ASTRONOMY ACTIVITIES

ASTRONOMY ACTIVITIES
ACTIVIDADES DE ASTRONOMÍA

The landscape and celestial photographs shown below have been taken by the author. Enjoy!

Las imágenes astronómicas y de paisaje han sido realizadas por el autor ¡Que las disfruten!                                          





   

                                  Sunrise at the Tacande Observatory, La Palma

                    Tacande Observatory campus and solar system model

                                      "Fisheye" view of the observatory dome
                     




   

                                                          Inside the dome
                                            



   
                                                        
                                                 Moonrise at the observatory

   

                          First workshop on Astrometry and Photometry, La Palma     

     




   
               

                                                  Workshop members at work                                                             



Using the dedicated software WinScan from Mr. C. Flohr (thank you!) it is possible  to turn your CCD camera (ST8) into a fast photometer. 
   

 



During a lunar occultation, the double nature of a the star is revealed, please note the slope.





                              

  Mars in a favorable approach. just one single image without stacking                              

                                   

                                                    Mercury transit of the Sun



  

 
                    Sunrise while we wait for the transit of Mercury, La Palma      

                                                                   


  

                         8th of June 2004.  Transit of Venus. Last time until 2117     




   

                         Sunrise while we wait for the transit of Venus, La Palma 

                             Jupiter and Io, C14 + ST8E, with only 4 images (LRGB)

                                   Saturn, C14 + ST8E with only 4 images (LRGB)        







                                Saturn's moons in negative image, T400 + ST8XE  

                 

                                         Some friends at the Tacande Observatory                                

                               Astronomy class in the observatory    

                  




                                
                             The double quasar QSO 0957+651, T400 + ST8XE 

 Position of the exoplanet XO-2b. The star below (ref 10.66 (R)) is a reference star of       magnitude 10.66 in band R, T400 + ST8XE   

       Change of magnitude and detection of exoplanet XO-2B by transit in front of                                   their star, processed with the software "FotoDif"         

                                     

          90 mm. diameter H-alpha filter, 0.6A bandwidth on a R120S refractor          

 

                           Sun activity, R120S + H-alpha filter 0.6A 

 

 Giant Sun dark spots in white light filter, R120S

 Sun watching

     Two mirrors Hale heliostat    

  Optical bench for solar projection and Sun observation with a coronagraph  

Tacande summer sky. Sigma 15mm + Canon 350D

Tacande summer sky. Sigma 8mm + Canon 350D

 M27 nebula. Testing the new T500 telescope + FLI 3200, LRGB composition

omega Centauri, the large globular star cluster    R120S + ST-8300M

 M1 Crab nebula. T400 + ST8XE, LRGB composition

One hour star trails and a Perseid meteor! Canon 350D

Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy. T400 + ST8XE, composition of 11 images 

 




Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy. T400 + ST8XE (false color)  






Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy, T400 + ST8XE. Notice the two core emission jets detected using a rotational gradient filter  

 

   

The Barnard galaxy in our local group. T500 + FLI 3200, composition LRGB

Sculptor galaxy T500 + FLI 3200   

  Geminid meteor activity over 2h. Six bright stripes are visible!  Canon 350D 

Brightest meteors recorded on 15/01/2015 at Geminid peak!

 

 The beginning of a good night! 






 Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina, Tacande Observatory, R120S + Canon 6D 

 Isophotopic distribution of comet C/2013 US10 Catalina,  Tacande Observatory.   T400 + SBIG ST8XE

Moon in colors! Newtonian 300mm f/5 + Canon 6D telescope, 5-image stack 

The Omicron Eridanus system. Telescope T400 + DMK21

beta Orionis (Rigel) with bad seeing. T400 + DMK21 at 60 fps 

   beta Orionis (Rigel) with good seeing.  T400 + DMK21 at 60 fps 

Detection of a fast comet by accumulating many images of 10 sec. exposure

Perihelion orbit of comet P/2016 BA14 

Astrometric reduction and detection of comet P/2014 BA14

09/05/2016 Transit of Mercury in front of the Sun

Globular cluster omega Centauri. Vixen R120S+Canon 6D,  single 2 m exposure

Some of the Palomar series of globular clusters count on being the most distant objects in our galaxy such as Palomar 4 which is 100 Kparsec (356,000 l.y) from us, beyond the Magellan satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. 

T500 F/2.8 + FLI 3200

alpha Scorpii, Antares. Explore Scientific ED80 + Canon 6D

Nebula M8. Vixen R120S + ST8300M telescope. Exposure: 600 sec.

Wide-field H-alpha image of the M8 - M20 region. Canon 2.8/200 + 1.4x + 6nm     H-alpha filter + ST8300M.          5x600 sec. exposure

Galaxies M31, M32, M110 Vixen R120 + Canon 6D    15 m. exposure

H-alpha image of NGC1499. Canon 2.8/200 + 1.4x + 6nm H-alpha filter +             ST-8300M.         3x600 sec. exposure

The Moon in "super" Perigee

Perigee and Apogee,  compare moon sizes!

Rosetta Nebula. Canon 3.5/200 + 6nm H-alpha filter + ST-8300M.                      4x600 sec. exposure

Rosette Nebula. Vixen R120 + Canon 6D ISO 800     6x300 sec. exposure

The distant globular cluster NGC 2419. The first bright star at right has a 7.4 magnitude. The image reaches a limit of 21.1 magnitude  

T400 + ST8XE, 15 m. exposure.

Photometry and Astrometry with a 200mm Canon lens + ST-8300M camera.     FOV: 10.28 x 6.88 degrees. 1 minute exposure

Photometry and Astrometry with a 200 mm Canon lens. 

Magnitude limit around 16.5

Double star gamma Virgo. T400+ ASI174MM exp: 10 msec

Astrometry course. Gran Canaria, May 2017

Analematic Sundial in Tacande

June 21, Summer solstice. The Sun at noon

The new Astropriorat Observatory at la Torre de Fontaubella, Catalonia, Spain

Inside the observatory  Ritchey-Cretien 406 mm telescope

Installation of the equatorial mount on the pillar

Telescopes and CCD camera with 36x36 mm sensor

Meeting room

Inside the observatory

The observatory, South view

Starting a good observation session

New focusing system

Telescope rear view

THE XV CONFERENCE AT ASSOCIACIO ASTRONOMICA DE TORROJA DEL PRIORAT 

LECTURE AT XV CONFERENCE ASSOCIACIO ASTRONOMICA DE TORROJA DEL PRIORAT

M33 galaxy LRGB 600 sec. each. RC 406 + G4-16000 

The Moon. H-alpha filter 7 nm 0.01 sec. RC 406 + G4-16000 

M27 H-alpha filter 7 nm. 600 sec. RC 406 + G4-16000  

Central Orion constellation,  Canon 2.8/200 + Canon 6D

Veil nebula, RC 406 + G4-16000   RGB

Galaxies M31, M32,   telescope RC 406 + G4-16000   RGB

mu Cephei a prototype of Carbon stars,  spectral type M2Ia    

telescope RC 406 + G4-16000   RGB

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF),  LRGB 2x minutes each    

telescope RC 406 + G4-16000      27/01/2023

Galaxy M81,  LRGB   10 minutes each    

telescope RC 406 + G4-16000  27/01/2023

The star M31-V1 was the first Cepheid variable discovered by Edwin Hubble in M31

Galaxy,  3xL   3 minutes each         telescope RC 406 + G4-16000

                  

The Ecliptic: Mars on top, Moon, Jupiter and Venus down

Sirius runaway!

Milky Way raising    Sigma 15mm+Canon 6D

Milky Way, Deneb   Canon 200mm+Canon 6D

Milky Way, Sagittarius region, Canon 200mm+Canon 6D 

For more details on the equipment and techniques used, see the page: Astronomical Observatory Handbook on this blog

Para más información de las técnicas y el equipo empleado, ver la página:  Manual del Observatorio Astronómico en este blog