Solar System


Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2)

Comet Lovejoy was visible to the naked eye (under dark skies) in December 2014 and January 2015. The tail extended much farther than is shown here. Scope: AT111EDT at f/5.6 Mount: AP Mach1 Camera: QSI583 Exposure: LRGB, 1 hr 18 mins total


Full Moon

This was captured just before a Lunar eclipse, when the Moon is really “full”.  The color is exaggerated. Scope: AP142 at f/7.5 Mount: AP Mach1 Camera: QSI583 Exposure: LRGB, (exposure not recorded)


Comet Garradd (C/2009 P1)

On the last night of the 2011 Oregon Star Party this recent comet seemed to be the thing to shoot. The QSI camera is monochrome with a color filter wheel and since the comet is moving it’s not really possible to do sequential color. So this is really a monochrome image that I hand colored to show what the comet actually looks like. Of course, there is also special processing to make the comet appear stationary: The sub-exposures were stacked twice; once for the comet and again for stars. The comet was then “clipped” from its frame, cleaned up to […]


Lunar Eclipse

On December 10, 2011 we had a total Lunar eclipse starting at about 4AM. A lunar eclipse is when Earth comes directly between the Sun and the Moon, so the Moon is in our shadow. Although it is much dimmer than the Moon is normally, it is still easily visible, being illuminated by light coming around Earth. The orange color is due to the refraction of light through Earth’s atmosphere. This is the same effect that makes the sky appear blue to us here on Earth.  Scope: AT111EDT at f/5.6 Mount: AP Mach1GTO Camera: QSI 583 Exposure: LRGB (single frame, […]


Transit of Venus

On June 5th, 2012 Venus crossed between Earth and the Sun. This will not happen again until 2117, so while it is not the most exciting astronomical event, it is quite rare.  This shot was taken through a “solar filter” that greatly reduces the brightness of the Sun, making it possible to see not only the silhouette of Venus, but also several sunspots. The trees, however, are somewhat fake. It is not possible for us to see anything so dark as these trees at the same time as these details on the surface of the Sun, although they really were […]