Mersing trip on 17 Sept 2004

MCYM · Post by **MCYM** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 9:27 am

Hi Remus

It's nice to have change to Batu Layar. How many nights this time? I am game for one.

Matthew

kochu · Post by **kochu** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 10:10 am

Rich wrote

Thanks for the update, Kochu. A tarred road means good news for cars going there but also means light wil follow...I wonder how long more we still have of Mersing...did you managed to take a picture of the existing spot as I have problem visualising what is the problem.... Is there no way to drive onto the site via an alternative entrance, perhaps closer to the Dutch's hut?

rich

Hi Rich
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It is not at all imposible to access the old site , if you make some advance preparations, which we did not have.

1. Plan 1 . If you can go there with a showel and about 30 to 50 bricks we can level the soft soil on the slop between the paved road and the flat ground and put the bricks on top of it for the vehicles to pass. The soft stretch is only over a meter or so.

2. Plan 2. If we can put two wooden planks about 300 mm wide by 1500 mm in length along the wheel track , on top of sofr soil , the cars can pass the stretch.

I think after couple of months good rain the soil will settle and may become passable for vehicles.

The New site is 500 m before the old one just after a shed on the rightside of road. It is easy to locate as there is a tar road leading to it.

Kochu/23-9-04
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Post by **Airconvent** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 12:52 am

HI all,
So from the description, I take it Batu Layar is located along the coast, mid way between Mersing and Singapore? Anyone took any pictures on the surroundings? Very curious as to where this new spot is....same as mersing but nearer!

rich

Post by **weixing** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:46 am

Hi,
Yes, it somewhere there. During the previous trip there, I do take some pictures. Since my intention was not on the surrounding, the pictures doesn't show much of the surroundings.

Anyway, the pictures are in the following topics:
http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php? ... batu+layar

Have a nice day.

anat · Post by **anat** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:51 am

Matthew:

Can you describe more about the equipment and image processing you used to get those photos? Thank you very much.

Anat

MCYM · Post by **MCYM** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:02 am

anat wrote:Matthew:

Can you describe more about the equipment and image processing you used to get those photos? Thank you very much.

Anat

Hi Anat

The instrument details can be found here next to the subject;
http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~audiowo ... wcase.html

As for processing, What i did for the above images is rather textbook and uninteresting,

program use: Images Plus or Registax
1. Calibrate raw images with by subtracting avg dark frames
2. Align (No rotation neccessary)

In Photoshop/Paint Shop Pro
3. Stretch Levels and Curves
4. Finally smooth images with median, Smart blur or NEAT image.

The above is what i usually do in a nutshell.

However there are other image processing technique that i use from time to time;
Removing chromatic aberration on bright stars (if any)
Selective area highlight with lasso & feathering tools.
Flatten field cuvature etc...

Hope it helps

Matthew

anat · Post by **anat** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:11 am

Hi Matthew:

Really neat photos from 300D I have seen so far, especially the comet and the milk way!. Thank you very much.

Anat

Post by **Airconvent** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:17 am

weixing wrote:Hi,
Yes, it somewhere there. During the previous trip there, I do take some pictures. Since my intention was not on the surrounding, the pictures doesn't show much of the surroundings.

Anyway, the pictures are in the following topics:
http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php? ... batu+layar

Have a nice day.

Thanks Weixong,
Now I remember which place you are talking about!

it does look similar to Mersing except that Mersing has a small hump that blocks sea wind from the site whereas this one does not....

rich

Post by **weixing** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 1:55 am

Hi,
It also have a small hump... but just not big enough to block the wind, if the wind is strong....

Have a nice day.

Post by **rcj** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:21 am

hi guys!
just came back from Batu Layar. Here's the latest update on the site status. Alas, the local district has activated the sodium lampposts during the end of August. During our past two trips there, the lampposts were activated (thank goodness) not every single consecutive one, but at random. Nevertheless the lampposts are the new types, that has a more unidirectional shine towards the ground, but still far from those found in Flagstaff, USA. An alternative location in Batu Layar, would be to camp out at the hill before the lampposts. It will offer an all-around panoramic view of the sky, but you would have to hike up the hill, as it is not vehicle accessible. We have tried that location, but only intermittently before the rain came and we had to move back down (we had no tent then). However impossible it may sound, we are trying to propose the local district to off some of the critical lampposts during our stargazing sessons there - this refers to the site at the beach location next to the shoreline. Fingers crossed everyone!

SingAstro

Mersing trip on 17 Sept 2004

Access to old Mersing site