Dark Sky® Alqueva – The Stargazing Experience of a Lifetime
2024 Oficial Dark Sky® Alqueva Video. I’ve created a new video released for the first time in the World Travel Awards ceremony! The 1 minute “Stargazing Experience of a Lifetime” also become the 2024/2025 official video of Dark Sky® Alqueva. I hope you enjoy it and maybe add us to your bucket list! It was with enormous honor and joy that Dark Sky saw its work recognized worldwide in the grand final of the World Travel Awards, thus winning the World’s Responsible Tourism Award 2024. Pioneer in the development of astrotourism, has created its first destination in 2007, Dark Sky® Alqueva. It was the first Starlight Tourism Destination in the world and the first cross-border. Certified in 2011 by the Starlight Foundation, this destination currently comprises 11 municipalities in Portugal and covers an area of over 10,000 square kilometers around the Great Lake of Alqueva, including Spanish territory. Dark Sky® Alqueva has been an internationally awarded destination throughout its existence, a fact that motivates us and helps to renew the necessary strength to continue working towards sustainability and the protection of the night sky.
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How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Telescopes at work in the Winter Sky and Moonlight captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory
On an assignment for SOU- Secrets of the Universe, I did a time lapse comprising 6h of images and 700 frames, showing my two different telescopes at work in our Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory. While they are both collecting photons from the cosmos, against the winter sky is visible the Milky Way path with beautiful Orion shining bright, until the moment when bright moonlight rises and fill up the entire sky.
PT: A imagem de capa é o resultado de um trabalho encomendado pelo SOU- Secrets of the Universe, onde captei um time lapse composto por 6h de imagens e 700 fotogramas, que revela dois telescópios diferentes a trabalhar no nosso Observatório Dark Sky® Alqueva. Enquanto ambos recolhem fotões do cosmos, contra o céu de inverno é visível o percurso da Via Láctea com a constelação de Orion a brilhar intensamente, até ao momento em que o luar brilhante surge e enche todo o céu!
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How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Conjunction between Mars and Jupiter Shining Bright against the Winter Sky of Dark Sky® Alqueva
The image reveals the arrival of winter constellations in the starry skies of Dark Sky® Alqueva captured in one of the nights when conjunction between Mars and Jupiter was visible. They can be seen as major “bright stars” rising very close to each other and under the branches of the tree. In the background, a layer of high clouds are mixed with greenish hues from airglow. Blueish young star cluster of Pleaides is also dominating the central sky on the image.
PT: A imagem revela a chegada das constelações de Inverno aos céus estrelados do Dark Sky® Alqueva captada numa das noites em que era visível a conjunção entre Marte e Júpiter. Podem ser vistas como grandes “estrelas brilhantes” que nascem muito próximas uma da outra sob os ramos da árvore. Ao fundo, uma camada de nuvens altas mistura-se com tons esverdeados, provenientes da presença de airglow, a luminiscência fotoquímica da atmosfera.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Milky Way Mixed with a Layer of Greenish Airglow, while Setting Behind a Tree from Dark Sky® Alqueva
The image reveals the Milky Way bright core while setting behind a tree in one of the fields of Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. In the background, a layer of high clouds are mixed with greenish hues from airglow.
PT: A imagem revela a coração da Via Láctea, enquanto este se deitava no horizonte por detrás da silhueta de uma árvore, numa das incríveis paisagens do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. No céu de fundo, é ainda possível ver nuvens altas e finas que se misturam com uma tonalidade esverdeada, proveniente da presença de airglow, luminiscência fotoquímica da atmosfera.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Big Dipper Setting Behind a Tree as Seen from Dark Sky® Alqueva
The image reveals Ursa Minor or the Little Dipper, and Ursa Major, the Big Dipper while setting behind a tree in one of the fields of Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal.
PT: A imagem revela a constelação da Ursa Menor e Ursa Maior, enquanto esta última se deitava no horizonte por detrás da silhueta de uma árvore, numa das incríveis paisagens do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal!
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Trees – Welcoming the Winter in the Starry Skies of Alqueva – Time Lapse
I hope you enjoy most recent video time lapse showing the arrival of winter constellations in the starry skies of Dark Sky® Alqueva captured in one of the nights when conjunction between Mars and Jupiter was visible. They can be seen at the end as two major “bright stars” rising very close to each other under the branches of Alqueva Trees. Those same trees that have their arms open to the Universe…how many stories of history they have recorded in their roots….to me, Trees are like Wise Silent Observers…the ancient stargazers made from one of the rarest “elements” in the Universe…as “wood” only exists on planet Earth, at least, according to our present knowledge, maybe we can find proof of life in other planets….but, didn’t happened, yet!.
PT: Espero que gostem do mais recente vídeo time lapse que mostra a chegada das constelações de inverno aos céus estrelados do Dark Sky® Alqueva, captado numa das noites em que a conjunção entre Marte e Júpiter era visível. Visíveis no vídeo como duas “estrelas brilhantes” a surgirem muito próximas uma da outra sob os ramos das árvores do Alqueva. Essas mesmas árvores que têm os braços abertos para o Universo…quantas histórias, durante a prórpria história da humanidade não estarão registadas nas suas raízes?! Para mim, as árvores são como observadores sábios e silenciosos….os mais antigos stargazers feitos de um dos “elementos” mais raros do Universo….a madeira! Só existe no planeta Terra, pelo menos, de acordo com o nosso conhecimento actual, talvez possamos encontrar provas de vida noutros planetas….mas, ainda não aconteceu e ainda assim, a madeira poderá não existir lá!
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Stunning View of Milky Way and Comet A3 Atlas in Between a Dead Tree Captured with Smartphone Google Pixel 9 Pro XL from Dark Sky® Alqueva in Portugal
I believe this is probably one of my best images of the Comet A3 Atlas. And if I tell you that it was not taken with any fancy DSLR or Mirrorless camera…but, with the new smartphone: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL…insane, right?! This is a photo I captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, in Portugal, on 25th October 2024 and it shows the Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas, crossing the skies close to Milky Way galaxy and in between the branches of a dead tree, near Alqueva lake. What an incredible nigh! This is a single 4 minutes integration in Night Mode, without star tracker, where the Pixel 9 combines 15 short exposures of 16 seconds each. The 50 MP Raw (DNG 16 bits file) was then processed in Adobe Camera Raw like a normal nightscape astrophotography. The Smartphone Google Pixel 9 Pro XL they will definitely be a game changer!
PT: Acredito que esta seja, provavelmente, uma das minhas melhores imagens do Cometa A3 Atlas. E se vos disser que não foi tirada com nenhuma DSLR sofisticada ou câmara Mirrorless…mas, com o novo smartphone: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL…uma loucura, quase inacreditável! Esta é uma foto que captei a partir do território certificado do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal, no dia 25 de Outubro de 2024 e que mostra o Cometa C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas, a cruzar os céus perto da Via Láctea e visível por entre os ramos de uma árvore morta localizada perto do lago Alqueva. Que noite incrível! Esta é uma integração única de 4 minutos no Modo Nocturno, sem seguimento das estrelas, onde o Pixel 9 combina 15 exposições curtas de 16 segundos cada. O Raw de 50 MP (ficheiro DNG de 16 bits) foi então processado no Adobe Camera Raw como uma astrofotografia nocturna normal. O Smartphone Google Pixel 9 Pro XL será definitivamente um game changer, num futuro próximo!
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Smartphone Astrophoto Shows a Colorful Startrail Captured with Google Pixel 9 Pro XL from Dark Sky® Alqueva Headquarters
Another example of the capabilities of smartphones for nightscape imaging taken with the new Google Pixel 9 Pro XL from our headquarters at Dark Sky® Alqueva, in Portugal, showing our historic building under the red lights – friendly for night time environment – and above it, the colorful paths from Orion constellations bright stars. Captured during 1h, with short exposures of 16 seconds each, then combined to create the startrail image. Smartphones like Google Pixel 9 Pro XL they will definitely be a game changer in a short future.
PT: Outro exemplo das capacidades dos smartphones para imagens de paisagens noturnas. Captada com o novo Google Pixel 9 Pro XL na nossa sede do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal, a imagem revela o nosso edifício histórico sob as luzes vermelhas – adequadas para ambientes nocturnos – e acima dele, os caminhos coloridos das estrelas brilhantes da constelação de Orionte. Captado durante 1h, com exposições curtas de 16 segundos cada, posteriormente combinadas para criar um startrail. O Smartphone Google Pixel 9 Pro XL será certamente um game changer num futuro curto.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Smartphone Astrophoto with Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Shows a Time Lapse from Dark Sky® Alqueva Official Observatory
A new time lapse to show the capabilities of Smartphone Google Pixel 9 Pro XL for imaging nightscapes! This is a time lapse of 200 single shots of 16 seconds each, captured in sequence, from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory. While my telescope was operating, in the background sky Pleiades star cluster M45 was rising as a bluish young group of stars, shining bright. Few years ago, this would just be a dream unreachable….but nowadays – thanks to technology and evolution- smartphones like Google Pixel 9 Pro XL they will definitely change the game in a near future.
PT: Neste time-lapse podemos ver as capacidades do smartphone Google Pixel 9 Pro XL para imagens nocturnas! Trata-se de um time lapse de 200 imagens únicas de 16 segundos cada, captadas em sequência, no Observatório Dark Sky® Alqueva. Enquanto o meu telescópio operava, no céu de fundo surgia o enxame estelar Pleaides M45, visível como um jovem grupo azulado de estrelas, brilhando intensamente. Há alguns anos, este seria apenas um sonho inalcançável… mas hoje em dia – graças à tecnologia e à evolução – smartphones como o Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vão definitivamente mudar o jogo, num futuro bem próximo.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Smartphone Astrophoto with Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Shows a Telescope and the Polar Constellations at Dark Sky® Alqueva Skies
Another smartphone nightscape taken with the new Google Pixel Pro 9 XL from Dark Sky® Alqueva, before a private stargazing session at São Lourenço do Barrocal, showing one of our telescopes and the polar constellations. A single photo of 4 min exposure – without star tracker- processed from a Raw file with 50 Megapixels captured with the 6.7mm lens 1x (equivalent to a 24mm at f1.7 on a DSLR camera). Smartphones like @googlepixel 9 Pro XL they will definitely be a game changer in a short future. More images to come so stay tuned!
PT: Mais uma paisagem nocturna captada com o novo Google Pixel Pro 9 XL a partir do Dark Sky® Alqueva, antes de uma sessão privada de observação de estrelas em São Lourenço do Barrocal, mostrando um dos nossos telescópios e as constelações polares. A imagem é uma única foto de 4 min de exposição – sem qualquer startracker – processada a partir de um ficheiro Raw com 50 Megapixels, captada com a lente 6.7mm 1x (equivalente a uma 24mm a f1 . 7 numa câmara DSLR). Smartphones como o @googlepixel 9 Pro XL serão certamente um “game changer” num futuro próximo.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
First Light in the Winter Milky Way with New Smartphone Google Pixel 9 Pro XL as Seen from Dark Sky® Alqueva, in Portugal
First Light with smartphone #googlepixel9proxl taken from the observatory roof at Dark Sky® Alqueva, showing the winter constellations from Auriga up to Cassiopeia including some deepsky gems like California nebula, Heart & Soul nebula, blueish young star cluster of Pleiades M45 or even M31 and M33 galaxies in the top right corner. I was very impressed with such result, using the night mode, without star tracker, the image is a single photo of 4 min exposure, from a Raw file with 50 Megapixels captured with the 6.7mm lens 1x (equivalent to a 24mm at f1.7 on a DSLR camera). Smartphones like @googlepixel 9 Pro XL they will definitely be a game changer in a short future. More images to come so stay tuned.
PT: First Light com smartphone #googlepixel9proxl captada a partir do telhado do Observatório Oficial do Dark Sky® Alqueva, mostrando as constelações de inverno desde Auriga até Cassiopeia, incluindo algumas jóias do céu profundo como a nebulosa da Califórnia, a nebulosa do Coração e da Alma, o jovem aglomerado estelar azulado das Pleiades M45 ou ainda M31 e a Galáxias M33 no canto superior direito. Fiquei muito impressionado com este resultado utilizando o modo nocturno do Pixel 9 Pro e sem seguimento das estrelas com startracker. A imagem é uma única foto de 4 min de exposição, processada a partir de um ficheiro Raw com 50 Megapixels, captada com a lente 6.7mm 1x (equivalente a uma 24mm a f1 . 7 numa câmara DSLR). Smartphones como o @googlepixel 9 Pro XL serão certamente um “game changer” num futuro próximo.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas Flying Behind a Tree and Close to Milky Way – Photo and Time Lapse
The image and time lapse shows C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas flying across the background starry skies of Alqueva at @darkskyalqueva, Portugal, in a winter moonless night while the Milky Way still visible. In the foreground, a beautiful tree and a van, shows the amazing experience of being under the stars enjoying the nature in its best.
PT: A imagem e time lapse mostram o cometa C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas a atravessar os céus do Alqueva, numa noite de inverno e sem lua, enquanto a Via Láctea ainda é visível. Em primeiro plano, uma bonita árvore e uma auto-caravana, mostram a incrível experiência de estar sob as estrelas e a apreciar a magia que a natureza tem para oferecer.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas on a Farewell Before Start the Next Journey of 80,000 years
The image and time lapse shows C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas flying across the background starry skies of Alqueva at @darkskyalqueva, Portugal, in a winter moonless night revealing both Milky Way and the comet on a farewell. Milky Way core for about 6 months but A3 Atlas for a long journey of 80,000 years.
PT: A imagem e time lapse mostram o cometa C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas a atravessar os céus do Alqueva. Em pano de fundo é possível ver a Via Láctea e o céu estrelado do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal, numa noite de inverno e sem lua, enquanto o cometa A3 Atlas se despede para uma longa jornada de 80.000 anos!
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas Flying Close to Milky Way over Alqueva Lake – Photo and Time Lapse
The image and time lapse shows C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas flying across the background starry skies of Alqueva at @darkskyalqueva, Portugal, in a winter moonless night revealing both Milky Way and the comet on a farewell. Milky Way core for about 6 months but A3 Atlas for a long journey of 80,000 years.
PT: A imagem e time lapse mostram o cometa C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas a atravessar os céus do Alqueva. Em pano de fundo é possível ver a Via Láctea e o céu estrelado do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal, numa noite de inverno e sem lua, enquanto o cometa A3 Atlas se despede para uma longa jornada de 80.000 anos!
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas Shining in All Its Glory
Finally I got time to process my close-up image taken from Dark Sky® Alqueva with 300mm prime lens f2.8, on 13th October, when C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas was revealing an impressive level of brightness and details, as well as a cool anti-tail frontal spike. It seems that the ion tail is also visible and a prominent dust tail. I processed this one with my deepsky techniques to recover as much as possible the original color and details hidden in the dust tail, washed out, easily, due to the bluish background scattered light from Moon and Twilight. 75 short exposures of 10 seconds at ISO1600, comprising around 12 minutes of images.
PT: Finalmente tive tempo para processar o meu close-up captado a partir dos céus do nosso Dark Sky® Alqueva com uma objectiva prime de 300mm f2.8, no dia 13 de outubro, quando C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas revelava um nível impressionante de brilho e detalhe, além de um “espigão frontal” denominado de anti-cauda. Parece que a cauda de iões também se tornou visível aliada a uma cauda de poeira bastante proeminente. Processei esta imagem com as minhas técnicas de deepsky para recuperar o mais possível a cor original e os detalhes escondidos na cauda de poeira, facilmente ocultada, devido ao fundo azulado causado pela dispersão da luz da Lua e do crepúsculo. 75 exposições curtas de 10 segundos a ISO1600, compreendendo cerca de 12 minutos de imagens.
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I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and if you still want to support my work as an independent artist, you can buy this image as a Fine Art Print, a piece of Art to bring some magic to your sweet home! I will be deeply grateful for your kind support. I have created a special limited Edition of this Print supplied with a signed & numbered Certificate of Authenticity, global delivery with tracked & insured shipping, in a carbon neutral sustainable production, packaging and shipping. Explore the size options and prices by clicking on my Print gallery. Meanwhile, you can sign-up my newsletter to get early access of future Print releases.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas Featuring an Anti-Tail while Shining Under the Moonlight
Yesterday 13th October 2024, was a special day to capture the Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as the Earth was passing through the comet’s orbital plane, and this is causing the comet to sprout an ‘anti-tail.’ It’s clearly visible the frontal spike coming out of the comet’s head. The image was taken from a beautiful field at Dark Sky® Alqueva territory in Portugal. The Moonlight was shining bright so it helped to illuminate quite well the landscape. Now the comet is clearly visible with naked-eye. I have more images and time lapses so stay tuned.
PT: Ontem 13 de Outubro, foi um dia especial para captar o cometa Tsuchinshan-ATLAS enquanto a Terra passava pelo plano orbital do cometa, fazendo com que o cometa produza uma ‘anti-cauda’. É claramente visível o “espigão” frontal que sai da cabeça do cometa. A imagem foi tirada a partir da paisagem encantadora do território Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. O luar estava a brilhante e ajudou a iluminar muito bem a zona envolvente. Agora o cometa é claramente visível a olho nu. Em baixo é ainda possível ver um time lapse do momento e um “behind the scene” captado pela Apolónia Rodrigues com um iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Fine Art Prints – Available to ORDER
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and if you still want to support my work as an independent artist, you can buy this image as a Fine Art Print, a piece of Art to bring some magic to your sweet home! I will be deeply grateful for your kind support. I have created a special limited Edition of this Print supplied with a signed & numbered Certificate of Authenticity, global delivery with tracked & insured shipping, in a carbon neutral sustainable production, packaging and shipping. Explore the size options and prices by clicking on my Print gallery. Meanwhile, you can sign-up my newsletter to get early access of future Print releases.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas Above Atlantic Ocean After Emerging from the Sun’s Glare
Yesterday 12th October 2024, we drove 200km to be near the Alentejo coast, in Melides, to avoid the clouds which were spread all over the country and had a clear view near the Atlantic Ocean. It was cloudy and a bit hazy but fortunately I finally get a nice first view after C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas emerge from the Sun’s glare. It was though to find it, only around 19h30 it starts to be visible but not yet with naked eye. I think it worth the efforts. Upcoming days could reveal an even more spectacular show, as comet increases altitude. Let’s pray to get the clouds away. Stay tuned.
PT: Ontem percorremos 200km para estarmos perto da costa alentejana, em Melides, para evitar as nuvens que se espalhavam por todo o país e termos uma vista desimpedida junto ao Oceano Atlântico. Estava um pouco de neblina, mas felizmente consegui finalmente voltar a fotografar o C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas depois de ter emergido do brilho do Sol. Foi difícil encontrá-lo, só por volta das 19h30 é que se tornou ligeiramente visível na câmara, não sendo ainda possível observá-lo a olho nu. Acho que valeu a pena os esforços. Os próximos dias poderão revelar um espetáculo ainda mais incrível, à medida que o cometa aumenta a sua altitude. Vamos torcer para que as nuvens se afastem. Fique atento.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas in the Morning Twilight Before Deeply Dive into the Sun’s Glare
Here is my latest view of C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas captured on 30th September in the morning twilight, from Alandroal, Dark Sky® Alqueva territory in Portugal, before deeply dive into the Sun’s glare. Let’s hope for the best display after mid October when it will reach the closest point to Earth on October 12th and emerge from the Sun’s glare being again visible, this time, in the western horizon after sunset.
PT: Eis a minha última imagem do C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas captada no dia 30 de Setembro, ao crepúsculo da manhã, no Alandroal, território Dark Sky® Alqueva em Portugal, antes de mergulhar profundamente no brilho do Sol. Esperemos que atinja a sua melhor aparição depois de meados de Outubro, quando estará no ponto mais próximo da Terra no dia 12 de Outubro emergindo do brilho solar, e tornando-se assim novamente visível, desta vez, no horizonte ocidental e logo após o pôr-do-sol.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas Under the Morning Twilight above Alqueva lake, Portugal
Another view of C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas near the lake Alqueva at Dark Sky® Alqueva certified territory, in Portugal, taken three days ago (29th September) in the morning twilight. Brightness keeps increasing but as well as the twilight interference so it’s not yet, so spectacular as it is in the southern hemisphere or equator. Let’s hope for the best display after mid October when it will reach the closest point to Earth on the 12th.
PT: Mais uma visão do C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas perto do lago Alqueva no território certificado Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal, tirada há três dias (29 de Setembro) no crepúsculo da manhã. O brilho continua a aumentar tal como a interferência do crepúsculo. Ainda não se mostra tão espectacular como no hemisfério sul ou no equador. Esperemos que se venha a tornar ainda mais deslumbrante depois de meados de Outubro, quando atingirá o ponto mais próximo da Terra, no próximo dia 12.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
First View of Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas Under the Morning Twilight as Seen from Dark Sky® Alqueva, in Portugal
Finally I got the chance to photograph the comet this morning (28th September) and under the nautical twilight providing an incredible color display! High clouds were there all the time giving me only a little opportunity to capture C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas from our beautiful landscape at Dark Sky® Alqueva certified territory, in Portugal.
PT: Finalmente tive a oportunidade de fotografar o cometa pela primeira vez na manhã de 28 de Setembro, sob a influência do crepúsculo náutico, proporcionando uma exibição de cores distincta e incrível! As núvens altas estiveram lá o tempo todo, permitindo apenas uma pequena oportunidade de captar o C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas a partir da paisagem exótica do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Dramatic Northern Lights Display as Seen from Portugal at 38º above Alqueva Lake – Photo and Time lapse
Captured on 10th of October, 2024, the image adn time lapse reveals an impressive display of northern lights in the presence of moonlight as seen from my location at 38º in Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. I and Apolónia, we both could see them with naked eye around midnight. The weather was not perfect and a bit cloudy, but it ended up creating an even more dramatic and spectacular display over Monsaraz Castle and lake Alqueva.
PT: Captada em 10 de Outubro de 2024, a imagem e time lapse revelam uma impressionante exibição das auroras boreais na presença do luar, vistas a partir da minha localização a 38º no Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. Eu e a Apolónia pudemos inclusivamente observá-las a olho nu de forma subtil, por volta da meia-noite. O tempo não estava perfeito e um pouco nublado, mas acabou por criar uma exibição ainda mais dramática e espectacular sobre o Castelo de Monsaraz e o Grande Lago Alqueva.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Reddish Northern Lights Display as Seen from Portugal at 38º above Alqueva Lake and Monsaraz Castle
Captured on 10th of October, 2024, the image and time lapse reveals an impressive colorful display of northern lights in the presence of moonlight as seen from my location at 38º in Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. I and Apolónia, we both could see them with naked eye around midnight. The weather was not perfect and a bit cloudy, but it ended up creating an even more dramatic and spectacular display over Monsaraz Castle and lake Alqueva.
PT: Captada em 10 de Outubro de 2024, a imagem e time lapse revelam uma impressionante exibição colorida das auroras boreais na presença do luar, vistas a partir da minha localização a 38º no Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. Eu e a Apolónia pudemos inclusivamente observá-las a olho nu de forma subtil, por volta da meia-noite. O tempo não estava perfeito e um pouco nublado, mas acabou por criar uma exibição ainda mais dramática e espectacular sobre o Castelo de Monsaraz e o Grande Lago Alqueva.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Pink Reddish Northern Lights Display as Seen from Portugal at 38º above Alqueva Lake
Captured on 10th of October, 2024, the image and time lapse reveals an impressive colorful display of northern lights in the presence of moonlight as seen from my location at 38º in Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. I and Apolónia, we both could see them with naked eye around midnight. The weather was not perfect and a bit cloudy, but it ended up creating an even more dramatic and spectacular display over Monsaraz Castle and lake Alqueva.
PT: Captada em 10 de Outubro de 2024, a imagem e time lapse revelam uma impressionante exibição colorida das auroras boreais na presença do luar, vistas a partir da minha localização a 38º no Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. Eu e a Apolónia pudemos inclusivamente observá-las a olho nu de forma subtil, por volta da meia-noite. O tempo não estava perfeito e um pouco nublado, mas acabou por criar uma exibição ainda mais dramática e espectacular sobre o Castelo de Monsaraz e o Grande Lago Alqueva.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Pinkish Northern Lights Display as Seen from Portugal at 38º above Alqueva Lake
Captured on 10th of October, 2024, the image adn time lapse reveals an impressive display of northern lights in the presence of moonlight as seen from my location at 38º in Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. I and Apolónia, we both could see them with naked eye around midnight. The weather was not perfect and a bit cloudy, but it ended up creating an even more dramatic and spectacular display over Monsaraz Castle and lake Alqueva.
PT: Captada em 10 de Outubro de 2024, a imagem e time lapse revelam uma impressionante exibição das auroras boreais na presença do luar, vistas a partir da minha localização a 38º no Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. Eu e a Apolónia pudemos inclusivamente observá-las a olho nu de forma subtil, por volta da meia-noite. O tempo não estava perfeito e um pouco nublado, mas acabou por criar uma exibição ainda mais dramática e espectacular sobre o Castelo de Monsaraz e o Grande Lago Alqueva.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Northern Lights Under the Moonlight above Alqueva Lake at 38º Latitude, Portugal
Captured on 10th of October, 2024, the panoramic image reveals an impressive display of northern lights in the presence of moonlight as seen from my location at 38º in Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. I and Apolónia, we both could see them with naked eye around midnight. The weather was not perfect and a bit cloudy, but it ended up creating an even more dramatic and spectacular display over Monsaraz Castle and lake Alqueva.
PT: Captada em 10 de Outubro de 2024, a imagem panorâmica revela uma impressionante exibição das auroras boreais na presença do luar, vistas a partir da minha localização a 38º no Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. Eu e a Apolónia pudemos inclusivamente observá-las a olho nu de forma subtil, por volta da meia-noite. O tempo não estava perfeito e um pouco nublado, mas acabou por criar uma exibição ainda mais dramática e espectacular sobre o Castelo de Monsaraz e o Grande Lago Alqueva.
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Massive Clouds of Hydrogen Gas Glowing in Cepheus Revealed in a Deep Wide Scene
The deep wide field scene shows in Ha and OIII emission, the large complexity of bright and dark nebulosity located in Cepheus constellation. The view is amazing revealing a tremendous amount of hydrogen gas in a large field of view, comprising dozens of well know nebulae such as the large bright cloud where is located the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula IC1396, up to the opposite edge where is visible Lobster Claw Nebula SH2-157. It’s also Incredible to compare the differences in angular size between some of these objects that we are used to see in close-up images, such as the bright shell of Flying Bat with the embedded blueish Squid Nebula or the the Lion Nebula Sh2-132 Immersed in a glowing field of ionised hydrogen and oxygen gas (Ha and OIII emission). At the end is available the annotated detailed version containing the main objects visible in the image. Captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory, Cumeada, in Portugal.
PT: Este campo amplo e profundo mostras nas emissões do comprimento de onda Ha (hidrogénio) e OIII (oxigénio), a grande complexidade de nebulosidade brilhante e escura localizada na cosntelação do Cefeu. A visão é incrível, revelando uma tremenda quantidade de gás hidrogénio-alfa num grande campo de visão que compreende dezenas de nebulosas bem conhecidas, como a grande nuvem brilhante onde se encontra a Nebulosa da Tromba do Elefante até ao extremo oposto da imagem onde é possível ver a Nebulosa Garra de Lagosta SH2-157. Também é igualmente interessante comparar as diferenças de tamanho angular entre alguns destes objetos que estamos habituados a ver em imagens close-up, como a concha brilhante do Morcego Voador com a sua Nebulosa da Lula azulada embutida ou a Nebulosa do Leão Sh2-132 imersa no brilho do gás hidrogénio e oxigénio ionizado (emissão de Ha e OIII). No final da página encontra-se uma versão com a anotação detalhada dos principais objectos visíveis na imagem. Captada a partir do Observatório Oficial do Dark Sky® Alqueva, na Cumeada, Portugal.
Below: The annotated version produced with PixInsight script, based in several known catalogues to identify the main objects in the image.
PT: Em baixo: A versão legendada com anotação produzida pelo script do PixInsight baseado em vários catálogos reconhecidos, identificando assim os principais objectos visíveis na imagem.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Canon Lens 70-200mm f/2.8 set to 70mm + Poseidon-C Pro Camera from Player One Astronomy | Sub Exp. 5 min with Anit-Halo PRO Dual-Band Filter 2″ (Ha+OIII) 3nm from Player One Astronomy | Total of 21h (18h in HaOII + 3h25 min in RGB). Mount EQ6 Pro – N.I.N.A. Processing on PixInsight 1.8.9-3, photoshop CC 2024. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz.
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Peacock Sleeping on a Tree Under a Colorful Lunar Corona Lit by a Super Blue Moon
The image shows a peacock sleeping in a tree in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in a special night on 20th August 2024, when the second full Moon of the Month happened, and for being as well at perigee was also called a Super Blue Moon. The single shot, also shows the background sky with high clouds covering the unfocused moon, while revealing the iridescence of a colorful corona surrounding our natural satellite. I was surprised to see a tree full of peacocks, I din’t knew that they were sleeping on trees to protect themselves from predators. Even not being well visible on the image, the peacock had by its side one little offspring, which I only noticed by the end of my capture. NatGeo explains that the term “peacock” is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. Technically, only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl. Peacocks are large, colorful pheasants (typically blue and green) known for their iridescent tails.The two Asiatic species are the blue or Indian peafowl originally from the Indian subcontinent, and the green peafowl from Southeast Asia. According to wikipedia, the Ancient Greeks believed that the flesh of peafowl did not decay after death, so it became a symbol of immortality. In Hellenistic imagery, the Greek goddess Hera’s chariot was pulled by peacocks, birds not known to Greeks before the conquests of Alexander. Alexander’s tutor, Aristotle, refers to it as “the Persian bird”. When Alexander saw the birds in India, he was so amazed at their beauty that he threatened the severest penalties for any man who slew one. Claudius Aelianus writes that there were peacocks in India, larger than anywhere else. In Christianity, the peacock can also symbolise the cosmos if one interprets its tail with its many “eyes” as the vault of heaven dotted by the sun, moon, and stars. Due to the adoption by Augustine of the ancient idea that the peacock’s flesh did not decay, the bird was again associated with immortality.
PT: A imagem mostra um pavão a dormir numa árvore em Punta Cana, República Dominicana, numa noite especial de 20 de agosto de 2024, quando ocorreu a segunda Lua Cheia do mês, e por estar também no perigeu foi também chamada de Super Lua Azul. A imagem de disparo único, mostra também o céu em pano de fundo com nuvens altas a cobrir a lua desfocada, enquanto revela a iridescência de uma coroa lunar visivíel em torno do nosso satélite natural. Fiquei surpreendido ao ver uma árvore cheia de pavões, não sabia que dormiam nas árvores para se protegerem dos predadores. Embora não seja claramente visível, este pavão tinha ainda a sua cria ao lado. So no final da captação de imagens é que me apercebi da sua pequena companhia. A NatGeo explica que o termo “pavão” é commumente utilizado para se referir a aves de ambos os sexos. Tecnicamente, só os machos são pavões. As fêmeas são pavoas e, em conjunto, são chamadas de pavões. Os pavões são faisões grandes e coloridos (normalmente azuis e verdes), conhecidos pelas suas caudas iridescentes. As duas espécies asiáticas são o pavão azul ou Indiano, originário do subcontinente Indiano, e o pavão verde, do Sudeste Asiático. Segundo a Wikipédia, na antiga grécia acreditava-se que a carne do pavão não se decompunha após a morte, pelo que se tornou um símbolo da imortalidade. Nas imagens helenísticas, o carro da deusa grega Hera era puxado por pavões, aves desconhecidas pelos gregos antes das conquistas de Alexandre. O tutor de Alexandre, Aristóteles, refere-se a ele como “o pássaro persa”. Quando Alexandre viu os pássaros na Índia, ficou tão impressionado com a sua beleza que ameaçou com as mais severas penas a qualquer homem que matasse um deles. Cláudio Aelianus escreve que existiam pavões na Índia, maiores do que em qualquer outro lugar. No Cristianismo, o pavão pode também simbolizar o Cosmos se interpretarmos a sua cauda com os seus muitos “olhos” como a abóbada celeste pontilhada pelo sol, pela lua e pelas estrelas. Devido à adoção por Agostinho da antiga ideia de que a carne do pavão não se decompunha, a ave foi novamente associada à imortalidade.
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Peacock Sleeping on a Tree Under the Super Blue Moonlight
The image shows a peacock sleeping in a tree in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in a special night on 20th August 2024, when the second full Moon of the Month happened, and for being as well at perigee was also called a Super Blue Moon. The single shot, also shows the background sky with high clouds covering the unfocused moon. I was surprised to see a tree full of peacocks, I din’t knew that they were sleeping on trees to protect themselves from predators. Even not being well visible on the image, the peacock had by its side one little offspring, which I only noticed by the end of my capture. NatGeo explains that the term “peacock” is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. Technically, only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl. Peacocks are large, colorful pheasants (typically blue and green) known for their iridescent tails.The two Asiatic species are the blue or Indian peafowl originally from the Indian subcontinent, and the green peafowl from Southeast Asia. According to wikipedia, the Ancient Greeks believed that the flesh of peafowl did not decay after death, so it became a symbol of immortality. In Hellenistic imagery, the Greek goddess Hera’s chariot was pulled by peacocks, birds not known to Greeks before the conquests of Alexander. Alexander’s tutor, Aristotle, refers to it as “the Persian bird”. When Alexander saw the birds in India, he was so amazed at their beauty that he threatened the severest penalties for any man who slew one. Claudius Aelianus writes that there were peacocks in India, larger than anywhere else. In Christianity, the peacock can also symbolise the cosmos if one interprets its tail with its many “eyes” as the vault of heaven dotted by the sun, moon, and stars. Due to the adoption by Augustine of the ancient idea that the peacock’s flesh did not decay, the bird was again associated with immortality.
PT: A imagem mostra um pavão a dormir numa árvore em Punta Cana, República Dominicana, numa noite especial de 20 de agosto de 2024, quando ocorreu a segunda Lua Cheia do mês, e por estar também no perigeu foi também chamada de Super Lua Azul. A imagem de disparo único, mostra também o céu de fundo com nuvens altas a cobrir a lua desfocada. Fiquei surpreendido ao ver uma árvore cheia de pavões, não sabia que dormiam nas árvores para se protegerem dos predadores. Embora não seja claramente visível, este pavão tinha ainda a sua cria ao lado. So no final da captação de imagens é que me apercebi da sua pequena companhia. A NatGeo explica que o termo “pavão” é commumente utilizado para se referir a aves de ambos os sexos. Tecnicamente, só os machos são pavões. As fêmeas são pavoas e, em conjunto, são chamadas de pavões. Os pavões são faisões grandes e coloridos (normalmente azuis e verdes), conhecidos pelas suas caudas iridescentes. As duas espécies asiáticas são o pavão azul ou Indiano, originário do subcontinente Indiano, e o pavão verde, do Sudeste Asiático. Segundo a Wikipédia, na antiga grécia acreditava-se que a carne do pavão não se decompunha após a morte, pelo que se tornou um símbolo da imortalidade. Nas imagens helenísticas, o carro da deusa grega Hera era puxado por pavões, aves desconhecidas pelos gregos antes das conquistas de Alexandre. O tutor de Alexandre, Aristóteles, refere-se a ele como “o pássaro persa”. Quando Alexandre viu os pássaros na Índia, ficou tão impressionado com a sua beleza que ameaçou com as mais severas penas a qualquer homem que matasse um deles. Cláudio Aelianus escreve que existiam pavões na Índia, maiores do que em qualquer outro lugar. No Cristianismo, o pavão pode também simbolizar o Cosmos se interpretarmos a sua cauda com os seus muitos “olhos” como a abóbada celeste pontilhada pelo sol, pela lua e pelas estrelas. Devido à adoção por Agostinho da antiga ideia de que a carne do pavão não se decompunha, a ave foi novamente associada à imortalidade.
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
The Beauty of Solar Activity – CME, Flares, Prominence Eruptions and an Acacia Tree
A solar time lapse of an entire full disc of the sun captured on September 2, 2024, reveals the beauty of solar activity with an unprecedented level details and depth as the result of new brand technique and workflow I developed. Besides so many interesting features in motion happening at the same time during the course of 3h comprised in a 6 seconds movie sequence, we could see minor eruptive prominences and loops around the limb, large filaments and small spicules dancing like hair in the wind. A small delicate line of plasma floating and stuck by the strong magnetic fields before being released. A fast and large eruption on the left limb, which I confirmed later being the unleash of a CME – Coronal Mass Ejection detected by CACTUS system at exactly the same time and angle (UT13:36 pa 097). The powerful flare M1.8 from Active Region AR3813 was immediately followed the by the CME and another flare even stronger M2.9 from AR3807. Finishing with a wonderful large prominence growing like an African tree, an “Umbrella Thorn Acacia” made of plasma, with their warm roots feed by the wild “savanna” which is the solar chromosphere. I believe that this is probably one of the most detailed solar time lapse ever made by an independent astrophotographer. Important to mention that these are real images captured by me with special solar equipment and not AI generated in any part, not even for noise reduction purposes. Follow me on Instagram at @miguel_claro to have access on my “behind the scenes” daily stories while capturing those images.
Background audio sound and Music
I carefully produced the final movie with a nice licensed music from Envato named “Commercial Space Rock” by AudioEarth, and I´ve included the real low frequency sounds of the Sun at the first seconds of the video, sonified by A. Kosovichev from Stanford Experimental Physics Lab with Data from ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), speeded it up a factor 42,000 to bring it into the audible human-hearing range (kHz)) click here to listen the isolated sound. Sun’s natural vibrations provides scientists with a concrete representation of its dynamic movements. Also, in space due to the lack of air, It´s impossible to hear or record sounds as we perceive on Earth. But for a more immersive audio/visual impact, it was added a soft background sound of a volcanic eruption as we hear here on Earth, synchronised with the timeline in which close-up views of solar eruptions and large prominences appear on the screen. The time lapse sequence at the end of this page was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, in Portugal, with a Player One Saturn-M SQR camera and a Lunt telescope LS100, generating around 3TB of data. The final result is a 5K high resolution solar movie comprising 249 images over the course of about 3h, between UT11h28 and UT14h20.
PT: Um time lapse solar do disco completo do sol captado a 2 de setembro de 2024 revela a beleza toda a beleza da actividade solar com um nível de detalhe e profundidade sem precedentes, como resultado da nova técnica e workflow que desenvolvi. São muitos os eventos interessantes que se podem ver em simultâneo a acontecer no decorrer das 3h que compreende esta sequência time lapse de 6 segundos. Podem ser vistas pequenas proeminências eruptivas em torno do limbo solar, grandes filamentos e pequenas espículas a dançar como cabelos ao vento. Uma pequena e delicada linha de plasma a flutuar e presa pelos fortes campos magnéticos antes de ser libertada. Uma erupção rápida e de grandes dimensões no limbo esquerdo, que confirmei posteriormente tratar-se do desencadeamento de uma CME – Ejecção de Massa Coronal detectada pelo sistema CACTUS exactamente no mesmo tempo e ângulo (UT13:36 pa 097). O poderoso flare M1.8 da Região Activa AR3813 foi imediatamente seguido pela CME e outro flare ainda mais forte M2.9 from AR3807. Finalizando com um maravilhosa proeminência massiva que cresce enquanto se transforma numa incrível árvore de espinho africana, mais conhecida como Acácia guarda-chuva “Acacia tortilis”, com as suas raízes quentes alimentadas pela “savana” selvagem que é a cromosfera solar. Acredito que este possa provavelmente ser um dos time lapses solares mais detalhados já feitos por um astrofotógrafo independente. Importante ainda referir que são imagens reais captadas por mim com equipamento solar especial e não geradas por IA, seja de forma total ou parcial, nem mesmo para fins de redução de ruído. Siga-me no Instagram em @miguel_claro para ter acesso às minhas histórias diárias de “bastidores” enquanto capto estas imagens.
Som de fundo e música
Produzi cuidadosamente o filme final com uma bela música licenciada da Envato intitulada “Commercial Space Rock” by AudioEarth e incluí os sons reais de baixa frequência do Sol nos primeiros segundos do vídeo, sonificados por A. Kosovichev do Stanford Experimental Physics Lab com dados da ESA (European Space Agency) e NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), acelerado a um factor de 42.000 para o colocar na gama audível da audição humana (kHz)) clique aqui para ouvir o som isolado. As vibrações naturais do Sol fornecem aos cientistas uma representação concreta dos seus movimentos dinâmicos. Além disso, no espaço, devido à falta de ar, é impossível ouvir ou gravar sons como os que percebemos na Terra. Mas para um impacto audiovisual mais envolvente, adicionei um suave som de fundo de uma erupção vulcânica como ouvimos aqui na Terra, sincronizado com a linha do tempo em que imagens de grande plano de erupções solares e grandes proeminências aparecem no ecrã. A sequência time lapse disponível no final desta página foi captada a partir do território do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal, com uma câmara Player One Saturn-M SQR e um telescópio Lunt LS100, gerando cerca de 3TB de dados. O resultado final é um filme solar de alta resolução 5K composto por 249 imagens ao longo de cerca de 3h, entre UT11h28 e UT14h20.
Above are a still shot presented in monocrhome version, intended to help conduct the reader attention to the most interesting parts of the image. The 3 still image sequence, shows the evolution of promineces and motion during a period of 3h. Below is possible to watch the video time lapse sequence compiling 249 shots processed, each one as result of a stack of the best 200 frames from each raw video. The final result is a 5K high resolution time lapse movie comprising around 3h of images.
PT: Acima está uma foto apresentada em uma versão monocromática com o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem. A sequência das 3 fotos, mostra a evolução do disco solar ao longo de 3h. Em baixo é possível ver o vídeo time lapse compilando 249 captações processadas, cada uma como resultado de um stack dos melhores 200 frames de cada vídeo raw. O resultado final é um filme time lapse de alta resolução de 5K que condensa cerca de 3h de imagens.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Lunt Solar System LS100| EQ-6 Pro mount | Player One Saturn-M SQR | Stack of 200 frames for each single image, captured in average seeing conditions from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal.
Important Note | Nota Importante: Never look and point a telescope or any other optical equipment directly to the sun without a proper and specialized safty filters! It can blind you forever. PT: Nota Importante – Nunca aponte um telescópio ou qualquer equipamento óptico directamente para o sol e observe através dele sem filtros especializados e seguros. Causará cegueira irreversível!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and if you still want to support my work as an independent artist, you can buy one of my solar image as a Fine Art Print, a piece of Art to bring some magic to your sweet home! I will be deeply grateful for your kind support. I have created a special limited Edition of this Print supplied with a signed & numbered Certificate of Authenticity, global delivery with tracked & insured shipping, in a carbon neutral sustainable production, packaging and shipping. Explore the size options and prices by clicking on my Print gallery. Meanwhile, you can sign-up my newsletter to get early access of future Print releases.
A Swing “Between” Crescent Moon and Venus under the Twilight Colors
Captured at the end of nautical twilight, the image reveals a wonderful celestial encounter with the crescent Moon visible only 4.5º apart from planet Venus, shining this time of the year (September) in the western sky as the “Evening Star”. In the foreground, a stargazer enjoys the celestial view while relaxing in a swing made of wood, located in Estremoz, the most recent region joining the Dark Sky® Alqueva certified territory, in Portugal.
PT: Captado no final do crepúsculo náutico, a imagem revela um encontro celeste colorido com a lua crescente visível a apenas 4,5º de distância do planeta Vénus, que brilha nesta altura do ano como a “Estrela da Tarde”, no céu Oeste. Em primeiro plano, uma stargazer desfruta desta visão cósmica enquanto relaxa num baloiço feito de madeira, localizado no concelho de Estremoz, a região que mais recentemente integrou o território já certificado do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
MilkyWay Under the Moonlight in a Time Lapse Footage
Summer nights are now fullfilled with the bright core of Milky Way, visible in the beginning of the night, if you are faced south and faraway from city lights. The short time lapse sequence feature the summer MilkyWay moving in the background starry sky while the Moon was setting in one of the golden fields near Alqueva’s lake, at Dark Sky® Alqueva preserve, in Portugal!
PT: As noites de verão são agora preenchidas com o núcleo brilhante da Via Láctea, visível ao início da noite, se estiver virado para sul e longe das luzes da cidade. A curta sequência de time-lapse mostra a Via Láctea de Verão a mover-se no fundo do céu estrelado enquanto a Lua se punha num dos campos dourados perto do lago de Alqueva, na reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal!
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
The Lion Nebula Sh2-132 Immersed in a Glowing Field of Hydrogen Gas
Captured in HaOIII and RGB light, the image features a deep wide field view of Sh2-132 immersed in the glow of ionized hydrogen gas. Also known as the Lion Nebula, it is located at about 10,000 light years away in the Cepheus constellation. Formed from expanded shells of ionized gas, the nebula is powered by two massive stars, each with a mass over 20 times greater than our Sun.The nebula’s energetic matter is dense enough to contract gravitationally and form stars. One side is more predominant of reddish hues from Ha emission, while the other one is more predominant of blusish hues from ionized Oxygen in OIII emission. The wide field view covering a little bit more than the angular size of the full moon can also comprise small planetary nebulas, like PK104-01.1; PK104-01.2 or the 1.0 arc minute small planetary nebula Abell 79. The image was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory, Cumeada, in Portugal, with the New ZEUS 455C Pro. from Player One Astronomy.
PT: Captada em diferentes comprimentos de onda entre a luz Ha, OIII e RGB, a imagem apresenta uma visão ampla de Sh2-132, um objecto de céu profundo imerso no brilho do gás hidrogénio ionizado. Também conhecida como Nebulosa do Leão, está localizada a cerca de 10.000 anos-luz de distância, na constelação de Cefeu. Formada a partir de “conchas expandidas” de gás ionizado, a nebulosa é alimentada por duas estrelas massivas, cada uma com uma massa 20 vezes superior à do nosso Sol. A matéria energética da nebulosa é suficientemente densa para se contrair gravitacionalmente e formar estrelas. Um dos lados é mais predominante nos tons avermelhados provenientes da emissão de Ha, enquanto o outro lado é mais predominante nos tons azulados relativos ao Oxigénio ionizado, na emissão de OIII. A imagem cobre um pouco mais do que o tamanho angular da lua cheia, incluindo assim no seu campo de visão, pequenas nebulosas planetárias, como: PK104-01.1; PK104-01.2 ou a pequena nebulosa planetária Abell 79, com apenas 1 minuto de arco. A imagem foi captada a partir do Observatório Oficial do Dark Sky® Alqueva, na Cumeada, Portugal, com uma câmara Player One Astronomy, a nova ZEUS 455C Pro.
Below: The annotated version produced with PixInsight script, based in several known catalogues to identify the main objects in the image.
PT: Em baixo: A versão legendada com anotação produzida pelo script do PixInsight baseado em vários catálogos reconhecidos, identificando assim os principais objectos visíveis na imagem.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Taka FSQ-106ED at F5 – EM200 auto-guided in N.I.N.A| Camera ZEUS 455C Pro from Player One Astronomy | Sub Exp. 5 min with Anit-Halo PRO Dual-Band Filter 2″ (Ha+OIII) 3nm from Player One Astronomy | Total integration of 23.5h (21 in HaOIII + 2.5h in RGB). Processing on PixInsight 1.8.9-2 and Photoshop CC 2024. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
A Giant Eye Staring at the Night Sky
This unusual portrait is showing what could be a giant eye, viewed from our lovely planet Earth while staring deep into the beauty of our Milky Way Galaxy, fulfilled by billions of stars, is important to remember that it is indeed our true cosmic home. After the success of my Martian Eye released in 2019 and captured from Ojos del Salar, in Atacama desert, I decided that it would be the right time to release a new refreshed view, but this time, captured from my dear home at Alqueva in Portugal. Originally captured in landscape format, the large mosaic comprises 25 still images photographed above the largest manmade lake in Europe, the Alqueva lake, in one of the wonderful nightscapes available at Dark Sky® Alqueva preserve. Besides dozens of emission nebulae and dark dust spread along the Milky Way path, and the presence of Andromeda Galaxy as a small oblong difuse shape, the image shows a greenish smooth light surrounding the horizon, due to the presence of airglow (photochemical luminescence of the atmosphere), revealing what we can find in the summer sky from northern hemisphere, if we could find a dark place farway from city lights. Sometimes I hear people saying that they feel small when they realise about the scale of the Universe, but I feel different and this is what impels me to produce this wide panoramic scene. My main intention is to show how big we must feel for being part of this big cosmic canvas where life is so perfect and beautiful in all senses. I believe as quoted by Fiódor Dostoiévski..”Beauty will save the world”.
PT: Este retrato incomum mostra o que poderia ser um olho gigante, visto do nosso adorável planeta Terra, enquanto observa profundamente a beleza da nossa Via Láctea, preenchida por biliões de estrelas, é importante lembrar que é este o nosso verdadeiro lar cósmico. Após o sucesso do meu “Olho Marciano” lançado em 2019 e captado a partir dos Ojos del Salar, no deserto do Atacama, decidi que seria o momento certo para lançar uma nova visão renovada, mas desta vez, captada a partir do nosso querido Alqueva, em Portugal. Originalmente captado em formato de paisagem, o grande mosaico compreende 25 imagens estáticas fotografadas acima do maior lago artificial da Europa, o lago Alqueva, em uma das maravilhosas paisagens nocturnas disponíveis no Dark Sky® Alqueva. Além de dezenas de nebulosas de emissão e poeira escura que se espalham ao longo do caminho da Via Láctea, e da presença da galáxia de Andrómeda visível como uma pequena mancha difusa elíptica, a imagem mostra uma luz suave esverdeada cercando o horizonte, devido à presença do airglow (luminescência fotoquímica da atmosfera), revelando o que podemos encontrar no céu de verão do hemisfério norte, se pudéssemos encontrar um lugar escuro longe das luzes da cidade. Às vezes ouço pessoas dizer que se sentem pequenas quando percebem a escala do Universo, mas eu sinto-me diferente e é isso que me impulsionou a produzir esta ampla cena panorâmica. A minha intenção foi a de mostrar o quão grandes nos devemos sentir por fazer parte desta infinita tela cósmica onde a vida é tão perfeita e bela em todos os sentidos. Acredito assim e como citado por Fiódor Dostoiévski…”A beleza salvará o mundo”.
Fine Art Prints – Available to ORDER
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and if you still want to support my work as an independent artist, you can buy this image as a Fine Art Print, a piece of Art to bring some magic to your sweet home! I will be deeply grateful for your kind support. I have created a special limited Edition of this Print supplied with a signed & numbered Certificate of Authenticity, global delivery with tracked & insured shipping, in a carbon neutral sustainable production, packaging and shipping. Explore the size options and prices by clicking on my Print gallery. Meanwhile, you can sign-up my newsletter to get early access of future Print releases.
WR 134 Wolf-Rayet Star Immersed in a Colorful Complex of Hydrogen and Oxygen Gas
Captured in HaOIII and RGB light, the image features a deep wide field view of WR 134, a variable Wolf-Rayet star located around 6,000 light years away from our planet Earth in the constellation of Cygnus, which is surrounded by a faint bubble nebula traced by the glow of ionized hydrogen and oxygen gas, blown by the intense radiation and fast wind from the star. WR 134 is less than a degree away from WR 135. Both stars lie within a shell of hydrogen thought to have been swept up from the interstellar medium when one or both stars were on the main sequence. The greenish shell is over forty parsecs wide and contains about 1,830 times, the solar mass, of hydrogen. It is unclear which of the two stars is primarily responsible for creating the shell. The nebula seems to be immersed in a much larger complex cloud full of reddish hydrogen and greenish oxygen gas and among them, we can see dozens of interesting objects such as small planetary nebulas Ou6, Pa143, MoMi6, StDr109 and a few filaments from Super Nova Remnant, such as SNR G73.9+0.9 and SNR G749.9+1.2. The image was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory, Cumeada, in Portugal, with the New ZEUS 455C Pro. from Player One Astronomy.
PT: Captada em comprimentos de onda diferentes entre a luz Ha, OIII e RGB, a imagem apresenta uma amplo campo de céu profundo da WR 134, uma estrela Wolf-Rayet variável localizada a cerca de 6.000 anos-luz de distância do nosso planeta Terra na constelação do Cisne, que é cercada por uma ténue nebulosa esverdeada em forma de bolha traçada pelo brilho do hidrogénio ionizado e gás oxigénio, soprado pela radiação intensa e vento rápido da estrela central. WR 134 está a menos de um grau de distância da WR 135. Ambas as estrelas estão dentro de uma camada de hidrogénio que se acredita ter sido varrida do meio interestelar quando uma, ou ambas as estrelas estavam na sequência principal. A camada esverdeada tem mais de quarenta parsecs de largura e contém cerca de 1.830 vezes a massa solar de gás hidrogénio. Não está claro qual das duas estrelas é a principal responsável pela criação da camada. A nebulosa parece estar imersa em uma nuvem complexa muito maior, cheia de hidrogénio avermelhado e gás oxigénio esverdeado e entre eles, podemos ver dezenas de objetos interessantes, como pequenas nebulosas planetárias Ou6, Pa143, MoMi6, StDr109 e alguns filamentos de Super Nova Remanescente, como SNR G73.9+0.9 e SNR G749.9+1.2. A imagem foi captada a partir do Observatório Oficial do Dark Sky® Alqueva, na Cumeada, Portugal, com uma câmara Player One Astronomy, a nova ZEUS 455C Pro.
Below: The annotated version produced with PixInsight script, based in several known catalogues to identify the main objects in the image, as well as the image without the presence of the stars to appreciate only the nebulae field, intended to help conduct the reader attention to the most interesting parts of the image..
PT: Em baixo: A versão legendada com anotação produzida pelo script do PixInsight baseado em vários catálogos reconhecidos, identificando assim os principais objectos visíveis na imagem, assim como uma versão da imagem sem as estrelas para se apreciar melhor as nebulosas, em formato de paisagem e retrato com o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Taka FSQ-106ED at F5 – EM200 auto-guided in N.I.N.A| Camera ZEUS 455C Pro from Player One Astronomy | Sub Exp. 5 min with Anit-Halo PRO Dual-Band Filter 2″ (Ha+OIII) 3nm from Player One Astronomy | Total integration of 36h (33 in HaOIII + 3h in RGB). Processing on PixInsight 1.8.9-2 and Photoshop CC 2024. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Strawberry Full Moon Rising above the Golden Fields of Dark Sky® Alqueva
Sometimes all we need is an excuse to come outside and just being under the nature during nighttime while enjoying a wonderful moonrise. The image and video shows the June’s “strawberry” full moon rising in one of the Dark Sky® Alqueva golden fields, in Portugal. The background nature sound was recorded live in the field when I was shooting the time lapse, then included in the final video.
PT: Às vezes, tudo o que precisamos é de uma desculpa para sair e ficar sob a natureza durante a noite enquanto desfrutamos de um maravilhoso nascer da lua. A imagem e vídeo mostram a lua cheia de Junho – mais conhecido por “Lua de Morango” acima de umas das paisagens douradas do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. O som da natureza de fundo incluindo no video, foi gravado ao vivo, enquanto registava o nascimento da lua em time lapse.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Summer Nights Fullfilled with the Bright Core of Milky Way Galaxy
Summer nights are now fullfilled with the bright core of Milky Way, visible in the beginning of the night, if you are faced south and faraway from city lights. This short exposure single portrait, was taken recently from our dark skies at Dark Sky® Alqueva region, in Portugal. I took this photo as a recent assignment to a new project but I’m using it here also to share with some of you, that it’s not always necessary to have a modified astro camera to capture the beautiful glow of our cosmic home in space. This single shot of only 12MP, was captured with Sony A 7sIII and a Sony G Master 50mm lens at f1.2, which is very handy even knowing that its best performance is at night videography, running a higher ISO up to 400,000.!
PT: As noites de verão estão agora com os céus preenchidos pela beleza cósmica do núcleo brilhante da Via Láctea, visível ao início da noite, se estiver virado para sul e longe das luzes da cidade. Este retrato único de curta exposição foi recentemente tirado nos nossos céus escuros do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. Captei assim esta fotografia para um novo projeto em que estou a trabalhar, mas aproveito também para partilhar com alguns de vós que nem sempre é necessário ter uma câmara astro modificada para captar o belo brilho do nosso lar cósmico no espaço. Esta única foto de apenas 12MP, foi captada com Sony A 7sIII e uma lente Sony G Master 50mm a f1.2, que é muito útil, mesmo sabendo que o seu melhor desempenho é em videografia nocturna, com um ISO capaz de atingir os 400.000 de sensibilidade!
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Short Exposure of 4 secs Reveals the Magnificent Core of Milky Way Galaxy with a Sony A7s III as Seen from Dark Sky® Alqueva
Sometimes we get people (visitors and students) thinking that they might need an astro modified camera to capture the Milky Way….but, it’s totally wrong! You simply don’t!! As well as you don’t need a star tracker and you don’t need to stack images! So I took this recent shot to prove why you don’t need any of this. The image is just a single short exposure of 4 seconds taken from one of the best skies in the world, our lovely @darkskyalqueva reserve in Portugal. I used a normal Sony A7sIII which has only 12 megapixels at ISO 2500, with a great lens the 50mm G Master at f1.2 So what do you really need? In my opinion the answer is a Great Sky and a Great Lens, everything else nowadays is not essential. Of course a good camera will help special if it has a nice performance in low light conditions but with the first two conditions met, ISO 2500 is more than enough if you don’t want to burnout the image! An astro modified camera would just add a bit of more reddish hues in Lagoon nebula, still visible in top central edge of the image with a none modified camera as this one. So if you are not a professional or not intend to make deepsky, you probably don’t need a modified camera for a nice summer views and the Milky Way! Invest on good lenses first and go hunting for the darkest skies on Earth!
PT: Por vezes, temos pessoas (visitantes e estudantes) que pensam que podem precisar de uma câmara astromodificada para captar a Via Láctea… mas é totalmente errado! Você simplesmente não precisa!! Além disso, não precisa de um startracker e não precisa de empilhar imagens! Por isso, tirei esta foto recente para provar porque é que não precisa de nada disto. A imagem é apenas uma curta exposição de 4 segundos tirada de um dos melhores céus do mundo, a nossa adorável reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. Utilizei uma Sony A7sIII normal que tem apenas 12 megapixeis a ISO 2500, com uma grande lente a 50mm G Master a f1.2.Então, o que precisa realmente? Na minha opinião, a resposta é: um Grande Céu e uma boa objectiva, tudo o resto hoje em dia não é essencial. É claro que uma boa câmara ajudará especialmente se tiver um bom desempenho em condições de pouca luz, mas com as duas primeiras condições cumpridas, ISO 2500 é mais do que suficiente se não quiser queimar a imagem! Uma câmara astro modificada apenas acrescentaria um pouco mais de tons avermelhados na nebulosa da Lagoa, ainda visíveis na margem central superior da imagem com uma câmara não modificada como esta. Portanto, se não é um profissional ou não pretende fazer céu profundo, provavelmente não precisa de uma câmara modificada para ter uma bela vista de Verão da Via Láctea! Invista primeiro numas “boas lentes” e vá à caça dos céus mais escuros da Terra!
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Massive Clouds of Hydrogen Gas Glowing Along Cygnus Constellation in a Deep Wide Scene
The deep wide field scene is a mosaic of 6 panels showing in Ha and OIII emission, the large complexity of bright and dark nebulosity located along the path of Cygnus constellation (the Swan). The view is mesmerising revealing a tremendous amount of hydrogen gas with intricate filaments of large and small scale, comprising dozens of well know nebulae such as the giant NGC 7000 (North America Nebula) and IC 5070, (Pelican Nebula). It’s also Incredible to compare the differences in angular size between some of this objects, being NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula, visible in the right centre, as a suspended small bright shell. In the lower right corner, NGC 6990 and NGC 6992, the Veil Nebula, shines bright in red and greenish hues – Ha and OIII emission – as the remains of a supernova explosion. The image was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory, Cumeada, in Portugal.
PT: Este campo amplo e profundo é um mosaico de 6 painéis revelando no comprimento de onda Ha (hidrogénio) e OIII (oxigénio), a grande complexidade de nebulosidade brilhante e escura localizada ao longo do caminho da constelação Cygnus (o Cisne). A visão é hipnotizante, revelando uma tremenda quantidade de gás hidrogénio-alfa com filamentos intrincados de grande e pequena escala, contendo dezenas de nebulosas bem conhecidas, como a grande nebulosa NGC 7000 (Nebulosa América do Norte) e IC 5070 (Nebulosa Pelicano). É também incrível de notar e comparar, as diferenças no tamanho angular entre alguns desses objetos, sendo NGC 6888, a Nebulosa Crescente, visível no centro direito como uma pequena concha brilhante suspensa. No canto inferior direito, NGC 6990 e NGC 6992, a Nebulosa do Véu, brilha intensamente em tons vermelhos e esverdeados – emissão Ha e OIII – como os restos mortais de uma explosão supernova. A imagem foi captada a partir do Observatório Oficial do Dark Sky® Alqueva, na Cumeada, Portugal.
Above: The image rotated upside down intended to help conduct the reader attention to the most interesting parts of the image. PT: Acima: A imagem com rotação de 180ºcom o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem..
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Canon Lens 70-200mm f/2.8 set to 70mm + Poseidon-C Pro Camera from Player One Astronomy | Sub Exp. 5 min with Anit-Halo PRO Dual-Band Filter 2″ (Ha+OIII) 3nm from Player One Astronomy | Mosaic of 6 panels (30 min per panel in HaOII + 15 min per panel in RGB). Mount EQ6 Pro – N.I.N.A. Processing on PixInsight 1.8.9-3, photoshop CC 2024. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
International Space Station ISS Transiting in front of the Sun´s Chromosphere visible in H-alpha Emission
The image shows the International Space Station (ISS) silhouette while crossing in front of the Sun´s disc at a distance of 441.54km from us and at a speed of about 7.31km/s. The ISS completes an entire orbit around Earth each 90 minutes. Carrying on board astronauts, the large artificial satellite orbiting our planet with a width of 108.5 meters had an angular diameter of 62.58″ seems although very small when compared with the Solar disc with an angular size of 31.6′ was actually 30.3 times larger than the ISS at the moment of the passage. Hard to see it even with a special telescope equipped with Ha filters, only the fast video camera from Player One Astronomy Apollo-M Max with a shutter set to an high speed frame rate of 109 images per second at 16Bits, could capture this rare moment that happens in a blink of an eye. Seen from Figueira da Foz, northern cost of Portugal, on June 2, 2024, at 13h18m51s (UT 12h18m51.35s) the transit had a total duration of only 0,54 seconds. Its interesting to recognise on the picture the ISS structure with the solar panels and main body elements well distinct. The image also shows in great detail spicules on the surface, a large gas filament and a large active region, as well as a few solar prominences around the Sun’s lilmb. With a diameter of 1,392,000 km, our Sun is composed of 73% Hydrogen, 25% Helium and 2% from heavier elements. The video shows a time lapse of 200 images captured over the course of around 2 seconds. Images were processed individually withouth being stack, I was impressed with a quality achieved only with single frames. The ISS is visible in white on the first sequence, because of the inversion technique for processing the chromosphere with more depth. Second sequence shows the ISS in black without this inversion visible.
PT: A imagem revela a silhueta da Estação Espacial Internacional (ISS) atravessando o sol a uma distância de 441.54km de nós e uma velocidade média de cerca de 7.31km/s. A ISS completa uma órbita em torno da Terra a cada 90 minutos. Transportando a bordo vários astronautas, este grande satélite artificial com uma envergadura de 108,5 metros parece muito pequeno quando comparado com o disco solar com um tamanho angular de 31,6′ encontrava-se na verdade cerca de 30,3 vezes maior do que a ISS no momento da passagem. Difícil de observá-la mesmo com um telescópio especial equipado com filtros de protecção H-alfa, só uma câmara muito rápida como a Player One Astronomy Apollo-M Max com o obturador a captar 109 images por segundo a 16 Bits, teria a capacidade de eternizar este momento raro que acontece num um piscar de olhos, com a curta duração de apenas 0.54 segundos. Visto a partir da Figueira da Foz, na costa norte de Portugal, a 2 de junho de 2024, às 13h18m51s (UT 12h18m51s ). Na fotografia é possível reconhecer a estrutura da ISS com os seus painéis solares e os elementos que compõem o corpo principal. A imagem também mostra em grande detalhe espículas na superfície, um grande filamento de gás e uma grande região activa extensa, bem como algumas proeminências solares ao redor do limbo solar. Com um diâmetro de 1.392.000 km, o nosso Sol é composto por 73% de Hidrogénio, 25% de Hélio e 2% de elementos mais pesados. A imagem captada a partir do meu terraço, revela assim uma série de intensas protuberâncias que se espalham à volta do limbo solar, na cromosfera. O vídeo mostra um time lapse de 200 imagens captadas durante cerca de 2 segundos. As imagens foram processadas individualmente sem serem empilhadas (stack), pelo que fiquei bastante impressionado com a qualidade obtida apenas com quadros únicos. A ISS é visível em branco na primeira sequência, por causa da técnica de inversão para processar a cromosfera com mais profundidade. A segunda sequência mostra a ISS em preto sem essa inversão visível.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
LUNT LS100T Ha | AZ-HEQ5GT | Player One Astronomy Apollo-M Max and Player One Saturn-M SQR |Figueira da Foz, northern cost of Portugal. 02/06/2024 13h18m51s.
Important Note | Nota Importante: Never look and point a telescope or any other optical equipment directly to the sun without a proper and specialized safty filters! It can blind you forever. PT: Nota Importante – Nunca aponte um telescópio ou qualquer equipamento óptico directamente para o sol e observe através dele sem filtros especializados e seguros. Causará cegueira irreversível!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and if you still want to support my work as an independent artist, you can buy this image as a Fine Art Print, a piece of Art to bring some magic to your sweet home! I will be deeply grateful for your kind support. I have created a special limited Edition of this Print supplied with a signed & numbered Certificate of Authenticity, global delivery with tracked & insured shipping, in a carbon neutral sustainable production, packaging and shipping. Explore the size options and prices by clicking on my Print gallery. Meanwhile, you can sign-up my newsletter to get early access of future Print releases.
Solar Chromosphere and Corona Revealed in a Unique Image Captured During Total Solar Eclipse 2024
The Idea
Since I started in solar photography, I imagined how incredible it would be if we could capture both the solar chromosphere and the beautiful solar Corona, knowing that at first sight it seems to be an impossible task, indeed I thought it could be possible, not in a single capture, of course, but with special techniques and during the unique occasion of a total solar eclipse. So the opportunity came up on 8th April 2024 with the Total Solar Eclipse 2024 visible across US. I already had planned to capture an HDR image in white light of the Solar Corona from Texas, so I challenged my friend James Sinclair to capture at the same time a few images of the solar chromosphere immediately before the eclipse starts (C1) and immediately after ending, to avoid the presence of the moon while covering the sun. So my idea was being able to produce a real image – as much as accurate as possible – of the solar chromosphere with its filaments, active regions and prominences aligned along with its corresponding loops and streamers of the solar corona captured and visible at approximately the same time. We knew that this was a huge challenge with so many factors that could go wrong, but fortunately everything went well and we finally could produce a charming unique image, probably never seen before.
Making an high resolution HDR image like that represents an enormous amount of personal and professional efforts, as well as an incredible financial investment, and everything started many months before the Eclipse itself happened. To read to full story, please read the article of my Sun’s Aura, featuring the original HDR image in white light.
Technical processing and Color
After processing my HDR image of the Sun’s Corona (extensive article about it), I then processed the solar disc in Ha captured by James Sinclair from Southern Utah, with a Lunt LS130 and a camera Apollo M Max from Player One Astronomy, as result of a stack of 200 best frames for the single disc image. I used the inversion techinque with curves to better display the details of the sun’s chromosphere. The colors of the solar corona, are showed in orange/brown hues to match with the solar chromosphere for an aesthetic pleasent transition. Important to mention though that corona is not possible to see in Ha emission as we see the solar chromosphere through an Ha filter. The corona was captured in white light through our earth atmosphere which scattered the light giving a bluish appearance during Totality. But the sun corona in space should look like white light, as well as our Sun star.
The Sun’s Corona
The Corona is extremely hot and dynamic, being the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, it reveals intricate fine structures of delicate details distorted by the strong magnetic fields. Specially, close to the Solar maximum expected for 2025 (peak of 11 years cycle of activity), the plasma of the Sun’s corona features a lot of loops and wispy white streamers radiating into space. But due to an immense level of brightness it is only possible to see when the Moon is perfectly covering the Sun. Safe enough to enjoy with our naked-eyes, much more well prepared and efficient to comprise and accommodate a larger high dynamic range, than our cameras, which even nowadays can’t do it at once. This is why we need to cover around 14 stops in the dynamic range and probably even more would be best, but bracketing can help achieve this milestone.
And why this image is so special ? Because not even SOHO in space, from NASA, can watch the inner corona of the Sun. It only can see the most extensive part of the outer corona, using a coronagraph, from two solar radii distant of the Sun’s centre.
Why Eclipse HDR is so Challenging
Photographing a Total Solar Eclipse, is probably to most advanced and complex task in all of astrophotography fields, not only from preparing and planning which requires a bit of Math to find the correct set of exposures according to your gear combination, ISO, lens aperture, right place to be, right time to start etc, etc, as well as from executing it in a stressful short amount of time. But also very hard and difficult to process in a time consuming task. First, because the Sun, the Moon and the stars have all different motions across the sky, which are evident in long focal distances and long exposures. Images must be aligned not on the Moon’s disc, not on the stars, and not even on the prominences (as it only works in shorter exposures), so to reveal the corona in full glory, images must be aligned on the coronal structures which are very hard and tricky, as they are faint, subtle and lacking of contrast, and they keep moving too on a lower speed. Noticeable though over the course of all bracketing, but inevitably negligible, for the final fusion in order to naturally reduce the presence of noise. And probably the most difficult final achievement, is to keep as much as possible, everything looking natural without overcooking it. It is a delicate balance between, contrast, light flow, color and detail which I tried to keep in mind and respect until the very end. I hope I did it!
Equipment and Exposures for Corona
The High Resolution image was captured with a Sigma lens at 600mm at f6.3, and a Nikon D850 modified (Ha sensitive – not relevant for this type of TSE images) on a Vixen portable mount. I did more than 163 photos (bracketed exposures), but I’ve only selected 72 images (8 bracketed sequences of 9 shots each) to process, where the sky was crystal clear without any high cloud visible. The exposure time for each sequence bracketing was ranging from 1/125s, 1/60s, 1/30s, 1/15s, 1/8s, 1/4, 1/2s, 1s, 2s at ISO100, plus additional fast exposures of 1/4000 for C2 and C3 (Prominences and Baily’s Beads). 93GB of images were acquired just for this setup, being 1446 calibration frames such as flats, darks and bias (in a total of 65GB). Images used were captured during 1 minute and 28 seconds of the Maximum, during the 4 minutes and 19 seconds of Totality as seen from my location in Clarcksville, Texas.
Fine Art Prints – Available to ORDER
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and if you still want to support my work as an independent artist, you can buy this image as a Fine Art Print, a piece of Art to bring some magic to your sweet home! I will be deeply grateful for your kind support. I have created a special limited Edition of this Print supplied with a signed & numbered Certificate of Authenticity, global delivery with tracked & insured shipping, in a carbon neutral sustainable production, packaging and shipping. Explore the size options and prices by clicking on my Print gallery. Meanwhile, you can sign-up my newsletter to get early access of future Print releases.
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Allsky view of the Nortnern Lights above the Lake of Dark Sky® Alqueva as seen at 38º Latitude in Portugal
Captured on May 10th, 2024 after a sequence of CME’s which triggered a strongest magnetic storm in the last 20 years. The fulldome fish-eye image, reveals an impressive display of northern lights as seen from my location at 38º. First moment I noticed was around 11PM above our Dark Sky® Alqueva headquarters and observatory, in Cumeada village near Reguengos, Portugal!! I could even see it with my naked eyes around 23h15, specially the vertical fast moving bands. So I did a few fish-eye all sky shots with my Canon 8-15mm revealing the colorful show above Alqueva lake. I could photograph more Aurora Borealis than when I visited Iceland for the first time back in 2019. I was expecting something more subtle in reddish hues, but it was full of colors and sometimes going very high almost reaching the Zenith.
PT: Captada em 10 de maio de 2024, após uma sequência de CME’s que desencadeou a tempestade magnética mais forte dos últimos 20 anos, a imagem allsky revela uma exibição impressionante das auroras boreais vista a partir da minha localização a 38º. O primeiro momento que notei foi por volta das 23h, por cima da nossa sede e observatório Dark Sky® Alqueva, na vila da Cumeada, perto de Reguengos, Portugal. Conseguiam-se ver subtilmente a olho nu por volta das 23h15, principalmente as faixas verticais em movimento. Tirei então algumas fotografias do céu com a lente olho de peixe – allsky – 8-15mm da Canon, mostrando o espectáculo de cores acima do lago Alqueva. Interessante também de referir, que consegui fotografar mais Auroras Boreais do que quando visitei a Islândia pela primeira vez em 2019. Esperava algo mais subtil em tons avermelhados, mas estava cheio de cores e por vezes a subir muito alto quase atingindo o zénite.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Allsky view of the Nortnern Lights above Dark Sky® Alqueva Headquarters and Observatory as seen at 38º Latitude in Portugal
Captured on May 10th, 2024 after a sequence of CME’s which triggered a strongest magnetic storm in the last 20 years. The fulldome fish-eye image, reveals an impressive display of northern lights as seen from my location at 38º. First moment I noticed was around 11PM above our Dark Sky® Alqueva headquarters and observatory, in Cumeada village near Reguengos, Portugal!! I could even see it with my naked eyes around 23h15, specially the vertical fast moving bands. So I did a few fish-eye all sky shots with my Canon 8-15mm. I could photograph more Aurora Borealis than when I visited Iceland for the first time back in 2019. I was expecting something more subtle in reddish hues, but it was full of colors and sometimes going very high almost reaching the Zenith.
PT: Captada em 10 de maio de 2024, após uma sequência de CME’s que desencadeou a tempestade magnética mais forte dos últimos 20 anos, a imagem allsky revela uma exibição impressionante das auroras boreais vista a partir da minha localização a 38º. O primeiro momento que notei foi por volta das 23h, por cima da nossa sede e observatório Dark Sky® Alqueva, na vila da Cumeada, perto de Reguengos, Portugal. Conseguiam-se ver subtilmente a olho nu por volta das 23h15, principalmente as faixas verticais em movimento. Tirei então algumas fotografias do céu com a lente olho de peixe – allsky – 8-15mm da Canon. Interessante também de referir, que consegui fotografar mais Auroras Boreais do que quando visitei a Islândia pela primeira vez em 2019. Esperava algo mais subtil em tons avermelhados, mas estava cheio de cores e por vezes a subir muito alto quase atingindo o zénite.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
G5 The Epic Solar Storm of 10th May 2024 – Photos and Time Lapse
The image reveals the solar chromosphere captured in a special day which made history here on Earth with the most severe geomagnetic storm of the last 20 years taking place, spreading aurora borealis also known as northern lights almost all over the world. Captured on the 10th of May 2024, from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, in Portugal, the higher-resolution image and time lapse sequence shows the chromosphere in motion featuring not only a gigantic prominence on the solar limb, but as well as the the giant sunspot AR3664 which was incredibly active releasing several eruptions, flares and CME’s in that same day. The video shows one of these minor eruptions just a few hours before arriving the G5 Kp9 storm which sparkled a northern lights display as seen from my location in Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal, at 38º latitude. The show was impressive, I could even see it with my naked eye around 23h15 and late in the night around 4h15, specially the vertical fast moving bands. I saw more Aurora Borealis than when I visited Iceland for the first time. I was expecting something more subtle in reddish hues, but it was full of colors and sometimes going very high almost reaching the Zenith. It was an unforgettable day, I couldn’t imagine that during the morning of May 10th I would be live capturing images from my terrace of the Solar Active Region AR3664 where the charged particles of the solar wind were released. But most specially, without knowing that in the same night and just a few hours apart, I would be collecting photons with my DSLR camera, witnessing the arrival of the charged particle from a cannibal CME released in the days before. As result of the excited atoms in the upper atmosphere, we get a colorful display of the northern lights above our observatory and wonderful lake of Dark Sky® Alqueva region, in Portugal. I felt so fortunate for this moment in history! The final result is a 4K high resolution solar movie comprising around 2h of photos with 349 images.
PT: A imagem revela a cromosfera solar captada em um dia especial e que fez história aqui na Terra, com a ocorrência da maior tempestade geomagnética severa dos últimos 20 anos, espalhando a auroras boreais, por quase todo o mundo. Captada no dia 10 de maio de 2024, na região do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal, a imagem de alta resolução e sequência time lapse mostram a cromosfera em movimento apresentando não apenas uma proeminência gigantesca no limbo solar, mas também o enorme mancha solar AR3664 que estava incrivelmente activa, libertando várias erupções, flares e CME’s (ejecções de massa coronal) no mesmo dia. O vídeo mostra uma dessas erupções menores poucas horas antes da chegada da tempestade extrema de intensidade G5 Kp9, que gerou uma exibição das auroras boreais, vistas a partir da minha localização no Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal, a 38º de latitude. O espectáculo foi impressionante, pude até vê-las subtilmente a olho nu por volta das 23h15 e no final da noite por volta das 4h15, principalmente as faixas verticais de movimento rápido. Curiosamente vi mais auroras boreais do que quando visitei a Islândia pela primeira vez em 2019. Esperava algo mais subtil e em tons avermelhados, mas estavam repletas de cores variadas e por vezes subiam bem alto quase chegando ao zénite. Foi um dia inesquecível, não imaginava que durante a manhã do dia 10 de Maio estaria ao vivo captando imagens do sol da região solar activa AR3664 onde foram liberadas as partículas carregadas do vento solar. Mas especialmente, sem imaginar que na mesma noite e com apenas algumas horas de intervalo, eu estaria colectando fotões com a minha câmara DSLR, testemunhando a chegada das partículas carregadas do vento solar, proveninentes de uma CME canibal disparada dias antes. O resultado dos átomos excitados na alta atmosfera traduziu-se numa exibição colorida das auroras boreais acima do nosso observatório e maravilhoso lago Alqueva, na região do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. Sinto-me abençoado por esse momento! Assim foi possível produzir um time lapse de cerca de 349 imagens. O resultado final é um filme solar de alta resolução 4K com cerca de 2h de fotos.
Below is possible to watch the video time lapse sequence compiling 349 shots processed, each one as result of a stack of the best 200 frames from each raw video. The final result is a 4K high resolution time lapse movie comprising around 2h of images.
PT: Em baixo é possível ver o vídeo time lapse compilando 349 captações processadas, cada uma como resultado de um stack dos melhores 200 frames de cada vídeo raw. O resultado final é um filme time lapse de alta resolução de 4K que condensa cerca de 2h de imagens.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
SW Esprit 120ED Professional | EQ-6 Pro mount | Daystar Quark Prominence filter| Player One Apollo-M Max |Focuser Sesto Senso 2 | Stack of 200 frames for each single image, captured in average seeing conditions between UT11h29 and UT13h24 on the 10th of May 2024, from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal.
Important Note | Nota Importante: Never look and point a telescope or any other optical equipment directly to the sun without a proper and specialized safty filters! It can blind you forever. PT: Nota Importante – Nunca aponte um telescópio ou qualquer equipamento óptico directamente para o sol e observe através dele sem filtros especializados e seguros. Causará cegueira irreversível!
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Colorful Northern Lights Display above Dark Sky® Alqueva in Portugal
Captured on May 10th, 2024 after a sequence of CME’s which triggered a strongest magnetic storm in the last 20 years, the panoramic image reveals an impressive display of northern lights as seen from my location at 38º in Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. I could even see it with my naked eyes around 23h15, specially the vertical fast moving bands. I could photograph more Aurora Borealis than when I visited Iceland for the first time back in 2019. I was expecting something more subtle in reddish hues, but it was full of colors and sometimes going very high almost reaching the Zenith.
PT: Captada em 10 de maio de 2024, após uma sequência de CME’s que desencadeou a tempestade magnética mais forte dos últimos 20 anos, a imagem panorâmica revela uma exibição impressionante da aurora boreal vista a partir da minha localização a 38º no Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal! Foi impressionante, captei mais Auroras nesta noite, do que quando visitei a Islândia pela primeira vez em 2019. Esperava algo mais subtil e em tons avermelhados, mas foi um espectáculo de cores incrível aos “olhos da câmara”. Visualmente é muito difícil de ver, só mesmo um olho treinado e nos céus escuros do Dark Sky® consegue detectar algum luminosidade estranha – porque as células cones não funcionam nestas circunstâncias.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Whispers of Totality
The video reveals the most incredible moments of the Total Solar Eclipse from 8th April 2024, as seen from Clarcksville in Texas, US. It shows the begining of first C2 contact, when Diamond Rings starts to appear from a wide view, until the last glimps of sun rays while crossing mountains and valley’s on the Moon surface revealing the Baily’s Beads, the last seconds before starts the magical moment of Totality when the Sun’s Aura turns visible. The Solar Corona is extremely hot and dynamic, being the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, it reveals intricate fine structures of delicate details distorted by the strong magnetic fields. The plasma of the corona features a lot of loops and wispy white streamers radiating into space. But due to an immense level of brightness it is only possible to see when the Moon is perfectly covering our Sun.
Whispers of Totality not only shows the beauty of the Total Solar Eclipse in all it’s glory, but also the recorded whispers of our Portuguese voices and the emotions we were living during the Maximum of Totality. This was the most stressful time of our lives, without knowing until the very end, if we could make it. Me and my wife Apolónia, we travelled from Portugal to Pearsall, in Texas, as planned, but the forecast was indeed terrible almost in the entire US, or at least where the path was located. So after many hours driving from Dallas to Houston and then to Pearsall, with the rest of the week monitoring with several different models the evolution of the weather forecast, we have decided – even with a certain risk -that we must need to move back to north, again, to be more close to Oklahoma state. So on the day before the Eclipse, we had to drive back to Dallas during five or six hours and in the morning of the Eclipse, we did an extra two hours drive, to reach a small city called, Clarksville, in the northeast of Texas. At 10 AM the sky was still cloudy, and I only had 2 hours before the Eclipse starts, which means, to prepare the entire setup of 6 cameras with lens, tripods, mounts, filters, cables etc. Fortunately, like a miracle, just 5 minutes before totality starts, the sky cleared up where the Sun was located and during the Maximum it was completely crystal clear, at least, for around 1min and 30 seconds, calm and windless until the end. It was just…Magical!!
Licensed Music from Envato: 80s Wave by MARIAN
Captured and Edited by Miguel Claro.
Taking an high resolution HDR image like that represents an enormous amount of personal and professional efforts, as well as an incredible financial investment! I released an extensive article on my website with all the technical details here.
Fine Art Prints of my Sun’s AURA – Thank you for supporting my work as an independent artist while buying one of my Prints below:
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The Sun’s Aura – Solar Corona Revealed in All It’s Glory During Total Solar Eclipse 2024
Behind the Trip, from Portugal to Texas
Taking an high resolution HDR image like that represents an enormous amount of personal and professional efforts, as well as an incredible financial investment, and everything started many months before the Eclipse itself happened. Planning the trip to be on the right path, booking accommodation several months in advance, before prices went crazy, renting a car to be as much mobile as possible, and all of it without knowing if the weather will collaborate on the place we have choose to be for the special moment. Me and Apolónia, we travelled from Portugal to Pearsall, in Texas, as planned, but the forecast was indeed terrible almost in the entire US, or at least where the path was located. So after many hours driving from Dallas to Houston and then to Pearsall, with the rest of the week monitoring with several different models the evolution of the weather forecast, we have decided – even with a certain risk -that we must need to move back to north, again, to be more close to Oklahoma state. So on the day before the Eclipse, we had to drive back to Dallas during five or six hours and in the morning of the Eclipse, we did an extra two hours drive, to reach a small city called, Clarksville, in the northeast of Texas. At 10 AM the sky was still cloudy, and I only had 2 hours before the Eclipse starts, which means, to prepare my entire setup of 6 cameras with lens, tripods, mounts, filters, cables etc…. We found a nice green calm farm to setup everything. The owner kindly authorised us to stay with our car near by, thanks Ed. This was the most stressful time of our lives, without knowing until the very end, if we could make it, trying to focus and center the sun in between the clouds brought an extra difficulty to my task. Additionally, I only had 3 solar filters for 6 cameras. Fortunately, like a miracle, just 5 minutes before totality starts, the sky cleared up where the Sun was located and during the Maximum it was completely crystal clear, at least, for around 1min and 30 seconds, calm and windless until the end. It was just…Magical!!
Technical preparation and processing
My inspiration came from some of the most finest images I´ve seen so far, from pioneering Dr. Miloslav Druckmuller, and the incredible work of Nicolas Lefaudeux, as well as and the notable results achieved by my friend Petr Horalek. Just few months before the Eclipse I started going deep, researching and studying the processes involved in those kind of HDR Eclipse images. I red some of the papers by Dr. Miloslav, many other articles…and I knew it would be a very hard task. Specially some critical steps, as calibration and precise sub-pixel alignment in the linear stage, must be done using phase correlation, using correlated image structures to align them perfectly, which is done by non-available softwares, mainly developed by each of the authors, programmed and implemented themselves to apply the correct algorithm in a proper way. I don’t have access to a program with such capabilities and I didn’t wrote my own code – at least for now — so I had to find a different alternative for the critical steps. After many weeks testing and learning, I found the proper way to do it manually with pixel precision, using also calibration frames in the linear stage, but aligning and blending the seamless high dynamic range (HDR), free of artifact in the non-linear stage. There were helpful articles and tutorials along the way…from Fred Espenak, Alan’s Dyer (Books), Sean Walker (S&T article), and more recently by Bray Falls tutorial, but anyone was completely perfect on covering every aspects in case you plan to do both (Calibration, Aligning and HDR in Linear and non-linear stage). The image I’m presenting is the result of many hours of study and practice and a refined fusion of some of the techniques I’ve learned over the last years with some of you, so I’m thankful for that knowledge and want to show my deeply appreciation for that. I think that learning is the most beautiful thing, after…a Total Solar Eclipse :). With patience and knowledge, I tried to refine and improve some of the them, while integrating as part of my won developing workflow. It proved to be very efficient, as an example, after aligning all the brackets, and to achieve a perfect HDR merging while matching each exposure brightness levels, totally free of any artifact, I didn’t had to do, one single luminance mask during this non-linear stage, in order to get a well natural balanced light flow, ready for further enhancements of the corona details, such as removing the lowest spatial frequencies. It was incredible simple and it works like magic, I just need to check if also works so well on other different sets of Eclipse images, taken with different setups and exposures. Also important to say, specially nowadays, that this image, or part of it, was not AI generated, it’s of course, the result of a real hard amount of work captured and processed manually by myself. I’ve not even used during the processing stage, any AI fancy softwares, nor even to reduce noise, like Topaz. I used only PixInsight and Layering techniques in Photoshop.
The Sun’s Aura
The Corona is extremely hot and dynamic, being the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, it reveals intricate fine structures of delicate details distorted by the strong magnetic fields. Specially, close to the Solar maximum expected for 2025 (peak of 11 years cycle of activity), the plasma of the Sun’s corona features a lot of loops and wispy white streamers radiating into space. But due to an immense level of brightness it is only possible to see when the Moon is perfectly covering the Sun. Safe enough to enjoy with our naked-eyes, much more well prepared and efficient to comprise and accommodate a larger high dynamic range, than our cameras, which even nowadays can’t do it at once. This is why we need to cover around 14 stops in the dynamic range and probably even more would be best, but bracketing can help achieve this milestone.
And why is so special ? Because not even SOHO in space, from NASA, can watch the inner corona of the Sun in white light. It only can see the most extensive part of the outer corona, using a coronagraph, from two solar radii distant of the Sun’s centre.
Why Eclipse HDR is so Challenging
Photographing a Total Solar Eclipse, is probably to most advanced and complex task in all of astrophotography fields, not only from preparing and planning which requires a bit of Mat to find the correct set of exposures according to your gear combination, ISO, lens aperture, right place to be, right time to start etc, etc, as well as from executing it in a stressful short amount of time. But also very hard and difficult to process in a time consuming task. First, because the Sun, the Moon and the stars have all different motions across the sky, which are evident in long focal distances and long exposures. Images must be aligned not on the Moon’s disc, not on the stars, and not even on the prominences (as it only works in shorter exposures), so to reveal the corona in full glory, images must be aligned on the coronal structures which are very hard and tricky, as they are faint, subtle and lacking of contrast, and they keep moving too on a lower speed. Noticeable though over the course of all bracketing, but inevitably negligible, for the final fusion in order to naturally reduce the presence of noise. And probably the most difficult final achievement, is to keep as much as possible, everything looking natural without overcooking it. It is a delicate balance between, contrast, light flow, color and detail which I tried to keep in mind and respect until the very end. I hope I did it!
Equipment and Exposures
The High Resolution image was captured with a Sigma lens at 600mm at f6.3, and a Nikon D850 modified (Ha sensitive – not relevant for this type of TSE images) on a Vixen portable mount. I did more than 163 photos (bracketed exposures), but I’ve only selected 72 images (8 bracketed sequences of 9 shots each) to process, where the sky was crystal clear without any high cloud visible. The exposure time for each sequence bracketing was ranging from 1/125s, 1/60s, 1/30s, 1/15s, 1/8s, 1/4, 1/2s, 1s, 2s at ISO100, plus additional fast exposures of 1/4000 for C2 and C3 (Prominences and Baily’s Beads). 93GB of images were acquired just for this setup, being 1446 calibration frames such as flats, darks and bias (in a total of 65GB). Images used were captured during 1 minute and 28 seconds of the Maximum, during the 4 minutes and 19 seconds of Totality as seen from my location in Clarcksville, Texas.
Contacts C2 and C3
I merged the images from contact C2 and C3 in a single final photo, to reveal the best of all prominences visible around the Sun’s limb. This allowed to show the solar prominences and their associated magnetic loops on the final HDR image.
Moon Earthshine
Normally well seen one or two days after the new moon, the Earthshine phenomenon was described and drawn for the first time by the great Leonardo Da Vinci about 500 years ago on his book Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explained the phenomenon known as Earthshine in the early 16th century, when he realised that both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight at the same time. Light is reflected from the Earth to the Moon and then back to the Earth as Earthshine. During Totality the Moon is in front of the Sun and can be seen in a long exposure. Indeed, it’s the only moment when is possible to capture the full disc of the Moon during New Moon phase. I was gladly surprised with the level of detail that could be seen, after a stack of the 0,5s, 1s and 2s exposures of all 8 bracketing combined together, comprising a total amount of 28s. The level of detail was then enhancement using a Local Histogram Equalisation with a large scale. Again, is interesting to show that a stack aligned on the moon, reveals the trails of background stars as the moon is moving much more faster then sidereal, and solar motion. Below: The image on the left, shows the natural Moon’s disc after the 28s stack, and before any further detail enhancement. Startrails are shown on the right image as the result of the stack.
Background stars up to 10.8 mag
The stack of the long exposures aligned on the stars, comprises a total amount of 28 seconds too, and can reveal stars down to magnitude 10.8. Interesting to note that the brightest star visible close to the left side of the Moon, – landscape version or upper in the portrait one – is indeed a variable double star in Pisces named: Zeta Piscium (86 Psc).
Coronal motion on finest structures
Loops in the inner corona are normally more slow and tend to not reveal obvious motion in such short amount of time (88 seconds), but streamers and small scale features seems to reveals some noticeable movement in the background. Some of the most interested features that my eyes could caught are highlighted with arrows at the lower left corner, showing what seems to be a displacement of a small scale structure. Besides the evident Moon’s motion, is also possible to notice some subtle radial motion on large scale features, visible in the background. Even not being as precise as sub-pixel phase correlation algorithm, the animation can also attest the high accuracy of manual alignment. Images used for this animation were acquired during 1 minute and 28 seconds of the Maximum during Totality in between 13h45m46s and13h47m14s Local time (-6 UT). Each successive 9 exposures set of images was aligned and processed independently to get 8 successive final composites of the solar corona. Then, the lowest spatial frequencies was removed and all composites were animated as a final Gif at a speed of 0,05 seconds each. Captured from Clarcksville, Texas, US, during Totality on April 8, 2024 with a 600mm lens f/6.3 on a Nikon D850. Note – you might feel seek if you focus your attention for a long period of time on the same spot. Make a few seconds pause, and then look back.
Acknowledgments
To produce a photo like that your investment may easily achieve the amount of a small entry level car, so fortunately, I had some extra support of some good friends that helped to make this possible. They know who are and their place in our thankful hearts. This image is dedicate to them, but specially to my dear girlfriend/wife Apolónia, as she not only planned every detail of the travel and ground trip alone when I was immersed in planning the technical stuffs, gears, cameras, lens etc…as she helped overcome all the single obstacles in our way that we faced since last year…and that, almost…made me give up of making this expensive trip to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Last but not the least, to our lovely Sun, for being just mesmerisingly Beautiful and make it appear in between the clouds, for long enough, to make every drop of sweat count! To summarize the beauty of this event in a 1 minute video, I’ve created the Whispers of Totality.
Fine Art Prints – Available to ORDER
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and if you still want to support my work as an independent artist, you can buy this image as a Fine Art Print, a piece of Art to bring some magic to your sweet home! I will be deeply grateful for your kind support. I have created a special limited Edition of this Print supplied with a signed & numbered Certificate of Authenticity, global delivery with tracked & insured shipping, in a carbon neutral sustainable production, packaging and shipping. Explore the size options and prices by clicking on my Print gallery. Meanwhile, you can sign-up my newsletter to get early access of future Print releases.
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Da Vinci Glow Shines on a Crescent Moon in Close Conjunction with Planet Jupiter
Captured on March 14th, 2024 the image reveals a close conjunction between Planet Jupiter and a Crescent Moon. While Jupiter revealed on this 300mm portrait its main 4 galilean moons, on the Crescent Moon is shiningly visible the Da Vinci Glow. Described and drawn for the first time by Leonardo Da Vinci about 500 years ago on his book Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explained the phenomenon known as Earthshine in the early 16th century, when he realised that both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight at the same time. Light is reflected from the Earth to the Moon and back to the Earth as earthshine. The image was captured in one of the landscape fields from Dark Sky® Alqueva region, in Portugal.
PT: Captada a 14 de Março de 2024, a imagem revela uma estreita conjunção entre o planeta Júpiter e uma Lua Crescente. Enquanto Júpiter revela neste retrato de 300mm as suas 4 principais luas galileanas, na Lua Crescente é possível distinguir claramente o chamado “Brilho de Da Vinci”. Descrito e desenhado pela primeira vez por Leonardo Da Vinci há cerca de 500 anos em seu livro Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explicou o fenómeno conhecido como Earthshine (Da Vinci Glow) no início do século XVI, quando percebeu que tanto a Terra quanto a Lua refletem a luz solar ao mesmo tempo. A luz é refletida da Terra para a Lua e de volta para a Terra como Earthshine. A imagem foi captada numa das paisagens do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Celestial duet Between Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and Andromeda Galaxy M31
A wide field view of the winter sky shows a celestial duet between Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and Andromeda Galaxy M31. The comet was crossing close to the galaxy on March 11, 2024. It was a challenging image as the comet was too low, close to the horizon and I only had 28 minutes to collect as much photons as possible. The image was taken from Dark Sky® Alqueva region, in São Lourenço do Barrocal, Portugal, with a 70-200mm lens set to 120mm.
PT: Um amplo campo de visão revela um dueto entre o cometa 12P/Pons-Brooks e a galáxia de Andromeda M31. O cometa cruzou os céus próximo da galáxia a 11 de Março de 2024. Foi uma imagem desafiante porque o cometa estava muito baixo, perto do horizonte e eu só tive 28 minutos para colectar o máximo de fotões possível. A imagem foi obtida na região do Dark Sky® Alqueva, no São Lourenço do Barrocal, Portugal, com uma lente 70-200mm ajustada para 120mm.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens set to 120mm at f/3.5 + Nikon D850 modified | ISO1600 – sub Exp. of 30 seconds in a total 56 images | Total integration: 28 minutes. Portable SW mount Star Adventure. Starry Sky Stacker, PixInsight 1.8.9-2, Photoshop CC 2024. Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Solar Chromosphere With a New Level of Detail and The Giant Active Region 13590
Captured yesterday 28th February 2024, the image is the result of a new technique and workflow I’m developing just for full disc images, specially dedicated to reveal the sun’s surface in great detail up to the limb while keeping a nice ambience and light flow around the prominences. So I didn’t made time lapse this time, but the still view is full of interesting features on the chromosphere with a large filament at the center while the giant Active Region 13590 is moving towards the limb. According to Spaceweather “AR3590 is now the largest sunspot of Solar Cycle 25. For comparison, it is 60% as large (by surface area) as the great sunspot that caused the Carrington Event in Sept. 1859. AR3590 unleashed three X-flares in rapid succession, including the strongest flare of the current solar cycle (X6.3).” The photo was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, in Portugal at UT12h09m. For this image I used my Lunt LS100 with a Player One Saturn-M SQR camera, which is the perfect combination for this type of full disc images. The photo was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, in Portugal at UT12h09m.
PT: Captada ontem, 28 de Fevereiro de 2024, a imagem é o resultado de uma nova técnica e workflow que estou desenvolvendo para imagens do disco completo do Sol, especialmente dedicada para revelar a superfície de uma forma bem detalhada até próximo do limbo, mantendo uma ambiência agradável e fluxo de luz ao redor das proeminências. Assim, desta vez não fiz um time lapse, mas a visão estática também pode revelar detalhes interessantes sobre a cromosfera com um grande filamento no centro enquanto a enorme Região Activa 13590 se move em direção ao limbo Solar. De acordo com o Spaceweather “AR3590 é até agora a maior mancha solar do Ciclo Solar 25. Para efeito de comparação, é 60% maior (por área de superfície) do que a grande mancha solar que causou o Evento Carrington em setembro de 1859. AR3590 desencadeou três explosões X em sucessão rápida, incluindo a explosão mais forte do ciclo solar atual (X6.3).” Para esta imagem usei meu Lunt LS100 com uma câmera Player One Saturn-M SQR, que é a combinação perfeita para este tipo de imagens de disco completo. A foto foi capturada no território Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal às UT12h09m.
Below is a still shot presented in monocrhome version, intended to help conduct the reader attention to the most interesting parts of the image. PT: Em baixo está uma foto apresentada em uma versão monocromática com o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Lunt Solar System LS100| EQ-6 Pro mount | Player One Saturn-M SQR | Stack of 200 frames for each single image, captured in average seeing conditions from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal.
Important Note | Nota Importante: Never look and point a telescope or any other optical equipment directly to the sun without a proper and specialized safty filters! It can blind you forever. PT: Nota Importante – Nunca aponte um telescópio ou qualquer equipamento óptico directamente para o sol e observe através dele sem filtros especializados e seguros. Causará cegueira irreversível!
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
The Sun’s Incident Light Reflected on a Waxing Gibbous Moon
I’ve just realised that since my “Titanium Moon” released and awarded as PCA on APOTY in 2019, I was not spending time to photograph our wonderful natural satellite, which I love, indeed. So I decided to capture a new image on my next opportunity with clear sky, and here it is! Taken on 19th Feb. 2024 the image is showing a Waxing Gibbous Moon but presented in an unusual way. Captured with an HDR technique, on my final composition I intend to show that the Moon is only visible due to the reflection of the Sun’s incident light. At this phase, the Illuminated surface of the Moon was 78%, while the remaining 22% of the Lunar disc was immersed in total darkness. At this stage, the shadow region is not possible to perceive with our naked eyes, due to the strong difference of brightness, but near the crescent moon our planet can illuminate the dark region in a smooth way turning the entire disc visible to the naked eye. This phenomenon is called an Earthshine and it was described for the first time, 500 years ago by Leonardo DaVinci. Taken with my deepsky Poseidon-C Pro Camera from Player One Astronomy and Takahashi FSQ106 from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
PT: Recentemente apercebi-me que desde que minha “Titanium Moon” foi lançada e premiada como PCA no APOTY em 2019, eu não dedicava algum tempo para fotografar o nosso maravilhoso satélite natural, e que na verdade adoro! Assim, decidi captar uma nova imagem na primeira oportunidade de céu limpo que tive, e aqui está ela! Registada a 19 de Fevereiro de 2024, a imagem mostra uma Lua Crescente Gibosa, mas apresentada de uma forma invulgar. Captada com a técnica HDR, na minha composição final pretendi mostrar que a Lua só é visível devido ao reflexo da luz solar incidente. Nesta fase, a superfície iluminada da Lua representava 78%, enquanto os restantes 22% do disco lunar se encontravam imersos na escuridão total. Nesta fase, a região sombreada não é perceptível a olho nu devido à extrema diferença de brilho da sua superfície, mas próximo da fase crescente, o nosso planeta consegue iluminar a região escura de forma suave, tornando todo o disco visível a olho nu . Este fenómeno é chamado de Earthshine e foi descrito pela primeira vez, há 500 anos, por Leonardo DaVinci. Tirada com a minha Poseidon-C Pro Camera from Player One Astronomy e Takahashi FSQ106 a partir do Observatório Dark Sky® Alqueva . Espero que vocês gostem tanto quanto eu gostei .
Above are a portrait and 180º rotated version, intended to help conduct the readers attention to the most interesting parts of the image.
PT: Acima está a foto apresentada em uma versão de retrato e de paisagem invertida, com o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem.
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How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
A Reddish Portrait from Barnard’s Loop with Boogeyman Dark Nebula and M78
The image features an HaRGB wide deep sky portrait immersed in the reddish hues from hydrogen alpha emission, where part of the larger semi-circle (Sh2-276) that stands around the belt and sword of Orion, also known as Barnard’s Loop, is shiningly visible like a dense intricate wave across the scene. Located at a distance of 1600 light-years away, the entire loop spans at about 300 light-years across in space and belongs to an even bigger Molecular Cloud of dust and gas, made up of molecular hydrogen and helium. These clouds are the birth place for stars, forming out of the material in the cloud. Above the “reddish loop” and near the top edge of the image, is possible to enjoy LDN 1622, a large dark nebula also known as Boogeyman, located at 500 light-years away. Below the center wave are visible two reflection nebulas M78 and NGC 2071. M78 lies at approximately the same distance as Barnard’s Loop but it only spans 5 light-years in space. The image was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory, Cumeada, in Portugal.
PT: A imagem revela um campo amplo e profundo de HaRGB imerso nos tons avermelhados da emissão hidrogénio-alfa, onde parte do semicírculo maior (Sh2-276) que fica ao redor do cinturão e da espada de Orion, também conhecido como Loop de Barnard, é visível brilhando como uma onda densa e intrincada que atravessa toda a imagem. Localizado a uma distância de 1.600 anos-luz de distância, todo o Loop se estende por cerca de 300 anos-luz de diâmetro no espaço e pertence a uma Nuvem Molecular ainda maior de poeira e gás, composta de hidrogénio molecular e hélio. Essas nuvens são o local de nascimento das estrelas, formadas a partir do material da nuvem. Acima do “Loop avermelhado” e próximo ao extremo superior da imagem, é possível apreciar LDN 1622, uma grande nebulosa escura também conhecida como Boogeyman, localizada a 500 anos-luz de distância. Abaixo da onda central são visíveis duas nebulosas azuladas de reflexão M78 e NGC 2071. M78 fica aproximadamente à mesma distância do Loop de Barnard, mas se estende por apenas 5 anos-luz no espaço. A imagem foi captada a partir do Observatório Oficial do Dark Sky® Alqueva, na Cumeada, Portugal.
Above: Left image shows the rotated version 180º. Right image shows the annotated version produced with PixInsight script, based in several known catalogues to identify the main objects in the image.
PT: Acima: A imagem da esquerda mostra a versão invertida 180º. A imagem da direita mostra a versão legendada com anotação produzida pelo script do PixInsight baseado em vários catálogos reconhecidos, identificando assim os principais objectos visíveis na imagem.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Omegon 76ED Apo triplet + Nikon D850 modified | ISO2500 | Sub Exp. 5 min | Total integration of 10,5h (9h in Ha 7nm + 1,5h in RGB). Mount EQ6 Pro – Asiair Pro. Processing on PixInsight 1.8.9-2, photoshop CC 2024. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Solar Plasma Blast Released into Space on 31th January 2024
Captured on the 31th of January, 2024, from Dark Sky® Alqueva region, Portugal, a high-resolution image and time lapse sequence features the chromosphere activity, revealing the exact moment when a solar blast released plasma into space, and then returned back to the Solar disc, pushed by the strong force of gravity. It’s possible to see a lot of interesting changes on its intricate shape. We can also notice a lot of fine spicules surrounding the solar disc and dancing like hair in the wind, while the chromosphere itself is showing a slower motion. The final result is a 4K high resolution solar time lapse footage comprising around 1h30 of photos.
PT: Captada a 31 de Janeiro de 2024, na região Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal, uma imagem de alta resolução e sequência time lapse mostra a actividade da cromosfera, revelando o momento que o plasma Solar é lançado para o espaço e pela força da gravidade, retorna ao Sol. É possível ver uma rápida mudança na sua forma inicialmente intrincada. Também podemos notar muitas espículas finas ao redor do disco solar dançando como cabelos ao vento, enquanto a própria cromosfera mostra um movimento mais lento. O resultado final é um time lapse solar de alta resolução 4K com cerca de 1h30 de fotos.
Above are a still shot presented in color and BW version, intended to help conduct the reader attention to the most interesting parts of the image. Below is possible to watch the video time lapse sequence compiling 273 shots processed, each one as result of a stack of the best 200 frames from each raw video. The final result is a 4K high resolution time lapse movie comprising around 1h30 of images.
PT: Acima está uma foto apresentada em uma versão a cores e monocromática, com o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem. Em baixo é possível ver o vídeo time lapse compilando 273 captações processadas, cada uma como resultado de um stack dos melhores 200 frames de cada vídeo raw. O resultado final é um filme time lapse de alta resolução de 4K que condensa cerca de 1h30 de imagens.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
SW Esprit 120ED Professional | EQ-6 Pro mount | Daystar Quark Prominence filter| Player One Apollo-M Max |Focuser Sesto Senso 2 | Stack of 200 frames for each single image, captured in average seeing conditions from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal.
Important Note | Nota Importante: Never look and point a telescope or any other optical equipment directly to the sun without a proper and specialized safty filters! It can blind you forever. PT: Nota Importante – Nunca aponte um telescópio ou qualquer equipamento óptico directamente para o sol e observe através dele sem filtros especializados e seguros. Causará cegueira irreversível!
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Large Solar Prominence in Motion Catured on 22th January 2024
Captured on the 22th of January, 2024, from Dark Sky® Alqueva region, Portugal, a high-resolution image and time lapse sequence features the chromosphere activity, revealing a large prominence in motion. It’s possible to see a lot of interesting changes on its shape. We can also notice a lot of fine spicules surrounding the solar disc, while the chromosphere itself is showing a slower motion. Even with a few high clouds which almost distroyed the sequence, I’ve manage to manually adjust the quick changes in light and keep the sequence runing to produce a time lapse of about 332 images. The final result is a 4K high resolution solar movie comprising around 2h of photos.
PT: Captada a 22 de Janeiro de 2024, na região Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal, uma imagem de alta resolução e sequência time lapse mostra a actividade da cromosfera, revelando uma gigantesca proeminência em movimento. É possível ver muitas mudanças interessantes em sua forma. Também podemos notar muitas espículas finas ao redor do disco solar, enquanto a própria cromosfera mostra um movimento mais lento. As condições foram muito desafiantes, mas mesmo com algumas nuvens finas que repentinamente cobriram o céu a meio da sequência, eu consegui gerir e compensar manualmente as alterações de luz drásticas para permitir continuar a sequência sem interrupções. Assim foi possível produzir um time lapse de cerca de 332 imagens. O resultado final é um filme solar de alta resolução 4K com cerca de 2h de fotos.
Above are a still shot presented in color and BW version, intended to help conduct the reader attention to the most interesting parts of the image. Below is possible to watch the video time lapse sequence compiling 332 shots processed, each one as result of a stack of the best 200 frames from each raw video. The final result is a 4K high resolution time lapse movie comprising around 2h of images.
PT: Acima está uma foto apresentada em uma versão a cores e monocromática, com o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem. Em baixo é possível ver o vídeo time lapse compilando 332 captações processadas, cada uma como resultado de um stack dos melhores 200 frames de cada vídeo raw. O resultado final é um filme time lapse de alta resolução de 4K que condensa cerca de 2h de imagens.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
SW Esprit 120ED Professional | EQ-6 Pro mount | Daystar Quark Prominence filter| Player One Apollo-M Max |Focuser Sesto Senso 2 | Stack of 200 frames for each single image, captured in average seeing conditions from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal.
Important Note | Nota Importante: Never look and point a telescope or any other optical equipment directly to the sun without a proper and specialized safty filters! It can blind you forever. PT: Nota Importante – Nunca aponte um telescópio ou qualquer equipamento óptico directamente para o sol e observe através dele sem filtros especializados e seguros. Causará cegueira irreversível!
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Golden Fullmoon Immersed in a thin Layer of High Clouds Shines in January 2024
The image shows a golden full moon immersed in a layer of thin high clouds, few minutes after rising above Dark Sky® Alqueva region, in Portugal. The was the first fullmoon of 2024
PT: A imagem mostra uma lua cheia dourada imersa numa camada fina de nuvens altas, alguns minutos após nascer acima dos céus do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. Esta foi a primeira lua cheia de 2024
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
First Full Moon of the Year 2024 while Rising above Monsaraz Castle
The image shows the first Full Moon of the year 2024, with a layer of high cloud while the Moon was rising above Monsaraz castle at Dark Sky® Alqueva region, in Portugal. The image was captured 13km away from castle with 600mm lens.
PT: A imagem mostra a primeira Lua Cheia de 2024 com numa camada fina de nuvens altas enquanto esta nascia acima do castelo de Monsaraz, nos céus do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. A imagem foi captada a 13km de distância do castelo com uma objectiva de 600mm.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
A Solar Time Lapse Reveals a Large Solar Eruption in Motion Caught on 30th December 2023
A solar time lapse of an entire full disc of the sun, showing a lot of interesting features in motion, such as filaments, one active region, small spicules dancing like hair in the wind, and special powerful eruption from an eruptive prominence visible at the end while being projected thousands of kilometers above the sun’s surface. The video shows the chromosphere while the sun is rotating over the course of 2 hours. The time lapse sequence was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory on 30th December 2023 with a @player_one_astronomy Saturn-M SQR camera and a @luntsolarsystems telescope LS100, generating around 3TB of data. The final result is a 4K high resolution solar movie comprising 198 images over the course of about 2h, between UT11h53 and UT14h08.
PT: Um time lapse do disco solar completo, mostrando muitas características interessantes em movimento, como filamentos, uma região ativa, pequenas espículas dançando como cabelos ao vento e uma poderosa erupção especial de uma proeminência eruptiva. visível no final enquanto é projetado milhares de quilômetros acima da superfície do sol. O vídeo mostra ainda a cromosfera solar enquanto o sol no seu movimento de rotação, girou ao longo de 2 horas. A sequência de lapso de tempo foi captada a partir do território Dark Sky® Alqueva com uma câmara Player One Saturn-M SQR e um telescópio Lunt LS100, gerando 2 TB de dados. O resultado final é um filme solar de alta resolução 4K composto por 198 imagens ao longo de cerca de 2h, entre UT11h53 e UT14h08.
Above are a still shot presented side by side (begining and end of sequence) intended to help conduct the reader attention to the most interesting parts of the image. Below is possible to watch the video time lapse sequence compiling 198 shots processed, each one as result of a stack of the best 200 frames from each raw video. The final result is a 4K high resolution time lapse movie comprising around 2h15 of images.
PT: Acima está uma foto apresentada lado a lado (do início e final da sequência) com o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem. Em baixo é possível ver o vídeo time lapse compilando 198 captações processadas, cada uma como resultado de um stack dos melhores 200 frames de cada vídeo raw. O resultado final é um filme time lapse de alta resolução de 4K que condensa cerca de 2h15 de imagens.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Lunt Solar System LS100| EQ-6 Pro mount | Player One Saturn-M SQR | Stack of 200 frames for each single image, captured in average seeing conditions from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal.
Important Note | Nota Importante: Never look and point a telescope or any other optical equipment directly to the sun without a proper and specialized safty filters! It can blind you forever. PT: Nota Importante – Nunca aponte um telescópio ou qualquer equipamento óptico directamente para o sol e observe através dele sem filtros especializados e seguros. Causará cegueira irreversível!
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
All Sky VR 360º – Winter Milky Way and Jupiter Shining During Geminids Meteor Shower 2023
A full dome and 360º Virtual Reality nightscape scene reveals a mosaic of single shots with a composite of more than 100 meteors star aligned captured in 2 consecutive nights during Geminids meteor shower 2023. The composite shows the Radiant located in Gemini constellation, near the blueish star Castor, the single point in the sky where all meteors seems to appear due to the perspective. The background is a mosaic image made of single untracked shots where a starry sky shows the path of Winter Milky Way, full of beautiful bright constellations and nebulae, shining in reddish hues from Hydrogen emission and against the bright light of planet Jupiter, while all the sky is fulfilled by meteors. In the scene, is also visible the silhouette of one of my students enjoying the starry sky near Alqueva lake while all the sky is fulfilled by meteors. The image was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva, in Portugal. For another rotated version, click here. Below you can experience a Virtual Reality 360º and a Tiny Planet view in 7K resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
PT: Um cenário All Sky e de Realidade Virtual 360º revela um mosaico de fotos individuais com uma composição de mais de 100 meteoros alinhados cuidadosamente com as estrelas, captados ao longo de 42 noites consecutivas durante a chuva de meteoros Geminídeas 2023. A composição mostra assim o Radiante localizado na constelação de Gémeos, próximo da estrela azulada Castor, o ponto singular no céu de onde todos os meteoros aparentam radiar por uma questão de perspectiva. O céu estrelado em pano de fundo, é resultado de um mosaico de disparos únicos e sem seguimento e mostra o caminho da Via Láctea de Inverno, repleta de lindas constelações brilhantes e nebulosas avermelhadas devido à emissão de hidrogénio, com o planeta Júpiter a destacar-se alto no céu enquanto toda o esfera celeste é preenchida por meteoros. Este cenário allsky contempla ainda uma das minhas alunas de um workshop privado a apreciar o céu estrelado perto do lago Alqueva. A imagem foi captada no Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. Para ver uma versão com rotação diferente, clique aqui. O leitor pode assim experienciar esta Realidade Virtual e uma visão Tiny Planet em alta-resolução 7K usando o seu desktop ou smartphone com giroscópio. Uma ótima experiência “in loco” pode ser alcançada se usar óculos de realidade virtual.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
2 Nights Comprised in One Epic Scene to Reveal the Show of Geminids Meteor Shower 2023
The image is the result of a fair amount of work while star aligning and combining 10 folders of hundreds of Gigabytes from different cameras that I setup for 2 consecutive nights, during Geminids meteor shower 2023. I caught more than 100 meteors in total from the brightest ones, to the faintest streaks. The composite shows the Radiant located in Gemini constellation, near the blueish star Castor, the single point in the sky where all meteors seems to appear due to the perspective. The background is a panoramic image made of single untracked shots where a starry sky shows the path of Winter Milky Way, full of beautiful bright constellations and nebulae, shining in reddish hues from Hydrogen emission. At left, is one of my students enjoying the starry sky near Alqueva lake while all the sky is fulfilled by meteors. The image was captured from Dark Sky® Alqueva, in Portugal. I have more images to share with different projections, as well as a VR360 scene. So stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe my newsletter in the right top corner of the Menu. Hope you enjoy it!
PT: A imagem é o resultado de muito trabalho e que envolveu o alinhamento de estrelas e combinação de 10 pastas de centenas de Gigabites, proveniente de diferentes câmaras que configurei para registarem o céu por 2 noites consecutivas, durante a chuva de meteoros Geminídeas de 2023. Captei mais de 100 meteoros no total, desde os mais brilhantes até aos mais ténues e subtis. A composição mostra assim o Radiante localizado na constelação de Gémeos, próximo da estrela azulada Castor, o ponto singular no céu de onde todos os meteoros aparentam radiar por uma questão de perspectiva. O céu estrelado em pano de fundo, é resultado de um panorama de disparos únicos e sem seguimento e mostra o caminho da Via Láctea de Inverno, repleta de lindas constelações brilhantes e nebulosas avermelhadas devido à emissão de hidrogénio, enquanto todo o céu é preenchido por meteoros. À esquerda, está uma das minhas alunas de um workshop privado a apreciar o céu estrelado perto do lago Alqueva. A imagem foi captada no Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. Tenho mais imagens para compartilhar com diferentes projeções, além de um cenário em VR360. Assim fiquem atentos e não se esqueçam de assinar a minha newsletter no canto superior direito do Menu. Espero que gostem!
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
