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ajamesmccarthy

ajamesmccarthy

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ajamesmccarthy posts

Mars tonight

Mars tonight

As a bonus- here's how it looks as I'm capturing it:

https://gfycat.com/chubbylikablearcticseal

This 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 ...

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Andromeda

Andromeda

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What if we flew around the moon?

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!

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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 fee...

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Reprocessed an older Venus shot in light of the current news

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. 

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Jupiter and Saturn in Methane

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 compa...

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Our Moon and Our Sun

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. 

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Warhol's Pillars, an astrophotography pop art tribute

Warhol's Pillars, an astrophotography pop art tribute

 

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The Pac Man Nebula. A flame in space.

The Pac Man Nebula. A flame in space.

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One of my highest clarity lunar images ever with vivid color

One of my highest clarity lunar images ever with vivid color

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Mars is getting closer! Here's how it looked tonight.

Mars is getting closer! Here's how it looked tonight.

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A blend of many deep sky objects, All set to scale.

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. 

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Look closely- this isn't a view of the moon you've seen before

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...

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Tonight's moon in 81 megapixels, a sneak peek at tomorrow's post

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.

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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- Fu...

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Unedited image and Simulated True Color of My last post, plus an explanation of colors

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 wi...

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Here's one I haven't shared anywhere else yet

Here's one I haven't shared anywhere else yet

 

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A 60 megapixel of deep space- the "Sadr" region

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!

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Patron Exclusive Print Sale

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 digitall...

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Our sun today

Our sun today

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An 85 megapixel shot of last night's moon

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!

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A 100 megapixel image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex

A 100 megapixel image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex

Data collected by Dustin Gibson, image processed by me. 

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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 spen...

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Early look at tomorrow's post. This is the core of our home galaxy.

Early look at tomorrow's post. This is the core of our home galaxy.

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Perseid meteor shower

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. 

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The Needle Galaxy

The Needle Galaxy

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A rising Sturgeon Moon

A rising Sturgeon Moon

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The Veil Nebula

The Veil Nebula

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Jupiter in Infrared

Jupiter in Infrared

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Probably my best shot of Saturn so far

Probably my best shot of Saturn so far

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