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  1. What do we have to other ? : Medium

    This strategy has been out of sight — until now : Misc

    The ’s greatest will be this ‘#Movie’ of the : Sci Am

    Latest

    knowledgezone.co.in/resources/

  2. What #Right do we have to #Colonize other #Worlds? : Medium

    This #Humpback #Whale #Hunting strategy has been out of sight — until now : Misc

    The #Rubin #Observatory’s greatest #Legacy will be this ‘#Movie’ of the #Sky : Sci Am

    Latest #KnowledgeLinks

    knowledgezone.co.in/resources/

  3. What #Right do we have to #Colonize other #Worlds? : Medium

    This #Humpback #Whale #Hunting strategy has been out of sight — until now : Misc

    The #Rubin #Observatory’s greatest #Legacy will be this ‘#Movie’ of the #Sky : Sci Am

    Latest #KnowledgeLinks

    knowledgezone.co.in/resources/

  4. What #Right do we have to #Colonize other #Worlds? : Medium

    This #Humpback #Whale #Hunting strategy has been out of sight — until now : Misc

    The #Rubin #Observatory’s greatest #Legacy will be this ‘#Movie’ of the #Sky : Sci Am

    Latest #KnowledgeLinks

    knowledgezone.co.in/resources/

  5. What #Right do we have to #Colonize other #Worlds? : Medium

    This #Humpback #Whale #Hunting strategy has been out of sight — until now : Misc

    The #Rubin #Observatory’s greatest #Legacy will be this ‘#Movie’ of the #Sky : Sci Am

    Latest #KnowledgeLinks

    knowledgezone.co.in/resources/

  6. A little flip helps a lot

    We observed several active regions, all in the western hemisphere, no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and all were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away. White light Baader film solar filter, with false color applied in processing. August 18, 2026.

    Skies, time, and tech finally aligned allowing us to observe Sun this morning. With mid-summer behind us, Sun clears the trees later these days meaning we observe later with more turbulent air — only fair seeing today! Still, we imaged four active regions with spots, all headed toward the western horizon. There were no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and the active regions were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away.

    Aiding the day’s observations, and the equipment’s first light, was the addition of our new Baader Planetarium FlipMirror 2. We found that the flip mirror we used with the Vixen Cassegrain telescope had too much extension — we needed something more compact to achieve focus and have a little room for adjustment. Setting up the Baader FlipMirror was a challenge. The main component, containing the mirror, is shipped with adapter rings only — no nosepiece, eyepiece holders, or anything else. While the bare-bones component is versatile, selecting the correct set of add-ons was a worrisome exercise (components are not cheap) and the retailer offered no assistance when asked. After a good deal of shuffling between the owner’s guide, the product box illustrations, and the Baader and retailer’s websites, we made our selections. Happily our purchases were correct. The FlipMirror really is a well-made and even superior product.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 connected to the telescope focuser. Clicklock eyepiece holder/clamp, and focusing eyepiece holder are sold separately

    Why a flip mirror? Those devices allow two, or more, observation or imaging pieces to be attached to the telescope at once: a camera and an eyepiece, two eyepieces and differing angles, two cameras (we suppose), with only the twist of a mirror-flipping knob to switch between them. In fact, the Baader device has a third connection place, located on the underside of the mirror box, for addition of a guide camera! The mirror never covers the light path for an attached off-axis guide camera … an interesting feature.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 installed and in use with eyepiece and camera connected.

    At any rate, we were able to easily center Sun in the field of view using the eyepiece, flip the mirror out of the way to allow a direct light path to the camera, and image. Centering the sun was no big deal but using an eyepiece to center distant stars, planets, etc. is made much easier through its use. It’s also nice to just take a look, observing directly with one’s own eyes!

    #2026 #astronomy #astrophotography #BaaderPlanetarium #equipment #observatory #science #space #sun #telescope
  7. A little flip helps a lot

    We observed several active regions, all in the western hemisphere, no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and all were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away. White light Baader film solar filter, with false color applied in processing. August 18, 2026.

    Skies, time, and tech finally aligned allowing us to observe Sun this morning. With mid-summer behind us, Sun clears the trees later these days meaning we observe later with more turbulent air — only fair seeing today! Still, we imaged four active regions with spots, all headed toward the western horizon. There were no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and the active regions were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away.

    Aiding the day’s observations, and the equipment’s first light, was the addition of our new Baader Planetarium FlipMirror 2. We found that the flip mirror we used with the Vixen Cassegrain telescope had too much extension — we needed something more compact to achieve focus and have a little room for adjustment. Setting up the Baader FlipMirror was a challenge. The main component, containing the mirror, is shipped with adapter rings only — no nosepiece, eyepiece holders, or anything else. While the bare-bones component is versatile, selecting the correct set of add-ons was a worrisome exercise (components are not cheap) and the retailer offered no assistance when asked. After a good deal of shuffling between the owner’s guide, the product box illustrations, and the Baader and retailer’s websites, we made our selections. Happily our purchases were correct. The FlipMirror really is a well-made and even superior product.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 connected to the telescope focuser. Clicklock eyepiece holder/clamp, and focusing eyepiece holder are sold separately

    Why a flip mirror? Those devices allow two, or more, observation or imaging pieces to be attached to the telescope at once: a camera and an eyepiece, two eyepieces and differing angles, two cameras (we suppose), with only the twist of a mirror-flipping knob to switch between them. In fact, the Baader device has a third connection place, located on the underside of the mirror box, for addition of a guide camera! The mirror never covers the light path for an attached off-axis guide camera … an interesting feature.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 installed and in use with eyepiece and camera connected.

    At any rate, we were able to easily center Sun in the field of view using the eyepiece, flip the mirror out of the way to allow a direct light path to the camera, and image. Centering the sun was no big deal but using an eyepiece to center distant stars, planets, etc. is made much easier through its use. It’s also nice to just take a look, observing directly with one’s own eyes!

    #2026 #astronomy #astrophotography #BaaderPlanetarium #equipment #observatory #science #space #sun #telescope
  8. A little flip helps a lot

    We observed several active regions, all in the western hemisphere, no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and all were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away. White light Baader film solar filter, with false color applied in processing. August 18, 2026.

    Skies, time, and tech finally aligned allowing us to observe Sun this morning. With mid-summer behind us, Sun clears the trees later these days meaning we observe later with more turbulent air — only fair seeing today! Still, we imaged four active regions with spots, all headed toward the western horizon. There were no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and the active regions were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away.

    Aiding the day’s observations, and the equipment’s first light, was the addition of our new Baader Planetarium FlipMirror 2. We found that the flip mirror we used with the Vixen Cassegrain telescope had too much extension — we needed something more compact to achieve focus and have a little room for adjustment. Setting up the Baader FlipMirror was a challenge. The main component, containing the mirror, is shipped with adapter rings only — no nosepiece, eyepiece holders, or anything else. While the bare-bones component is versatile, selecting the correct set of add-ons was a worrisome exercise (components are not cheap) and the retailer offered no assistance when asked. After a good deal of shuffling between the owner’s guide, the product box illustrations, and the Baader and retailer’s websites, we made our selections. Happily our purchases were correct. The FlipMirror really is a well-made and even superior product.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 connected to the telescope focuser. Clicklock eyepiece holder/clamp, and focusing eyepiece holder are sold separately

    Why a flip mirror? Those devices allow two, or more, observation or imaging pieces to be attached to the telescope at once: a camera and an eyepiece, two eyepieces and differing angles, two cameras (we suppose), with only the twist of a mirror-flipping knob to switch between them. In fact, the Baader device has a third connection place, located on the underside of the mirror box, for addition of a guide camera! The mirror never covers the light path for an attached off-axis guide camera … an interesting feature.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 installed and in use with eyepiece and camera connected.

    At any rate, we were able to easily center Sun in the field of view using the eyepiece, flip the mirror out of the way to allow a direct light path to the camera, and image. Centering the sun was no big deal but using an eyepiece to center distant stars, planets, etc. is made much easier through its use. It’s also nice to just take a look, observing directly with one’s own eyes!

    #2026 #astronomy #astrophotography #BaaderPlanetarium #equipment #observatory #science #space #sun #telescope
  9. A little flip helps a lot

    We observed several active regions, all in the western hemisphere, no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and all were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away. White light Baader film solar filter, with false color applied in processing. August 18, 2026.

    Skies, time, and tech finally aligned allowing us to observe Sun this morning. With mid-summer behind us, Sun clears the trees later these days meaning we observe later with more turbulent air — only fair seeing today! Still, we imaged four active regions with spots, all headed toward the western horizon. There were no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and the active regions were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away.

    Aiding the day’s observations, and the equipment’s first light, was the addition of our new Baader Planetarium FlipMirror 2. We found that the flip mirror we used with the Vixen Cassegrain telescope had too much extension — we needed something more compact to achieve focus and have a little room for adjustment. Setting up the Baader FlipMirror was a challenge. The main component, containing the mirror, is shipped with adapter rings only — no nosepiece, eyepiece holders, or anything else. While the bare-bones component is versatile, selecting the correct set of add-ons was a worrisome exercise (components are not cheap) and the retailer offered no assistance when asked. After a good deal of shuffling between the owner’s guide, the product box illustrations, and the Baader and retailer’s websites, we made our selections. Happily our purchases were correct. The FlipMirror really is a well-made and even superior product.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 connected to the telescope focuser. Clicklock eyepiece holder/clamp, and focusing eyepiece holder are sold separately

    Why a flip mirror? Those devices allow two, or more, observation or imaging pieces to be attached to the telescope at once: a camera and an eyepiece, two eyepieces and differing angles, two cameras (we suppose), with only the twist of a mirror-flipping knob to switch between them. In fact, the Baader device has a third connection place, located on the underside of the mirror box, for addition of a guide camera! The mirror never covers the light path for an attached off-axis guide camera … an interesting feature.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 installed and in use with eyepiece and camera connected.

    At any rate, we were able to easily center Sun in the field of view using the eyepiece, flip the mirror out of the way to allow a direct light path to the camera, and image. Centering the sun was no big deal but using an eyepiece to center distant stars, planets, etc. is made much easier through its use. It’s also nice to just take a look, observing directly with one’s own eyes!

    #2026 #astronomy #astrophotography #BaaderPlanetarium #equipment #observatory #science #space #sun #telescope
  10. A little flip helps a lot

    We observed several active regions, all in the western hemisphere, no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and all were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away. White light Baader film solar filter, with false color applied in processing. August 18, 2026.

    Skies, time, and tech finally aligned allowing us to observe Sun this morning. With mid-summer behind us, Sun clears the trees later these days meaning we observe later with more turbulent air — only fair seeing today! Still, we imaged four active regions with spots, all headed toward the western horizon. There were no sunspots in the eastern hemisphere, and the active regions were confined to the solar equatorial area. This solar cycle appears to be fading away.

    Aiding the day’s observations, and the equipment’s first light, was the addition of our new Baader Planetarium FlipMirror 2. We found that the flip mirror we used with the Vixen Cassegrain telescope had too much extension — we needed something more compact to achieve focus and have a little room for adjustment. Setting up the Baader FlipMirror was a challenge. The main component, containing the mirror, is shipped with adapter rings only — no nosepiece, eyepiece holders, or anything else. While the bare-bones component is versatile, selecting the correct set of add-ons was a worrisome exercise (components are not cheap) and the retailer offered no assistance when asked. After a good deal of shuffling between the owner’s guide, the product box illustrations, and the Baader and retailer’s websites, we made our selections. Happily our purchases were correct. The FlipMirror really is a well-made and even superior product.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 connected to the telescope focuser. Clicklock eyepiece holder/clamp, and focusing eyepiece holder are sold separately

    Why a flip mirror? Those devices allow two, or more, observation or imaging pieces to be attached to the telescope at once: a camera and an eyepiece, two eyepieces and differing angles, two cameras (we suppose), with only the twist of a mirror-flipping knob to switch between them. In fact, the Baader device has a third connection place, located on the underside of the mirror box, for addition of a guide camera! The mirror never covers the light path for an attached off-axis guide camera … an interesting feature.

    The Baader FlipMirror 2 installed and in use with eyepiece and camera connected.

    At any rate, we were able to easily center Sun in the field of view using the eyepiece, flip the mirror out of the way to allow a direct light path to the camera, and image. Centering the sun was no big deal but using an eyepiece to center distant stars, planets, etc. is made much easier through its use. It’s also nice to just take a look, observing directly with one’s own eyes!

    #2026 #astronomy #astrophotography #BaaderPlanetarium #equipment #observatory #science #space #sun #telescope
  11. “A #telescope in #Chile has captured evidence of the impact caused by part of a SpaceX #Falcon9 rocket slamming into the moon while travelling at 8,690km/h (5,400mph).

    The European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope observed “spectral lines” – a colourful illustration of the #sodium and #lithium gas – in the plume of #LunarDust stirred up by the impact.

    The #ESO telescope recorded these “chemical fingerprints” of the plume, which were visible for five to 10 minutes, the #observatory said. The #plume measured a few tens of kilometres in size, according to #CarlSchmidt, an astronomer from #BostonUniversity’s Center for #SpacePhysics.”

    #Moon <theguardian.com/science/2026/a>

  12. “A #telescope in #Chile has captured evidence of the impact caused by part of a SpaceX #Falcon9 rocket slamming into the moon while travelling at 8,690km/h (5,400mph).

    The European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope observed “spectral lines” – a colourful illustration of the #sodium and #lithium gas – in the plume of #LunarDust stirred up by the impact.

    The #ESO telescope recorded these “chemical fingerprints” of the plume, which were visible for five to 10 minutes, the #observatory said. The #plume measured a few tens of kilometres in size, according to #CarlSchmidt, an astronomer from #BostonUniversity’s Center for #SpacePhysics.”

    #Moon <theguardian.com/science/2026/a>

  13. “A #telescope in #Chile has captured evidence of the impact caused by part of a SpaceX #Falcon9 rocket slamming into the moon while travelling at 8,690km/h (5,400mph).

    The European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope observed “spectral lines” – a colourful illustration of the #sodium and #lithium gas – in the plume of #LunarDust stirred up by the impact.

    The #ESO telescope recorded these “chemical fingerprints” of the plume, which were visible for five to 10 minutes, the #observatory said. The #plume measured a few tens of kilometres in size, according to #CarlSchmidt, an astronomer from #BostonUniversity’s Center for #SpacePhysics.”

    #Moon <theguardian.com/science/2026/a>

  14. “A #telescope in #Chile has captured evidence of the impact caused by part of a SpaceX #Falcon9 rocket slamming into the moon while travelling at 8,690km/h (5,400mph).

    The European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope observed “spectral lines” – a colourful illustration of the #sodium and #lithium gas – in the plume of #LunarDust stirred up by the impact.

    The #ESO telescope recorded these “chemical fingerprints” of the plume, which were visible for five to 10 minutes, the #observatory said. The #plume measured a few tens of kilometres in size, according to #CarlSchmidt, an astronomer from #BostonUniversity’s Center for #SpacePhysics.”

    #Moon <theguardian.com/science/2026/a>

  15. “A #telescope in #Chile has captured evidence of the impact caused by part of a SpaceX #Falcon9 rocket slamming into the moon while travelling at 8,690km/h (5,400mph).

    The European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope observed “spectral lines” – a colourful illustration of the #sodium and #lithium gas – in the plume of #LunarDust stirred up by the impact.

    The #ESO telescope recorded these “chemical fingerprints” of the plume, which were visible for five to 10 minutes, the #observatory said. The #plume measured a few tens of kilometres in size, according to #CarlSchmidt, an astronomer from #BostonUniversity’s Center for #SpacePhysics.”

    #Moon <theguardian.com/science/2026/a>

  16. First Light: A new telescope means a new beginning

    First light image of Messier 57: The Ring Nebula. For the occasion, only 60 light frames and 30 dark frames, 15 seconds each frame, were captured and stacked. Affinity Photo 2 was used to create the stack and Pixelmator Pro for editing. M57 is a planetary nebula in constellation Lyra and was formed during the death throes of a Sun-like star.

    We had been considering what our next step might be in outfitting the observatory with a more-or-less permanently mounted telescope. Would a very long focal length Cassegrain suit our needs? Both the C11 SCT and the Vixen Modified Cassegrain were available, already on hand but both had issues. After struggling with collimation on both telescopes, we were leaning toward a high-quality refractor as the solution. Long focal length on a refractor, though, means a long tube and we have limited space. The incident that damaged the Vixen pretty much forced our hand. Frustrated with collimation issues, and telescope repairs we doubt we could perform, we made the decision to go with a new refractor.

    What ultimately steered us toward Askar and helped ease some (not all) doubt concerning focal lengths was the wonderfully high quality image of the “daytime Moon” we had captured with the smaller Askar 103APO — images with that level of quality can be cropped to make up for some lack of focal length. Watching YouTube reviews of some Askar’s bigger telescopes offered further assurance we were headed in the right direction.

    The new Askar 151PHQ telescope installed on the observatory’s pier. At the eyepiece end is a ZWO ASIAir Plus computer and ZWO Automatic Electronic Focuser. We anticipate moving the computer to a different location on the telescope as cable management becomes a priority.

    Inside doubled shipping boxes, the telescope was delivered in a solid transport case, packed in form-fit dense foam padding. The case is very high quality, very heavy, and bears multiple hand grips; it will now be set aside, stored some place against the day the telescope is taken out of service for some reason. If the case was an optional item, in our case we aren’t sure we would want it.

    The Askar 151PHQ is doubtless the highest-quality telescope we have ever owned or used. It is a quadruplet astrograph, featuring a 151mm (six inch) aperture and a 1057mm focal length for an f/7 focal ratio, and designed to produce flat field images without add-on optics.

    Taking advantage of a rare, relatively clear night, we went for first light using the big instrument with minimal configuration: no finder scope, no automatic tracking, no camera cooling, etc. While we had installed the ZWO AEF purchased years ago, and the ASI AirPlus, we used them only for manual electric focusing which, by the way, was a big improvement in itself! The optional hand controller was a wonderful thing to have, allowing us to watch through the eyepiece or on the computer screen and make smooth, minute adjustments to focus without telescope vibration. Yes, wonderful!

    Under Bortle 6/7 skies pinpoint stars shown brightly through the eyepiece as we focused on Arcturus, then searched for M57. Our hazy skies, made worse by light pollution (maybe a Bortle 8 night), didn’t make things easy but with a little patience, a tiny, ghostly ring appeared in the field of view. We swapped out the eyepiece for the one-shot color camera, refocused, and began the imaging run. While we have much to learn about processing deep sky objects, we were happy to see the quality of the resulting stacked image: round stars and lots of them (many more stars than we’re used to seeing there), good detail in the ring, and decent color — all in 60 light, and 30 dark 15-second frames. The Moon eluded us that night, still down in the trees at midnight, but we tried solar first light the next morning.

    First images of our Sun via the Askar 151PHQ were recorded under poor seeing conditions but, with some work, produced some pretty impressive results. A TeleVue Powermate 2.5X Barlow was employed here. We hope to refine our setup for the new telescope for better edge-to-edge focus. The telescope was equipped with a Baader white light solar film filter and monochrome camera; false color applied during processing.

    Placing a Baader Solar film filter over the Askar’s objective and aiming the scope at Sun, we quickly saw beautiful detail in the sunspots that marked the surface on July 31. Imaging was routine and easy, though seeing was poor. The telescope’s 1,057mm focal length did not allow a full disk image of our star on the ASI astronomical camera’s sensor but installing a Barlow lens we achieved some dramatic detail views. We can hardly wait to try again under better skies!

    Long focal length produces a Solar image too large to entirely fit on the astronomy camera’s sensor. With quality like this, however, we won’t complain. This is Sun on July 31, 2026, imaged via white light solar filter and monochrome camera, false color applied during processing.

    Nearly too large! When observing low elevation targets, the telescope fits snugly within the observatory walls. Fortunately, the tall pier and large mount elevate the assembly enough that normal observing is at a comfortable height and (M57 was at the zenith during First Light!) high elevation targets do not cause us to lay on the floor or scrape the camera there! We suspect this scope on a tripod might present some problems for high elevation object observing.

    Thus far the only negative, something unanticipated, is that because of the Petzval design, an optical element is located deep within the OTA making use of our beloved Herschel Wedge a risk to the telescope; that optical element is at a point in the light path where focused and unfiltered sunlight could overheat and damage the lens! We’re working around it and will assign the Herschel to the Askar 103 when desired. As we anticipated, we’d love to have much more focal length but without collimation to worry about and high quality images to work with, we’ll hope to get by … maybe with the help of a really good Barlow lens?

    #2026 #askar #Askar151 #astronomy #astrophotography #FirstLight #observatory #solar #telescopes
  17. First Light: A new telescope means a new beginning

    First light image of Messier 57: The Ring Nebula. For the occasion, only 60 light frames and 30 dark frames, 15 seconds each frame, were captured and stacked. Affinity Photo 2 was used to create the stack and Pixelmator Pro for editing. M57 is a planetary nebula in constellation Lyra and was formed during the death throes of a Sun-like star.

    We had been considering what our next step might be in outfitting the observatory with a more-or-less permanently mounted telescope. Would a very long focal length Cassegrain suit our needs? Both the C11 SCT and the Vixen Modified Cassegrain were available, already on hand but both had issues. After struggling with collimation on both telescopes, we were leaning toward a high-quality refractor as the solution. Long focal length on a refractor, though, means a long tube and we have limited space. The incident that damaged the Vixen pretty much forced our hand. Frustrated with collimation issues, and telescope repairs we doubt we could perform, we made the decision to go with a new refractor.

    What ultimately steered us toward Askar and helped ease some (not all) doubt concerning focal lengths was the wonderfully high quality image of the “daytime Moon” we had captured with the smaller Askar 103APO — images with that level of quality can be cropped to make up for some lack of focal length. Watching YouTube reviews of some Askar’s bigger telescopes offered further assurance we were headed in the right direction.

    The new Askar 151PHQ telescope installed on the observatory’s pier. At the eyepiece end is a ZWO ASIAir Plus computer and ZWO Automatic Electronic Focuser. We anticipate moving the computer to a different location on the telescope as cable management becomes a priority.

    Inside doubled shipping boxes, the telescope was delivered in a solid transport case, packed in form-fit dense foam padding. The case is very high quality, very heavy, and bears multiple hand grips; it will now be set aside, stored some place against the day the telescope is taken out of service for some reason. If the case was an optional item, in our case we aren’t sure we would want it.

    The Askar 151PHQ is doubtless the highest-quality telescope we have ever owned or used. It is a quadruplet astrograph, featuring a 151mm (six inch) aperture and a 1057mm focal length for an f/7 focal ratio, and designed to produce flat field images without add-on optics.

    Taking advantage of a rare, relatively clear night, we went for first light using the big instrument with minimal configuration: no finder scope, no automatic tracking, no camera cooling, etc. While we had installed the ZWO AEF purchased years ago, and the ASI AirPlus, we used them only for manual electric focusing which, by the way, was a big improvement in itself! The optional hand controller was a wonderful thing to have, allowing us to watch through the eyepiece or on the computer screen and make smooth, minute adjustments to focus without telescope vibration. Yes, wonderful!

    Under Bortle 6/7 skies pinpoint stars shown brightly through the eyepiece as we focused on Arcturus, then searched for M57. Our hazy skies, made worse by light pollution (maybe a Bortle 8 night), didn’t make things easy but with a little patience, a tiny, ghostly ring appeared in the field of view. We swapped out the eyepiece for the one-shot color camera, refocused, and began the imaging run. While we have much to learn about processing deep sky objects, we were happy to see the quality of the resulting stacked image: round stars and lots of them (many more stars than we’re used to seeing there), good detail in the ring, and decent color — all in 60 light, and 30 dark 15-second frames. The Moon eluded us that night, still down in the trees at midnight, but we tried solar first light the next morning.

    First images of our Sun via the Askar 151PHQ were recorded under poor seeing conditions but, with some work, produced some pretty impressive results. A TeleVue Powermate 2.5X Barlow was employed here. We hope to refine our setup for the new telescope for better edge-to-edge focus. The telescope was equipped with a Baader white light solar film filter and monochrome camera; false color applied during processing.

    Placing a Baader Solar film filter over the Askar’s objective and aiming the scope at Sun, we quickly saw beautiful detail in the sunspots that marked the surface on July 31. Imaging was routine and easy, though seeing was poor. The telescope’s 1,057mm focal length did not allow a full disk image of our star on the ASI astronomical camera’s sensor but installing a Barlow lens we achieved some dramatic detail views. We can hardly wait to try again under better skies!

    Long focal length produces a Solar image too large to entirely fit on the astronomy camera’s sensor. With quality like this, however, we won’t complain. This is Sun on July 31, 2026, imaged via white light solar filter and monochrome camera, false color applied during processing.

    Nearly too large! When observing low elevation targets, the telescope fits snugly within the observatory walls. Fortunately, the tall pier and large mount elevate the assembly enough that normal observing is at a comfortable height and (M57 was at the zenith during First Light!) high elevation targets do not cause us to lay on the floor or scrape the camera there! We suspect this scope on a tripod might present some problems for high elevation object observing.

    Thus far the only negative, something unanticipated, is that because of the Petzval design, an optical element is located deep within the OTA making use of our beloved Herschel Wedge a risk to the telescope; that optical element is at a point in the light path where focused and unfiltered sunlight could overheat and damage the lens! We’re working around it and will assign the Herschel to the Askar 103 when desired. As we anticipated, we’d love to have much more focal length but without collimation to worry about and high quality images to work with, we’ll hope to get by … maybe with the help of a really good Barlow lens?

    #2026 #askar #Askar151 #astronomy #astrophotography #FirstLight #observatory #science #solar #space #telescopes
  18. First Light: A new telescope means a new beginning

    First light image of Messier 57: The Ring Nebula. For the occasion, only 60 light frames and 30 dark frames, 15 seconds each frame, were captured and stacked. Affinity Photo 2 was used to create the stack and Pixelmator Pro for editing. M57 is a planetary nebula in constellation Lyra and was formed during the death throes of a Sun-like star.

    We had been considering what our next step might be in outfitting the observatory with a more-or-less permanently mounted telescope. Would a very long focal length Cassegrain suit our needs? Both the C11 SCT and the Vixen Modified Cassegrain were available, already on hand but both had issues. After struggling with collimation on both telescopes, we were leaning toward a high-quality refractor as the solution. Long focal length on a refractor, though, means a long tube and we have limited space. The incident that damaged the Vixen pretty much forced our hand. Frustrated with collimation issues, and telescope repairs we doubt we could perform, we made the decision to go with a new refractor.

    What ultimately steered us toward Askar and helped ease some (not all) doubt concerning focal lengths was the wonderfully high quality image of the “daytime Moon” we had captured with the smaller Askar 103APO — images with that level of quality can be cropped to make up for some lack of focal length. Watching YouTube reviews of some Askar’s bigger telescopes offered further assurance we were headed in the right direction.

    The new Askar 151PHQ telescope installed on the observatory’s pier. At the eyepiece end is a ZWO ASIAir Plus computer and ZWO Automatic Electronic Focuser. We anticipate moving the computer to a different location on the telescope as cable management becomes a priority.

    Inside doubled shipping boxes, the telescope was delivered in a solid transport case, packed in form-fit dense foam padding. The case is very high quality, very heavy, and bears multiple hand grips; it will now be set aside, stored some place against the day the telescope is taken out of service for some reason. If the case was an optional item, in our case we aren’t sure we would want it.

    The Askar 151PHQ is doubtless the highest-quality telescope we have ever owned or used. It is a quadruplet astrograph, featuring a 151mm (six inch) aperture and a 1057mm focal length for an f/7 focal ratio, and designed to produce flat field images without add-on optics.

    Taking advantage of a rare, relatively clear night, we went for first light using the big instrument with minimal configuration: no finder scope, no automatic tracking, no camera cooling, etc. While we had installed the ZWO AEF purchased years ago, and the ASI AirPlus, we used them only for manual electric focusing which, by the way, was a big improvement in itself! The optional hand controller was a wonderful thing to have, allowing us to watch through the eyepiece or on the computer screen and make smooth, minute adjustments to focus without telescope vibration. Yes, wonderful!

    Under Bortle 6/7 skies pinpoint stars shown brightly through the eyepiece as we focused on Arcturus, then searched for M57. Our hazy skies, made worse by light pollution (maybe a Bortle 8 night), didn’t make things easy but with a little patience, a tiny, ghostly ring appeared in the field of view. We swapped out the eyepiece for the one-shot color camera, refocused, and began the imaging run. While we have much to learn about processing deep sky objects, we were happy to see the quality of the resulting stacked image: round stars and lots of them (many more stars than we’re used to seeing there), good detail in the ring, and decent color — all in 60 light, and 30 dark 15-second frames. The Moon eluded us that night, still down in the trees at midnight, but we tried solar first light the next morning.

    First images of our Sun via the Askar 151PHQ were recorded under poor seeing conditions but, with some work, produced some pretty impressive results. A TeleVue Powermate 2.5X Barlow was employed here. We hope to refine our setup for the new telescope for better edge-to-edge focus. The telescope was equipped with a Baader white light solar film filter and monochrome camera; false color applied during processing.

    Placing a Baader Solar film filter over the Askar’s objective and aiming the scope at Sun, we quickly saw beautiful detail in the sunspots that marked the surface on July 31. Imaging was routine and easy, though seeing was poor. The telescope’s 1,057mm focal length did not allow a full disk image of our star on the ASI astronomical camera’s sensor but installing a Barlow lens we achieved some dramatic detail views. We can hardly wait to try again under better skies!

    Long focal length produces a Solar image too large to entirely fit on the astronomy camera’s sensor. With quality like this, however, we won’t complain. This is Sun on July 31, 2026, imaged via white light solar filter and monochrome camera, false color applied during processing.

    Nearly too large! When observing low elevation targets, the telescope fits snugly within the observatory walls. Fortunately, the tall pier and large mount elevate the assembly enough that normal observing is at a comfortable height and (M57 was at the zenith during First Light!) high elevation targets do not cause us to lay on the floor or scrape the camera there! We suspect this scope on a tripod might present some problems for high elevation object observing.

    Thus far the only negative, something unanticipated, is that because of the Petzval design, an optical element is located deep within the OTA making use of our beloved Herschel Wedge a risk to the telescope; that optical element is at a point in the light path where focused and unfiltered sunlight could overheat and damage the lens! We’re working around it and will assign the Herschel to the Askar 103 when desired. As we anticipated, we’d love to have much more focal length but without collimation to worry about and high quality images to work with, we’ll hope to get by … maybe with the help of a really good Barlow lens?

    #2026 #askar #Askar151 #astronomy #astrophotography #FirstLight #observatory #solar #telescopes
  19. First Light: A new telescope means a new beginning

    First light image of Messier 57: The Ring Nebula. For the occasion, only 60 light frames and 30 dark frames, 15 seconds each frame, were captured and stacked. Affinity Photo 2 was used to create the stack and Pixelmator Pro for editing. M57 is a planetary nebula in constellation Lyra and was formed during the death throes of a Sun-like star.

    We had been considering what our next step might be in outfitting the observatory with a more-or-less permanently mounted telescope. Would a very long focal length Cassegrain suit our needs? Both the C11 SCT and the Vixen Modified Cassegrain were available, already on hand but both had issues. After struggling with collimation on both telescopes, we were leaning toward a high-quality refractor as the solution. Long focal length on a refractor, though, means a long tube and we have limited space. The incident that damaged the Vixen pretty much forced our hand. Frustrated with collimation issues, and telescope repairs we doubt we could perform, we made the decision to go with a new refractor.

    What ultimately steered us toward Askar and helped ease some (not all) doubt concerning focal lengths was the wonderfully high quality image of the “daytime Moon” we had captured with the smaller Askar 103APO — images with that level of quality can be cropped to make up for some lack of focal length. Watching YouTube reviews of some Askar’s bigger telescopes offered further assurance we were headed in the right direction.

    The new Askar 151PHQ telescope installed on the observatory’s pier. At the eyepiece end is a ZWO ASIAir Plus computer and ZWO Automatic Electronic Focuser. We anticipate moving the computer to a different location on the telescope as cable management becomes a priority.

    Inside doubled shipping boxes, the telescope was delivered in a solid transport case, packed in form-fit dense foam padding. The case is very high quality, very heavy, and bears multiple hand grips; it will now be set aside, stored some place against the day the telescope is taken out of service for some reason. If the case was an optional item, in our case we aren’t sure we would want it.

    The Askar 151PHQ is doubtless the highest-quality telescope we have ever owned or used. It is a quadruplet astrograph, featuring a 151mm (six inch) aperture and a 1057mm focal length for an f/7 focal ratio, and designed to produce flat field images without add-on optics.

    Taking advantage of a rare, relatively clear night, we went for first light using the big instrument with minimal configuration: no finder scope, no automatic tracking, no camera cooling, etc. While we had installed the ZWO AEF purchased years ago, and the ASI AirPlus, we used them only for manual electric focusing which, by the way, was a big improvement in itself! The optional hand controller was a wonderful thing to have, allowing us to watch through the eyepiece or on the computer screen and make smooth, minute adjustments to focus without telescope vibration. Yes, wonderful!

    Under Bortle 6/7 skies pinpoint stars shown brightly through the eyepiece as we focused on Arcturus, then searched for M57. Our hazy skies, made worse by light pollution (maybe a Bortle 8 night), didn’t make things easy but with a little patience, a tiny, ghostly ring appeared in the field of view. We swapped out the eyepiece for the one-shot color camera, refocused, and began the imaging run. While we have much to learn about processing deep sky objects, we were happy to see the quality of the resulting stacked image: round stars and lots of them (many more stars than we’re used to seeing there), good detail in the ring, and decent color — all in 60 light, and 30 dark 15-second frames. The Moon eluded us that night, still down in the trees at midnight, but we tried solar first light the next morning.

    First images of our Sun via the Askar 151PHQ were recorded under poor seeing conditions but, with some work, produced some pretty impressive results. A TeleVue Powermate 2.5X Barlow was employed here. We hope to refine our setup for the new telescope for better edge-to-edge focus. The telescope was equipped with a Baader white light solar film filter and monochrome camera; false color applied during processing.

    Placing a Baader Solar film filter over the Askar’s objective and aiming the scope at Sun, we quickly saw beautiful detail in the sunspots that marked the surface on July 31. Imaging was routine and easy, though seeing was poor. The telescope’s 1,057mm focal length did not allow a full disk image of our star on the ASI astronomical camera’s sensor but installing a Barlow lens we achieved some dramatic detail views. We can hardly wait to try again under better skies!

    Long focal length produces a Solar image too large to entirely fit on the astronomy camera’s sensor. With quality like this, however, we won’t complain. This is Sun on July 31, 2026, imaged via white light solar filter and monochrome camera, false color applied during processing.

    Nearly too large! When observing low elevation targets, the telescope fits snugly within the observatory walls. Fortunately, the tall pier and large mount elevate the assembly enough that normal observing is at a comfortable height and (M57 was at the zenith during First Light!) high elevation targets do not cause us to lay on the floor or scrape the camera there! We suspect this scope on a tripod might present some problems for high elevation object observing.

    Thus far the only negative, something unanticipated, is that because of the Petzval design, an optical element is located deep within the OTA making use of our beloved Herschel Wedge a risk to the telescope; that optical element is at a point in the light path where focused and unfiltered sunlight could overheat and damage the lens! We’re working around it and will assign the Herschel to the Askar 103 when desired. As we anticipated, we’d love to have much more focal length but without collimation to worry about and high quality images to work with, we’ll hope to get by … maybe with the help of a really good Barlow lens?

    #2026 #askar #Askar151 #astronomy #astrophotography #FirstLight #observatory #science #solar #space #telescopes
  20. First Light: A new telescope means a new beginning

    First light image of Messier 57: The Ring Nebula. For the occasion, only 60 light frames and 30 dark frames, 15 seconds each frame, were captured and stacked. Affinity Photo 2 was used to create the stack and Pixelmator Pro for editing. M57 is a planetary nebula in constellation Lyra and was formed during the death throes of a Sun-like star.

    We had been considering what our next step might be in outfitting the observatory with a more-or-less permanently mounted telescope. Would a very long focal length Cassegrain suit our needs? Both the C11 SCT and the Vixen Modified Cassegrain were available, already on hand but both had issues. After struggling with collimation on both telescopes, we were leaning toward a high-quality refractor as the solution. Long focal length on a refractor, though, means a long tube and we have limited space. The incident that damaged the Vixen pretty much forced our hand. Frustrated with collimation issues, and telescope repairs we doubt we could perform, we made the decision to go with a new refractor.

    What ultimately steered us toward Askar and helped ease some (not all) doubt concerning focal lengths was the wonderfully high quality image of the “daytime Moon” we had captured with the smaller Askar 103APO — images with that level of quality can be cropped to make up for some lack of focal length. Watching YouTube reviews of some Askar’s bigger telescopes offered further assurance we were headed in the right direction.

    The new Askar 151PHQ telescope installed on the observatory’s pier. At the eyepiece end is a ZWO ASIAir Plus computer and ZWO Automatic Electronic Focuser. We anticipate moving the computer to a different location on the telescope as cable management becomes a priority.

    Inside doubled shipping boxes, the telescope was delivered in a solid transport case, packed in form-fit dense foam padding. The case is very high quality, very heavy, and bears multiple hand grips; it will now be set aside, stored some place against the day the telescope is taken out of service for some reason. If the case was an optional item, in our case we aren’t sure we would want it.

    The Askar 151PHQ is doubtless the highest-quality telescope we have ever owned or used. It is a quadruplet astrograph, featuring a 151mm (six inch) aperture and a 1057mm focal length for an f/7 focal ratio, and designed to produce flat field images without add-on optics.

    Taking advantage of a rare, relatively clear night, we went for first light using the big instrument with minimal configuration: no finder scope, no automatic tracking, no camera cooling, etc. While we had installed the ZWO AEF purchased years ago, and the ASI AirPlus, we used them only for manual electric focusing which, by the way, was a big improvement in itself! The optional hand controller was a wonderful thing to have, allowing us to watch through the eyepiece or on the computer screen and make smooth, minute adjustments to focus without telescope vibration. Yes, wonderful!

    Under Bortle 6/7 skies pinpoint stars shown brightly through the eyepiece as we focused on Arcturus, then searched for M57. Our hazy skies, made worse by light pollution (maybe a Bortle 8 night), didn’t make things easy but with a little patience, a tiny, ghostly ring appeared in the field of view. We swapped out the eyepiece for the one-shot color camera, refocused, and began the imaging run. While we have much to learn about processing deep sky objects, we were happy to see the quality of the resulting stacked image: round stars and lots of them (many more stars than we’re used to seeing there), good detail in the ring, and decent color — all in 60 light, and 30 dark 15-second frames. The Moon eluded us that night, still down in the trees at midnight, but we tried solar first light the next morning.

    First images of our Sun via the Askar 151PHQ were recorded under poor seeing conditions but, with some work, produced some pretty impressive results. A TeleVue Powermate 2.5X Barlow was employed here. We hope to refine our setup for the new telescope for better edge-to-edge focus. The telescope was equipped with a Baader white light solar film filter and monochrome camera; false color applied during processing.

    Placing a Baader Solar film filter over the Askar’s objective and aiming the scope at Sun, we quickly saw beautiful detail in the sunspots that marked the surface on July 31. Imaging was routine and easy, though seeing was poor. The telescope’s 1,057mm focal length did not allow a full disk image of our star on the ASI astronomical camera’s sensor but installing a Barlow lens we achieved some dramatic detail views. We can hardly wait to try again under better skies!

    Long focal length produces a Solar image too large to entirely fit on the astronomy camera’s sensor. With quality like this, however, we won’t complain. This is Sun on July 31, 2026, imaged via white light solar filter and monochrome camera, false color applied during processing.

    Nearly too large! When observing low elevation targets, the telescope fits snugly within the observatory walls. Fortunately, the tall pier and large mount elevate the assembly enough that normal observing is at a comfortable height and (M57 was at the zenith during First Light!) high elevation targets do not cause us to lay on the floor or scrape the camera there! We suspect this scope on a tripod might present some problems for high elevation object observing.

    Thus far the only negative, something unanticipated, is that because of the Petzval design, an optical element is located deep within the OTA making use of our beloved Herschel Wedge a risk to the telescope; that optical element is at a point in the light path where focused and unfiltered sunlight could overheat and damage the lens! We’re working around it and will assign the Herschel to the Askar 103 when desired. As we anticipated, we’d love to have much more focal length but without collimation to worry about and high quality images to work with, we’ll hope to get by … maybe with the help of a really good Barlow lens?

    #2026 #askar #Askar151 #astronomy #astrophotography #FirstLight #observatory #solar #telescopes
  21. NASA telescope captures ‘wandering’ black hole devour star

    NASA telescope captures ‘wandering’ black hole devour star A NASA telescope caught a black hole red-handed in the…
    #NewsBeep #News #Science #Astronomy #AU #Australia #Blackhole #devour #mmnd #NASA #Observatory #shredding #Space #star #supermassiveblackhole #TDE #telescope #tidaldisruptionevent
    newsbeep.com/au/834043/

  22. Nasa’s new space telescope will tackle some of the universe’s biggest mysteries
    atlas.whatip.xyz/post.php?slug
    <p>Nasa is about to launch a space observatory that could help settle some of the biggest mysteries in
    #observatory #telescope #mysteries #universe

  23. theguardian.com/science/2026/j. "Jodrell Bank Observatory, the hub of a world-leading network of #radio #telescopes, is facing closure after #Government #funding for the #facility was slashed. The deep #space #observatory includes the Grade I-listed Lovell #telescope & is prized by #astronomers who study #galaxies, #blackholes, #star formation, #planets beyond the solar system & the afterglow of the #BigBang."

  24. theguardian.com/science/2026/j. "Jodrell Bank Observatory, the hub of a world-leading network of #radio #telescopes, is facing closure after #Government #funding for the #facility was slashed. The deep #space #observatory includes the Grade I-listed Lovell #telescope & is prized by #astronomers who study #galaxies, #blackholes, #star formation, #planets beyond the solar system & the afterglow of the #BigBang."

  25. theguardian.com/science/2026/j. "Jodrell Bank Observatory, the hub of a world-leading network of #radio #telescopes, is facing closure after #Government #funding for the #facility was slashed. The deep #space #observatory includes the Grade I-listed Lovell #telescope & is prized by #astronomers who study #galaxies, #blackholes, #star formation, #planets beyond the solar system & the afterglow of the #BigBang."

  26. theguardian.com/science/2026/j. "Jodrell Bank Observatory, the hub of a world-leading network of #radio #telescopes, is facing closure after #Government #funding for the #facility was slashed. The deep #space #observatory includes the Grade I-listed Lovell #telescope & is prized by #astronomers who study #galaxies, #blackholes, #star formation, #planets beyond the solar system & the afterglow of the #BigBang."

  27. theguardian.com/science/2026/j. "Jodrell Bank Observatory, the hub of a world-leading network of #radio #telescopes, is facing closure after #Government #funding for the #facility was slashed. The deep #space #observatory includes the Grade I-listed Lovell #telescope & is prized by #astronomers who study #galaxies, #blackholes, #star formation, #planets beyond the solar system & the afterglow of the #BigBang."

  28. How NASA Plans to Build the Habitable Worlds Observatory
    atlas.whatip.xyz/post.php?slug
    <p>We’ve been covering the journey of the Habitable Worlds Observatory for some time now
    #observatory #habitable #covering #worlds

  29. 🔭🏆The Real Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid was distinguished as an EPS Historic Site. Congratulations!

    Discover the history of this institution built in 1790 and its continued contribution to modern research.

    👉eps.org/real-observatorio-astr

    #physics #physik #observatory #spain #europe #science #awards

  30. 🔭🏆The Real Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid was distinguished as an EPS Historic Site. Congratulations!

    Discover the history of this institution built in 1790 and its continued contribution to modern research.

    👉eps.org/real-observatorio-astr

    #physics #physik #observatory #spain #europe #science #awards

  31. 🔭🏆The Real Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid was distinguished as an EPS Historic Site. Congratulations!

    Discover the history of this institution built in 1790 and its continued contribution to modern research.

    👉eps.org/real-observatorio-astr

    #physics #physik #observatory #spain #europe #science #awards

  32. 🔭🏆The Real Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid was distinguished as an EPS Historic Site. Congratulations!

    Discover the history of this institution built in 1790 and its continued contribution to modern research.

    👉eps.org/real-observatorio-astr

    #physics #physik #observatory #spain #europe #science #awards

  33. 🔭🏆The Real Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid was distinguished as an EPS Historic Site. Congratulations!

    Discover the history of this institution built in 1790 and its continued contribution to modern research.

    👉eps.org/real-observatorio-astr

    #physics #physik #observatory #spain #europe #science #awards

  34. 60: Groovy skies tonight, you dig it?

    1m: Umm why yes, but what's that noise you're making?

    60:I'm golden with these gears but hey we can't all be cherry.

    1m:You can say that again, my pointing model is already off...

    60 from the 60's vs 1m from 2019 last night in #Toronto... a telescope face off 😂
    and the end of the story is that they were both good #telescope and got all their research objects

    #observatory #science #Astrodon #astronomy #yorkuniversity @AllanICarswellObservatory

  35. 60: Groovy skies tonight, you dig it?

    1m: Umm why yes, but what's that noise you're making?

    60:I'm golden with these gears but hey we can't all be cherry.

    1m:You can say that again, my pointing model is already off...

    60 from the 60's vs 1m from 2019 last night in #Toronto... a telescope face off 😂
    and the end of the story is that they were both good #telescope and got all their research objects

    #observatory #science #Astrodon #astronomy #yorkuniversity @AllanICarswellObservatory

  36. 60: Groovy skies tonight, you dig it?

    1m: Umm why yes, but what's that noise you're making?

    60:I'm golden with these gears but hey we can't all be cherry.

    1m:You can say that again, my pointing model is already off...

    60 from the 60's vs 1m from 2019 last night in #Toronto... a telescope face off 😂
    and the end of the story is that they were both good #telescope and got all their research objects

    #observatory #science #Astrodon #astronomy #yorkuniversity @AllanICarswellObservatory

  37. 60: Groovy skies tonight, you dig it?

    1m: Umm why yes, but what's that noise you're making?

    60:I'm golden with these gears but hey we can't all be cherry.

    1m:You can say that again, my pointing model is already off...

    60 from the 60's vs 1m from 2019 last night in #Toronto... a telescope face off 😂
    and the end of the story is that they were both good #telescope and got all their research objects

    #observatory #science #Astrodon #astronomy #yorkuniversity @AllanICarswellObservatory

  38. 60: Groovy skies tonight, you dig it?

    1m: Umm why yes, but what's that noise you're making?

    60:I'm golden with these gears but hey we can't all be cherry.

    1m:You can say that again, my pointing model is already off...

    60 from the 60's vs 1m from 2019 last night in #Toronto... a telescope face off 😂
    and the end of the story is that they were both good #telescope and got all their research objects

    #observatory #science #Astrodon #astronomy #yorkuniversity @AllanICarswellObservatory