Averbode abbey after dark - facebook coverpage

After our meeting with astronmical club "Helios" I took the time to image the abbey of Averbode. Even though it was late, the darkness offered a unique opportunity. The abbey was beautifully lit, and because the air was completely still, the large pool transformed into a black mirror. Not a single ripple in sight. It felt like a technical tribute to our club meeting: the perfect interplay of light and architecture.

The image was taken with my iPhone 16 and edited using CS4.

It was posted on facebook "Passie voor fotografie" and within 24hours more then 100likes were received and my picture was put as the coverpage of the facebook page. Nice recognition!

Supernova SN2026fvx in NGC4205

 

On March 17, 2026, a remarkable celestial event was recorded with the discovery of supernova SN2026fvx in the galaxy NGC 4205. Located in the constellation Draco at a distance of approximately 57 to 75 million light-years, this supernova initially appeared with a faint magnitude of 19.3. Scientific analysis quickly classified it as a Type Ia supernova, a catastrophic explosion occurring in binary star systems. In such a system, a white dwarf accretes matter from its companion star until it reaches the critical Chandrasekhar limit. At that precise moment, a runaway thermonuclear reaction is triggered, completely tearing the star apart in a brilliant flash of light.

By early April, the supernova’s brightness had increased significantly to magnitude 12.3. Given its high altitude in the sky, it provided a perfect opportunity for observation. This session was particularly meaningful as it marked my first deep sky object since April 2025, requiring a period of re-learning the technical workflows. The process began with polar alignment using SharpCap and an ASI224MC camera, followed by a three-star alignment. The SynScan was then connected with an ASIAIR Plus controller, and the TAL200K f/8.5 telescope, mounted on a Skywatcher AZEQ6 GT, was moved into position. To capture the event, I used a cooled ASI2600MC camera to take 13 300-second exposures, opting to work without guiding or the use of a Bahtinov mask for this session.

The technical journey was not without its challenges, particularly regarding data management. I encountered a frustrating problem getting the data out of the ASIAIR Plus, as Windows 11 did not support the direct PC connection. Several troubleshooting ideas from the ZWO network were attempted without success, and even using a card reader resulted in errors within the fit files. Ultimately, an ordinary USB stick proved to be the solution that worked.

Although some tracking errors occurred during the session, I was able to retain 8 high-quality light frames. These were stacked together with darks, flats, and bias frames using Astro Pixel Processor to create the final image. The resulting view clearly features the supernova, and its observed brightness was further validated by performing photometry within ASTAP software, confirming the magnitude of 12.3 as reported by Rochester Astronomy. It remains a staggering thought that the light captured in this image traveled through the vacuum of space for tens of millions of years before finally reaching my sensor.

Sun in different wavelengths

 

Sun on March 29, 2026 imaged with Sol'Ex by James R, TS/TLAPO80/480 and ASI678MM.
Editing using Inti and CS4.

Sol'Ex observation March 29

Sol'Ex observations done with the following settnig:

- TS/TLAPO80/480, ASI678MM with 2nd Gen slit (but with dust!!!)

- Herschel wedge

- SSD 

- Software: SharpCap, Inti, JSolex, CS4 and DeNoise AI

- Tilt angle 0,15°

- Sx/Sy : 0,88 (H-alpha)

- SSM3 monitor avg 1,5arcs

Relative Prominency number Rpha = 10H + E = 10 * 10 +53 = 153

H-alpha activity - H-alfa number

In the period from August 2024 to March 2026, 52 H-alpha observations were carried out using a Sol’Ex spectroheliograph on a TLAPO60/360 and later a TLAPO80/480. Processing via INTI results in superior resolution, meaning the calculated prominence relative number (Rp = 10H + E) is systematically higher than the VdS reference. This is reflected in a k-value of 0.76 with a strong correlation (R2 = 0.88). Furthermore, the data confirm the time-lag effect of the chromosphere: the H-alpha prominence maximum occurs later than the sunspot maximum in the photosphere. This is logically explained by the fact that prominences are often residual phenomena of active regions that are already decaying underneath. The methodology used follows the standard from "Die Sonne beobachten" by Reinsch and Völker.

Determination of the H-alpha Relative Number for the solar limb (Rp or RHa)
The formula is defined as follows (1)

Rp or RHa = 10 H + E

With:
Rp or RHa: the H-alpha relative number
H (Herde): the number of activity centers on the solar limb
E (Einzelerscheinungen): the number of individual limb phenomena, individual phenomena such as separate prominences or limb flares.

(1) Die Sonne beobachten - Reinsch, Beck, Hilbrecht and Volker

Conclusion:
My observations follow those of VdS and Kanzelhohe.
My observations are systematically higher, which may indicate a difference in equipment resolution, cf. traditional H-alpha versus Sol’Ex.
The k-value is 0.76 with a reliability (R2) of 0.88.
Observations confirm the "time-lag" effect of the H-alpha maximum relative to the sunspot number. This is logically consistent, given that sunspots occur in the photosphere and prominences in the chromosphere.

Lecture by Steven Goderis on micrometeorites

Lecture by Professor Steven Goderis at the annual VVS meeting in Brussels (Grimbergen MIRA). 

Professor Steven Goderis and his research team at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel employ advanced geochemical techniques to unlock the secrets hidden within microscopic space dust recovered from both the Antarctic ice and ancient geological strata. 

By conducting precise measurements of oxygen isotopes and identifying specific minerals like chromium-rich spinels, they can accurately trace the origin of these particles back to different types of primitive asteroids. A crucial part of their work involves analyzing the concentration of these micrometeorites within different rock layers, as the fluctuating numbers of these cosmic grains provide a direct record of massive impact events in Earth’s past. These sedimentary archives allow scientists to reconstruct the flux of extraterrestrial matter over millions of years and understand how the chemical composition of our solar system has evolved. Beyond identifying their source, the team examines the chemical alteration of these particles to determine past CO2 levels and atmospheric conditions during their high-speed entry into our planet's orbit. Furthermore, studying the magnetic properties trapped within these tiny grains provides a rare glimpse into the strength and orientation of ancient magnetic fields that shaped the early solar system. By combining these diverse analytical approaches, Goderis continues to push the boundaries of planetary science, using the smallest particles to answer the biggest questions about our cosmic history.

Micrometeorites

Selfie with Steven Goderis and in the back my friend Jean-Marie :)

Lecture Code Rood by Toon Verlinden

Together with colleague Walter and Philip, I attended a lecture by Toon Verlinden of his book "Code Rood" or Code Red.

In the book Code Red, Toon Verlinden analyzes the vulnerability of our modern civilization by linking four catastrophic scenarios to their historical predecessors. He uses the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora as a chilling example of a supervolcano; it caused a year without a summer and global famine at the time, reminding us of the fragility of our current food chain. Regarding the danger of asteroids, he points to the 1908 Tunguska explosion, where a relatively small fragment wiped out thousands of square kilometers of forest, to demonstrate why we are now developing missions like DART to prevent impacts with precision missiles.

Verlinden also warns of a repeat of the 1859 Carrington Event, a solar storm that merely caused telegraph lines to spark back then, but today would completely cripple our power grid and the internet. Finally, he draws lessons from the devastating 1918 Spanish Flu to emphasize the necessity of rapid vaccine development and global surveillance against new pandemics. By analyzing these destructive moments from the past, Verlinden shows that our modern technology is not only a source of vulnerability but also offers our only real chance to survive a subsequent global disaster.

I bough his book back in 2024 and beside signing my book, a selfie with author was made.