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Cliff Nieuwenhuis
United States
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 25 มี.ค. 2012
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2020 I was one of the many people who took on a number of home improvement projects. I decided to make a concrete pier to use for astrophotography. I did a fair amount of research and planned everything out as best I could, and almost on a whim I decided to set up my camera and film the construction from start to finish. And that's how I started with the video side of my hobby.
My videos aren't instructional videos. They are really about sharing my experiences and explaining what I'm doing. They are my answer for the occasional "How did you get that picture?" questions. I hope they help somebody out, but I'm the first to admit that there are better videos to watch if you really want to learn. I know, 'cause I watched lots of them myself! But I will say this: Although I'm a beginner, I everything I explain in my videos is, to the best of my knowledge, accurate. If you find me in error please let me know in a constructive way.
My videos aren't instructional videos. They are really about sharing my experiences and explaining what I'm doing. They are my answer for the occasional "How did you get that picture?" questions. I hope they help somebody out, but I'm the first to admit that there are better videos to watch if you really want to learn. I know, 'cause I watched lots of them myself! But I will say this: Although I'm a beginner, I everything I explain in my videos is, to the best of my knowledge, accurate. If you find me in error please let me know in a constructive way.
Aurora : October 7, 2024
Aurora Borealis is not often seen from my home in Baraboo, Wisconsin, but it was visible this night! And the amazing thing was that is was visible all night long. Enjoy the timelapse.
มุมมอง: 115
วีดีโอ
Count the Stars
มุมมอง 1292 ปีที่แล้ว
This video was made to show during an Earth Day service at my church. It's a little more personal than my other videos so I wasn't sure if I should upload it or not but decided to post it anyway. Royalty free music from www.fesliyanstudios.com
Revisiting Orion
มุมมอง 1372 ปีที่แล้ว
February 18, 2022 Join me on my first night out with a hydrogen alpha filter in my camera. Spoiler alert: it didn't go so well. But despite the problems, it was still nice to work on a familiar target: Orion. Orion and Messier 42 are a favorite for me and many others so I'm not surprised to find it in many of the photos I've taken over the years. While looking back at these Orion photos I find ...
Partial Lunar Eclipse
มุมมอง 663 ปีที่แล้ว
November 19,2021 A cold but clear morning for the longest eclipse of the century. After considering a few ways to photograph the event I decided to attempt a time lapse. I wrote a script that used gPhoto2 (gphoto.org/) to take photos at different exposure times to try to match the changing brightness of the moon over the course of the eclipse. In the end my settings and timing were a little off...
moonrise
มุมมอง 533 ปีที่แล้ว
A short, simple video of the almost full moon rising at the end of the day. I started the camera as soon as the moon was visible and let it run for thirty minutes, and then sped up this video 10 times to see the moon rising and sky darkening in just three minutes.
A Full Night of Astrophotography
มุมมอง 3233 ปีที่แล้ว
March 19, 2021 After a very cloudy winter in general we finally had a good clear night, so once again I gathered up my gear and set up for some astrophotography. I wanted to show my whole process from planning to pictures and that means this video is a bit long. My hope is that the extra time spent explaining the all steps will give an idea of what is involved in photographing deep sky objects ...
Setting up for Astrophotography
มุมมอง 4763 ปีที่แล้ว
November 7, 2020 Often I am asked “How did you get this picture?” when I show someone one of my astronomy photos. I decided to make another video to answer that question. My aim was not to produce a how-to video, but rather just show, to a mildly interested person, some of what is involved. What you see is the way I do astrophotography now. It's not necessarily the proper way and certainly not ...
Building a Pier for Astrophotography
มุมมอง 13K3 ปีที่แล้ว
May 9, 2020 Spent the day building a new concrete pier on our hill. The solid mount will hold my camera steady enough to take photos of deep sky objects, and since the mount is permanent, I won't have to go through the tedious process of polar alignment every time I want to do astrophotography. This video gives a good idea of what the project involved but it's not exactly a how-to video.
realy nice
I saw them too, Monday night and got some great shots of it. Did you see Thursday night’s Auroras? Awesome Timelapse.
Nice to see someone did their homework !! The only thing missing, I'd say, is add mixtures to the concrete, if you wanted to go all out on strength. Some hydrator, AKA plasticizer, which reduces the amount of water needed for same flow. So many add too much water which weakens the concrete. I'd also suggest basalt fiber... looks like cotton baton, but really boosts strength. Indeed they make corrosion proof rebar from basalt also, or you could have opted for epoxy coated steel rebar. They say also to not let those stick out of the concrete on the bottom, because of water wicking, so I would have suggested suspending the rebar off the bottom by an inch or more. Maybe putting a grade or slight convex on top to help water & snow run off and not enter the concrete via the threaded studs. The fact that you wrapped it in plastic was a great idea, but not evident you did it for all the right reasons. The longer you can keep your concrete damp, the stronger it will get. That's why you see the pros spraying their concrete and covering it for a week or two. A lot of people make the mistake of putting their tube to the bottom , but it will only rot under ground and give the pier a half inch of flex. Great that you did not make that mistake. Also people will try and add some sort of bell, or base, at the bottom of the hole, thinking it will help it from sinking over time, but that means having to dig a bigger hole which in turn means your pier is supported in loose dirt on the sides which you don't want. Note the local ordinances always give specs for compacted vs loose soil for posts etc. You were right to pour it in a clean compact hole, no flared bottom or base. The sides of the holes are like 1000 strong hands supporting it from sinking, or frost heaves. You did not mention depth. One needs to consult maps, or local authorities, for frost line depth. In southern Ontario , it's 4 feet. Not sure what it is for your location. Good job !! Best on net I've seen !!
I live just west of him. He went down 4 feet as well.
@@ronaldleedham4719 Yes I got 42 inches for London, Ontario from the Pro desk at Home Depot.
I loved this. A really good overview on how to construct a pier, with some subtle elements of humour in there - and I LOVED the music. 🙂
Why the loud music?
great video . thanks
Nice job!
Lovely. We live in an amazing universe
Thank you. Yes, we do!
Very nice. Thank you
Nice video. It's pretty impressive what one can do with good, basic equipment and a dark sky.
Yes. Some people don't even try because they haven't got the latest greatest of everything. You can have a lot of fun without breaking the bank.
I enjoyed your video. Thanks for sharing.
I am considering to build my own. This video helps a lot, specially the bottom frame. Thanks! Hope you enjoy your pier. CS!
Sorry for the late reply. Did you build one? How'd it go?
I absolutely loved this! I just built my pier yesterday. The concrete will have to cure a week or so but I am seriously jazzed up about getting to use and building an observatory around it in due course.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and congratulations on your pier. It really is nice to be able to set up for astro relatively quickly. I have drawn up some plans for building an observatory around mine too, but so far other priorities have kept me from starting that phase of the project. Post a link to your setup if you like.
I've never worked with Sonotube before. Did you let the concrete in the ground partially cure before setting the Sonotube on top, or did you set the Sonotube on top of the hole and pour right after pouring concrete into the hole in the ground?
Thanks for the question. I think we let the concrete in the ground sit for a couple hours because it was a good time to take a break and figure out how we were going to hold the tube when we got around to filling it. But the pouring was all done on the same day and the concrete in the hole was still soft when we set the tube on it.
Very interesting and great explanation of your project. You live at a wonderful place. Thank you for sharing.
Sorry for the late reply. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I agree that we're a bit spoiled here.
Great images. Very nice explanations. Clear Skies and God Bless from the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Thank you! I've been in the Black Hills and it stands out in my memory as the first time I really understood the phrase "It was like I could reach out and touch the stars." I never experienced that anywhere else, but the stars were so bright that they seemed as close as fireflies. I gotta go back!!
What is the purpose of the 4 threaded bolts sticking up? Did you see that off another video or was it something you just made up? No part of the pier needs to be level you did know this correct? I say this because I too have a pier on my property and I don't have this type of setup. The only thing that matters is your mount being aligned to the NCP. My pier is about the same height as yours but mine goes into the ground 7.5 feet and is 36" in diamter with rebar, fiberglass mesh in the concrete and my pier above the ground is 12.7" in diamter steel tube with a wall thickness of .170". I take breath taking photo's of the heavens on windy nights or calm nights it makes no difference. I see this type of design all over TH-cam and I just don't understand why someone would take such a sturdy concrete pier and then put threaded rod at the top and ruin a great setup.
Hello -- sorry for the late reply. The threaded rod is there to hold the metal plate that my mount attaches to. It sounds like your pier is capable of handling a much heavier mount and telescope than I have. Still, somehow you have to connect your mount to the pier, and I couldn't figure out how to do that without putting in the threaded rods. Perhaps you can link to a photo of your pier so I can see how you did it? Regarding making the mount level... while it's true that in the end all that really matters is that you can polar align, I wanted the mount to be straight and level for cosmetic reasons too. Plus, having a level platform means that my declination setting matches my actual location, which is just easier to work with in my opinion. Thanks for your interest!
@@cliffnieuwenhuis8638 My pier weighs 7,500 lbs and is 7.5 feet deep in the ground.
The music….really 🙉
That is a very nice view!! hope the pier is doing work!
The pier is doing fine but the clouds have been out all winter it seems. I'm sure the sky will clear soon and I can get back out there again!
seriously? no one commented on 4:05-4:10?? slow down video if you need to, but looks like a gopher comes out of the hole in front of him LOL
I looked and looked but didn't see it. I think you see a leaf flipping up in the wind. Thanks for watching!
@@cliffnieuwenhuis8638 You are correct sir .. I just looked and it's a leaf now. LOL .. Kids .. don't do drugs...
Great video. What are the 2 galaxies in the same frame at the end? Are they M81 & M82? And how long were the exposures and how many? Thanks
Thanks for the Like and sorry for the delay in answering. Yes, the galaxies are M81 (Bode's Galaxy) and M82 (Cigar Galaxy). Bode's is a favorite of mine. The image in the video was taken with my Nikon Z5 on the Wiliam Optics ZenithStar 61ii, 360mm, f/5.6, ISO 800. It was made from 185 seventy-five second exposures. I did another take in November 2021 that I like even better. That image, which you can see at www.nieusight.com/index/G00000pzF6vaBeDo/I000007IZ8.vAyzY was also taken with my Nikon Z5 on the same scope and SkyGuider Pro tracker (360mm f/5.6), ISO 800, but this time the exposures was 332 x 60-sec = 5.5 hours.
@@cliffnieuwenhuis8638 Thanks for your reply & link. That is a great capture, wonderful clear detail, well done.
Great videos and I love your do it yourself ethos! What method or software were you using for your polar alignment? I didn't recognise the graphics on the screen.
Thanks for the comment and sorry for the late reply. The software I use for polar alignment is the iPolar software that comes with the iOptron SkyGuider Pro. Search for "IPOLAR" at ioptron.com and find the version that's right for your ipolar camera. I don't think it works for other hardware.
@@cliffnieuwenhuis8638 OK thanks
Thoroughly enjoyed this video Cliff.
Thank you!
Enjoyed watching this, well done Cliff.
I'm glad you liked it.
Like others, I have watched your video of building your pier and I subscribed to your TH-cam channel. Very interesting video again Cliff, thanks for sharing.
Thank you Stephen
Thanks for sharing your experience Cliff, you are fortunate to have such a great place to pursue your hobby. Living on the edge of a city here in England with light pollution is a challenge. Well done.
Thank you for your kind comments! I do feel fortunate to live where I do but I also love to visit England and Wales -- Wales especially for dark skies.
I’ve always been of the mindset that science is the study of creation. None of this is an “accident”. Whatever mankind determines as “fact” is usually wrong and God laughs. History indicates this time after time after time. As many galaxies as there are in the Universe, this video deserves that many likes. Clear skies good man.
Thanks!
I just watched your video where you built a concrete pier and immediately went to your youtube page to see more videos. They are well made and very informative and I thank you for that. I hope you continue to make more videos as you are a natural.
Hi Randy! What a nice comment -- thank you. I have fun making the videos and hope to keep them coming.
Trabajo de corazon, todo de primera.
Lo siento, no entiendo tu comentario
Excelente.
Gracias
Love this! I love your work
Thanks!
Always prefer 3 supports instead of 4. This way, the mechanical stability towards horizontal setting is optimal. This is why Newton’s primary mirrors are designed with 3 collimation knobs, associated with 3 blocking ones.
Good point. I'll remember for the next one :)
Awesome! ❤️
Thank you!
Music way to loud
Thank you for the in detail explanation!
Glad you enjoyed it!
What a great video, Cliff! Nice explanations and showing how all the different aspects fit together.
Thanks for the complement! I appreciate it.
Interesting video's and really very well made 👍👍
Thank you
Very nice video and really good explained 👍👍
Thanks again!