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

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)

PANSTARRS 20130317@1933UT

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

Sun 20130317@1625UT

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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).

Sun Full Disc 20130314-1359UT

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Panstarrs 20130313

Panstarrs
20130313

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