Tag: Night Sky

Friday (17-January-2025) — New Jersey

Nine-Years Ago Today. Afternoon yoga in the sun on the aft deck of the MV World Odyssey. (17-Jan-2016, Semester at Sea)

Cold Winter Night Sky.

The forecast for the night was intermittent clouds. The waning gibbous moon is reducing in brightness (86% illuminated) and not rising until later. I programed the “Plan my Night” sequences on the Vespera telescopes to start soon after dark and hoping for long periods with clear skies. with several objects away from the moon and will see what I get depending on the clouds. During later part of the night, I have the telescopes looking at the moon. I also set up the Nikon D9 camera with an 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 cloudy, then clear to a good period of time. Later, when the moon is high in the sky there is a 22° ring or halo around the moon. This is caused by high level ice crystals. 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.

Wednesday (15-January-2025) — New Jersey

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.

Sunday (12-January-2025) — New Jersey

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.

Individual images in the slideshow are available in my Photoshelter Gallery.

What I Hope to See Tomorrow — Mars Occultation.

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.

Saturday (11-January-2025) New Jersey

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.

Thursday (09-January-2025) — New Jersey

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.

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.
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.