Steve Paxton's photos

The northern Hemisphere has it easy one star " Polaris". In the Southern Hemisphere it is 4 faint stars. this is a crop and edit darker of the shot from Fiiday night next door 88 sec on the tracker to make the shot look like a night sky that our eyes see. remember the camera see more stars than we can by eye and the case out in the black of night. Top lines start from Becrux from Southern Cross To globular cluster 47 Tuc Middle line is the star Birdun just on the other side of milky way to the front of the SMC Bottom line Top pointer star Hadar to the front of the SMC From left to right X OctanIs, Polaris Australis, CG Octanis and T Octanis. the southern pole is left and to the top more of the Octan Pattern this will give you an idea how hard it is to see. How I find south for star trails Equilateral triangle on the LMC and the SMC. I only was able to get this after down loading Sky Safari to my IPad this was not the first try this is the 5 th the last 4 not saved but start again. as I slowly moved across the sky to find the star patterns that matched sky Safari in the photo. This is why I believe the Green Laser Pointer will be the real answer to finding the stars. May be this will help some one else in the southern hemisphere make sense of this.. PiP one shows the 14mm shot of the sky this came from, now find the stars your eye cant see. PIP 2 the only real way to see the southern polar point.

I picked up the tripod with the tacker on it and walked closer to the trees from the middle of the granite rock. Not totally lined up south but very close. You will note that Carina Nebula and the Magellanic clouds are much brighter.

After we did my third session with the tracker I put the Camera on the tripod and shot some of the very bright Milky way. One lonely Grass tree out in this part of the bush very good as there was no breeze to spoil the fine leaves.

The site right next to the main road Cars and trucks going past for the deep sky shots I use gaffer tape to cover the view finder from there lights. while I had the shot with no truck I thought why not included a little reality to the shot even our car gets a staring role.. The PIPs have been added so the view of the sky and the shot mean some thing more.

This will have to be revisited as it looks very interesting once I can find the right star to track with. I must have been very close at 60 sec not much trailing as the others. the night was ruined by the remote that had a mind of its own I believe a broken wire. PIP an up to date look at this cloud.

Three shots stacked together that miss fired as I did not know I had moved the camera from Bulb to 30". The night did not go well could not line up the tracker nearly gave up and came home after 3/4 hour just trying to set on the Octans which I just could not see at all. I gave up in disgust but tried the unit out no matter what very happy the way the unit works. I can see this being much better tracked properly and stacking 30 shot First shots. Single shot 30 sec Iso 3200 @200MM. A shot Ko has been asking for ,next time I hope to do it correctly makes a stunning background on a 25" screen. PIP is the white dot on the top.

The night did not go well could not line up the tracker nearly gave up and came home after 3/4 hour just trying to set on the Octanes which I just could not see at all. I gave up in disgust but tried the unit out no matter what very happy the way the unit works. I can see this being much better tracked properly and stacking 30 shot First shots. Single shot 30 sec Iso 6400 @200MM en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carina_Nebula

Sun setting Over the Misty Lake en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endor_(Star_Wars)

What a difference a year makes. the tree is Just short of a meter high is getting almost to heavy to carry on my own.

Bonsai has not let me down. This year its covered in flowers but nothing better than sunlight and flowers. find the one real flower . en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea

It was always one of my wishes to get a tracker. So this year it all starts again Sky Adventurer 5 Kg load so i hope to use my 150-600mm as well as 70- 200mm and my 105mm. skywatcheraustralia.com.au/star-adventurer this is a whole lot more learning to come. www.flickr.com/photos/photokemi/32568197608/in/faves-33814724@N03

After days of clear blue skies and not a cloud in sight , we get this. Today nothing but Blue go figure...

when you dont look to the southern pole Due east. ISO 1600 86 shots.

Compare the two bows they are quite a difference. This is a 14 shot 2 Row Bow as it was so high in the sky.

I like this view less than a year old looking very good a lot of finger tip pruning.

Just another on the side of the road compare my 6' father to the tree.

huge nest but lots in the area not long ago as you can see a fire. this was taller than my 6'3" www.withoutahitch.com.au/travel/understanding-termite-mounds This part of the wide open Australia that is HAPPY FENCE FREE not one in sight.