Conny Aerts - Asteroseismology

Conny's research covers stellar astrophysics, including stellar structure & evolution and variable stars. She is a pioneer of asteroseismology, which received a major boost thanks to the CoRoT (2006+), Kepler (2009+), and TESS (2018+) space missions. Prior to high-precision space photometry, Conny developed rigorous mathematical methods to detect and identify non-radial stellar oscillations in high-resolution time-series spectroscopy. Her team also designed and applied statistical classification methods in a machine-learning context, discoving numerous gravity-mode pulsators in space photometry. As Chair in Asteroseismology at the Radboud University Nijmegen, Conny introduced herself into the topic of subdwarf stars, their binarity and pulsations, with current focus on development and exploitation of BlackGEM in tandem with gravitational wave studies.

Conny gave a lecture  on thursday evening (11/12/2025) as part of an  Invited theatre lecture performance for Science Cafe De Kempen: “Asteroseismologie: ´ daar zit muziek in!” (in Dutch), Organised in Tabloo, Dessel, Belgium. 

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Comet 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) is the third known object from outside our solar system to be discovered passing through our celestial neighborhood. Astronomers have categorized this object as interstellar because of the hyperbolic shape of its orbital path. (It does not follow a closed orbital path about the Sun.) When the orbit of 3I/ATLAS is traced into the past, the comet clearly originates from outside our solar system.
As of 2025, three interstellar objects have been discovered traveling through the Solar System:
1I/ʻOumuamua in 2017, 2I/Borisov in 2019, and 3I/ATLAS in 2025. The prefix "1I" identifies the object as the first confirmed interstellar interloper, "2I" as the second, and so on.



This morning was the first morning with a clear sky. I used my DSLR Nikon D7500 with a zoom lens to image the comet in constellation Leo. It was not easy with the moon almost 60° illuminated.


Setting: Nikon D7500 with zoomlens.
No Guiding and no cable (as it was broken the night before).
Software: APP, ASTAP, CS4, DeNoise AI, Stellarium, SkySaferi.


Workproces: stacking 7 images with APP each ISO6400 4s. The picture was edited using APP tools light pollution and background calibration. Next, ASTAP was used to extract the green channel and Denoise AI to remove noise. This noise free image was again uploaded in ASTAP and star annotation was set. Unknown star annotation identified the position of the comet. This on the "same" location as found in Stellarium and SkySafari.

Sol'Ex update with 61 sessions and 962 video shoots

 

My Sol'Ex journey started back in August '23 and today I'm looking back ... a steep learning curve, 3 Sol'Ex versions, 2nd Gen Slit, new 678MM camera, improved software, two conferences, a VVS Whatsapp group, contributing to ProAm Paris Meudon (Bass2000), 2 articles in VVS magazine Heelal, 8 lectures but most impressive my 61 Sol'Ex sessions with 962 video shoots. 

Astronomical Challenges 2026

I made some preparation for 2026. Below list are my  Astronomical Challenges 2026 (source Hemel Calender 2026, SkySafari, Stellarium and ChatGPT)

By celestial body/event  (by date see below)

Planetoides

January 5 Eros (433) M33 

January 20 Nysa (44) M44 and 3I/Atlas

February 22 Psych (16) NGC1647

February 26-28 Papagena 471 Urania

April 26 Nysa (44) M44

July 28 Ceres (1) M1 

July 28 10P/ Tempel M30

Comets

February 23 24P/Schamuasse M5

March 6-8 46P/Wirtanen Hyaden Melotte25

March 8-14 10P/Tempel 40P/Vaisala

March 14-20 46P/Wirtanen Pleiades 

April 1 24P/Schamuasse M5

Jun 25: 10P/Tempel M72

June 15-25 C/2025 F2 M53

July 1 10P/Tempel NGC7009

October 23-24 10P/Tempel NGC 7507 7513

Planets

January 10 Opposition Jupiter 

June 3 Sodium tail Mercury

June 8, 12, 13 16 Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Vesta, Pallas, Mercury, Moon 

July 11 Moon Pleiades Mars Urania

October 4 Opposition Saturn 

October 11 Mars M44

November 26 Sodium tail Mercury

Swingby Juice

28 september

3 december

Occultations

February 17: Felicia 294 UT20h36

Moon

January 27 Pleiades

February 25 Hesiodus Ray

August 28 Eclips

October 19 Hesiodus Ray

October 28 Pleiades

December 21 Pleiades

Variable stars

Februray 27 Algol

October 23 Algol

November 15 Algol

Eclips

August 12 Solar Eclipse

Variables to measure during one night and max +/- 1 or 5 days from new moon, according to ChatGPT 

By date 

January 5 Eros (433) M33 

January 10 Opposition Jupiter 

January 20 Nysa (44) M44 and 3I/Atlas

January 27 Moon Pleiades

February 17: Felicia 294 UT20h36

February 22 Psych (16) NGC1647

February 23 24P/Schamuasse M5

February 25 Moon Hesiodus Ray

February 26-28 Papagena 471 Urania

Februray 27 Algol

March 6-8 46P/Wirtanen Hyaden Melotte25

March 8-14 10P/Tempel 40P/Vaisala

March 14-20 46P/Wirtanen Pleiades 

April 1 24P/Schamuasse M5

April 26 Nysa (44) M44

June 3 Sodium tail Mercury

June 8, 12, 13 16 Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Vesta, Pallas, Mercury, Moon 

June 15-25 C/2025 F2 M53

Jun 25: 10P/Tempel M72

July 1 10P/Tempel NGC7009

July 11 Moon Pleiades Mars Urania

July 28 Ceres (1) M1 

July 28 10P/ Tempel M30

August 12 Solar Eclipse

August 28 Moon Eclips

September 28 Swingby Juice

October 4 Opposition Saturn 

October 11 Mars M44

October 19 Moon Hesiodus Ray

October 23 Algol

October 23-24 10P/Tempel NGC 7507 7513

October 28 Moon Pleiades

November 15 Algol

November 26 Sodium tail Mercury

December 3 Swingby Juice

December 21 Moon Pleiades

Sun AR4294 4296 4298

Clouds dissapeared for a short time, allowing me to photograph the Sun. Why? Beacuse of a couple of huge sunspots: AR4294, 4296 and 4298. Size are 1280MH, 650MH and 100MH. 

Setting:

TAL200K f/8.5, ASI290MM and Nikon D7500

ND3.8, OIII filter and IR/UV cut filter

Software: SharpCap, AstroSurface, CS4

Saturn November 17

Imaging Saturn on November 17, 2025 with ring tilt of 0,38°.

Editing was done using the newest version of AstroSurface W3.

Setting: TAL200K, ADC, Barlowx2, ASI715MC

Filter: IR/UV Cut

Software: SharpCap, AstroSurface, CS4, DeNoise AI, WinJupos.

Eros (433) with M31 & M110

Image of Asteroid Eros (433) with M31 & M110. 

Setting: TLAPO80/480 f/6 with flattener and ASI2600MC
Filter: Optolong L-Pro
Camera temperature: -20,7°C
Exposure time: 39x 57s,
Software: SharpCap, ASTAP, CS4, APP (Stellarium & Skysafari)

The flattener was used but with wrong distance: 93 instead of 123mm.