Solar eclipse
A couple of quick pics from our cruise. Weather was perfect until totality.
Astronomical events
Venus occultation
I tired to capture videos as Venus passed behind the moon (ingress) and came out the other side an hour later (egress) but gremlins got in the way. First, the big telescope’s PC got trapped in drive update hell. I grabbed the Dwarf Mini (see previous blog post on this remarkable tiny ‘scope) and aligned
See the moon eat Venus
A somewhat rare occultation of Venus by the moon will occur at 3:53 this afternoon. It should be visible to the naked eye if you can find a wall to block out the sun. Binoculars or a small telescope would be best. Be careful not to look near or directly at the Sun. See Spaceweather
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Two years ago the sky went wild
May 10th, 2024 was a night I will never forget. A X-class solar flare made a direct hit on our planet and sparked aurora as far south as Cuba. Fortunately skies were mostly clear and there were early warnings from observers in southern Europe that a major event was in process. Millions of photos were
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Photographing the night sky with a tiny telescope
The newest generation of “smart” imaging telescopes are a great way to introduce beginners and youngsters to astronomy. Multiple vendors including ZWO, Unistellar, Vaonis and Dwarf Labs make fully automated, miniature imaging scopes that have no eyepiece but provide a sophisticated astrophotography imaging setup operated by your smartphone. The Dwarf Mini from DwarfLab weighs less
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A wee bit of aurora
The storm on the 20th came a bit early for North America but was a big deal in most of Europe. After many attempts to capture something I got a few photos with a hint of aurora. Stay tuned for more events in the coming days as the Sun seems to be coughing up flares
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Possible aurora tonight
A big solar flare is on the way and we might just be able to see the northern lights from a dark location. Forecasted peak of a G4 level storm is predicted around 1-4 AM EST. Brave the cold and check it out! Even if you can’t see anything with the naked eye, try short
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A fun, inexpensive telescope
I purchased a ZWO Seestar S50 a couple of years ago just to see what could be done with inexpensive, automated scopes. There is no eyepiece and it only takes images that you can see on a phone or tablet. It’s dead simple to use – just place it outdoors on a table or level
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Aurora forecast for tonight
We may see another G4 event tonight but it’s looking less likely than yesterday. If the Kp index forecast gets above 8 it’s worth going out someplace dark to take a look. Bookmark this page https://www.spaceweather.gov and https://www.spaceweather.com.
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Northern lights – again!
Mr. Sun was at it again with a G4 level solar storm yesterday. There were early warnings on SpaceWeather.com ( you should sign up for text alerts) at dinner time. By 9:00 there were bright red and green shimmering displays looking due north from Balsam. The storm continued all night with reports from as far
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