Astronomy Picture

Check out this awesome image from Astronomy Picture of the Day!

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap140930.html

Active Sun with sunspots

This sunny afternoon the sun could be seen with sunspots 2172, 2173 and 2175.

Primary Mirror

Time to clean the primary mirror of my 12" Telescoop. This is always a difficult and sensitive activity but necessary. After re-installing the mirror the telescoop is collimated and ready for use.

Moon and Saturn

Both pictures from the Moon and Saturn are taken couple of hours before Saturn will disapear behind the Moon near Hawaii.

The Moon is only 12% illuminated and is as low as 5 degrees above the horizon (18h16 UT)

Picture of Saturn, east from the Moon and as close as 1 degree. Later this night Saurn will be disapearing behind the Moon. This will be seen near Hawii.

Astronomical Autumn

Today at 4h29 the astronomical autumn starts. September Equinox happens when the plane of Earth's Equator passes through the center of our Sun. For Belgium this happens at 2h29UT, september 23. It rarely happens on september 21, which is the common accepted date for the start of the autumn.  

Helios Meeting 21 September

After two months of summer holliday, Helios came together for their monthly meeting.
An overview was given of Project Alma (Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array).

Other topics the team discussed :

- Open Door Day Royal Meteoroligical Institute of Belgium 11&12 October 2015

- Partial Sun Eclips in Belgium March 20, 2015 : Faroe Islands or local event :)
- Visit of Averbode Abbey in view of 45th Anniverary of Helios (date TBD)
- Workshop Water Rocket Launching (date TBD)
- Solar Activity observed via Radio Astronomy (date TBD)

Noctilucent clouds July 4th

On July 4th, noctilucent clouds could be observed in Belgium. This month the VVS discussed this event in their monthly journal "Heelal".

Making your own Solargraph

Do you want to start making your own Solargraph.
See my Webtag "Solargraph" with all information needed. Have fun!

Cassiopeia with deep sky M31& Double Cluster

Iridium Flare

Photographing satellites needs always some preparation. Looking up the right time and location at the sky and adjusting the setting of the DSLR. The above picture is taken with settings ISO100 and 83s exposure time and afterwards modified using CS4.

Startrail Cygnus constellation

Milkyway in Cygnus constellation taken with Nikon D60 body using celestron d70/f400mm telescoop. Picture modified using CS4.

Waning Gibbous Moon

Picture taken with Nikon D60 body and Celestron d70/f400 telescoop. Picture modified using CS4.

Lunar Diffraction Ring

Sun eclips march 20, 2015

Still 6 months to go to plan for the sun eclips. The eclips will be seen in Europe on march 20, 2015.
It is the last total eclips in europe untill 2026. Totallity occurs in a vary wide path of more than 400km but north of europe as in the Faroe Islands and Spitsbergen.  In Belgium we will be seeing a partial eclips with 80% of suns surface covered by the moon. The entire eclips can be seen in the morning of march 20, when of course the sky is without any clouds!