Review of Making Beautiful Deep-Sky Images

Posted on December 18, 2007 by Greg Parker

I found this review of the Making Beautiful Deep-Sky Images book by Michael Bakich titled Easy Pretty Pictures.

It is a great review – thanks Michael! 🙂

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Happy 90th Birthday Sir Arthur C Clarke

Posted on December 16, 2007 by Greg Parker

HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY SIR ARTHUR C CLARKE!!!!!!! 

Have a great day, and a great year to come 🙂

Greg and Noel.

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Book Signing at Best Sellers in Brockenhurst

Posted on December 15, 2007 by Greg Parker

The Book signing at Best Sellers bookshop in Brockenhurst went very well today!  I was there from 10.00am until midday signing copies of Making Beautiful Deep-Sky Images.  The event was very well attended despite sub-zero outside temperatures. 

There will be another book signing at Waterstones bookshop on the University of Southampton campus at a time and date yet to be decided.

Thanks to everyone who turned up.  The photos show the bookshop, customers checking out the merchandise, and Greg getting down to business signing a book 🙂

Book Signing at Best Sellers in Brockenhurst Village
Book Signing at Best Sellers in Brockenhurst Village
Book Signing at Best Sellers in Brockenhurst Village

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Book Signing in Brockenhurst

Posted on December 14, 2007 by Greg Parker

Tomorrow (15th December 2007) I will be signing books at “Book Sellers” in Brockenhurst between 10.00am and 12.00 midday.

If you just fancy dropping by for a chat then please do – it will be great to see people.

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Update on StarVistas

Posted on December 10, 2007 by Greg Parker

Update on the coffee-table book deliberations.  It’s more great news – Star Vistas will be published in 2008 with a publisher yet to be formally announced – so keep watching this space.

For a bit of a “teaser” the Foreword will be written by:

  • Sir Arthur C Clarke
  • Sir Patrick Moore
  • Dr. Brian May

Get your pre-orders in for what will soon become a collectors’ item 🙂

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mini-WASP Array Project – Part 3 – The Framework

Posted on December 8, 2007 by Greg Parker

The mini-WASP framework was delivered to the New Forest Observatory by the CEO of NTE Poole, Eric Kennedy, on Wednesday 5th December 2007.

If you have just joined us then make sure you read all about the mini-Wasp Array Project from the beginning.

The accompanying photos show the all-Aluminium black-anodised mini-WASP framework with the Megrez 80 mm guidescope, and one of the two Sky 90 imaging scopes attached. 

The fourth aperture will be used to house a Takahashi FSQ106 with reducer/corrector, camera rotator and filter-wheel.  The imaging camera for the FSQ will be the Starlight Xpress monochrome H36.

The next component I need for this project is the one that will cause the longest delay – it’s the mount!

mini-WASP mounting block
mini-WASP mounting block
mini-WASP mounting block

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AstroPhoto Insight (Volume 3, Issue 6)

Posted on December 4, 2007 by Greg Parker

Our deep wide-field M42 image made the cover of AstroPhoto Insight magazine.  Al Degutis did a great job on the printing for this one – thank you Al!

The Sword of Orion
M42 widefield shown on the Cover of AstroPhoto Imaging Magazine

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GigaPixel Images

Posted on December 4, 2007 by Greg Parker

Two weeks ago I bought a Canon 40D DSLR camera for terrestrial work.  While playing with this beast it struck me that by using the same mosaic techniques that we use in creating big deep-sky panoramas – we could actually create gigapixel images! 

Why should we want to do that? 

Well, one reason is that we could print out very large images at extremely high resolution – something that wouldn’t have been seen before – so this might have some interesting effects on the eye-brain system.  Secondly – if kept on the computer monitor – you would be able to zoom in to see incredibly small detail. Continue reading →

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IOM December 2007: Caldwell 49 – The Rosette Nebula

Posted on December 1, 2007 by Greg Parker

For December, the imaging object of the Month could be any number of goodies in Orion or neighbouring Monoceros.  So it could be M42 the Great Nebula in Orion, or the nearby Horsehead region lying close to the brilliant belt star Alnitak. 

Moving eastwards towards Monoceros we have the Cone nebula and Christmas Tree cluster, and again nearby we have the fabulous Rosette nebula.  Any one of these remarkable deep-sky objects would make a suitable “Imaging Object of the Month” – but for this year I have chosen Caldwell 49 which is also known as the Rosette nebula, NGC2237, the Great Nebula in Monoceros, or Swift’s nebula.

Continue reading →

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High Speed Flash News

Posted on November 30, 2007 by Greg Parker

STOP PRESS!!!!

Really great news!!!

Parker Technology have signed an agreement with High Speed Flash dot com whereby HSF have the exclusive manufacturing and distribution rights to my High Speed Flash technology.

I am extremely pleased that this arrangement brings the potential of real HSF photography to the general public for the first time!

If you want to know more about High Speed Flas dot com’s range of high-speed flash equipment contact them through their website address given above.

Parker Technology High Speed Flash captures exploding light bulb
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