What I shot at Cherry Springs State Park this summer, and how I got those shots

1. {
DSLR
Astrophotography
at Cherry Springs State Park

2. Contest:
Find Cherry Springs

3. Any New Moon

4. The Wow Factor

5. A Horse is a Horse….

6. Hi Neighbor!

7. Sometimes you can see
your shadow.

8. The Ugly Duckling

9. Rifts and Triangles

10. Road Trip!

11.  Get gas BEFORE you reach Route 44
 Stock up at Wegman’s in Williamsport
 Fezz’s Community Diner in Sweden Valley is the bomb
but they only take cash
 Set up near an electrical outlet but be prepared to share
 No white lights, no laser pointers, minimal red light
 It can get very cold, very quickly. Dress warm and
bring anti-dew technology.
 WiFi password is DarkSky2015
 The bathroom on the far side of the field is the worst
bathroom in Pennsylvania. Stick with the one near the
road.
 Shower at Lyman Run State Park.
Tips and Hacks

12. AstroTrac Mount
Nikon D7000
20, 35, 50, and 85mm
lenses
Patience
What do I use?

13. ƒ4
ISO 800 - 1600
Shutter speed set to ‘B’
Exposure times from 2 to
10 minutes
How do I do it?

14.  A 2 minute exposure under truly dark skies is not
the same as a two minute exposure here
 Use mirror lock up and a remote shutter release
cable
 Use prime lenses
 Turn off autofocus
 The higher the focal length, the more polar
alignment counts
 If you’re not polar aligning or tracking, keep
exposures under 10 seconds
 Post processing (e.g., Photoshop) is different than
normal
Also…

15.  AstroTrac
 Adobe LightRoom and Photoshop
 Annie’s Astro Actions (PS actions set)
 Astronomy Tools (also PS actions set)
 Nebulosity
Some tools

16. david@parmet.net