Unusual indirect sunlight

Lets brighten up peoples live with all those lovely pictures of the world around us!

Moderator: Montana

Post Reply
User avatar
H-Alpha
Almost There...
Almost There...
Posts: 598
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2021 2:19 am
Location: Vouliagmeni (South Athens suburbs), Greece
Has thanked: 1674 times
Been thanked: 982 times

Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by H-Alpha »

Hi all,

Ganymede and the Galilean satellites are rarely photographed alone, away from Jupiter. In an effort to capture them now that they have their largest possible apparent diameter, I succeeded this photo and keep trying to improve it and capture the other three as well. Manos Kardasis, a good friend and amateur astronomer provided precious advice, following his pioneer work on Ganymede, back in 2012:. https://www.europlanet-society.org/epsc ... -ganymede/

Image2022-09-25, Ganymede, C14 Edge, Barlow 2.5x, ASI 290, 23_37_54 UTC by H- Alpha, on Flickr

Best wishes,
Alexandros


Alexandros
Lunt 130MT+1800BF, C8 Ultima PEC+AstroSolar, Skywatcher Mount EQ6-R Pro
Baader Solar Prism, ZEISS Abbe Barlow 2x, Celestron Barlow 2x Ultima Series
ZWO ASI290MM, ZWO ASI1600MM Pro,
Greece
User avatar
DeepSolar64
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Posts: 18823
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 12:19 am
Location: Lowndesville S.C.
Has thanked: 17572 times
Been thanked: 16690 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by DeepSolar64 »

WoW!!! You have left me speechless again. The C14Edge is an incredible performer and your processing skills are impressive. :hamster: :bow :bow

You may be the first amateur to pick up eruptions on Io!! Hey, with this kind of performance it's not unthinkable.


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces

Image Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
User avatar
H-Alpha
Almost There...
Almost There...
Posts: 598
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2021 2:19 am
Location: Vouliagmeni (South Athens suburbs), Greece
Has thanked: 1674 times
Been thanked: 982 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by H-Alpha »

DeepSolar64 wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:28 pm WoW!!! You have left me speechless again. The C14Edge is an incredible performer and your processing skills are impressive. :hamster: :bow :bow

You may be the first amateur to pick up eruptions on Io!! Hey, with this kind of performance it's not unthinkable.
:-)
Thanks a lot James!

Eruptions in Io passed from my dreams... I recently asked Damian Peach if he could focus on Io one or more nights, while he is in the Barbados right now and wished him to capture such an eruption. I am right now processing some captures of Io, but I doubt it is within the limits of C14 and my techniques as well. I think it is beyond those, but I will keep dreaming and trying... ;-)

Thanks once more for your kind words!
Alexandros


Alexandros
Lunt 130MT+1800BF, C8 Ultima PEC+AstroSolar, Skywatcher Mount EQ6-R Pro
Baader Solar Prism, ZEISS Abbe Barlow 2x, Celestron Barlow 2x Ultima Series
ZWO ASI290MM, ZWO ASI1600MM Pro,
Greece
User avatar
DeepSolar64
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Posts: 18823
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 12:19 am
Location: Lowndesville S.C.
Has thanked: 17572 times
Been thanked: 16690 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by DeepSolar64 »

H-Alpha wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 12:21 am
DeepSolar64 wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:28 pm WoW!!! You have left me speechless again. The C14Edge is an incredible performer and your processing skills are impressive. :hamster: :bow :bow

You may be the first amateur to pick up eruptions on Io!! Hey, with this kind of performance it's not unthinkable.
:-)
Thanks a lot James!

Eruptions in Io passed from my dreams... I recently asked Damian Peach if he could focus on Io one or more nights, while he is in the Barbados right now and wished him to capture such an eruption. I am right now processing some captures of Io, but I doubt it is within the limits of C14 and my techniques as well. I think it is beyond those, but I will keep dreaming and trying... ;-)

Thanks once more for your kind words!
Alexandros

You may need a bigger scope and/or better seeing but I think it would be possible for you if the criteria was met. The sky is the limit they say...

It's a shame Celestron doesn't make the huge 550mm SCTs they did back in the late 1960's. Imagine one of those with an aplanatic corrector!! A C22 Edge HD!! But you would have to be wealthy to afford one. They made a C16 too.

James


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces

Image Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
User avatar
marktownley
Librarian
Librarian
Posts: 42269
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:27 pm
Location: Brierley Hills, UK
Has thanked: 20424 times
Been thanked: 10243 times
Contact:

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by marktownley »

Way cool!


Image
http://brierleyhillsolar.blogspot.co.uk/
Solar images, a collection of all the most up to date live solar data on the web, imaging & processing tutorials - please take a look!
User avatar
Montana
Librarian
Librarian
Posts: 34559
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:25 pm
Location: Cheshire, UK
Has thanked: 17658 times
Been thanked: 8787 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by Montana »

Wow!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Alexandra


User avatar
DeepSolar64
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Posts: 18823
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 12:19 am
Location: Lowndesville S.C.
Has thanked: 17572 times
Been thanked: 16690 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Montana wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 4:27 pm Wow!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Alexandra
Agreed! Detail rivaling the naked eye full moon on a 1.8 arc second disc!!


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces

Image Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
User avatar
Radon86
Almost There...
Almost There...
Posts: 779
Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2019 10:05 pm
Has thanked: 745 times
Been thanked: 660 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by Radon86 »

I think Alexandros should ask NASA to close down, he will take over all their operations now!


User avatar
H-Alpha
Almost There...
Almost There...
Posts: 598
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2021 2:19 am
Location: Vouliagmeni (South Athens suburbs), Greece
Has thanked: 1674 times
Been thanked: 982 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by H-Alpha »

Radon86 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 8:16 pm I think Alexandros should ask NASA to close down, he will take over all their operations now!
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
It was a dream of mine in my childhood to work in a team of NASA...
Hope they won't stop their activity, because of me! :-) :-) :-)

Anyway, it is true that amateur astronomy has acquired magnificent tools the last years and I still dream of the day that adaptive optics will also become a tool accessible by amateurs!

Best wishes,
Alexandros


Alexandros
Lunt 130MT+1800BF, C8 Ultima PEC+AstroSolar, Skywatcher Mount EQ6-R Pro
Baader Solar Prism, ZEISS Abbe Barlow 2x, Celestron Barlow 2x Ultima Series
ZWO ASI290MM, ZWO ASI1600MM Pro,
Greece
User avatar
DeepSolar64
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Posts: 18823
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 12:19 am
Location: Lowndesville S.C.
Has thanked: 17572 times
Been thanked: 16690 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Alexandros,
I am really surprised that adaptive optics haven't tricked down into amateur hands already. Coupling adaptive optics with lucky imaging would truly bring us up to pro standard with their chief advantage then being larger optics.

But amateurs like You and Christian not to mention several others here already take professional quality images. Just imagine what y'all can do if adaptive optics were added. Professionals beware!!

James :bow


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces

Image Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
User avatar
JochenM
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Posts: 2839
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:26 pm
Location: Belgium
Has thanked: 1200 times
Been thanked: 1619 times
Contact:

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by JochenM »

Impressive results, Alexandros. Very nice indeed.

On the adaptive optics topic; technically speaking the technology is already available to amateurs. But the pricepoint is still as such that it'll be reserved for the lucky few (read: those with very big bank accounts :) ).


Jochen Maes
Belgium
https://www.jochenmaes.com
User avatar
H-Alpha
Almost There...
Almost There...
Posts: 598
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2021 2:19 am
Location: Vouliagmeni (South Athens suburbs), Greece
Has thanked: 1674 times
Been thanked: 982 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by H-Alpha »

Thanks a lot James and Jochen for your warm comments!

Let's hope the dream will come true during our active lives regarding adaptive optics! ;-)
JochenM wrote: Tue Oct 04, 2022 11:33 am On the adaptive optics topic; technically speaking the technology is already available to amateurs. But the pricepoint is still as such that it'll be reserved for the lucky few (read: those with very big bank accounts :) ).
Jochem, just to keep dreaming or to buy a lotto tomorrow... ;-), do you have any link about such adaptive optics for amateurs to check the results (and see what kind of fortune is needed...)? If yes, can you please send it?

Best wishes,
Alexandros


Alexandros
Lunt 130MT+1800BF, C8 Ultima PEC+AstroSolar, Skywatcher Mount EQ6-R Pro
Baader Solar Prism, ZEISS Abbe Barlow 2x, Celestron Barlow 2x Ultima Series
ZWO ASI290MM, ZWO ASI1600MM Pro,
Greece
User avatar
JochenM
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Posts: 2839
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:26 pm
Location: Belgium
Has thanked: 1200 times
Been thanked: 1619 times
Contact:

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by JochenM »

H-Alpha wrote: Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:39 pm Jochem, just to keep dreaming or to buy a lotto tomorrow... ;-), do you have any link about such adaptive optics for amateurs to check the results (and see what kind of fortune is needed...)? If yes, can you please send it?

Best wishes,
Alexandros
Hi Alexandros.

Have a look at the link below. They're being a bit vague about the pricing (since it's essentially a custom build for whatever telescope you end up putting it on). But during a webinar I attended a few months back, a short presentation of the product was given. On the question of price, the answer was something among the lines of "It used to cost around a million dollars (US), but we're able to do it much cheaper now"; which pretty much told me all I need to know :D

https://hartsci.com


Jochen Maes
Belgium
https://www.jochenmaes.com
User avatar
H-Alpha
Almost There...
Almost There...
Posts: 598
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2021 2:19 am
Location: Vouliagmeni (South Athens suburbs), Greece
Has thanked: 1674 times
Been thanked: 982 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by H-Alpha »

JochenM wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 4:32 am
Have a look at the link below. They're being a bit vague about the pricing (since it's essentially a custom build for whatever telescope you end up putting it on). But during a webinar I attended a few months back, a short presentation of the product was given. On the question of price, the answer was something among the lines of "It used to cost around a million dollars (US), but we're able to do it much cheaper now"; which pretty much told me all I need to know :D

https://hartsci.com
Thanks a lot Jochem for the link and the info!
I have contacted them to learn more.
It seems the 'Fiber Feed Unit' is the only one addressed to amateurs? Hope will know for sure after their answer.
Since you attended their seminar (and hope it was useful and you enjoyed it), did you see any result with amateur telescopes? (on what targets?)

Best wishes,
Alexandros


Alexandros
Lunt 130MT+1800BF, C8 Ultima PEC+AstroSolar, Skywatcher Mount EQ6-R Pro
Baader Solar Prism, ZEISS Abbe Barlow 2x, Celestron Barlow 2x Ultima Series
ZWO ASI290MM, ZWO ASI1600MM Pro,
Greece
User avatar
JochenM
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Posts: 2839
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:26 pm
Location: Belgium
Has thanked: 1200 times
Been thanked: 1619 times
Contact:

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by JochenM »

H-Alpha wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:08 pm Thanks a lot Jochem for the link and the info!
I have contacted them to learn more.
It seems the 'Fiber Feed Unit' is the only one addressed to amateurs? Hope will know for sure after their answer.
Since you attended their seminar (and hope it was useful and you enjoyed it), did you see any result with amateur telescopes? (on what targets?)

Best wishes,
Alexandros
Great, let me know if you learn anything interesting/new from them.

I think the "Fiber Feed Unit" is basically just a connector to feed into the actual AO unit, but I could be wrong there. As far as examples goes, they showed the typical random stars with and without AO enabled (big difference as you would expect). I'm (obviously) not an expert on all things AO, but from what I understand, small to very small targets (angular size wise) is what you'd be using this on to push the used telescope to or close to the diffraction limit. The use on wider targets would be very limited.


Jochen Maes
Belgium
https://www.jochenmaes.com
User avatar
DeepSolar64
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Way More Fun to Share It!!
Posts: 18823
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 12:19 am
Location: Lowndesville S.C.
Has thanked: 17572 times
Been thanked: 16690 times

Re: Unusual indirect sunlight

Post by DeepSolar64 »

I would love to see what amateurs could do with AO technology coupled with lucky imaging. The limit would be only the diffraction limit of the telescope!!

James


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces

Image Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
Post Reply