S.W.A.G. members — we're exploring something ambitious and potentially epic.

PROJECT: LIGHTFALL

Project: Lightfall will be a special, completely optional side project for those interested in participating in a large-scale, collaborative imaging effort unlike anything we've done before.

The Concept

The goal is to create a progressive “zoom-in” journey into a deep-sky object (target still to be determined).

I'll begin with a widefield DSLR image showing the larger region of the sky.
From there, participants will throw everything we have at it:
- SeeStars
- RedCats
- CarbonStars
- Refractors, reflectors, SCTs
Each successive contribution narrows the field, creating the effect of flying deeper and deeper into the object.

The final result may take the form of:

A collage
A cinematic zoom-in video
Or both

SeeStar Remote Network

The SeeStar remote network may be implemented to benefit those who want to participate but do not have access to the chosen object due to location, timing, or sky limitations. This allows more members to contribute meaningfully regardless of geographic constraints.

Team Structure (Likely)

This project will likely involve two primary teams:

Image acquisition
Image processing

Current Status

We are in the pre-planning phase
Core planning team as of now: Sun Tzu, DeShda, and myself
A planetary nebula is currently being considered as the target, though this is not set in stone

Data and Access

Given the scope of this effort, we anticipate a large volume of data, which may require a separate shared drive account. All participants will have full access to the project data and materials.

What We Need From You

If you're interested in participating, please reply with:

Your acknowledgment that you want to participate
A list of the gear you plan to use, including:
- Telescope(s)
- Camera(s)
- Any relevant settings or configurations
Whether you are willing to be part of the SeeStar remote network
Optional: which team you're most interested in (image acquisition, image processing, or both)

Final Thoughts

This may very well become one of the largest collaborative projects ever undertaken by members of S.W.A.G. Participation is entirely voluntary and considered a side project, but for those who join, it's an opportunity to push collaboration, creativity, and technical skills to new limits.

If this sounds like something you'd like to be part of, raise your hand and let us know what you can bring to the project.

PROOF OF CONCEPT

Initially, we do need a small "call to arms". A small group of volunteers with a variety of imaging equipment to image an object for a pre-determined amount of time, and possibly one brave soul (@XRaySpex ?) to test out the remote network to work out the bugs. This will be for a random object for a limited amount of time just to see how this all works.

This will be hard.

This will be COMPLICATED!

THIS WILL BE FUN!!!!!

Please consider and let us know.

And as always,

Per Aspera, Ad Astra

For Those Who Capture Light in the Darkness