Friday, July 10, 2026

Solar Observation Day

On July 5th, the Belgian astronomy association VVS organized its annual National Solar Observation Day. Our local astronomy club, Helios, was proud to take part in this nationwide event. The activities were held at Het Moment, located on the beautiful grounds of Averbode Abbey, providing a wonderful setting for a day dedicated to astronomy.

Despite the less-than-ideal weather, we were delighted to welcome around 200 visitors throughout the day. Many came hoping to observe the Sun through our specially equipped solar telescopes and to learn more about our nearest star.

Unfortunately, the weather had other plans. Thick clouds covered the sky from morning until evening, preventing us from showing the Sun to our visitors. While this was disappointing for both the public and our volunteers, the enthusiasm of those who attended never faded.

Instead, we spent the day explaining how solar observations are carried out safely, discussing the features that can normally be seen on the Sun—such as sunspots and prominences—and answering many questions about astronomy and our observing equipment. Although the Sun remained hidden behind the clouds, it was still a rewarding day filled with interesting conversations and a shared passion for astronomy.

We hope for clearer skies next year so we can give our visitors the spectacular solar views they came to see.


Written by Pascal and rewritten by AI





Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Amazing Prominence July 4th

 


Observation of an amazing prominence on July 4th. The image was made using my Sol'Ex on TLAPO80/480 with ASI678MM.

Editing using Inti, DeNoise AI and CS4.

Sodium, Magnesium and Calcium with Sol'Ex

Sol'Ex observation in Sodium (NaID2), Magnesium (MgIb2) and Calcium (CaIIH). The comparison shows sharp and delineated supergranulation in MgIb2 and less in NaID2 and fully scattered in CaIIH.



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Thursday, July 2, 2026

Near occultation of ZC797 by Helios is published in magazine Heelal

The observation by Helios (Bart, Lieven and Myself) of the near occultation of SAO77121 by the Moon is published in Magazine Heelal of July 2026.The description of this observation can be found in my blog via this link 





Supernova SN2026fvx published in magazine Heelal

My observation of Supernova SN2026fvx is published in Magazine Heelal of July 2026
See my blog: https://pascalhilkensastropage.blogspot.com/2026/04/sipernova-sn2026fvx-in-ngc4205.html





Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Sun Sol'Ex June 28




 

Active sun in different wavelenghts using Sol'Ex by James R on TLAPO80/480 and ASI678MM.