Activity

If you know time of the image(s) set that time at https://stellarium-web.org/skysource/Bode'sGalaxy?fov=4.7939&date=2024-02-29T02:10:34Z&lat=44.08&lng=-92.51&elev=0 and you may see that satellite passing by.

M81and M82 plus a StarLink (?) trail from a cold last night in the observatory. After the satellite passed the stacking routine began to ignore frames so I stopped the stacking at 155 frames with 70 ignored! Don’t know if the satellite streak made that happen or not.

Most likely I was able to see 8 mag comet 12P/Pons-Brooks by 10×50 binocular from light polluted backyard.
See at stellarium-web.org .

Another photo taken tonight of the horsehead nebula area. Fortunately there was little to no streaking artifact likely due to efforts to reduce any condensation on optical elements in scope and camera and a lower relative humidity (in 55-65 range). Results are more satisfactory. Star sizes and color are not optimum but I’m just a beginner at…[Read more]

Another view of the Horsehead Nebula taken the night of February 6. The ZWO ASI183MC camera was rotated a bit and the 384 frames were 10 sec each. Image processed in the ASI studio (contrast stretch) and Photoshop elements. While I like this view the best the light streaking across the image is still evident. Will contact ZWO to see if they can…[Read more]

Thankful for some mild nights lately especially with the winter constellations in view. Below is an attempt to photograph the astounding area of Orion near the bright ‘belt’ star Alnitak. The Horsehead nebula and Flame Nebula are in the area and both appear with Alnitak in the photo below. An artifact {stacking?, light leak?, CMOS chip related?)…[Read more]

Thank you Josef. Below is another view of M 101 supernova change processed a bit more (dark frame subtraction done)

Very nice GIF image comparing images M101 with supernova about 250 days(8 months 5 days) apart!

M 101 (Pinwheel Galaxy) taken last night, 2-1-2024 is blink compared with an image taken in May 2023 to see change in supernova of 2023. While still visible is has attenuated quite a bit. Last night’s image was taken with the AT80ED scope with ZWO M183C camera, live stacking 1147 5 second frames.

Meeting postponed/cancelled due to winter storm!

Good grief!

Mike Quirk will attend

Bill Davidson.

John Attewell: bun/meat/cheese sandwiches

Jan and Don Schlosnagle: sweet & sour chicken holiday hot dish

John Martin will attend. Hotdish.

Mike Carlin will attend.

Michael Currie will attend.

Will take a look John. Also check out the Gemini meteor shower later tonight!

Wow. I was taught that Earth’s rotation was slowly slowing as the tides transferred its spin angular momentum to the Moon’s orbital angular momentum. This suggests that Earth’s mass distribution has contracted a bit.