Sky Shooter - Pleine Lune - Calendrier Lunaire

Pleine Lune - Full Moon

La lune montre son visage entier sur Terre environ une fois par mois. Eh bien, en quelque sorte.

La plupart du temps, la pleine lune n'est pas parfaitement pleine. Nous voyons toujours le même côté de la lune, mais une partie est dans l'ombre. Ce n'est que lorsque la lune, la Terre et le soleil sont parfaitement alignés que la lune est pleine à 100% et que cet alignement produit une éclipse lunaire .

Et parfois - une fois dans une lune bleue - la lune est pleine deux fois par mois (ou quatre fois par saison, selon la définition que vous préférez).

Noms de pleine lune supplémentaires

De nombreuses cultures ont donné des noms distincts à la pleine lune de chaque mois. Les noms ont été appliqués à l'ensemble du mois au cours duquel chacun s'est produit. The Farmer's Almanac répertorie plusieurs noms couramment utilisés aux États-Unis. Il y a quelques variations dans les noms de lune, mais en général, les mêmes ont été utilisés parmi les tribus algonquines de la Nouvelle-Angleterre à l'ouest jusqu'au lac Supérieur. Les colons européens ont suivi leurs propres coutumes et ont créé certains de leurs propres noms.

D'autres Amérindiens avaient des noms différents. Dans le livre " This Day in North American Indian History " (Da Capo Press, 2002), l'auteur Phil Konstantin répertorie plus de 50 peuples autochtones et leurs noms pour les pleines lunes.

Les noms de pleine lune correspondent souvent à des marqueurs saisonniers, de sorte qu'une lune de récolte se produit à la fin de la saison de croissance, en septembre ou octobre, et la lune froide se produit en décembre glacial. C'est du moins ainsi que cela fonctionne dans l'hémisphère Nord.

Dans l'hémisphère sud, où les saisons changent, la lune des moissons se produit en mars et la lune froide en juin. Selon Earthsky.org , ce sont des noms communs pour les pleines lunes au sud de l'équateur.

Juste une phase lunaire

La lune est une sphère qui se déplace une fois autour de la Terre tous les 27,3 jours. Il faut également environ 27 jours à la lune pour tourner sur son axe . Ainsi, la lune nous montre toujours le même visage; il n'y a pas un seul "côté obscur" de la lune. Lorsque la lune tourne autour de la Terre, elle est illuminée sous différents angles par le soleil - ce que nous voyons lorsque nous regardons la lune est la lumière du soleil réfléchie. En moyenne, la lune se lève environ 50 minutes plus tard chaque jour, ce qui signifie qu'elle se lève parfois pendant la journée et à d'autres moments de la nuit.

À la nouvelle lune, la lune est entre la Terre et le soleil, de sorte que le côté de la lune tourné vers nous ne reçoit pas de lumière directe du soleil et n'est éclairé que par une lumière solaire faible réfléchie par la Terre.

Quelques jours plus tard, alors que la lune se déplace autour de la Terre, le côté que nous pouvons voir devient progressivement plus éclairé par la lumière directe du soleil. Ce mince ruban est appelé le croissant de fartage.

Une semaine après la nouvelle lune, la lune est à 90 degrés du soleil dans le ciel et est à moitié éclairée de notre point de vue - ce que nous appelons le premier quartier car il s'agit d'un quart du chemin autour de la Terre.

Quelques jours plus tard, la zone d'éclairage continue d'augmenter. Plus de la moitié du visage de la lune semble recevoir la lumière du soleil. Cette phase est appelée lune gibbeuse croissante.

Lorsque la lune s'est déplacée de 180 degrés par rapport à sa nouvelle position lunaire, le soleil, la Terre et la lune forment une ligne. Le disque de la lune est aussi proche que possible de la pleine illumination du soleil, c'est ce qu'on appelle la pleine lune.

Ensuite, la lune se déplace jusqu'à ce que plus de la moitié de son visage semble recevoir la lumière du soleil, mais la quantité diminue. C'est la phase gibbeuse décroissante.

Quelques jours plus tard, la lune s'est déplacée d'un quart de chemin autour de la Terre, à la troisième position. La lumière du soleil brille maintenant sur l'autre moitié de la face visible de la lune.

Ensuite, la lune entre dans la phase du croissant décroissant, car moins de la moitié de son visage semble recevoir la lumière du soleil, et la quantité diminue.

Enfin, la lune revient à sa nouvelle position de départ. Parce que l'orbite de la lune n'est pas exactement dans le même plan que l'orbite de la Terre autour du soleil, elles sont rarement parfaitement alignées. Habituellement, la lune passe au-dessus ou en dessous du soleil depuis notre point de vue, mais parfois elle passe juste devant le soleil, et nous obtenons une éclipse de soleil .

Chaque pleine lune est calculée pour se produire à un moment exact, qui peut ou non être proche du moment où la lune se lève où vous êtes. Donc, quand une pleine lune se lève, cela se produit généralement quelques heures avant ou après l'heure réelle où elle est techniquement pleine, mais un observateur du ciel décontracté ne remarquera pas la différence. En fait, la lune sera souvent à peu près la même pendant deux nuits consécutives entourant la pleine lune.

Calendrier Lunaire

Calendrier lunaire , tout système de datation basé sur une année composée demois synodiques - c'est -à- dire, cycles complets des phases de la Lune . Chaque année solaire (ou année des saisons), il y a environ 12,37 mois synodiques. Par conséquent, si un calendrier de l'année lunaire doit être synchronisé avec l'année saisonnière, une intercalation (addition) périodique de jours est nécessaire.

le Les Sumériens ont probablement été les premiers à développer un calendrier entièrement basé sur la récurrence des phases lunaires. Chaque mois suméro-babylonien commençait le premier jour de visibilité de la nouvelle Lune. Bien qu'un mois intercalaire ait été utilisé périodiquement,les intercalations ont été faites au hasard, insérées lorsque les astrologues royaux ont réalisé que le calendrier était gravement en décalage avec les saisons. À partir d'environ 380 avant JC , cependant, des règles fixes concernant les intercalations ont été établies, prévoyant la distribution de sept mois intercalaires à des intervalles désignés sur des périodes de 19 ans. Les astronomes grecs ont également conçu des règles d'intercalations pour coordonner les années lunaires et solaires. Il est probable que le calendrier républicain romain était basé sur le calendrier lunaire des Grecs.

Les calendriers lunaires sont toujours utilisés par certains groupes religieux aujourd'hui. leLe calendrier juif , qui date apparemment de 3 760 ans et trois mois avant l'ère chrétienne ( AV . JC ) en est un exemple. L'année religieuse juive commence à l'automne et se compose de 12 mois alternant entre 30 et 29 jours. Il permet une année bissextile périodique et un mois intercalaire. Un autre calendrier lunaire, leMusulman , date du 15-Juillet hégire, ANNONCE 622, le jour où le prophète Muḥammad a commencé sa migration de La Mecque à Médine. Il ne fait aucun effort pour garder les années calendaires et saisonnières ensemble.

Latest images

M-63 was taken on 4-20-09 from Ft. Davis. Exposure was L = 90 min. and RGB was 30 min. each.

M-17 The Swan Nebula. I processed this image sever times but liked this one the best. The first one showed only the body. The 2nd showed much more of the nebula so I compromised with this image of a mixture of the two. Exposure was RGB = 30 min. each and processed in MaxIm and Photoshop.

NGC-7008. This is a small Nebula for the STL-6303 camera. Exposure was L = 70 min. and RGB = 30 min. each.

MaxIm and Photoshop was used for the processing. This images was taken on 7-15-09.

M-27 taken from Ft. Davis on 7-16-09. Exposure was RGB = 30 min. each. Processed in MaxIm and Photoshop.

This image of M-20 was taken on 7-17-09. Equipment used was a 14.5" RCOS and the SBIG STL-6303 with a class 1 chip. Exposure was L = 60 min. and RGB = 30 min. each. Processed in MaxIm and Photoshop.

Galaxies

M-101 with supernova PTF11kly. Taken on August 28,2011 from Fort Davis, Texas. Equipment used was 14.5 RCOS with the SBIG-6303 camera.

Exposure was L=105 min. RGB=30 min. each.

M-106 taken in March 2011 from Ft. Davis, Texas. Exposure time was L=90min. and RGB was 30min. each.

M -74, taken on 10-5-10 from Ft. Davis with a 14.5 RCOS and the SBIG-6303. Exposure was L=90min. and 30min. RGB each.

NGC-4535

NGC-4889 and a few friends gathered in Coma Berenices for this image. Also known as Abell 1656, The Coma Galaxy Cluster. It is joined by NGC-4874 to make quite a site. This cluster has more than 1000 galaxies in it. How many can you count? Exposure was L=120 min. with a 14.5" RCOS.

NGC-2403 is a faint Spiral Galaxy in Camelopardalis. It is about 12 million light years away. It has a small dim nucleus and open spiral arms.

This image was taken on 11-24-08 from Fort Davis. Taken with a 14.5" RCOS and the SBIG STL-6303 camera. Exposure was L=90 min. and RGB=30 min. each.

NGC-4631 (right) is a huge edge on spiral galaxy located in Canes Venatici. It is distorted by its small elliptical companion, NGC-4627. The pair is also listed in the Arp Catalog as ARP 281. It is also known as The Whale and Pup. It lies about 25 million light years away. NGC-4656 (top left) is also know as the Hockey Stick. The gravitational tug-of-war has warped the shape of this galaxy. Image taken with a Takahashi FS-128 and the ST-10XME.

NGC-3521 is a spiral galaxy located in Leo and lies about 35 million light years away. It has a very bright core. It also has an extensive halo above and below the plane of its spiral arms. Several other small galaxies can be seen in the background.

NGC-4088 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy forms a physical pair with NGC-4085. It is also listed in the ARP Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as Arp 18. Exposure was L=65 min. and RGB= 25 min. each.

M-104, is also known as the Sombrero Galaxy because of its appearance, is located in Virgo. It has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge, and a prominent dust lane, or band of dust in the galactic disc. From Earth, it is seen nearly edge-on. The dark dust lane in the disk and the prominent round bulge give this galaxy the appearance of a sombrero. It lies about 29 million light years away. Many small faint galaxies can be seen in the background.

M-95 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Leo. It lies about 38 million light years from Earth. The center of the galaxy contains a ring-shaped star forming region.

M-94 is a spiral galaxy located iatici. It has a very bright center. The outer zone has a spiral pattern with two prominent dust lanes and numerous star clouds. It lies about 15 million light years away. Exposure was L=70 min. and RGB=25 min. each.n Canes Ven

NGC-3628 is a Spiral Galaxy located in Leo. It is part of the Trio in Leo group. It is seen edge-on. A band of dark dust clouds form a broad equatorial band, which obscures the galaxy's bright central region, and hides most of the bright young stars in its spiral arms. The dust band, or belt, is obviously distorted and deformed in the outer regions of the galaxy. The reason for this deformation is evidently the gravitational interaction with its two bright neighbors, M65 and M66. This image was taken on 4-3-08 Exposure was L=60min. and RGB= 20 min. each.

NGC-3718 (Arp 214) has an unusual shape and is known as a lenticular galaxy. Lower right is NGC-3729. They are located in Ursa Major. They lie about 52 million light years away. NGC-3718 has a dust lane that sweeps through its bright central region and out into its faint spiral arms. Exposure was L=120 min. and RGB=25 min. each. Taken from Ft. Davis on Feb. 8th 2008.

M-81 is also known as Bode's Galaxy. It is located in Ursa Major and is one of the brightest in the night sky. It has a very bright center with faint arms spiraling out from the main body. Exposure was L=120 min. and RGB=30 min. each

NGC-925 is a barred spiral galaxy located in Triangulum. It lies about 30 Million Light Years away. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=25 min. each. Sky conductions were only fair. Taken with a 14.5" RCOS and the ST-10XME.

NGC-3079 is a barred spiral galaxy located in Ursa Major and lies 50 million light years away. This image was taken on 1-12-08. Exposure was L=100 min. and RGB=25 min. each.

NGC-1530 was taken on 1-8-08. It is a barred spiral galaxy located in Camelopardalis. Note the prominent bar of gas and dust across the center of the galaxy. Another unique feature is that the spiral arms start at the ends of the bar and not at the center as in normal spiral galaxies. Exposure was L=120 min. and RGB=25 min. each.

This image of Arp-1 or NGC-2857 was taken on 1-6-08. It is located in Ursa Major and has a low surface brightness. Note the two long thin arms. There are several other Galaxies in the same field of view. Exposure was L=120 min.

M-64, also know as the Black Eye galaxy is located in Coma Berenices. It has a dust lane on one side of the nucleus that may be caused by material from a former companion which has been accreted but has yet to settle into the mean orbital plane of the disk. It lies at a distance of about 17 million light years from earth.

This image was taken from Ft. Davis on 6-15-07. Exposure was L=50min. and RGB=20min. each. Combined in Maxim and processed in Photoshop.

NGC-776 is a faint galaxy located in Aries. It has faint spiral arms extending from a bright core. It is surrounded by numerous faint galaxies in the background. Exposure was L=70 min. and RGB=25 min. each. Taken from Ft. Davis, TX. in Sept. of 2006.

NGC 253 is a spiral galaxy in the southern hemisphere constellation of Sculptor. It is a starburst galaxy, meaning that an unusually large amount of star formation activity is taking place. It lies at a distance of about10 million light years away. This image was taken 9-18-06 from Ft. Davis, Tx. with a ST=10XME and a 16" RCOS. Exposure was L=90 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

NGC-7640 is located in Andromeda and lies 4 deg. to the southwest of the "Blue Snowball. This galaxy is small and faint and often overlooked. This edge on galaxy lies about 28 million light years away. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

NGC-5907 is a spiral galaxy located about 50 million light years away in Draco. It is edge-on as seen from Earth.. The bright central core can be seen from behind the extensive dust lanes of the spiral arms.
Taken on 7-18-06 from Ft. Davis, Tx. Exposure was L-90min. and RGB= 20min. each.

M-106 is a bright spiral galaxy in the constellation of Canes Venatici. It lies at a distance of 35 million light years away. This image was taken on 7-20-06 from Ft. Davis, TX. Exposure was L-90min. and RGB=25min. each.

NGC 6946 is a spectacular but dim galaxy located at a distance of 10 million light years. This spiral galaxy is in the constellation Cepheus. Taken from Ft. Davis, Texas with a 16" RCOS and the ST-10XME. Exposure was L=80 min. & RGB=15 min.each

M-51 is located 31 million light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici, near the Big Dipper. It is actually a pair of interacting galaxies viewed nearly face on from Earth. The companion galaxy NGC-5195 is actually passing behind M-51. Even through a small telescope it is a beautiful view. This image was taken from Ft. Davis, TX. on July 17, 2006 with a 16" RCOS at f5 and the ST-10XME. Exposure was L=65min. and RGB=20min each. Processed in Maxim and Photo Shop.

NGC-4490 (larger) and NGC-4485 (smaller) are a pair of spiral galaxies that have been distorted by each other. These galaxies have already passed close to each other and are now separating . A trail of stars stretch between the two. The two galaxies are about 24,000 light years apart. They are located in Canes Venatic between 40 & 50 million light years away. This image was taken on 7-23-06 from Ft. Davis, Tx. Exposure was L=60min. and RGB=20min each

M-108 is nearly edge-on as viewed from Earth. It is about 45 million light years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It shows little or no bulge and no noticeably strong center, being a motley collection of features often referred to as very dusty. This image was taken from Ft. Davis, Tx. on 7-19-06 with the ST-10XME and a 16" RCOS at f5. Exposure was L=50min and RGB=20min each.

M109 is about 55 million light years away This galaxy shows an intriguing wealth of structure, including a central bar, almost complete surrounding ring, and outer arms which extend outward from dust lanes spiraling through the ring. It is located in Ursa Major at the bottom of the "bowl" of the Big Dipper. This image was taken on 6-23-06 from Ft. Davis, Texas with a 16" RCOS and the St-10XME. Exposure was L=90min. and RGB=20min. each. Combined in MaxIm and processed in Photo Shop.

M-101 also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy is located in Ursa Major. It is a very large face on galaxy and its distance is about 24 million light years away. It has several extremely luminous star-forming (H II) regions in the outer spiral arms, some having their own NGC numbers. M101 itself is further noteworthy for its extensive and lopsided distribution of neutral hydrogen gas, and for showing evidence of gas falling into its disk at high speeds. This image was taken on 6-19-06 from Ft. Davis, Tx. with a 16"RCOS at f6.3 and the ST10XME. Exposure was L=90min and RGB=20min each.

NGC 4631, also known as the Whale, is a huge edge-on spiral galaxy, which is apparently distorted by its small elliptical companion, NGC 4627. The disk is not perfectly flat but shows "warps" on both sides. The different colors in the image represent different states of stellar evolution. The blue knots are caused by young massive stars. The yellow-green component is caused by "mid-age" stars and the red color of the bulge in the center of the galaxy is due to an old population of red giants. This image was taken from Ft. Davis, Tx. Exposure time was L=90 min and RGB=25 min each

M-104, also known as the Sombrero Galaxy because of its appearance, is located in Virgo. It has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge, and a prominent dust lane, or band of dust in the galactic disc. From Earth, it is seen nearly edge-on. The dark dust lane in the disk and the prominent round bulge give this galaxy the appearance of a sombrero. Taken from Ft. Davis on 4-25-06 with a 16" RCOS and the ST-10XME. Exposure was L=95 min. and RGB=25 Min. each.

NGC-7479 is an extreme example of a "barred spiral" galaxy. Notice how far its arms extend from the center of the core until they start to bend. It is located in Pegasus at a distance of about 140 million light years away. It is 160,000 light years across making it about the same size as our Milky Way Galaxy. Taken on 7-25-06 from Ft. Davis. Exposure was L=95min and RGB=20min each

These two colliding galaxies, NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 are collectively known as "The Antennae". They are located about 60 million light years from Earth located in the constellation Corvus. The gravitational forces upon the two has initiated a huge area of H alpha emission where star formation is now occurring; (the red area in the middle of the two). Faintly visible in the image are two long-trailing galaxy arms which have been slung out far away from the galaxy centers. Taken from Ft. Davis, Texas with a 16" RCOS and the ST-10XME. Exposure was L=80 min. & RGB=15 min.each

M-101 ...... also know as the Pinwheel Galaxy. This Spiral Galaxy is located in Ursa Major at a distanceof 27 million miles away. This image was taken on 1-30-06. Exposure was L=110 min. and RGB=25 min. each. Taken with a Takahashi FS-128 & ST-10XME.

Leo I. It is a Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy in Leo. Because of its apparent proximity to bright first-magnitude Regulus of only about 12 arc minutes, this galaxy is extremely difficult to view visually despite its considerably high total visual brightness of 9.8 magnitudes; therefore, it was not detected visually before about 1990. I was only able to find 2 other images of this Dwarf Galaxy. This image was taken on 1-5-06 from Ft. Davis. Exposure was L=120 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

NGC-3628 is a Spiral Galaxy located in Leo. It is part of the Trio in Leo group.It is seen edge-on. A conspicuous band of dark dust clouds form a broad equatorial band, which obscures the galaxy's bright central region, and hides most of the bright young stars in its spiral arms. The dust band, or belt, is obviously distorted and deformed in the outer regions of the galaxy. The reason for this deformation is evidently the gravitational interaction with its two bright neighbors, M65 and M66. This image was taken on 1-2-06. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB= 20 min. each.

M-65 is a spiral galaxy located in Leo. It is part of a group known as the Trio in Leo (M-65, M-66 & NGC 3628). Exposure was L=100 min and RGB=20 min. each.

M-66 is another spiral galaxy located very close to M-65 in Leo. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min each. Taken from Ft. Davis on April 6th, 2005.

NGC-4725 is located in Coma Berenices and is a very pretty barred spiral galaxy. Taken with the 16" RCOS and the ST-10XME. Exposure was L=60 min. & RGB=20 min. each.

NGC-891 taken on 12-10-04 from Ft. Davis with a 16" RCOS and the ST-10XME. Exposure time was L=60min RGB=20min. It is a fine edge on spiral Galaxy with a wide dust lane in the center. It is located in Andromeda.

M-65, M-66, and NGC-3628 also known as the Trio in Leo. Taken from Ft. Davis with the Takahashi FS-128 and the SBIG ST-8XE. Exposure time was L=90 min. and RGB=20min.

NGC-2403 is a Spiral Galaxy located in Camelopardalis. I processed this image to show the faint arms of the galaxy. It has very little color in it.

M-33 taken with the Takahashi-FS-128 and the ST-8XE from Ft. Davis. This spiral galaxy is very large but has low surface brightness. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min.

NGC-7814 is located in Pegasus. It is a edge on galaxy with a very bright central core with a dark dust lane going all the way through the galaxy. It lies about 46 million light years away and is 80,000 light years across. Taken with a 16" RCOS and the ST-10XME.

NGC-6951 is a barred spiral galaxy located in Cepheus. Exposure time was L=40 min. RGB=15 min.each.

NGC-5908 is a spiral galaxy located in Draco. Exposure time was L=50 min. & RGB=15 min.

NGC 7331 is part of the Deerlick Group of galaxies located in Pegasus. It has a spiral structure with several other galaxies around it.

NGC 6946 is located in Cepheus and lies about 18 million light years away. It is a large face on spiral galaxy with several large arms.

NGC-5905 is located in Draco and has a mag. of 12.6. Exposure time was 60 minutes. The arms are very faint, and there is another small galaxy at the 5:00 position.

NGC-4567/68 are know as the Siamese Galaxies located in Virgo. It is thought that the galaxies are just starting to collide with each other. They are 41 million light years away. Exposure time was L=50 min. and RGB = 20 min. each.

NGC-4274 exposure time was L=50 min. and RGB=15 min. each. It is located in Coma Berenices

M-82 is a irregular galaxy located in Ursa Major about 12 million light years away. It has a lot of activity near the center with explosive gas flows.

NGC 1300 is a good example of a barred spiral galaxy. It is located in the constellation Eridanus. It lies at about 46 million light years away and is about 85,000 light years across. It faces us almost face on which give us a great view.

NGC 2903 is a typical spiral galaxy. It is elongated with multiple spiral arms. It is almost face on to the Earth. It lies about 20 million light years away. The constellation of Leo is its home.

M 74 with a super nova. It is a very large spiral face on galaxy with a lot of structure. Its spiral arms stretch out about 1000 light years. Located in Pisces it is about the same size as our Milky Way Galaxy. It has produced two supernova.

Nebulas

NGC-2024 is known as the Flame Nebula. It is located in Orion right next to the bright star Alnitak. It lies about a 1000 light years away.

Taken from Ft. Davis on 11-25-08 with the STL-6303 and a 14.5" RCOS. Exposure was 30 min. each of RGB.

M-78 is a bright reflection nebula located in Orion. It is a cloud of interstellar dust which shines in the reflected light of a nearby bright blue star.

NGC-2359 is also known as Thor's Helmet and is located in Canis Major. A very hot star excites this bubble of gas and makes it light up. It lies about 15,000 light years away. This image was taken with a Takahashi FS-128 with exposure of L=120 min. and RGB=30 min. each.

Wide field shot of the Horse Head and the Flame nebula taken on 2-8-08. This was a tough one to image because of the bright star in the field. Exposure was L=110 min. and RGB 25 min. each. Even with the bright star causing big problems I think it is still a pretty object.

M-42 in Orion is one of my favorites. It has so many different features and lots of detail. Taken on 2-7-08 with the FS-128 at f/6. Exposure was L= 90 min. and RGB= 25 min. each.

NGC-2392 is a planetary nebula located in Gemini. It is also know as the Eskimo or Clown Face Nebula. It is one of the brighter planetary nebulae in the skies. It is a shell of gas and other material that is being blown into space by a star which is visible at the center.

NGC-1514 is a planetary nebula located in Taurus. It has a bright inner shell with a faint outer shell. The bright star in the center of the nebula makes it a hard object to image. It is about 2300 light years away. Exposure was L=50 min. and RGB=20 min. each. Taken on 1-10-08 from Ft. Davis, Tx.

M-57, often called the Ring Nebula is located in Lyra. It lies about 2000 light years away. Planetary nebulas are shells of gas shed by stars late in their life cycles after using up all of their nuclear fuel. The star then ejects a significant portion of its mass in a gaseous shell, which is illuminated by its extremely hot central star, which is just the core left from the original star. The central star can be seen in this image.

NGC 7129 is a star-forming region that contains many interesting features. It is located about 3000 light years away in the constellation Cepheus and is 10 light years across. It contains around 130 young stars surrounded by glowing clouds of gas and dust. It is a reflection nebula which means it is reflecting the light from nearby stars. Also taken from Ft. Davis in September of 2006.

NGC-7293 also known at The Helix Nebula is one of the closest to Earth of all planetary nebulae: It lies at a distance of about 450 light years away. The Helix Nebula is the closest example of a planetary nebula created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. . Taken from Ft. Davis in Sept. 06. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

Abell 39 is a Planetary Nebula that has a diameter of about five light-years, and the thickness of the spherical shell is about a third of a light-year. The nebula itself is roughly 7,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules. It was formed as a once sun-like star's outer atmosphere was expelled over a period of thousands of years. Still visible, the nebula's central star is evolving into a hot white dwarf. Taken from Ft. Davis, Tx. on 7-16-06. This object is very faint and is not an easy target. Exposure was L=90min. and RGB=20min.each. Equipment was the ST-10XME and a 16" RCOS at f5. Processed in Maxim and Photo Shop.

NGC-7023 is a nebula that is a complex mixture of reflection, emission and dark nebulosity surrounding a 7.4 magnitude star that illuminates the reflection nebula. It is located in the constellation of Cepheus. Taken on 6-19-06 from Ft. Davis, Tx. Equipment was a Takahashi FS-128 & the ST-10XME. Exposure was L=120min. and RGB=30min. each

The Trifid Nebula M20, is famous for its three-lobed appearance. The red emission nebula with its young star cluster near its center is surrounded by a blue reflection nebula which is particularly conspicuous to the northern end. The nebula's distance is rather uncertain, with estimates of 2,200 light years to 7,600 light years. It is located in the constellation of Sagittarius. This image was taken form Ft. Davis, Tx with the ST-10XME and the Takahashi FS-128. Exposure was L-75min. and RGB=20min. each.

The dark winding lanes visible in part of the constellation Ophiuchus belong to the Snake Nebula. The Snake Nebula is a series of dark absorption clouds made up of Interstellar dust. Interstellar dust grains composed predominantly of carbon - absorb visible starlight and reradiate much of it in the infrared. This absorption causes stars behind the clouds to be obscured from view, hence the appearance of starless voids on the sky. Taken from Ft. Davis, Tx. with the Takahashi FS-128 and the ST-10XME. Exposure was L-50min. and RGB=15min. each.

M-97, the Owl Nebula, is a Planetary Nebula located in Ursa Major. It lies about 1500 light years away. This image was taken on 1-30-06 from Ft. Davis, Tx. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min.each.

NGC-2359 known as Thor's Helmet is located in Canis Major. It is a bright bubble nebula surrounding a Wolf-Rayet Star which is an extremely hot star near the center of the helmet. It lies at a distance of about 15,000 light years away. This image was taken on 1-30-06 from Ft. Davis. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

IC-5146 also known as the Cocoon Nebula is a large, but faint nebula located in the constellation Cygnus.The Cocoon has an nebula emitting H-alpha radiation centered on an open cluster. Surrounding the emission nebula is a faint "halo" of blue nebulosity. Image was taken on 1-18-06 with the Takahashi FS-128 and the ST-10XME. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

Hubbles Variable also known a NGC-2661. It is a reflection nebula made of gas and fine dust fanning out from the star R Monocerotis. The faint nebula is about one light-year across and lies about 2500 light-years away towards the constellation of Monocerotis This unusual nebula changes its appearance noticeably in just a few weeks. This image was taken on 1-5-06. Exposure was L=50 min. and RGB=30 min. each.

M-76 is a planetary nebula, also known as the Little Dumbbell Nebula. It is located in Perseus. Taken on 1-4-06 from Ft. Davis. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

NGC-1501 is a nice little planetary nebula which displays a surprising amount of detail. It is located in Camelopardalis. It is about 1 light year across and lies 4000 light years away. This image was taken on 1-4-06 from Ft. Davis. Exposure was L=80 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

Barnard 33, the Horsehead Nebula is located just below the Belt in Orion. It is a dark globule of dust and non-luminous gas, obscuring the light coming from behind. It is about 1600 light years away. Very hard to see visually but very easy with a CCD camera. Exposure was L=60 min. and RGB=20 min. each.This image was taken on 1-2-06 from Ft. Davis.

NGC-7008 is a Planetary Nebula located in Cygnus. Exposure was L=50 min. and RGB=25 min.each. Taken on 8-30-05 from Ft. Davis with the ST-10XME and a 16" RCOS.

NGC-6820 is a Diffuse Nebula located in Vulpecula. NGC-6823 an open cluster is embedded in the nebula. This image was taken from Ft. Davis, Tx. on 8-30-05. Exposure was L=50 min. and RGB=20 min. each.

NGC-6888 also know as the Crescent Nebula is located in Cygnus. This image was taken in July of 2005 from Ft. Davis, Texas with the SBIG ST-10XME and the Takahashi FS-128. Exposure time was L=60 min. and RGB=25 min. each. Combined in MaxIm and processed in Photoshop.

NGC-6781 is a Planetary Nebula located in Aquila. It is a bubble of gas that was expelled by a star that has died. This images was taken on 7-8-05 with a 16" RCOS and the ST-10XME. Exposure time was L=50 min. and RGB=20 min. each. Combined in MaxIm and processed in Photo Shop.

M-1 also know as the Crab Nebula was taken with the 16" RCOS and the ST-10XME. Exposure was L=60 min. RGB=20 min each. M-1 is a supernova remnant. The supernova was seen on July 4, 1054A.D. It was visible in the daylight for 23 days.

M-16 wide field was taken from Ft. Davis, Texas on 8-12-04. Image taken with the Takahashi FS-128 and the SBIG ST-8XE. Exposure was L=50 min. and RGB=20 min. Combined in MaxIm and processed in Photoshop.

NGC-6894 is a small planetary nebula located in Cygnus. Exposure was L=35 min. & RGB=15 min. each. Combined and processed in MaxIm.

M -16 taken from Ft. Davis, Texas with the ST-10XME and a 16"RCOS. Exposure time was L=60 min. bin 1 and RGB=15 min. each in bin 2. Combine in MaxIm and processed in Photoshop.

M-27 is known as the Dumbbell Nebula because of it's shape. It is located in Vulpecula at a distance of 1,250 light years away. It is one of the most impressive objects in the night sky. It also was created when it's central star ejected it's outer shell..

M-57 known as the Ring Nebula is located in Lyra. It was formed when its central star ejected its outer shell and the gas expanded outward. It lies about 2,300 light years away. This planetary nebula is the showpiece of the northern hemisphere summer sky.

M-17 also know as the Omega Nebula or the Swan Nebula is an emission nebula located in Sagittarius. It lies about 5,500 light years away. This gas clouds glow is caused by high energy radiation of young stars.

NGC-7635 is know as the Bubble Nebula and is located in Cassiopeia. It is a very rare example of a planetary nebula around an OB star. In our galaxy there is only one other like it, NGC-6164.

NGC-7293 also known as the Helix Nebula is located in Aquarius. It is a very large planetary nebula. Exposure was L=80 min. and RGB=15 min. each.

M-8 is a Diffuse Nebula located in Sagittarius. It is referred to as the Lagoon Nebula because of the dark matter cutting thru the center. It is estimated to be 5,200 light years away. From a dark site this object can be seen with binoculars

NGC-7048 is a Planetary Nebula located in Cygnus. Exposure was L=60 min. RGB=20 min. each.

This image contains the Horse Head, a dark dust nebula, and the Flame Nebula. They are located in Orion and the Horse Head Nebula lies 1,600 light years from Earth while the Flame Nebula is 1500 light years away. They can be found at the end of the belt stars in Orion.

NGC-2237/2244. The center is known as NGC-2244 which is an open cluster, and the outer cloud of gas and dust is known as NGC-2237, commonly called the Rosetta Nebula. This object is about 130 light years across.

NGC-2024 is known as the Flame Nebula. It is located next to the easternmost star in Orion's belt. It is an emission nebula that is ionized and caused to light up by the easternmost star in Orion's Belt. It is about 1300 light years away.

NGC-7000 known as the North American Nebula due to it's shape. It can be found just north-east of the star Deneb, located in Cygnus. IC-5070 The Pelican Nebula lies to the right. These two emission nebula are located about 1500 light years away. From a dark site they can be seen naked eye.

NGC-246 is a very dim planetary nebula located in Cetus. It has very low surface brightness. It is located 1500 light years away.

NGC-1977 often called the Running Man Nebula consist of a sparse open star cluster with some faint reflection nebula surrounding them. It is located just north of the Orion Nebula

Clusters

This image of M-5 was taken on 6-26-09 from Ft. Davis with the SBIG STL-6303 camera and a 14.5" RCOS. Exposure was RGB = 30 min. each

and processed in Maxim and Photoshop.

M -3 was also taken on 6-26-09. Same as above

M-10

M-11 taken on 6-25-09. Same equipment and time as M-5

M-13 was taken on 6-24-09. I did a lot of clusters on the June trip.

M-35

M-36

M-37

M-38

NGC-5139 also known as Omega Centauri.

Solar System

This H-Alpha image of the Sun was taken from Houston, Texas in mid March 2011.

A very thin New Moon as it drops behind the mountain.

Image of the sun taken on 9-29-10 from Houston, Texas. Equipment was a Takahashi FS-128 with the Coronado H-Alpha filter and the Skynix camera.

Sun spots are making a return. Taken on 7-30-10 from Houston with the Takahashi FS-128 and the Coronado H-Alpha filter.

I hope you got a chance to go out and look at this beautiful site in the Western sky just after sunset. Venus, Jupiter, and Moon put on a great show for several hours.

Saturn taken from North Houston on 3-11-08 with the CPC-11 Celestron and the ToUcam.

The best 110 frames out of 517 taken. Processed in RegiStax V4.

This is a composite image of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. Note the Red Spot on Jupiter, the ring tilt on Saturn and only a half sun lit Venus. This image was taken on 6-12-07

This is a composite image taken of the alignment of Saturn, The Moon, and Venus.

Taken from Ft. Davis on 6-19-07

This image of the Moon was taken in 6-18-2007 with a 16" RCOS and the Lumenera camera.

Images were combined and processed in RegiStax. This area is known as Langrenus.

Same as above.

This area is known as Mare Crisium.

Same as above.

This area is known as Rimae Petavius.

This is an image of Sunspot #960 taken from Houston on 6-4-07. Taken with a Takahashi FS-128 and the Coronado SM-90 HA filter.

Transit of Mercury on November 8, 2006. Shot with web cam & a H-Alpha filter. From Houston Tx.

Transit of Mercury on November 8, 2006. Shot with web cam & a H-Alpha filter.From Houston Tx.

Sun spot also taken on November 8, 2006. From Houston Tx.

Mercury transit as in began. This image was taken in white light with a Takahashi FS-128 and the Nikon D-70s. From Houston Tx.

Mercury in transit taken in white light. The oblong shape of Mercury is due to exposure.

What a beautiful sight. This is a conjunction of Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon taken on 9-6-05 from Ft. Davis, Tx. The star to the left of the moon is Spica. This image was taken with a Nikon D-70 with a 170mm lens exposed for 5 seconds. The dark side of the moon is lit up by Earthshine.

A very nice conjunction between Venus & Jupiter on the morning of Nov. 4, 2004. Taken from Houston, Texas with the Nikon D-70 digital camera and the Takahashi FS-128 at prime focus. Four of Jupiter's moon can be seen.

The Lunar Time Clock. This is a composite of images taken before and during the Total Eclipse on October 27.

Total Lunar Eclipse taken from North Houston on 10-27-04 at 10:05 pm. Image taken with the Nikon D-70 and the Takahashi FS-128 at prime focus. It is a 8 second exposure at 200 ASA.

This image of Saturn was taken from Houston TX, on 1-13-04 @ 9:30 CST. It was taken with the Takahashi FS-128 with a 2.5 powermate & the Philips ToUcam PRO II. Seventy-Five of the best images was aligned and stacked using RegiStax.

This image of Jupiter was taken on 2-19-04 from N. Houston. This image was taken with the ToUcam Pro II using the Takahashi Fs-128 and processed using RegiStax and Photoshop. You Can also see two moons, Io on the left and Europa on the right plus the shadow of Io on planet.

This image of Mars was taken with the Nikon D-100 digital camera through the 36 inch telescope at McDonald Observatory. It is a single exposure processed in Photoshop.

Taken from the N. Houston on 2-22-04 with the Takahashi Fs-128 and the ToUcam Pro II and the SM-90 Solar Max Filter. This is the largest solar flare I have seen in a great while. It looked much better visually than what this image shows. Image was processed with RegiStax and Photoshop.

This is a white light image of the sun taken with the Nikon D-100 showing sun spots.

This annular eclipse photo was taken in 1991 from the center line in El Paso TX.

This total eclipse photo shows the Diamond Ring effect.

This total eclipse photo shows what is called Totality. The moon has covered the entire disc of the sun.

This image show a total lunar eclipse taken from Houston TX.

This is an image of the sun, notice the black dot near the edge of the sun's surface. This is the planet Mercury passing between the Earth and the Sun. This called a Transit.

This image was taken with the Nikon D-100 digital camera.

This image is showing a conjunction of, the Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter.

This image is showing Saturn coming out from behind the Moon.

Comets

Comet McNaught. I was so bright you could see it during the day.

On the evening of Nov. 6, 1892, amateur astronomer Edwin Holmes was scanning the night sky above his backyard in England when he spotted something no one had ever seen before: an exploding comet. One hundred and fifteen years later, Comet 17P/Holmes is exploding again.

This image of Comet 17P Holmes was taken from Ft. Davis on 2-8-08 with a Takahashi FS-128 with a focal reducer. It is about 60' by 45' and is slightly brighter toward the nucleus.

Comet Linear C/2006 VZ-13 Animation

This comet was found on images obtained using the SWAN camera aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft during the period of June 20 to July 5. The comet became an easy evening sky object shortly before mid-October and experienced a very noticeable outburst in brightness on the night of October 23/24. The comet's visual magnitude increased to 4.5, which made it an easy naked-eye object for observers with dark skies

On July 4, 2005 the Deep Impact Mission crashed into Comet Temple 1. This is Photometry of the impact. Each image is a 1 min. exposure starting 5 min. before impact and 17 min. after impact. You can see on the graph time of impact and watch the comet brighten for the next 17 min.

Comet C/2001-Q4 taken from Ft. Davis on July 17, 2004. Image taken with the Tak. FS-128 and the ST-8XE.

Comet C/2003-K4 taken from Ft. Davis, Texas on July 16, 2004

Comet Bradfield

This shot of Comet Linear (C/2002 T7) was taken from Ft. Davis on 1-21-04. Image was taken with a Takahashi FSQ and the SBIG ST-8E. This is a 5 minute exposure. Don Pierce quotes " Those delicate streamers are tail rays, thin bundles of ionized particles and part of the ion or gas tail. This is the best image I have seen so far."

Comet-Hyakutake passing in front of the handle stars of the big dipper. Taken on March 25,1996 on closest approach, only 0.1 AU or about 15 million km away. What a sight, the pale blue tail stretched over 60 deg. across the sky.

Comet-Hale-Bopp was another beautiful comet. Here it is passing in front of M-35. It had two tails, a white dust tail and a blue ion tail. This was the most photographed comet in history.

Comet-Hyakutake with the tail starting to brake away.

Comet Hale-Bopp passing close to the North American Nebula.

Comet Hale-Bopp passing in front of the Double Cluster in Perseus.

Comet Ikeya-Zhang was another pretty comet photographed in April of 2002.