so when the moon crests the ridge, it would be a little further up out of the soup (I shot this straight across from the opposite ridge where we live.
-Paul S. Walsh
Watching the moon rise up through the trees over a forested ridge is one of my absolute top favorite observing events, especially if there are lateral wisps of cirrus slicing across the ascent.
Here's a link to the clip:
http://www.pswalsh.com/moonvie2.mpg (.5 megabyte - best to
Right-Click-Download first and then view it.)
This first attempt is way flawed but it begins to indicate the grandeur a little bit.
I hope to improve on my technique - this was essentially a first draft at getting the basic equipment to function and what settings are useful - also to get a feel for how well my copy of The Sky could show me where to aim to catch the first rays poking through the limbs. It got me very close to dead on.
If anyone else has attempted this, I'd love to see your results.
Image Specs:
Scope: Sky 90 with reducer/corrector on a Bogen tripod.
Processing: First edited in Pinnacle Studio 9 and then time-compressed using Roxie Videowave 5.
Camera: Phillips 740k webcam w/scopetronix adapter at prime focus, using the included software set to Auto. This was shot through a thermapane window (hey, it's FREEZING out there :-) and, yes, moving outside would be my first priority on a serious endeavor. I would also set up down on the valley floor so when the moon crests the ridge, it would be a little further up out of the soup (I shot this straight across from the opposite ridge where we live.
-Paul S. Walsh
