Astronomy pictures thread

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Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) last night. It was looking great naked eye before moonrise. Still very easy to see from a dark location.
I had the telescope out for the ISS solar transit anyway so I thought I might as well catch the comet with it.

Comet-C2023-A3-Tsuchinshan-ATLAS-2024-10-20-P1S.jpg
Date: 10/20/2024
Camera: Canon Rebel T8i (modified)
Telescope: 92mm f/5.5 triplet (Astrotech AT92) with focal reducer
Exposure: 27x30sec (13min 30sec total) at ISO 800
Processed using PixInsight, StarXterminator and NoiseXterminator
 
Also I caught a fireball last night. It doesn't look as bright as one normally would because I dialed down the exposure due to moonlight. The good news is I have it on video too.

Meteor-2024-10-20-2229CDT-IMG_1908-P1S.jpg
Camera: Canon EOS 850D (modified)
Lens: 24mm f/1.4 sigma
Exposure: 5sec at f/1.4 and ISO 1600

 
More meteors the night before last. We are entering Taurid fireball season so I'm hoping to catch one of those. Meanwhile there are several active minor showers right now so there is pretty good meteor activity in general.

Meteor-2024-10-23-IMG_2700-P1S.jpg

Meteor-2024-10-23-IMG_6645-P1S.jpg
Camera: Canon EOS 850D (modified)
Lens: 24mm f/1.4 sigma
Exposure: 5sec at f/1.4 and ISO 3200


Single frame from video
Meteors-2024-10-23-P1NZ_00050S.jpg
Camera: Sony A7s III
Lens: Sigma 35mm f/1.4 art
Exposure: 1/60 sec at f/1.4 and ISO 128000
 
Woodn't you know it...



🚨 WORLD’S FIRST WOODEN SATELLITE LAUNCHES FOR SPACE DURABILITY TESTS

Japan’s LignoSat, the world’s first wooden satellite, launched to the ISS as a test for using timber in space exploration.

Developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, the satellite is made from honoki wood and built using traditional Japanese techniques without screws or glue.

Aiming to prove wood’s resilience in extreme conditions, LignoSat will orbit Earth for six months, studying wood’s radiation resistance and potential environmental benefits compared to metal, especially for lunar and Mars habitats.

Source: Reuters
 
A little side show...

🚨ASTRONAUT REVEALS YEAR-LONG ISOLATION STRUGGLES: "SPACE IS MONOTONOUS"

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio opens up about emotional toll of unexpected year in space: missing his son's graduation, daughter's first year of college, and family holidays while confined to ISS's cramped 13,700 cubic feet of cable-lined hallways.

"You have the most incredible view of Earth, yet you're limited to walls of computers and cables," says Rubio, describing daily battles against isolation, physical challenges like piercing headaches and body swelling.

Astronauts exercise two hours daily just to combat zero-gravity effects.

SpaceX Dragon will now rescue current astronauts Wilmore and Williams after Boeing Starliner malfunction extended their 8-day mission to 8 months.

Source: Washington Post, NASA
@SpaceX

 
If that Starlink image is accurate, it seems like a tremendous waste to have so many satellites positioned over the oceans where they will see very limited use.
 
Just to let my friends know I am alive and kicking. First of all Happy New Year! Here's my local 10 day forecast....
I think I may have found my niche, tracking and cataloging Asteroids (otherwise known as protecting the panet).
 

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Using software called Tycho Tracker, I managed to record my first confirmed Asteroid track, of a known asteroid.
My next goal, if the weather ever clears up, is to record the required # of Asteroids observations and process the data with Tycho Tracker software and report them to the Minor Planetary Center.

The asteroid I recorded has a magnification of 18.7 which is damn dim, so it was exciting, because all I did was point the telescope at an empty portion of sky an take 10-60 second images to test my equipment.

IAU Minor Planet Center

We are the official body that deals with astrometric observations and orbits of minor planets (asteroids) and comets.
minorplanetcenter.net minorplanetcenter.net

If done correctly and accepted I would be given an official MPC Observatory Codes (one of 2500+ around the world)
 

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pmbug said:
If that Starlink image is accurate, it seems like a tremendous waste to have so many satellites positioned over the oceans where they will see very limited use.
Click to expand...

Goldhedge said:
Perhaps, but there is more activity over those open waters than meets the eye....

Check out these ship tracking sites https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/top-8-websites-to-track-your-ship/

Also airplane routes over the ocean.

It's like traffic jams where there are no cars!
Click to expand...
Also, they orbit. Ie: they are not in geostationary orbits. They are in low Earth orbit. Hence, the ones currently over the Oceans will soon be over land.
 
Which direction are those in Eric? Looks like the Big Dipper in one of those
 
Capturing Asteroids. 80 Minutes of movement of the asteroid Asteroid Minos (6239) through the background stars. Tracking the stars makes them appear to be stationary, which makes the asteroids movement stand out.

[
 
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foolsgold said:
Capturing Asteroids. 80 Minutes of movement of the asteroid Asteroid Minos (6239) through the background stars. Tracking the stars makes them appear to be stationary, which makes the asteroids movement stand out.
Click to expand...
Awesome capture!
 
Lunar Occultation of Mars tonight.

I set up the telescope and it clouded up completely. About 20 minutes before Mars was going to move behind the moon I looked outside and was surprised to see it had cleared. In a mad rush I ran outside, polar aligned, ran for my laptop, set up and focused and managed to catch some frames.

More to process but I'm planning to go back out for when Mars re-emerges if the sky cooperates. This was done in such a mad rush I'm extremely surprised I got anything.
LunarOccultationMars-2025-01-14-0206_6-U-RGB-Moon_lapl5_ap1.jpg
 
EricTheCat said:
Lunar Occultation of Mars tonight.

I set up the telescope and it clouded up completely. About 20 minutes before Mars was going to move behind the moon I looked outside and was surprised to see it had cleared. In a mad rush I ran outside, polar aligned, ran for my laptop, set up and focused and managed to catch some frames.

More to process but I'm planning to go back out for when Mars re-emerges if the sky cooperates. This was done in such a mad rush I'm extremely surprised I got anything.
View attachment 15140
Click to expand...
"...got anything." <-- Jeez, what standards you apply! That is the most startling picture of Mars I have ever seen!!!
 
Here are a couple other stacks from the very start of the occultation. None of my stacks from when Mars re-emerged turned out very good due to clouds.

Since my telescope is still set up tonight I am planning to go for Mars itself with higher magnification and possibly Jupiter and others depending how things play out since I also want to try for Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) with another camera/lens.

"Hey Mars..."
LunarOccultationMars-2025-01-14-0206_8-U-RGB-Moon_lapl5_ap1-P3.jpg

"Where ya going?"
LunarOccultationMars-2025-01-14-0207_0-U-RGB-Moon_lapl5_ap87-P3.jpg
 
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