Sun, Moon and Comets

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) during twilight of October 23, 24, 25 and 27, 2024.

Equipment: FTF2020M CCD with IR-blocking filter on 25cm f/D=5.7 Newton (f=1455mm). Sum of 9 exposures of 60 seconds. Click on the left image for an overview of the four photographs covering a field of view of 0.76x0.70 degrees each. The images are processed with an unsharp mask using a rotational uniform filter over 16 degrees centered on the comet's head. Details in the comet's tail are enhanced by a factor of 3.

Click on the right image for a gif showing, in a loop, the unprocessed and sharpened images, albeit with limited greyscale depth! (Click here for a 'mouse-over' version of the unsharp masked and non sharpened (but still processed!) images.)
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS 23-27 october 2024, unsharp masked TSUCHINSHAN-ATLAS (C/2023 A3)
October 23, 24, 25 & 27, 2024
Scope: 25cm Newton f/D=5.7
CCD: FTF2020-M
Filter: Melles Griot IR-blocking
Exposure: 9x60 seconds
FoV each: 0.76x0.70 degrees
 Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS 23-27 october 2024

Eclipse of Moon, 28 September 2015 ECLIPSED MOON IN PISCES STAR FIELD
September 28, 2015
300mm Tele-objective F#4.0
FTF2020-M CCD
RGB-filter wheel
Eclipsed Moon: 2 sec RGB
Star field: 30 sec RGB
FoV: 4.7x3.5 degrees

Comet Lulin 2 maart 2009 COMET LULIN
March 2, 2009

25cm Newton f/D=5.7
FTF2020-M CCD with RGB filter wheel
Lum.: 1x60 sec; RGB: 4x60sec
FoV: 0.9x0.9 degr
 8P/Tuttle near M33 COMET 8P/TUTTLE NEAR M33
December 30, 2007

f=300mm Telelens @ F#4
FTF2020-M CCD with RGB filter wheel
RGB: 4x120sec; L: 4x120sec
FoV: cropped to 2.4x1.9 degr

Moon with 15 times enhanced colours, 24 november 2007

25cm Newton with Barlow projection f/D=12; FTF1010-M CCD; MYC-filterwheel+10xND filter; Exp.time 0.05sec
Moon northern half Moon east side Moonn Mare Tranquillitatis Moon detail around Tycho
NORTHERN HALF
Note the area around Aristarchus,
Copernicus, Plato, Aristillus, the
material deposits around Copernicus
and Kepler and the brown/blue
colours of the Mares
 EASTERN DETAIL
Note the reddish colour
of Theophilis and the
deposits around
Proclus		 MARE TRANQUILLITATIS
and Mare Serenitatis:
Brown versus blue
 DETAIL OF AREA
AROUND TYCHO
Note the contrast in
colour around and
south-west of Tycho
and the eastern and
northern part of the image
Volle maan in kleur FULL MOON in colour, 2/3 february 2007

<-- Click on the image for a description of the image processing

25cm Newton, f/D=5.7, FTT1010-M CCD and RGB-filterset + 10xND
Exposure: 35 msec; Colour enhanced 15 times

COMET 17P/HOLMES

Equipment: 25cm Newton f/D=5.7; FTF2020-M CCD; RGB-filterwheel

Mouse-over: Sharpened with a Larson-Sekanina filter
Stitched images of 30 oct.
3, 7 11 and 15 nov. 2007
FoV: 3.8x0.8 degr.
17P/HOLMES 11 nov. 2007
25cm Newton f/D=5.7
FTF2020-M CCD
RGB-filterwheel
RGB: 20x30sec; L: 7x30sec
FoV: 0.55x0.55 degr
Mouse-over: LS-filtered
 17P/HOLMES 7 nov. 2007
25cm Newton f/D=5.7
FTF2020-M CCD
RGB-filterwheel
Exposure RGB: 20x30sec
FoV: 0.55x0.55 degr
Mouse-over: LS-filtered
 17P/HOLMES 3 nov. 2007
25cm Newton f/D=5.7
FTF2020-M CCD
RGB-filterwheel
Exposure RGB: 10x30sec
FoV: 0.55x0.55 degr
Mouse-over: LS-filtered
 17P/HOLMES 30 oct. 2007
25cm Newton f/D=5.7
FTF2020-M CCD
RGB-filterwheel
Exposure RGB: 8x10sec
FoV: 0.55x0.55 degr
Mouse-over: LS-filtered

Total lunar eclipse 3/4 march 2007 Eclipse of Moon 3/4 march 2007 Moon and Saturn Schwassmann-Wachmann 73P
Total Lunar Eclipse
3/4 march 2007
15cm Newton, f/D=6.3
FTT1010-C color CCD
Partial eclipsed Moon :
0.1-0.7sec with 1mm NG3 filter
Fully eclipsed Moon:
3-5 sec
 Eclipsed Moon in Leo star field
3/4 march 2007
300mm Telelens F#5.5
FTF2020-M CCD
RGB-filter
Eclipsed Moon: 2 sec RGB
Star field: 15 sec RGB
FoV: 4.1x2.7 degrees
 Full moon in color
2/3 february 2007
25cm Newton, f/D=5.7
FTT1010-M CCD
RGB-filter + 10xND
Exposure: 2x35 msec
Orginal color image
Enhanced colors 15x
 Full moon and Saturn
2 february 2007
25cm Newton,f/D=5.7
FTT1010-M CCD
R-filter + 10x ND
Exposure: 40 msec
Saturn enhanced 25 times
 Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann
Fragments C and B, 11 may 2006
25cm Newton, f/D=5.7 with FTF2020-M CCD
Exposure time: 90 seconds
Field of View: 0.96x0.96 degr.

Macholz near Pleiades 7 jan 2005 MACHOLZ near the PLEIADES
7 january 2005
f=300mm tele-objective, F# 5.5
FTF2020-M CCD
Exposure: 7x15 seconds
 Macholz near Pleiaden 8 jan 2005 MACHOLZ near the PLEIADES
8 january 2005
f=300mm tele-objective, F# 5.5
FTF2020-M CCD
Exposure: 17x12 seconds
NEAT C/2001 Q4 15 may 2004 COMET NEAT C/2001 Q4
near Beehive (M44), 15 may 2004
300mm tele-objective, f/D=5.5
FTF2020-M, MYC-filters
Each color 4x100sec
M,Y,C combined to b/w-image
 Macholz with jets 4 feb 2005 Macholz with jets
4 february 2005
f=4300mm Cassegrain, f/D=16.8
FTT1010-M CCD; 14x30 seconds
Larson-Sekanina filter Alfa=15gr
Field of view: 0.13x0.1 graad

Lunar Eclips AVI-file LUNAR ECLIPS (AVI-file 480kB)
9 november 2003
FTT1010-Color CCD
prime focus 15cm Newton f/D=6.3
10x ND-filter outside totality
Exposure: 0.1 to 8 seconds
 Moon in earth shadow EARTH SHADOW
Eclipse 9 november 2003 (23u33,
00u26, 01u19, 02u12, 03u04 (UT))
FTT1010-Color CCD
prime focus 15cm Newton f/D=6.3
10x ND-filter outside totality
Exposure: 0.1 to 8 seconds
Partial eclipse 4u05UT Partial eclipse 4u25UT PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 31 MAY 2003
210mm tele-objective, 200 ASA colour film
This time no CCD image (although the CCD was used to scan the film)
Left photo: 4u05 UT, near Gennep with the church of Hommersum
on the sky line
Right photo: 4u25 UT, near the same location.

Sun 4 may 2003 and transit of Mercury 7 may 2003:
25cm Newton and FTT1010-M CCD-camera using Barlow projection: Effective focal length f=3.4m, f/D=13.
Filters: 1X Mylar screen in front of Newton, 1x ND3 in front of Barlow-lens, RG630 en IR afkapfilter in front of CCD.
Illumination: 1 exposure of 50 milliseconds. Field of view appr. 0.2x0.2 degree.
Sun spots 4 may 2003 Mercurius eclips
(Movie: 300kB)		 Mercury Transit 9:30 Mercury Transit 10:20 Mercury Transit 10:30
Groups of sunspots
4 may 2003, 14:00UT		 Transit of Mercury
7 may 2003, 10:15-10:31UT		 Transit of Mercury
7 may 2003, 09:30UT		 Transit of Mercury
7 may 2003, 10:20UT		 Transit of Mercury
7 may 2003, 10:30UT

Comet Ikeya-Zhang with FTT1010-M CCD
(Short exposures to avoid over-exposure by twilight)
(All images are processed with an unsharp masking technique)
Ikeya-Zhang march 10 Ikeya-Zhang march 22 Ikeya-Zhang march 23 Ikeya-Zhang march 24
10 March 2002
f=200mm Telelens
27x15sec		 22 March 2002
f=300mm Telelens
22x15sec		 f=950mm Newton
70x10sec		 24 March 2002
Barlow projection
f=3300mm
60x5sec
1998 WT24
 Near earth astroid 1998 WT24, near NGC891
Date: 16 December 2001, 21:00 till 22:10 UT
FTT1010-M with F=300mm telelens, Diaphragm: 5.5
Exposure time: 11 exposures of 1 min.; 7 min. separation between images
Processing: Background removed

CRATERS Schickard and specially formed Wargentin, 28 november 2001
Scope: 25cm Newton, f/D=46
CCD: FTT1010-M
Exposure: 1 image of 0.1 sec
Image is unsharp masked for more detail
ECLIPS OF THE MOON, 9 January 2001
Right: During totality, Left: End of eclips
Scope and CCD: 15cm Newton with FT1020 colour-CCD in prime focus, f/D=6.3
Exposure: Sum of 4x30sec (due to dense cirrus clouds)
MOON: South part.
Scope: 25cm Newton with Barlow projection f/D=13.1
CCD: FT1020 colour-CCD in binning mode
Exposure: 0.2sec
MOON: View perpendicular on crater Tycho.
This image is calculated from the above image by correcting for the perspective
distortion as a result of the spherical shape of the moon.
Details: See previous image.
SUN, 13 may 2001
Scope: f=950mm Newton at f/D=20
Filters: 2x Milar + 1x Aluminum mirror.
CCD: FT1020 in black/white mode
Exp.: Sum of 25 images of 0.5sec
Remarks: Unsharp masked.