Is that the most boring and uninspiring star field you have seen on here to date? Quite possibly. But the brightest star you can see here, almost dead centre, is none other than the Methuselah star!!
SAO159459, HIP76976, HD140283 – all designations for the Methuselah star.
This is only 4 x 5-minute subs as the star was about to go behind a bunch of trees on my southern horizon. I didn’t realise the star would be quite so low and quite as far over towards the trees. Never mind, if I am to do it again it will have to be done at the beginning of May rather than the beginning of June.
Any other problem? Yes, the Methuselah star seems to sit right in the middle of geostationary satellite central – it is a helluva mess around there, just as bad as the southern end of the Witch Head nebula. Also, deep down in the southern murk the sky background was a complete mess as well. The only reason anything remotely looking like a star image came out was entirely due to Noel Carboni’s “AstroFlat Pro” software – a real life-saver.
I am really pleased at the outcome of what is probably one of my worst images.
Hi Greg,
This is a great shot! I’m the video editor for a YouTube channel called Thoughty2 and we’re currently making a video about the Methuselah Star, I would love to use your image for the end segment if possible?
I’ve been trying to get a shot of this star myself but it’s currently sitting too close to the horizon in the UK!
Cheers
Jack
Hi Jack,
Yes you may use the image provided you say it was taken by Prof. Greg Parker at the New Forest Observatory. Good luck with the video.