The 24th Solvay Public Lectures with Nobel Laureates Kip Thorne & David Gross

 

What an absolute privilege to stand face-to-face with true legends of physics this weekend! This past Sunday, during the special public session of the 24th Solvay Lectures at Flagey in Brussels, four of us from Helios astronomy club had the incredible opportunity to attend together—and I even managed to grab selfies with none other than Nobel laureates Kip Thorne and David Gross.

Walter, Pascal, Lieven, Fernando from Helios

The event was entirely dedicated to gravitational waves and the deepest mysteries of our universe. Kip Thorne—who won the Nobel Prize in 2017 for his decisive contributions to the LIGO detector project and the historic first-ever detection of gravitational waves—delivered a fascinating lecture titled "Probing Black Holes with Gravitational Waves". He brilliantly explained how these ripples in spacetime allow us to uncover the secrets of black holes. Alongside him, theoretical physicist Claudia de Rham took the stage to speak about testing the fundamental nature of gravity, after which David Gross expertly moderated the panel discussion that followed.

Kip Thorne

Claudia De Rham

Witnessing and meeting these brilliant minds becomes even more awe-inspiring when you realize the groundbreaking work they have accomplished. Kip Thorne earned his Nobel Prize for capturing the very first whispers of spacetime, proving Einstein’s century-old prediction about gravitational waves. David Gross, on the other hand, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics back in 2004—alongside Frank Wilczek and David Politzer—for the discovery of asymptotic freedom. Together, they unlocked how the strong nuclear force works and how quarks behave deep inside the smallest building blocks of atomic nuclei.

To cap off an already unforgettable day, we were treated to a lavish, grand reception after the presentations, giving our Helios group the perfect opportunity to raise a glass and process everything we had just experienced. From the subatomic particles that Gross unraveled to the colossal black holes that Thorne and De Rham brought to life, attending this Solvay Conference alongside fellow Helios members is a memory we will cherish for a very long time.

Selfie with Kip Thorne

Selfie with David Gross

Looking Back at an Unforgettable DDD Day at Urania!

Last week, our astronomical community gathered at Volkssterrenwacht Urania for our traditional DDD (De Duistere Dag) event. With the spectacular Total Solar Eclipse of August 12 still fresh in everyone's memory, the entire day was packed with technical deep-dives, vivid expedition reports, and exciting future plans.

I used this image to talk about the eclipse day itself

Morning Sessions: Tech, Tools, and Expeditions

The day started in classic Urania fashion: catching up with fellow eclipse chasers over hot coffee and viennoiserie in the Urania Bar.

Kris Delcourte officially opened the event with an introduction to the agenda. Maciej Szupiluk followed with a presentation on Total Control, a specialized software tool designed for eclipse photography with Sony cameras. The software was really easy to use and he promissed to have a Nikon version ready, 100 days before next year eclipse.

Ruben Verboven then shared insights and atmospheric data from the Eclipse Weatherstation Project during the August 12 TSE in Spain.

The rest of the morning brought an array of eclipse reports from across Spain and beyond:

Kris Delcourte shared his experiences observing from Montelahorra in the DO Ribera del Duero region.

Wim, Sarah, Marnik, and Karin presented a joint talk on their practical experiences with the Solar Eclipse Workbench. The next release will embed detailed bailey beads.

Roman Weiss rounded out the morning block with a report on the total solar eclipse from Asturias and the total lunar eclipse observed from Andalusia.

Around noon, attendees gathered for a sandwich lunch at the Urania Bar, discussing camera settings, filters, weather predictions, and visual impressions. Before returning to the auditorium for the afternoon sessions, everyone stepped outside for the traditional group photo.

Afternoon Highlights: Iceland, Global Eclipse Chasing, and Drone Imaging

The afternoon session kicked off with invited guest speaker Saevar Helgi Bragason, who brought breathtaking stories of observing the Total Solar Eclipse from Iceland and how he did promote this by his own!!

Werner Hamelinck then offered a comprehensive look at Urania's collective experiences across various observing locations during the August 12 eclipse. Joerg Schoppmeier took the audience on a remarkable global journey, reviewing two partial solar eclipses (New Zealand and Mauritius), two total lunar eclipses (Crete and Joshua Tree National Park), a deep partial lunar eclipse (Madrid), and the total solar eclipse in Spain.

I then had the opportunity to step up and share my own project: Total Solar Eclipse 2026 Wide-Angle Drone Imaging. Operating from Carrión de los Condes, Spain, I used a DJI Neo 2 drone to film the event from the air on August 12, 2026. Capturing the sweeping shadow of totality and the 360-degree horizon twilight from above offered a thrilling new dimension to our eclipse documentation. A live demo was given.

AI generated slide use for my presentation.

Looking Forward: 2027 and Beyond

The focus then shifted to the future. A vibrant group discussion unfolded regarding plans and logistics for the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse on August 2, 2027.

Live demo with my DJI Neo 2 Drone

Demystifying the Universe: Exploring "Kwantum Fysica Ontrafeld" by Spot Op

 

I love exploring the vast mysteries of the cosmos, but understanding the universe requires looking at the smallest scales too. A brilliant publication making waves among science enthusiasts is "Kwantum Fysica Ontrafeld" (Quantum Physics Unraveled) by Spot Op.

While astrophysics explores black holes and distant galaxies, the rules governing subatomic particles are what truly shape our reality. The laws that govern quantum mechanics played a crucial role during the Big Bang and continue to define how matter behaves in extreme environments like neutron stars.

"Kwantum Fysica Ontrafeld" bridges the gap between complex science and curious readers. Through accessible storytelling, clear narratives, and striking visuals, it breaks down mind-bending concepts—such as superposition and quantum entanglement—without getting lost in overwhelming academic jargon.

Beyond theoretical physics, Spot Op highlights how quantum phenomena power modern technologies like quantum computing and semiconductors, showing why microscopic science matters to everyday life and space exploration alike.

If you want to expand your scientific horizons and understand how reality works at its deepest level, "Kwantum Fysica Ontrafeld" is an essential, 128 pages, read for your coffee table.

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.