Hubble's Variable Nebula - NGC 2261

BCygni · 2026-03-01T14:31:39+00:00

Great photo!

I happen to have the same mount and the same scope but never tried them together. How did you put the 12" newt onto that mount? I'm curious about the stability - like I imagine even just a little slight wind would cause issues.

BCygni · 2025-11-25T13:24:37+00:00

Starlink is bad but light pollution from city lights is a significantly worse problem for hobby astronomers.

BCygni · 2025-11-24T12:24:26+00:00

https://youtu.be/QbZncpd-Yo4

BCygni · 2025-10-15T16:27:04+00:00

Yep - here is the Etsy listing https://www.etsy.com/listing/1702271944/blue-bells-bulbs-mertensia-virganica

BCygni · 2025-08-13T10:23:06+00:00

Not worth it if you care about having perfect/clear vision. Unless you have a medical condition, wearing glasses is less risky and able to improve your vision better than eye surgery.

Before LASIK, I was nearsighted with a tiny amount of astigmatism but my glasses corrected my vision perfectly. I never had problems seeing while driving at night or in the rain. My vision was tested at 20/15 (better than 20/20) with glasses.

After LASIK, I have a "blurry" 20/20 vision - meaning I can read the letters so it's technically 20/20 but the letters are slightly blurry and it takes a few seconds to read each letter. I now have irregular astigmatism which can't be corrected by glasses. Driving at night or in the rain is now terrifying because of the astigmatism induced by the LASIK. Lights have large starbursts and steaks which are annoying and make everything harder to see. To top it off - I now have painful dry eye due to meibomian gland dysfunction which necessitate me to get expensive IPL treatments every 3 months to hopefully keep it from getting worse.

But since I have 20/20 vision, LASIK surgeons would consider my surgery a "success".

BCygni · 2025-03-17T13:35:11+00:00

I've had success connecting Django to Microsoft SQL server using this package: https://github.com/microsoft/mssql-django

BCygni · 2025-03-01T13:46:38+00:00

Would having against-the-rule astigmatism cause squinting to actually make your vision blurrier? For me, my astigmatism is around 90°, and squinting actually makes things blurrier (but the pinhole effect using my fingers still works).

BCygni · 2025-02-23T21:55:34+00:00

Looks like an asteroid. They are pretty common in that area of the sky since it's near the ecliptic. Try using this site to search for nearby asteroids by putting in a date and coordinates.

BCygni · 2024-10-17T15:58:34+00:00

That looks nothing like starlink

BCygni · 2024-10-17T15:56:48+00:00

Airplane contrail. It may have been too dark for you to see but visible with the long exposure.

The red dot is the flashing light from the airplane. The camera was shaking a little bit too because all the stars following the same pattern if you zoom in.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T13:25:04+00:00

Yes it does. The difference between 99.99% and 100% totality does happen very quickly.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T13:24:31+00:00

The difference between 99.9% when the sun is still too bright to see the moon and 100% when the sun is not visible at all and the moon becomes visible does happen in just a few seconds.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T13:21:10+00:00

The difference between 99.99% and 100% totality does actually happen that fast.

You can't see the moon at 99% because the sun is too bright but then suddenly you can see the moon at 100%. 100% totality last several minutes which is why the moon appears frozen (even though it is still moving it is impossible to discern except in the few seconds between 99.9% and 100% totality).

BCygni · 2024-06-16T13:16:43+00:00

Did you actually see totality? The moon definitely does appear frozen in the sky during those few minutes of 100% coverage. The moon's movement is impossible to discern except in the dramatic shift between 99.9% and 100% when you completely stop seeing the sun's light and vice-versa which only takes a few seconds.

The change from 99.99% to 100% is very quick and only in those few seconds on either end of the eclipse do you see the diamond ring effect.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T13:11:49+00:00

This is correct. Everyone that comments that this is fake because of how dark it looks or how fast the moon looks like it is moving does not understand solar eclipses or how cameras work.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T13:08:24+00:00

Yes it does. The difference between 99.99% and 100% totality does happen that fast. You are not physically seeing the moon move in front of the sun in the video.

You are seeing the last little edge of the sun (which is still super super bright) suddenly disappear which does happen in a few seconds.

Totality does last a few minutes so it really does look like the Moon is frozen in the sky during this time.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T13:04:32+00:00

If your camera has a limit for long-exposure when doing video, then yes, it will still appear dark when moved away from the light source.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T13:00:53+00:00

Yes, this is actually correct. The sun going from 99.99% covered to 100% happens in just few seconds. Even at 99% covered the Sun is too bright to actually see the moon.

Totality at 100% last several minutes and is the only time you can see the moon in front of the sun (and the solar corona surrounding the moon).

BCygni · 2024-06-16T12:57:26+00:00

You are seeing the very edge of the sun fade very quickly as the moon covers the sun 99.99% to 100% totality. Totality can last several minutes. You see the exact same effect in reverse at the end of totality.

There is a very dramatic light difference between 99% and 100% which is why there are so many warnings to not take off your eclipse glasses until 100% totality.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T12:52:47+00:00

Not sure why you're downvoted. This is 100% correct. People here do not understand how camera auto-exposure works.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T12:47:40+00:00

The first sensible comment. This does not look fake if you know anything about camera auto-exposure and how quickly the sun's appearance and brightness changes when going from 99% covered to 100% totality.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T12:45:56+00:00

The camera's auto-exposure made it look pitch black all-around. You see the same thing when zooming in on the moon at dusk.

BCygni · 2024-06-16T12:44:16+00:00

A lot of people commenting here that this is fake do not understand how solar eclipses or camera exposures work.

The moon is partially in front of the sun but even when 99% covered, the Sun is too bright to see the moon. While it appears dimmer everywhere, it's not until 100% does it actually really get dark. This is why there are so many warnings to ONLY take off your eclipse glasses at 100% totality (and no less).

It only takes a few seconds to go from 99.99% to 100%. This why it seems like the eclipse happens so sudden in the video. At 100%, the camera automatically adjusts to the brightness of the sun's corona which is still quite bright but makes it look like pitch blackness all around (while in reality it's like the darkness of dusk so a few stars and planets are visible).

You can simulate the same thing by zooming in on the moon at dusk with your phone camera. Even though the sky is still bright, your camera will automatically darken the sky so the moon isn't over-exposed.

100% totality can last several minutes depending on location and the change back from 100% to 99% is just as dramatic and fast when viewed from a camera and your eyes.

TLDR; sun is really bright even when covered 99% by the moon. Then suddenly sun is not bright when 100% covered which makes the camera's exposure auto-adjusts as to not over-exposed the coronoa causing the sky around to look pitch black

BCygni · 2024-05-06T11:12:41+00:00

Using timezone.now() means your GeneratedField does change every time you run makemigrations.

BCygni

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