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Posts Tagged 'observations'
Omegon polarscope additional light for Omegon MiniTrack mounts as well as EQ5, LX85, AVX etc.
October 5 2023, Achim Mros
We all know the problem – the black lines and crosshairs on a polarscope reticle can be difficult or impossible to see at night. Like a “Chimney Sweep at Night against a Black Background” (a painting by the German comedian Karl Valentin).
With this high-quality Omegon polarscope light, such problems are a thing of the past. The dimmable lighting unit brightens the polarscope’s field of view slightly, so that the crosshair is visible once again in front of your chosen section of the night sky, without outshining important stars such as, in this case, Polaris.
The Omegon polarscope light is made of high-quality CNC-machined aluminium, so it is not yet another flimsy plastic part. They are produced in the EU, more precisely in Portugal, by NIMAX Portugal.
What is particularly interesting, however, is that this supplementary illumination has a variety of uses. It fits all Omegon MiniTrack LX and Quattro travel mounts with optical polar finderscopes.
Attached to an Omegon MiniTrack polarscope
This device can also be used with mounts that do not have an illuminated polar finderscope unit, for example:
Skywatcher EQ5
Meade LX85
Celestron AVX
MON 2
EXOS II
and with other equatorial mounts with an optical polar finderscope.
Omegon polarscope light on a Skywatcher EQ5 mount
Infographic: Astronomy Highlights of Autumn 2023
August 31 2023, Marcus Schenk
Discover exciting celestial events in autumn 2023. Here are the highlights that are worth observing.
There are some really thrilling celestial events awaiting us in autumn 2023 that we really should not miss. From the best morning visibility of the planet Mercury, to a partial lunar eclipse, to the occultation of gleaming Venus by our Moon. Once again, the next three months have plenty of excitement in store. This infographic shows you all the highlights of the coming months of September, October, and November, and the text below the graphic gives you more details. I wish you lots of observing fun.
SEPTEMBER
01/09 The Aurigids
During the night of 1 September, hobby astronomers can observe a special celestial event in the night sky: the Aurigids. This is an impressive meteor shower that appears to originate from the constellation of Auriga. The Aurigids are known for their bright and fast meteors, which travel at up to 65 kilometres per second. It is worth for us all to get up early or stay awake late, so no one misses this impressive event in the night sky!
04/09 Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter
We are presented with another highlight on 4 September: the Moon and the gas giant Jupiter meet in the night sky. These two celestial bodies appear above the eastern horizon in the late evening. They climb higher over the course of the night, and will remain until the morning hours, eventually fading in the splendour of the new morning.
05/09 The Moon at the Golden Gate of the Ecliptic
On 5 September the Moon crosses the Golden Gate of the Ecliptic. This phenomenon is a must-see for all celestial observers and offers a wonderful opportunity for observing with the naked eye.
The Golden Gate is neither an object nor a celestial event in itself, but an asterism in the constellation of Taurus. Its luminous pillars are formed by the open clusters Hyades and Pleiades.
The ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun, runs along this gateway, through which our Moon and the planets appear to pass.
18/09 Venus at its brightest
Venus is at its brightest on 18 September. The evening star shines especially bright with a magnitude of -4.7, and can be seen to the east in the early morning hours. Venus appears almost like a spotlight because it is so bright, and we can still see it in the sky for some time – even as dawn begins to break.
19/09 Neptune at opposition
Neptune is at opposition to the Sun on 19 September, making it visible all night long. Hobby astronomers can observe the gas planet with a telescope, it appears small but intense in colour.
22/09 Mercury visible in the morning
Keep an eye out if you are an early riser! Mercury offers the best morning visibility of the year on 22 September. Back in January, the planet was hard to observe in the morning, but now we have a better chance. Shortly before sunrise, at around 05:50 CEST, the small planet is easily visible in the east, just above the horizon. Mercury is located in the constellation of Leo, so starting from the star Regulus, you can orient yourself around 10 degrees in a north-east direction.
26/09 Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn
The Moon joins the ringed planet Saturn on the evening of 26 September. This meeting offers a picturesque sight, and a highlight for all celestial observers.
OKTOBER
1/10 Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter
The paths of the Moon and Jupiter intersect once again. On 1 October we can marvel at this impressive event in the evening sky.
9/10 The Draconids
The Draconids shooting stars reach their peak on 9 October. This meteor shower originates from the constellation of Draco, which is located in a northerly direction above the Big Dipper. The number of shooting stars often varies from year to year. So, it is worth keep an eye out for them on different days at different times.
10/10 Conjunction of the Moon and Venus
Four days before the new Moon we can admire Venus and our Moon together in the morning sky. The two celestial bodies shine with a wonderful lustre above and below the star Regulus in Leo. An almost magical sight for every stargazer.
22/10 The Orionids
Meteor showers are lovely events for every avid star-gazer, the Orionids are no exception. They peak on 22 October and promise around 25 to 30 meteors per hour. However, the number of shooting stars often varies from year to year. To catch the best view of them, set your alarm clock and take a look outside in the early hours of the morning. A must for all shooting star fans.
24/10 Golden Handle on the Moon
On 24 October the Moon shows its most beautiful side: the Golden Handle is visible.
The flat light near the lunar terminator creates a breathtaking play of shadows and light. The Golden Handle is especially beautiful. For several hours, the peaks of Monte Jura are illuminated by the rays of the Sun, while the small Sinus Iridum valley is still in the shade. A veritable feast for the eyes that displays the Moon’s beauty in all its splendour.
28/10 Partial lunar eclipse
A special celestial event awaits us on the evening of 28 October: a partial lunar eclipse. The Moon moves into the Earth’s umbra at 21:35 CEST. However, the eclipse magnitude is quite low at only 12.7%. Nevertheless, the eclipse offers a beautiful, unmissable experience in the early evening. So, keep an eye out for this fascinating spectacle in the night sky!
More about the formation of lunar eclipses can be found in our magazine article “How does a lunar eclipse occur?”
NOVEMBER
03/11 Jupiter at opposition
Jupiter is at opposition to the Sun on 3 November. The gas giant is visible all night long and reveals itself in all its glory. This is a special event for all stargazers and hobby astronomers that you should not miss. Of course, you can also observe the gas giant in the coming weeks – not just today. But the planet appears much larger and it shines particularly brightly when it is at opposition. You can see the characteristic dark stripes on Jupiter’s surface with a telescope, along with its four largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
09/11 The Moon occults Venus
A special event awaits us on the morning of 9 November at 10:55 CEST: an occultation of Venus by the Moon. This is a very rare and impressive spectacle that is definitely not to be missed. It is the astronomical highlight of 2023 for advanced hobby astronomers. In order to observe this occultation, focus your telescope on the illuminated sickle Moon at around 10:50. The Moon will occult Venus from its bright side. The whole spectacle lasts around 80 minutes.
13/11 Uranus at opposition
Uranus is at opposition to the Sun on 13 November. The distant planet is visible all night so it is a great opportunity to observe it with your telescope. Despite its tiny size of 3.8 arcseconds, when you look for it with your telescope you will be able to distinguish it from a star because its surface looks wide and not point-shaped. In addition, its greenish colour is easily recognisable.
17/11 The Leonids
On the night from 16 to 17 November it is once again time – the Leonids reach their annual maximum and ensure a beautiful celestial event. Together with the Perseids, they are among the most well-known shooting stars that can be observed annually from Earth. There are even some years when the meteors fall from the sky in such abundance that it is almost like a rain shower. This spectacle is repeated every 33 years when the Earth comes into contact with the Leonids’ trail. But they will produce up to 20 meteors per hour even in normal years, which is an unmissable experience.
20/11 Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn
The Moon joins the ringed planet Saturn once again on the evening of 20 November. It is a fascinating sight that will accompany us in the evening sky.
25/11 Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter
At the end of the month, on 25 November, we have another chance to marvel at an encounter between the Moon and Jupiter in the night sky.
Comet ZTF visible in January
January 12 2023, Bernd Gährken
The discovery of dark matter is one of the greatest astronomical achievements of the last 100 years. Fritz Zwicky was the first to research this phenomenon. He recognised that gravity produced by unknown particles was a dominant force in our universe and that the majority of the matter in our universe is not visible. He was never awarded a Nobel Prize for dark matter as he died in 1974. But the significance of his discovery is clear today.
Zwicky’s domain was Mount Palomar. A new camera system there has been named after him. It was developed to detect transient objects with rapidly changing magnitudes, such as supernovae, gamma ray bursts, neutron star collisions, and moving objects like comets and asteroids.
In March 2022, the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) detected a new comet, which is able to cross over to being visible with the naked eye at the beginning of 2023. It will not be a bright object when seen with the naked eye, however it should already be clearly visible with binoculars or a telescope by the end of December.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will reach its maximum magnitude of 5 mag and will then be visible in the sky near the Polaris for a few days. A dark sky is important for observation, a moonless night preferably. The Moon is waxing at this time and the full moon is on 5th February. The comet is circumpolar and visible for the entire night. However, the waxing Moon means that the moonless early morning hours will be ideally suited to observation. Finder charts can be found at:
https://cometchasing.skyhound.com/
It is 2 years since the last comets were visible from the UK. In summer 2020, comet NEOWISE adorned the sky. A comparable spectacle should not be expected for ZTF. But comets are unpredictable. Even NEOWISE was predicted to be much fainter than it was.
C/2019 Y4 ATLAS: A bright comet for the naked eye?
March 27 2020, Marcus Schenk
A yawning emptiness. No visitors.
For years, there has not been much going on in the vast expanses of the solar systems, just the planets continued their orbits around the sun.
However, the time for waiting has now passed.
We are being visited by a bright comet which could become a real highlight in April and May – maybe even for the naked eye.
It has the wonderful name of C/2019 Y4 ATLAS. Even now, it can be clearly seen with the telescope. During these times of corona, where we have to stay at home and go without social contact, this makes a welcome change. Keep your telescope at the ready because this could be really exciting!
The C/2019 Y4 ATLAS comet, with its green coma, near the M81 and M82 galaxies on the 19th/20th March 2020. Photographed using a Canon 600Da – Canon EF 200mm f2.8 L – @f3.5 (step-down-ring as a front aperture), 76 x 2min -> 2h32min – ISO800, Vixen GP-DX – MGEN II. Editing and processing in DeepSkyStacker and Photoshop. Image author: Johannes Hildebrandt
The major comet of 2020?
Hawaii is home to the Asteroid Terrestrial impact Last Alert System, abbreviated to ATLAS. It scans the sky for near-earth objects, which could be of danger to the earth, and is designed to predict a possible impact. However, on the 28th December 2019, the robot-supported system discovered this comet on its way through our solar system. The astronomers observed that it is following a very similar orbit to that of the Great Comet of 1844 which, at that time, achieved a brightness of -1 mag. There has even been speculation that Y4 ATLAS might possibly be a fragment of the then tail-star and could achieve a similar brightness – this fact alone makes following the path of this comet exciting.
Can we expect to see something similar from the C/2019 Y4 ATLAS?
Strong increase in brightness until May
What is certain is that its brightness is rapidly increasing. At the time of its discovery in December, it was still unreachable at 19 mag. In the interim, however, it has been able to increase its brightness to about eight magnitudes. Overall, this is an increase of 25,000 times! However, it will get really interesting from now until the end of May, because it is continuously getting brighter – in fact, it has already exceeded the original expectations in this respect.
It is now entering our region from the outer planets. On the 24th May, it will race past the earth at a distance of 117 million kilometres away and, on the 31st May, it will reach its closest point to the sun – and this despite being within Mercury’s orbit. According to the forecasts, it may reach a brightness of 2 mag – this would not just make it visible with all types of binoculars, but also with the naked eye!
Really good for us, as inhabitants of the northern hemisphere, is the fact that the comet is almost ideally positioned.
We have already observed it…
During the last few days, some members of our team have already been able to observe the comet. I, too, used last weekend for observation. I was able to identify it immediately using my 12“ Taurus Dobson telescope The diffuse spot stood out clearly from the surrounding stars. The coma appeared uniformly round with a brighter core area. At the edge of a small-town sky, and after observation with my SWA 32mm eyepiece I used a Nagler 11mm with an approx. 140-times magnification. The comet thereby gained even more contrast and stood out even better from the background of the sky. A fantastic experience! However, the comet could also be seen with the 20+40×100 Nightstar large binoculars.
An image of the C/2019 Y4 ATLAS on the 22nd March 2020 which reflects the visual impression of the 12″ Dobson telescope. Marcus Schenk.
Where can you find the C/2019 Y4 ATLAS comet?
Not at the bottom of the horizon, but high up and circumpolar. This is a dream position for an observer! Our vagabond is currently travelling through the Great Bear which is luckily now high in the sky in spring – this means that you have a good opportunity to observe it using your telescope. If you are planning to acquire a telescope first, then now would be a good time.
In the months of April and May, the comet will be moving through the giraffe constellation and heading for Perseus. It will become significantly brighter but, with time, it will lose altitude. At this time, a rather dark place and a few clouds on the horizon become even more important. In these times of corona and strict curfews, I was happy to be able to observe the comet from my garden at its still high altitude.
But, how can one find the comet now?
You can find an up-to-date search map on skyhound.com, for example.
Or, there is an up-to-date map for the respective day at Theskylive.
Would you like to get an even better view of the comet? The Lumicon Comet Filter can help you to see both the coma and a possible gas-tail contrast-enhanced.
Will we be able to see the comet with the naked eye? Well, despite all the calculations and predictions, this is written in the stars. Let us hope for the best! In the meantime, why not enjoy the comet with your telescope or binoculars. After all, who knows how many years we will have to wait again for such a bright comet?
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