Astrophotos Archives

September 20, 2012December 23, 2015 by Jason Major

Fires in the Sky: Aurorae and Meteor Photo by Ole Salomonsen

A bright fireball slashes through curtains of aurorae shimmering above the mountains of northern Norway, captured on camera by Ole C. Salomonsen in the early hours of September 20.

Salomonsen, a master at photographing the Northern Lights, says this was the biggest fireball he’s ever caught on camera.

“The fireball lasted for about 6-7 seconds until it vanished behind the mountain,” Ole recalls. “By the way, this mountain is over 1350 meters (4440 feet) high, and I am standing only 600 meters from the foot of it, so do not be fooled by the 14mm wide angle lens! There was some very distinguished blue colors surrounding the fireballs edges. Never ever seen anything big like this!”

The mountain at right is called “Otertinden”, and is about a 90 minute drive north of Tromsø, Norway — a hot spot for stunning auroral displays.

And if you’re wondering if the aurorae and the meteor are really in the same region of the atmosphere, well, they likely are. Incoming meteoroids begin to glow at around 70 to 100 km up, which is also about the same altitude that aurorae are visible.

Although Ole stated that this wasn’t the best aurora photo from the shoot, the fireball and its reflection in the still river made him feel this one “deserved to go first.”

The photo was taken with a Canon EOS 1D-X and a Nikon 14-24mm lens.

See more of Ole’s work on his website, www.arcticlightphoto.no, and you can like his page on Facebook here. (Also he’s got a couple of great time-lapse videos too!)

September 17, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Stunning Starscape by Sean Parker

A great shot of the beautiful night-time sky by astrophotographer Sean Parker! Sean used a Canon 5DMKII, Nikkor 14-24MM F/2.8 at 20 seconds and ISO 1000, and processed the image with Adobe Lightroom. See more of Sean’s work at his Flickr page, or his G+ page.

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.

September 13, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

The Moon from Earth As You’ve Never Seen it Before

The Morteus region on the Moon, taken from the suburbs of Paris, France. Credit: Thierry Legault. Used by permission.

Think this is an orbital view of the Moon? Guess again. Astrophotographer Thierry Legault took this image from his backyard in the suburbs of Paris, France! He’s taken a series of images of the Moon the past few nights that will blow your mind when you consider they were taken from Earth, within the confines of the metropolis of Paris (largest city in France, 5th largest in the EU, 20th largest in the world). Thierry used a Celestron C14 EdgeHD (356mm) and Skynyx2.2 camera. You definitely want to click on these images for the larger versions on Thierry’s website, and he suggests using a full-HD screen in subdued surroundings.

Additionally, Thierry also recently took images of Mercury and Uranus that include incredible detail.

Plato, Mons Pico and Montes Teneriffe as seen on Sept 8th, 2010, from the suburbs of Paris, France. Credit: Thierry Legault. Used by permission.

The clarity and detail are just tremendous. See all of Thierry’s recent lunar images at this link. He has a collection of twelve different images of various regions on the Moon and all are stunning.

Below are his images of Mercury and Uranus. In the image of Mercury, surface details are visible, and the cloud belts are even visible on the images of Uranus:

Incredibly detailed view of Mercury on August 23, 2012, as seen from Blancourt, France. Credit: Thierry Legault. Used by permission.

Uranus, as seen on September 9, 2012 from Blancourt, France. Credit: Thierry Legault. Used by permission.

Thanks, as always, to Thierry Legault for sharing his images and allowing us to post them. Check out his website: http://legault.perso.sfr.fr/ for more wonderful images and information about how he does his amazing astrophotography.

September 11, 2012December 23, 2015 by Jason Major

Watch Jupiter Get Hit in the Original HD Video

Caught on webcam by amateur astronomer George Hall in Dallas, Texas, the impact on Jupiter that occurred yesterday at 6:35 a.m. CT can be clearly seen in the brief video above as a bright flash along the giant planet’s left side.

According to Hall on his website the video was captured with a 12″ LX200GPS, 3x Televue Barlow, and Point Grey Flea 3 camera using Astro IIDC software.

Great catch, George! Currently this is the only video footage we’ve seen of this particular event. Also, tonight at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT the SLOOH Space Camera site will broadcast a live viewing of Jupiter to search for any remaining evidence of an impact. Tune in here.

September 4, 2012January 4, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Timelapse from Thierry Legault: One Night on the Pic-du-Midi Observatory

Here’s a really unique video from one of our favorite astrophotographers, Thierry Legault. Thierry sent us a full HD time-lapse of the full sky during one full night (August 7-8) over the Pic-du-Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees. At 2,877 meters in altitude, this is the highest observatory in France. The video is taken with a fisheye lens, and so the view creates what appears to be a tiny little world (Planet Pic-du-Midi, perhaps?). Visible are Saturn and Mars, then the Moon, Jupiter and Venus. And a passage of the ISS and an Iridium flare complete the planet-like scene. “The rotation of the sky around Polaris is easily noticeable,” Thierry wrote to Universe Today, “as well as the movement of circumpolar constellations such as Big Dipper. The main dome is the 1-meter telescope, I was there with three friends to learn how to use this telescope for future planetary missions. This telescope was used in the 60’s to prepare the Apollo lunar missions because of the quality of its optics and the very good seeing of this site.”

Continue reading “Timelapse from Thierry Legault: One Night on the Pic-du-Midi Observatory”

September 3, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Milky Way from Onizuka Astronomy Center, Hawaii

Here’s a great view of the Milky Way from the Onizuka Astronomy Center on the Big Island of Hawaii by astronomical artist Fahad Sulehria. To reach the summit of Mauna Kea, where some of the biggest telescopes on Earth reside, visitors must stop at the Onizuka Center for acclimating to the high altitude. The summit is about 4,200 meters (13,796 feet), and the Onizuka Center is located about 2,740 meters (9,000 feet) above sea level. “The sky is much clearer and less polluted than most places on Earth, making it an ideal place to do stargazing,” writes Sulehria. “In the background you see a red glow, which comes from the Halema’uma’u crater of the famous Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii.”

Equipment: Canon 550D with 28-200 mm lens. Exposure: 31s @ ISO 1600/F3.5.

See more of Sulehria’s work at his website, Nova Celestia

September 1, 2012April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Was Last Night’s Moon Blue for You?

A blue-tinted Moon on August 31, 2012. Credit (and tinting): joeys-astro-gallery on Flickr

Last night’s full Moon was a “Blue Moon” — where the Moon isn’t really blue, but is the name for when there is a second full Moon in a month. Normally, we only get one full Moon a month, but every 2 1/2 years or so, the calendar lines up just right, since the time between full moons is 29.5 days while most months are 30 or 31 days. Since we had a full Moon on August 2 and a second one last night on August 31,

Of course the Moon has reason to be “blue” (if we want to anthropomorphize a little) with the recent death of the first Moonwalker, Neil Armstrong. And sometimes the Moon can actually appear to be blue if volcanic ash or forest fire ash are in the atmosphere in your location, since ash particles can scatter away all the warm colors in Moonlight, leaving a pale blue tint to the Moon.

Our readers sent in their Blue Moon images from last night, and some, like the one above, used a little image editing magic to make the Moon appear blue, but most are just gorgeous images of our closest neighbor and constant companion in space.

Feast your eyes, below:

Clouds and lighting give the Moon a blue tint, too, in Paris, France. Credit: VegaStarCarpentier on Flick.

The Blue Moon on 08-31-2012, from Dayton, Ohio. Equipment: Modified Canon Rebel Xsi & 6″ F8 Cave reflector Scope, 1200mm, ISO 400 1/640 second exposure. Credit: John Chumack.

A tribute to Neil Armstrong on August 31, 2012 taken the day of his funeral. “The Moon’s own salute to its first great explorer.” Credit: Barry Q. Arnold, Alvaton, Kentucky, USA

The Moon on August 31, 2012 from Uberaba, Curitiba – Paraná, Brazil. Credit: Glauco Hass on Flickr.

The Moon on 31/08/2012 – 23:15 TL – from São Paulo, Brazil. Equipment: Maksutov Cassegrain Vixen 110 mm – F = 1035 mm – F/9.4 – Plano Focal – Nikon D3100 – 1/200 – ISO 100. Credit: Ednilson Oliveira.

August’s Other Full – “Blue” – Moon (on the 31st) as seen from Lowell, Michigan. Credit: Kevin’s Stuff on Flickr.

And here are a few notable images from August 30, the “almost” full Moon:

Great close-up (and not a crop) of the Moon on August 30, 2012 from Kopreinitz Koprivnicko-Krizevacka, Croatia. Credit: Eddie MacGraw on Flickr.

A helicopter by the Moon on August 30, 2012 as seen from London, England. The exhaust heat from the chopper distorts the light from the Moon. Credit: Sculptor Lil on Flickr.

Sugar Loaf, New York – The almost full moon rises behind Sugar Loaf Mountain on August 30, 2012. Credit: Tom Bushey on Flickr.

When are the next Blue Moons?
July 31, 2015
Two in 2018 — January 31 and March 31, meaning there is no February full Moon
October 31, 2020
August 31, 2023
May 31, 2026
December 31, 2028
September 30, 2031

August 26, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Winking at the Moon in Memory of Neil Armstrong

“Moon Through apple trees in Nova Scotia. The genesis and the destination.” Credit: Murdo Messer

In the statement released by the family of Neil Armstrong following his death, they said, “For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the Moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”

In the spirit of that request, we asked our readers to send in any pictures they took of the Moon last night while they thought of Neil and gave him a wink

“Moon, August 25, 2012. I had to shoot the Moon tonight to honour Neil Armstrong, who died today. Neil may be gone but his footprints will remain for millions of years.” Credit: Andrew Symes

Fly me to the Moon, on August 25, 2012 from Sydney, Australia. Credit: Carlos Orue.

“If I live until the day when mankind sow their footprints on Mars or beyond, I’ll remember that today, August 25, 2012, we said goodbye to the first of us to put his plan into another world. Farewell, Colonel Armstrong, now you’re in home.” Credit: Eduardo Marino.

The Moon on August 25, 2012. Credit: JM Rozada

The Moon on the evening of Neil Armstrong’s death. Credit: Mark Zaugg

“A wink for Neil,” writes Mike O’Shea from Methuen, Massachusetts. “Unfortunately not high calibre photo taken last night by my iPhone.
But the thought is still there.”

A church steeple in North London on August 26, 2012, with the Moon as a backdrop. Credit: Sculptor Lil on Flickr

Where Neil Armstrong’s footsteps lie. Taken August 25th, 2012 in Wauseon, Ohio. 20 exposures aligned and combined in Nebulosity 3 using my TEC 140 and QSI 583 WSG with Astrodon 3nm Ha Filter. Credit: Bill Schlosser.

The Moon as seen in Croatia on August 26, 2012, with a Meade etx-70, 5x Barlow and Nikon d5100. Stacked with 50 frames in Registax.

Neil Armstrong 1930-2012. Sic itur ad astra – thus one goes to the stars
Credit: Dalibor Grubacevic

A red Moon setting over the periphery of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, taken on 27 July 2012, at 22.30 GMT. Credit: Pavel Gregoric

We’ll add more images as they come in. Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email

August 22, 2012January 22, 2021 by Nancy Atkinson

Lunar and Planetary Conjunction on August 21, 2012

Last night — if you were in a good location — the Moon, Spica, Mars, Saturn all came together in a lunar/planetary/stellar conjunction. My attempts to see it and capture it failed because of trees (the conjunction took place low on the horizon), but thank goodness for our astrophotographer friends! John Chumack caught the event from his observatory in Ohio (his specs: Canon Rebel Xsi 85mm Lens at F5.6, ISO 400, 1 second exposure) and Ian Musgrave captured the view in Australia, below.

The line-up of the Moon, Mars (top middle), Saturn (right) and the star Spica (left) imaged on 22 August 2012 at 6:45 pm ACST from Adelaide, Australia. Image taken with a Canon IXUS at ASA 400, 15 second exposure. Credit: Ian Musgrave

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group, post in our Forum 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.

August 21, 2012December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Sky Island by Sean Parker

It’s true, the Perseid Meteor shower is the best star show of the year. But sometimes a little enhancement doesn’t hurt. I’ll let astrophotographer Sean Parker tell the story of this image:

A fellow star gazer friend and I both love space and also happen to love photography, so we packed up our gear and headed to the best place to observe the night sky that we know of, Mt. Lemmon. We set up 2 different time-lapses and this was a frame from one of them. In the time-lapse it shows us and other stargazers sitting on the rock observing the Perseid Meteor Shower under the dark skies about 40 minutes out of Tucson in the Catalina Mountains. Unfortunately there was some cloud cover which limited our view, but we were still able to see an acceptable amount of shooting stars.

Because there were other observers using their flashlights in the area, I decided to add some light painting gestures to the shot here and there. The shot is of me holding my phone and doing a circle motion and it just happened to be perfect timing with the meteor going by above the tree.

The Photo was taken at 1:48 AM. The clouds are reflecting the city lights of Tucson, Arizona. I’ve also added a warmer temperature to the image, but not much.

Camera Details:

Canon 5D MK II
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L
20 Second exposure @ ISO-1600