Swansea Astronomical Society Blog

A 56% waxing, gibbous Moon was imaged afocally with a 15mm and a 9mm Ultrawide, long eye-relief eyepiece, a Practica afocal mount and a sub 30GBP Vivitar, 12Mp T027, fixed focus compact camera and a 127mm, f/10 Maksutov
15mm eyepiece fitted with a neutral density filter

The Moon was imaged in overlapping sections which were combined into a mosaic with Microsoft IXE.

Click on an image to get a larger view

9mm eyepiece

This demonstrates that a cheap, fixed focus camera can be a very effective lunar imager in combination with appropriate eyepieces.

Steve Wainwright

A DMK21AS camera fitted with a UV/IR filter was placed at the prime focus of a Coronado Solarmax ll 60, BF15 and 5000 AVI frames were captured in 4 overlapping areas of the Sun. The resulting images were combined into a mosaic of the entire disk. The resulting image was colourised to represent the wavelength of light used to capture the image:
Click on the image to get a larger view.


The lens assembly from a x2 Barlow was attached to the front of the camera and a region containing AR1410 and some prominences were imaged, exposed for the disk and also for the prominences. The two images were combined in Andrew Sprott's 'Solar Layers' software:

Prominences, AR1410 and a long filament were captured.

The IR/UV filter was then removed and the camera system was attached to a Ca K-line PST scope. The region of AR1410 was imaged. The resulting image has been colourised to represent the wavelengh used to make the image:

AR1410 is clearly visible as is the chromospheric network of high magnetic flux.

A Pentax K=x DSLR was used with a 20mm Plossl for eyepiece projection and the solar disk was imaged:

This is not an easy technique, but with practice, should yield acceptable images,

Steve Wainwright

This morning an 80mm apochromatic refractor fitted with a Baader solar filter was used in conjunction with a DMK31 camera.
Prime focus image:


Images using a x3 Barlow:

Faculae are visible in this image.



Keith Davies

Swansea Astronomical Society members put on a Star Party at Craig y Nos on Friday January 27:
















Keith Davies & Phil John

A sub 30 GBP Vivitar Vivicam T027 fixed focus, 12 MP compact camera set to monochrome, was fitted to a 15mm Ultra Wide, long eye relief eyepiece using a Practika afocal mount:

This rig was attached to a 127mm, f/10 Maksutov and the Moon was imaged in 5 overlapping zones.

The resulting images were stitched together into a mosaic using Microsoft ICE:
Click on the image to get a larger view.


The 15mm eyepiece was replaced with a 9mm, Ultra Wide, long eye relief eyepiece and Jupiter was imaged:

This was a single shot. More shots would have allowed Registax to reduce the noise/signal ratio. This will be the subject of a future experiment.

A Pentax K-x DSLR fitted with an IR/UV cut filter was placed at the prime focus of the Maksutov and the crescent Moon was imaged in a single shot:
Click on the image to get a larger view.


Earlier in the evening, the Moon and Venus made a beautiful spectacle in the south western sky:
Imaged on auto with a Pentax Kx DSLR.
Click on the image to get a larger view and to see Venus clearer:


Steve Wainwright

The conjunction was imaged with two cameras:
A Pentax K-x DSLR mounted on a monopod:


and, a handheld Samsung W8600 compact camera:

The Moon and Venus were separated by about 5 degrees

Keith Davies and Steve Wainwright

Members of Swansea Astronomical Society put on an Exhibition in the wonderful hall of the National Museum of Wales. The Solar System model that used to be suspended in the staircase building of the Marina Towers Observatory was on display, planet by planet at ground level.














The event was very well attended. 3005 members of the public came through the doors.

Gaynor Thomas and Phil John

This image was obtained using the facilities at itelescope.net
Take a look at the link to find out more:
http://www.itelescope.net/


Tom Bradley

The Swansea Astronomical Society held a successful star party at the Waterfront Museum tonight despite the sky being clouded out. The Museum staff members Miranda Berry and Andrew Kuhne helped set up the Partnership with the Swansea Astronomical Society to put on the event:


Members of the Swansea Astronomical Society put on displays of Telescopes, images, displays, Lectures and information in the spirit of Stargazing Live.
The following images show various SAS members interacting with visiting members of the public






























250 people attended and it was enjoyed by all.

Steve Wainwright

An 11", f/10 SCT was used in conjunction with a DBK21 camera with a x 2.5 Barlow to image Jupiter and Mars
Jupiter


Mars


M42 was imaged at prime focus using a Nikon D700 DSLR.
The image is the result of stacking 3 x 5 min exposures and 1 x 10 min exposure, using Deep Sky Stacker.

Click on the image to get a larger view.

Keith Davies