Astrophotography Japan / Izu-Atagawa (Episode 32)
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- To enjoy hot spring waters during the chilly winter month of March, I traveled to Izu-Atagawa and stayed at a Japanese Onsen Resort Hotel. Late the evening I could image the Great Orion, Spaghetti and Thor`s Helmet nebulae under Bortle Class 4 skies; all before midnight. A little Japanese sake helped to add some cultural flavor to the imaging session, as well. Views of the beautiful town, hotel, park, hot springs, beach and night skies are featured in the video. Deep sky images were taken with the Askar FMA135mm widefield lens with sidereal tracking provided by the ZWO AM3 mount and ASIAIR mini.
01:42. Objectives of the Trip
02:22. Izu Peninsula Location
03:41. Izu-Atagawa Prince Hotel
04:47. Atagawa Onsen Sakurayama Park (the imaging site)
06:25. Askar FMA135 Optical Tube Assembly
07:04. Nebulae Imaging Plan
07:31. OTA and Imaging Rig Set-up @ the Imaging Site
08:12. Polar Alignment and Focusing
08:35. Imaging the Great Orion Nebula (M42)
12:02. Confirming Excellent Sidereal Tracking
12:34. Imaging the Spaghetti Nebula (Sh2-240)
15:00. Daiginjyo Sake @ the Imaging Site
15:30. Imaging Thor`s Helmet Nebula (NGC 2359)
18:13. Canon EOS R8 Sky & Night Landscape Images
19:00. Nightime Onsen (Hot Spring) Baths
20:47. Morning Onsen (Hot Spring) Baths
22:00. Izu-Atagawa Train Station & Hot Spring Foot Bath
22:21. Walking Tour of Izu-Atagawa town
23:10. The Beach and a Possible Future Imaging Site
24:32. Final Comments
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Cozy video about relaxing and rewarding astronomy related activities - wonderful... 😊
Thanks Arvid, you fully recognized the main theme of this channel! Clear skies!
Hi Paul,
I really enjoyed your video.
Nice deepsky images but also from the beautiful surroundings.
Thank you for taking us on your trips in beautiful Japan.
I've never tried Sake while astro imaging, maybe I will.
You really know how to enjoy live. :)
Clear skies
Paul2
P.S. Nice studio
Hi Paul2 - Life is an adventure; just trying to cease it! And share it with anyone interested! I got just the right buzz from that bottle of sake that night. It put me in the right mood for the onsen, too! The studio to which you refer is the Ad Astra room at my place of part-time employment - Laurus International School of Science (a private - English based - international school in Tokyo). I have decked out that teaching room and bought a bunch of astronomy gear for the school.......I help with curriculum development and astro-related subjects and activities, working mostly with middle schoolers..... It's a fun retirement gig! Cheers!
Lovely video and lovely place to visit! Thank you for another great video.
Maybe you want to join me on the pier overnight in the summer? Think about it! Thanks for always watching, Matthias!
Sounds great!@@jpastroguy
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Japan! And it seems like that place in Atagawa is a hidden gem. I also go to the nearby Amagi Kogen parking lot for stargazing on new moon nights. It's a well-known spot in the area, recommended for capturing the southeastern sky. As for hot springs, I also recommend Akagawa Onsen, which has an open-air bath with a view of the sea. Personally, I find the best time to visit is in the morning until around 3 PM when it's less crowded.
Greetings, and thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan. I appreciate your suggestions, and would love to visit such places. But frankly, I do not own a car and hence mostly travel to sites accessible by public transportation. It's simple and low cost and spontaneous..... Clear skies! PAUL
Nice work.
Fun trip!
Thanks for your detailed tour of Izu-Atagawa Paul-san! My college buddies and I are planning a Japan visit in October, mostly in the Tokyo/Kyoto area. Your images looked great and I also love your studio! Keep up the great work!
Hey Kwasi, thanks so much for the nice comments! It means a lot! If you need any advice, help or suggestions for your planned upcoming trip to Japan, please contact me at my email address (jpastroguy@gmail.com). If you guys want a guide for a day-trip around Hakone, I would be happy to volunteer. It is a great place to view autumn foliage. Clear skies! PAUL
Hi Paul, another great video, fun and interesting. I saw the photo of Orion and it looks really good. Although everyone thinks it is an easy photo because it is one of the most accessible nebulae, I believe it is not: either the details on the edges of the nebula are lost or those in the core are lost. Some manage to get both but the result is often faker than monopoly money, like the HDR landscape photos of many amateurs. I think you have managed to get the balance right and are rapidly achieving better and better results. Unfortunately between moving house and the really bad weather I have been stuck with the DSO for months. However, I started to get busy with the sun, both because half an hour is enough to get something done (the time for the sky to open and close above me) and then because next year the maximum solar activity is expected and therefore I am preparing as always by self-taught🙂 Clear skies
Hi Massimo, good to hear from you! I have noticed your solar images on Telescopius. It is quite interesting, but I have not tried much of it, yet. It seems like this year has been a difficult one for many night sky astrophotographers. Unfortunately, here, the clouds and rain have been extra plentiful, too. I hope you have settled into your new home, comfortably. Best wishes,
PAUL
Sounds fun! If you ever visit Kansai for some traveling astrophotography, let me know. I may join you.
I appreciate the invite, but that is a bit unlikely. However, you are welcome to join me here! Clear skies
Hi Paul. Nice video, I did have a question about your hobby, what is the best place for people to start if they want to make a hobby like you?And do you also have any tips for people who have difficulty walking and cannot stand for long if they want to pursue a hobby like you?
Hello Robin.Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan! My answer would be influenced by your home and accessibility to the sky and what interests you most (viewing or photography)?. If you have some property and easy access to it (and the sky above), then I think the hobby is manageable. But if it will require some lifting and distant transporting of equipment, then it's difficult. Frankly, my astrophotography (AP) hobby is actually a motivating factor for me to hit the fitness club several times per week! I am getting older (now 65) and hence want to keep up my strength for this hobby when I travel or venture to the park. But, starting small is always a good option, and actually advisable. I started with viewing, with a small telescopes (60mm) that led me to AP. Now-a-days, it is even easy to dive right in with SmartTelescopes and such. For instance, the ZWO SEESTAR S50 or DWARF 2 from DwarfLabs are two inexpensive and good options to immediately start in AP. And they are very light and transportable, too! Of course, their capabilities are limited, but amazing none-the-less. We can discuss more by email if you like. Contact me at jpastroguy@gmail.com. PAUL
That polar alignment is solid. Do you polar line the mount or thru the main scope? Can you do a video about it? Thanks.
Yea, I think maybe I lucked out that night. But I took care to level the tripod and I triple checked the PA. I used the ASIAIR with the FMA135 OTA on the North Celestial Pole. I do not do anything special, so I do not think another PA video would be very valuable. But thank you for the suggestion and for watching Astrophotography Japan! Clear skies (in the South Bronx?)!!!
Damn park lights! Ugh...
You got that right! Perhaps this video should have been rated PG for swearing, nudity and alcohol? Hah!
@@jpastroguy I'm totally sympathetic. Artificial lights are a serious bane and can be a nasty surprise when visiting a place for the first time, like the cottages in Hanno. Remember?