tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41809509006921639332024-03-28T11:45:13.299-04:00Transparent to NeutrinosPosts From a Retired ProfessorTomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.comBlogger359125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-44508324003447507462024-03-24T09:19:00.000-04:002024-03-24T09:19:13.271-04:00Comet!<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Galaxies and Glitches</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On March 10th bright comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was located in the constellation Andromeda. By the time the sky darkened about an hour after sunset the comet's altitude above the western horizon was getting lower. Unfortunately, the comet wasn't visible from my usual back yard observing site because my house blocked the view. So my granddaughter and I moved the Seestar telescope to my front porch. We crouched down behind a bush which shielded us from both a streetlight and a strong wind. We were astounded to see how well the comet's image built up during three trial exposures. The best image, shown below, was produced by a 7-minute exposure which shows the bright green head and some of the tail.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBwAOHHbV7syMzY1yFKXqaTDUisP9lDG7kN35BlcYnbI6sRxmm99dGbte987IxpdH2kuAGNSaoX9YRP8Xk6QwhnWvpE3srd6EmkeG6gQERHMFmrKg344LBlgV3TAJR3v1UwhqZEnS0Gj3cga-RyL4V98-JX2WMB2fm4D1NInGYItOHIMlySig_x8UVoE/s960/Comet12P_Pons-Brooks_March10_2024_7Min_Version2_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBwAOHHbV7syMzY1yFKXqaTDUisP9lDG7kN35BlcYnbI6sRxmm99dGbte987IxpdH2kuAGNSaoX9YRP8Xk6QwhnWvpE3srd6EmkeG6gQERHMFmrKg344LBlgV3TAJR3v1UwhqZEnS0Gj3cga-RyL4V98-JX2WMB2fm4D1NInGYItOHIMlySig_x8UVoE/w360-h640/Comet12P_Pons-Brooks_March10_2024_7Min_Version2_HalfSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the best comet image I've ever captured! The next evening on March 11th I tried a longer exposure to reveal more of the dim tail. During a 14-minute exposure the comet moved appreciably relative to stars causing the head to smear out. So the 7-minute exposure above turned out to be best.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Only a brief observing window existed between the time when the sky became dark and the time when the comet set behind a rooftop across the street from my porch. After the comet dropped out of sight each night I took a couple quick images of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, just out of curiosity. On March 10th I pointed toward the galaxy's center and captured the following 7-minute exposure.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIObqv2TFOTCk-wqYYS0R8ViU7ftjvncvzMQ9b6wgY-oeknOhrCHBoMrGhrQi6SbQ2uOxqcCe1fMjVOm9GfBLmOvoFOog4euf8ToCaJAlpKS0YXRLCccpOQho8dnnp35CjJzcwRU_tvzjJDOGM6hvG935Ydfy6jU5Mx9pOLw_dDIuIhyphenhyphen4Ely5qq66AoRc/s960/M%2031_March10_2024_7Min_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIObqv2TFOTCk-wqYYS0R8ViU7ftjvncvzMQ9b6wgY-oeknOhrCHBoMrGhrQi6SbQ2uOxqcCe1fMjVOm9GfBLmOvoFOog4euf8ToCaJAlpKS0YXRLCccpOQho8dnnp35CjJzcwRU_tvzjJDOGM6hvG935Ydfy6jU5Mx9pOLw_dDIuIhyphenhyphen4Ely5qq66AoRc/w360-h640/M%2031_March10_2024_7Min_HalfSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The Andromeda Galaxy is too big to fit within Seestar's field of view. In the image above dark dust lanes are visible. Also, M32, a small companion elliptical galaxy, appears as a fuzzy bright object on the left edge. The following night I aimed slightly below the galaxy's center and took a longer 20-minute exposure to produce the next image.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQsnZ2cRRl502gjU78X0QHRNHl06qcSyLv4fooQLzM62o_XqU5RcLSlqavUpSyxRqP7o1emebwtvyQm4p87yLbgD45hScmLA8XIFsTXDTXFHfCrDTD5fGfhn2u9SJ5GS_nWSY6bDjaG5cAUB10YJ8x51slskcJ2sTQmyWCd6YbwNN6k_fgdL-GP_S5Gs/s960/M%2031_March11_2024_20Min_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQsnZ2cRRl502gjU78X0QHRNHl06qcSyLv4fooQLzM62o_XqU5RcLSlqavUpSyxRqP7o1emebwtvyQm4p87yLbgD45hScmLA8XIFsTXDTXFHfCrDTD5fGfhn2u9SJ5GS_nWSY6bDjaG5cAUB10YJ8x51slskcJ2sTQmyWCd6YbwNN6k_fgdL-GP_S5Gs/w360-h640/M%2031_March11_2024_20Min_HalfSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Some dim details in the galaxy's outer regions are beginning to show in the previous image. I'll have to wait a few months for Andromeda to get higher in the sky before trying for longer exposures. The galaxy's altitude ranged between 21 and 17 degrees for the images above.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Up until March 10th my Seestar had operated flawlessly. For some mysterious reason it would not start up on March 10th when I initially pushed the power button! What the hell?? After several repeated unsuccessful attempts I went to get a screwdriver to open the battery compartment. While I was away my granddaughter pressed the small reset button on the bottom. Apparently, the reset fixed the immediate startup problem because Seestar powered on normally afterward. But now another glitch appeared. The Seestar app on my Android tablet seemed to have trouble connecting to Seestar's internal wifi. The app would say connection had been achieved, but then it contradicted itself when I closed the connection dialog windows. When the dialog windows were closed, the app said it needed to connect with Seestar. This had never happened before! After several connection attempts the app finally acknowledged an established connection, but why in the world would it start misbehaving like this? I always hold the tablet very close to Seestar while connecting, so distance isn't a problem. Fortunately, once a stable connection was made Seestar seemed to operate normally for the remainder of these observing sessions. <br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After capturing M31 on March 11th I eventually moved the telescope from the front porch to it's usual backyard observing position. Anticipating interference from neighbors' spotlights, I installed a newly acquired lens hood and erected some light-blocking barriers around the telescope. As the night progressed it turned out to be one of those rare occasions when no spotlights glared, so precautions were unnecessary. The first image acquired was the following 60-minute exposure of galaxy M51, the "Whirlpool Galaxy". I was surprised to find this 60-minute exposure not much better than a previous 25-minute exposure taken on March 7th. It made me wonder if longer exposures were worth the effort. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oMWFYAqvLcB4y9MNamm68DMrEdrw-AoQDGO6cJYKuyncLSQ2R5jSNr24LAo93AtbFvpj5zGn2hjH58l8QRsCE02YazzJOd_9QlCGKz25OyAFpfC8j6KlgQnptT22F-azsWI1xQnX_tGC0zPQ7ZBHjR_zoRt9RixaccGW_2Yey7b0pfTyvHEcZu7mJ0I/s798/M%2051_March11_2024_60Min_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="698" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oMWFYAqvLcB4y9MNamm68DMrEdrw-AoQDGO6cJYKuyncLSQ2R5jSNr24LAo93AtbFvpj5zGn2hjH58l8QRsCE02YazzJOd_9QlCGKz25OyAFpfC8j6KlgQnptT22F-azsWI1xQnX_tGC0zPQ7ZBHjR_zoRt9RixaccGW_2Yey7b0pfTyvHEcZu7mJ0I/w560-h640/M%2051_March11_2024_60Min_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="560" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 4565, the "Needle Galaxy", in the constellation Comas Berenices was my next target. It showed up nicely in the following 30-minute exposure. A small 14th magnitude galaxy, NGC 4562, sits at the end of a curved string of 5 stars to the right of the brighter galaxy. The separation between the two is about 13.3 arc minutes.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHD_aX181gei6Sb0F4tDZKh9Y8WZ_YhBrdXtvc-hkKDiUsLVxH1S2OhNCpSEIkWeFNLZpTgapmf210e49_4NON_8CuJl0At-rSeRlVUGtrs19PYNi63QD11Ga9WqbWDF25vBkkmWsNSI8gbJj1gWCcsTmgIjq-JK4mbgR0emn4XUPcPMlodCI6pvNRpaI/s960/NGC%204565_March11_2024_30Min_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHD_aX181gei6Sb0F4tDZKh9Y8WZ_YhBrdXtvc-hkKDiUsLVxH1S2OhNCpSEIkWeFNLZpTgapmf210e49_4NON_8CuJl0At-rSeRlVUGtrs19PYNi63QD11Ga9WqbWDF25vBkkmWsNSI8gbJj1gWCcsTmgIjq-JK4mbgR0emn4XUPcPMlodCI6pvNRpaI/w360-h640/NGC%204565_March11_2024_30Min_HalfSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Although I previously captured globular cluster M53 alone on March 7th, I wanted to see if I could include a nearby dim globular cluster together with M53 in the same field of view. The next image is a 30-minute exposure with bright M53 at the top and diffuse NGC 5053 at the bottom. They are separated by 57.7 arc minutes. <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkV1vExDzQaxBgCN5w_UNEWRorf-tmTDWnlRWhC8d58ADp5V_pXN_VnrCpgvqKK7rORt9rcTdztdGGl4gIvCss17Ez-Bi7Chx_fsfmEdwO1aAJg4lOwZ-XMDtIDQ9NbjJrLx2gfimE-zwP4ELeUW6L7252S3_HsOr5m-MpIJ1qIWdqnqM2k557N6r4TY/s1280/M53_NGC5053_March11_2024_30Min_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkV1vExDzQaxBgCN5w_UNEWRorf-tmTDWnlRWhC8d58ADp5V_pXN_VnrCpgvqKK7rORt9rcTdztdGGl4gIvCss17Ez-Bi7Chx_fsfmEdwO1aAJg4lOwZ-XMDtIDQ9NbjJrLx2gfimE-zwP4ELeUW6L7252S3_HsOr5m-MpIJ1qIWdqnqM2k557N6r4TY/w360-h640/M53_NGC5053_March11_2024_30Min_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">My final target for the night was planetary nebula Abell 21, also known as the "Medusa Nebula". I installed the light pollution filter for this object and took the 60-minute exposure shown next. Stars look slightly out of focus. Perhaps I should have engaged the autofocus before starting the exposure. As I've found in other nebular Seestar images, the red color looks disappointingly dull compared to images produced by experts.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U35MbXXgs9m_Be8QadRdNfZxLFE9LQB2D1q4gOBBMaLDgxoHeoVXN7ocEbCOSfbQgcCfXumX8dJE1UZRjujRh10lZ-wahherTBtP9ZNaove8zDUCztMCrbZWb-TyyHgC5L1Yx7zF8FiRItJMjlb1V308hvHw_ubbiIyFTuVFNGDVsidcF84iH_IBc5w/s960/Abell21_NGC2395_March11_2024_60Min_LPFilter_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U35MbXXgs9m_Be8QadRdNfZxLFE9LQB2D1q4gOBBMaLDgxoHeoVXN7ocEbCOSfbQgcCfXumX8dJE1UZRjujRh10lZ-wahherTBtP9ZNaove8zDUCztMCrbZWb-TyyHgC5L1Yx7zF8FiRItJMjlb1V308hvHw_ubbiIyFTuVFNGDVsidcF84iH_IBc5w/w360-h640/Abell21_NGC2395_March11_2024_60Min_LPFilter_HalfSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Observing conditions on March 11th were near perfect - no Moon, no clouds, and all neighbor lights were off. But I'm getting nervous about the increasing number of glitches occurring in Seestar operation.<br /> </span><br /><br /> <br /><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-27438230702999502932024-03-16T12:08:00.000-04:002024-03-16T12:08:06.555-04:00Dodging Clouds<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Dodging Lights</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Contradicting a cloudy forecast, large sky areas were clear on the evening of March 7th. I quickly set up my Seestar to take advantage of moonless conditions. One clear area included the constellation Cancer where two bright open star clusters reside. The Seestar seems to capture these star cluster types better than other celestial targets, so I pointed the small telescope there to begin.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Open star cluster M44, the "Beehive Cluster", is often recommended for observers with binoculars. The Seestar image of M44 shown next captures the pretty collection of stars with only a 3-minute exposure.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDTKFa5EjILUgMkNbqrW6wplFt-9WEp_8mFnKz5FukVon3QYDdHQQzYw20Q-nVN-Ejzuh45k94KWMKT7rUQhlSllkgHLFIWoEqctfatps_nsje7NiAMXVKqpb0z-BkimaiEV5X8Q9SN3lYHu9g5mFXcS3n62fBaUHFM_4K2o4_L4NUUY0A1VJA6LbJwo/s1920/M44_March7_2024_3Min.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDTKFa5EjILUgMkNbqrW6wplFt-9WEp_8mFnKz5FukVon3QYDdHQQzYw20Q-nVN-Ejzuh45k94KWMKT7rUQhlSllkgHLFIWoEqctfatps_nsje7NiAMXVKqpb0z-BkimaiEV5X8Q9SN3lYHu9g5mFXcS3n62fBaUHFM_4K2o4_L4NUUY0A1VJA6LbJwo/w360-h640/M44_March7_2024_3Min.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">M67, the second prominent open cluster in Cancer, is familiar to me from my variable star monitoring days at Randolph College's Winfree Observatory. </span><span style="font-size: medium;">M67 contains a sequence of standard stars used to calibrate photometric measurements.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Within M67 is a closely spaced group of stars resembling a tiny dipper with handle. Can you see the small 9-star dipper-like feature just right of center in the next image, a 6-minute exposure? <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on the image to enlarge.)<br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5ObtGhJqmWdOJC2ytNnVRG9o2zAv30uVAa-h8odDzEGn7S_-60WRRPtj0BHqjhBzRgURXrTRJEquCpZMMho7uID0iDEyEnFtkrszDbN8urgk25MOS47Yp2oTRihERKU-WHx7laCdjvHmeVpDPK8NqNa0DIyu5JdGBGLfnIIQ1UfEsdgSno7k7skAO84/s1920/M67_March7_2024_6Min_NoiseRemoval.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5ObtGhJqmWdOJC2ytNnVRG9o2zAv30uVAa-h8odDzEGn7S_-60WRRPtj0BHqjhBzRgURXrTRJEquCpZMMho7uID0iDEyEnFtkrszDbN8urgk25MOS47Yp2oTRihERKU-WHx7laCdjvHmeVpDPK8NqNa0DIyu5JdGBGLfnIIQ1UfEsdgSno7k7skAO84/w360-h640/M67_March7_2024_6Min_NoiseRemoval.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Moving away from Cancer, I continued to search for targets in cloud-free regions. Next was a pair of dim galaxies in neighboring constellation Leo. In the next image Galaxy NGC 3507 is the 11th magnitude spiral galaxy on the left, and NGC 3501 is a dimmer 13.6 magnitude edge-on spiral galaxy about 12.6 arc minutes to the right of NGC 3507. A 62-minute exposure was needed to show this dim pair.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61FTG96XtRH6zAwULDiQEgQ4boOnZ8_20aOXYZCWR8AORH86uTG_F9Y3vToa_Csm7dPPVqPcnuf2mgRuw3EyXBnZDXsqAM42fvoXeCRTGKmRucKXaRvT9Xrs1qZueEmWRfYKBOZqx05j_llV6NabsezFZzLZBVU3lvLJz1yNtlpxhJTAEP3IMfXPZFm0/s890/NGC3501_3507_March7_2024_62Min_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61FTG96XtRH6zAwULDiQEgQ4boOnZ8_20aOXYZCWR8AORH86uTG_F9Y3vToa_Csm7dPPVqPcnuf2mgRuw3EyXBnZDXsqAM42fvoXeCRTGKmRucKXaRvT9Xrs1qZueEmWRfYKBOZqx05j_llV6NabsezFZzLZBVU3lvLJz1yNtlpxhJTAEP3IMfXPZFm0/w368-h640/NGC3501_3507_March7_2024_62Min_HalfSize.jpg" width="368" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's hard to predict how troublesome neighbors' outdoor spotlights will be for astrophotography on any given night. March 7th was not a good night because four out of five possible offending spotlights were randomly turning on and off during my observing session. These lights shine directly on my telescopes. The Seestar is so close to the ground that I can block some glaring light by erecting barriers around the telescope, but it's a constant battle. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Next, I moved north where clouds approaching from the west had not yet covered Ursa Major. My exposure of the famous "Whirlpool Galaxy", M51, was cut short because clouds did eventually move closer. The next image shows the resulting 25-minute exposure. I hope to try a longer exposure in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7kTBtQWfW5MtPFb5d0dyUsabQjNPpQxZkDreG2BS31wze6ZezyjSP2xXvotwf9DOg8wGmROPNLx2kRVoZ5FqUNktHT9t4qpDStk9eazTqNnxzhMQ7lnNMVrcOk4uo0xfP4KLT5lt9gxQZXH5ohGJapfyLWY4_5w5pehm5IrYbelY6KyxbewKfWQ1yag/s624/M51_March7_2024_25Min_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7kTBtQWfW5MtPFb5d0dyUsabQjNPpQxZkDreG2BS31wze6ZezyjSP2xXvotwf9DOg8wGmROPNLx2kRVoZ5FqUNktHT9t4qpDStk9eazTqNnxzhMQ7lnNMVrcOk4uo0xfP4KLT5lt9gxQZXH5ohGJapfyLWY4_5w5pehm5IrYbelY6KyxbewKfWQ1yag/s16000/M51_March7_2024_25Min_HalfSize.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Hazy clouds began appearing across most of the sky as I moved to one remaining clear area in Coma Berenices where globular cluster M53 looked like a promising target. Clouds began to interfere even here in this last clear area, so I was forced to settle for the 15-minute exposure shown in the next image. <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w8vPevAW_6aiCtP7DT9B4DYk_dog-XhXkGMT_wbbUtiA1gIjxKA2qq0mjAZF7Dja2DzsiAPCXHa0irSF-KI0sTdM4v84wTBdkzj6tRLeFloLGIOAvEaJzPDUZRd_esGVKpSyqqciJvdF39jD6P6xHnaPL39VR3ji0fwnWXxVCOyL8ayrpPNdVBASlQE/s912/M53_March7_2024_15Min_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="732" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w8vPevAW_6aiCtP7DT9B4DYk_dog-XhXkGMT_wbbUtiA1gIjxKA2qq0mjAZF7Dja2DzsiAPCXHa0irSF-KI0sTdM4v84wTBdkzj6tRLeFloLGIOAvEaJzPDUZRd_esGVKpSyqqciJvdF39jD6P6xHnaPL39VR3ji0fwnWXxVCOyL8ayrpPNdVBASlQE/w514-h640/M53_March7_2024_15Min_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Because the Seestar is so easy to use and set up I managed to get five decent images this night in spite of dodging clouds and lights. </span><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <br /> </span> <br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-37923488603434832332024-03-08T08:40:00.000-05:002024-03-08T08:40:45.839-05:00Gaining Experience<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Seestar Limitations</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although it was clear on February 19th, an unfortunate 83-percent illuminated gibbous Moon significantly brightened the sky. Because cloudy conditions were forecast for many future days I took this opportunity to use my new Seestar automated telescope in spite of natural lunar light pollution.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Horsehead and Flame Nebulas were well placed near the meridian. I employed a light pollution filter and captured a stacked image equivalent to a 92-minute single exposure. The resulting imperfect image was framed nicely as you can see below.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m-9qLEShNEwKUCkkfUZaiwdFn_CCHQvx32Hk4jMubTURdNZSEy82J7pShxfI-NZklw8SVYAddMLCm-eRgMtDVwJV_XJiTJmfYS3lDKjKFXigidsN0tWnU776YNa98e7udi5c1lmphVXJ646-xehgu1MypKHco1OhMPUttCC904NYJuksi5Ts_CMXAYI/s960/IC%20434_JPEG_Feb19_2024_92Min_10Sec_Cleaned_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m-9qLEShNEwKUCkkfUZaiwdFn_CCHQvx32Hk4jMubTURdNZSEy82J7pShxfI-NZklw8SVYAddMLCm-eRgMtDVwJV_XJiTJmfYS3lDKjKFXigidsN0tWnU776YNa98e7udi5c1lmphVXJ646-xehgu1MypKHco1OhMPUttCC904NYJuksi5Ts_CMXAYI/w360-h640/IC%20434_JPEG_Feb19_2024_92Min_10Sec_Cleaned_HalfSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">At some point during the 92-minute exposure a neighbor's spotlight was turned on and glared directly onto the telescope from the side. The combined effect of moonlight and spotlight left a diagonal brightness band running from upper left to lower right across the image. Clearly, it makes no sense to attempt long exposures of dim nebulae on moonlit nights! Thus ends lesson number one. It would also help to have an extended lens hood to block some surrounding neighborhood light. I've ordered a lens hood for the Seestar.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Even though moonlight brightened the sky, clouds remained absent. I thought bright stars might be more appropriate targets. I was curious to see how certain red stars would show up in Seestar images. The next disappointing image is a 5-minute exposure of the pulsating semi-regular variable star, Y Canum Venaticorum, also known as "La Superba". It is supposed to be one of the reddest stars in the sky, but, as you can see, it looks more yellowish/orange than red.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge90RDaBk1K-MOspSx-Gder54jrfi54QpYX-AKoZInBZhxtAI36Fs8i1amfEt-6j7VofCIYyuzP3EHgnwKbIAUSCcRbVZx6ifADBlEqIK9VFc2XjMW6YAhs1CYLa8HIrp93X40uPDpCNl2BUKKustclFfVJSHIWJptpRWHesAIRWGVBHT9fG6y2UqbyDQ/s960/Y%20Canum%20Venaticorum_Feb19_2024_5Min_10Sec_BackEx_Stretched_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge90RDaBk1K-MOspSx-Gder54jrfi54QpYX-AKoZInBZhxtAI36Fs8i1amfEt-6j7VofCIYyuzP3EHgnwKbIAUSCcRbVZx6ifADBlEqIK9VFc2XjMW6YAhs1CYLa8HIrp93X40uPDpCNl2BUKKustclFfVJSHIWJptpRWHesAIRWGVBHT9fG6y2UqbyDQ/w360-h640/Y%20Canum%20Venaticorum_Feb19_2024_5Min_10Sec_BackEx_Stretched_HalfSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Actually, only the outer halo of the star is yellow/orange in the picture above. The central part is overexposed into a white color because red, green, and blue pixels all have the same overexposed maximum value. This was lesson number two: try shorter exposures to reveal more color in bright stars. I'd like to try capturing other red stars by trying shorter exposures and trying dimmer candidates than "La Superba".</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Cloudy days drearily persisted until a very brief one hour window opened in late afternoon on February 25th. An enormous sunspot had been growing on the Sun, and I was hoping to get at least one image. I quickly set up the Seestar and managed to record one decent 90-second AVI video clip of the Sun before it dropped below a neighbor's roof. The next image is a stack of 100 frames from a 1,080 frame video. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQkZ2qEbjYwBHBbMvbC12z2uQ7xMfC96CFthNIhjkYORecuXSssncs3I7illCSGgVnTqRNBv8-NUcPHihiwZA1Tej_9it5HlDL_IMN99G8WhWMVZv8CJsYlOVUdSRR4phZYVLJrEHLwnK7eZz77lbbOq16D1bX5mN4ALbGYF58uuo-C38hGU_m-ywrrU/s975/Sun_GiantSpot3590_Feb25_2025.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="966" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQkZ2qEbjYwBHBbMvbC12z2uQ7xMfC96CFthNIhjkYORecuXSssncs3I7illCSGgVnTqRNBv8-NUcPHihiwZA1Tej_9it5HlDL_IMN99G8WhWMVZv8CJsYlOVUdSRR4phZYVLJrEHLwnK7eZz77lbbOq16D1bX5mN4ALbGYF58uuo-C38hGU_m-ywrrU/w634-h640/Sun_GiantSpot3590_Feb25_2025.jpg" width="634" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Giant sunspot 3590 is above center. It produced several powerful solar flares in the days before this picture was taken. It would have been a great target for my dedicated hydrogen-alpha solar telescope, but clouds made imaging impossible. Five smaller sunspots can also be seen. Arranged diagonally down in order from top to bottom on the left are sunspots 3595, 3594, 3592, and 3591. Sunspot 3586 is about to rotate out of sight near the limb on the upper right.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A Seestar software update provided new magnification options for solar imaging. I tried recording a video using the new 2X magnification, but found the final processed image disappointing. There was no increase in detail, just a slightly bigger overall image. The default 1X magnification gave a more pleasing image. So final lesson number three was to ignore magnifications higher than the 1X default. Now I'm settling in for another extended period of clouds. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span> <br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-83177386795047982412024-02-29T09:09:00.000-05:002024-02-29T09:09:15.651-05:00Nebulas And a Comet<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Cosmic Variety</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After three clear nights in a row I wondered how much longer good conditions could last. Incredibly, one more excellent night followed on February 6th, making four(!) consecutive cloudless nights. Once again I quickly set up my Seestar 50 to take advantage of dark, moonless skies.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The first target on February 6th was planetary nebula M76 in Perseus. Thirty minutes of stacked exposures yielded the following image.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlBKKo4tApuyPUJpiV3kPm295r_icfKA7_EjWg5irlB0uPMyMaYm7x236Ov6Un86aCkoDKJXUOvepg2CS59zYMevXiNrBhjn-yOJ1Xx8SPGXrlxCD5buUBq_6KQqszF5y6H3E9N0DogehxBh4h-4VXVXyxWsUWsMv_yWOi3ZrEINy0kB0RfwIKefSl5A/s1013/M76_Feb6_2024_30Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1013" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlBKKo4tApuyPUJpiV3kPm295r_icfKA7_EjWg5irlB0uPMyMaYm7x236Ov6Un86aCkoDKJXUOvepg2CS59zYMevXiNrBhjn-yOJ1Xx8SPGXrlxCD5buUBq_6KQqszF5y6H3E9N0DogehxBh4h-4VXVXyxWsUWsMv_yWOi3ZrEINy0kB0RfwIKefSl5A/w640-h413/M76_Feb6_2024_30Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Also in Perseus is white reflection nebula IC 348. This nebula didn't show very dramatically in a 30-minute exposure. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqoCp2Z_7FWWa_jfqFe7hxpIA_ZWtvpKbU0VnD1JTnSywF3XNp7IG5oiVFrI3nxJwPF6JQxd3hI2O40MmsQFnlDFPsnw2aMJH2uZF4F-Sxu1OI1xL1rTt4cN6OiSohzDNnbX1Kkevr4luvQkr4Q12XWQFxrB4_Eg9ubA2rMf2pJUsF3TD9xAgT3cEDwo/s640/IC%20348_Feb6_2024_30Min_Seestar_Enhanced_OneThirdSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqoCp2Z_7FWWa_jfqFe7hxpIA_ZWtvpKbU0VnD1JTnSywF3XNp7IG5oiVFrI3nxJwPF6JQxd3hI2O40MmsQFnlDFPsnw2aMJH2uZF4F-Sxu1OI1xL1rTt4cN6OiSohzDNnbX1Kkevr4luvQkr4Q12XWQFxrB4_Eg9ubA2rMf2pJUsF3TD9xAgT3cEDwo/s16000/IC%20348_Feb6_2024_30Min_Seestar_Enhanced_OneThirdSize.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">On the previous night my Cone Nebula exposure time was cut short at 30 minutes. This time I stacked 90 minutes of 10-second exposures and got the following image.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5VX8aAEZ_-CAPlm3ZeLjD3vFSMeBYYRwrI21aYxGqRyphZSTp3tI3yaumBLzXZLUAw6uWf2ct5AeEbcgqDkyTmNnZ8UaPBxWovKmxUP5f9d1Pe772ns_yII4g-H7lSIr9_Iytr17ZDqJtQhqH6hyphenhyphen5JmkNI4Sq0l4Z0LKBSY_E-GReKP40tpjjnL61bI/s960/NGC2264_ConeNebula_90Min_Feb6_2024_Tablet_Color_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5VX8aAEZ_-CAPlm3ZeLjD3vFSMeBYYRwrI21aYxGqRyphZSTp3tI3yaumBLzXZLUAw6uWf2ct5AeEbcgqDkyTmNnZ8UaPBxWovKmxUP5f9d1Pe772ns_yII4g-H7lSIr9_Iytr17ZDqJtQhqH6hyphenhyphen5JmkNI4Sq0l4Z0LKBSY_E-GReKP40tpjjnL61bI/s16000/NGC2264_ConeNebula_90Min_Feb6_2024_Tablet_Color_HalfSize.jpg" /></a></div></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The dark Cone Nebula, visible on the left, has a disappointing dull red nebulosity color. Maybe I should have employed the light pollution filter.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The period of absolutely clear evening weather finally ended on February 7th. Near dawn on February 8th, however, I looked from my bedroom window and noticed Scorpius rising in clear sky to the southeast. Comet PanSTARRS (C/2021 S3) was in the neighborhood of Scorpius' brightest star, Antares, and was predicted to pass near some globular clusters. In the past I would never have had the energy to haul out my complicated astrophotography equipment at 4:30 am, but the Seestar was outside in one quick trip and ready to image in 10 minutes. The following 5-minute exposure shows the comet (top) in the same field of view as globular cluster NGC 6287 (bottom). There's a dark obscuring galactic dust cloud between the two.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzULOaUIs4fyVov6HEkua439hqjII8oKY5QKGSov6qZKlqeKSgbrwTIWlmh9WI7K3n6iRGf_S0PQOo3sFw0bisK8w-SOZ7tjhwTeZOVFkSyfK2c7v3nh5ZgyP4W5tU2P1aFDMgAilrcW8ZEeSDKrNxtg0fCT2FF7yvsCCrAgMDu5vDlOkuXpD2gLnqh1o/s652/CometPanSTARRSc2021_s3_NGC6287_Feb8_2024_5Min_Tablet_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzULOaUIs4fyVov6HEkua439hqjII8oKY5QKGSov6qZKlqeKSgbrwTIWlmh9WI7K3n6iRGf_S0PQOo3sFw0bisK8w-SOZ7tjhwTeZOVFkSyfK2c7v3nh5ZgyP4W5tU2P1aFDMgAilrcW8ZEeSDKrNxtg0fCT2FF7yvsCCrAgMDu5vDlOkuXpD2gLnqh1o/s16000/CometPanSTARRSc2021_s3_NGC6287_Feb8_2024_5Min_Tablet_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The comet was disappointingly small. It's fuzzy tail and coma are just visible but not prominent. I thought a longer exposure would reveal more. Unfortunately, the comet moves appreciably relative to background stars, so a longer exposure smeared the comet out. Check out the elongated comet nucleus in the following 13-minute exposure.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3BpV2lNP2ILzAemVh4L1Mjhl1L1yedBAmUIKv-hymj35NPN3cX55NZHQcal7YkPg3ICc9qJDWrbR-piRPlJ-u5c1ExkxUXbgTdocfv8SXpq2ILMOsecOHf-6LubtZ-snGmQ2rbGInieAfSPj8tX0lIkMugNB4DUXEt5EmA0tsSLxjaxfkVzIP5VUxOc/s670/CometPanSTARRSc2021_s3_NGC6287_Feb8_2024_13Min_Tablet_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3BpV2lNP2ILzAemVh4L1Mjhl1L1yedBAmUIKv-hymj35NPN3cX55NZHQcal7YkPg3ICc9qJDWrbR-piRPlJ-u5c1ExkxUXbgTdocfv8SXpq2ILMOsecOHf-6LubtZ-snGmQ2rbGInieAfSPj8tX0lIkMugNB4DUXEt5EmA0tsSLxjaxfkVzIP5VUxOc/s16000/CometPanSTARRSc2021_s3_NGC6287_Feb8_2024_13Min_Tablet_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As long as I was outside before dawn I looked for another target. Globular cluster M80 in Scorpius was a good possibility. As clouds began drifting in I took a 5-minute exposure of M80 shown next.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvOz7dlouruShN5F6mh-jF8ldK4yvD9qHf_6iV81-Izf60ajfdcgYBPCbe4SaGVwedILt0Yg3FMqZZK31QuVMQqoBirf6u5b0WQSsygRUKoQztCpHx-Wmb5kAZ-FAqAx6fk787gKGPg6VgtMDnLrcgrSdgNUZbMx9IfhZMHlu-ncRHjUGsNrifNww0Uc/s841/M80_Feb8_2024_5Min_Tablet_Enhanced_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="668" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvOz7dlouruShN5F6mh-jF8ldK4yvD9qHf_6iV81-Izf60ajfdcgYBPCbe4SaGVwedILt0Yg3FMqZZK31QuVMQqoBirf6u5b0WQSsygRUKoQztCpHx-Wmb5kAZ-FAqAx6fk787gKGPg6VgtMDnLrcgrSdgNUZbMx9IfhZMHlu-ncRHjUGsNrifNww0Uc/w508-h640/M80_Feb8_2024_5Min_Tablet_Enhanced_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="508" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, my good luck streak ended as clouds and haze began filling the sky. Cloudy weather and moonlit sky will interfere with imaging for at least the next two weeks.</span><br /><br /><br /> <br /><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-71116782640611202942024-02-21T11:38:00.000-05:002024-02-21T11:38:30.500-05:00Clear Skies Continue<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">More Seestar Pics</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The unusual run of clear skies in early February gave more opportunities to use my new Seestar 50. Added to good fortune was a lucky absence of neighboring spotlights shining into my back yard.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On February 4th my first target was open cluster NGC 457 in Cassiopeia. This cluster, also know as the "Owl Cluster" or, "ET Cluster", has two bright stars that look like eyes. Other cluster stars can be interpreted as a body with extended arms. This image was made from stacking 10 minutes of 10-second exposures.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEdK6FjjlUcpoaUkUp98DsDrkrogqDQsfUmmejDq-FFOXjsrW5IqODvB5OLurCo-1Y1sMKJDT-eYgzxNkSV_q8HwJCHcvrnyOedSBcMnLwu2162KU7jEKXjdfzyE80Zp2QK4efsTIljNXw009-m1oMqJ7HN9nttLepHwzdbLe-qXwk4bFO35GPcjfHZA/s1044/NGC%20457_Feb4_2024_10Min_Seestar_Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1044" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEdK6FjjlUcpoaUkUp98DsDrkrogqDQsfUmmejDq-FFOXjsrW5IqODvB5OLurCo-1Y1sMKJDT-eYgzxNkSV_q8HwJCHcvrnyOedSBcMnLwu2162KU7jEKXjdfzyE80Zp2QK4efsTIljNXw009-m1oMqJ7HN9nttLepHwzdbLe-qXwk4bFO35GPcjfHZA/w640-h454/NGC%20457_Feb4_2024_10Min_Seestar_Enhanced.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">While searching for targets in Ursa Major I noticed a few close galaxy pairs. The galaxies I chose to image turned out to be small and dim. Tenth magnitude galaxies NGC 3729 and NGC 3718 are about 12 arc minutes apart. Although the next picture was made from a 60-minute stack of 10-second exposures, it doesn't reveal many fine details. (NGC 3718 is the galaxy on top.) If you look closely, you can see another tiny galaxy smudge to the lower right of NGC 3718. This is 15th magnitude galaxy PGC 35620, an unexpected addition to the scene.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFAbQN7P0KmcwcSCDcke8X2PkVMgoJ0Z-R8nDNRShOiI1l32_QAiFs2kXfACM252gBeERKwBq_gbDopOR6lYqkKi-9Ymrgo45nZHUJkbXgKS65JK_370xLaGRTaXSiexwZpW_oQJaaZaXbTYwjlDRHfLUWufL5en-QnjPfJKdIR1NsGyL9uDONTh11xE/s989/NGC3729_3718_Feb4_2024_60Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="989" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFAbQN7P0KmcwcSCDcke8X2PkVMgoJ0Z-R8nDNRShOiI1l32_QAiFs2kXfACM252gBeERKwBq_gbDopOR6lYqkKi-9Ymrgo45nZHUJkbXgKS65JK_370xLaGRTaXSiexwZpW_oQJaaZaXbTYwjlDRHfLUWufL5en-QnjPfJKdIR1NsGyL9uDONTh11xE/w640-h420/NGC3729_3718_Feb4_2024_60Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I tried one other Ursa Major galaxy pair, NGC 3756 and NGC 3738. These 11th magnitude galaxies are separated by about 16 arc minutes. NGC 3756 is the lower member of the pair shown in the following 50-minute stack of 10-second exposures. Once again, a small bonus 15th magnitude galaxy, PGC 35799, can be seen in the upper left corner.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAWXxR5LPLvDJ0M_TJLGdNgOnllgaqATSPA115Htp09nf8vKE_ObFxayFiY9yzb5EayxRQvIAviMh1-yDmxtTtKepCKChnQtlmD8A-NYaghpETEqvhgx5e3WtkE731h9RpDzuzk0xBUKjUJd2ou2rO3XTJXJrLs4tCm1WrCcGoL4_2kVt0HvT5b-bol0/s986/Ngc3756_3738_Feb4_2024_50Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="986" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAWXxR5LPLvDJ0M_TJLGdNgOnllgaqATSPA115Htp09nf8vKE_ObFxayFiY9yzb5EayxRQvIAviMh1-yDmxtTtKepCKChnQtlmD8A-NYaghpETEqvhgx5e3WtkE731h9RpDzuzk0xBUKjUJd2ou2rO3XTJXJrLs4tCm1WrCcGoL4_2kVt0HvT5b-bol0/w640-h522/Ngc3756_3738_Feb4_2024_50Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">February 5th was another clear day and night. During the day large sunspot 3576 had rotated into visibility on the left side of the Sun as you can see in the next picture made by stacking 100 frames from a thousand-frame video.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEewEqn57yAtMF8aXQtBCADGyCkUC4nWKIWg_HN7QFAktF8oF_7dBsmhsEadh2j5ltu2vkECgsSbXoJQQqCOqYr_fSoIYYjaYYTlgE0z-TXqvfaWwvZRrJVfJSWzRC8wBiLfC5IrVfMNkpWcJK86lN95n0g0i2yokd4radX0bWtza21meWuE68XU5u5Fw/s1095/Sun_Feb5_2024_Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEewEqn57yAtMF8aXQtBCADGyCkUC4nWKIWg_HN7QFAktF8oF_7dBsmhsEadh2j5ltu2vkECgsSbXoJQQqCOqYr_fSoIYYjaYYTlgE0z-TXqvfaWwvZRrJVfJSWzRC8wBiLfC5IrVfMNkpWcJK86lN95n0g0i2yokd4radX0bWtza21meWuE68XU5u5Fw/w632-h640/Sun_Feb5_2024_Enhanced.jpg" width="632" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After looking at small dim galaxies on the previous night, I decided to capture a bigger, brighter galaxy on February 5th. I stacked 80 minutes of 10-second exposures to produce the next image of galaxy M33, the Pinwheel Galaxy in Triangulum.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXyamMLZGFbBjK6sDC0gXmWuylFogeLFIrb4b6ZKnrSJxtcRm03dwzkqCM0A7vAJEWKHUX0YDMZccxWIiOhvLqL27cB5zNkloZFlLFYfOfs6IOJorDJszNUiVKuXFR4dGjXE3TjkdEpMY31J6dQrSufcFsFPjlE3WCotrWW6H4pi6pS1Ac9KargJppCk/s652/M%2033_Feb5_2024_80Min_Seestar_Enhanced2_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXyamMLZGFbBjK6sDC0gXmWuylFogeLFIrb4b6ZKnrSJxtcRm03dwzkqCM0A7vAJEWKHUX0YDMZccxWIiOhvLqL27cB5zNkloZFlLFYfOfs6IOJorDJszNUiVKuXFR4dGjXE3TjkdEpMY31J6dQrSufcFsFPjlE3WCotrWW6H4pi6pS1Ac9KargJppCk/s16000/M%2033_Feb5_2024_80Min_Seestar_Enhanced2_HalfSize.jpg" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Flame Nebula is near belt star Alnitak in Orion. I engaged the light pollution filter to record the following 30-minute stack of 10-second exposures.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q1YYhW66KCgGhBDeOT9uS3TOE6Gvpjm-qBt04YuKorgsskmHbASr8noC11nppYf2WqMpBj7KvEuOBT-wmoHdh5ORvjelffoxJaNbvDzU8uK0mbJJaCqBUZ5wEf4zkiKSnWX97l9Lh6TQJJ1OgBzFNChDZMTvRL-B_MXaBnI-IOjFB7Dd3QPeTisEu8s/s1218/NGC%202024_FlameNebula_Feb5_2024_30Min_LPFilter_Enhanced_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="626" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q1YYhW66KCgGhBDeOT9uS3TOE6Gvpjm-qBt04YuKorgsskmHbASr8noC11nppYf2WqMpBj7KvEuOBT-wmoHdh5ORvjelffoxJaNbvDzU8uK0mbJJaCqBUZ5wEf4zkiKSnWX97l9Lh6TQJJ1OgBzFNChDZMTvRL-B_MXaBnI-IOjFB7Dd3QPeTisEu8s/w328-h640/NGC%202024_FlameNebula_Feb5_2024_30Min_LPFilter_Enhanced_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="328" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The final target on February 5th was the Cone Nebula in Monoceros. I removed the light pollution filter and obtained 30 minutes worth of 10-second exposures. Some thin clouds moved in towards the end of the 30-minute capture, so I cut the exposure short. The dark Cone Nebula is beginning to become visible on the left of the next image. A white reflection nebula below the brightest star also shows up well.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWh8eON3W7AygWJ8qmJOPm0oUAdSZEIH20DDd078NEnRmGaCZC36tXoK60_siqgg5vItmpzZmKTI_0ungBQwDLN7sARHxPJnQlc2jHUA9Y0N1uJHGFGgwwYQnezeKUu-fSV3nAaphB1CtFFDn0CyP1g34CD346oW3SCLdn0zSFL5Cn1xBbtp6Hduv14I/s960/NGC2264_ConeNebula_Feb5_2024_30Min_Tablet_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWh8eON3W7AygWJ8qmJOPm0oUAdSZEIH20DDd078NEnRmGaCZC36tXoK60_siqgg5vItmpzZmKTI_0ungBQwDLN7sARHxPJnQlc2jHUA9Y0N1uJHGFGgwwYQnezeKUu-fSV3nAaphB1CtFFDn0CyP1g34CD346oW3SCLdn0zSFL5Cn1xBbtp6Hduv14I/w360-h640/NGC2264_ConeNebula_Feb5_2024_30Min_Tablet_HalfSize.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">At this point I had been blessed with three consecutive clear nights and three consecutive bedtimes after midnight. I'm not used to this level of good conditions. Could it last for another day? </span><br /><br /><br /> <br /><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-87838374202477958642024-02-13T15:24:00.001-05:002024-02-20T11:47:52.226-05:00Roaming the Night Sky<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Learning to Use Seestar</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">An unusual number of clear, moonless nights in early February were a great opportunity to get more familiar with my new Seestar 50 automated telescope. It's so easy to carry it outside and begin observing after only 10 minutes of prep time!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On February 3rd I first targeted the famous Horsehead Nebula (IC 434) near the star Alnitak in Orion's belt. A recent firmware update now enables Seestar to take 20 or 30-second exposures in addition to the original 10-second option. So I tried using 20-second exposures for capturing the Horsehead. Image capture began successfully, but eventually stopped after running for 18 minutes. Apparently, tracking errors during 20-second exposures were too great to continue acceptable stacking. I employed the onboard light pollution filter which passes red hydrogen light. In spite of less accumulated exposure time than planned, the 18-minute result was reasonably nice.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLklu-dcKHYm0SCbh405gMaMzkLVwgsVbtE5f-djvPicnZ8z27M_fk2MEM73ge4abRBO4y40eyqpQJiRtkJau39ihRoe0r8yoAty2ywXM8JnOp2ZoCNd4rBnYp-Cy5_gAo9qm7nX4W_9aU4S6e84OVMgQORSf3wOfMdemp2bVHS0lNcCT97uoRzTJPS4/s901/IC434_Horsehead_Feb3_2024_18Min_LPFilter_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLklu-dcKHYm0SCbh405gMaMzkLVwgsVbtE5f-djvPicnZ8z27M_fk2MEM73ge4abRBO4y40eyqpQJiRtkJau39ihRoe0r8yoAty2ywXM8JnOp2ZoCNd4rBnYp-Cy5_gAo9qm7nX4W_9aU4S6e84OVMgQORSf3wOfMdemp2bVHS0lNcCT97uoRzTJPS4/s16000/IC434_Horsehead_Feb3_2024_18Min_LPFilter_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I still have a lot to learn about image processing, however, because the previous image isn't as dramatically bright as I'd like. The red color is dull.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For the rest of the evening I reverted to the usual 10-second Seestar individual exposure times. Open star cluster M41 in Canis Major was my next target. The telescope tracked well and produced the next image after only 10 minutes of adding 10-second exposures.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8kvWDcWjCppvSaRtxqO-RjhbSEW-wyFpt_M3mz9nIukRPFQBSPrIpEn53Al00JrAEPA7SH8cxvH6dEN3HHKjaClS-BlaYI2cq-sLkcb5dPOJyZnMcad6XsUmcW-pbFCuhKFa6taLZEnJ82w3WLILW-9HDSmGZA9zmf8ZZywkz3T3ZdzTEsuYf2Gb5s4/s1422/M41_Feb3_2024_10Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1077" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8kvWDcWjCppvSaRtxqO-RjhbSEW-wyFpt_M3mz9nIukRPFQBSPrIpEn53Al00JrAEPA7SH8cxvH6dEN3HHKjaClS-BlaYI2cq-sLkcb5dPOJyZnMcad6XsUmcW-pbFCuhKFa6taLZEnJ82w3WLILW-9HDSmGZA9zmf8ZZywkz3T3ZdzTEsuYf2Gb5s4/w485-h640/M41_Feb3_2024_10Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" width="485" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Open cluster M46 in the constellation Puppis is an interesting object because planetary nebula NGC 2438 is included in the field of view. You can see the little green nebula to the left of M46 in the following image obtained by stacking 10-second exposures for 25 minutes. The planetary nebula is a foreground object lying along the line of sight to the cluster. It isn't actually part of the star cluster. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4G_JYlWmeznC-3NmQWcBiFAptlc9qZR-SFQdihAAs6ZYPgG6zmo4BSQA_zWkxKNxRJ4coaH95IZ04lglKuc-UKnK38BJXktjtbZ8GDo5VN0yGTyGBVfZxcmBx23aOhnzUTkGxRssvopddTKfKvaTRiUy4ppGAS-UZRNiHqoBD3RqwDHJwdTQ7g7cGGLs/s1078/M46_Feb3_2024_25Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1078" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4G_JYlWmeznC-3NmQWcBiFAptlc9qZR-SFQdihAAs6ZYPgG6zmo4BSQA_zWkxKNxRJ4coaH95IZ04lglKuc-UKnK38BJXktjtbZ8GDo5VN0yGTyGBVfZxcmBx23aOhnzUTkGxRssvopddTKfKvaTRiUy4ppGAS-UZRNiHqoBD3RqwDHJwdTQ7g7cGGLs/w640-h612/M46_Feb3_2024_25Min_Tablet_Enhanced.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">While seated comfortably inside my warm house I commanded Seestar to point to galaxy M81 in Ursa Major. This time I centered the galaxy instead of placing it on the edge of the field of view as I had done in a previous attempt. The northern celestial location of M81 diminished guiding errors during the 68-minute accumulated exposure time that produced the next image.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPg7oMxtoaXQUlN8czWmGlHFDaayaHtU46PdE3xI0UhHJh1qhql3KPFFpuT8QQMq1_rVfaxosuh4XGkPFpbbGZdCNQBPfFLwYQOvJZRbxdZ5MwcM6JXyPu_Og9NPJAzqhBQHoLBM8QyHN0cZ3NBQkT5YI25_80m3LLVcsAbqkQWbwMntCauZzGl4S0x4/s657/M81_Feb3_2024_68Min_Tablet_Enhanced_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="657" height="521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPg7oMxtoaXQUlN8czWmGlHFDaayaHtU46PdE3xI0UhHJh1qhql3KPFFpuT8QQMq1_rVfaxosuh4XGkPFpbbGZdCNQBPfFLwYQOvJZRbxdZ5MwcM6JXyPu_Og9NPJAzqhBQHoLBM8QyHN0cZ3NBQkT5YI25_80m3LLVcsAbqkQWbwMntCauZzGl4S0x4/w640-h521/M81_Feb3_2024_68Min_Tablet_Enhanced_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Owl Nebula, M97, is also located in Ursa Major. This planetary nebula was my next northerly target. Stacking 60 minutes worth of 10-second exposures gave the following image.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZ3rJ_4ZRktDXnEHY7f8HHA_VGbBz7pkLU1a1V1R3W6Xt2m-q5WUjJKPeEkJWDHMCv9xRzxkREtHWuF1kytUAL-bVYJzIZfpdYIyQbe2KLRLZUG5LUXYf1YOOejDBgWaeZoYpsNTH-_f-mWHVcrCOoPVAqIVkNomeF9bBOVhPrL-q_5-I0qGPIldNYDE/s800/M97_Feb3_2024_60Min_Tablet_Enhanced_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="664" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZ3rJ_4ZRktDXnEHY7f8HHA_VGbBz7pkLU1a1V1R3W6Xt2m-q5WUjJKPeEkJWDHMCv9xRzxkREtHWuF1kytUAL-bVYJzIZfpdYIyQbe2KLRLZUG5LUXYf1YOOejDBgWaeZoYpsNTH-_f-mWHVcrCOoPVAqIVkNomeF9bBOVhPrL-q_5-I0qGPIldNYDE/w532-h640/M97_Feb3_2024_60Min_Tablet_Enhanced_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="532" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This evening's last target was the famous Rosette Nebula in the constellation, Monoceros. It's located to the left of Orion's bright star, Betelgeuse. This nebula, mostly glowing in red hydrogen light, surrounds a central star cluster NGC 2244. I employed Seestar's light pollution filter again and stacked 10-second exposures for 60 minutes. The camera's field of view is too small to capture the entire Rosette Nebula, so the image below only shows the right half of the full circular shaped nebula. Notice the strings of dark dust to the right of center.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQX6ci2zyrdm43XXWZHtGxIhbsmML8C3IRfntF5W-Di7Jz4-o5s4EZKqaN50wiAmuHb_0hkYLNrXLB_PHLS2sM8r_l_riB1GtRFveOQPrKapNkER7z6z_1J2i3-L2md3cmkbfeB8ZqBjdj0qtEPXPDD35CyKQpcdQYJwceOIF1-zOih6wWuuL3CUiGKo/s891/NGC2244_Rosette_Feb3_2024_60Min_Tablet_LPFilter_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQX6ci2zyrdm43XXWZHtGxIhbsmML8C3IRfntF5W-Di7Jz4-o5s4EZKqaN50wiAmuHb_0hkYLNrXLB_PHLS2sM8r_l_riB1GtRFveOQPrKapNkER7z6z_1J2i3-L2md3cmkbfeB8ZqBjdj0qtEPXPDD35CyKQpcdQYJwceOIF1-zOih6wWuuL3CUiGKo/s16000/NGC2244_Rosette_Feb3_2024_60Min_Tablet_LPFilter_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Once again, I'm disappointed by how dull the red color appears. There is surely a way to correct this with image processing, but at this point, I don't know how. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">During this night I learned some practical information about Seestar. Field rotation shows up as distorted areas on opposing diagonal edges of long exposure images. I've cropped these blemishes out of images displayed here. The central field of view isn't affected.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Seestar's battery inevitably ran low on this cold night with the telescope's dew heater continuously drawing power. Seestar starts complaining about low battery when the charge falls below 20 percent. The battery is good for 3 or 4 hours under these conditions. Extended operation time can be obtained by plugging Seestar into its battery charger while Seestar operates. In addition, over hours, my controlling tablet battery begins to discharge as well. The tablet can also be connected to its charger while working to extend its life.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was well after midnight when I decided to quit. Shutting down and bringing Seestar inside took about three minutes, a wonderful advantage compared to hauling in several heavy components of my more complicated astrophotography equipment. <br /> <br /> </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> <br /> </span> <br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-34663377458629793222024-02-03T12:18:00.000-05:002024-02-03T12:18:38.348-05:00Seestar 50<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">New Astrophotography Gadget</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Over the years I've tried night sky astrophotography in several forms, never with great success. My accumulated collection of quality equipment never seemed enough to produce excellent results. I don't have a permanent observatory. It's getting physically harder to haul everything outside, set it all up, and tear it down afterward, especially in freezing conditions.</span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I recently discovered and purchased an easier, relatively inexpensive
alternative for astrophotography called the Seestar 50. At first glance
it doesn't look like a telescope!<br /></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLNhVpvYXMemmjxvPlrnE-feTBDB4rgjhcODUIf4fYkYgi-_QXVsLTV5ty1m-mI40PII2Mz4Y8eGP8pZpzrFZW3SsMIJGchOUexpAk9IT9ZxQAXmdD4Vhy6EvnjXz3tNzQjinETfYFnqLKpdRAh6KNAIfewzRTMcCQC7jfI0DzEQ9YBD76TpKmDFxXsY/s1317/20240131_140653.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1317" data-original-width="819" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLNhVpvYXMemmjxvPlrnE-feTBDB4rgjhcODUIf4fYkYgi-_QXVsLTV5ty1m-mI40PII2Mz4Y8eGP8pZpzrFZW3SsMIJGchOUexpAk9IT9ZxQAXmdD4Vhy6EvnjXz3tNzQjinETfYFnqLKpdRAh6KNAIfewzRTMcCQC7jfI0DzEQ9YBD76TpKmDFxXsY/w398-h640/20240131_140653.jpg" width="398" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">A</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> small telescope, camera, filters, dew heater, and rechargeable battery are all c</span><span style="font-size: medium;">ontained inside this astounding device. It comes with its own tripod, and is </span><span style="font-size: medium;">controlled through a wifi connection to either a smart phone or tablet. The 50 mm telescope lens is visible in the next picture.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVHKd7-ddJs9C5nCwoFxuGpk0el0sTBbQMXTVJlLieMAT-AvvlQN6TbM_7R7bdZ7brxNT5uI7Q1wmUlcJphEfQVp3rKUJdXWbha-OK1_36t0MoYGvKlOAHTP2UOBebsTRF-uaoMfKTmpT-_KG0-XRHIVB-ptAd4veISGG9aPDvkJOThn34odQw4HZ354/s1413/20240201_145649.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="858" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVHKd7-ddJs9C5nCwoFxuGpk0el0sTBbQMXTVJlLieMAT-AvvlQN6TbM_7R7bdZ7brxNT5uI7Q1wmUlcJphEfQVp3rKUJdXWbha-OK1_36t0MoYGvKlOAHTP2UOBebsTRF-uaoMfKTmpT-_KG0-XRHIVB-ptAd4veISGG9aPDvkJOThn34odQw4HZ354/w388-h640/20240201_145649.jpg" width="388" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">An image from the manufacturer's website shows the internal design.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNt3hBqGm3FwujL-WTv-RZ3tG7PWqziEbZWW_whjDAKSt7Babi8Eb5rezuAPj-ugZ3MHg-NvILgHnFKKSztH3zypB98uW-1E_qHXTdH4AazequikXqZRRGl6yelhFT4Wmwhk_qPoA-9thW-XKcQUFVi4Tf-Pooo5UWmepctTyfFaBj-ybEB9wxTxhJLs/s1000/SeestarInterior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1000" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNt3hBqGm3FwujL-WTv-RZ3tG7PWqziEbZWW_whjDAKSt7Babi8Eb5rezuAPj-ugZ3MHg-NvILgHnFKKSztH3zypB98uW-1E_qHXTdH4AazequikXqZRRGl6yelhFT4Wmwhk_qPoA-9thW-XKcQUFVi4Tf-Pooo5UWmepctTyfFaBj-ybEB9wxTxhJLs/w640-h608/SeestarInterior.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The whole thing is amazingly compact, just a bit larger than a cereal box.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UrTiNmBxF8yccFRxsP9yL60sRf9w7mPUuhbg2B5R_bAn3T9WzguXcvNyE-WAmq_IjE4KvXZHQI74dMoTCqyoU9Ozk8CZEfw4c57lsimRSsS49otTXUB06Ltj8YiI6cs6H6L1voxkCpMBOUGSIMSbmgcOdaCpwL2_fbkPgKAxZ3q0WgFyXt9n1uH7duA/s1194/20240201_151341.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UrTiNmBxF8yccFRxsP9yL60sRf9w7mPUuhbg2B5R_bAn3T9WzguXcvNyE-WAmq_IjE4KvXZHQI74dMoTCqyoU9Ozk8CZEfw4c57lsimRSsS49otTXUB06Ltj8YiI6cs6H6L1voxkCpMBOUGSIMSbmgcOdaCpwL2_fbkPgKAxZ3q0WgFyXt9n1uH7duA/w570-h640/20240201_151341.jpg" width="570" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's also extremely portable because the telescope, tripod, solar filter, and USB cable fit within a small hard plastic carrying case</span><span style="font-size: medium;">.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ1jjwSJEACTLT6eaouNQS0xDTr9nheCjjsFM2eJRaZnNhxD11KfBuZz-mamu4lOMK5kDf2O3CvSv3i-bgjBdNr_idRO-XfW9NQ_1ThFGLKn9EmsMtcWohcCfWuYNT4BSotE93kY1cedywGR_KLzP2VHMYvs_A3QLVK9ls5Va_RmotgxqlWsdeQ-uPqQ/s1683/20240201_151840.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1683" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ1jjwSJEACTLT6eaouNQS0xDTr9nheCjjsFM2eJRaZnNhxD11KfBuZz-mamu4lOMK5kDf2O3CvSv3i-bgjBdNr_idRO-XfW9NQ_1ThFGLKn9EmsMtcWohcCfWuYNT4BSotE93kY1cedywGR_KLzP2VHMYvs_A3QLVK9ls5Va_RmotgxqlWsdeQ-uPqQ/w640-h420/20240201_151840.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">When my new toy arrived I wanted to explore its capabilities immediately. Inevitably, cloudy weather was forecast for several days. On </span><span style="font-size: medium;">January 24th I peeked outside and noticed large gaps
between daytime clouds. I rushed outside, set the small telescope down on a garden wall,
powered it up, put on the included solar filter, established a wifi
connection to my phone, and, using my phone, commanded it to point to
the Sun. Amazingly, it pointed to the Sun!</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvdodZdE7WqPNV12dyv2yI0hLwL6SVe0MnuTGpoJPsvd-Yl95HHVHH7SfM-9nlL7g9br_4GMQRdLwWdkhxTDkWzaw7DbcKw8IYiuwGE5miPyerjNd_B7Z5bc0jrD0FuC5QqQzBfQJ7bH2LAhQDRzYU6G_zakJcezof8wR0Mp-v3rEcQn-BsZB_zaJ6Po/s1371/20240201_145851.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="798" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvdodZdE7WqPNV12dyv2yI0hLwL6SVe0MnuTGpoJPsvd-Yl95HHVHH7SfM-9nlL7g9br_4GMQRdLwWdkhxTDkWzaw7DbcKw8IYiuwGE5miPyerjNd_B7Z5bc0jrD0FuC5QqQzBfQJ7bH2LAhQDRzYU6G_zakJcezof8wR0Mp-v3rEcQn-BsZB_zaJ6Po/w372-h640/20240201_145851.jpg" width="372" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I took a couple Sun pictures
and one video. It was really easy to shut down and carry inside
when clouds increased minutes later, a welcome change from the effort and time needed
to break down and pack up my more complicated telescopic equipment.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Clouds parted long enough to capture the quick Sun photo shown below (slightly sharpened using Registax wavelets). </span><span style="font-size: medium;">The image is good enough to show the whole Sun with
scattered sunspots. It isn't a high resolution
image capable of being magnified like images I get from my dedicated
solar telescope, but it's good enough to show some detail in larger sunspots.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjq5xAaMpzNXVcd14eWZpzl7xquZ3S1DBhVjf3iLtA0crXMYkkZgTFKOoMXDt44Q8fhiTzgKnl_0AOXXkJZk8T5zYV8Nn8oTErUiI4yOOku3SZXq9iDBsdcKeOPggkuuq3OlKw1duBP0iuWrNhSv1DugvmGT6WQIN_V3qWYAUbloZLCpr6gfooS_U24s/s1130/FirstSolarImage_Jan25_2024_CropWavelet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1052" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjq5xAaMpzNXVcd14eWZpzl7xquZ3S1DBhVjf3iLtA0crXMYkkZgTFKOoMXDt44Q8fhiTzgKnl_0AOXXkJZk8T5zYV8Nn8oTErUiI4yOOku3SZXq9iDBsdcKeOPggkuuq3OlKw1duBP0iuWrNhSv1DugvmGT6WQIN_V3qWYAUbloZLCpr6gfooS_U24s/w596-h640/FirstSolarImage_Jan25_2024_CropWavelet.jpg" width="596" /></a></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Seestar can photograph surrounding landscape when put in scenery mode. It then acts like a camera with a telephoto lens. In scenery mode it doesn't track sky movement caused by Earth's rotation. After imaging the Sun I tested this capability by pointing at a distant neighbor's rooftop vent and got this clear detailed image.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCv74fqsrx7boWEwtrC7Z1ro-eKQnLh7Re2Qwi-0XgpVu7W40ji7yIME6KO6zi-7PaNO8QRMMs3gSBXQ67pjOxWTs-Is2k0vNN4BgPrL38ZLuHGP_0t5E8arhLB_r92giiBVH4B-O8ntK8OUA400MNk-_1hyphenhyphenHMixFIsSY8FlekQUCzNYi_29IqYpNiDI/s1177/TestImageSearchMode_Jan24_2024_Crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1177" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCv74fqsrx7boWEwtrC7Z1ro-eKQnLh7Re2Qwi-0XgpVu7W40ji7yIME6KO6zi-7PaNO8QRMMs3gSBXQ67pjOxWTs-Is2k0vNN4BgPrL38ZLuHGP_0t5E8arhLB_r92giiBVH4B-O8ntK8OUA400MNk-_1hyphenhyphenHMixFIsSY8FlekQUCzNYi_29IqYpNiDI/w588-h640/TestImageSearchMode_Jan24_2024_Crop.jpg" width="588" /></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">After
this brief initial session I wanted to inspect the pictures and move
them to my laptop. I could see the pictures on my phone, but I'm
not fond of tiny screens and lack of visible detail in small images. I
assumed images would be stored in the telescope's onboard memory.
(It has about 60 GB of internal memory.) Unfortunately, the image files
there were empty. I learned the onboard memory only stores videos and stacked images, not individual JPEG snapshots. The snapshots were on my phone. I could view them on my
phone, but they were somehow imprisoned within the telescope control app
itself. I spent hours trying to figure out how to get them out of the
app and into the phone's regular picture gallery where all my photos are normally stored. Online help wasn't useful. Eventually, I found a
15-step procedure to accomplish getting the images to my laptop. The
phone app is designed to easily post telescope images directly to the
telescope company's instagram-like online sharing app. So I had to first
sign into an account (yet another password to create and remember).
Then I posted an image to the sharing site. Then I copied the URL for my
post from the phone into my laptop browser. Then I was able to save the
image onto my laptop from within the post displayed there. At this
point I was pretty discouraged. If I had to do this for every image, it
would be ridiculous!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I also installed the telescope control app on my tablet as well as my
phone. The tablet has a more recent Android version than my phone, so
there was hope tablet image files would be easier to access.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <br /></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Clouds persisted into the evening of January 26th. </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Just
before going to bed I peeked outside and noticed significant gaps between clouds. I rushed
outside with the little scope. This time I used my tablet to control Seestar instead of my phone. The larger tablet screen was nice. It
was a pleasant warm 60 degree night. I sat comfortably
next to the scope and pointed it toward the full Moon. In no time I had
a couple nice snap shots of the Moon and one video. Conditions were about as poor as
possible for any other imaging. The full Moon was reflected from many scattered clouds and neighbor's spotlights were shining
directly into my backyard.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> This picture of the nearly full Moon was made by stacking 16 frames from a 161 frame AVI video.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgai0xAOb7HciikwPAvFFWJm_Kca_HgrjFQEIya3Ge_eeR79Y1_J67rEHvMwIK4x5l9eAbW0dgj6uTMzVCxcL3d2XFmBgWgtpuSwskXn1e2r00h80ALbw49T3PSTN3x2AyDiUg_gILP_8q3BsYfqGTax1Okcw4k0JwQ2GCFZlKmA7HOiKNuX7PXlbOpTCc/s1047/Moon_Jan26_2024_16Stacked_Crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1047" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgai0xAOb7HciikwPAvFFWJm_Kca_HgrjFQEIya3Ge_eeR79Y1_J67rEHvMwIK4x5l9eAbW0dgj6uTMzVCxcL3d2XFmBgWgtpuSwskXn1e2r00h80ALbw49T3PSTN3x2AyDiUg_gILP_8q3BsYfqGTax1Okcw4k0JwQ2GCFZlKmA7HOiKNuX7PXlbOpTCc/w640-h590/Moon_Jan26_2024_16Stacked_Crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Afterward I discovered images stored on my tablet were easy to access and transfer to a laptop, so I won't be using my phone to control Seestar.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Three days later, on January 29th, the evening sky finally cleared and the bright Moon did not rise until about 9:30. This was my first opportunity to use Seestar for long exposures of deep sky objects. In deep sky mode Seestar builds images by taking many consecutive ten-second exposures and automatically stacking (adding) them up to produce an equivalent single long exposure. My first target was the famous Horsehead Nebula in Orion. This dim nebula requires long exposure times. After a couple false starts I began to accumulate results. The image stack appeared to be building up as expected, but then it stopped getting brighter. Soon the telescope stopped imaging and told me the Horsehead's altitude had become too high for accurate tracking. I think images were being rejected from the stacking process because of tracking errors. So I switched to a much easier target, the famous Orion Nebula which has been imaged endless times by astrophotographers. I centered the nebula, commanded the internal light pollution filter to be inserted in the light path, and started accumulating 10-second exposures. During the subsequent half hour imaging time I went inside my house and monitored progress in comfortable interior warmth while the telescope continued working in the cold outside. The wifi connection was strong enough to allow telescope control from a distance! I could even watch TV while monitoring the image on my tablet! Thirty minutes later I had captured the image shown next.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDX29rVjmqQWUsMv18GADuRwuncVfsIRKbHkLoohXEe6soQfZZHod48IAvgz44AL6RZ9B1FFYowd71WSFMXKCzyAbqy61feVqC-bgWz_O0kLfhAkPGOTF5Z6zC5qPHOlBEg11qDThATZdtT71VeBiJkaiYN3hHY_LIZOV3rNZOd0rHzsPP5A2fNImTf4s/s857/M42_Jan29_2024_30Min_FromTablet_Crop_ColorCorrect_ShadHigh_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDX29rVjmqQWUsMv18GADuRwuncVfsIRKbHkLoohXEe6soQfZZHod48IAvgz44AL6RZ9B1FFYowd71WSFMXKCzyAbqy61feVqC-bgWz_O0kLfhAkPGOTF5Z6zC5qPHOlBEg11qDThATZdtT71VeBiJkaiYN3hHY_LIZOV3rNZOd0rHzsPP5A2fNImTf4s/w400-h640/M42_Jan29_2024_30Min_FromTablet_Crop_ColorCorrect_ShadHigh_HalfSize.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Wow! The image above is better than any of my laborious previous attempts with other equipment!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Next I tried an object in the north, the galaxy pair M81/M82 in Ursa Major. Without going outside, I used my tablet to command the telescope to point to M81. It was extremely satisfying to see the preview image appear nearly centered on the tablet screen! Unfortunately, the galaxy pair was arrayed across the narrow side of Seestar's rectangular field of view, so both galaxies are near the edges. This is one of the disadvantages of Seestar. There's no way to rotate the field of view like I can when my Nikon is attached to my large refractor. At some other time of night the galaxies might be in another more favorable orientation within the field of view. I'll have to explore the possibilities in the future. I accumulated ten-second exposures for 20 minutes and produced the following image. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfFPYevYn9d6_XyxnfSueP6F1nH5oDBXqYa6f8fQdKWv0HOB2W2RJ2aIzAtemVUBMbQEhvcF0RQUm35OoztiuQ3XMgYZP3vk4NZZCgxyo5KphwDEWWkvEPtub_P3ITN2Hq5IE1oIctli1YjhV8VIqKqUyuIkkDKsg8NZ4ALWX-cbnUYnonTyIycpjwsY/s935/M81_M82_Jan29_2024_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="520" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfFPYevYn9d6_XyxnfSueP6F1nH5oDBXqYa6f8fQdKWv0HOB2W2RJ2aIzAtemVUBMbQEhvcF0RQUm35OoztiuQ3XMgYZP3vk4NZZCgxyo5KphwDEWWkvEPtub_P3ITN2Hq5IE1oIctli1YjhV8VIqKqUyuIkkDKsg8NZ4ALWX-cbnUYnonTyIycpjwsY/w356-h640/M81_M82_Jan29_2024_Enhanced_HalfSize.jpg" width="356" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I should have centered on the spiral M81 and tried a longer exposure on just M81 alone. Maybe next time.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Eventually, the 88-percent illuminated gibbous Moon rose and Seestar's battery was getting low. It was time to stop long exposures. Before shutting down I pointed toward the rising Moon and took a 90-second AVI video. I then stacked 100 out of 1,000 video frames to produce the next lunar image.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvFydnnLDCsEw_yCCKaide3MILeazEyasAU9zOoZoqwrkhlIYrlNW8IOtEaIzXMtx69VukZiG51_1PWUi8YGjuapwv9VaiZv9zzRc9WCjKNLBPyDNqS3jilpm3GpXpj28jJh7cQ39GdibEodo1iGOjE52hyPLxKbw_wXa0IxNtKpg_UiQlgOvSLpfnoo/s1048/Moon_Seestar_Jan29_2024_Crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1048" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvFydnnLDCsEw_yCCKaide3MILeazEyasAU9zOoZoqwrkhlIYrlNW8IOtEaIzXMtx69VukZiG51_1PWUi8YGjuapwv9VaiZv9zzRc9WCjKNLBPyDNqS3jilpm3GpXpj28jJh7cQ39GdibEodo1iGOjE52hyPLxKbw_wXa0IxNtKpg_UiQlgOvSLpfnoo/w640-h528/Moon_Seestar_Jan29_2024_Crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Seestar has some disadvantages. The telescope has a relatively small 50 mm aperture. The altitude/azimuth mount cannot track without incorporating unavoidable image rotation during long exposures. Tracking is difficult at high altitudes near the zenith. The field of view is small. Image quality will never match what is produced by larger, more expensive equipment. On the other hand, portability and wonderful ease of use are valuable compensating advantages. On cold nights when the effort to set up complicated equipment becomes an obstacle, Seestar overcomes the motivational obstacle. Requiring only one short trip outside, it can begin capturing images within about 15 minutes of startup. And it can be controlled wirelessly from within a comfortable house! I'm very happy with the Seestar system and looking forward to using it more!</span></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-83403066124125662242023-12-02T12:11:00.000-05:002023-12-02T12:11:57.403-05:00Sunspots Bloom<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Holiday Display</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On November 23rd, Thanksgiving day, the Sun displayed beautiful features. It happened to be a rare cloudless day in my part of the world! This imaging opportunity was too good to pass up, so I hauled my equipment outside in cool autumn conditions. Temperature ranged from 47 to 50 degrees while I worked in gentle breezes. It was comfortable in a light jacket. Unfortunately, the Sun was relatively low in the sky, and atmospheric seeing was mediocre. Nevertheless, it was thrilling to witness solar activity this day. The next image reveals why I was so happy. <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on images to enlarge for better detail.)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimARAU2xLMWBAShnNOYfNE182j50lKN5AQOCNIepr4akCzpjQO-iGog7U6nsuoWIcsAFmJxO0swChcT5oNyMik590PikRU9lsUQz9BqtO-BUrSO0AfdGLepxlJc3C6PF-MV91-2lxo7gIc7lvn89G67HHq0QgBnYRll4FVyBlK_BQEsxcvujWKPPnpB_Q/s2102/CombinedMosaics3_2_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_Version1_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="2102" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimARAU2xLMWBAShnNOYfNE182j50lKN5AQOCNIepr4akCzpjQO-iGog7U6nsuoWIcsAFmJxO0swChcT5oNyMik590PikRU9lsUQz9BqtO-BUrSO0AfdGLepxlJc3C6PF-MV91-2lxo7gIc7lvn89G67HHq0QgBnYRll4FVyBlK_BQEsxcvujWKPPnpB_Q/w640-h622/CombinedMosaics3_2_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_Version1_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The previous image is a mosaic consisting of 37 individual panels. I superimposed a 20-panel disc mosaic on top of a 17-panel prominence mosaic. Major sunspots appear in the left (eastern) hemisphere, and dramatic prominences are scattered all around the limb. A nice filaprom hangs on the eastern limb. Although this mosaic isn't perfect, it's one of the best I've ever produced. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There seems to be something like a quantum mechanical uncertainty principle when it comes to simultaneously capturing both disc and prominence detail. If exposures and processing are chosen to best show disc detail, then prominence detail diminishes. If exposures and processing are chosen to reveal prominence detail, then disc detail is overexposed and washed out. The only ways I know to exhibit both disc and prominence detail is to either superimpose two separate images, or to process disc and prominences separately within the same image. The first image above is an example of superimposing two separate images. The next image is an example of processing disc and prominences separately within the same image. It shows, diagonally up from left to right, sunspots 3500, 3494, and 3493 along with dramatic prominences on the limb.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZ1JhxSgPv6ROK2gcxrINwAnWDXS_NdZkqq1abP0nkIuRx8-dBm4lNZw8S1EiB5BcrhZJRrPWFtrfpXjOG0ZODIFqqrGVhMQy0aPByvkDBPz-L2-GBljQCo2Cs9PO2D9dGcOTWOE9s37dPZa2D7vHKODjKuZpWxI5lr1wxBHsygXmMdSEZUYbvcx6Zms/s966/Sunspots3500_3493_3494_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_Version2_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="966" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZ1JhxSgPv6ROK2gcxrINwAnWDXS_NdZkqq1abP0nkIuRx8-dBm4lNZw8S1EiB5BcrhZJRrPWFtrfpXjOG0ZODIFqqrGVhMQy0aPByvkDBPz-L2-GBljQCo2Cs9PO2D9dGcOTWOE9s37dPZa2D7vHKODjKuZpWxI5lr1wxBHsygXmMdSEZUYbvcx6Zms/w640-h402/Sunspots3500_3493_3494_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_Version2_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">The image above was captured at 9:37 EST. At 10:21 EST, 44 minutes later, the middle prominence had evolved into a faint, wispy structure shown in the next 3-panel mosaic processed to exhibit prominence detail. Notice how disc detail is overexposed and washed out in order to reveal the dim prominence. Also notice the nice "filaprom" (prominence to filament transition) farthest up on the limb to the left of the upper sunspot group.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVJozPxM0ZVC4knE7jkIGsmYIS5RfX0QU7MjOneoeb3MlCpLi9tvg3bc53evYgpViaZlPoqJke6b7juPMJ2FbJ27OJGHZ9wab-2h0o_HMsDG8gl2s49f9zTrHCpuq30ypSkkppmAUzoV1KX_zl_eXLsCBAJ64SDYLmVMu4fNiWIQGARAFnM80GjQAfAg/s1244/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="959" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVJozPxM0ZVC4knE7jkIGsmYIS5RfX0QU7MjOneoeb3MlCpLi9tvg3bc53evYgpViaZlPoqJke6b7juPMJ2FbJ27OJGHZ9wab-2h0o_HMsDG8gl2s49f9zTrHCpuq30ypSkkppmAUzoV1KX_zl_eXLsCBAJ64SDYLmVMu4fNiWIQGARAFnM80GjQAfAg/w494-h640/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="494" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The second large sunspot group, filaments, and a prominence are shown in the next image.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2b-_HY6xoY1ZHmWAnLJFID60vPRJXniHqBZ_gbhe9UGEuDpVAT1Yt7Fbk4-x96ne9ea7RmV9B2CP1FQx8Az7yyrzraGcNipj7ANSi0W5HYZle-V-7iEi4tthYNLzHp0jGf72v3MkdVfRfcSlp89riAR0J3GOQXFep2oE83S-LlBZRJ8WDt_o1R3hpNw/s968/Sunspots3490_3491_3492_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_Version2_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="968" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2b-_HY6xoY1ZHmWAnLJFID60vPRJXniHqBZ_gbhe9UGEuDpVAT1Yt7Fbk4-x96ne9ea7RmV9B2CP1FQx8Az7yyrzraGcNipj7ANSi0W5HYZle-V-7iEi4tthYNLzHp0jGf72v3MkdVfRfcSlp89riAR0J3GOQXFep2oE83S-LlBZRJ8WDt_o1R3hpNw/w640-h402/Sunspots3490_3491_3492_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_Version2_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunspots above are, from left to right, 3491, 3492, and double umbra 3490. They make an attractive scene.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Two smaller sunspot groups along with the 3491, 3492, 3490 group are visible in the next image. It was constructed by cropping a 7-panel interior disc mosaic.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ-xI_E7lScv27hCHRU0n_9_Z4Wm4bNLce3ojlHdK49m53Zu73J7otbs82ti7MNb8msLPJ2FA4uFCd9o7L-xDfaHqnHJgv-0UNJSVQO2mYXrqEJIXrPMXuTXDuY7GYnfo0ATkMQa_IAHcnMf83BYtD0xGV2EglbCLKCs88_1FPmc5tHYN54akh4MbX_o/s2049/Mosaic4_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="2049" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ-xI_E7lScv27hCHRU0n_9_Z4Wm4bNLce3ojlHdK49m53Zu73J7otbs82ti7MNb8msLPJ2FA4uFCd9o7L-xDfaHqnHJgv-0UNJSVQO2mYXrqEJIXrPMXuTXDuY7GYnfo0ATkMQa_IAHcnMf83BYtD0xGV2EglbCLKCs88_1FPmc5tHYN54akh4MbX_o/w640-h376/Mosaic4_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunspot group 3489, with three small umbras, is below center, while another small spot, 3498, is near the right edge. A larger view of sunspot 3489 is shown next.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QLqRUEKWk9HxTytW2snNEhqWI4JimYnKT7Xl3GzxTxl9XPDaaKzFjjr5LWvfL4YHU_IbpOxFL8FQJwVJd0sTtAgUm9SJG9drGY-D1hZiE7i5O8Br1uackEZTxuFZWLx7QVvzpsO9e-innlEp-7ho2eeGRJU4blZ-kJmbF1PhhU1YB3I3rJzi43LbQ_U/s1164/Sunspot3489_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="1164" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QLqRUEKWk9HxTytW2snNEhqWI4JimYnKT7Xl3GzxTxl9XPDaaKzFjjr5LWvfL4YHU_IbpOxFL8FQJwVJd0sTtAgUm9SJG9drGY-D1hZiE7i5O8Br1uackEZTxuFZWLx7QVvzpsO9e-innlEp-7ho2eeGRJU4blZ-kJmbF1PhhU1YB3I3rJzi43LbQ_U/w640-h370/Sunspot3489_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, I caught two small flares in progress before ending this observing session. The next two images show the first flare, a white overexposed area below double-umbra sunspot 3490. The top image was captured at 9:15 EST. The bottom image shows the flare erupting 83 minutes later at 10:38 EST.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuG1EF6VEfuGJmAOxOC-S9lTdUlXvlP-RdI9aXvs6NrtGKUjqMfo8TKIW8gvOj3syTpCugdqj-G4Eqdp5CPBLhHNyMEzAvS3MF8HuLT-7m8bki9kHrfH3g0LwZQGAguKDxY_gIZRqz3gv7ezy5boRDCs4z6yQzaGfnvgfZGsUCadcd9Y6j9qiyZZY_JyE/s723/Sunspots3490_3491_3492_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="723" height="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuG1EF6VEfuGJmAOxOC-S9lTdUlXvlP-RdI9aXvs6NrtGKUjqMfo8TKIW8gvOj3syTpCugdqj-G4Eqdp5CPBLhHNyMEzAvS3MF8HuLT-7m8bki9kHrfH3g0LwZQGAguKDxY_gIZRqz3gv7ezy5boRDCs4z6yQzaGfnvgfZGsUCadcd9Y6j9qiyZZY_JyE/w640-h499/Sunspots3490_3491_3492_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsYoGNoAgsBhPktKNz3UKHMcmAtzvTSB4Xgh0-EkYuQ2IRT1-cGm2zpDlRL2OsG9E1z2uhX6QBVa5vQS4bFrRZaAUW2x8nG3HIPi_6NpT6gqnzBV-oB9QDaFv9arQBOkL8U58Tz-7F4dMGCr5gjNbPf9YTc4SfABa5jgpbcpXs8fw_ZB8-Vm98Mx0jyA/s714/Flare_In_3490_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_10_38EST_PaleBlue_Crop_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="714" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsYoGNoAgsBhPktKNz3UKHMcmAtzvTSB4Xgh0-EkYuQ2IRT1-cGm2zpDlRL2OsG9E1z2uhX6QBVa5vQS4bFrRZaAUW2x8nG3HIPi_6NpT6gqnzBV-oB9QDaFv9arQBOkL8U58Tz-7F4dMGCr5gjNbPf9YTc4SfABa5jgpbcpXs8fw_ZB8-Vm98Mx0jyA/w640-h496/Flare_In_3490_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_10_38EST_PaleBlue_Crop_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The second flare appears as two white overexposed areas on either side of a dark filament sitting to the left of sunspots 3493/3494. The top image below was captured at 10:04 EST. The bottom image shows the flare eruption 20 minutes later at 10:24 EST.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAssJb4M_C9UOWvzQh-1N1jQzOf3_9BtGBSa3l28YebObsD9NZvTOliPj2MpLTQo1NQAWW2WDQwwvpi4jQCOf4W6istZZ3epN9wfJZLNPA6iu04UpmDup77Z1249_GyRlpZl1J1zaf_uNqPcIp2_WyWhFWGcR2ywhYtGJRuUx0SJeGPor_Za2g4aCLCcc/s708/Sunspots3500_3493_3494_3489_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_Crop_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="520" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAssJb4M_C9UOWvzQh-1N1jQzOf3_9BtGBSa3l28YebObsD9NZvTOliPj2MpLTQo1NQAWW2WDQwwvpi4jQCOf4W6istZZ3epN9wfJZLNPA6iu04UpmDup77Z1249_GyRlpZl1J1zaf_uNqPcIp2_WyWhFWGcR2ywhYtGJRuUx0SJeGPor_Za2g4aCLCcc/w470-h640/Sunspots3500_3493_3494_3489_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_PaleBlue_Crop_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="470" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQxwvHP5OVQg7gXMZrk7MbL6doR5mzo5a3K9t1t2aCG2momCmLu2cdqY5MZeLV4Nkrt225w_K89b5GBDU6DLZ-L50ouL_sLLgC3MNEnwTMUgsUYusmj0Mj2XyZw68mjUsKVwJvHVDNArkjz4bH4X38NEGOCWykdLwcsN9VNHP2gZrUtTkE8y38543BvE/s700/Flare_In_3494_3493_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_10_24EST_PaleBlue_Crop_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQxwvHP5OVQg7gXMZrk7MbL6doR5mzo5a3K9t1t2aCG2momCmLu2cdqY5MZeLV4Nkrt225w_K89b5GBDU6DLZ-L50ouL_sLLgC3MNEnwTMUgsUYusmj0Mj2XyZw68mjUsKVwJvHVDNArkjz4bH4X38NEGOCWykdLwcsN9VNHP2gZrUtTkE8y38543BvE/w460-h640/Flare_In_3494_3493_3XBarlow_Nov23_2023_10_24EST_PaleBlue_Crop_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Seeing conditions significantly deteriorated as noon approached signaling an end to this very productive observing session.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><p></p><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-41694639705340899642023-11-09T14:55:00.000-05:002023-11-09T14:55:49.964-05:00Sunspots Return<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Lots of Filaments</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunspot numbers and solar features had decreased significantly during October. Many nice clear mornings were available for imaging, but I let them pass without hauling out my equipment. Finally, on November 3rd, enough interesting features appeared to make observing worthwhile. It was 50 degrees under a cloudless autumn sky. Although there was no wind, seeing was mediocre. Two major sunspots were visible along with a good variety of filaments as you can see in the following 22-panel mosaic made with a 3X Barlow lens. <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on images to enlarge.)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlu01sod2czpXhMOH5e663it7i0jrwqhNjJ4S1tzp2j44mg5YAY3qz_Vm1pr0vDcjByl_J6a1X1TP9ucl9CuoDohVBBF7_jJDi-35JBG_b9BzXlrHtva4OMeFT7d6Mm3WZdwUYFyZHiuLbIfgW-0jq3j6YfzADhsPf4sB_YaM4I0bkKDE80TDJGVysRk/s1998/Mosaic1_Disc_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1940" data-original-width="1998" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlu01sod2czpXhMOH5e663it7i0jrwqhNjJ4S1tzp2j44mg5YAY3qz_Vm1pr0vDcjByl_J6a1X1TP9ucl9CuoDohVBBF7_jJDi-35JBG_b9BzXlrHtva4OMeFT7d6Mm3WZdwUYFyZHiuLbIfgW-0jq3j6YfzADhsPf4sB_YaM4I0bkKDE80TDJGVysRk/w640-h622/Mosaic1_Disc_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunspot 3477 has the darkest umbra on the lower left. Small, newly emerging sunspot 3480 is to the left of 3477 near the limb. Double umbra sunspot 3474 is near the right limb. A dramatic sinuous filament stretches out from the left edge.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The previous image was processed to show disc details. The next image, processed differently, shows prominences around the limb.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTbbfPITSLyvLv1iCq-5COp0jvRL-Ahdop3A3txP25bEvHmrevAJwnZKvqvqRk4E-UBLEWljKeLiD-uHkG7NcNaTG33aIGSV8LB1lcrfv2a5He8fsabtuBGxwVyEg4auK-2yHNy5mdhtjftwIM5qZZ3qkXQwQnLN5g-vVEPB4Z_vlKbN5_dXoEqHRdhs/s1998/Mosaic1_Prominences_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1940" data-original-width="1998" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTbbfPITSLyvLv1iCq-5COp0jvRL-Ahdop3A3txP25bEvHmrevAJwnZKvqvqRk4E-UBLEWljKeLiD-uHkG7NcNaTG33aIGSV8LB1lcrfv2a5He8fsabtuBGxwVyEg4auK-2yHNy5mdhtjftwIM5qZZ3qkXQwQnLN5g-vVEPB4Z_vlKbN5_dXoEqHRdhs/w640-h622/Mosaic1_Prominences_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Three examples of "filaproms" are visible above. These reveal gradual transition from prominence to filament when a prominence extends from the limb onto the disc. The "filaproms" show up even better in the next 14-panel mosaic made from images obtained with camera settings specifically chosen to brighten prominences. Unfortunately, disc features are overexposed as a consequence.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqmV9GN4-lzkEN0BPuTd1-QmNBE8CBiXk-GajDQkCvClf2DKtOxPRLuUnsyleSSucH_fS4RnOg3eDpTUXZxyTM6GArNt-p4l5YlClp3W_SKZLCTpdD-wf7PS-Pb8NnMOPhgaH6iOWux2AHxlwPtoCjcfWTVb4mSZIlsBtcl9TpDRkL6j6CmWJviGsRYs/s2006/Mosaic2_Prom_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1980" data-original-width="2006" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqmV9GN4-lzkEN0BPuTd1-QmNBE8CBiXk-GajDQkCvClf2DKtOxPRLuUnsyleSSucH_fS4RnOg3eDpTUXZxyTM6GArNt-p4l5YlClp3W_SKZLCTpdD-wf7PS-Pb8NnMOPhgaH6iOWux2AHxlwPtoCjcfWTVb4mSZIlsBtcl9TpDRkL6j6CmWJviGsRYs/w640-h632/Mosaic2_Prom_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There's one "filaprom" at the top, one at the bottom, and one on the left edge of the sinuous filament. I don't think I've ever captured so many "filaproms" at once!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Next are closer views of the eastern hemisphere showing both sunspot 3477 and the sinuous filament.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlj2r5_ZwO_vBgD9nuWBnkIaXz-iNQXfJAmOWg3ZUTuFceWXK0bfYD245qVTx2LcDV8tNQQtBOXk3ellMuz4ryl9Rmq-sTtIJ80bwtZpegLiRoGE4koPsLGOpIU4O6yvijXQfW4mxc5VCZ66KMeSiUAj5a_XdvocmyYb8RP-LlT4QqKBNBuCQ7frvep8Y/s1682/Mosaic3_Disc_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1682" data-original-width="1113" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlj2r5_ZwO_vBgD9nuWBnkIaXz-iNQXfJAmOWg3ZUTuFceWXK0bfYD245qVTx2LcDV8tNQQtBOXk3ellMuz4ryl9Rmq-sTtIJ80bwtZpegLiRoGE4koPsLGOpIU4O6yvijXQfW4mxc5VCZ66KMeSiUAj5a_XdvocmyYb8RP-LlT4QqKBNBuCQ7frvep8Y/w423-h640/Mosaic3_Disc_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="423" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzODjPvIZxTatTtXQ5IG2HVmFLtdIDAB7P1fYrF9whkVV0O3UxpjlHQRLb1HxSSO51wFDYS2tAhwL8OtmdxY-lknX0GNdMvwvv3YtwFZgD7cEqRxyRNAB65h3ufhFKoGGSQnHatWI9r4JW34Iuz_PMJnBF4z3FVFJWLO1jbMdrYVxqcCWeORAJuExUr-k/s1688/Mosaic3_Prom_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdSize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1688" data-original-width="1100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzODjPvIZxTatTtXQ5IG2HVmFLtdIDAB7P1fYrF9whkVV0O3UxpjlHQRLb1HxSSO51wFDYS2tAhwL8OtmdxY-lknX0GNdMvwvv3YtwFZgD7cEqRxyRNAB65h3ufhFKoGGSQnHatWI9r4JW34Iuz_PMJnBF4z3FVFJWLO1jbMdrYVxqcCWeORAJuExUr-k/w418-h640/Mosaic3_Prom_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdSize.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, a close detailed view of filaments in the northern solar hemisphere shows them well when the image is viewed at full size.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUoJXFOymY3eSlE_49IJUlqf4Jzv1DScH5EZ6CaD2z2H5YZUDZXWvm-Tx3VhmMVELj9gVZaX4LBw-a0M_5BGyvfWnR6zN3fOGjwxkZsVOUwHPWJSIQmsAnlLsFTAnDv8AVNYadIaWczkmagdXBGA_mdZyoBJTWIPUAk2-YGXe2LogBC82cnuz_5D3epU/s1738/Filaments1_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1738" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUoJXFOymY3eSlE_49IJUlqf4Jzv1DScH5EZ6CaD2z2H5YZUDZXWvm-Tx3VhmMVELj9gVZaX4LBw-a0M_5BGyvfWnR6zN3fOGjwxkZsVOUwHPWJSIQmsAnlLsFTAnDv8AVNYadIaWczkmagdXBGA_mdZyoBJTWIPUAk2-YGXe2LogBC82cnuz_5D3epU/w640-h336/Filaments1_3XBarlow_Nov3_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunspot numbers are predicted to increase in coming months as the solar activity cycle gradually approaches maximum.<br /> </span><br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-48300930291622110972023-10-14T22:21:00.000-04:002023-10-14T22:21:48.301-04:00Halloween Fun<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Neighborhood Displays</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm enjoying some interesting Halloween decorations near my home. Sizes are often amazing. For example, look at this enormous Jack Skellington figure I frequently pass on bike rides. It's almost as tall as the two story house behind!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjrK9gPgmeC-_StqLfsPUHONOLGsoYBTNlG-T5JAAqaOF6tp_tNyqTrNZ31BEtfaIycJIYCXl4RnC6B6pCL3niSKgm7_-QxdXO0ao_ac5DT2qFK-QWC7MJSFmGCnuksU3g2Gz5OcidYggDUUlDIh4_AT7_iptpMJuRbogFJ-XN-zHZ88R9o7Sbm1UaG4/s1377/20231012_104201_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="940" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjrK9gPgmeC-_StqLfsPUHONOLGsoYBTNlG-T5JAAqaOF6tp_tNyqTrNZ31BEtfaIycJIYCXl4RnC6B6pCL3niSKgm7_-QxdXO0ao_ac5DT2qFK-QWC7MJSFmGCnuksU3g2Gz5OcidYggDUUlDIh4_AT7_iptpMJuRbogFJ-XN-zHZ88R9o7Sbm1UaG4/w436-h640/20231012_104201_HalfSize.jpg" width="436" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Another giant display is a huge inflatable black cat. Once again, houses nearby give a sense of scale.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDt6OMsNFw4U8MgClXZ4PeUwrw3nd150HMBfefpD1fkrqooe5qju_qAtC5Sfxzurn5F_6OgioU6kGOGgqOqg6moJw1cxjBBz_6ORI9ewnvwcbF1wD3AujlgcN7X5Kn0L5UqQm7qJj6hsKzK6U3dXqyZZvE76iTx-zn3fQiSsgItmV6rAbKo-eff8MRKUk/s1674/20231011_175647_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1674" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDt6OMsNFw4U8MgClXZ4PeUwrw3nd150HMBfefpD1fkrqooe5qju_qAtC5Sfxzurn5F_6OgioU6kGOGgqOqg6moJw1cxjBBz_6ORI9ewnvwcbF1wD3AujlgcN7X5Kn0L5UqQm7qJj6hsKzK6U3dXqyZZvE76iTx-zn3fQiSsgItmV6rAbKo-eff8MRKUk/w640-h464/20231011_175647_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">The cat's spine is lit at night!</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWW7KQYIJkztl_i6zq4mfBGdLR_gTNE_NaAQVGHNVCVMPTzBDDpBq3HhYPRoKTQMU-i_M1XvHQ1kOhyphenhyphenCun9VTx_ByEUL-eKZhSqTt6IOT_FlMElixNjTc1IBvC43t1UQV4scgVK2SOwctvUg-EI2av1twJDHJTCnyfxldaHn6eKDSlaAt5OOSDPyfHJMQ/s1358/20231011_220147_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1358" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWW7KQYIJkztl_i6zq4mfBGdLR_gTNE_NaAQVGHNVCVMPTzBDDpBq3HhYPRoKTQMU-i_M1XvHQ1kOhyphenhyphenCun9VTx_ByEUL-eKZhSqTt6IOT_FlMElixNjTc1IBvC43t1UQV4scgVK2SOwctvUg-EI2av1twJDHJTCnyfxldaHn6eKDSlaAt5OOSDPyfHJMQ/w640-h514/20231011_220147_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This giant scarecrow's hat reaches second story windows.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMg1ksqX458_xHaFUWzHULFydTD1t59fZSWjOWFFDxAVZsDrhwUNq1b8QuKd7IzwnsfEoqUWoRqBaIGnuVlLjUvnrxxwd0CxAPeM8lICsuM4dzAXDcWAqD0DPI8B1ZiCRxawe8SvIxi04NiL6jCW2M79YD60gTstLSp0cki5rjYREbbvQbuUN9m-308Q/s1268/20231011_220207_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="1268" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMg1ksqX458_xHaFUWzHULFydTD1t59fZSWjOWFFDxAVZsDrhwUNq1b8QuKd7IzwnsfEoqUWoRqBaIGnuVlLjUvnrxxwd0CxAPeM8lICsuM4dzAXDcWAqD0DPI8B1ZiCRxawe8SvIxi04NiL6jCW2M79YD60gTstLSp0cki5rjYREbbvQbuUN9m-308Q/w640-h556/20231011_220207_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">A really nice multi-spook display includes another scarecrow holding his grim reaper scythe. The werewolf is particularly cool, and the flying witch is suspended in mid air. <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on images for a larger view.)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1bWj9pNiYca4p-4aKSWKstHTpWpCNzS4UjIv0yoNIFj8M7zPNopKC6fx6S2aOXCo-wE-DwIeGT4Hdd-sHPBaVpdHvpPkO5RqgYQ9U3o6LETQTfA2ApNIQPvKpsCTqU_Ru7t6d3Trj7OCAwl03bjGn7ShOW-ThmqJXZgswCRQ7rCNCLQUNDNgIgRQ1R0/s1873/20231003_151214_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1873" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1bWj9pNiYca4p-4aKSWKstHTpWpCNzS4UjIv0yoNIFj8M7zPNopKC6fx6S2aOXCo-wE-DwIeGT4Hdd-sHPBaVpdHvpPkO5RqgYQ9U3o6LETQTfA2ApNIQPvKpsCTqU_Ru7t6d3Trj7OCAwl03bjGn7ShOW-ThmqJXZgswCRQ7rCNCLQUNDNgIgRQ1R0/w640-h488/20231003_151214_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At night werewolf eyes glow eerily, but true color doesn't show well in the following nighttime photo.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhdM80uGGoEwoQWCOi2GGOlps5cZcIkxCtAnvMmLIj_pEM58d8OQfnhzJ6o4HoYCd5HiJlk-R8Ad-Q-lngZle0WLny5PZCi2RkmSXVLVIfVIJbuQrpIifTPyjz2wIYbr45UDSR8sZqJ8hl360XcSV09xZBmyAa8TQlzKY2_SYEnvW64rCJltZqoMNZZw/s715/20231011_220812_QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="715" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhdM80uGGoEwoQWCOi2GGOlps5cZcIkxCtAnvMmLIj_pEM58d8OQfnhzJ6o4HoYCd5HiJlk-R8Ad-Q-lngZle0WLny5PZCi2RkmSXVLVIfVIJbuQrpIifTPyjz2wIYbr45UDSR8sZqJ8hl360XcSV09xZBmyAa8TQlzKY2_SYEnvW64rCJltZqoMNZZw/w640-h588/20231011_220812_QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, my favorite display is the skeleton picnic erected by my son-in-law. Their card game is accompanied by a pizza box!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab6rt17IhE_tq0bbXcozEg6vF57xNVQVsvJB5GhTfGktyHQzEGasoIAzEriSLQdLtUQ_NBVM_S4n_3DC-vHJxHO4KnwUJsk8HLUxjvWkO1vsuhRrrzeOq-Y1ciAc2zoMReVNoIIX-sGgjnXBlhB4p_beskukCia4x02UjVMY639PCQUtH0mxjv25NOP8/s2016/20231001_181739_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab6rt17IhE_tq0bbXcozEg6vF57xNVQVsvJB5GhTfGktyHQzEGasoIAzEriSLQdLtUQ_NBVM_S4n_3DC-vHJxHO4KnwUJsk8HLUxjvWkO1vsuhRrrzeOq-Y1ciAc2zoMReVNoIIX-sGgjnXBlhB4p_beskukCia4x02UjVMY639PCQUtH0mxjv25NOP8/w640-h480/20231001_181739_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">The picnic is colorful at night, although the photo below doesn't capture true color.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrf2QLulbDEBTZf7_gUTk6DlRzeYhFtlO7DCNt2A8HId-2kLn0bElJmofBQXZJBvKN6lWAOqmihuncZ9U9DWcKTyMpOUe_42bv5kly6Rit589s6Sg4QvemGeZqJqTL3EsjzNgWYUeV3eWQ1YRvSjxV5h_8l8rLYFOWzzjDFr_iKpqBl4YpoGrPb8lUVQ/s1008/20231001_202011_QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrf2QLulbDEBTZf7_gUTk6DlRzeYhFtlO7DCNt2A8HId-2kLn0bElJmofBQXZJBvKN6lWAOqmihuncZ9U9DWcKTyMpOUe_42bv5kly6Rit589s6Sg4QvemGeZqJqTL3EsjzNgWYUeV3eWQ1YRvSjxV5h_8l8rLYFOWzzjDFr_iKpqBl4YpoGrPb8lUVQ/w640-h480/20231001_202011_QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Halloween decorations these days are much more elaborate and amusing than any in my childhood memory.<br /> </span><br /><br /><br /> <br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-84704851101467266662023-09-30T12:23:00.000-04:002023-09-30T12:23:20.790-04:00Clear Sky Continues<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Nice Prominence Display</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As mentioned in the previous blog, I spent several hours on the evening of September 15th capturing 233 individual images of various celestial objects. With much of my equipment left outside, I stumbled into bed at 1:40 AM on September 16th. Clear sky persisted into the morning of the 16th. I dragged myself out of bed after too few sleeping hours and went for a run. Then I hustled outside to image the morning Sun while good conditions continued. Equipment accumulated dew overnight which I dried off with towels. Mounting my solar telescope took less time than usual because more than half the equipment was already outside.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Not many dramatic sunspots were visible, but some nice prominences were displayed around the solar limb. The next image, a mosaic of the central disc, shows the only sunspots present. Sunspot 3433 is on the left. The other sunspot pair has small umbras. Spots 3434 on the left and 3429 on the right are connected by a white, energy emitting structure. A long dramatic dark filament stretches out in the upper right. <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on images to enlarge.)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cUt0s3-0cr0cuXZDubmsTZ1E4iAYGKLTkc7ywqibbOspl2848OyYRlaylEz20UEICzER-fzK5ddDN_LL3_VA8j_6_Xlnvrnb2kGPknd0BMTi4sLNF0J7MJwdBIlHeY5VX6V5oml-d9zmvEwtjNgviWZU0uzOoUpNLg-b7F77ueb7qoiWbRTeKtAmlqo/s2217/Sunspots3433_3434_3429_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1674" data-original-width="2217" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cUt0s3-0cr0cuXZDubmsTZ1E4iAYGKLTkc7ywqibbOspl2848OyYRlaylEz20UEICzER-fzK5ddDN_LL3_VA8j_6_Xlnvrnb2kGPknd0BMTi4sLNF0J7MJwdBIlHeY5VX6V5oml-d9zmvEwtjNgviWZU0uzOoUpNLg-b7F77ueb7qoiWbRTeKtAmlqo/w640-h484/Sunspots3433_3434_3429_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The following 11-panel mosaic, shows the relative lack of disc features.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdiX8aRP4HghPMbKl16T7zMiLfXh0XI8ivp0l9FlgdKxAJzDTQPyXu9LBMZf9ZCq7tAZpz1jF741i5P-x2FhYMp4m3BIRvqZeEABHR-pgBxf_ujNhYNOR7FjPQbNB0mCj_34mChayJfNI1HMV5VJSoJ3kYalyNVkpmSGWbecYd9sUrA9PBjT5qiDRo4eU/s1915/Mosaic1_Disc_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="1915" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdiX8aRP4HghPMbKl16T7zMiLfXh0XI8ivp0l9FlgdKxAJzDTQPyXu9LBMZf9ZCq7tAZpz1jF741i5P-x2FhYMp4m3BIRvqZeEABHR-pgBxf_ujNhYNOR7FjPQbNB0mCj_34mChayJfNI1HMV5VJSoJ3kYalyNVkpmSGWbecYd9sUrA9PBjT5qiDRo4eU/w640-h424/Mosaic1_Disc_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although disc features may have been sparse, there were a good number of prominences around the limb. Some are shown in the next mosaic which has been processed to reveal prominences.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVjWY05SXbDAteg6s7qA30qTn1FUvMEwrDmJweCND06esaYfxtG832EzgmAYbSHH_YMt67_jYyvdbumN-NIFP4R29cwjNt1khMZfiWvJJa9yGBmdObzFyMH0G-PzNMWdAI8rqSa_cker_UlW5AbQ1eJ5rQDMnBmmV8PBf4TdEhasUPgNoDJxkqbIPCtk/s1915/Mosaic1_Prominences_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="1915" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVjWY05SXbDAteg6s7qA30qTn1FUvMEwrDmJweCND06esaYfxtG832EzgmAYbSHH_YMt67_jYyvdbumN-NIFP4R29cwjNt1khMZfiWvJJa9yGBmdObzFyMH0G-PzNMWdAI8rqSa_cker_UlW5AbQ1eJ5rQDMnBmmV8PBf4TdEhasUPgNoDJxkqbIPCtk/w640-h424/Mosaic1_Prominences_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">An arched prominence appeared on the Sun's northern limb.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoJGittKzfVsZ3ojQ1RhaiFVYbAQ8PTnZFLXDHfo_k5HH6UjUsKd8c3rI5-AFxqlWaGYb_L87lP2qoBViruHy9eq4si4Bm3oWE8Sf-Q_wzu42vjKlevaro7UhxyoVFP61Ns2wLHlo6gBR6mvN7bVJ03P9kpcI14yVXe6c0VI2eqn4I_F4q2jboNBg1z4/s970/v17_Prom3_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_Yellow_HalfSize_Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="970" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoJGittKzfVsZ3ojQ1RhaiFVYbAQ8PTnZFLXDHfo_k5HH6UjUsKd8c3rI5-AFxqlWaGYb_L87lP2qoBViruHy9eq4si4Bm3oWE8Sf-Q_wzu42vjKlevaro7UhxyoVFP61Ns2wLHlo6gBR6mvN7bVJ03P9kpcI14yVXe6c0VI2eqn4I_F4q2jboNBg1z4/w640-h373/v17_Prom3_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_Yellow_HalfSize_Crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The southeastern limb had some spiky emissions from an emerging sunspot.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbd_RQPXneD76q8D1k-EDPjoz0kfGC-dtErYq7yEOmFULFRFlBUgjOTokRM7t6hi5Ywfedu_MYrFd7bl_DzUpgMuJrwzTM0H3DkX8tmwJFep3i69rRqCpfMu0Fr0zjsNMGjKSk8__Zaujj3umKsHdRg0ikHourl5lrb4l1y9RXI_jcRMnv-y7LWnrUkk/s668/v14_Prom1_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_Yellow_HalfSize_Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="668" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbd_RQPXneD76q8D1k-EDPjoz0kfGC-dtErYq7yEOmFULFRFlBUgjOTokRM7t6hi5Ywfedu_MYrFd7bl_DzUpgMuJrwzTM0H3DkX8tmwJFep3i69rRqCpfMu0Fr0zjsNMGjKSk8__Zaujj3umKsHdRg0ikHourl5lrb4l1y9RXI_jcRMnv-y7LWnrUkk/w640-h584/v14_Prom1_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_Yellow_HalfSize_Crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, an enormous arching prominence with one explosive spike was displayed on the southwestern limb.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh6RQ7iwDECBxdqW4DzrYNqDfSYSh1sa1t-aVnmorrc9tcxYaOT-UmQicHe7mBMe4DKuYLvmxo_HUHU6tn1nv6NVOtb1FySlt_ujZlzvZrBXvYIjJIWkmnfGMtEq2YJwg1b84kKp06dS8onYWgDv2AYCd80IVZivVKAkHUa1lyKaUOygvAyjaG2zohhM/s609/v16_Prom2_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_Yellow_HalfSize_Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="546" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh6RQ7iwDECBxdqW4DzrYNqDfSYSh1sa1t-aVnmorrc9tcxYaOT-UmQicHe7mBMe4DKuYLvmxo_HUHU6tn1nv6NVOtb1FySlt_ujZlzvZrBXvYIjJIWkmnfGMtEq2YJwg1b84kKp06dS8onYWgDv2AYCd80IVZivVKAkHUa1lyKaUOygvAyjaG2zohhM/w574-h640/v16_Prom2_3XBarlow_Sept16_2023_Yellow_HalfSize_Crop.jpg" width="574" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">By the time this solar imaging session was over I was completely exhausted. Forecasts predicted cloudy skies for the next two weeks, so I appreciated the chance to take advantage of rare clear sky.<br /> </span><br /><br /> <br /></p><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-48569770088947820882023-09-21T16:29:00.000-04:002023-09-21T16:29:12.453-04:00Starry Night<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Success at Last!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sky conditions were too good to pass up on the evening of September 15th! Humid, hazy, cloudy, summer air was finally replaced by cool, clear, dry, moonless sky! In addition, by some chance miracle, all five usually annoying neighbor spotlights were turned off most of the time. Of course, perfection is hard to attain. Light poured out from one neighbor's unshaded windows. This window light was easier to tolerate than glaring spotlights, however. So, all things considered, conditions were about as good as I can hope for in my backyard. This was a great opportunity to use my Nikon Z6 2 camera with a 130 mm Stellarvue refractor.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">With temperature comfortably in the mid-60's I spent time setting up equipment and bringing the telescope mount up to speed. Eventually, all was ready. Sagittarius was getting lower in the southwest, so my first photographic target was the Lagoon Nebula (M8). The next image is a stack of thirty, 20-second exposures at ISO 6400. <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on images to enlarge.)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhWq_HbwbI4C0_CDmVaHwT73wbDRjaXfwWWnmyqUX2uP8SLV_jpSH_ebUhi8t5w_QjowuFO7dHOsfm4oFEDhpFfaDUKzQGJRXGuZ41SYKRW9-bcb-2IsHMeIWM_lNqbngtsUEkHFJOHxdcpYynDeVYrleb7oF1PRerGEHmUsLYd0j_xkKhFReeccG6rs/s1512/M8_LagoonNebula_Bright35_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1512" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhWq_HbwbI4C0_CDmVaHwT73wbDRjaXfwWWnmyqUX2uP8SLV_jpSH_ebUhi8t5w_QjowuFO7dHOsfm4oFEDhpFfaDUKzQGJRXGuZ41SYKRW9-bcb-2IsHMeIWM_lNqbngtsUEkHFJOHxdcpYynDeVYrleb7oF1PRerGEHmUsLYd0j_xkKhFReeccG6rs/w640-h426/M8_LagoonNebula_Bright35_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For some reason the nebulosity has a purple color instead of being correctly red. Ten minutes of total exposure captured a good amount of glowing gas, and the background sky is reasonably black. The small golden clump to the left is NGC 6544, a globular cluster.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Next, I moved to another object in Sagittarius, the Eagle Nebula (M16). Once again, I stacked thirty, 20-second exposures at ISO 6400 to get the following image.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLS984BUBlYyeP2zQYqGE7J4tr-qN4UuQn7j-6PC0SS9J0D3Ex2XIy4kEHzmiFD8pYE_hVsWq9hnV_vzH-Pr0EuDY2kkR9XSKPbxk1fzPx8R8d3uVLdPpmagx5EcWDaS70X7ud3YUqUy4LkufMcsbZFU2Mxfrc_4pxuR34928Jeth__-ZPsj54MTXREQ/s2016/M16_EagleNebula_Bright35_Enhance_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="2016" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLS984BUBlYyeP2zQYqGE7J4tr-qN4UuQn7j-6PC0SS9J0D3Ex2XIy4kEHzmiFD8pYE_hVsWq9hnV_vzH-Pr0EuDY2kkR9XSKPbxk1fzPx8R8d3uVLdPpmagx5EcWDaS70X7ud3YUqUy4LkufMcsbZFU2Mxfrc_4pxuR34928Jeth__-ZPsj54MTXREQ/w640-h426/M16_EagleNebula_Bright35_Enhance_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Nebulosity is inaccurately purple again. More exposure time is needed for this object. If you enlarge the image and look at the nebula center, you can just begin to see the "Pillars of Creation" made famous by the iconic Hubble Telescope image of the same name.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now it was time to leave objects near the horizon and point the telescope closer to a darker zenith. The next image of Brocchi's Cluster, also known as "the Coathanger", came out particularly well!</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqj5dqr3ymWY51DOd73B3aCTqJ2d5Zl87xgJoqploPh2BMVyeNm2pcSf8jSmyIcNNW4JJAXmabz9Ux5XvupVKMEQSUkRdqISqh-euESMxFMkH7eZivg-8ywuRNoJeGXUCeKUMHZcSPxQ_StlkYNO4F-RwHpPRTAPAhcx6tNayJQBdPncbqEABN24zbrKU/s1512/BrocchisCluster_Bright35_Enhance_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1512" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqj5dqr3ymWY51DOd73B3aCTqJ2d5Zl87xgJoqploPh2BMVyeNm2pcSf8jSmyIcNNW4JJAXmabz9Ux5XvupVKMEQSUkRdqISqh-euESMxFMkH7eZivg-8ywuRNoJeGXUCeKUMHZcSPxQ_StlkYNO4F-RwHpPRTAPAhcx6tNayJQBdPncbqEABN24zbrKU/w640-h426/BrocchisCluster_Bright35_Enhance_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Coathanger's star colors are not quite as dramatically intense as some photos I've seen, but the asterism nicely fills the frame and shows up very nicely! I'm really happy with this picture, made from a stack of fifteen, 20-second exposures at ISO 6400. The small concentration of stars in the lower left corner is NGC 6802, an open cluster.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The beautiful color contrast double star, Albireo, is in the same neighborhood as Brocchi's Cluster. I moved there next. A 2X Barlow lens was required to produce significant separation between the pair which are only 34.9 arc seconds apart. The gold star is about 60 light years closer to Earth than the blue star, so they are a chance alignment rather than an orbiting pair.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3WRTfHLkJsXd8r6hb-XEmF8u_D16Au18OtX3SG6uIWTAJR9C-Im1BqQWEFO8opJrxBVbj3ohwt8acqcpfFv7hLSI2PLrxpegsow0jqnOoDuQDPaPI-l75uj5hFtALgxKH-jXXdkx6FFMoRqxY1C-FbXYqSYrjGeBrucZz97d4QPjeYOeHeXfx432e4c/s921/Albireo_2XBarlow_Crop_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="921" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3WRTfHLkJsXd8r6hb-XEmF8u_D16Au18OtX3SG6uIWTAJR9C-Im1BqQWEFO8opJrxBVbj3ohwt8acqcpfFv7hLSI2PLrxpegsow0jqnOoDuQDPaPI-l75uj5hFtALgxKH-jXXdkx6FFMoRqxY1C-FbXYqSYrjGeBrucZz97d4QPjeYOeHeXfx432e4c/w640-h626/Albireo_2XBarlow_Crop_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">The blue and gold star colors are only apparent on the outer fringes because star centers are overexposed. I should have realized this would happen for these bright stars. In this case, fifteen, 20-second stacked exposures was overkill! If I try this again, exposures shorter than 20-seconds would be better.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Large planetary nebula M27 was also relatively nearby. With a 2X Barlow lens fifteen, 20-second stacked exposures at ISO 51200 yielded the following image.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuN980gOtwkrSh7LfnIzZOPUY_9J7AV9--Hw7t_UqqfC1r1NTkDlp-HDToBLHiuwrggi7pUiJXQ5QmKA261n3M-pljJ5LIqbRuLTFEV3c6YbNL-R16sBul0LWIIIFvG__OHxijQ6c6IiBA8pSnHqpBmPA7HDNYNn0bhJnIHpnLA9pFxlPDDIVaVT6bTnU/s736/M27_2XBarlow_Crop_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="736" height="523" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuN980gOtwkrSh7LfnIzZOPUY_9J7AV9--Hw7t_UqqfC1r1NTkDlp-HDToBLHiuwrggi7pUiJXQ5QmKA261n3M-pljJ5LIqbRuLTFEV3c6YbNL-R16sBul0LWIIIFvG__OHxijQ6c6IiBA8pSnHqpBmPA7HDNYNn0bhJnIHpnLA9pFxlPDDIVaVT6bTnU/w640-h523/M27_2XBarlow_Crop_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Twenty second exposures are the limit of my unguided mount before slight star trailing begins to show up with a 2X Barlow lens.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I removed the Barlow lens and captured the Double Cluster in Perseus by stacking thirty, 20-second exposures at ISO 6400.This image shows the clusters very well at full size, so click on the image to enlarge 100 percent. A few yellow stars are scattered about.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MkW5QWbLxgCntHpwwxeyIRvznOCH6pYVYdnYH-aZ3eJ74_J9mdR-mHBcAeThf30UPXLdzAmH3QYNzIJIpSp2rCLB4KOUbEYJfKnkGtY9Gmd97dg_tguxmflIQ7j8mJ0MHBOzpnDfkhQiBe3aQsVQQX_TAh3jDTZAfsB7vEkzDvWLEaqSYPngDyyIjJ0/s3024/DoubleCluster_Bright35_Enhance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="3024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MkW5QWbLxgCntHpwwxeyIRvznOCH6pYVYdnYH-aZ3eJ74_J9mdR-mHBcAeThf30UPXLdzAmH3QYNzIJIpSp2rCLB4KOUbEYJfKnkGtY9Gmd97dg_tguxmflIQ7j8mJ0MHBOzpnDfkhQiBe3aQsVQQX_TAh3jDTZAfsB7vEkzDvWLEaqSYPngDyyIjJ0/w640-h426/DoubleCluster_Bright35_Enhance.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, the constellation Andromeda had risen high enough for its famous galaxy, M31, to become a target. Unfortunately, stacking only thirty, 20-second exposures at ISO 6400 did not capture enough light to fully reveal the galaxy's outer arms. The outer arms and dust lanes are only partially visible in the next image. Their visibility may depend on properties of the device screen used for viewing as well as room lighting. M31's two companion galaxies M110 and M32 are visible. M110 is the larger companion below M31 and M32 is the smaller fuzzy spot above M31. The galaxy and its companions nicely fill the image frame.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdiN_JM1P1tHelO2toOXVRPo6qhRvYyHmlxtmetZNZMtS8142LvvgJA31t1QN2VDOfA8v_KJEWRS0w2GCkHVXbWej9llEikW2jaWC7KDKBpQOM-kCGYPXp7SOfJe8B35L2rdGWykPg4uMcZ3GVazssOUuQBKM5PLNix7r0qmhlJtiOon429E1BF9jy2Y/s1008/M31_NoBarlow_Enhance_OneThirdSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdiN_JM1P1tHelO2toOXVRPo6qhRvYyHmlxtmetZNZMtS8142LvvgJA31t1QN2VDOfA8v_KJEWRS0w2GCkHVXbWej9llEikW2jaWC7KDKBpQOM-kCGYPXp7SOfJe8B35L2rdGWykPg4uMcZ3GVazssOUuQBKM5PLNix7r0qmhlJtiOon429E1BF9jy2Y/w640-h426/M31_NoBarlow_Enhance_OneThirdSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Temperature had dropped to 58 degrees near 1:00 AM. My observing stamina has diminished with age. I was getting a bit chilly. After hauling the telescope and camera inside, I left other equipment outside so I could collapse, exhausted, into bed at 1:40 AM.<br /> </span><br /><br /><br /> <br /></p><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-22100965146858173932023-08-31T15:52:00.000-04:002023-08-31T15:52:51.300-04:00Sagittarius Milky Way<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Fighting Light Pollution</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After solar imaging under absolutely clear sky on the morning of August 19th I left my telescope mount and equipment outside anticipating a cloud free night to follow. The night did continue without clouds or bright Moon, but when I stepped outside to begin setting up my Stellarvue refractor, I was immediately blinded by a neighbor's glaring backyard spotlight. I was so discouraged and disgusted I packed up the mount and began hauling equipment inside. Just as I moved the last piece inside, the neighbor turned off the light! The resulting sky was now as dark as it gets above my less than ideal neighborhood location. The Milky Way and Sagittarius were visible in the south above nearby rooftops. This night of new Moon was probably my last opportunity to photograph the Milky Way, so I hastily attached my Nikon Z62 to a tripod and tried getting some short exposure unguided photos.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After initial trial and error I started accumulating photos to eventually stack together into a single equivalent longer exposure. My work was interrupted several times by various neighbor spotlights turning on and off while dogs were let in and out. I ran out of energy after recording 145 individual exposures at various settings. Only three exposure groups gave decent results. The first picture below, a stack of twenty-one, 6-second exposures, is a wide field image obtained with the lens set at 35 mm, f/2.8, and ISO 3200. Lights and rooftops originally visible along the bottom were cropped out. <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on images for a larger view.)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaodd1NyNxJo-sahcxAJm59gcf7Ba0BCaTqAkxhX0kxr6yOy6D6nQPA1_BKEXVurPnAXF_Br9Eck-NcGXO4R7qRloOinVEUYJkZalH0H1g5GEyHrnYpmNQMwtjv7pIgFPq2u8taAecCzJ_Jorls8CbUftJhI4J9nD9FAjBRuNMDhCAouy3oSyuJsQDB8/s1277/MilkyWay2_Aug19_2023_Z62_35mm_f2.8_ISO3200_21X6sec_V4_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1277" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaodd1NyNxJo-sahcxAJm59gcf7Ba0BCaTqAkxhX0kxr6yOy6D6nQPA1_BKEXVurPnAXF_Br9Eck-NcGXO4R7qRloOinVEUYJkZalH0H1g5GEyHrnYpmNQMwtjv7pIgFPq2u8taAecCzJ_Jorls8CbUftJhI4J9nD9FAjBRuNMDhCAouy3oSyuJsQDB8/w640-h380/MilkyWay2_Aug19_2023_Z62_35mm_f2.8_ISO3200_21X6sec_V4_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunate background noise appears in the lower left where the sky should be black. Nevertheless, bright star clouds in the Milky Way's center are visible!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next slightly more magnified image was made from twenty-five, 5-second exposures with the lens set at 50 mm, f/2.8, and ISO 3200. The sky in lower left is darker here, but the right half of the Milky Way star clouds is missing.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AZ9Pjg6TGUXqy_wunKgTrNXw1T2MedN8wcaYKNRrIbJrBTNYP9yD9W6vogpwZUsRO5q6reojYAug-cRO-Ty7PXCB5okK6SnKdp5Lkl5NgS1mR8vSS_exUYs3lZgfsknKuQIppyu9NNiRNN2XztLa2NDcuexPl0EQRHkNw4ZkArNQTVKOkAj6D0BuX3U/s1269/MilkyWay1_Aug19_2023_Z62_50mm_f2.8_ISO3200_25X5sec_V4_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="1269" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AZ9Pjg6TGUXqy_wunKgTrNXw1T2MedN8wcaYKNRrIbJrBTNYP9yD9W6vogpwZUsRO5q6reojYAug-cRO-Ty7PXCB5okK6SnKdp5Lkl5NgS1mR8vSS_exUYs3lZgfsknKuQIppyu9NNiRNN2XztLa2NDcuexPl0EQRHkNw4ZkArNQTVKOkAj6D0BuX3U/w640-h448/MilkyWay1_Aug19_2023_Z62_50mm_f2.8_ISO3200_25X5sec_V4_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, I set the lens at 70 mm, f/2.8, and ISO 6400, and took twenty-six, 5-second exposures to get the following nice view of Sagittarius. This image is the best of the three, I think.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DURVhzh19gVE53h2G4ZwlHxSUZqvPeDeu6oMW32McwT9otSu8I4chMriaYBGypK29JtQkCf7T191DPJvB_DV58PQjDVFjASDsxA9SVPCm9NWBbk_TnfyLeoh8Tsqr4JUsaGUC_td8Lr0q4hYEbnEvSG-IudNeQZOL5kMBcz6p757PnT-eYkIHOpnm2w/s1216/Sagittarius_Aug19_2023_Z62_70mm_f2.8_ISO6400_26X5sec_V3_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1216" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DURVhzh19gVE53h2G4ZwlHxSUZqvPeDeu6oMW32McwT9otSu8I4chMriaYBGypK29JtQkCf7T191DPJvB_DV58PQjDVFjASDsxA9SVPCm9NWBbk_TnfyLeoh8Tsqr4JUsaGUC_td8Lr0q4hYEbnEvSG-IudNeQZOL5kMBcz6p757PnT-eYkIHOpnm2w/w640-h530/Sagittarius_Aug19_2023_Z62_70mm_f2.8_ISO6400_26X5sec_V3_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The famous "teapot" shape of Sagittarius is outlined in the next picture along with labels for some obvious celestial objects. I was surprised to see the Lagoon Nebula and Trifid Nebula showing up!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRgNYmu-zhM2UDj61VlaNgoKWaSd8hw3Ls28PGM1AD4iK2W1DpVJfdvpk_qczcg9-2rfEdcm1pYIzMni1PBzCNxmaJzEUYjrzirUc_VmzKJSwlmpCVxtSKkDSeesBAg3RSxn2xzUTxjuo1SLv4T4-PAQlv8KnQ_pahCmMhc1FFwXwqB3sThK4k7oi7Dc/s1216/Sagittarius_Aug19_2023_Z62_70mm_f2.8_ISO6400_26X5sec_V3_HalfSize_FullLabel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1216" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRgNYmu-zhM2UDj61VlaNgoKWaSd8hw3Ls28PGM1AD4iK2W1DpVJfdvpk_qczcg9-2rfEdcm1pYIzMni1PBzCNxmaJzEUYjrzirUc_VmzKJSwlmpCVxtSKkDSeesBAg3RSxn2xzUTxjuo1SLv4T4-PAQlv8KnQ_pahCmMhc1FFwXwqB3sThK4k7oi7Dc/w640-h530/Sagittarius_Aug19_2023_Z62_70mm_f2.8_ISO6400_26X5sec_V3_HalfSize_FullLabel.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The images above aren't awful, but they could be better. While processing images I'm always losing faint details when I make the background sky reasonably black. Total exposure times are always too short, and light pollution brightens the background sky. I did take dark frames to eliminate camera noise, but I didn't take flat field frames. Travel to a darker location might help the bright background problem, but it's extremely hard to give up the convenience of my back yard!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There's another puzzling thing I don't understand. Software I use to stack individual images into a combined single image runs on my newer laptop. When stacking is complete the software produces a final image that looks great. I tweak this final image with Photoshop (on my newer laptop) and save the image. Photoshop on the newer laptop tells me dark areas have a zero pixel brightness value, and the background looks nice and dark. When I examine this final image on my older laptop, however, the background looks bright with pixel values Photoshop (on the older laptop) now says are about 18, significantly higher than zero! Unfortunately, the unsatisfactory view on my older laptop is the same view I get on a phone, or other devices. It seems like the original zero pixel levels from the new laptop are brought up to a higher level by some mysterious process. Consequently, in order to display a dark background sky on different devices, I have to lower dark pixel values from their unexpected value of 18, down to zero. This creates an overall dimming effect on the entire image and causes dim features to disappear. <br /> </span><br /> <br /></p><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-13876421478153664482023-08-23T16:22:00.005-04:002023-08-23T16:22:54.518-04:00Unusual Weather<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Unexpected Good Conditions</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Typical mid-August observing conditions in southeastern Virginia include cloudy sky, high humidity, and broiling temperatures. So it was a wonderful surprise on August 19th to use my solar telescope in low humidity and temperature ranging from 68 to 75 degrees! In addition, cloudless sky stretched from horizon to horizon. As you can see in the following satellite image, the entire state of Virginia was cloud free at 10:00 EDT! Even haze-producing Canadian wildfire smoke descending into the midwest stayed away from Virginia.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_j-6H-2MNEtYiplsi5ZA0tHZIRI1myOf7crrkJE_76u1EmGAqEkSm9fhW_eNFvTJZeK_W-CUxqzXWxFkvLsGFVJXgd6bvmXVI7ffogzm3XzB9s-ksZ-yEJ7XTK2KJ223LDm2Bz_hDyQ6f6rR4sl-TgxV1WctSSlnyeUJOUcmJWyt-pHXk4S3mi50Dfo/s1560/August19_2023_10_06EDT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1560" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_j-6H-2MNEtYiplsi5ZA0tHZIRI1myOf7crrkJE_76u1EmGAqEkSm9fhW_eNFvTJZeK_W-CUxqzXWxFkvLsGFVJXgd6bvmXVI7ffogzm3XzB9s-ksZ-yEJ7XTK2KJ223LDm2Bz_hDyQ6f6rR4sl-TgxV1WctSSlnyeUJOUcmJWyt-pHXk4S3mi50Dfo/w640-h322/August19_2023_10_06EDT.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Even though solar features were not especially dramatic this day, it was hard to skip an observing opportunity with conditions so nice. The next image is a slightly imperfect mosaic constructed from 36 individual panels: 20 for the disc, and 16 for prominences. It shows a good number of prominences around the limb, several dark filaments, and five sunspots. <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on images to enlarge.)</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1r9BekN5bwrcubfcaxK00nRoOnATNY7yTu7K8rRqEJyvD0LgPD3IPhk0A_wWHPF1NcRvgLe9gtDeflfwBgCM4XHTvXE3R271gT7iHwftPONV2jHnBOHP_K9Fp1pFU6ADN1cf9yuUfbGQ9RL8e6cWRYsjUhVi6Jud0bqy_Ylt_2eJ-s1ulKbdMCzi40w/s1979/WholeDiscMosaic_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1979" data-original-width="1976" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1r9BekN5bwrcubfcaxK00nRoOnATNY7yTu7K8rRqEJyvD0LgPD3IPhk0A_wWHPF1NcRvgLe9gtDeflfwBgCM4XHTvXE3R271gT7iHwftPONV2jHnBOHP_K9Fp1pFU6ADN1cf9yuUfbGQ9RL8e6cWRYsjUhVi6Jud0bqy_Ylt_2eJ-s1ulKbdMCzi40w/w640-h640/WholeDiscMosaic_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunspot 3403 is the dark umbra in upper right. Sunspot 3407 has a double umbra in the lower right. Just left of center is sunspot 3405 with smaller spot 3411 to its left. Small spot 3412 is near the left limb. None of these spots were flaring or presenting complex structure. I thought limb prominences were the best features this day. Next is a colored prominence mosaic with the disc blacked out.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrrHqStDubxq-w2nLJcav4cu1ZRLtwp3q6mpbmpRyRZvxQUU86tqkAPCWW40oiVnluhccFpjUZNcqskaaKu3Li0ipdyFAZ795gQWO-l8Lv20X3gdvJuVeA8XGkf-JrbGg2-sw3OLbLtN7pkLabWwobdthw_S3nxatRTKH1z-fq8jIgN-BmxXDv7743cQ/s1319/Mosaic4_Eclipse_Yellow_OneThirdSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1319" data-original-width="1317" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrrHqStDubxq-w2nLJcav4cu1ZRLtwp3q6mpbmpRyRZvxQUU86tqkAPCWW40oiVnluhccFpjUZNcqskaaKu3Li0ipdyFAZ795gQWO-l8Lv20X3gdvJuVeA8XGkf-JrbGg2-sw3OLbLtN7pkLabWwobdthw_S3nxatRTKH1z-fq8jIgN-BmxXDv7743cQ/w640-h640/Mosaic4_Eclipse_Yellow_OneThirdSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Four of the major sunspots are shown in the next close view which shows good detail when enlarged.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-NXAYXa0850XDgdr0TuX6QhM-daGtc8eoZqmfZq9XdHciPZlxRpJCXlR5ezhQeyFlNbGzhk8wJUDtXKSb2Ut5qbmGTINAO60O8pCCdbbppteFIDhtDe7H25V2tixxVh1G7WTkm0YG3AQt9efn5TGK1Gr8CDi64Nbx7Cjm_NR26ZaDSPrcCT-VN--Df0/s2403/Mosaic2_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1962" data-original-width="2403" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-NXAYXa0850XDgdr0TuX6QhM-daGtc8eoZqmfZq9XdHciPZlxRpJCXlR5ezhQeyFlNbGzhk8wJUDtXKSb2Ut5qbmGTINAO60O8pCCdbbppteFIDhtDe7H25V2tixxVh1G7WTkm0YG3AQt9efn5TGK1Gr8CDi64Nbx7Cjm_NR26ZaDSPrcCT-VN--Df0/w640-h522/Mosaic2_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunspot 3403 was accompanied by an interesting filament stretching to the right toward the limb where it begins to form a "filaprom".</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0uRgxpA0zyZQ19vKXbrINe6m3a0s3A-CetQcYSehLPpav9eE7Hpl40wyByKYnFJabrGFDn2_i3QNgqGXfUe6XjfbCdYQ_DNn5RGrJFjkk-A_jqzmGIyCYxxd_D7MfChWkbtDrlhi5kEScSPUMAsTr80LTZjpsvXktZPX8kPj0bvpuM43nscTwaSFBow/s1937/Sunspot3403_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="1937" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0uRgxpA0zyZQ19vKXbrINe6m3a0s3A-CetQcYSehLPpav9eE7Hpl40wyByKYnFJabrGFDn2_i3QNgqGXfUe6XjfbCdYQ_DNn5RGrJFjkk-A_jqzmGIyCYxxd_D7MfChWkbtDrlhi5kEScSPUMAsTr80LTZjpsvXktZPX8kPj0bvpuM43nscTwaSFBow/w640-h404/Sunspot3403_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Next is a closer view of three sunspots in the left solar hemisphere.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdm28hZkcDe3vvtctIguRtfBYoac6XdBRQlsn6wsuwqLhXLFYXaCGTLqhfqPgm_bGqjiS95n0wJbpQApYe3Ra5Z2nn4lPrM49nOV4TVL2NLaoKNtgVTF_VR7cXhevwsl8pJJlVhcBuIVoIY2GE3N35YLJ92PJA3hjcohZMHFMPCGPJVkGn_5PyzeBYAn0/s1925/Sunspots3405_3511_3512_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1925" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdm28hZkcDe3vvtctIguRtfBYoac6XdBRQlsn6wsuwqLhXLFYXaCGTLqhfqPgm_bGqjiS95n0wJbpQApYe3Ra5Z2nn4lPrM49nOV4TVL2NLaoKNtgVTF_VR7cXhevwsl8pJJlVhcBuIVoIY2GE3N35YLJ92PJA3hjcohZMHFMPCGPJVkGn_5PyzeBYAn0/w640-h406/Sunspots3405_3511_3512_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, here's a close view of filaments on the lower solar disc along with double umbra spot 3407.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2zKoBZl6wJuhH-5wVra-lgYgXbL4QSrkuVcWwyxtyJYepRo8BhkSYv2hOjGP423s9hpl2lZ_5vfR_0MAvIxBSkUqB8HHHmPr9Hoyb6SkBbLPZALK6qS9di_VMIR4iucG5KrGQYKdd7k02ZMYDKodRKUKCHAEypuphqfNe_Zn8yjedizIknAKoYz2yQc/s1931/Sunspot3407_Filaments_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1931" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2zKoBZl6wJuhH-5wVra-lgYgXbL4QSrkuVcWwyxtyJYepRo8BhkSYv2hOjGP423s9hpl2lZ_5vfR_0MAvIxBSkUqB8HHHmPr9Hoyb6SkBbLPZALK6qS9di_VMIR4iucG5KrGQYKdd7k02ZMYDKodRKUKCHAEypuphqfNe_Zn8yjedizIknAKoYz2yQc/w640-h404/Sunspot3407_Filaments_3XBarlow_Aug19_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Clear skies continued into the evening. The Milky Way was visible to the south, so I decided to try some pictures in spite of neighbors' light pollution. Maybe some of these images will be good enough to post in my next blog. </span><br /><br /><br /> <br /><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-19500932505813071072023-08-08T11:53:00.001-04:002023-08-08T11:54:17.609-04:00Stormy Sunset<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Nice Color Contrast</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I stepped out on my front porch a couple weeks ago to watch an approaching thunderstorm and saw this colorful sunset. For a short time dark purple storm clouds sat upon a bright orange foundation.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8XFZnKPy0FKpMixev9veXbuS-hylqZFvhTJ4nrZ-d2m3LdWeObXVGK11h5x09EXATRU893Vf72sA1i4a_gSL_5a5oQthEbIUtfqmKQaPJaRkVtZ2eJt2WVok6tURLG8MeYSLSR-HcbOu26t-4-lYRxVFAFu6Zqir9MJUbLAqPqyw1VfoTir2bugKHsM/s1008/Sunset_July29_2023_Small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8XFZnKPy0FKpMixev9veXbuS-hylqZFvhTJ4nrZ-d2m3LdWeObXVGK11h5x09EXATRU893Vf72sA1i4a_gSL_5a5oQthEbIUtfqmKQaPJaRkVtZ2eJt2WVok6tURLG8MeYSLSR-HcbOu26t-4-lYRxVFAFu6Zqir9MJUbLAqPqyw1VfoTir2bugKHsM/w640-h480/Sunset_July29_2023_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lightning bolts frequently pierced the clouds adding even more beauty to the scene. I took many photos hoping to capture lightning, but wasn't lucky enough to catch one. The picture above would have been spectacular with bright forked lightning stretching across dark clouds! <br /> </span> <br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-65939835478051844722023-07-21T08:42:00.000-04:002023-07-21T08:42:13.075-04:00Lots of Spots<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Sunspot Variety</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Summertime in Williamsburg, VA doesn't favor astronomical observing. Almost every day is cloudy. Rare cloudless observing windows last only a few morning hours before clouds pop up. One such unusual span of clear sky happened on the morning of July 11th. For a brief two hour period there were no clouds, no wind, and good seeing. Temperature was quite warm, but tolerable, ranging from 77 degrees to 81 degrees during my imaging session.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Solar activity is humming along nicely these days. The following 15-panel mosaic shows action on July 11th. Each individual panel is a stack of 100 frames from a 1,000 frame video clip made with a ZWO 174 MM camera, attached to a 3X Barlow lens on a Lunt 100 mm solar telescope.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufHLp8xQinlEVHjadKBT_Dzhd2jSE_3MtBpc0mzNg2dBpR_da8GEUk_VOX58QTPWfX4PGXMgfQtjy5D3ScpaW3-N8lv3QOE5tUsUFDOrE9TqtQEnGu9iDh4F7q3d9M9soAaMt256wGQTBoL3Dc-7Tganq09lClDfA82i72ke6o_tsrHBY6PgDfNA0oUs/s1972/Mosaic6_Prom_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="1972" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufHLp8xQinlEVHjadKBT_Dzhd2jSE_3MtBpc0mzNg2dBpR_da8GEUk_VOX58QTPWfX4PGXMgfQtjy5D3ScpaW3-N8lv3QOE5tUsUFDOrE9TqtQEnGu9iDh4F7q3d9M9soAaMt256wGQTBoL3Dc-7Tganq09lClDfA82i72ke6o_tsrHBY6PgDfNA0oUs/w640-h620/Mosaic6_Prom_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One major sunspot, 3363, has a large umbra below center. From top to bottom on the right are sunspots 3361, 3367, and 3366. Sunspot 3372, with spiky eruptions, is emerging around the upper left rim. A few prominences are scattered around the limb. <span style="color: #fcff01;">(Click on the images to see a larger view.)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next 2-panel mosaic shows most of the features in the western hemisphere in good detail.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAnRWRfub0NCGPfWb5J3BEpybUQAIhEVlszmuHrziDUy7YlnN44fqIR21vUgsusoDNrwNucEK0U6X99RxeCY3Vphi1GPvEjNQRIyn6lJC5NuWGgfK3RoaTWdk-Vo4o21Yzjo7TTrcWgjCjwcDaiZcr5jSu3i2ensqfDLxZfWv7UUUiGcoNrwlilnRcpc/s1294/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="1251" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAnRWRfub0NCGPfWb5J3BEpybUQAIhEVlszmuHrziDUy7YlnN44fqIR21vUgsusoDNrwNucEK0U6X99RxeCY3Vphi1GPvEjNQRIyn6lJC5NuWGgfK3RoaTWdk-Vo4o21Yzjo7TTrcWgjCjwcDaiZcr5jSu3i2ensqfDLxZfWv7UUUiGcoNrwlilnRcpc/w618-h640/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="618" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunspot 3361 is on top. Double umbra sunspot 3367 is in the middle. Sunspot 3366 is nearing the limb on the lower right accompanied by a nice prominence. Sunspot 3362, with a dim umbra, is in the lower left. Several filaments are scattered about making a nice solar scene.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Moving to a portion of the eastern hemisphere, the following 5-panel mosaic shows big sunspot 3363 and prominences.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSluEcb0NV_hRlcrEiwa6uGNHErowtvjYGdZ0yMCKtcMMd2b914O3QYCGC7uiRHJ4SlZZmXel3nz04YBCIIfRVV33ayLUvjc0Cb_wN8TWTNZ4JldGI_eczB1INYVTpnjfkXixE6lHeHjytDPl9DykBZjlQauNNMDk7AL1KfkJWibrS46jceNa8cgti9I/s1596/Mosaic4_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="1596" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSluEcb0NV_hRlcrEiwa6uGNHErowtvjYGdZ0yMCKtcMMd2b914O3QYCGC7uiRHJ4SlZZmXel3nz04YBCIIfRVV33ayLUvjc0Cb_wN8TWTNZ4JldGI_eczB1INYVTpnjfkXixE6lHeHjytDPl9DykBZjlQauNNMDk7AL1KfkJWibrS46jceNa8cgti9I/w640-h444/Mosaic4_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On the upper left rim you can see a "filaprom". This is a prominence in the process of rotating around to become a filament when viewed against the background solar disc. While observing I noticed the development of an interesting strand of light spanning the elongated umbras of sunspot 3363. The next two images show the change. At 8:50 EDT (12:50 UT) the umbra looked like this:<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCoKlT5jrPY6u5CQglvfyDbnzWLK2efjbSbmngz0TxH1wd_lAZxfvhIajB1MKrrD3PWN30fbJsUHY15Q0IsIRHvY0jcvnvFAYvWlyGY_H4_s_dhfVriO0nooryL7_nGbiv5IbYei5Ft_ze35cDW1whnG5Jj2IsiAwUvuIqs7nYaltmdHbijJ3-263aMU/s1011/Sunspot3363_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_V04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="784" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCoKlT5jrPY6u5CQglvfyDbnzWLK2efjbSbmngz0TxH1wd_lAZxfvhIajB1MKrrD3PWN30fbJsUHY15Q0IsIRHvY0jcvnvFAYvWlyGY_H4_s_dhfVriO0nooryL7_nGbiv5IbYei5Ft_ze35cDW1whnG5Jj2IsiAwUvuIqs7nYaltmdHbijJ3-263aMU/w496-h640/Sunspot3363_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_V04.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Forty five minutes later, at 9:35 EDT (13:35 UT), it looked like this:</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1KDp0TGIemITqlsfRSOyBZ4roBH9ggzIpuAogHOII0gqRAXB_a3t8Bf-A_3zXKrmJF2ulhQqw-AFnLqiLfDl0Vtx5jWERksS_z1WOHE7FAThnrpIEnvnJ988yzAB0n-H88JG0jJV7XMt28HMfn3k31rZNJXrUAK51TUSqlcy8Xr1Q82LANhvuXnZGzs/s1024/Sunspot3363_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_V40.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="845" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1KDp0TGIemITqlsfRSOyBZ4roBH9ggzIpuAogHOII0gqRAXB_a3t8Bf-A_3zXKrmJF2ulhQqw-AFnLqiLfDl0Vtx5jWERksS_z1WOHE7FAThnrpIEnvnJ988yzAB0n-H88JG0jJV7XMt28HMfn3k31rZNJXrUAK51TUSqlcy8Xr1Q82LANhvuXnZGzs/w528-h640/Sunspot3363_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_V40.jpg" width="528" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've never seen an umbra eruption feature like this before!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Emerging sunspot 3372, just coming over the eastern limb, presented spiky, churning activity seen in profile.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fPYXMusnw10Iw_X5Su-j83gvwgUonvTHQS9jnBQJ0Qv4MRM9zVHmUlDlX5N8ZlIrJUCN2u3JxjrvFA2fB-Y6ndFDZ8NaAQoJ3TtwVwn5YWAxy8tqKRk0-lub0i2E_kX42Yjm47l_1SJCwq0WIhUSRb-nLNlH3cUXYxd2oKcfUUfzQOJZCaA6xILvnnU/s1049/Sunspot3372_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_V29.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1049" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fPYXMusnw10Iw_X5Su-j83gvwgUonvTHQS9jnBQJ0Qv4MRM9zVHmUlDlX5N8ZlIrJUCN2u3JxjrvFA2fB-Y6ndFDZ8NaAQoJ3TtwVwn5YWAxy8tqKRk0-lub0i2E_kX42Yjm47l_1SJCwq0WIhUSRb-nLNlH3cUXYxd2oKcfUUfzQOJZCaA6xILvnnU/w640-h614/Sunspot3372_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_V29.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Activity slowly changed in 25 minutes between 9:28 and 9:53 EDT. The next image, (slightly less sharp), shows the difference.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk8yPI4EZZst3vXMEAJhS9J7OA0X08MunDt7hH4IvsVal9Fyka3cvoL78JI1dPbxAX5KU6GEEOtkx_hwbttjPh-9GjRZOnQgQRXaEarBTgL-pdjXDOmfRV-rVe8E2BeV4k80BIe9pDu_JbjiW2wceP8JvqoJOIY3dGEAsGFv2hLDyoc-VhyQ8qdIL4kY/s968/Sunspot3372_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_V49.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="968" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk8yPI4EZZst3vXMEAJhS9J7OA0X08MunDt7hH4IvsVal9Fyka3cvoL78JI1dPbxAX5KU6GEEOtkx_hwbttjPh-9GjRZOnQgQRXaEarBTgL-pdjXDOmfRV-rVe8E2BeV4k80BIe9pDu_JbjiW2wceP8JvqoJOIY3dGEAsGFv2hLDyoc-VhyQ8qdIL4kY/w640-h552/Sunspot3372_3XBarlow_July11_2023_PaleBlue_V49.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Inevitable clouds began appearing around 10:40, and I was beginning to feel the summer heat. It was time to shut down and haul my equipment inside to wait for the next rare cloudless sky.<br /> </span><br /><br /><br /> <br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-22870016005957845772023-07-04T16:54:00.000-04:002023-07-04T16:54:43.565-04:00Bike Ride Wildlife<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Scenes From My Bike</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">During regular bike rides near dawn I sometimes see unusual wildlife. For example, one morning I rode past this substantial snapping turtle crossing the road.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTr-TI8o0wIatl922I76m9V9Gf-AV4YN51nouOn1khvkecrF7JnwhxkgAb0dq-Wp-mlxMnKvu4Yx2QyRbFUmvxkZnSpiwWRVrK3ZRN5B0UEAPQW1KExlxM8QJQCwisefKblOlyEIuIChcWxENOlN-z_PmczSMP-rYYxLiViifjTtuR6pHaJSXlU_Ze5k/s1008/20230521_111828_small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTr-TI8o0wIatl922I76m9V9Gf-AV4YN51nouOn1khvkecrF7JnwhxkgAb0dq-Wp-mlxMnKvu4Yx2QyRbFUmvxkZnSpiwWRVrK3ZRN5B0UEAPQW1KExlxM8QJQCwisefKblOlyEIuIChcWxENOlN-z_PmczSMP-rYYxLiViifjTtuR6pHaJSXlU_Ze5k/w640-h480/20230521_111828_small.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This fellow, quite a bit larger than my bike helmet, was initially posing nicely with extended head and neck. By the time I dismounted and got my camera ready its grumpy head had withdrawn into the withdrawn position shown in these pictures.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86bnOWeV31EdcXIEK0VWqi4ungeHHfKHXcohTnEH43YmFFR_Jlkdhm7rEPHa4V2ppP820NWqOb29_sdKazkgtAhyFTaYqP7VYUXNSYIIoixxbodsgzBH6LRm37fWrxlAlbqhwSexMcpGCZbqxGEJgAjD6f3AaO9khtGr_yvwAp2ox4G4P9JgbFLVeBNg/s802/20230521_111849_Small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="802" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86bnOWeV31EdcXIEK0VWqi4ungeHHfKHXcohTnEH43YmFFR_Jlkdhm7rEPHa4V2ppP820NWqOb29_sdKazkgtAhyFTaYqP7VYUXNSYIIoixxbodsgzBH6LRm37fWrxlAlbqhwSexMcpGCZbqxGEJgAjD6f3AaO9khtGr_yvwAp2ox4G4P9JgbFLVeBNg/w640-h604/20230521_111849_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On several mornings, always in the same neighborhood, I pass by this unique deer whose brown and white skin pattern and humped spine are the result of an odd genetic hand dealt to her.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibX52rvnZ8h69q-xoTZrpsFStT8nHDQ91mHkl12FRwaWLdWsxPG8SR0uj0XZEQ8qsXeNc1VbHI-tSgQqbzT2QLbKLhNfYTVrseIfF7RyNPmFq6JIVZGDvxGqCrjmweyifGkVS5yVou03X3OB-kTfbLURl5McHNARFyCBpYTtgGsby8FhJHFdVSL6yg-F0/s1052/20230704_063502_Crop_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1052" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibX52rvnZ8h69q-xoTZrpsFStT8nHDQ91mHkl12FRwaWLdWsxPG8SR0uj0XZEQ8qsXeNc1VbHI-tSgQqbzT2QLbKLhNfYTVrseIfF7RyNPmFq6JIVZGDvxGqCrjmweyifGkVS5yVou03X3OB-kTfbLURl5McHNARFyCBpYTtgGsby8FhJHFdVSL6yg-F0/w640-h476/20230704_063502_Crop_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Over the past few years I've noticed swarms of small creatures skittering across the bike path at one location. From my seat on the speeding bike they looked like large beetles, or spiders, but I never stopped to investigate. One recent morning curiosity finally motivated me to dismount and take a closer look. It was quite a surprise to discover hordes of small crabs crossing the trail! The individual I managed to photograph was roughly the size of a quarter and not happy about having his journey interrupted! It presented a face that reminded me of Martian invasion machines in the 2005 War of the Worlds movie.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrvz0bfQCtuwryQRuQQ5ZkvLcrLP9Ln4ervDufKPApCsWZViyuTpAvndJ_F8oj_4S4AB6SL8HD2jdvawvTOPtrPCS26Izg2m5Vi7OWgilZPjRCl7Z_lxnwM8XiS7u6PklbeYJsmemVrY0V24u8lCJiFKf6NZA1SRs7tzBN5MZEd8gKdxTngrGoDuN_Bk/s764/20230704_065129_Crop_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="764" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrvz0bfQCtuwryQRuQQ5ZkvLcrLP9Ln4ervDufKPApCsWZViyuTpAvndJ_F8oj_4S4AB6SL8HD2jdvawvTOPtrPCS26Izg2m5Vi7OWgilZPjRCl7Z_lxnwM8XiS7u6PklbeYJsmemVrY0V24u8lCJiFKf6NZA1SRs7tzBN5MZEd8gKdxTngrGoDuN_Bk/w640-h440/20230704_065129_Crop_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbcXxvg9VitJHyoHVjpL21J3SWH0BwIr22zCo3o9GyyVUS2LRJ7JGIOHzCoRbLgzPGrREEKcZ9IW5CZNW04LrjFWp1d9e8yfzhC9hrjblleXtFGbwUzakr5BBIIDaEY6U3nGeXEVKwfy_kkghEoxCOlctTbX_6rKA4GA0HhEBk6Mx6WHsodi1Uln6a5s/s922/20230704_065114_Crop_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="922" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbcXxvg9VitJHyoHVjpL21J3SWH0BwIr22zCo3o9GyyVUS2LRJ7JGIOHzCoRbLgzPGrREEKcZ9IW5CZNW04LrjFWp1d9e8yfzhC9hrjblleXtFGbwUzakr5BBIIDaEY6U3nGeXEVKwfy_kkghEoxCOlctTbX_6rKA4GA0HhEBk6Mx6WHsodi1Uln6a5s/w640-h460/20230704_065114_Crop_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Fortunately, there were so many crabs I had time to dismount and take a look before they disappeared.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyDPfPQO7yaEouj_ykT_SCUSNjgL3cWGZy6KUS46QdgI2NPJII81D7IU-AvwykTu1OvXA9qALHqzWvGO3u1l_OERntgmI7JMODe-mAE6MmkeFCh4lkiD8scoYUspEEBb0l1Bkd1nLrvhbaP1M_vp3QnHNLvzVX32KsniUcznTzO1QE6OZzeI_aL0KjfU/s1008/20230704_065351_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyDPfPQO7yaEouj_ykT_SCUSNjgL3cWGZy6KUS46QdgI2NPJII81D7IU-AvwykTu1OvXA9qALHqzWvGO3u1l_OERntgmI7JMODe-mAE6MmkeFCh4lkiD8scoYUspEEBb0l1Bkd1nLrvhbaP1M_vp3QnHNLvzVX32KsniUcznTzO1QE6OZzeI_aL0KjfU/w640-h480/20230704_065351_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's usually impossible to remove a phone camera from my biking jersey quickly enough to photograph fleeting glimpses of wildlife. So I've failed to photograph a number of unusual things I've seen over the years. Here are some memorable ones:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A confrontational standoff between a fox and vulture in a field</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A coyote mother escorting her pup across a road and open field</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Dolphins swimming in the Chickahominy River</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A great blue heron flying low across my path only 2 meters away</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A hawk swooping down to grasp prey less than two meters in front of my bike</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Eagles and ospreys overhead carrying fish in their talons <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A group of 8 adult male deer with full antlers feeding on a residential lawn</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Five fully antlered deer (probably from the same group above) bursting from woods and running across the bike path about 10 meters in front of me</span></li></ul><span style="font-size: medium;">Too bad there are no images or video to capture these sightings. At least the enormous snapping turtle above moved slowly enough for me to get a picture!<br /></span><div><p> <br /></p></div>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-77177386967969501892023-06-16T12:23:00.000-04:002023-06-16T12:23:27.121-04:00Six Sunspots<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Pleasant Observing Conditions</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although the sky over my Virginia observing site remained hazy from Canadian wildfire smoke on June 5th, only a few widely scattered clouds were present. Occasional light breezes and temperature ranging from 63 to 67 degrees made morning observing conditions very pleasant. The Sun presented six sunspots and several filaments shown in the following 23-panel full disc mosaic. Solar activity is continuously increasing!</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ll9L7oTsymAKR4cJsOge-Y0dmwOH4MJ6KWaAkw3hPP6uKsixY1mn68X8evCXIlMs3S345_cDiq3oxbQXYQ1-nba37FnxjuNg6N_OdE0LDA0PyTrShMjhM_QxSPOB5ZGwjoYVatcmpD7DyBRP1uBbp2d-IyrdmxSI-EiJNTcfDA-ppZ-ctSZos5HU/s2523/Mosaic3_Disc_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2441" data-original-width="2523" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ll9L7oTsymAKR4cJsOge-Y0dmwOH4MJ6KWaAkw3hPP6uKsixY1mn68X8evCXIlMs3S345_cDiq3oxbQXYQ1-nba37FnxjuNg6N_OdE0LDA0PyTrShMjhM_QxSPOB5ZGwjoYVatcmpD7DyBRP1uBbp2d-IyrdmxSI-EiJNTcfDA-ppZ-ctSZos5HU/w640-h620/Mosaic3_Disc_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The previous image was processed to show disc features. Details show well when you click on the image to enlarge it. Different processing reveals prominences around the solar limb in the next image where the disc is, consequently, overexposed.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclKOe5RjKH23ecU7AmpDwTfuu6hbXjFt26TBFamZ1f17pN0hApq9aOYmKOVT1oJkd8p3x3eXwvkRROj6P8jmCsbuO8Ed7Ywx0YKpUGQC1sb4Z3cIRM6QMXpUF6fgooY36xDovbjNR-Q-yQB91laPPoW0YhmYIhRSYs_4cMEDGA2mZ3sq7VqwyY0mM/s2523/Mosaic3_Prom_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2441" data-original-width="2523" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclKOe5RjKH23ecU7AmpDwTfuu6hbXjFt26TBFamZ1f17pN0hApq9aOYmKOVT1oJkd8p3x3eXwvkRROj6P8jmCsbuO8Ed7Ywx0YKpUGQC1sb4Z3cIRM6QMXpUF6fgooY36xDovbjNR-Q-yQB91laPPoW0YhmYIhRSYs_4cMEDGA2mZ3sq7VqwyY0mM/w640-h620/Mosaic3_Prom_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Four sunspot areas along with filaments and a prominence are shown in the next scenic portion of the solar landscape. From left to right are active area 3327, then elongated sunspot group 3323, then large umbra 3321. The small umbra of sunspot 3320 is in the upper right corner.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFg614tHRdxeA5FJS6BwsT98Hoxyeyk3c1nB3elCA99Feju9oNq4LA9idZlrT9ThWIQON3vxMrAmeXimbYecEs_aTwUWYYwItYV-6HmxFKftjBVqvdKNoyl_V5lh107FUINQjz-3KRio-iqmZ4XPBeDrzsh3lPBwiJJ6dH0T--A_HzdivRyVSQ9QD/s1784/Mosaic2_Version1_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1784" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFg614tHRdxeA5FJS6BwsT98Hoxyeyk3c1nB3elCA99Feju9oNq4LA9idZlrT9ThWIQON3vxMrAmeXimbYecEs_aTwUWYYwItYV-6HmxFKftjBVqvdKNoyl_V5lh107FUINQjz-3KRio-iqmZ4XPBeDrzsh3lPBwiJJ6dH0T--A_HzdivRyVSQ9QD/w640-h276/Mosaic2_Version1_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A slightly different region is portrayed in the next image which shows the dark umbra of sunspot 3326 in the upper left corner along with 3323, 3321 and 3320. Sunspot 3325 sits near the right edge.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2KtrH3rOvWPra_EE_kTJOEL_AVdFVWT5DMfRCwMJgPBsrXnrBZKFOla262tZZvtuRPYeMpIMcNQAfSa2nyv1FLKnEJfqpuY0_AEssL4MalB1z_89GruQ0x6hnjIfY-O85x3K4kHjX4xKv5reks76cz9YvHKgdZsnWISAHF3HrCWwMIK2OXWhgIEr/s2580/Mosaic3_Crop1_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2091" data-original-width="2580" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2KtrH3rOvWPra_EE_kTJOEL_AVdFVWT5DMfRCwMJgPBsrXnrBZKFOla262tZZvtuRPYeMpIMcNQAfSa2nyv1FLKnEJfqpuY0_AEssL4MalB1z_89GruQ0x6hnjIfY-O85x3K4kHjX4xKv5reks76cz9YvHKgdZsnWISAHF3HrCWwMIK2OXWhgIEr/w640-h518/Mosaic3_Crop1_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">View the next image of 3323 and 3321 at full size to see complex structure in best detail.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguW1ktF4be_C55rwmXda-k0EH4KHGbo_ar_8qMpF0n6v6vj9i-B5rW4JFuVxjU193yWnm8sLStLOChsjbi1nONzeWiUiaiBMUSRizPpObzPTccbnrzh-vmkdc5Jm83ozXi0hu08AqGCCY0YSrpJ7wfwHoSmBmS_2tZzwsI5dLZIjNK2Ah4cgnehkQT/s1930/Sunspots_3323_3321_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1930" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguW1ktF4be_C55rwmXda-k0EH4KHGbo_ar_8qMpF0n6v6vj9i-B5rW4JFuVxjU193yWnm8sLStLOChsjbi1nONzeWiUiaiBMUSRizPpObzPTccbnrzh-vmkdc5Jm83ozXi0hu08AqGCCY0YSrpJ7wfwHoSmBmS_2tZzwsI5dLZIjNK2Ah4cgnehkQT/w640-h404/Sunspots_3323_3321_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A diffuse filament floated near the top of Sun. The 2nd inverted image emphasizes cloud-like filament elevation.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHswozYqKX7F3tGFqbu35r5MBzt9_NE2cIvBOS3hqJTguloiAwk9VSvCaaWaUlU78q299A2NJI2ll63xmXEGtaJ3WTE8poR9-JbeDFkitRrmXQ9Ow3C33XZ9OXqx-cluiGcNtr7S1ob7ZBjBBXSmmqmGtzeu15lzUODJeckq-QTQ-aLEDTqW-HDddu/s967/3DFilament_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="967" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHswozYqKX7F3tGFqbu35r5MBzt9_NE2cIvBOS3hqJTguloiAwk9VSvCaaWaUlU78q299A2NJI2ll63xmXEGtaJ3WTE8poR9-JbeDFkitRrmXQ9Ow3C33XZ9OXqx-cluiGcNtr7S1ob7ZBjBBXSmmqmGtzeu15lzUODJeckq-QTQ-aLEDTqW-HDddu/w640-h402/3DFilament_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsaZo7PwJ8s_4tjzujjXS5-Ky-V2xdGwH1h8RM43aHtqgXus3VB_BEbH-BsC1am-rC3WZA-vKgqoAZs-wXi_yKSkiAzMHhk_J4TOi8SlSwbemCqIPmu4zq2z_SUctsHy0s-rmIpjsmL0cuVAIjCu2F7ghs4K7FpAt7TbgfI_RHTGC-LQ_NkYm51Lj/s967/3DFilament_3XBarlow_June5_2023_Inverted_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="967" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsaZo7PwJ8s_4tjzujjXS5-Ky-V2xdGwH1h8RM43aHtqgXus3VB_BEbH-BsC1am-rC3WZA-vKgqoAZs-wXi_yKSkiAzMHhk_J4TOi8SlSwbemCqIPmu4zq2z_SUctsHy0s-rmIpjsmL0cuVAIjCu2F7ghs4K7FpAt7TbgfI_RHTGC-LQ_NkYm51Lj/w640-h402/3DFilament_3XBarlow_June5_2023_Inverted_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Filaments across the disc float nicely above the surface in the next inverted disc portrait which shows best at full size.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgY7w63ESHVsCWDi2x8_4Q3DWL11BoFSdnra_58d4m6jb9FYJLam_pQpYXbsMm8JFvZGog3pCo0RX1uJV18M_UTHQuhFeTzaK4607pISLuoR8-uPkEJrMjphbImNX9_IJq4ufQDJ-gz-K2BvnovztMIb8F8bzSDXYIZ5rKx0MmbvtTJJrX0_pFqB1/s1891/Mosaic3_Disc_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue_Inverted_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1830" data-original-width="1891" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgY7w63ESHVsCWDi2x8_4Q3DWL11BoFSdnra_58d4m6jb9FYJLam_pQpYXbsMm8JFvZGog3pCo0RX1uJV18M_UTHQuhFeTzaK4607pISLuoR8-uPkEJrMjphbImNX9_IJq4ufQDJ-gz-K2BvnovztMIb8F8bzSDXYIZ5rKx0MmbvtTJJrX0_pFqB1/w640-h620/Mosaic3_Disc_3XBarlow_June5_2023_PaleBlue_Inverted_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I was able to capture images for only one hour before increasing clouds closed the observing window. Images showed good detail in spite of mediocre seeing.<br /> </span><br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-31169999002909762972023-06-08T15:14:00.000-04:002023-06-08T15:14:23.599-04:00Fading Solar Flares<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Eruptions Decay</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">During my last solar observing session on May 22nd I was able to see two solar flares. Although I missed the initial development of each flare, I was able to make small time lapse animations of their decline. The flare in active area 3312 faded away over 20 minutes between 9:47 and 10:07 EDT as shown in the first animation below:</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDv-6My9xos6ZXahOm39sKcGuWfl_A_ZHoZ1iHe96Zb30vP7X1fzJZyYEfg4VfP3s7lbPQx134lw4CKsnEqxCVcXz57FsbwhLGta8sI0-ufT9xgNa9cvbLXgzEmjeN3Oyim57boX6gXs4lSYNSkH9fd9IhOrrfpouGgyJCJUNyHdr2MKEHhXFUdWwZ/s756/Sunspot3312FlareDecay_May22_2023.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="756" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDv-6My9xos6ZXahOm39sKcGuWfl_A_ZHoZ1iHe96Zb30vP7X1fzJZyYEfg4VfP3s7lbPQx134lw4CKsnEqxCVcXz57FsbwhLGta8sI0-ufT9xgNa9cvbLXgzEmjeN3Oyim57boX6gXs4lSYNSkH9fd9IhOrrfpouGgyJCJUNyHdr2MKEHhXFUdWwZ/w640-h402/Sunspot3312FlareDecay_May22_2023.gif" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">(The individual frames in these animations run from start to finish in an endless loop.) The flare seems to sink into the background.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The other flare, in sunspot 3311, disappeared in only 10 minutes from 10:14 to 10:24 EDT as you can see in the following 11-frame animation:</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1jO2UMjGbrTu6SgM-dZk4KfKoXi1Ihwp-qswfjSXuMsVqzqpLb2sJhaZ6rSN8JWEn4TTZs1e_Kru5mKPK8mf6HMwc-MucrsMARXKPpzKIqWqMKWLWYHjiRR9cekgJKOWGx07Ul2AmBS0cdOHQRwgE7E_fmvrKz5SXbnDOyS2oOalh5UfvkbKrXS5/s900/Sunspot3311Flare_Decay_May22_2023.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="900" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1jO2UMjGbrTu6SgM-dZk4KfKoXi1Ihwp-qswfjSXuMsVqzqpLb2sJhaZ6rSN8JWEn4TTZs1e_Kru5mKPK8mf6HMwc-MucrsMARXKPpzKIqWqMKWLWYHjiRR9cekgJKOWGx07Ul2AmBS0cdOHQRwgE7E_fmvrKz5SXbnDOyS2oOalh5UfvkbKrXS5/w640-h404/Sunspot3311Flare_Decay_May22_2023.gif" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Each individual frame in these animations was obtained by stacking the 100 best frames from a 1,000-frame video. I recorded one video clip every 60 seconds. </span><br /> <br /><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-54148502927646910442023-05-30T11:58:00.000-04:002023-05-30T11:58:12.856-04:00Solar Flares and Smoke<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Unlucky Timing</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">More than a month of cloudy weather followed my last solar imaging session. Finally, on May 22nd, clouds cleared. Unfortunately, the sky was a hazy white instead of blue. Conditions were otherwise quite pleasant with temperature ranging between 63 and 70 degrees. A fair number of sunspots and prominences were visible as you can see in the following full disc image, an imperfect 20-panel mosaic.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWJ53EOVKfaeJAx6qXKASAlYj0yQQUmXuSkANxQTutRvIXYBpfn8TY986Ir00hrgEoKgAocjhUC0W86SJiWpIYAfEPFA84bNFH3Ak1o7fkQnrs3-P-i8v_Ge1sCk9vx4LKIqukl3eU4bk0fQUIu2xYVKwZUZJNV9Is8TqAmA-f44e4kAw-QZITM4E/s2056/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_May22_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2031" data-original-width="2056" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWJ53EOVKfaeJAx6qXKASAlYj0yQQUmXuSkANxQTutRvIXYBpfn8TY986Ir00hrgEoKgAocjhUC0W86SJiWpIYAfEPFA84bNFH3Ak1o7fkQnrs3-P-i8v_Ge1sCk9vx4LKIqukl3eU4bk0fQUIu2xYVKwZUZJNV9Is8TqAmA-f44e4kAw-QZITM4E/w640-h632/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_May22_2023_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Separate mosaic panels did not blend well below center, so a vertical line of brightness difference runs down the middle of the mosaic. My monochrome camera produces black and white images to which I later add color. The next image is the same mosaic as above, but colored to approximate the red hydrogen-alpha light I see visually through my telescope's eyepiece.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3HvgU3XxiIZdghlufCSpSlf-RLK_9h-yaLVIZuiBLkY5BfKqUH0AYksZ4EHZPmHnueX1P0djALztuFoZTJIM1kjSTd3JJx3w66PMy0Q75yZF9O3nCEiDleoYfC13vnHH7zvKSkJl6_CgjY479-tx2c34wCv4vQz4PIbJtyDOjWfh-q2T5FLEqr9r/s1371/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_May22_2023_Red_OneThirdSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1354" data-original-width="1371" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3HvgU3XxiIZdghlufCSpSlf-RLK_9h-yaLVIZuiBLkY5BfKqUH0AYksZ4EHZPmHnueX1P0djALztuFoZTJIM1kjSTd3JJx3w66PMy0Q75yZF9O3nCEiDleoYfC13vnHH7zvKSkJl6_CgjY479-tx2c34wCv4vQz4PIbJtyDOjWfh-q2T5FLEqr9r/w640-h632/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_May22_2023_Red_OneThirdSize.jpg" width="640" /></a><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In the first moment my camera became operational I noticed how dim the video preview was. I had to increase camera gain and adjust the "gamma" in order to see something similar to what I would normally see on a clear blue sky day. The white hazy sky was definitely attenuating light! The haze was caused by smoke blown eastward from distant western Canadian wildfires. The next two satellite images show the smoke over much of the USA and penetrating into my home state of Virginia.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1uX1Y2BXU9YKj5aHDZVazeOOkq5VuDCjnKAFaMLFD9pfuz6qcbvMpH09EH6wg73cgWYI-s-fwC_teaxBrI_0dhAlMwA05hHw6yyOT3ZpFoOREZDFO6IK4XhcBn_9Bs_Ll4V-M3UqvCPhXAT0ve8cLTXJWF77dW0NwEVCu8MSAta7IYUtWA1yUPlU/s1560/CanadianWildfireSmoke_May22_2023_9_31EDTa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1560" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1uX1Y2BXU9YKj5aHDZVazeOOkq5VuDCjnKAFaMLFD9pfuz6qcbvMpH09EH6wg73cgWYI-s-fwC_teaxBrI_0dhAlMwA05hHw6yyOT3ZpFoOREZDFO6IK4XhcBn_9Bs_Ll4V-M3UqvCPhXAT0ve8cLTXJWF77dW0NwEVCu8MSAta7IYUtWA1yUPlU/w640-h324/CanadianWildfireSmoke_May22_2023_9_31EDTa.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgdOtFHVglFBkVtZGFO6ZdIjaQ-OVhFsk0F4g4RxJFfcjFko_taLH_NaS8HLB7TWfFc7ExSoHhCBBCSbY2QDSWvu8xrNygthm2aFvjVPLBNkHCXR7zn7VRuPM4SQXFVBiBwgJyFTYLxZGlSvVhfJpyznZu19J-xWw8miyGT7dMuMngIon-LH6vkCE/s1558/CanadianWildfireSmoke_May22_2023_9_26EDTb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1558" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgdOtFHVglFBkVtZGFO6ZdIjaQ-OVhFsk0F4g4RxJFfcjFko_taLH_NaS8HLB7TWfFc7ExSoHhCBBCSbY2QDSWvu8xrNygthm2aFvjVPLBNkHCXR7zn7VRuPM4SQXFVBiBwgJyFTYLxZGlSvVhfJpyznZu19J-xWw8miyGT7dMuMngIon-LH6vkCE/w640-h324/CanadianWildfireSmoke_May22_2023_9_26EDTb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Smoke degraded my images, but interesting things showed up anyway. An active string of sunspots in the Sun's northeast quadrant pointed toward a hazy "filaprom" on the nearby limb. This is the most detailed image I captured and shows well at full size.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPyejhcKv2emDA8O4pv4CVhe7GKICYwrQ3siqcASYioIb8sQXGl3FgKfBvii9-32JRalNxf57YvRDFIeojncdSEokFCZBpZYTyTiSDGjEluyynddlg_9p0WjSnW1MHJxPz11DQXOxCEvUlIEhM0SouDZpdZBkvcSMb2f1KDQZWLramvVO2Ryyh5wO/s1935/Sunspots3313_3311_3314_3XBarlow_May22_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1935" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPyejhcKv2emDA8O4pv4CVhe7GKICYwrQ3siqcASYioIb8sQXGl3FgKfBvii9-32JRalNxf57YvRDFIeojncdSEokFCZBpZYTyTiSDGjEluyynddlg_9p0WjSnW1MHJxPz11DQXOxCEvUlIEhM0SouDZpdZBkvcSMb2f1KDQZWLramvVO2Ryyh5wO/w640-h402/Sunspots3313_3311_3314_3XBarlow_May22_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Complex multi-umbra sunspot group 3311 is located between sunspot 3313 on the left and 3314 on the right. Soon after this image was captured a solar flare exploded in 3311. More on this below.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The other major sunspot was 3310 whose umbra dominates the next image below. To the left of 3310 is an area of white energetic emission called active area 3312. Area 3312 also emitted a solar flare near the same time as 3311's flare.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wO2y-fOlDrWNdbVVnCmzUcGLZSLuh06Dmqr1bTg_R7NYmv_QFVWyOx-yhSinychAdD6eQRlQqniFg59oZEY68JWIjgFYL1JSSgeFzsqtzRCTfMXTpcJNfbMp5t5rCyhpwJDS1Z0AnEIR_U8HpuQBojRG8LgF3YQrAVjPIbCkC7WcrXnJvAsMuQkG/s1290/Sunspot3310_3XBarlow_May22_2023_PaleBlue_Version1_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1290" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wO2y-fOlDrWNdbVVnCmzUcGLZSLuh06Dmqr1bTg_R7NYmv_QFVWyOx-yhSinychAdD6eQRlQqniFg59oZEY68JWIjgFYL1JSSgeFzsqtzRCTfMXTpcJNfbMp5t5rCyhpwJDS1Z0AnEIR_U8HpuQBojRG8LgF3YQrAVjPIbCkC7WcrXnJvAsMuQkG/w640-h404/Sunspot3310_3XBarlow_May22_2023_PaleBlue_Version1_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes changes happen rapidly on the Sun. It takes luck to be observing the active part at just the right time. For example, at 9:06 EDT I saw the following erupting spike prominence coming off the limb from departing sunspots 3308 and 3305.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7M59AFKAUK99kjPNHB9MrfltaBrmt71fSOjctUlTZeeDv7nL3AXn1LyXMWnNPeDdI_EmQK8OzsYnhXXLfHkghcIy8EiqG_sINIorDJatTYQzjaR9zp7rRmjEHHbQf_p0hla4gs7NDzAK6FqBFiWoaJfFq6ZbwdGih0OUeKOxAWIWPWfiXV48SCqI/s810/DepartingSunspot3305_3308_SpikeProm_3XBarlow_May22_2023_9_06EDT_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="655" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7M59AFKAUK99kjPNHB9MrfltaBrmt71fSOjctUlTZeeDv7nL3AXn1LyXMWnNPeDdI_EmQK8OzsYnhXXLfHkghcIy8EiqG_sINIorDJatTYQzjaR9zp7rRmjEHHbQf_p0hla4gs7NDzAK6FqBFiWoaJfFq6ZbwdGih0OUeKOxAWIWPWfiXV48SCqI/w518-h640/DepartingSunspot3305_3308_SpikeProm_3XBarlow_May22_2023_9_06EDT_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="518" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If I had started imaging sooner, I would have been able to watch this grow in real time. Instead, I saw it slowly evolve into the following small arching prominence 10 minutes later at 9:16 EDT.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CR_omYHxlxWZUJTGQ7gjSauznHE38XTO_c3vRl3dCiA8-4uLwCwVbLWcGMI1OKQhrVYCJEZLEOlzmSMWk5r11k9_MHAq5HHGh7WuiGgQZb0YPboCZv0VvZs23XSAuwkLtFvV1-pi4l4Mkplz1U835_OlPmp-LRiSpP342Y3taUmuGKioidJklzi7/s808/DepartingSunspot3308_3305_3XBarlow_May22_2023_9_16EDT_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="605" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CR_omYHxlxWZUJTGQ7gjSauznHE38XTO_c3vRl3dCiA8-4uLwCwVbLWcGMI1OKQhrVYCJEZLEOlzmSMWk5r11k9_MHAq5HHGh7WuiGgQZb0YPboCZv0VvZs23XSAuwkLtFvV1-pi4l4Mkplz1U835_OlPmp-LRiSpP342Y3taUmuGKioidJklzi7/w480-h640/DepartingSunspot3308_3305_3XBarlow_May22_2023_9_16EDT_PaleBlue_TwoThirdsSize.jpg" width="480" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Unlucky timing continued. Images for the following 5-panel mosaic were obtained between 9:23 and 9:26 EDT.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuryrMIBjoUEsBnU2KqOa0Ah9Da9-Mwie9CRYCT7TLtqFY2nKKQu6m3msAIPSzOCAnr2YJXJKEPIvshum9h7wuTO5-Z37Ui1xKh_trX65y9YFbP3Baghf0JIzGWQrXZKStPjqkRwYTXa--z48zaHkOpXQnxBgw_bFW0x7QXVtY82fEold3d23lMqL/s1717/Mosaic2_3XBarlow_May22_2023_9_24EDT_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1717" data-original-width="934" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuryrMIBjoUEsBnU2KqOa0Ah9Da9-Mwie9CRYCT7TLtqFY2nKKQu6m3msAIPSzOCAnr2YJXJKEPIvshum9h7wuTO5-Z37Ui1xKh_trX65y9YFbP3Baghf0JIzGWQrXZKStPjqkRwYTXa--z48zaHkOpXQnxBgw_bFW0x7QXVtY82fEold3d23lMqL/w348-h640/Mosaic2_3XBarlow_May22_2023_9_24EDT_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="348" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Twenty one minutes after 9:26, at 9:47 EDT, I moved back to sunspot 3310 and discovered active area 3312 (to the left of big umbra 3310) was flaring. The flare shows up as a white overexposed area at 9:47. (Compare with the 9:26 mosaic above.)</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgld_QvW39xvMGzst8cyuJGy55zNzfg8LHGnDvkE13roY4fxlgHvHk-Hq_SREmD2pjGo_KhdGkqtHFBL12up1_HZzNVR-Zd0vVokdYa3_95yw6Sd9Ugoq13S6Ktdi0m9fku2AM22TtrRFJU0nkh3nknyYaQE-Dk9VMMX_UAo_NIQWg698HbFbHZ8d4n/s961/Sunspot3310Flare_3XBarlow_May22_2023_9_47EDT_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="961" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgld_QvW39xvMGzst8cyuJGy55zNzfg8LHGnDvkE13roY4fxlgHvHk-Hq_SREmD2pjGo_KhdGkqtHFBL12up1_HZzNVR-Zd0vVokdYa3_95yw6Sd9Ugoq13S6Ktdi0m9fku2AM22TtrRFJU0nkh3nknyYaQE-Dk9VMMX_UAo_NIQWg698HbFbHZ8d4n/w640-h402/Sunspot3310Flare_3XBarlow_May22_2023_9_47EDT_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">For the next 20 minutes I watched this flare fade away. I had missed the flare rising. Then I moved up to sunspot group 3311, north of 3310, and saw a flare in 3311 at 10:14 EDT! Once again, the flare is a white overexposed area in the next image. (Compare, again, with the mosaic above.)</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9Q5Bq8Du-fwnl256mrai0SwyIGiTeCdM_yxJXmlUVZkfxG5rf8gaHlze2x_HuDZDHv1G3R8AieGlLc9SuxeBxPveUfM-MlFGivGmphB2ZKXpJkPa561y5tBv3HqbWW7SvhmmUq_b5HTO9QmEaHmdFZaqRZU2S47qmlvC2sX5qHzJoMfzpowevY6K/s967/Sunspot3311Flare_3XBarlow_May22_2023_10_14EDT_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="967" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9Q5Bq8Du-fwnl256mrai0SwyIGiTeCdM_yxJXmlUVZkfxG5rf8gaHlze2x_HuDZDHv1G3R8AieGlLc9SuxeBxPveUfM-MlFGivGmphB2ZKXpJkPa561y5tBv3HqbWW7SvhmmUq_b5HTO9QmEaHmdFZaqRZU2S47qmlvC2sX5qHzJoMfzpowevY6K/w640-h402/Sunspot3311Flare_3XBarlow_May22_2023_10_14EDT_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Once again I missed the flare buildup! I could only watch it fade away over the next 10 minutes. Sky conditions worsened and it was time to quit. In spite of unlucky timing it was still exciting to see two flares on the same day.<br /> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-58013768724868711782023-04-24T14:23:00.000-04:002023-04-24T14:23:59.830-04:00Astrophoto Trial and Error<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Slowly Learning</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Evening skies remained beautifully clear following my afternoon solar imaging session on April 12th. After sunset observing conditions were ideal with low humidity, no dew, no wind, no moonlight, and temperatures in the 60's! I set up my 130 mm Stellarvue refractor and Nikon Z6 2 camera for another attempt at astrophotography. As twilight faded I took a quick 2-second exposure of Venus near the Pleiades with the Nikon mounted on a fixed tripod. ISO was set at 1600 and the f/2.8, 24-70 mm lens was set to 70 mm. Venus was closer to the Pleiades a few days earlier, but this pairing was still nice.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihz_NYskC9Ev7fQJWAsh31krp30XOLz6aS8e64ApVi1YM-xjna_R25Hk-IAUIvysxxl8kjMXpIBU7eXSdGCJnnrjKvJ1R33esj1W8jbQrY5SB_IHV5UljzDP7lLo3y84m75E3T2fm3ZQTqwDZswVXVFtmt7jnYF8jQMqhT0adKEgxHtbk8SDYIdpWM/s1852/Venus_Pleiades_Apr12_2023a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="1852" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihz_NYskC9Ev7fQJWAsh31krp30XOLz6aS8e64ApVi1YM-xjna_R25Hk-IAUIvysxxl8kjMXpIBU7eXSdGCJnnrjKvJ1R33esj1W8jbQrY5SB_IHV5UljzDP7lLo3y84m75E3T2fm3ZQTqwDZswVXVFtmt7jnYF8jQMqhT0adKEgxHtbk8SDYIdpWM/w640-h464/Venus_Pleiades_Apr12_2023a.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">With the camera on the telescope I captured dark frames and flat fields in order to improve image quality. Dark frames are easy to get - just cover the telescope aperture with a lens cap and capture what the camera records when no light falls on the detector. Ideally, when no light falls on the detector, it should record zero for every pixel across the field of view. A real detector, however, does not read zero across the field. If the dark frame has the same exposure time as an actual image of a celestial object, then the non-zero dark frame detector response can be subtracted from the image to leave a result not degraded by false signal.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A flat field image is the image of a uniform light source across the field of view. Ideally, the camera detector should record an image of a uniform light source that is absolutely uniform across the field of view. Unfortunately, a real camera's response will not be absolutely uniform because pixels vary somewhat in sensitivity, or because some dust or dirt on the detector blocks pixels, or because the optical system doesn't produce uniform light across the detector. My Nikon exhibits significant vignetting - images are brighter in the center and darker at the edges. So I need to record a flat field image to correct real images from non-uniform detector response. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Producing a uniform light source for the telescope in my backyard is inconvenient. For this session I covered the telescope aperture with either a single sheet of white paper, or a white cloth. I then illuminated the paper or cloth with an LED light held at some distance. This method was partially successful, a definite improvement over no flats at all, but it wasn't perfect. I still had to sacrifice dim image detail in order to make sky background uniformly dark.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some results from April 12th. First is an image of the edge-on galaxy NGC 4565 in the constellation Coma Berenices made by stacking eighteen, 10-second exposures with ISO set at 6400.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zBmUfo6C1Dgqrk09gjcMNyeYE-4TPWyiwgpkGI_ulS4Qq_PEUXF5nMrAQLA6FyOJ9uoXvkGnJ57i6-gk6Qck2mLk6riwvsy3g8IhhMG7VOmWSheQMeBi8IIoPM1DI2xQ7tLPc_BcdicsNDBNDePQxi-q8IS_wYbyWnT7-xaRtFELAVwIHH5J44U8/s1503/NGC4565_Apr12_2023_6400_18X10secs_6400_QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1503" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zBmUfo6C1Dgqrk09gjcMNyeYE-4TPWyiwgpkGI_ulS4Qq_PEUXF5nMrAQLA6FyOJ9uoXvkGnJ57i6-gk6Qck2mLk6riwvsy3g8IhhMG7VOmWSheQMeBi8IIoPM1DI2xQ7tLPc_BcdicsNDBNDePQxi-q8IS_wYbyWnT7-xaRtFELAVwIHH5J44U8/w640-h426/NGC4565_Apr12_2023_6400_18X10secs_6400_QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Click on this image to view it at full size and notice the small smudge below galaxy 4565 at the end of a curved string of 5 stars. This smudge is spiral galaxy NGC 4562. If you look closely at the full size image, you might just make out a tiny grey fuzzy object about half of 4565's width distant on the left side of 4565. This is a 14.6 magnitude spiral galaxy, IC3546.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">NGC 2903, a barred spiral galaxy in Leo, is shown in the next image made by stacking nine, 15-second exposures at ISO 25600. Once again, the full-sized image shows the most detail and reveals the bar and some spiral structure.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwo1EI84_jaUokH410aPoOqn2KFRfykEYnJyb5Axo9paV-bqQf7v8a5xsfHsWbz8HNYw4KUU79qVKxYDnkV1-IWwq0yNKtcAV3C6BAFXcthe47LhGEkYRxVij8vCIEnaPZx_ZqlPtIEQ-uG5yCuzK4ld2his1G5LPVWWMTCIE3FP9hvo3-j70W08h/s1515/NGC2903_Apr12_2023_9X15sec_25600_QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1515" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwo1EI84_jaUokH410aPoOqn2KFRfykEYnJyb5Axo9paV-bqQf7v8a5xsfHsWbz8HNYw4KUU79qVKxYDnkV1-IWwq0yNKtcAV3C6BAFXcthe47LhGEkYRxVij8vCIEnaPZx_ZqlPtIEQ-uG5yCuzK4ld2his1G5LPVWWMTCIE3FP9hvo3-j70W08h/w640-h426/NGC2903_Apr12_2023_9X15sec_25600_QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Also in the constellation Leo, a trio of galaxies fit nicely in the camera's 2.3 X 1.53 degree field of view. The next image was made by stacking eight, 15-second exposures at ISO 25600. From top to bottom the "Leo 3" consists of galaxies M65, M66, and edge-on galaxy NGC 3628. This image is a significant improvement over my previous attempt on March 4th. The longer exposure time and darker moonless sky made a big difference. Some details of galaxy structure are visible when viewed at 100 percent.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8e6yZ07u8ZWpeNM41BqXGACdjyxCQLh4XKv0siEdlqx7XUOExw1-tF2C-JiPXxy3L6CazASNC3VxF9VxnC9x2bAJMC5CpQq-uRAq2P-8mhQZMM5ov7k78MjSeEz_xcqHADyM99A5ZQr2ZICgkhbozK7InYmsKJi0G5VhilbXAS4_5Aa-rGi2Bgv5/s1512/Leo3_Apr12_2023_8X15sec_25600_QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1512" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8e6yZ07u8ZWpeNM41BqXGACdjyxCQLh4XKv0siEdlqx7XUOExw1-tF2C-JiPXxy3L6CazASNC3VxF9VxnC9x2bAJMC5CpQq-uRAq2P-8mhQZMM5ov7k78MjSeEz_xcqHADyM99A5ZQr2ZICgkhbozK7InYmsKJi0G5VhilbXAS4_5Aa-rGi2Bgv5/w640-h426/Leo3_Apr12_2023_8X15sec_25600_QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next picture is the Whirlpool Galaxy M51 in the constellation Canes Venatici made by stacking eight, 15-second exposures at ISO 25600.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ysototaK9uYn6KfDr7gpUvW0F_mUe9Lm7FCr3KN1z2P8Xcy8P8IGeONmIdhApbWAoechiFeMH-F4nGopw6TYSq4KFj68nICF7jgaLPR_1R3WMjl42SP94HyMSGANWJ2tT2FfQ-FlBMTmCGrjnBtI8mOH96aK2_HBapT508b6WTii3jclqFuZqHnv/s1512/m51_Apr12_2023_8X15sec_25600_QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1512" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ysototaK9uYn6KfDr7gpUvW0F_mUe9Lm7FCr3KN1z2P8Xcy8P8IGeONmIdhApbWAoechiFeMH-F4nGopw6TYSq4KFj68nICF7jgaLPR_1R3WMjl42SP94HyMSGANWJ2tT2FfQ-FlBMTmCGrjnBtI8mOH96aK2_HBapT508b6WTii3jclqFuZqHnv/w640-h426/m51_Apr12_2023_8X15sec_25600_QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The four previous galaxy pictures were made without a Barlow lens. All of them beg for greater magnification and longer exposures. The image scale is also too small to display the full amount of fine detail present in the best images of these galaxies. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the improved image quality compared with my last attempt on March 4th!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Another magnificent clear, mild, moonless night occurred on April 18th. On the 18th I tried three new things. First, I lowered ISO setting to 1600 to see if image noise could be reduced. Second, I increased exposure times. Third, I tried a few images with a 2X Barlow lens.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next two images are the galaxy pair M81 and M82 in Ursa Major. The first image, from April 12th, was made by stacking twenty, 8-second exposures at ISO 12800. The second image, from April 18th, was made by stacking twenty, 30-second exposures at ISO 1600.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8x9n8Bjd7_xUv6BFnsoAIxwCM0lWQiw6ROEmcGptJYdvFw-4-UuplgmFQW7XznQjqdcM9nskGeKAUSm4RI2NYWgx6xUXL9Bp6N2q3PVdzUpRQqI-U0sovdsxO4Zeq_pRWi47Q4GCux3xiHXqzV25vxrmyxG9uNn2n2FpVInmozFrKqcUq2RYsSP7/s1512/m81_82_Apr12_2023_20X8sec_12800_QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1512" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8x9n8Bjd7_xUv6BFnsoAIxwCM0lWQiw6ROEmcGptJYdvFw-4-UuplgmFQW7XznQjqdcM9nskGeKAUSm4RI2NYWgx6xUXL9Bp6N2q3PVdzUpRQqI-U0sovdsxO4Zeq_pRWi47Q4GCux3xiHXqzV25vxrmyxG9uNn2n2FpVInmozFrKqcUq2RYsSP7/w640-h426/m81_82_Apr12_2023_20X8sec_12800_QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNFdMrUW7cxqnO2VozNGZVTf5jsU3R8QS7n4JxUSCip4plpWq7FIwv6oW-JWKAL-S8FjZLAOf3whbPEf-sWF9DZ2wenPHQek1WE_-qNUexI-u_txfDU2M3VhynYYH-YhS82KVSJO_plGYh_uqqe_s3Rk52nlmqIounDJK1rXA-2wB5uIbW-4X7kIl/s1238/m81_m82__Apr18_2023_20X30sec_1600_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1238" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNFdMrUW7cxqnO2VozNGZVTf5jsU3R8QS7n4JxUSCip4plpWq7FIwv6oW-JWKAL-S8FjZLAOf3whbPEf-sWF9DZ2wenPHQek1WE_-qNUexI-u_txfDU2M3VhynYYH-YhS82KVSJO_plGYh_uqqe_s3Rk52nlmqIounDJK1rXA-2wB5uIbW-4X7kIl/w640-h476/m81_m82__Apr18_2023_20X30sec_1600_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There doesn't seem to be much difference between the two previous images. The longer exposure at lower ISO in the bottom image didn't reveal more detail. Perhaps a longer exposure at higher ISO would have revealed more.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What about higher magnification? The next two images of globular cluster M13 in the constellation Hercules show the effect of adding a 2X Barlow lens. The first picture, from April 12th, was made with no Barlow by stacking nine, 15-second exposures at ISO 6400. The second picture, from April 18th, was made with a 2X Barlow by stacking twenty, 30-second exposures at ISO 1600.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItaKHMqVtyGpCPA9030tgiI_4wDMMkNty0K7qKyy9irPzT64F_w10PZ_85107WhRuzy6F6VJha9y4xHPzCxeLGiCKNRTnVUh2gAFSxHYqRWo579lrWMakaC44PxvahhsrnY_oQmHsIu1RIlsPa6JtHnQV-lmZNESmOKzr7wyJlMRLSNkuUgiNrHTG/s2016/m13_Apr12_2023_9X15sec_6400_OneThirdSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="2016" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItaKHMqVtyGpCPA9030tgiI_4wDMMkNty0K7qKyy9irPzT64F_w10PZ_85107WhRuzy6F6VJha9y4xHPzCxeLGiCKNRTnVUh2gAFSxHYqRWo579lrWMakaC44PxvahhsrnY_oQmHsIu1RIlsPa6JtHnQV-lmZNESmOKzr7wyJlMRLSNkuUgiNrHTG/w640-h426/m13_Apr12_2023_9X15sec_6400_OneThirdSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctZwXAZxLMQcuwp7kHu_cHuucYyu70zLJdEAT2MwpJZtCPxZQ_i45LT3iLIHeH-3NkZImyYHLBHRx27aA5IzHOWJgiBtwZv2hmC8zz7eK6aHB9DZgqPDNEcCKEL-OnGpimoQguDXFHoP9XMwOafVcZhBMqhMn0wMzbWbo2m8CUiOOT7Nd6dLJcVsz/s1280/M13_2XBarlow_Apr18_2023_20X30sec_1600_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1280" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctZwXAZxLMQcuwp7kHu_cHuucYyu70zLJdEAT2MwpJZtCPxZQ_i45LT3iLIHeH-3NkZImyYHLBHRx27aA5IzHOWJgiBtwZv2hmC8zz7eK6aHB9DZgqPDNEcCKEL-OnGpimoQguDXFHoP9XMwOafVcZhBMqhMn0wMzbWbo2m8CUiOOT7Nd6dLJcVsz/w640-h418/M13_2XBarlow_Apr18_2023_20X30sec_1600_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The second magnified M13 image does show more stars and begins to display some orange/yellow color of older stars. There's not enough magnification to resolve individual stars in the cluster's center, however. I'd like to try longer exposure time on this in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, galaxy M108 and planetary nebula M97 in Ursa Major are close enough to form a beautiful pair in my camera's field of view. The next image was constructed with no Barlow lens from twenty, 30-second exposures with ISO at 1600. The colors of planetary nebula M97 show up well, but the galaxy lacks detail. These objects deserve more magnification.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjawDffw0gEhxLjAsaeBYvfI4lF00W_B94fsbw-unXnxNghn8AiQwaSWRO6gDunxrbHEt8_AexcF6Tv4TnR5M-EJE-cZNH6ieQ3LRVVKuuyaxznLH9B7u9jQfE6XOGyvgu1u2QGIvOab5YSuYZXGfPpjdkiKVyYAtoj1lqRg5y1ezbmto4fG9MqjI/s1265/M108_m97_Apr18_2023_20X30_1600_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1265" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjawDffw0gEhxLjAsaeBYvfI4lF00W_B94fsbw-unXnxNghn8AiQwaSWRO6gDunxrbHEt8_AexcF6Tv4TnR5M-EJE-cZNH6ieQ3LRVVKuuyaxznLH9B7u9jQfE6XOGyvgu1u2QGIvOab5YSuYZXGfPpjdkiKVyYAtoj1lqRg5y1ezbmto4fG9MqjI/w640-h450/M108_m97_Apr18_2023_20X30_1600_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I installed a 2X Barlow lens and took another twenty, 30-second exposures at ISO 1600 to get a magnified view. Unfortunately, as the next image shows, the result is dimmer because object brightness was spread over a larger area.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgi65LUfVvlNimOZ5de8caSjz73KW6D1wyO2tE0mzTe-Z0iG_3o69ui4VEDTMZdG0GSTF6UpvlIUfg4onAC-aOVlHRld_XROfvMlA6KewnAtyJL3e6Z59fywyLS__DF-j875ljNLtl5KaSMF16MwQwCSvN1O7iqIIAJ91VNXYmWIuembYVwZVSjvs/s1008/M108_m97_2XBarlow_Apr18_2023_20X30sec_1600_OneThirdSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1008" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgi65LUfVvlNimOZ5de8caSjz73KW6D1wyO2tE0mzTe-Z0iG_3o69ui4VEDTMZdG0GSTF6UpvlIUfg4onAC-aOVlHRld_XROfvMlA6KewnAtyJL3e6Z59fywyLS__DF-j875ljNLtl5KaSMF16MwQwCSvN1O7iqIIAJ91VNXYmWIuembYVwZVSjvs/w640-h426/M108_m97_2XBarlow_Apr18_2023_20X30sec_1600_OneThirdSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Once again, I'd like to return to this pair and double or triple exposure time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It looks like on a given night I'll have to limit the number of different objects I photograph to spend more time exposing a selected few. Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid an intense, glaring light shining directly on my observing site from a neighbor's window. This light will sometimes get turned off after midnight, but often it's left on all night long! Anyway, it will be at least another few weeks with clouds and moonlight before conditions will allow another astrophotography attempt. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><br /> <br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-70883681355954830802023-04-17T14:10:00.000-04:002023-04-17T14:10:10.763-04:00Scattered Sunspots<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Nice Prominences </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It took two months for a dominant high pressure system to arrive and clear away persistent daily clouds. On April 12th only thin haziness kept skies from being completely clear. I set up my solar telescope in late afternoon and didn't begin imaging until 3:22 pm (EDT). Morning is usually preferable for solar imaging. I worried about bad seeing, but seeing was reasonably good. It was lovely to bid chilly winter goodbye and enjoy working in temperatures ranging from 78 to 81 degrees with hardly any wind.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">No large sunspot umbras were present, but lots of smaller ones were scattered among stringy filaments as you can see in the following 20-panel mosaic processed to show disc detail. Each individual panel is a stack of 400 video frames from a 4,000-frame video.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7IVOUX7yC8PxDz7Q6m9LgvW27uj7799Q1JOQvDjskk6KXcQ4OYYZBFaOS-sKWM0tJPAkp7hjoN9KOCWIMHja-ksUiYujXyGVlYkZWyGooZqQ5-ZpZA2IKs2eTjtR0vxfejHrrTPZV_HRE-1V8GiJv9Tnkao1YWJAQYJ7plQ5of9S1t-Dm2OCIBxS/s1944/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version1_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1867" data-original-width="1944" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7IVOUX7yC8PxDz7Q6m9LgvW27uj7799Q1JOQvDjskk6KXcQ4OYYZBFaOS-sKWM0tJPAkp7hjoN9KOCWIMHja-ksUiYujXyGVlYkZWyGooZqQ5-ZpZA2IKs2eTjtR0vxfejHrrTPZV_HRE-1V8GiJv9Tnkao1YWJAQYJ7plQ5of9S1t-Dm2OCIBxS/w640-h614/Mosaic1_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version1_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The most interesting features are active area 3272 just below center and active area 3276 rotating into view near the solar limb on the left.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next image is a close view of 3272 showing a complex arrangement of tiny umbras set among white energetic emissions. These show up nicely when the picture is viewed at full size. Our view from Earth looked down from above on a beautiful example of dark magnetic arches to the upper right of the umbra region.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalrHNfjGcx3VbnsWdCIWun2R2dXithkT8IesJlg8dM070TuizisvEPKFTfp_CZLUMEj9wIlhuGGLKKeaoT7KIC8Te2Z7GZAduSbDPakOZIDhCDYQRajwqnD4aCNRvHdO2QI4Gev4bENWSkNVfsENGqMBNSuQ9FJGskJedjDz2Yvl7rU7iRFEGd0PR/s1938/ActiveArea3272_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1938" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalrHNfjGcx3VbnsWdCIWun2R2dXithkT8IesJlg8dM070TuizisvEPKFTfp_CZLUMEj9wIlhuGGLKKeaoT7KIC8Te2Z7GZAduSbDPakOZIDhCDYQRajwqnD4aCNRvHdO2QI4Gev4bENWSkNVfsENGqMBNSuQ9FJGskJedjDz2Yvl7rU7iRFEGd0PR/w640-h400/ActiveArea3272_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_PaleBlue.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">The eruptive nature of active area 3276 is seen in profile near the eastern limb in the next two images.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFwU4Vz-6_GncqDHSrGl-TYUHL7zhRwiZUJULtvneWqoTDn53VHcts2nN_Me3A21EPxJGtt98t_AgoW-Nyrwg-VtmtQf7NPjb7HYsiHFzq4rAMO52xRFXZgVqIYIA0-L6gry2N7ezP9T-FcMwdhutGbhgfgSaA6wlxWUEmunxrWKWTQb5Mz6pQV2Y/s1449/ActiveArea3276_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version1_PaleBlue_3QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="1449" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFwU4Vz-6_GncqDHSrGl-TYUHL7zhRwiZUJULtvneWqoTDn53VHcts2nN_Me3A21EPxJGtt98t_AgoW-Nyrwg-VtmtQf7NPjb7HYsiHFzq4rAMO52xRFXZgVqIYIA0-L6gry2N7ezP9T-FcMwdhutGbhgfgSaA6wlxWUEmunxrWKWTQb5Mz6pQV2Y/w640-h400/ActiveArea3276_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version1_PaleBlue_3QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hfA-QHbd7WF8BSIP8McZFgLrZa8jYwf24LZme-wmoTTs2o7JxLd5vQjiFSelXDSIIIYj9cGT0Ieu05ItjwtzBAEBW4Ca49LUyVLSMAuZbmB3JzKxjglXxAfJkqrZDoKs8NSlBO84m48bqaepIia-v7IOoy0rFb8cxa_Lv8EwwXWPR4snzRT5joAP/s1452/ActiveArea3276_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version2_PaleBlue_3QuarterSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1452" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hfA-QHbd7WF8BSIP8McZFgLrZa8jYwf24LZme-wmoTTs2o7JxLd5vQjiFSelXDSIIIYj9cGT0Ieu05ItjwtzBAEBW4Ca49LUyVLSMAuZbmB3JzKxjglXxAfJkqrZDoKs8NSlBO84m48bqaepIia-v7IOoy0rFb8cxa_Lv8EwwXWPR4snzRT5joAP/w640-h398/ActiveArea3276_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version2_PaleBlue_3QuarterSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">A good variety of prominences were spread around the limb as you can see in the next 18-panel mosaic processed to enhance limb features. (Consequently, the disc is overexposed.)</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipu062v8NLPHz3M_J1IIsIM2GrX8CEpYgOv_Ss6nNS-NCyYBnct8m4SoQFN6M-oExWR_xEbSYXr_UihL3-brRwNos9enQ-IsrSb-GddKkIts2mqlD0uBwrrcU3uXDwYuyHTfhdJwamYXL51ZrId0Q6ICbgtOBzXN9LnKHQrKKPdfkaoLj7QB9PkZvI/s2044/Mosaic2_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version1_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1976" data-original-width="2044" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipu062v8NLPHz3M_J1IIsIM2GrX8CEpYgOv_Ss6nNS-NCyYBnct8m4SoQFN6M-oExWR_xEbSYXr_UihL3-brRwNos9enQ-IsrSb-GddKkIts2mqlD0uBwrrcU3uXDwYuyHTfhdJwamYXL51ZrId0Q6ICbgtOBzXN9LnKHQrKKPdfkaoLj7QB9PkZvI/w640-h618/Mosaic2_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version1_PaleBlue_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next two images show enlarged portions of the most interesting limb sections.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qlyHd0XKj0dh0sNfmKG2rT7iaJhC0UHHGyJJGtxm-NudQWNCDrPr9JouSMMIMSOpWYsZUAKclOeOwLSX_QZ38gUd3qyMKcnrNqL1sZL2g8wdKviS0jXV5a1Conk-AdJTmd8HIUcu0DpRJWyYcumyFh1ao44qDt05DIlyfMjbtck_1xvsiQBj9Lbr/s2042/Mosaic3_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version2_Yellow_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="2042" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qlyHd0XKj0dh0sNfmKG2rT7iaJhC0UHHGyJJGtxm-NudQWNCDrPr9JouSMMIMSOpWYsZUAKclOeOwLSX_QZ38gUd3qyMKcnrNqL1sZL2g8wdKviS0jXV5a1Conk-AdJTmd8HIUcu0DpRJWyYcumyFh1ao44qDt05DIlyfMjbtck_1xvsiQBj9Lbr/w640-h342/Mosaic3_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version2_Yellow_HalfSize.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSoHBCwUy4TiWpHl6mR6bq0YOPZ-68sm1QbpcjDhnKZDnT2Hc_kNjDg_rA3lLbSXOu5vh_IR4cs-GgTCGziqpZYVEHeK9zDem2toUOLaMGvGWxaLiYOGbz3WzVbADB40__Mqlbi9qOMYmgpq7rmiCoDxRpPNV1qD_3gKPiuAKbMlJwWYqTs9gSIE_/s2060/Mosaic4_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version1_PaleBlue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2060" data-original-width="2037" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSoHBCwUy4TiWpHl6mR6bq0YOPZ-68sm1QbpcjDhnKZDnT2Hc_kNjDg_rA3lLbSXOu5vh_IR4cs-GgTCGziqpZYVEHeK9zDem2toUOLaMGvGWxaLiYOGbz3WzVbADB40__Mqlbi9qOMYmgpq7rmiCoDxRpPNV1qD_3gKPiuAKbMlJwWYqTs9gSIE_/w632-h640/Mosaic4_3XBarlow_Apr12_2023_Version1_PaleBlue.jpg" width="632" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Haze was forecast to disappear later on the evening of April 12th. I took down the solar telescope and mounted my 130 mm refractor for possible night observing. The nighttime session will be the topic for my next blog post.</span><br />Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-70704753834347741002023-04-08T12:02:00.000-04:002023-04-08T12:02:58.882-04:00Pleiades/Moon Conjuction<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Quick Photo</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Cloud cover forecasts at my location are often inaccurate. When I glanced outside on March 25 after sunset it was unexpectedly clear with a crescent Moon above the western horizon. Clear skies don't last long these days, so I hurried to set my camera on a tripod. I took several quick exposures to see if I could capture earthshine on the Moon. The following image is the best of the bunch.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBr70tONgaUhs2QYNdQPPsOrldENSuYQWPIM1qCzEBLHEXSH0JDaZ3ejB5I_HH6HnAUntCBVJ2xw_DMCfsf_NptVO4QrjgzZ51AruF63RBMdYTxFNJn-LNaepPxhchFvYvt68UZwH-bz8FvKBqQQPdryfPFno0JKPNTYmeY2A3CyQ7cZ9aKzupMK3Z/s732/Moon_Pleiades_Mar25_2023.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="732" height="577" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBr70tONgaUhs2QYNdQPPsOrldENSuYQWPIM1qCzEBLHEXSH0JDaZ3ejB5I_HH6HnAUntCBVJ2xw_DMCfsf_NptVO4QrjgzZ51AruF63RBMdYTxFNJn-LNaepPxhchFvYvt68UZwH-bz8FvKBqQQPdryfPFno0JKPNTYmeY2A3CyQ7cZ9aKzupMK3Z/w640-h577/Moon_Pleiades_Mar25_2023.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It turns out the Moon was passing close to the Pleiades cluster! Of course, I should have known this and set up a telescope in advance to get a much better picture, but I expected cloudy skies.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The lunar crescent is overexposed and the Pleiades are underexposed. A longer exposure to brighten the Pleiades would make the crescent even more saturated. Now I'm curious to see how well my 130 mm refractor would render a scene like this at higher magnification.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The image above is cropped from a 2.5-second exposure with a Nikon Z6 2 camera. The lens was set at 40 mm, f/2.8, and ISO was 100. </span> <br /></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-47591102639587008142023-03-31T08:49:00.000-04:002023-03-31T08:49:42.104-04:00World War I Airplanes<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Old Warplanes</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">During my annual visit to the Military Through the Ages exhibition this year at the Jamestown Settlement Museum I came across two displays I'd never seen before. First was a French biplane shown below.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP2JpK6cx6rPAAekHjGXSqmwETTpgeMhITRd8mUjQArma4AJTpOTepe1VyqgM3xZctayf5PrOd0irJo-Y-kUAkFfygbBxo1ckdaellFzaKVyUTmikQwytbBJ_g1InDO69JkB9tWbooWgzky_5XLHmdTo1j6kSGmqzCSSzKBgsNq9xCXFGfh8hor2C/s2016/FrenchPlane3_Small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="2016" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP2JpK6cx6rPAAekHjGXSqmwETTpgeMhITRd8mUjQArma4AJTpOTepe1VyqgM3xZctayf5PrOd0irJo-Y-kUAkFfygbBxo1ckdaellFzaKVyUTmikQwytbBJ_g1InDO69JkB9tWbooWgzky_5XLHmdTo1j6kSGmqzCSSzKBgsNq9xCXFGfh8hor2C/w640-h318/FrenchPlane3_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2npDtkIe3p5r-r21HWh-EUG5RZ2gVA4MM5JTF_2Ts7HUgCCs7rhjyCtDS1AWORTvGmn2gKuPj4tKxHqOKEns7aZB-CROJn2ySnbL_zGkWK97hh5DKEai0GiW_4fhjNHbK8jo8FKlWRPayOGFJEBtbNZKwXqEFrLWgizjb6lLFm7y0DS5Fmeq56CQU/s2016/FrenchPlane2_Small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="2016" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2npDtkIe3p5r-r21HWh-EUG5RZ2gVA4MM5JTF_2Ts7HUgCCs7rhjyCtDS1AWORTvGmn2gKuPj4tKxHqOKEns7aZB-CROJn2ySnbL_zGkWK97hh5DKEai0GiW_4fhjNHbK8jo8FKlWRPayOGFJEBtbNZKwXqEFrLWgizjb6lLFm7y0DS5Fmeq56CQU/w640-h322/FrenchPlane2_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">This plane was armed with a machine gun whose firing mechanism was synchronized with the propeller so bullets wouldn't destroy the blades.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLiaiPFo9M0RZDGbOBK0mopzv_JBktSiUT1jvk1wINItTmAq6-vGDwZmPyJswh58ySqj8CtYATGelwTaE4R45yr2Tb0uTeAq2baDQytceoYpN9ogIqTk9w8DsF0GRlk9jo9e85vVTxdbF49eOizfhoUIv2yBT3TC7JK46NVTAb3XV3FvV6mNCJ54F/s857/FrenchPlane1_Small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="857" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLiaiPFo9M0RZDGbOBK0mopzv_JBktSiUT1jvk1wINItTmAq6-vGDwZmPyJswh58ySqj8CtYATGelwTaE4R45yr2Tb0uTeAq2baDQytceoYpN9ogIqTk9w8DsF0GRlk9jo9e85vVTxdbF49eOizfhoUIv2yBT3TC7JK46NVTAb3XV3FvV6mNCJ54F/w640-h564/FrenchPlane1_Small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The fabric and wire construction of these planes seems incredibly fragile compared to modern fighters. Cloth and wire weren't much protection from machine gun bullets! Nearby was a German plane from the same war.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWmzsf-uxdFHhe1cKBma8QX0GdbI2460RScMkFHCFbs34BzbT8t1hdKUizg88XMti7t15nVV9wkJtT7SnfQFX0V8CoM0jTQmGwzGcjv9WcECFMV2getlKaBMOHsMvKFb9A7jgpAN7fTanzsYPLR1dNag60s375B1ylDCRljShO5_088kHHknv2qLU/s1929/GermanPlane2_small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1929" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWmzsf-uxdFHhe1cKBma8QX0GdbI2460RScMkFHCFbs34BzbT8t1hdKUizg88XMti7t15nVV9wkJtT7SnfQFX0V8CoM0jTQmGwzGcjv9WcECFMV2getlKaBMOHsMvKFb9A7jgpAN7fTanzsYPLR1dNag60s375B1ylDCRljShO5_088kHHknv2qLU/w640-h282/GermanPlane2_small.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">A smaller machine gun fired forward from the German plane.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK-NKNOAIEXjyQZ-4m8exFFiLz3yuew1rPhRx1OSJIRfIdEWYRx6j0C8U03jTV6XJf03RflLnyMGMjCsxtQVuuWvE_REQbUyBc6iC4VyYTEQF0g_hrOtNjXzos35OLPCpKzdbLrAoPMeLDnTqOraS65uEp1csF9I7LL7gQMH9J6zBMfYnpaMGU6Ej/s1959/GermanPlane3_small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1959" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK-NKNOAIEXjyQZ-4m8exFFiLz3yuew1rPhRx1OSJIRfIdEWYRx6j0C8U03jTV6XJf03RflLnyMGMjCsxtQVuuWvE_REQbUyBc6iC4VyYTEQF0g_hrOtNjXzos35OLPCpKzdbLrAoPMeLDnTqOraS65uEp1csF9I7LL7gQMH9J6zBMfYnpaMGU6Ej/w640-h364/GermanPlane3_small.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Cockpit controls seem extremely primitive!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEj0a-Zc5FzTDbXfc2EEdEUO2z2zeQuIxbJlHin1XaVC13vqugre-VtfNNZsnT_CbvMc_8obN2eCB5wrIaf2xEk_0bsRgakt_ZgnT5yv39frM7O27FGrn1Vj1VstFpAk2UXFfJw3U0fM87PX-xhJfsT8k1MQmzzr4QtG22lOSTDR8idg6vdGENOomQ/s1008/GermanPlane1_small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEj0a-Zc5FzTDbXfc2EEdEUO2z2zeQuIxbJlHin1XaVC13vqugre-VtfNNZsnT_CbvMc_8obN2eCB5wrIaf2xEk_0bsRgakt_ZgnT5yv39frM7O27FGrn1Vj1VstFpAk2UXFfJw3U0fM87PX-xhJfsT8k1MQmzzr4QtG22lOSTDR8idg6vdGENOomQ/w640-h480/GermanPlane1_small.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-size: medium;">The German plane was a Fokker E3 whose features are described below.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5O536j6ZwvWRdV2mWudEAcpjhpciVXGPrD5cAVTgT2XyKygufU7eeflOY2HjilG84RBVKZBN_uMn9_Y0FHtT40xhi_OsU8AemaIVWh9VsBTUl1O991m5hTUjrITNSENYTYzNrMdWCs5b7KX5djr91veiZLuwzSne3DdwCRpXX1BVKfrCKx8iRJ3a/s729/GermanPlane4_small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="546" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5O536j6ZwvWRdV2mWudEAcpjhpciVXGPrD5cAVTgT2XyKygufU7eeflOY2HjilG84RBVKZBN_uMn9_Y0FHtT40xhi_OsU8AemaIVWh9VsBTUl1O991m5hTUjrITNSENYTYzNrMdWCs5b7KX5djr91veiZLuwzSne3DdwCRpXX1BVKfrCKx8iRJ3a/w480-h640/GermanPlane4_small.jpg" width="480" /></a></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Among the many reenactors attending this year's exhibition was a group portraying The Devil's Nightmare Regiment from roughly the year 1529. They always present a colorful display of weapons, costumes, and living customs from this time period. I found their recruitment poster particularly amusing.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LxAsK99b7A9mbLMjnARziIW1Io_Sf_1KXZ4xmcozlq5WPtxPApNc6CGV08Mcn6SaUEEu6IPVyGReziohs9Ta7rl229x-JnbdCBzpy10iixFbXBWKgzU1_bunnwNzE7v_fzNaMDFS8u1G0LF6d9iJ53PmUiA8EuvUxIE-umXTi7OPPKZJ6AsJ8uqZ/s1230/DevilsNightmare_small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="980" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LxAsK99b7A9mbLMjnARziIW1Io_Sf_1KXZ4xmcozlq5WPtxPApNc6CGV08Mcn6SaUEEu6IPVyGReziohs9Ta7rl229x-JnbdCBzpy10iixFbXBWKgzU1_bunnwNzE7v_fzNaMDFS8u1G0LF6d9iJ53PmUiA8EuvUxIE-umXTi7OPPKZJ6AsJ8uqZ/w510-h640/DevilsNightmare_small.jpg" width="510" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It's always a pleasure to visit this wonderful exhibition each year, especially on a mild sunny day! </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span> <br /><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180950900692163933.post-11755018144012122912023-03-23T14:03:00.000-04:002023-03-23T14:03:12.857-04:00Magnetic Tensegrity Table<p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">Nice Physics Showpiece!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I recently discovered a new physics toy to add to my collection. The beautiful Magnetic Tensegrity Table is shown below. It's made in Britain and comes unassembled in a small box.</span><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQRD470ex-P6KamHUGIfeJG_Lew_GI3kT7t3vCQ0bU8O9YV47qIddy2WBL07uTrVHDQQLjyK_cRvNWTjoea4jajlMcemzLv3mRzRjpn7qZ_IIhe1NOM3TW6IOoHuR0E-EK_JtQK0-7UtO6TSSmIvEmp_0a60aJOESm-643KiL9KrPIM2UixAXyUfp/s1143/MagneticTensegrityTable2_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="804" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQRD470ex-P6KamHUGIfeJG_Lew_GI3kT7t3vCQ0bU8O9YV47qIddy2WBL07uTrVHDQQLjyK_cRvNWTjoea4jajlMcemzLv3mRzRjpn7qZ_IIhe1NOM3TW6IOoHuR0E-EK_JtQK0-7UtO6TSSmIvEmp_0a60aJOESm-643KiL9KrPIM2UixAXyUfp/w450-h640/MagneticTensegrityTable2_HalfSize.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The height is about 5 inches, just under 13 centimeters. Many parts and screws were extremely small. They challenged my diminished dexterity during assembly. But the assembly instructions were excellent! In fact, I've never seen a better illustrated, clearly worded, step by step assembly guide!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So how does it work? Three vertical wires evenly spaced around the edges of the circular base and top are under <b><i>tension</i></b>. The wires can't support a load by compression, so they are not supporting the top. The small powerful magnets suspended by hooks are <b><i>attracting</i></b> each other and would seem to draw the red top and base together. So how does the top stay up?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNtlGN5PW3aOhnOL0ocNV6A1y-nFPh3BkmnuSMq6wLfIS2c42rp56jujuzWer1wH4BZDCgNDSBUYTuy2ULmIceWTyJm6VKoT1rJrKYxZeD3swvMJyoSVJvlhwarOUhF_35USx9-7Yz6xpbvkcBdEaYGnBT-nvF2koh7Y7OUc4XXGBgo2uDGfw8Apg/s1323/MagneticTensegrityTable1_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1323" data-original-width="1014" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNtlGN5PW3aOhnOL0ocNV6A1y-nFPh3BkmnuSMq6wLfIS2c42rp56jujuzWer1wH4BZDCgNDSBUYTuy2ULmIceWTyJm6VKoT1rJrKYxZeD3swvMJyoSVJvlhwarOUhF_35USx9-7Yz6xpbvkcBdEaYGnBT-nvF2koh7Y7OUc4XXGBgo2uDGfw8Apg/w490-h640/MagneticTensegrityTable1_HalfSize.jpg" width="490" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The curved silver magnet supports are the key. Look at the upper magnet. It is pulled <b><i>down</i></b> by the attraction of the magnet below. The downward force on the upper magnet presses its (left) silver support <b><i>down</i></b> onto the red base. Now look at the bottom magnet. It is pulled <b><i>up</i></b> by the attraction of the magnet above. The upward force on the bottom magnet presses its (right) silver support <b><i>up</i></b> against the red top. <b><i>So the base is pushed down while the top is pushed up</i></b>! That's why the wires are under tension!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There's enough lift on the top to support extra weight. The next picture shows a 200 gram mass resting on the table top! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixteNyKPWUNRCZTWkGScILjSbkl8yD-VVstt1Rm-i-TQpYjc2k1dLpJ9auNUQcrL9eZlTcm9Zw1JeqoK6nuQk92Xq8l42VGLQrClEqwiT0UwAQ0pE3j6rRMhBM4Z-s-E0qaVwoI-_bhv6XHq1nLUP4hGxNfg_wjcD0UQriUitoqxOOIrsshdy5eVRH/s1368/MagneticTensegrityTable3_HalfSize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="792" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixteNyKPWUNRCZTWkGScILjSbkl8yD-VVstt1Rm-i-TQpYjc2k1dLpJ9auNUQcrL9eZlTcm9Zw1JeqoK6nuQk92Xq8l42VGLQrClEqwiT0UwAQ0pE3j6rRMhBM4Z-s-E0qaVwoI-_bhv6XHq1nLUP4hGxNfg_wjcD0UQriUitoqxOOIrsshdy5eVRH/w370-h640/MagneticTensegrityTable3_HalfSize.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The manufacturer suggested the table would hold up to about 260 grams before collapsing. I foolishly tried 300 grams, and, yes, the whole thing collapsed! It wasn't easy to separate the magnets and reassemble the table, but, after an hour or so, I eventually succeeded. I'll stick to the 200 gram mass from now on. </span> <br /><p></p><p></p>Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15251202564946483213noreply@blogger.com0