C/2012 S1 ISON 20131118@06:10 am

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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.

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 :-)

Sun in Ha animation 20131010-10h58/11h10UT

Sun WL - 20131010

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20131010@09:07UT

FS102NSV @f2/4 (barlow 3x)

DMK41

Lunt 1.25" SW

HDR in CS4 with 4 images.

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20131010@08:59UT

FS102NSV @f/16 (barlow 2x)

DMK41

Lunt 1.25" SW

Sun in Ha - 20131009@10:58UT

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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

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FS102NSV + barlow 2x + DMK41 + Lunt SW 1.25".

Oct. 9th, 2013 @ 12:20 local time.

Sun White Light - 20131008-17h12UT

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The Sun today in white light.

FS102NSV f/8 + DMK41 + Lunt SW 1.25" + ND3 + Ha 6nm, at 17h12UT, close to sunset.

Sun WhiteLight 20131006-15h54UT

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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.

M33 September 2013

 

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M33 - Triangulum Galaxy

52x200", no filters

FS102NSV f/8; ST2000XM selfguided

DDP; levels, curves, unsharp & noiseware

Increasing integration time and using scaled Darks.

M27 & M33 September 13

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full resolution

FS-102NSV f/8; ST2000XM selfguided.

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

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

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.

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 :-)

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

Saturn 20130723@21:13UT

Full Resolution

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

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Aligned, stacked and wavelets in Registax 6.

Lunt LS60THa + DMK41.

Full Disc 20130723@7h16UT

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

Full Disc 20130709@1824UT

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Through high clouds and low transparency :-(

LUNT LS60THa + DMK41.

Processed in laptop monitor...

Sun Full Disc 201307052@19:02UT

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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

Sun Full Disc 20130622@17h51

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

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.

link