ajamesmccarthy posts
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Mars tonight
As a bonus- here's how it looks as I'm capturing it:https://gfycat.com/chubbylikablearcticsealThis is the "Red" channel, it is captured in R,G,B with thousands of frames each, which are then aligned, stacked, and integrated to form the image you see here. The fine details are resolved through a process called "lucky imaging" where only the sharpest parts of the video are saved and used for a stack. That is how I'm able to see Valles Marineris (the USA-sized canyon on ...
What if we flew around the moon?
This was done using a combination of my images, weather satellite data, and NASA/JPL data from the LRO (to render the backside of the moon).If you want to see it in high resolution, the Attachment is HD!
Ask me anything!
This is an open-ended AMA. Ask me anything you like about space, astronomy, astrophotography, moon landings or other missions, etc! I am keeping this open ended so anyone is welcome to chime in if you think of a new question in the future.EDIT: Apparently you do have to pay to comment, although the post itself is public (sending feedback to Patreon on this). My bad guys. Ask me a question in my Instagram DMs and I'll do my best to respond. My hope was by moving my AMA to patreon I would get ...
Reprocessed an older Venus shot in light of the current news
Apparently there may be life on Venus, in the form of Phosphine-emitting microbes! Unfortunately I couldn't take a new picture thanks to the smoke here in California, so here's an older one I reprocessed.
Jupiter and Saturn in Methane
Jupiter and Saturn look completely different when you filter out everything but the light emitted by certain gasses. Brighter areas are regions with strong methane presence. On Jupiter you can see how this methane is present in specific cloud bands, and on the great red spot. For Saturn, the Methane in the atmosphere is insignificant compared to the rings! While shooting in these wavelengths makes getting details difficult, it paints a fascinating story of the complex physics of these planets! ...
Our Moon and Our Sun
Two of my older works blended together, to show the contrast between the two brightest celestial objects over our heads.
A blend of many deep sky objects, All set to scale.
This is approximately how large these objects are in relation to each other. Nebulas are all on a very similar scale. Stars and planets would be smaller than a pixel at this scale. Galaxies would be so large the image would be thousands of times larger.
Look closely- this isn't a view of the moon you've seen before
This is not a photo. This is a view of the moon as if it were it completely flipped around. I took data from NASA and JPL of the LRO- height map data and color data, and mapped it to a sphere in blender, creating a fairly accurate model of our moon. I then simulated our sun's light, positioned in a way that accurately reflects how the moon looks as it hangs in space in an accurate phase. This render was then blended with my own images and processed as if it were real, with a similar style of...
Tonight's moon in 81 megapixels, a sneak peek at tomorrow's post
Thought I'd do another big one for you guys. This is the 96% illuminated waxing moon from tonight. Brought out a hint of color, but otherwise tried to get it as close to how it looks through my telescope eyepiece as possible.
Celestial events in September- and an image Poll
Here's a quick rundown of celestial events happening in September, and a bit of background on what to expect from each. A relatively quiet month from a celestial event happening, so barring a surprise comet or Betelguese going boom I'll be focused on emission nebulae, planets, and the moon mostly this month.September 2nd- Full MoonKnown as the "Corn Moon" due to timing with the Native American corn harvest, this full moon will rise at sunset and will brightly illuminate the eveni...
Unedited image and Simulated True Color of My last post, plus an explanation of colors
I get a lot of questions when I post False color images, basically "What does it look like to my eyes" and "Do you just paint colors in?"Basically, astrophotgraphy is so different from regular photography, that the same conventions do not apply whatsoever. I'm essentially taking pictures of a shadow. Here is a crash course in how color with astrophotography works.Let's start with your eyes. What would they see?For me, they see nothing. I point my telescope and binoculars ...
A 60 megapixel of deep space- the "Sadr" region
For Aspiring astrophotography patrons- the raw image files I used for this are available in dropbox!
Patron Exclusive Print Sale
My recent moon image is now available through my main gallery- but for you guys I created a separate gallery, with special pricing just for you. This deal will not show up for anyone else. (Please do not share this link).NOTE: This is different from the limited-edition sales I run 24 hours following the post. It will not be digitally signed or numbered, and the paper/frame/print style is very different.
An 85 megapixel shot of last night's moon
Updated because I discovered Patreon actually reduced the quality on this one after uploading. Check the attachment and download for a slightly higher quality version!
A 100 megapixel image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex
Data collected by Dustin Gibson, image processed by me.
A Note for my Wonderful Patrons
Howdy Patrons,A few quick things- First, I enabled annual memberships so you can save 10% on the cost! Monthly memberships will still be available though, so no pressure to switch!Also, what would you like from me to help make this patreon page more beneficial to you? (without just spamming you with more posts)I try not to spend TOO much time on this sort of thing because it does pull me away from imaging, but I'm sure there's still ways I can bring you more value. Things I'm conside...
Perseid meteor shower
My lens had a bit of an astigmatism- so the corners don't look great. I don't shoot widefield often, so this was a bit of a learning experience for me.
