Imran bhai, I was really glad when I read your SMS about sighting the
moon. And I'm glad Ahsan bhai framed it.

Wassalam,

Zain

--- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, Imran Rasheed <ikhanr74@...> wrote:
>
> Khair Mubarak. Good Ahsan that you have captured it. I didn't even try
to. I sighted it at about 7.55. I used my 65mm binos and had to use
Venus as a guide and AV to spot it.
>
> Ramazan Mubarak to All.
>
> Imran
>
> --- On Mon, 9/1/08, yaar92 yaar92@... wrote:
> From: yaar92 yaar92@...
> Subject: [amastropak] Re: Khair Mubarak!
> To: amastropak@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, September 1, 2008, 3:50 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>             WA
>
> Lucky you captured the moon. Congrats. Yup, the haze was pretty thick.
>
> And ameen.
>
> Zain
>
> --- In amastropak@yahoogro ups.com, "Ahsan Abidi" sar4u_pk@ wrote:
> >
> >
> > A.o.A,
> >
> > Today, at 01 September, 2008, 1429 Hijri, from Karachi, The Ramadan
moon
> > is sighted & announced officially,  I myself, observed it at approx.
> > 8:05P.M. (WST +DST). It was quite dim, challenging & difficult than
last
> > year's, even when Venus was there to guide. maybe due to
transparency of
> > horizon. I was using 16x50 binoculars & was unable to see it
unaided, my
> > WSW-W horizon was also obstructed 3-4 degrees by buildings.
> >
> > Congratulations to all of you at the starting of the month of
blessings.
> > May Allah shower blessings on all of us & our country.
> >
> > I took some images just before the moment it disappeared behind the
haze
> > at the horizon & the buildings. I will upload more insha Allah. This
is
> > a better one:
> >
> > http://www.flickr. com/photos/ ahsan-abidi/ 2817982088/
> > <http://www.flickr. com/photos/ ahsan-abidi/ 2817982088/>
> >
> > to view large, click 'All Sizes' from the photo's page link.
> >
> > A.o.A,
> > S.A.R.
> >
>

We heard this news on tv. Wish you good luck for the Chand Raat next
time.

Here, one thing i noticed that in noon, the sky was partial cloudy, then
it cleared the horizon at twilight, later an hour or two after sighting
of moon, it got mostly cloudy with scattered clouds.

The clouds waited at the twilight for this special month's Moon to be
sighted, atleast somewhere from our homeland.

Best Wishes,
S.A.R.

--- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, Saqib Sajjad <saqibsajjad@...> wrote:
>
> we in islamabad couldnt get a glimpse of the moon due to clouds in the
west side... :(
>
>

It is wonderful to know about your observations guys. Congratulations to
all as we're blessed with the Holy month once again.

A.o.A,
S.A.R.

--- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, "yaar92" <yaar92@...> wrote:
>
> Imran bhai, I was really glad when I read your SMS about sighting the
moon. And I'm glad Ahsan bhai framed it.
>
> Wassalam,
>
> Zain
>
> --- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, Imran Rasheed ikhanr74@ wrote:
> >
> > Khair Mubarak. Good Ahsan that you have captured it. I didn't even
try to. I sighted it at about 7.55. I used my 65mm binos and had to use
Venus as a guide and AV to spot it.
> >
> > Ramazan Mubarak to All.
> >
> > Imran
> >
> > --- On Mon, 9/1/08, yaar92 yaar92@ wrote:
> > From: yaar92 yaar92@
> > Subject: [amastropak] Re: Khair Mubarak!
> > To: amastropak@yahoogroups.com
> > Date: Monday, September 1, 2008, 3:50 PM
> >
> >             WA
> >
> > Lucky you captured the moon. Congrats. Yup, the haze was pretty
thick.
> >
> > And ameen.
> >
> > Zain
> >

You're welcome. It was just a tiny friendly teaser :) You always can
express your thoughts as well for the group activity.

Your image really helped me learn the constellations specially
Sagittarius, albeit it took some time.

Btw, we must be glad that our group is the one sharing good number of
Astrophotographs as well as observations.

Ahsan.

--- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, Imran Rasheed <ikhanr74@...> wrote:
>
> Thanks a million Ahsan. You did really great work on that pic. I am
sorry for the complain but I really thought that it went with out being
noticed which was a little discouraging for me. But I was wrong. There
was somebody in the corner quite and attentive. Thanks.
>
> Imran
>

aoa



i took many pics during the lunar eclipse of 17-18 august 2008 but also made a
movie of the moon which got lost somehow. finally i found it and now i am
sharing it with you all. comments are welcome...

www.justvb.net/astronomy/moon.wmv



Saqib

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/02sep_lunarperseids.htm?list52013

Also see:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/21may_100explosions.htm?list52013

Good info, Ahsan bhai. Should be useful.

Thanks,

Zain

--- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, Ahsan Abidi <sar4u_pk@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> WS,
>
> Sounds good but looks don't. The site is not listing all products &
almost no Orion T&Bs among WO & SkyWatcher. It is better to ask them for
a PDF catalog of Orion T & B's products as they always offer by email.
The website looks like a copy of an Iranian telescope dealer site.
>
> Kind Regards,
> S.A.R.
>
> To: amastropak@yahoogroups.com
> From: yaar92@...
> Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:45:01 +0000
> Subject: [amastropak] Telescopes from the UAE
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>             Assalam u Alaikum.
>
> The international dealer of Orion T & S in the UAE, Behnam Trading
Co., now has web presence:
>
> www.dubaitelescope.com
>
> Until lately, you had to contact 'em through phone, fax or email.
>
> Happy shoppin'!
>
> Zain
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> News, entertainment and everything you care about at Live.com. Get it
now!
> http://www.live.com/getstarted.aspx
>

aoa



sky was quite clear in the morning today in islamabad. i am still too lazy to
setup my telescope in the morning....but i took some pics with the camera...here
is one..



Saqib

WA.

Very nice.

Wish you more clear skies.

Zain

--- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, Saqib Sajjad <saqibsajjad@...> wrote:
>
> aoa
>
>
>
> sky was quite clear in the morning today in islamabad. i am still too
lazy to setup my telescope in the morning....but i took some pics with
the camera...here is one..
>
>
>
> Saqib
>

I was kidding when I 'awarded the penalty' of scope-depravity to our
Imran bhai in the following post. But he, just as I had expected,
promptly offered me to come and arrest his 60mm scope. That's generous -
Jazak Allah Imran bhai.

A side note: both he and I think that a 60mm is not really suitable even
for a first scope. So we won't recommend it to those of us who are
contemplating their first instrument, because even though it is better
than no scope at all, chances are the buyer will get tired of it pretty
soon.

Another side note: Orion was giving its altaz 60mm [regular price: $100]
for $75 a few days ago as the 'Deal of the Day'.

Wassalam

Zain

--- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, "yaar92" <yaar92@...> wrote:
>
> Wa'alaikum Assalam.
>
> Imran bhai, aapnai mazaa kharab kardiya . . . What's there to thank
> someone for that he himself enjoyed?! Now, as penalty for this
> misconduct  [;)] , you'll have to submit your scope to me for a week.
He
> he he. Nice photos.
>
> Have fun.
>
> Zain
>
> --- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, "ikhanr74" ikhanr74@ wrote:
> >
> > Assalam-O-Alaykum,
> > . . .
> > Zain, thank you so much for your time and effort on the other night.
> > Jazakkalah.
> > . . .
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Imran
> >
>

i have a grab-n-go scope. it is 3 inch reflector. but ever since i got my 20x80
binoculars...i dont need it anymore. my 'main' scope is stored well inside my
house...nearly 20kg base, 10kg ota, eyepieces, eyepiece kit, laser collimator,
binoculars, tripod, digital camera, camera adopter, seem too much to handle in
the morning at 5am and someone to open the doors and clear the way too...but
rest assure...one of these days i will get it out to see m42...and maybe take
some pics.

my viewing works kind of different than others...on one day i take pics with my
camera of a constellation and then compare it with star charts on my computer
(because i have a real real bad memory). then the next day i take my binoculars
and confirm the position of stars. after that i use my telescope to find the
object i am looking for. it will be like this until i get my pda, which i hope
to get soon....


Saqib

--- On Sat, 9/6/08, yaar92 <yaar92@...> wrote:

From: yaar92 <yaar92@...>
Subject: [amastropak] Grab-n-Go Scope
To: amastropak@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2008, 6:23 AM

WA.

Saqib bhai, a lot of astronomers have a grab-and-go telescope besides their
regular scope, ready to use at the spur of the moment. I'm not sure if I'd need
one whenever Insha Allah I have a scope, but you seem to prove them correct!
What do our other guys with scopes say?

Ok ok . . . most of us [this ain't a complaint] don't have any scopes at the
moment . . . so there seems little point in talking of 'secondary' scopes. But
here it's just for some gossip. Sure, if & when one of us will have a
side-scope, it would perhaps quickly become the regular scope of another!

Cheers.

Zain

>>>

On Sat Sep 6, 2008 12:19 am, Saqib Sajjad <saqibsajjad@ ...> wrote:

aoa

sky was quite clear in the morning today in islamabad. i am still too lazy to
setup my telescope in the morning . . .

Saqib

<<<

i use to think the same way for my 3 inch reflector but as the time passed i
found that heavens have many things to offer even for a 3 inch reflector...

http://rapidshare.com/files/36225264/Real.Astronomy.with.Small.Telescopes.rar


--- On Sat, 9/6/08, yaar92 <yaar92@...> wrote:
From: yaar92 <yaar92@...>
Subject: [amastropak] Re: Imran Bhai's Scope
To: amastropak@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2008, 6:47 AM

A side note: both he and I think that a 60mm is not really suitable even
for a first scope. So we won't recommend it to those of us who are
contemplating their first instrument, because even though it is better
than no scope at all, chances are the buyer will get tired of it pretty
soon.

A.o.A,

Imo, We know most of us would say aperture & magnification rules, but
choosing between a bulky setup & a portable setup, i'll prefer the later
one. A portable ED(Extra-Low dispersion OR semi-Apo) refractor (~13kg)
can be a good choice as you will feel uneasy & rethink many times to
plan a short to mid-term session with a ~25+kg telescope. I think for
beginners, Field Of View with erect image & portability rules.

Reasons to choose a Grab&Go (refractor here):
Sharp planetary views & still capable to pull in great# of DSOs
No inverted views (bothers too much during star hopping & reading
charts)
Wide-Field exploration of sky
Easy & quick to move around & carry with complete setup
No frequent collimation & maintenance required
Negligible aberrations (very less CA & no coma)
Very high contrast (no obstruction b/w light path)
Great for wide-field Astrophotography & Terrestrial Photographs
Simple optical system & Classic design
Lightweight
Baffling reduces internal reflections, specially under polluted skies
Good for terrestrial observations/Bird watching (cab act as a Spotting
scope)

Sacrifices:
Light Gathering (Aperture)
Magnification (doesn't matter for some people)
Resolution (Detail)
Bucks

But for the first telescope i think middle sized scopes are suitable
like a 4inch EQ achromat or a 6inch EQ reflector (dob or newt).

The most common 60mm telescopes aren't good for overall performance.
With longer f-ratio's, they are not even good as a binocular for
observing various DSOs. Most of them comes with shaky mounts&tripods.
But they can provide sharp views of Moon, Jupiter & Saturn at
magnifications under 60x.

BTW depends on the requirements & personal liking. And unfortunately, In
Pakistan, people must get an all-purpose telescope, which should last
long as most of them cannot spend for another, or because of
unavailability.

Kind Regards,
S.A.R.

--- In amastropak@yahoogroups.com, "yaar92" <yaar92@...> wrote:

>....seem to prove them correct! What do our other guys with >scopes
say?
>
>Ok ok . . . most of us [this ain't a complaint] don't have any scopes
at >the moment . . . so there seems little point in talking of
'secondary' >scopes. But here it's just for some gossip. ..

i only changed the contrast settings through irfan view (image viewer).
it has been ages since i worked on photoshop...but it seems i need to start
working on it again....

--- On Sun, 9/7/08, Ahsan Abidi <sar4u_pk@...> wrote:
From: Ahsan Abidi <sar4u_pk@...>
Subject: [amastropak] Re: orion...
To: amastropak@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, September 7, 2008, 8:13 PM


A good try, but the tone range seems to be too much concentrated (the black &
white values in the image) which gives it an artificial look, the hue &
saturation is affected as well. The histogram seems to be clipped if you look at
it, it seems plain. I suggest you to preserve the tones & highlights (may
produce noise but a pleasing image).

This source may help you with this:
http://www.cambridg eincolour. com/tutorials/ levels.htm 
(a good way to learn PS histogram)

or if you use curves,
http://www.cambridg eincolour. com/tutorials/ photoshop- curves.htm 

though it is basically for Photoshop, this may help you understand to process
the tonal range in other applications as well.

S.A.R.

--- In amastropak@yahoogro ups.com, Saqib Sajjad <saqibsajjad@ ...> wrote:
>
> 30 seconds exposure time (thus the trails) and ISO-400 on a tripod....
>