Day: December 26, 2024

Thursday (26-December-2024) — New Jersey

Thirteen-Years Ago Today. Kermit & Mirror Ball Selfie. Marie Selby Gardens, Sarasota. (26-Dec-2011, Florida)

Silhouettes of Jets with Condensation Trail Transiting the Sun.

Today, I captured images of two jets with contrails transiting the sun while looking at the sunspots (we are at or near the solar maximum). I was viewing the sun with a Stellina and a Vespera Pro automated telescope using solar filters. Additional images of just the contrail silhouettes are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Silhouette of a jet with condensation trail transiting the sun with sunspots. Image taken with a Vaonis Stellina Telescope (400 mm, f/5) with a solar filter.
Silhouette of a jet with condensation trail transiting the sun with sunspots. Image taken with a Vaonis Stellina Telescope (400 mm, f/5) with a solar filter.
Silhouette of a jet with a condensation trail transiting the sun with sunspots. Image taken with a Vaonis Vespera Classic Telescope (200 mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec) with a solar filter.
Silhouette of a jet with a condensation trail transiting the sun with sunspots. Image taken with a Vaonis Vespera Classic Telescope (200 mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec) with a solar filter.
Silhouette of a jet with a condensation trail transiting the sun with sunspots. Image taken with a Vaonis Vespera Classic Telescope (200 mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec) with a solar filter.
Silhouette of a jet with a condensation trail transiting the sun with sunspots. Image taken with a Vaonis Vespera Classic Telescope (200 mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec) with a solar filter.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS)

The comet is getting fainter and the tail much shorter. Now that the Stellina telescope is back, I have images from both the Stellina, and Vespera Pro telescopes. I am only showing the longer (21 min 40 sec) composite images. The comet is barely visible in the Stellina image. You may need to look closely; the comet is in the center of the frame. The magnitude is now 11.2. The shorter (5 min 20 sec and 10 min 40 sec) composite images are available in my PhotoShelter gallery.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS). Composite of 64 10 sec images taken with a Vaonis Stellina Telescope (250 mm, f/5, 640 sec).
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS). Composite of 64 10 sec images taken with a Vaonis Stellina Telescope (250 mm, f/5, 640 sec).
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS). Composite of 128 10 sec images taken with a Vaonis Vespera-Pro Telescope (250 mm, f/5, 1280 sec).
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS). Composite of 128 10 sec images taken with a Vaonis Vespera-Pro Telescope (250 mm, f/5, 1280 sec).