Bathurst Observatory

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Orion is getting low in the west this time of year. This is Orion taken with just a camera with a 35mm lens. You can see a few nebula and star clusters! Tours for school holidays are the 15th until the 18th, sorry there aren't more available, but I have a few things on myself. There is also a tour on the 4th of May. There is a bit of interest in comet Pons Brooks as well. It "may" be just visible late in April for us in Southern Hemisphere, but it will be low in the west in some twilight at this time. I will detail more in a couple of weeks.
Very large and complex sunspot group AR3615 is about to rotate around behind the sun in coming days. This group has been responsible for numerous, and sometimes large, solar flares causing recent aurora. This image of the sun was taken near mid day on the 29th of March using our solar telescope.
The sun has had a major solar flare, sending energetic particles towards Earth. These 'should' arrive late on the 25th or early hours of the 26th of March. These will most likely cause a display of Aurora visible across the southern parts of Australia (I know we see them from the Central West at such times) . Aurora are most likely visible in the hours either side of midnight in the southern skies (direction). NOTE: This is also full moon!!!! Full moon will likely be too bright for all but the brighter light filaments of the aurora. So the display will be somewhat muted. I know I prefer auroral displays around New Moon in a dark sky. Edit: Image from an Aurora last April under dark moonless skies!
It was busy weekend, observatory maintenance and the local Astronomy Club (Bathurst and District Astronomical Society, BADAS) booking out Saturday. While the club chatted, I just popped the camera and 50mm lens on a tripod and imaged the Southern Cross and Eta Carina region of the Milky Way. I am just waiting on a few things before posting tours in advance. There is a much needed hazard reduction burn(s) taking place in the area over coming weeks. The smoke from burning will impact upon tours, so I am just waiting on details of the dates of these. As it turns out the ideal conditions for burning are generally those ideal for astronomy! It may end up I have only a day or twos notice that a tour will be ok to run without smoke. I will keep everyone posted. In other news, we will soon get an upgrade to facilities here after a friendly plumber looks like they will install the much awaited toilet in a month or so!
Some nights after a tour, I am too tired to connect the camera to the telescope, so I pop the camera on a spare tracking mount with just a 50mm lens. A few nights ago, I imaged the larger Magellanic galaxy. This is one of the stunning highlights of the southern skies! I'll post March tour dates during the coming week, however, I do know March 1st is one of them!
Stephen Holland asked if I could image the International Space Station (as it passed on the evening of the 10th of Feb). I have not imaged the ISS for sometime as the telescope I use for it is large and heavy. After injuring my back a year ago, I haven't been able to lift it. With things much better, I decided that yes, I would set it up again for this pass. It was very windy, but the result is ok.
Don't forget I only have tours for the 16th and 17th this month (busy month!). The local astronomy club met at the observatory on the evening of the 9th. I kind of left the telescope to image on its own while we all talked astro stuff. The focus drifted a bit, but the telescope did manage to capture this image of nebula NGC 2174 during this time.
I finally had a night in the observatory to do some imaging well beyond our solar system. On Friday 2nd Feb I imaged the rather eerie nebula M78 in Orion. After some time not needing the software that does all this, I found there were some issues I'll work on today, but luckily I have work arounds! (I hate when everything normally is just a click and and talks to each other. Last night one of the programs was like, "nup, I hate that telescope, I am not talking to it!") I am not as available as I had thought this month!!! Tours in mid Feb (16th and 17th).
Not overly happy with tonight's image of Jupiter, but it has been a long time since I have been at the big scope. At present, Jupiter is low in the northern sky and that means a lot more turbulent atmosphere to image through (the lower something is, the more atmosphere to have to deal with!). Not the Io to the lower right. Calisto is also very faintly visible.
My first clear night since just before Christmas!!! No deep sky imaging with a bright Moon in the sky. So.... turn the telescope to the Moon instead.!!! 18th January
A haven't shared an image for a while, as it has been way too cloudy!!! So I dug into my archives just to keep you all interested. Enjoy the Running Chicken Nebula, from about two years ago!!! I'll have to do this one again soon! February tour dates will be posted late next week!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and I am looking forward to seeing folks again in January (tour dates posted soon).
I had another chance to image Jupiter on the 15th! The moon Io is to the left.
With December tours announced in the last post I made, I thought I'd test out the observatory (as I have not been able to use for a while with injury and weather). A bit rusty on imaging Jupiter I admit, but it is my first Jupiter of the year! 4th December.
While I await another MRI (getting old), I have sat down to plan a large research telescope we have all the parts to complete other than the telescope tube to hold them. I have tried contacting local sheet metal fabricators but alas they have never replied or not interested (a bit sad). So while I sit contemplating, if you are a sheet metal worker interested in making a tube about 1900mm long and 470mm diameter with four strengthening bands, let me know via message!!! I can then start saving for it. Ps a larger version of the one pictured.
I had an opportunity late last night to set up for an image of galaxy NGC 253. Atmospheric conditions were terrible! It was windy and a lot of churring about in the sky. However, this is the result. Not overly impressed but it is a nice side on and dusty spiral galaxy. Tours for the rest of October 8:30 pm. Book via message or email. Tours are available on October : 20th and 21st (I had hoped to have the 14th, however, that date looks to be in doubt) I'll post November tours soon.
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