Nine-Years Ago Today. Statue catching the Rainbow on the aft deck of the MV World Odyssey while crossing the Pacific Ocean. (15-Jan-2016, Semester at Sea)
Silhouette of Jets Transiting the Sun.
Today, while looking at the sunspots (we are at or near the solar maximum) I captured images of a jets transiting the sun. This was with a Vespera Classic automated telescope fitted with a solar filter.
Slideshow of Jets Passing in Front of the Sun. Individual images are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.
Cold Winter Night Sky.
The forecast for the night was for the night sky to be clear, then intermittent clouds, then clear before morning. The waning gibbous moon is reducing in brightness but still very bright (97% illuminated). I programed the “Plan my Night” sequences on the Vespera telescopes to start soon after dark with several objects away from the moon and will see what I get depending on the clouds. During part of the night, I have the telescopes looking at the moon. I also set up the Nikon D9 camera with a 8-15 mm fisheye lens to take a sequence of images of the night sky with the full Vespera family of telescopes in the foreground. These images were then used to create the following time-lapse video. You can see the night starting out clear, then clouds, a brief clearing, then clouds again, and finally clearing before dawn. The telescopes automatically close before the sun rises. The time-lapse video is best viewed in the dark and expanded to full scale. Images captured by the telescopes to follow.
Nine-Years Ago Today. Feral Rooster at Kualoa Regional Park on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. (12-Jan-2016, Semester at Sea)
Silhouettes of Jets and Birds Passing in Front of the Sun.
Today while viewing the sunspots (currently at or near the solar maximum) with a Stellina and Vespera Classic automated telescope, I captured images of jets and birds passing in front of the sun.
A simulation view created by the Stellarium application of the Mars Occultation by the full Moon tomorrow evening. The difficulty will be the significant difference in the light levels between the full Moon and the planet Mars. The forecast for tomorrow night at the time of the occultation is for a Clear Sky.
Nine-Years Ago Today. Brown Booby flying beside the MV World Odyssey as we crossed the Pacific Ocean. (11-Jan-2016, Semester at Sea).
Cold Winter Night Sky.
The forecast for the night was mostly clear, cloudy, and then clear again. The waxing gibbous moon is getting brighter (94% illuminated). For the first of the night, I programed the “Plan my Night” sequence on the Vespera telescopes to first observe the moon, then later as the moon moves to the west picked some deep sky observation targets in parts of the sky away from the moon. While the sky is cloudy, the telescopes won’t add any images to the multi-night image stacks. Then when it clears up again, the telescopes will resume with the observation plan. I also set up a Nikon D9 camera with a 8-15 mm fisheye lens to take a sequence of images of the night sky with the full Vespera family of telescopes in the foreground. These images were then used to create the following time-lapse video. The moon is the bright object. You can watch the Orion constellation travel across the sky. Some jet trails, and lots of fast-moving clouds during the middle of the night. A little before dawn the sky cleared up again for the telescopes to resume observation of the last target of the night. The telescopes automatically close before the sun rises. The time-lapse video is best viewed in the dark and expanded to full scale. Images captured by the telescopes to follow.
Nine-Years Ago Today. Brown Booby hitching a ride on the MV World Odyssey as we cross the Pacific Ocean. (09-Jan-2016, Semester at Sea Spring Voyage)
Silhouette of a Jet Transiting the Sun.
Today, while looking at the sunspots (we are at or near the solar maximum) I captured an image of a jet transiting the sun. This was with a Stellina automated telescope fitted with a solar filter.
Sun with sunspots with the silhouette of a jet transiting. Image taken with a Vaonis Vespera Classic Telescope (200 mm, f/4, 1/4000 sec) fitted with a solar filter.
Cold Winter Night Sky.
The forecast for the night was mostly clear. The waxing gibbous moon is getting brighter (79% illuminated). For the first of the night, I programed the “Plan my Night” sequence on the Vespera telescopes to first observe the moon, then later as the moon moves to the west picked some deep sky observation targets in parts of the sky away from the moon. I also set up a Nikon D9 camera with a 8-15 mm fisheye lens to take a sequence of images of the night sky with the full Vespera family of telescopes in the foreground. These images were then used to create the following time-lapse video. The moon is the bright object. You can watch the Orion constellation travel across the sky. Lots of jet trails, and almost no clouds. Best viewed in the dark and expanded to full scale. Images captured by the telescopes to follow.
Nine-Years Ago Today. Sunset from the deck of the MV World Odyssey. Semester at Sea. (07-Jan-2016, Pacific Ocean)
Animal Tracks in the Snow
We had a couple of inches of snow yesterday. This morning, I went on a walkabout looking for animal tracks in the snow. I found bird, cat, fox, and rabbit tracks. I was especially interested in finding where the gaps in the deer fence were. In the past some of the larger critters (raccoons and possums) have enlarged these holes to the point where the deer finally got through. In those spots I needed to install a bottom section of plastic-coated wire fence to close the gaps. First a video of where a neighborhood cat gets under the front gate. She has used this as a way to escape being chased by a fox.
Cat tracks in the snow where it gets under the front gate. Image taken with a Hasselblad X2d camera and 38 mm f/2.5 lensCat tracks in the snow. Image taken with a Hasselblad X2d camera and 38 mm f/2.5 lensRabbit tracks in the snow. Image taken with a Hasselblad X2d camera and 38 mm f/2.5 lensFox tracks in the snow attempting to cross the pond. Image taken with a Hasselblad X2d camera and 38 mm f/2.5 lensField mouse tunnel/tracks in the snow. Image taken with a Hasselblad X2d camera and 38 mm f/2.5 lens
Animal Tracks in the Snow. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.
Animal tracks in the snow used to identify holes in the fence. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.
Night Sky, Moon, Star Trails, Jet Trails, and Meteor Trails over New Jersey
The night sky started cloud free. I wanted to have the telescopes out but wasn’t really sure how long the sky would remain clear. I set up a Nikon Z9 camera with a 8-15 mm fisheye lens pointed SSE to monitor the sky. Settings for the camera were 15 mm, ISO 800, f/11, and 120 second exposures using the intervalometer with a 4 second delay between exposures. Composites were created using PhotoShop (scripts, statistics, maximum). First image, the sky was relatively clear for the Vespera Pro telescopes to observe the moon. Second image, an 8-minute segment with a meteor trail. Third image, the sky was relatively clear for the Vespera Pro telescopes to observe M42, the Orion nebula. Fourth image, the full night showing lots of clouds passing. I’ve also included a slideshow with 28-minute star trail segments for the night. At the end there is time-lapse video of the night sky.
Winter Night Sky Star Trails Over New Jersey. Composite of images taken with a Nikon Z9 camera and 8-15 mm fisheye lens.Winter Night Sky Star Trails (with a meteor trail) Over New Jersey. Composite of images taken with a Nikon Z9 camera and 8-15 mm fisheye lens.Winter Night Sky Star Trails Over New Jersey. Composite of images taken with a Nikon Z9 camera and 8-15 mm fisheye lens.Winter Night Sky Star Trails Over New Jersey. Composite of images taken with a Nikon Z9 camera and 8-15 mm fisheye lens.
Star trails slideshow. Individual images are available in my PhotoShelter gallery.
