Caption: ‘Cerchi di stelle’ — Circles of stars. Credit: Gerlos on Flickr.
This beautiful view of star trails was captured by Gerlos on Flickr, as seen in the skies over Petralia, Sottana, Sicily, Italy on June 16, 2012. Gerlos said the image is a “composition of 363 shots (+10 dark frames) taken for 25 seconds every 30 seconds between 1:55 and 4:23 at f / 4 and ISO 1600 with Canon 550D, EF-S 18-55 lens + extra wide field Opteka 0.45 HD². Images acquired using the function of the interval Magic Lantern and made using StarStax.
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The Sombrero Galaxy and a Swarm of Globular Clusters. Credit: Rolf Wahl Olsen
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You may recall in 2011 we featured an astrophoto by Rolf Wahl Olsen from New Zealand, who took the first amateur image of another solar system, Beta Pictoris. Olsen wrote to tell us he now has a new and better camera and recently focused on a new target with some incredible results.
“This time I have taken a very deep image of the famous Sombrero galaxy (Messier 104) showing 136 globular clusters around it,” Olsen said via email. “I have seen a few images before of the Sombrero with a couple of globular clusters identified, but not to this extent. It is really quite dramatic to be able to see how they literally swarm around the galaxy.”
Highlighted in this image are 136 of the Sombrero’s brightest globular clusters, ranging in magnitudes from 17.5 to 22+, the names and magnitude details of these clusters Olsen has listed on his website. This galaxy may have up to 1,900 in total of these satellite galaxies. Some of these globulars are very large and one is classified as a separate Ultra Compact Dwarf galaxy, SUCD1, the closest known example of such an object.
“I hope you enjoy it,” Olsen said. “This was certainly a fun project, though surprisingly laborious to mark and match all these faint clusters!”
Indeed, this seems to be a nearly Herculean task!
It is not known how the Sombrero amassed such a large number of globular clusters. While the Sombrero (M 104) is a disk galaxy, usually large elliptical galaxies typically have a greater concentration of clusters, such as the approximately 12,000 globular clusters orbiting the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87. In comparison our own spiral Milky Way galaxy has only around 150-200 such clusters.
The Sombrero lies some 30 million light years away in the direction of the constellation Virgo.
Image details:
Date: 19th April, 22nd and 24th May 2012
Exposure: LRGB: 210:17:17:17m, total 4hrs 21mins
Telescope: 10″ Serrurier Truss Newtonian
Camera: QSI 683wsg with Lodestar guider
Filters: Astrodon LRGB E-Series Gen 2
Taken from Olsen’s observatory in Auckland, New Zealand
Venus Transit in Hydrogen Alpha close-up just after 1st Contact with Venusian Atmosphere on 06-05-2012. Captured while on top of Kitt Peak, Tucson, AZ. Credit: John Chumack.
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Images and video from the Transit of Venus on June 5/6, 2012 are still pouring in, and we needed to share just a few more. Here’s an awesome close-up look at the event in Hydrogen Alpha from accomplished astrophotographer John Chumack. He used a Lunt Solar Scope 60mm/50F H-Alpha filter and a DMK 21AF04 Fire-wire camera. This is 741 frames & 1/91 second exposure. John has more images on our Flickr page, and on his website, Galactic Images.
Venus transit with a transit of B747 jumbo across the solar disk as seen from Elliots Beach, Madras, India. Credit: Muralikrishna Kanagala.
Venus transit with a transit of B747 jumbo across the solar disk which was captured by one of the members of the Tamilnadu Astronomical Society in India, Mr. Muralikrishna Kanagala during our transit event at Elliots Beach, Madras, India at 6.02 hrs IST, as the Sun rose. He used a Baader filtered Sony DSH H50 Camera.
An image of the June 2012 Venus Transit taken a few minutes after the transit maximum from Quezon City, Philippines. Credit: Raven Yu.
Patrick Cullis put together this amazing time-lapse of the Transit, which features two telescopes, an airplane transit, sunset, and a few different angles of the view.
Transit Sunrise with boat and bird joining the scene, as seen in Romania. Credit: Alex Conu. Montage of sampling of images taken during Venus transit (very cloudy day!) from Morden, Manitoba, Canada. Credit: darethehair on Flickr. Transit Sunrise from Iran. Credit: Khashayar Maroufi
The above video is from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, a composite of the entire Transit, set to music.
Transit of Venus as seen in South Carolina, USA. Credit: Blake and Orion Crosby.
And finally, this image and story from Blake Crosby and his son Orion from Charleston, South Carolina, displaying the lengths people would go to witness this event:
“This won’t be the best shot of the transit by a long shot, but my son and I jumped through a lot of hoops just to get it,” Crosby wrote in an email. “We live in Charleston, SC and our horizon is blocked by towering pine trees so we checked into the 9th floor of a Holiday Inn with a westward facing room. After lugging up all of our equipment, we found out that the doors to the balconies had been permanently closed, so we would have to shoot through a pane of glass with our Canon Rebel XS attached to a Celestron Nexstar 4SE with a Seymour filter. Furthermore, we were greeted, like many others, with a thick wall of clouds that just didn’t want to budge. Even worse, the hotel’s wifi was so shoddy we couldn’t stream any of the live views from the internet. However, we got a lucky break at about 8:00 EDT when the clouds parted for about 2 minutes and we were able to snap a couple of pics. My son Orion remarked that he was glad we endured those setbacks just so we could get a glimpse of an event that won’t happen again in our lifetimes.”
You can always see more images of many great astronomical views on our Flickr group page. Join us in sharing your images there and we may post them on Universe Today!
Transit of Venus snapped from Princeton University at 6:19 p.m. June 5, 2012. This image was taken with a Questar telescope at 6:19 p.m. as the clouds over Princeton, NJ parted to the delight of hundreds of onlookers and whole families. Hundreds attended the Transit of Venus observing event organized jointly by Princeton University Astrophysics Dept and telescopes provided by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton (AAAP), local astronomy club. Credit: Robert Vanderbei
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Despite a horrendous weather forecast, the clouds parted – at least partially – just in the nick of time for a massive crowd of astronomy and space enthusiasts gathered at Princeton University to see for themselves the dramatic start of the Transit of Venus shortly after 6 p.m. EDT as it arrived at and crossed the limb of the Sun.
And what a glorious view it was for the well over 500 kids, teenagers and adults who descended on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey for a viewing event jointly organized by the Astrophysics Dept and the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton (AAAP), the local astronomy club to which I belong.
See Transit of Venus astrophotos snapped from Princeton, above and below by Astrophotographer and Prof. Bob Vanderbei of Princeton U and a AAAP club member.
Transit of Venus snapped from Princeton University - full sized image
This photo was taken with a Questar telescope at 6:26 p.m. on June 5, 2012 - it’s a stack of eight - 2 second images. Stacking essentially eliminates the clouds. Hundreds attended the Transit of Venus observing event organized jointly by Princeton University Astrophysics Dept and telescopes provided by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton (AAAP), local astronomy club. Credit: Robert Vanderbei
It was gratifying to see so many children and whole families come out at dinner time to witness this ultra rare celestial event with their own eyes – almost certainly a last-in-a-lifetime experience that won’t occur again for another 105 years until 2117. The crowd gathered on the roof of Princeton’s Engineering Dept. parking deck – see photos
Excited crowd witnesses last-in-a-lifetime Transit of Venus from campus rooftop on Princeton University. Onlookers gathered to view the rare Transit of Venus event using solar telescopes provided by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton (AAAP) and solar glasses provided by NASA and lectures from Princeton University Astrophysics Dept.
Credit: Ken Kremer
For the next two and a half hours until sunset at around 8:30 p.m. EDT, we enjoyed spectacular glimpses as Venus slowly and methodically moved across the northern face of the sun as the racing clouds came and went on numerous occasions, delighting everyone up to the very end when Venus was a bit more than a third of the way through the solar transit.
Indeed the flittering clouds passing by in front of Venus and the Sun’s active disk made for an especially eerie, otherworldly and constantly changing scene for all who observed through about a dozen AAAP provided telescopes properly outfitted with special solar filters for safely viewing the sun.
Kids of all ages enjoy the Transit of Venus from a rooftop at Princeton University. Solar telescopes provided by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton (AAAP), solar glasses provided by NASA and lectures from Princeton University Astrophysics Dept. Credit: Ken Kremer
As part of this public outreach program, NASA also sent me special solar glasses to hand out as a safe and alternative way to directly view the sun during all solar eclipses and transits through your very own eyes – but not optical aids such as cameras or telescopes.
Transit of Venus snapped from Princeton University - quarter sized image
This photo was taken with a Questar telescope at 6:26 p.m. on June 5, 2012 - it’s a stack of eight - 2 second images. Credit: Robert Vanderbei
Altogether the Transit lasted 6 hours and 40 minutes for those in the prime viewing locations such as Hawaii – from where NASA was streaming a live Transit of Venus webcast.
You should NEVER look directly at the sun through any telescopes or binoculars not equipped with special eye protection – because that can result in severe eye injury or permanent blindness!
We in Princeton were quite lucky to observe anything because other astro friends and fans in nearby areas such as Philadelphia, PA and Brooklyn, NY reported seeing absolutely nothing for this last-in-a-lifetime celestial event.
Transit of Venus enthusiasts view the solar transit from Princeton University rooftop using special solar glasses provided by NASA. Credit: Ken Kremer
Princeton’s Astrophysics Department organized a series of lectures prior to the observing sessions about the Transit of Venus and how NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope currently uses the transit method to detect and discover well over a thousand exoplanet and planet candidates – a few of which are the size of Earth and even as small as Mars, the Red Planet.
NASA’s Curiosity rover is currently speeding towards Mars for an August 6 landing in search of signs of life. Astronomers goal with Kepler’s transit detection method is to search for Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone that could potentially harbor life !
So, NASA and astronomers worldwide are using the Transit of Venus in a scientifically valuable way – beyond mere enjoyment – to help refine their planet hunting techniques.
Doing an outreach program for NASA, science writer Dr Ken Kremer distributes special glasses to view the transit of Venus across the sun during a viewing session on the top level of a parking garage at the E-quad at Princeton University to see the transit of Venus across the sun on Tuesday evening, June 5, 2012. Michael Mancuso/The Times
Historically, scientists used the Transit of Venus over the past few centuries to help determine the size of our Solar System.
See more event photos from the local daily – The Trenton Times – here
And those who stayed late after sunset – and while the Transit of Venus was still visibly ongoing elsewhere – were treated to an extra astronomical bonus – at 10:07 p.m. EDT the International Space Station (ISS) coincidentally flew overhead and was visible between more break in the clouds.
The International Space Station (ISS) flew over Princeton University at 10:07 p.m. on June 5 after the sun had set but while the Transit of Venus was still in progress. Credit: Ken Kremer Transit Of Venus image from Hinode Spacecraft. Click to enlarge. Credit: JAXA/NASA/Lockheed Martin/enhanced by Marco Di Lorenzo
Of course clouds are no issue if you’re watching the Transit of Venus from the ISS or the Hinode spacecraft. See this Hinode Transit image published on APOD on June 9 and enhanced by Marco Di Lorenzo.
This week, local NY & NJ residents also had another extra special space treat – the chance to see another last-in-a-lifetime celestial event: The Transit of Space Shuttle Enterprise across the Manhattan Skyline on a seagoing voyage to her permanent new home at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
Crepulscular rays appear simultaneouly on both the west (left) and east horizon on June 9, 2012. Credit: Nancy Atkinson
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I’m not sure how often this happens, but I’ve never seen it before: crepuscular rays on both the west and east horizon at the same time — or crepuscular and anti-crepuscular rays occurring simultaneously. I’m staying out in the wilds of Minnesota this summer, with great views of both horizons and captured these images last evening, June 9, 2012. The word crepuscular means “relating to twilight,” and these rays occur when objects such as mountain peaks or clouds partially shadow the Sun’s rays, usually when the Sun is low on the horizon. These rays are visible only when the atmosphere contains enough haze or dust particles so that sunlight in unshadowed areas can be scattered toward the observer.
Then occasionally, light rays scattered by dust and haze sometimes appear on “antisolar” point, (the horizon opposite to the setting sun). These rays, called anti-crepuscular rays, originate at the Sun, cross over the sky to the opposite horizon, and appear to converge toward the antisolar point.
Anyone else ever seen this before?
For both crepuscular and anti-crepsucular, the light rays are actually parallel, but appear to converge to the horizon due to “perspective,” the same visual effect that makes parallel railroad tracks appear to converge in the distance. One of the astronauts on the International Space Station actually captured crepuscular rays from orbit, showing how the rays are actually parallel. You can see that image and the description here.
Below are the two images separately. It was a beautiful evening and a thrilling sight.
Sunset crepuscular rays on the west horizon on June 9, 2012. Credit: Nancy AtkinsonAnti-crepuscular rays on the east horizons on June 9, 2012. Credit: Nancy Atkinson.
A Digital filtergram of a prominence on the Sun, May 29, 2012. Credit: Monty Leventhal, OAM.
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This unusual prominence on the Sun looks like an exhaust-spewing smokestack. It was captured by noted Australian amateur astronomer Monty Leventhal on May 29, 2012. He used a Canon 600D camera with a Hydrogen-alpha filter and a Meade S.C. 10 inch telescope.
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.
A montage of Venus from January to May 2012. Credit: Efrain Morales
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Wow! Take a look at how Venus has changed in the night sky the past five months!
“The Planet Venus, The Roman goddess of love and beauty and the closest planet to us — especially now just as it gets closest — will transit across the Sun soon,” said astrophotographer Efrain Morales. “This sequence is a five month transition showing its size continuing to grow and its crescent getting thinner as time progresses.” Venus’ transit of the Sun will be on June 5/6, 2012, depending on your location. This won’t happen again in your lifetime, so don’t miss this opportunity.
Click on the image for a larger version to see all the details. Check out Efrain’s website and Flickr page for more astrophotos.
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.
A montage of the May 20, 2012 annular eclipse as seen near Ikebukuro in Tokyo, between 7:08 to 7:38 a.m. local time. Credit: Kim Nilsson
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What a view! Here are some awesome eclipse images and videos from around the globe as skywatchers in Asia, the northern Pacific region and western North America experienced the annular eclipse on May 20/21, 2012. Above is a stunning combination of shots from various stages of the eclipse in Tokyo, Japan from Kim Nilsson.
For many of the images, click on them for the original source or for more info/larger sizes. We’ll be adding more images as they come in. If you want to have us add yours to this gallery, post your image to our Flickr group, or send us your images by email.
Thanks also to everyone who joined in on the Virtual Star Party with Phil Plait, Fraser, Jason, Pamela Gay, and Nicole Gugliucci, along with a live telescope feed from Scott Lewis in Los Angeles. If you want to watch a replay, the video is embedded below.
May 20 2012 Solar Eclipse near Sunset Beach / Huntington Beach, CA - timelapse / composition of "phases" of the eclipse during the approximate 2 hour duration. Credit: jimnista on Flickr.A 'ring of fire' as seen in Arizona, USA. Credit: Robert Sparks (a.k.a. hale_bopp37 on Flickr)'I love eclipses!' says photographer Linda Judah, who created this composite from pinhole camera observations of the May 20, 2012 annular eclipse, as seen in California, USA.Screenshot from the live webcast from SLOOH Space Camera.
Eclipse picture from hotel room in Tokyo, Japan taken with iPhone! Credit: Lee Skelton.
This stunningly beautiful images from HadleyRille on YouTube shows how a tree a yard casts eclipse-shaped pinhole projections onto the front of a house:
Eclipse in Dallas, Texas USA from our very own Jason Major.Tree leaves acting as pinhole cameras projecting tiny eclipse images on the ground at Mt. Lemmon, near Tucson, Arizona USA. Credit: Sifted Reality on Flickr.'I'm sorry to inform you that Earth is about to be been eaten by a fire demon,' wrote photographer Ben Brockert on Twitter. Ben is an engineer at Armadillo Aerospace.
Eclipse image taken through radiography film. Credit: Stefan Bartali.Eclipse through the clouds in Manhattan Beach, California, USA. Credit:Eclipse over wheat, at sunset in South Dakota, USA. Credit: Randy Halverson/Dakotalapse.Annular eclipse on May 20, 2012 as seen in southwest Missouri, USA. Credit: Josh Martin.An eclipsed Sun in a blaze of glory, as seen in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Credit: Abe MegahedA hazy eclipse as seen in Manteno, Illinois, USA. Credit: Gerald Meegan.A series of images taken near Stockton, California, USA, between 16:34 PST, and 19:36 PST. 'I had to move a couple of times to keep it in view and by the time I got to the last picture, it was falling behind trees,' said photographer Jon Ballard.May 20, 2012 annular eclipse taken in Huntington Beach, CA at 6:09 PM. Smart phone picture using a Galileoscope shining on a piece of white paper. Credit: yzzzguy on Flickr.Sunspots show up on the eclipsed Sun. Credit: darethehair on Flickr, from Morden, Manitoba, Canada.Eclipse photo by Bill Dunford (of RidingWithRobots.org) in UtahA cloudy, blue eclipse as seen in Taipei, May 21, 2012 about 06:20 AM. Credit: sawunggaling on Flickr.This photo was taken near the Texas-New Mexico border, west of Lubbock, TX. This is near the eclipse maximum, partially obscured by clouds. Credit: Erin Shaw
Here’s a video of a setting eclipse over the Very Large Array in New Mexico (Credit: J. Stoke/J. Hellerman, NRAO/AUI/NSF)
‘I watched the eclipse through a 30 year old Edmund Scientific Astroscan 2000,’ said photographer Keith Nealy from Alameda, California, USA.” I don't have a camera mount, so I just put my iPhone 4S in front of the lens and got an impressionistic shot. I took my telescope out to the street corner near our movie theater. About 75 people looked through it and were awestruck. It was delightful to see all ages and races be amazed. One couple came out of the movie "Avengers." I asked them how they liked the movie and they said the view through the telescope was better.’Eclipse behind the mountains of the Wupatki Indian Ruins in northern Arizona, USA. Taken with Celestron 3.5 inch with solar filter through a Sony point and shoot digital camera. Credit: Andy RadkeA self-portrait of prolific photographer John Chumack watching the eclipse on May 20, 2012 from Indianapolis, Indiana.Fun! Eclipse eyes by Alok Singhal. Taken on a pier in Jack London Square in Oakland, California, USA. Credit: Jessie Edwards of Frivolous Design.
And make sure you check out our Flickr page to see more eclipse and other wonderful images sent in by astrophotographers!
A beautiful crescent Venus on May 14, 2012. Credit: John Chumack.
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Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, Venus has never looked more gorgeous! Prolific and accomplished astrophotographer John Chumack captured this shot of a crescent Venus on May 14, 2012 as it moves in for a transit of the Sun. Just 14% of Venus’ face was illuminated, 22 Days before the June 5th Transit of Venus across the Sun. John used a DMK 21AF04 fire-wire Camera, 2x Barlow, & 10″ SCT telescope, and used 950 frames stacked to create this image. Thanks to John for sharing his image; see more of his work at his website, Galactic Images.
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.
“Stars above Innsbruck” by Norbert Span, Austria. Winning photo from the 2012 Earth & Sky contest.
Enjoy this delightful video put together by Babak Tafreshi from The World At Night showing the winners of the third International Earth and Sky Photo Contest. With the theme of ‘Dark Skies Importance,’ these are lovely landscape astrophotos, “ in appreciation of the night sky beauty as an essential element of our nature, importance of preserving dark skies, and public awareness on the growing threat of light pollution,” Tafreshi said.
The organizers of the contest were the TWAN group along with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, emphasizing Global Astronomy Month (April) and the contest was part of the Dark Skies Awareness project. The 2012 contest submission period was during the month of April, and submissions were to be in the “TWAN style” of landscape astrophotography — combining elements of the night sky set in the backdrop of the Earth horizon with a notable location or landmark.
Here’s the winning photograph by Norbert Span from Austria, “Stars Above Innsbruck:”
