December's update.

It's been a while since I posted anything on here. This is mainly down to a lack of enthusiasm and the rubbish English weather.

Since my last posting I been busy doing this and that, during brief moments of clear sky. The new telescope is performing nicely and I still have my 10" F4.8 reflector for sale (e-mail me if you are interested) I've imaged the Crab nebula recently. Here is the image of Messier 1.

Messier 1 was one object that. I had been waiting for since buying my Canon 1000D in March. It was taken through the C9.25 SCT operating at 2.35mtr at F10. The exposures were all 600 seconds, and the over all time was just under two hours.

I think it has been well worth the wait.

Here is another image.

This is NGC 1501. As you can see it is a small round planetary nebular which, I have to say I didn't know. This was captured on the 1st December at 1.4 mtrs at F6.3.

This nebula is easily visible with medium aperture telescopes. And is now on view all night and is visible in the constellation of Camelopardalis the Giraffe.

Two weeks ago I was given a little gift from my boss. So. I went over to the Stockport Telescope and Binocular Centre http://www.telescopes-binoculars.co.uk/

They are extremely helpful. I bought a nice set of 15 x 70 Visionary binoculars for astronomical observing and Solar observing when I can see it!

I want to begin to get to know the sky better than I do now so I hope these will help me. I'm also starting to miss visual observing again. But I hope to rekindle my love of deep sky observing with both these and my SCT from Tegs Nose where I go observing with members from Macclesfield Astronomical Society http://maccastro.wikispaces.com/

I am sitting here typing this whilst it is once again raining  out side. I don't know when I will get out side again. It has been like this now for weeks and we are all getting very brassed off.

Happy New Year everyone.

Under a Autumn Moon

Last night, was another of Macclesfield Astronomical Society's observing night's.
We meet on a regular bases at a local country park, 3 miles out side Macclesfield.

Although we are close to this large town. The skies are very dark, often peaking at magnitude +5.2 on good night's.

Last night's observing session was under a Full Hunters Moon. And was organised to co-inside with the opposition of the planet Uranus.

I arrived shortly after 19:30hrs to find the car park busy, with various members setting up equipment or, already observing. The sky was very clear and steady, which came as a pleasant surprise to every body, after the week-long monsoon we've just had.

This was the second outing for my Celestron C9.25, and what a joy it is to use.

Once assembled and the mount aligned on the North-Celestial-Pole. I happily toured the sky using planetarium software.

Because it was full Moon. I decided that I would spend my time looking at some unfamiliar open star clusters. I can't remember which one's I looked at, however I do remember looking at Messier 39.

Through my 24mm Panoptic x61. M39 looked like a jewel in the early autumn sky.

I soon tired off these star clusters and moved onto the ice giant's of the outer solar system.

Neptune. x61. Tiny blue disk. x113 (13mm Baader Hyperion) a slighly larger but still, none de-script blue disk.

Uranus. x61. Larger than Neptune, and appears Green. x113 the planet looks slightly bigger and you can see a tiny green sphere.

Later on, and once the Moon was higher in the South-East. took some DSLR images.

By 1am and after an excellent session. The sky turned gradually to solid cloud.  And the few of us who were left, called it a night.

It was an very good start to my 2012/13 observing/imaging season.

Deep Sky Wanderings

Since writing my last blog, I've been busy with holiday's and buying new equipment.
The equipment is probably why the weather here in England has been so wet lately.

Sorry about that.

During the middle half of September. I was very lucky to get the opportunity to visit, one of the countries premier star gazing event's. The Equinox Star Party at Kelling Heath, North-Norfolk.

My self and a imaging buddy, from Macclesfield Astronomical Society travelled down to Kelling on 2012 September 13 and stayed their until September 17.

During this time we were blessed with not one, but four of the clearest and darkest skies that I have ever seen, from this country.
Every night from 21:00, the Milky Way was seen. Not as a feint hazy patch of ghostly ancient light, when viewed from my home.

But as a brilliant white cloud arching overhead from Cassiopeia and Cygnus down through Aquila and on into Sagittarius.

The views we enjoyed with out optical aid were magnificent. NGC 7000 (North-America Nebula) was very clear every night. Together with. IC1396 in Cepheus. This is another huge region of hydrogen similar to the NAN, and it was very clear with out optical aid every night.

The unaided eye limiting magnitude, I estimated each night was magnitude +6.2. And to prove just how dark the skies actually were.
I found NGC7293 The Helix nebula, an easy object through 10x50 glasses and 15x70 Celestron Skymaster Binoculars.

NGC7293 is one of the largest planetary nebulae in the sky. But because the light is so spread out. You need very dark skies to see it visually. Through both sets of binoculars. NGC7293 was a ghostly oval shaped patch of pale light.

There was certainly plenty to see whilst we were their. The site was full to the rafter's with telescope's off all shapes and sizes.

It was interesting to see some of the big DOBs that I have read about, and seen advertised, but never had a close look at. I had the opportunity to look through a 18” and saw M92. Not as a misty granular ball. But as a glitter ball visible right to the core.

That was a wow moment. 

I took with me to Kelling my portable imaging setup. This comprises off the following.

T: William Optics Zenith Star 66SD

M: Losmandy G11

C: Canon 1000D modified

 My main interest is astro imaging. With this little portable set up I was able to  image,a load of stuff under those dark Norfolk skies.

Most night's we didn't turn in until well after 2am. But it was well worth every effort.

I imaged the following. 

M33,M45,NGC891,NGC1499.
Here they are.

M33



M45



NGC891



NGC1499



Since returning home from Kelling Heath. I have bought myself a new telescope.

I am now the proud owner of. A Celestron C9.25 XLT-CGE Schmitt Cassegrain. This telescope will be my work horse instrument from now on, and it will also be for keeps.

It will be used for visual observing and DSLR imaging. And I hope to begin re-acquainting my self with the Planets and the Moon.

I hope to try my hand also at web cam imaging of these worlds. But I think it will be a long time before I am as good as Damien Peach.

Watch out...

Recent Solar observations

It's been a while since I was able to update my blogg. The reason. Our lousy Summer weather.

I wish I could say balmy, but June, July and now August look like being a wash out. I hope we begin to get some decent weather come September, and perhaps we will have an Indian Summer!

When the weather as been more co-operative. I have been able to make some observation's of our nearest star. The Sun.

This huge nuclear furnace lying at 93 million miles is getting very active. With almost something new, rotating onto the white light visible surface every day.

I don't image the Sun, but prefer to draw what I see. I use a nice 65mm ED Nikon birding scope fitted with a BAADER WHITE LIGHT FILTER.

Using this equipment. I am able to get out and look at the Sun, at a moments notice. This is far better than dragging the big scopes out side, and spending valuable time setting up.

You will see here a small selection of drawings made over the past couple off week's. And they show you how active our Sun is.

August 04th

 July 30th

 July 29th

 July 24th

Solar observing July 7th 212.

I had another clear break in the clouds, and weather. So I was lucky enough to get out again, with my Nikon RA65 spotting scope.

The Sun is still very active, with many groups still visible.

We have a new group visible that is slowly rotating, onto the earth facing disk. This is AR 1519 and looks quite big.

AR's 1515 and 1513 are slowly disappearing of the Southern limb. There is considerable limb darkening visible, together with visible faculae.

The drawing was made as I say, in white light. I use a home made Baader solar filter attached to this little ED APO. And it works very well. This little set up is now my dedicated grab and go solar telescope.

I made this drawing under reasonable skies, between 1600 and 1605UT.

North is upper most, with East to the left. 

The Sun in White light.

This evening I have been very lucky to get out and look at the active Sun. I'm using a Nikon RA65 birding scope fitted with a white light Baader solar filter.

The Sun is once again, very active, with five AR's or active regions visible.

Sunspot AR1515 has grown into a behemoth. and it is now more than 10 times wider than Earth. Can you imagine that!
The active region is crackling with M-class solar flares and seems poised to produce even stronger X-flares in the days ahead.  At least one CME is en route to Earth, and ham radio operators are reporting shortwave solar radio bursts, roaring from the loudspeakers of their receivers. For more information. Stay tuned to http://spaceweather.com for updates.

There could very well be, an increase in auroral activity this week-end, and is it possible. That more NLC will be visible? Their still isn't evidence for a link between an increase in NLC and higher than normal Solar activity. And the jury is still out.

The drawing's I made. Were made between 1800 and 1810UT under very good skies, with excellent seeing.
As I am typing this. It is now pouring with rain. So I was very, very, lucky.

I wish we had North-American Summers

I'm sitting here, typing this, under lead coloured skies. It's cloudy, miserable and but warm.

On Monday June 25th. I was fortunate to be blessed with a very clear sky, and as I was on holiday. I decided to meet up with Paul Canon, for a night of imaging.

We travelled to our new location, Teggs Nose country park, which is only  three miles from where I live. But what a difference it makes. The skies are dark, with magnitude 5.1 stars visible to the unaided eye.

I wanted to test my little 2.5" William Optics Zenith Star 66SD, to see how good it is for CCD and DSLR imaging using my modded Canon 1000D. I will be using this telescope from  now on, because it is easy to handle but also. Doesn't require collimation as my Orion 254mm f4.8 does.


I decided to image NGC 7000 on that night. NGC 7000 or The North America Nebula. Is a huge hydrogen rich nebula, situated to the upper left of the bright star Deneb. It is huge, and only suitable for imaging with a DSLR or a CCD camera, with a big sensor.  And short focal length refractor or camera lens.

I used my little APO and Canon 1000D and took various exposures, to see how long I could go, before my skies were to bright.

The image here is the result of many short exposures with the longest, 300 seconds.

When you look at it. You can see why it's has earned the moniker of  the North America Nebula.

But I wish we could have their summers and their temperatures.

Details.

Observation data: J2000.0 epoch
Type	Emission
Right ascension	20h 59m 17.1s[1]
Declination	+44° 31′ 44″[1]
Distance	1,600 ± 100 ly (675 ± 30 pc)[2]
Apparent magnitude (V)	4
Apparent dimensions (V)	120 × 100 arcmins
Constellation	Cygnus

PEAK STAR PARTY 2012

Peak Star Party 2012

Following on from the huge success of Peak Star Party 2011, we are delighted to announce PSP2012, from 19 to 22 October.

Even Better Than Last Year!

We have been working hard to make PSP2012 even better than last year and can already promise:

• huge 20m x 20m (60ft x 60ft) marquee to host talks, workshops and stay dry, no matter what the weather!
• all weekend catering. Exact details tbc but we are hoping to run catering from 10am to 6pm, to include breakfast, dinner and snacks.
• Snack and drinks tent available at all times - hot and cold drinks and some snacks available through the night for day visitors

Astronomy Day Part 2

Saturday 20 October is Astronomy Day Part 2. The theme of Astronomy Day is "Bringing Astronomy to the People", and on this day astronomy and stargazing clubs and other organizations around the world will plan special events.
PDDS will be hosting a series of events through the Friday and will be working closely with local schools and other groups to show how astronomy can help make science fun and interesting. We are still working on the details but we are hoping to include solar observing demonstrations, planetarium shows, series of fascinating talks from eminent scientists in the region and more. All visitors will of course be welcome to take part in our already (in)famous bottle rocket competition!
If you are a science teacher in or around the Peak District or if you look after a group of Scouts, Guides or similar and are interested in bringing a group to Astronomy Day, please e-mail info@peakstarparty.co.uk for more information.

Bookings can be made at  http://www.peakstarparty.co.uk/

Recent image's and news

It's been quite a while since I updated my blog. For one, the weather hasn't been very co-operative with producing clear skies. And coupled with that. We still haven't seen Winter.

We've had the odd cold frosty night, which has allowed me to do some astro-imaging. But nothing like as many as I would have liked.

And when those skies are clear for me. We usually see a big fat Moon which, really doesn't help when imaging faint deep sky objects.

Last week-end January 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. We had a very pleasant run of skies, that allowed me to take a good number of astro images.

These are all taken through, my little William Optics ZS66mm Doublet, and my trusty Atik16ic and 13nm HA filter.

I am now able to control everything from inside my house, through the use of two, 5mtr USB repeater cables and, a 5mtr RS232 mount control cable.

It makes it more relaxing, as I only have the telescope/mount outside, with everything else here in the warm.

My first image for you is no1 on Charles Messier's list of famous nebulae. The Crab nebula or M1.
Messier 1 is a supernova remnant in Taurus, and it was seen as a bright supernova in the year 1054 by Chinese astronomers.

This is my first really long exposure. Three hours comprising of 601 second exposures.

The second image is from Monday 16th, and is a one hour exposure using 300 second exposures.
This is part of IC410 which, is situated in Auriga, and is a huge molecular star forming cloud.
You will see in this picture, two object's that are named the "tadpoles"

The Tadpoles are composed of denser cooler gas and dust, and are around 10 light-years long. They are potentially sites of ongoing star formation. The wind and radiation from the cluster stars, causes their tails, to trail away from the cluster's central region. IC 410 lies some 12,000 light-years away,

My final image is again from Monday 16th, and is a three hour exposure. SH2-235 is a bright nebula in Auriga and is an object which, you don't see imaged.

I was able to begin imaging this object shortly after 1800hrs and didn't finish imaging it for another three hours.

SH2-235 is a kidney shaped HII region at the intersection of two giant molecular clouds. Causing intensive star forming. SH2-235 is 7000 lyr away and 130lyr across.