Chinese Space Program - Long March - Shenzhou - Tiangong 2

We sometimes forget that it's not only the NASA, ESA or Roscosmos who are exploring space. The Chinese Space Program is running quit well. This month a powerfull Long March 2F/G Y11 space rocket launched the space craft Shenzhou-11 with two astronauts (taikonaut) to their space lab Tiangong-2. This is currently visible at night when it's crossing your area - see heavens-above for more information at your location.

DIY Making solar pictures using your DSLR on PST

How to make pictures using your DSLR on PST.  Using my D60 it's difficult to make prime focus pictures on the PST40. That's why I changed strategy and take pictures afocal using zoomlens 8-24mm with 24mm zooom. In order to bring the sun's surface into focus I need about 53mm to bridge. For that I need to install some spacers and finally the Nikon T-ring.

Sun on oct 30, 2016

Some small active regions on the sun with a couple of bright prominences.

Picture taken using PST Coronado 40 -f/10 and 24mm oculair.

300 days to the Eclipse

On August 21, 2017, a total eclipse of the sun will be seen across big parts of the United States of America. See also Great American Eclipse.

Light Pollution Map

How dark is your sky at night? See latest Light Pollution Map.  Thanks to efforts from the city council of #Scherpenheuvel-Zichem we have in my city a much darker sky then the years before.

Light Pollution Map 2015

Light Pollution Map 2016

Mova Globes

http://movainternational.com/  is the weblink to very original globes which move around with no use of cords, no batteries ... only powered by light and earth magnetic field. Different sizes are available with both space globes as our own earth. I saw those globes the first time in Paris, "maison de l'astronomie" and also in Chicago, Adler Planetarium. I would say ... great gift.

Chromatic Aberration CaF2 material - FCD100 Hoya & FPL53 Ohara

As lenses (like in refractors) have different refractrive properties depending the wavelenghts and the fact that the focal length of a lens is depending the refractiveness results in colors not focussing into a one single point behind the lens. This means that colors will shift in pictures (color glow around moon, planets) which we call chromatic abberation.

Over time refractors became better with double lenses (achromatic lens; the lenses compensate for two wavelengths) and triple lenses (apochromatic lens, lenses compensate for three wavelenghts). For the latter one the flint lens is made of ED glass. This is glass with a very low dispersion properties or high refraction indeces. Typically CaF2 is favorite but expensive, heavy and difficult to manufacture. Therefor the use of other fluorite glasses are used. Currently the use of FPL53(Ohara, JP) and FCD100 (Hoya, JP) are common in small f/ratio refractors and closing the gap with CaF2 glass.

The table below shows that the bigger the F/ratio the lower the chromatic aberration.

Looking into the data, FCD from Hoya has a slightly better refractive indices then FPL53

Some more pictures using DLSR on PST 40

Some more pictures taken of the sun using DSLR on zoom oculair 8-24mm. Pictures edited using CS4.

Prominences using DSLR on PST 40

I was able to use my DSLR Nikon D60 on the PST 40 for taking pictures. Uptill today I could only take afocal pictures with my iPhone but they are always too bringht are not in focus. Installing extra extentions on the zoom lens 8-24mm I could bring the sun in focal of the DSLR.

Trial and error to have the best view and sharpness and then editing using CS4. The result shows nice prominences on top and below of the picture.

Full Moon with iPhone 6

Full moon picture taken afocal with iPhone 6 on TAL200K using 25mm oculair. Picture edited using CS4.

Sun with airplane and sunspots AR2600 & 2602

This afternoon the temperature increased and the sun was shining again after some rain the last days. The sky was not perfect due to high clouds but still I was able to make some pictures. One of them showed a combination of sunspots AR2600, AR2602 and an airplane. The picture was taken with my Nikon D60 using TAL200K and slightly modified using CS4.

Moon 53% TAL200K

22° Solar Halo @ Averbode

High clouds increase chances to observer solar halo's. Today a 22° solar halo could be seen @ Averbode. Picture taken with wide field 18mm f/4.5 1/4000s. You can see clearly the red is inside the halo.

Waxing Crescent Moon 39% Celestron (D70 400mm)

In between the clouds the moon was shining for some moments. Picture was taking using Celestron D70 f=400mm. Picture was minor edited using CS4.

Helios Sun Observing Day in Heelal

You can read a summary of Helios Sun Observing Day (July 3rd) in the magazine "Heelal" - Vol.61, nr. 10, October 2016, p341.

Rainbow

Rainbow above Averbode this afternoon. If you watch carefully you will see a double rainbow... but it's very faint.

Weather Summary September

A rather warm month and very dry, with 28 dry days.