Revisiting Saturn: New Processing from October 11, 2026

Astrophotography is a journey of continuous learning and improvement. Sometimes, going back to raw recordings with fresh eyes and refined processing techniques can reveal hidden details you missed the first time around. Today, I reworked my recordings of Saturn made earlier on October 11, 2026.

Imaging Setup

Telescope: TAL 200K f/8.5

Camera: ASI715MC

2x Barlow lens, Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC)

Filter: IR/UV Cut filter

Capture and Processing Workflow

SharpCap: Used for high-speed video capture, balancing exposure and gain to manage atmospheric seeing.

AstroSurface: Handled frame quality sorting, alignment, stacking, and initial wavelet sharpening to bring out the cloud bands and ring structure.

Topaz DeNoise AI: Applied to reduce background noise while preserving subtle planetary detail.

Photoshop CS4: Used for final tweaks to color balance, contrast, and overall presentation.

Reflections

Revisiting old datasets is always a rewarding process. Combining a capable optical setup like the TAL 200K with high-resolution planetary cameras and modern image processing tools allows us to extract every bit of detail possible.

Saturn: One week after opposition

My first image of Saturn this year. Saturn's opposition was last week on October 4th, so we are one week further. Seeing was moderate and transparancy fair. 

300 Days to go for Total Solar Eclipse Aug 2, 2027

The next total solar eclipse will happen in 300 days.
If all goes according the plan, I will be @ Djerba in Tunisia. 

Software for Photometry

I'm preparing a lecture on Photometry and as part of this I completed a comparison between different software packages. Personaly I only have experience with ASTAP but with some upcoming and upgraded software the landscape is changing. The below tabel is made using AI.

Lecture on Infinity by philosopher Victor Gijsbers

Attending a philosopher's lecture at Studium Generale @ Maastricht.

Humanity is caught between longing for eternity and the reality of our fragile, fleeting existence. In his acclaimed book "Oneindigheid: een filosofische gids", Leiden philosopher Victor Gijsbers explores if the universe is infinite and how we should live within it. He questions whether endless space holds copies of us and if immortality would truly improve our lives—or prove far more agonizing than our finite mortality. Gijsbers suggests endless time might strip our choices of consequence and become a psychological burden. 

Pushing this further, 19th-century thinker Louis-Auguste Blanqui argued in L'éternité par les astres that finite elements in an infinite cosmos mean every life, and every form of immortality, repeats itself identically across the stars. Does this infinite loop rob us of unique meaning, or does it give our finite moments ultimate weight? 

At the end of the lecture, reference was made to mathematics and infinitity and what this tells us about reality. 

True to tradition, I naturally had to snap a selfie at the lecture to document my own tiny, fleeting moment against this vast cosmic backdrop! Some thinking...would I want to live forever, or does my mortality define my value? 

Special Moon Halo 9°, 22° and 46°

Full moon and open sky with some high clouds, perfect storm for some moon halo's. Beside the classic 22° halo, two more halo's could be observed: 9° and 46°.

1.000.000 Milestone Achieved - Thank you!

WOW! Achieving 1 million viewers on my blog... really amazing and thank you all!