Hey folks,
I see several pictures from the HLA and they're beautiful, but I have a question. Why do people just snag data from the archive and process it? Isn't it a bit too far removed from the craft? You know, like setting up your gear, calibrating everything, framing the shot, taking exposures and all that, and then processing the data the next day. Isn't that what this is all about? Grabbing data off of the HLA seems like it wouldn't feel like astrophotography anymore. I've never tried. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm just curious about how people decided to do HLA processing only. And how fulfilling it may or may not be. For example, if I were to ever log-on to a remote site and click the mouse a few times and have data in the morning, even that would sort of feel like a let down. There's no substitute for being out under a clear dark sky in the thicket of it all! To let your eyes dark adapt as you scan the heavens while your rig loops through exposures to to be immersed in that calm chilly night air with nothing other than yourself and the Universe…where all worries and stress of your job and finances and relationships melt away and it's just peaceful calm beauty. You sort of let yourself go and become part of the night. Another shadow drifting under the cool glowing light from the early fall Milky Way.
I see several pictures from the HLA and they're beautiful, but I have a question. Why do people just snag data from the archive and process it? Isn't it a bit too far removed from the craft? You know, like setting up your gear, calibrating everything, framing the shot, taking exposures and all that, and then processing the data the next day. Isn't that what this is all about? Grabbing data off of the HLA seems like it wouldn't feel like astrophotography anymore. I've never tried. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm just curious about how people decided to do HLA processing only. And how fulfilling it may or may not be. For example, if I were to ever log-on to a remote site and click the mouse a few times and have data in the morning, even that would sort of feel like a let down. There's no substitute for being out under a clear dark sky in the thicket of it all! To let your eyes dark adapt as you scan the heavens while your rig loops through exposures to to be immersed in that calm chilly night air with nothing other than yourself and the Universe…where all worries and stress of your job and finances and relationships melt away and it's just peaceful calm beauty. You sort of let yourself go and become part of the night. Another shadow drifting under the cool glowing light from the early fall Milky Way.
