A HUNDRED MILES AWAY!
The first results are in from the new telescope and new location and they're spectacular!
Left: using the same eyepiece and camera, there is no doubt as to the quality of the optics looking through window glass and the high level of detail in the tower.
As previously described, in the north of the island where HSO Singularity is now located, the low mountains near the Taipei basin contain several of the island's endemic species or rare subspecies, including the seldom seen emerald tree frog and Taipei green tree frog. These amphibians are at the top of the rarest observation list. Also on this list are the habits of the great rare migratory birds that make Taiwan mountains their unique home during their long oceanic journeys.
These mountains are an especially good habitat for amphibians, since the northeast winter monsoon wind lifts moisture laden air from over the warm Japan sea current and blows it up the mountainsides, where it cools and condenses, releasing precipitation over the subtropical forest.
Eventually the telescopes will be used to photo and classify the endemic species, record their living space, numbers, and habits, and potentially report findings and population/ distribution trends to the Taiwan Government Conservation & Wildlife.
Equipment
Above Left: photo taken with a handheld smartphone, slightly zoomed, frames the mountains being studied. The towers are invisible.
Left: through the telescope at low power (60x) using eyepiece projection and the Celestron stock 25mm Plossl eyepiece. A smartphone was held above the eyepiece. The resolution of vegetation and the towers is incredible. By adjusting the color, different plant species are identifiable.
After the move to a new observatory complex location and setting up the new telescope, the first results of conservation studies for Taiwan Conservation Management are in for analysis. I used the stock supplied Celestron 25mm Plossl eyepiece for iPhone 10 Max handheld projection. The telescope was set up indoors and looked through a muddy glass window during a hazy high percentage air pollution day. Frankly, good results were not expected, but due to the very high optical quality of Celestron's Nexstar 6SE, the images were spectacular!
The image is sharp and clear during the first historic mountain indoor observatory session. The colors are bold and distinct without aberrations. There are no achromatic or chromatic defects, coma or astigmatism and the image is sharp and clear to the edge.
As previously described, in the north of the island where HSO Singularity is now located, the low mountains near the Taipei basin contain several of the island's endemic species or rare subspecies, including the seldom seen emerald tree frog and Taipei green tree frog. These amphibians are at the top of the rarest observation list. Also on this list are the habits of the great rare migratory birds that make Taiwan mountains their unique home during their long oceanic journeys.
These mountains are an especially good habitat for amphibians, since the northeast winter monsoon wind lifts moisture laden air from over the warm Japan sea current and blows it up the mountainsides, where it cools and condenses, releasing precipitation over the subtropical forest.
Eventually the telescopes will be used to photo and classify the endemic species, record their living space, numbers, and habits, and potentially report findings and population/ distribution trends to the Taiwan Government Conservation & Wildlife.
Other projects include bird & large insect watching and mountain exploring/ mapping by remote. Mapping the mountains and their elevations relative to the horizon will benefit telescope astro imaging during night time, for ascertaining various lunar and planetary rise times and for operating predictive planetarium programs before telescope observations and astro imaging. Such photos could be used as long or short term spatial references for volcanic and seismic studies.
Elephant Mountain is about 20 miles away from Singularity observatory. It includes in the background a larger and more distant mountain range. The closest mountain is flanked by two massive office skyscrapers, a black and an orange, that have roads leading into the mountain for easy access. At the top of the mountain range are a series of power towers ideal for aligning finderscopes. To the left, when facing East, two large and four smaller towers are visible during average conditions. More rare are occasional building structures seen in two locations.
 |
| At 60x, a telescopic look into the dense forest region shows a surprising number of well defined plant, bush and tree species. Species are identified in part by their unique color, a testimony of Celestron's precision enhanced Starbright coated catadioptric optics. The photo show six unique species awaiting classification. The telescope is capable of 300x. The mountain has wind and the vegetation is in motion. Even though the exposures were fast, the movement of the leaves and tree branches may or may not create some image changes compared to a still day. The observatory took these images indoors through window glass, and is working on setting up an outdoor remote system that will provide a step up in high resolution. |
Elephant Mountain is about 20 miles away from Singularity observatory. It includes in the background a larger and more distant mountain range. The closest mountain is flanked by two massive office skyscrapers, a black and an orange, that have roads leading into the mountain for easy access. At the top of the mountain range are a series of power towers ideal for aligning finderscopes. To the left, when facing East, two large and four smaller towers are visible during average conditions. More rare are occasional building structures seen in two locations.
Equipment
To observe the mountains, Singularity Observatory is now focusing on the Celestron Nexstar 6SE due to its high resolution optics and ability to observe directly through optical Taiwan window glass. The equipment also includes Celestron Power Binoculars, low power binoculars and various filters, lenses and cameras (iPhone 5, iPhone 10, ZWO CMOS ASI224MC, Canon).
Links
Singularity Observatory Weather Trends
https://otisastro.blogspot.com/2022/04/singularity-observatory-weather-trends.html
Telescope Mountain Conservation Management at Singularity Observatory
https://otisastro.blogspot.com/2022/04/telescope-mountain-conservation.html
Links
Singularity Observatory Weather Trends
https://otisastro.blogspot.com/2022/04/singularity-observatory-weather-trends.html
Telescope Mountain Conservation Management at Singularity Observatory
https://otisastro.blogspot.com/2022/04/telescope-mountain-conservation.html
Biblical
Deuteronomy 2:7, 14
For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that he has done in your hands. You walk in this great wilderness, he knows all about it. The LORD your God has always been with you these forty years, so you lacked nothing.
Deuteronomy 2:7, 14
For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that he has done in your hands. You walk in this great wilderness, he knows all about it. The LORD your God has always been with you these forty years, so you lacked nothing.
