Archive for Manaluna Observatory

M42 last night

Posted in Astrophotography with tags , , , , , , , , , , on 2009/03/21 by computerphysicslab

Last night I could enjoy a really clear night sky at Manaluna Observatory. Meanwhile some of my partners were working hard to complete the Messier Marathon, I took 3 series of no-tracking shots through Vixen 12×80 binocular to M42 in Orion.

The truth is that what I could see through binoculars was much more brilliant and detailed than the next image by far. I think my Casio Exilim digital pocket camera is a bit insensible to dim light …

M42 60 seconds exposure

Trapezium is visible as a spot. The 20″ separation among its components is too close for my binoculars to resolve it. Remember that 20″ is the apparent diameter of Saturn.

Comet Szczepanski C/1996 B1

Posted in Astrophotography with tags , , , , , , , on 1996/03/17 by computerphysicslab

Comet Szczepanski C/1996 B1 captured with a 50 mm Reflex analog camera under dark skies, Manaluna Observatory. Comet Szczepanski was very dim, around 8th magnitude, near Regulus, alfa Leo Major.

Comet Szczepanski C/1996 B1