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What are your scope’s real focal length and focal ratio?
Ever wonder what the real focal length and focal ratio of your scope are? Many people are surprised that they are not exactly what is marked on the lens because of slight variations in manufacture....
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New Nebula Discovered!
I am very proud to humbly announce my first astronomical discovery! Click on the image or link to see a larger version with a lot more information. Officially cataloged as “Lodriguss 1”, I have named...
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New Nebula Undiscovered!
Happy April Fools day plus one! I am very proud to humbly announce that my first astronomical discovery was an April Fools Day prank and I wanted to thank everyone for making it so successful! I had a...
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Big Numbers and the NCAA
Odds of randomly picking a perfect bracket in the NCAA tournament… 2 to the 63rd power, which is 9.223372e+18 or roughly 9 Quintillion. Good thing its not 64! (64 factorial), which is 1.2688693e+89...
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Comet 252P/LINEAR
Comet 252P/LINEAR moves rapidly against the starry background in the constellation of Ophiuchus. Click on the image or link to see an animation of the comet moving along with more information....
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VdB 14 and 15
Van den Bergh 14 and 15 are a complex of reflection and emission nebulosity located in the constellation of Camelopardalis near the border of Cassiopeia and Perseus. Click on the image or link to see...
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Sunspot AR 2529
The large Sunspot AR 2529 shows some interesting detail in the umbra and penumbra even in mediocre seeing. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more information. I recorded Live...
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The Motion Binding Illusion
I love optical illusions. Here’s one that amateur astronomer visual observers should appreciate because they know what “peripheral vision” is. Look at the center of the image. The two pairs of lines...
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NGC 3628 Tidal Tail and a Mystery
This is an image of the Leo Trio of Galaxies which includes M65 and M66 and NGC 3628. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more information. I shot more than 7 hours worth of...
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M13, M51 with CCD Camera
Here’s something a little different for me, I shot these images of globular cluster M13 and galaxy M51 with a CCD camera instead of a DSLR. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more...
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Mercury Transit
Here is a shot of Mercury transiting across the face of the Sun shot on Monday May 9, 2016. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more information. This was shot with a white-light...
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Mercury Transit in Hydrogen-Alpha
Here’s a shot of the Mercury transit in hydrogen-alpha light. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more information. This was shot with my good friend Steve Mattan’s 60mm Coronado...
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Seeing during the Transit of Mercury
Bad seeing in a turbulent atmosphere at the start of the Mercury transit on May 9, 2016. http://www.astropix.com/Mercury_Transit_Seeing.html “Seeing” is the astronomical term that describes how steady...
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Mercury and Venus Transits Compared
I put together a little comparison of the transits of Mercury and Venus to show the difference in size of the two planets. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more technical...
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M51 Mono Compared to Color
Here is M51 shot in monochrome and color for a comparison that I did. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more information. I wanted to see if I could use my 5-inch refractor with...
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The IC 1396 Area in Southern Cepheus
This is a wide-field shot of the IC 1396 area in southern Cepheus. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more information and a mouse over with object identifications. This is my...
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Saturn and the Opposition Surge
Saturn, the crown jewel of the solar system, is at opposition on June 3. That means it is opposite the Sun in the sky, rising at sunset and transiting at about 1am. A very interesting effect, called...
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Open Cluster IC 4665
Open cluster IC 4665 is located in the constellation of Ophiuchus. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more information. This very large open cluster is quite neglected. Even...
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NGC 6888, The Crescent Nebula in Ha
NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula, is a rare nebula surrounding a massive Wolf-Rayet star. Click on the image or link to see a larger version with more information. This image was shot with a CCD camera...
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