ASTRONOMY ACTIVITIES

ASTRONOMY ACTIVITIES

The landscape and celestial photographs displayed below have been taken by the author. Enjoy!

Las imágenes astronómicas y de paisaje han sido realizadas por el autor ¡Que las disfruten!






                                          Sunrise at Tacande Observatory





                         Tacande Observatory campus and Solar System scale model 






                                        "Fisheye" view from the main dome






                                                            Inside the dome






                                              Moonrise at Tacande Observatory






          First Workshop of Astronomical Astrometry&Photometry, La Palma






                                           Workshop members on duty






        Using dedicated software like winScan from C. Flohr (thank you) is possible to convert your
         CCD camera (ST8) in a fast solar system photometer.
   







   During this lunar occultation is revealed the double nature of the star, please note the slope.







                     
           Mars on a very favorable approach. C14 telescope image without                                                               stacking (just a single image)




                          
                                    Transit of Mercury across the Sun





                                            Observing the Mercury transit






                            08/06/2004  Transit of Venus. The last time until 2117!  






                                 Observing the transit of Venus from La Palma 

                               Jupiter and Io, C14 + ST8E, with just 4 pictures (LRGB)

                                     Saturn, C14 + ST8E with just 4 pictures (LRGB)






               Some of the Saturn moons in negative picture , T400 + ST8XE

                 

                                       Some friends at Tacande Observatory






                            Astronomy class at the observatory






                                 The double quasar QSO 0957+651, T400 + ST8XE





Position of the exoplanet XO-2b. The star below (ref 10.66(R)) is a reference star of                                             10.66 magnitude in R band, T400 + ST8XE   

     Magnitude change and detection of the exoplanet transit XO-2B across their star,                                               processed with  "FotoDif" software





               90 mm. diameter H-alpha filter  0.6A bandwidth on a  R120S refractor






                                     H-alpha sun activity, R120S + 0.6A filter 

Sun dark spots in white light filter, R120S

Sun giant dark spots in white light filter, R120S

Sun observation

Two mirrors Hale heliostat 






 Optical bench for solar projection and for observation with a coronagraph 






Tacande summer sky.  Sigma 15mm + Canon 350D

Tacande summer sky. Sigma 8mm + Canon 350D

Testing a new telescope. T500 + FLI 3200, LRGB composition

The great omega Centauri globular star cluster. R120S + ST-8300M

M1 Crab nebula. T400 + ST8XE, LRGB composition

Perseid meteor! and 1hour star trails Canon 350D

Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy. T400 + ST8XE, 11 exposures composition 





Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy. T400 + ST8XE (false color)






Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy, T400 + ST8XE. Please note two emission jets from the nucleus detected using a gradient rotational filter

   The Barnard galaxy on our local group. T500 + FLI 3200 camera, LRGB composition

Sculptor galaxy. T500 + FLI 3200 image





15/01/2015 Geminid meteor activity along 2h. 6 bright streaks are visible!  Canon 350D   

Brighter meteors registered the date 15/01/2015 at Geminid peak!

For more details about the equipment and techniques used please see.....

01.- Observatory Handbook.pdf   page. 24 "Time Lapse"

http://www.astropalma.com/cuadernos_esp.html






The beginning of a good observing night!






Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina from Tacande Observatory,  R120S + Canon 6D






Isophotopic distribution of comet C/2013 US10 Catalina, from Tacande Observatory.  T400 + SBIG ST8XE

300mm f/5 Newtonian telescope + Canon 6D, stack of 5 images




The omicron Eridanus system. Telescope T400 + DMK21




beta Orionis (Rigel) in not good seeing




   beta Orionis (Rigel) in good seeing Telescope T400 + DMK21 at 60 fps 





A fast comet track and accumulate images of 10 sec. exposure





Comet P/2016 BA14 perihelion orbit 





Astrometric  reduction and detection of comet P/2014 BA14








09/05/2016    Mercury transit in front of the Sun







12/05/2016  omega Centauri globular cluster. Vixen R120S+Canon 6D, single 2 minutes exposure

Some of the Palomar globular cluster series counting on being the most distant objects in our galaxy. I will introduce Palomar 4 that is at 100 Kparsec (356,000 l.y) from us, more beyond Magellan Milky Way satellite galaxies. T500 at F/2.8 + FLI 3200





alpha Scorpii, Antares region.  Explore Scientific ED80 + Canon 6D






Nebula M8. Telescope Vixen R120S + ST8300M.  exposure: 1x600 sec.






Wide field H-alpha image of the M8 - M20 region. Canon 2,8/200 + 1.4x + 6 nm H-alpha filter + ST8300M.  5x600 sec. exposure





Galaxies M31, 32, 110  Vixen R120 + Canon 6D  15m. exposure





H-alpha image of NGC 1499. Canon 2,8/200 + 1.4x + 6 nm H-alpha filter + ST8300M.  3x600 sec. exposure

The Moon at "super" Perigee





Compare Moon sizes






Rosetta nebula.  Canon 3.5/200 + 6 nm H-alpha filter + ST8300M.  4x600 sec. exposure





Rosetta nebula.  Vixen R120 + Canon 6D  ISO 800    6x300 sec. exposure





The distant globular cluster NGC 2419.  T400 + ST8XE,  15 m. single exposure. First bright star at right is magnitude 7.4  Limit magnitude reached of 21.1 





Photometry and Astrometry with a 200mm. Canon lens + ST-8300M camera.  FOV: 10.28 x 6.88 degrees.  1 minute exposure






Photometry and Astrometry with a 200mm. Canon lens. Limit magnitude about 16.5





Double star gamma Virgo. T400 + ASI174MM  exp:10 msec





Course of Astrometry. Gran Canaria, May 2017





Tacande Sundial





21th June, 2017 Summer solstice at true Sun midday





The magnificent Summer Milky Way is rising over Tacande Observatory





The new observatoy at  La Torre de Fontaubella, Catalonia. North view





Inside the observatory. 405 mm Ritchey Cretien telescope





Installing the equatorial mount on the pillar





Telescopes and CCD camera with a 36x36 mm sensor






Meeting room




Inside the observatory





The observatory. South view




Starting a nice observing session