Beginner's Astrophotgraphy

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These photos were taken at the San Pedro Martir National Observatory (Baja California, Mexico) around April 9th 2004 with a Pentax Honeywell, 55mm Super-Takumar lens and Kodak Ultra ISO400 film. I didn't bring a tripod along so I had to use rocks to stabilize the camera on the floor (^_^). The results are not so bad.



Exposure Time: 2 minutes
This is a star field near Polaris (which isn't visible). The camera moved during the shot; hence the blurred stars. Small star trails are visible in some parts (use the pattern to guess where Polaris is). Also notice part of Ursa Major near the upper edge.



Exposure Time: 5 minutes
Rising Moon! This 5 minutes exposure features a red Moon behind some farway mountains. The stability was much better this time, which can be appreciated in the long, thin star trails in the top of the picture. It was very dark (I didn't notice the sign on the left until I developped the film). I liked this one very much.
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