Solar Imaging Session - April 13, 2014

I wasn't able to image Mars for the second night as I'm just too tired after work and need to get full rest :( With that, I wake up late this morning and was only able to do some Ha wavelength solar imaging with the small and trusty Coronado PST-Ha. There is a nice huge Hedgerow prominence on the SE limb. Several moderate sized sunspot groups are visible in the eastern half of the Sun namely AR12035, possible 12036, 12034, 12033 & 12032 Sunspot Groups. Overall, the Sun is still considered low in solar activity IMHO.

Mars Imaging Session - April 10, 2014

I was able to cool down my scope early tonight for around 2 hours. Seeing condition is fair but once again, it hampers my chance to get a bigger image scale of Mars. But even with a 2x barlow lens, surface details are clearly seen and far better than what I had imaged last night. Syrtis Major, Hella and Utopia region are at central meridian. North polar ice cap is clearly seen as well as white region around Hella.

Mars Imaging Session - April 9, 2014

After a frustrating failed attempt to image Mars at opposition last April 8, I was able to finally get my first image of planet Mars with ZWO ASI120MM webcam using Baader RGB filter through ATIK Manual Filter Wheel. Not only this is my first attempt to image Mars with the ASI120MM , it was also my first to do an RGB shot of any planet so I had a hard time playing around with the RGB combination. Seeing is fair but lots of clouds passing by so it was also very frustrating but I keep my cool. I was planning to image with the 5x Powermate but had to back down to using 2x barlow lens because of not so good seeing condition. Syrtis Major, Hellas and Utopia Region is at central meridian while Sabaeus Sinus is starting to come to view as well. North Polar Cap can also be seen. Despite the not so good seeing condition, I'm still quite happy with the results and hoping to image Mars once again tomorrow night.

Solar Imaging Session - April 9, 2014

After a failed attempt to image Mars last night due to clouds, I had another solar imaging session this morning and check out the huge eruptive prominence in the SE limb is still visible. As expected, the huge prominence is still visible and shows slightly thicker projections. AR12027 and 12026 and 12031 Sunspot Groups still shows high solar activity inside its cores. Aside from these activities, the rest of the Sun's limb and surface are quiet.

Solar Imaging Session - April 8, 2014

The sky this morning is clear and seeing condition is good. The giant eruptive prominence that I saw the other day is still visible as 2 long eruptive streaks ejecting out of the solar limb. AR12026 Sunspot Group shows a high solar activity inside its core despite its petite appearance. Also prominent on the Sun is AR12027 Sunspot Group which also shows nice solar activity. Aside from these, the Sun is very quiet IMHO. I also try to image the Sun with a wider view by imaging through the entire sensor chip but the Newton Rings are notoriously obvious on the wide field shots. I hope to find a solution to eliminate this problem in the future but for now, will have to settle with it.

Solar Imaging Session - April 6, 2014 (Huge Prominences!)

I wake up late this morning but still manage to have some short time for me to check out the Sun in H-Alpha wavelength. Seeing was fair. There are several huge prominences on the edge of the Sun !!! The biggest one being the Giant eruptive prominence that is visible on the SE limb. @ other huge hedgerow prominences are also visible in the NW and SW limb as well. Didn't have enough time to image more in Ha as well as white light this morning due to building obstruction :( Sigh!

Reprocessed M8 Lagoon and M20 Triffid Nebula

I reprocessed my earlier image of M8 Lagoon Nebula and M20 Triffid Nebula as I felt it is too dim as well as many details being clipped. I also lessen its contrasts a bit to make it more natural. Hope this is a better rendition than my previously posted image of this duo the other day.