Astrophotos Archives

November 13, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

New Bright and Blue Supernova in NGC 1365

Supernova 2012fr in NGC 1365. It is the bright blue “star” directly below the galaxy core. Credit: Rolf Wahl Olsen. Click the image for larger version.

A very bright supernova has shown up in NGC 1365, the galaxy also known as the Great Barred Spiral Galaxy, visible now for southern hemisphere observers. This already elegant galaxy lies about 56 million light-years away in the constellation Fornax. The supernova, a type Ia, was discovered by Alain Klotz with the TAROT telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile on October 27, 2012. “The supernova is a very nice addition to the already highly photogenic galaxy,” said Rolf Wahl Olsen, who took the gorgeous image above. “I’m amazed by how blue it is; it’s really intense.”

Supernova 2012fr is the bright and intensely blue star directly below the galaxy core. Olsen said that as of November 10, 2012 the supernova appeared to be nearing its peak, with an R magnitude of 11.90.

“To get an idea of how bright this event is we can calculate the absolute magnitude M of the supernova using the following formula where m is the apparent magnitude and D the distance in parsecs: M = m – 5(log10(D) – 1),” Olsen wrote. “This gives an absolute magnitude of -19.27 for SN2012fr. This means that if the supernova had occurred at a distance to us similar to Betelgeuse (643 light years), then its apparent magnitude would be -12.80, same as the full Moon!”

Details about Olsen’s image:
Date: 7th and 9th November 2012
Exposure: LRGB: 205:57:56:51m, total 6hrs 9mins @ -30C
Telescope: 10″ Serrurier Truss Newtonian f/5
Camera: QSI 683wsg with Lodestar guider
Filters: Astrodon LRGB E-Series Gen 2
Taken from his observatory in Auckland, New Zealand

See more of Olsen’s astrophotography at his Flickr page.

November 12, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Deep Sky Treasury

The view of the Paranal Observatory: Credit: ESO/Babak Tafreshi

A new image captures the stunning view of the night sky over ESO’s Paranal Observatory, with a treasury of deep-sky objects. The image was taken by Babak Tafreshi, an astronomer, journalist and director of The World at Night (TWAN).

It shows the Carina Nebula, glowing intensely red in the middle of the image. Below Carina is the the Wishing Well Cluster (NGC 3532); then to the right is the Lambda Centauri Nebula (IC 2944) – which is also called the Running Chicken Nebula. Above this nebula and slightly to the left is the Southern Pleiades (IC 2632), an open cluster of stars that is similar to its more familiar northern namesake.

In the foreground, is three of the four Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI).

See more information about this image from ESO.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

November 9, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Do a Doubletake: Jupiter and Europa

Here’s a recent view of Jupiter, with its moon Europa just coming into view from behind the planet, as seen by Efrain Morales of the Jaicoa Observatory in Puerto Rico. Why two images? This is a different way to see it in 3-D — just focus on the center between the 2 images and kind of cross your eyes. Not everyone can see the effect, but its pretty cool when it works. Click the image for a larger version.

Efrain took the image on November 4th, at 07:20 UTC. Also visible are the Great Red Spot and Oval Ba transiting across the Jovian disk.

Equipment: LX200ACF 12 in. OTA, CGE mount, Flea3 Ccd, TeleVue 3x barlows, Astronomik RGB filter set.

October 30, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Spooky Fingers Reach Out into Space

Dark shadows and dust in VdB 4. Credit: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

It’s the Case of the Phantom Phalanges! Spooky fingers reach up from the dark realms of space in this new image from Adam Block of the Mount Lemmon Sky Center. The image shows a ghostly view of VdB 4, which is a reflection nebula associated with a young open star cluster NGC 225, often called the Sailboat Cluster. Click here to see the entire field of view — which includes a dark area that looks like a spooky Halloween spider. This image was taken in October, 2012 with the 32-inch Schulman Telescope (RCOS) at Mount Lemmon, using a SBIG STX16803 CCD Camera. Thanks to Adam Block for sharing this eerie image!

October 29, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Just in Time for Halloween: Orion’s Bloody Massacre

The Orion Nebula, or M42 in a hybrid image of old DSLR data with new CCD images. Credit: Astrochuck on Flickr.

This view of the Orion Nebula makes it appear as a bloody mess! Astrochuck on Flickr said he’s been socked in with clouds and rain lately so took this opportunity to combine some older DSLR data with new CCD observations to create this stunning view of M42. Here are the specs:

QHY9M & Orion ED102CF refractor 10/21/2012 & 10/22/2012
L- 7×600
R-3×600
G-3×600
B-3×600
(5×2 seconds for the core area)

3/22/12
Canon T3 w/Astronomik Ha filter & ST-80T refractor 5×120,10×300,5×600 @iso 1600
6×60 w/crosshairs for diffraction spikes

Images acquired,aligned and stacked with Nebulosity V2.0, Guiding with Orion 50mm mini guider,SSAG and Phd. Combined & post processed with PS6 and StarTools.

October 26, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Polaris and Circumpolar Rotation in 30 Minutes

This recent image from astrophotographer John Chumack shows the Earth’s natural rotation in just 30 minutes of exposure time. Polaris, the North Star, is the stationary point over a Sequoia tree in Warrenton, Virginia, USA. “The rotational speed of the Earth at the equator is about 1,038 miles per hour,” John writes. “At mid-latitudes, the speed of the Earth’s rotation decreases to 700 – 900 miles per hour. You can notice star trails “rotation” in your photographs even in as little as 1 minute exposures. I notice star trailing in about 30 seconds with a 17mm wide angle lens. But the longer you leave the shutter open the more trailing and the more dramatic the effect!”

John used a Canon Rebel Xsi, ISO 400, .17mm Lens at F4.

See more of his work at his website, Galactic Images.

October 24, 2012April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Incredible Astrophoto Mosaic: Via Láctea in Alentejo

This astounding mosaic of the Milky Way is comprised of 104 separate images and was taken in Elvas, Alentejo, Portugal by astrophotographer Miguel Claro. Visible is the arm of our galaxy the Milky Way, as well as many constellations like Cygnus, Cassiopeia, Sagittarius, and Scorpius. Look closely and find deep sky objects like Andromeda Galaxy. The image was taken in a portion of the Great Lake Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve in Portugal, a site designated as a “Starlight Tourism Destination.” The region has good atmospheric conditions for stargazing for more than 250 nights of the year, and special lodging is available just for astro-tourists.

This mosaic was taken on July 24, 2012, with a Canon 50D, 15 seg. a f/2.8, ISO 2000, Dist. Focal: 35 mm

See more of Miguel’s dark sky images at his website.

October 15, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Weekend Aurora Gives Time for ‘Reflection’

The Northern Lights over Kilmany, Scotland reflect in a body of water. Credit: Corinne Mills

Wow, what a gorgeous view of the aurora in Scotland over the weekend, taken by astrophotographer Corine Mills! This image garnered dozens of rave reviews on Flickr, and rightly so. A solar wind stream struck Earth’s magnetic field over the weekend, igniting a G1-class geomagnetic storm that lasted more than 15 hours, according to SpaceWeather.com. Auroras with rare pulsations and vibrant colors were sighted in the northern latitudes. Below is an almost psychedelic “purple haze” aurora as seen over Saskatchewan, Canada.

Continue reading “Weekend Aurora Gives Time for ‘Reflection’”

October 14, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Thierry Legault: Moonbow and Meteor over Australia’s Wallaman Falls

Night vision under a full Moon at Wallaman Falls in Queensland, Australia. Credit and copyright: Thierry Legault. Used by permission.

Astrophotographer extraordinaire Thierry Legault traveled to Australia for the Transit of Venus this past June, but he didn’t stop with just taking incredible images of the Transit and then head home to France. He’s just published an wonderful collection of night sky images he took from his time in Australia, including this beautifully stunning image of a ‘Moonbow’ over Wallaman Falls, located in between Townsville and Cairns in north Queensland. If you’ve not seen a Moonbow before, you’re probably not alone. Many times, they are only visible in long exposure photographs, as the Moonlight effect is usually too faint for human eyes to discern. But the Moonlight on the water mist from the falls creates a Moonbow.

“The gibbous Moon makes a Moonbow over the falls while a bright meteor crosses the Milky Way,” Thierry wrote to Universe Today, sharing his new images. “Other visitors were sleeping in the camping area, but not me!”

See his entire collection of his Australian Nights images from June 2012 — they’re simply wonderful, and confirms the beauty of the night sky from down under!

October 9, 2012April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Last Night’s View: Skies Filled with Stunning Aurora

The Aurora Borealis fills nearly the entire sky in Cleary Summit, Alaska. Credit: Jason Ahrns on Flickr.

With just a glancing blow from a coronal mass ejection (CME) this week, skywatchers in the northern latitudes have been enjoying some beautiful views of the Aurora Borealis. Here are a few stunning views from last night (October 8-9, 2012), including this jaw-dropping aurora that filled the entire sky for Jason Ahrns in Cleary Summit, Alaska. “This lens has a near-180 degree field of view from corner to corner – this swirl covered the entire sky, and put off enough light to read the focus indicator on my lens,” Jason wrote on Flickr.

See more below:

This view is from Kilmany, Scotland. “You could see the rays moving left – so stunning,” said photographer Corinne Mills.

This view came from the AuroraMAX camera in Yellowknife, NWT taken at 00:53 MDT on October 9, 2012. Credit: AuroraMAX.

“I’ve been tracking aurora activity all day and it peaked again tonight,” writes photographer Gareth Paxton on Flickr. “There was a substantial glow in the sky – this was taken from Linlithgow (Scotland).”

Northern lights over Ottawa, Canada. Credit: FailedProtostar on Flickr.

Stunning view from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Credit: Colin Chatfield.

Another beauty by Jason Arhns in Alaska, which he calls a “ghost flame.” Credit: Jason Arhns

Green aurora over Ulverston, Cumbria, UK. Credit: Raymond Gilchrist on Flickr.