Thursday, November 21, 2013

C/2012 S1 ISON 20131118@06:10 am



Cold morning up at Sra do Monte, Leiria, Portugal.
The sky was very nice except for clouds right were ISON would come up :-(
This time my cousin Luís Sérgio joined me yet again in this adventure, bringing along his Canon 1000D.
1 picture only, processed in LightRoom.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Solar Day Observation 20131113










Once again I was asked to join a Solar Day event for 7th graders, at a local school.
To provide further student enrollment, school have different "clubs" as they call it, in which kids can learn a bit more, out of classroom envirnoment. The Astronomy Club is being led by a recently hired physics teacher (Madalena)  and she is willing to enhance its activity, taking good use of the equipment they already have.
Together with another physics tecaher (Bruno), students were able to take their fisrt Sun gaze through my LS60 and a school's front filtered Orion 4" refractor with a beautiful yellowish sun and great sunspots.
What a nice afternoon, back in school :-)

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Sun in Ha animation 20131010-10h58/11h10UT


Sun WL - 20131010


20131010@09:07UT
FS102NSV @f2/4 (barlow 3x)
DMK41
Lunt 1.25" SW
HDR in CS4 with 4 images.


20131010@08:59UT
FS102NSV @f/16 (barlow 2x)
DMK41
Lunt 1.25" SW


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Sun in Ha - 20131009@10:58UT


Quick snapshot at the monster prom.
LS60 + DMK41 + barlow 2x.
something went wrong with the flats file... :-( and kept it just because the prom is really nice.


Sun in White Light - 20131009@11:20UT


FS102NSV + barlow 2x + DMK41 + Lunt SW 1.25".
Oct. 9th, 2013 @ 12:20 local time.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Sun White Light - 20131008-17h12UT


The Sun today in white light.
FS102NSV f/8 + DMK41 + Lunt SW 1.25" + ND3 + Ha 6nm, at 17h12UT, close to sunset.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Sun WhiteLight 20131006-15h54UT



Sun in white light with Taka 4" + Lunt 1.25" SolarWedge (ND3; Ha 6nm; Baader IR/UV) + DMK41.
First snapshots.
There is a gradient on the picture that needs to be sorted out; probably one of the filters is not properly attached.


Saturday, September 14, 2013

M33 September 2013

 

M33 - Triangulum Galaxy
52x200", no filters
FS102NSV f/8; ST2000XM selfguided
DDP; levels, curves, unsharp & noiseware

Increasing integration time and using scaled Darks.


Friday, September 13, 2013

M27 & M33 September 13




FS-102NSV f/8; ST2000XM selfguided.

M27: 10x600sec; Flats, Bias, Dark Flats. No Darks...

M33: 20x200sec; Flats, Bias, Dark Flats. No Darks...

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Losmandy G11 back in business




G11 back on pier after complete relube, ready to rock & roll. Waiting for some clear night sky to polar align (damn fires).
AR running nice and smoothly as never seen.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

G11 degreased & relubed Ago24



First disassembly ever, to degresase and relub my 2008 mount.
Easy to do,  though degreasing is quite boring and time consuming.
Done with isopropil alcohol. Waiting for superlube delivery, which is due on Monday.
Then, hope no parts are left on the table after full assembly :-)

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Saturn 20130725@20:53UT

click over picture for full resolution

I just cannot believe this...
What a beautiful 2013!
Red channel between clouds.

C11 + Powermate 2x + Astronomik IIc (R) + DMK21AF
AutoStakkert 2 - drizzle 1.5x

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Saturn 20130723@21:13UT


Can't remember the last time I imaged Saturn... 
First Saturn of this 2012/13 season.
This has been a very long and cloudy winter, spring and summer and I was just lucky enough this evening, just before the clouds rolled in once again... the Blue channel was recorded with very low transparency due to clouds rolling in.
I just can't believe this!

Seeing: better than average around here, but not able to go to f/30.
C11 + powermate 2.0x + RGB Astronomik IIc + DMK21AF
Autostakkert (alignment and stacking)
Registax 6 (wavelets)
CS4

Full Disc 20130723@17h40UT



Aligned, stacked and wavelets in Registax 6.
Lunt LS60THa + DMK41.

Full Disc 20130723@7h16UT



Sun today, at 8h16 am local time.
Lunt LS60THa + DMK41
Not so pleased with the processing...

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Full Disc 20130709@1824UT


Through high clouds and low transparency :-(
LUNT LS60THa + DMK41.
Processed in laptop monitor...

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Sun Full Disc 201307052@19:02UT


July 5th was the 2nd hottest day this year: 41ºC (105.8ºF) so I only went out at 19:00UT...
The Sun was low and through clouds and ash haze which made it impossible to capture the avi with   the usual settings (1/45sec).
Lunt 60Ha + DMK41

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Sun Full Disc 20130622@17h51


Back in business after such a long cloudy season...
LS60 + DMK41

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Astrophotography Contest Ist Edition

Award presented by Luís Lopes

Exhibition leaflet and awarded picture

The opening of the Ist Astrophotography Contest exhibition, held at Parque Biológico de Gaia, Gaia, Portugal, on the 1st of June at 21h30.
Astrophotographers were invited to participate in four different categories: Deep Space, Earth and Cosmos, Solar System, and Junior. So great photos were put to the test, making it very difficult to the distinguished jury - Pedro Ré, Paulo Casquinha and Luís Lopes.
The overall winner was Paulo Lobão's outstanding "Elephant Trunk Nebula" also known as IC1396; the Earth and Cosmos category winner was clinched  by Miguel Claro's "The Lightrails of the Knights Templar" whereas the Junior award was given to 16 year old Daniel Diaz' "Sol".


The Elephant Trunk NGC1396 by P. Lobao

The Lightrails of the Knights Templar by M. Claro

Sol by D. Diaz

3 Planets by J. Cruz

When the award ceremony ended, we were invited by the organization to join the "Firefly Night" walk in the Park that was taking place. It proved to be a very entertaining and enjoyable evening, revisiting those little bugs we could easily see back then, when the city lights were not so many as today...
Thank you so much for such a nice time.







Saturday, May 18, 2013

I Gaia's Observatory Astrophoto Contest solar system winner


Winning picture of Solar System category for the 1st Edition of the "Observatorio Astronómico do Parque Biológico de Gaia" (Gaia's Biological Park Astronomic Observatory) Astrophotograhy Nacional Contest. This institution is located in Gaia, Portugal, just on the opposite bank of  Oporto's Douro river.
The planets are not to scale.
Telescope: C11
Imaging device: DMK21AF04.AS with icx618ALA ccd
Filters: RGB Astronomik IIc
Televue barlows: Mars (3x) and 2x Powermate (Jupiter & Saturn)


Sunday, March 17, 2013

PANSTARRS 20130317@1933UT



Comet C/2011 L4.
C11 f/10 and DMK41.
Through a cloud keyhole... :-)

Sun 20130317@1625UT


First try with a 3x barlow.
Trying to get into Peter Desypris' shoes... I managed to get 2 avis in a cloudy sky and wind gusts of up to 40 km/h...
This picture is also my first try with HDR in Photoshop (2 images to get final result).

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Panstarrs 20130313


Panstarrs
20130313

I was finally able to spot it and captured it with an Iphone & C11 f/10 and 25mm EP projection.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Sun, Earth Moon and Prominence


Solar system to scale!
Moon and Earth distance is around 350 000 km in this picture.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Monster Prom 20130226

click on image for higher resolution

Our lovely planet (scaled) dwarfed by a monster prominence, on Feb. 26th.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Prominence Animation - 20130226



Huge Prominence, on Feb, 26th, between 17:14 and 17:44 UT.
LS60THa + BF1200 + DMK41 + Barlow 2x.
Earth and Sun to scale...

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Moon 20130214@1857UT


Just on time, before the neighbors' chimneys showed all their smokey power.
C11 f/10 + DMK41.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Moon 20130213 @1859UT


C11 @f/10 + DMK41
Feb. 13th, at 18h59UT.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Sun 20130207 @1608UT


One more Sun close up.
LS60THa + BF1200 + Orion Shorty 2x + DMK41.

Sun Prominences at f24 201302071602UT


Background still needs some working on to remove the "stains" due to gamma settings.

LS60THa + BF1200 + DMK41

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Jupiter 20130209-1859 UT


C11 (f/30) + DMK21 + RGB Astronomik IIc
Fair seeing!