Solar Vixen captures the spots in June.

After a refurbishment and a lick of paint, my 60mm/f5 Vixen refractor is yet again ready for astro travelling the heavens.

I decided to turn the scope into a dedicated solar imaging/observing platform.

With the solar filter and Nikon D3000 in place I can quickly capture the day's solar image, plus the scope is easily transportable.

Here are some Sol images from the last week.

The Vixen 60mm is perfect for quick Sol imaging.  Fingers crossed for some July Sunspots.

Solar Eclipse from Mynachlog Ddu

The car was packed with two telescopes, two deck chairs, two cameras and a picnic for two astronomers.

The early morning mist had burnt away to reveal a glorious sunny Pembrokeshire morning... NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY!

Helen and I made our way along the Cardigan road, we had the idea of stopping at the ancient burial chamber at Pentre Ifan...  

As we neared Maenclochog we decided to forget about Pentre Ifan and take a detour to  Mynachlog-ddu  to set up camp at Carreg Waldo.

Carreg Waldo is probably one of the best sites in the whole of Pembrokeshire for astronomical observing; there are very few street lights to spoil the night time viewing.

Carn Menyn

To the North you can see Carn Menyn, source of the  Bluestones of Stonehenge.

Cwm Cerwyn

 North West and to the highest peak in Pembrokeshire, Cwm Cerwyn.

Looking East

Moonrises can be spectacular over those hills, and the Moonlight of a Mynachlog-ddu Autumn is especially magical!

Looking South - Carreg Waldo

It was an amazing event, the sky gods behaved and the whole eclipse was bathed in a backdrop of faded-blue sky. 

The surrounding landscape, including the distant low-lying haze, exhibited a brownish tinge (the eclipse of 1999 exhibited a greenish tinge) for roughly half an hour each side of the maximum phase.

This eclipse was also memorable for its drop in temperature, much more pronounced than any other partial eclipse I have witnessed. 

08h40m  temperature was 9.5 degrees C 

09h38m  temperature was 4.7 degrees C  

09h43m  temperature was 4.8 degrees C

09h53m  temperature was 5.9 degrees C

10h15m  temperature was 9.7 degrees C

Here's a black and white photo taken with the C8 Schmidt Celestron.

Plus a photo montage of several shots.

What a wonderful unforgettable solar morning.

Partial Eclipse from Pembrokeshire.

A few photographs of the eclipse, taken on a beautiful sunny day near Mynachlog-ddu.

Vixen 60mm f/5 refractor (afocal digicam) 20mm Erfle eyepeice.

I have several other eclipse photos taken with a Schmidt C8 scope, I'll put them on the blog sometime next week.

Englyn Y Ser

Through trees the glowing starlight

Falls upon my eyes this night.

Sirius is oh so bright, further on 

Orion fills my sight.

Mark Lee 10/03/2015

* Englyn - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englyn

Sol new filter "First Light" March 10th 2015

THANK YOU Telescope House... the solar film arrived this morning.

A quick delivery service,  I was very pleased with my purchase.

All I had to do was mount the solar film into my homemade filter holder and within ten minutes I was observing my first sunspot group.

The Sun was shining down from a clear blue sky, a perfect test for the new filter.

It must be at least a year since I last took any decent solar shots through mylar.

I hooked up the Nikon DSLR and fired away.

 

Today's solitary sunspot group AR 2297 stood out sharply through the eyepiece, and the Nikon did a fair job of capturing some detail.

It's good to be back shooting Sol.

Clear Solar Skies

Mark

Astrophotography on a cold St David's Night

Tonight skies were clear, and the Moon shone down on a cold windy Pembrokeshire.

I didn't fancy staying out long tonight, moonlight may warm the heart, but it doesn't warm the hands! 

Before I escaped to the warmth of the house I set up the Nikon D3000 and tripod for a quick shot of the Plough.

The Plough above the moonlit shed

The above picture is my first D3000 attempt at a night shot of the constellations. 

The biting westerly wind was beginning to chill, time to get out of the cold. 

But as usual I couldn't resist taking a few more shots.

Looking North West

Taurus and the Seven Sisters

Smoke on the Chimney

As long as I kept the ISO at 800 the D3000 delivered some fairly good images.

In the above picture you can see the wood smoke in the chimney.

After a shivering quick hello to Perseus and Cassiopeia, it was time to pack up.

Astrophotography will have to wait for another night!


Clear Skies

Mark

Meditative "Little Zen".

Early this evening the Moon was shining down on a cloud-free Pembrokeshire; perfect for testing my new homemade tripod. 

A few weeks ago, I spotted a dusty old eq mount in the back of a local junk shop. 

It was all working, but alas the tripod legs were missing! Still worth buying I thought.

For a few weeks  I simply used it as you see below.

The above method works quite well, though my back thanked me whenever I placed the whole set up on our coffee table.

It was time to fabricate a tripod and I decided to keep the height of the tripod about the same as the coffee table.

Today I made that tripod.. just in time to catch this evening's gibbous Moon.

Little Zen

It may be a small tripod, but with a cushion and the lotus position the views are comfortable enough for many minutes of observing. 

Maybe next time I'll make myself a small stool to sit on. 

This setup would be perfect for the Zen practitioner....  sitting meditation and peeking at the Universe with a 60mm/f5 glass...  an excellent combination.!

Helen meditating on the Luna light

This little scope, (fingers crossed), will be out and about around the county next month for the solar eclipse on March the 20th... I must remember to bring a cushion!

Clear Meditative Skies

Mark & Helen