2008-02-21: Total Lunar Eclipse III

As a first draft result of the coordinated observation, I have produced an anaglyph showing a moment of the Lunar Eclipse in 3D.

The first picture was posted in Cielo Sur in answer to the coordinated observation by Leonardo Julio, Alejandro Tombolini and Adriana Fernández from Arenales y Agüero, Capital Federal, Argentina . It was captured with a Meade LX 90 telescope and an Olympus Evolt E-500 camera (provided by Silvia Smith). The second image was captured from Majadahonda (Madrid) by Manuel Castillo using a 9 cm/F10 Matsukov-Cassegrain Telescope and a Canon400D camera at 01:56 GMT. It was selected identifying the corresponding stereoscopic pair in a sequence covering all the Moon immersion in the Earth Shadow. Alignment and scaling was performed using conventional image processing techniques.

2008-02-21: Total Lunar Eclipse II

During the last night, the clouds were a big problem here in Madrid. We had a good window at the beginning of the eclipse. Therefore, the immersion in the shadow was easily visible. However, just after the totality, the conditions degraded a lot. Some open clouds permited to picture part of the totality but the emersion observation was quite difficult because the distribution and thickness of the clouds complicated seriously the imaging.

The following image was captured shortly after the maximum of the eclipse (03:31 GMT) with a 9 cm/F10 Matsukov-Cassegrain Telescope and a Canon400D in the primary focus at 1600 ISO and 5 seconds exposure.

Despite all these problems, I captured a sequence of all the eclipse. It can not be used to produce a video because the captures were not continuous. But, I hope that the individual frames can be used to produce 3D images of the sequence if finally somebody in the other hemisphere was lucky. As soon as I have more info I will post it here

2008-02-21: Total Lunar Eclipse I

For the observation of the total lunar eclipse of next February, 21th 2008 eclipse, we are participating in a coordinated observation of the total lunar eclipse of Next February, 21th 2008 from SouthAmerica and Western Europe.

The main data of the eclipse is shown below:

The eclipse has different characteristics of difficult repeatibility:

- All the eclipse will be visible from both Western Europe and South America.
- It is the last total lunar eclipse in the next 7 years which is visible in its integrity from South America.
- It is the last total lunar eclipse in the next 6 years which is visible in its integrity from Western Europe.
- Before the eclipse, the Moon will pass between two bright stars: Regulus (Mg. 1,41) y 31 Leonis (Mg. 4,4).

These characteristics permit the development of two interesting activities using simultaneous observations from Europe and South-America:

- The production of a 3D video of all the eclipse combining images taken from both hemispheres. It could be the first times it is produced.
- Using the two bright stars and the Moon imaged from both hemispheres, estimation of the Moon-Earth distance by means of the measurement of the Moon paralax. It has a similar educational value than the determination of the astronomical unit by means of the Venus transit.

Complementary activities are:

- Timing of the five penumbra and umbra limb contacts.
- Timing of the umbra immersions and emersions of certain surface features.
- Timing of star ocultations during totality.
- Monitoring of possible Lunar transitory effects during the totality and the final phase of the penumbra.

Interested people from South America have been invited through Cielo Sur, an argentinian amateur astronomy webpage. Also personal invitations will be adressed. From Europe, the Astronomic Group of Madrid with some people of the ESAC astronomy club will be involved in this activity together with other teams from Spain. As observing from only one region the weather can be a problem, we have contacted teams observing from other parts of Western Europe to assure as possible the imaging of the eclipse from this hemisphere. So, ESOC & ESTEC astronomy clubs have been invited despite they have not the best weather during February.

As outputs of this activity and with credit to all the participants, it is expected to produce a stereoscopic video of the eclipse, a report gathering all the provided results and educational material for a practical Earth-Moon distance calculation.

Amateur astronomers from everywere in the visibility area are specially encouraged to participate in this event. Everybody can participate in this observation using from small binoculars to large size telescopes. A guide with details of all the observable phenomena is available here.

The main coordinator of the activities and the main author of the observation field guide is Alberto Martos. He is an experienced Moon explorer. He worked in the Madrid ground control of the Apollo missions (XIV-XVII) and Skylab and worked in VILSPA until his retirement last year in the mission control of different ESA missions (IUE, ISO and XMM). At present, he is member of the Astronomic Group of Madrid.

2008-02-09: Orion Nebula - M42

The following image was captured from Majadahonda (Spain) using a C8 SCT with a Canon Rebel 400D attached to the primary focus. It is the result of the combination of three exposures of 60 seconds in RGB with and ISO of 1600.

2008-01-19: Mars one month after the oposition

During the last weekend, the Moon and Mars were in a conjuntion of less than two degrees. Of course, we met for the event. So, Alberto Martos, Fernando Rodriguez and me were in the backyard of Alberto's house "Villa Urania" in Villaviciosa de Odón with all our equipment to register the astronomic encounter. The following image shows the conjuntion. It was taken with a Canon400D camera with a 300 mm APO objective around 23:45 GMT.

Of course, the real excuse for the meeting was to observe and image Mars. Still it is very close to its oposition, nearly one month after, and it is possible to take detailed pictures of the surface.

The Mars imaging was performed around 23:30 GMT with a 8" SCT with a Toucam Pro webcam, a blocking NIR filter and a two Barlow lens ensemble. The focal length of the SCT telescope is 2 meters. Therefore, the effective focal length using together one 2x and one 3x Barlow lens should be around 12 meters! (probably the effect is not exactly multiplicative... a detailed calculation should be made...). The captured video tracks were stacked with REGISTAX and the histograms modified to show the best contrast. Additionally, an unsharp mask was applied to enhance as possible the contrast of the surface details. The following image shows the final result.

The next image resulted forcing slightly the histogram and sharpening modifications.

Several video tracks were captured also using a NIR pass filter. However, the high attenuation introduced by the Barlows difficulted greatly the focussing. As a consequence any of the captures have produced acceptable NIR images.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from ESAC

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr!

Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!

Boas Festas e um feliz Ano Novo!

Glædelig Jul og godt nytår!

God Jul och Gott Nytt År!

Eg ynskjer hermed dykk alle ein god jul og godt nyttår!

Kala Christougenna Ki'eftihismenos O Kenourios Chronos!

Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!

2007-12-01: Mars one month before the oposition

This post shows the results of our second tentative imaging Mars close to its oposition. In this case, the people meeting in Satan Hill were Leo, Michel, Roberto and me. Again, the Leo's Dobsonian 65 cm telescope was used together with a Toucam Pro webcam, blocking and pass NIR filters and a 3x Barlow. The captured video tracks were stacked with REGISTAX and the histograms modified to show the best contrast. Additionally, an unsharp mask was applied to enhance as possible the contrast of the surface details.

The following image was captured around 2:30 GMT with the NIR blocking filter.

The next one was captured around 2:30 GMT with the NIR pass filter.


A combination of both images substituting the red channel of the firs image with the second one produces the next image.


In the north cap, the winter CO2 froze can be observed extending to the south of the polar regions. Now, as the planet is closer, both the RGB and NIR images show more details of the surface than in our previous tentative. However, the poor seeing during the observation degrades the sharpness of the images. Despite that, the observed regions can be clearly identified. The following image has been produced by Leo forzing a little the sharpening to remark some of the Mars regions.