Sun H-Alpha with SolarMax3

Again a cloudness day, the second in a row. Time to capture the Sun in H-Alpha with my SolarMax 3 70/400 f/5.7 and ZWO ASI224MC. A the surface of the Sun their is s.one bright active area, AR2741 and a less active one AR2740. Connecting the scope with the ZWO camera requires a PC. During daytime with the Sun high in the sky the contrast on the screen is very difficult. I have not yet found any solutions but still some great results. AVI files are stacked using AutoStakker!2 and final editing with CS4.

Lecture by Stijn Ilsen

Together with two Helios members I attended a lecture on spacemissions past, current and future. The lecture was given by engineer Stijn Ilsen in Herselt.
Very professional presentation and well presented with some humor.

Race to the Moon

Pascal Hilkens (l) - Koen Geukens (r)

Attending a lexture by Koen Geukens on the new race to the Moon. The lecture started with a short history of the first man on the Moon, 50 years ago with a lot of nice details.
The new race to the moon is a next step to explore Mars and beyond. The journey is difficult due to politics, budget and even scientists discussing the best approach.
It's not sure if we will have a new step on the Moon before 2024!

Sunspot AR2740

The last time I set up my scope was on Feb 27. Today it was time to set up the scope again. The more the Sun is covered by a new sunspot (AR2740) and having a partly open sky.
The picture was taken with Nikon D7500 on TAL200K. The insert was made using Barlow x2.

Weather Summary April

Low Rainfall with only 22 liter/m2. This year so far only 237 liter/m2

Sundog

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Sunset with Sundog. Picture taken with my weatherstation in the front, the bright sundog in the back.

Agenda ATT Essen available - Again Lecture by U. Kusserow

ATT - Europe's biggest astronomy exhibition !

The ATT is Europe's biggest exhibition especially for amateur astronomers. You will find state-of-the-art telescopes and accessories as well as used and homemade instruments. Here you meet manufacturers and experienced amateur astronomers from all over Europe to share your thoughts with. Furthermore the ATT offers a platform for public presentation of observatories and astronomy clubs. In short, this is the place to be for anyone who is interested in astronomy. You will get plenty of ideas and inspirations for your hobby. Come and find out for yourself, and we are looking forward to meeting you at the ATT in Essen, Germany.

As part of the exibition, Ulrich von Kusserow will give a lecture on the Magnetic Solarsystem.