John Connolly's Impressions of the Sky
(click on photos for enlargements)

"Mr January" or "What amateur astronomers do in cloudy weather".

Comet Hale-Bop

Centaurus/Crux/Carina
Taken with a 35mm lens at F3.5 for 10 minutes on a manually operated tracking platform (barn door mount) on fujichrome 400. The simple tracking platform has an optimum accurate tracking period of approximately 10 mins with a 100mm lens. It is well suited to wide field photography of constellations.

The Emu
Taken with a 24 mm lens at F2.8 for 10 minutes on a manually operated tracking platform (barn door mount) on fujichrome 400.
The dark gas areas between Crux and Scorpius were long recognised by Australian aboriginals as having the appearance of an Emu. It is more easily recognised in a dark sky with a terrestial foreground, when Scorpius is rising in Southern latitudes early in the year.

Comet Hyakutake
over the Gold Coast
Fire-Star trails / Fire on the range

Comet Hyakutake

Lightning over the Gold Coast

Sunset over the range


Comet Hale-Bop	Centaurus/Crux/Carina Taken with a 35mm lens at F3.5 for 10 minutes on a manually operated tracking platform (barn door mount) on fujichrome 400. The simple tracking platform has an optimum accurate tracking period of approximately 10 mins with a 100mm lens. It is well suited to wide field photography of constellations.	The Emu Taken with a 24 mm lens at F2.8 for 10 minutes on a manually operated tracking platform (barn door mount) on fujichrome 400. The dark gas areas between Crux and Scorpius were long recognised by Australian aboriginals as having the appearance of an Emu. It is more easily recognised in a dark sky with a terrestial foreground, when Scorpius is rising in Southern latitudes early in the year.

Comet Hyakutake over the Gold Coast	Fire-Star trails / Fire on the range	Comet Hyakutake

	Lightning over the Gold Coast

	Sunset over the range