Wonders of Deep Sky Around the Galactic Center Shining above Alqueva Lake
May is the best month to start enjoying wonderful views of the Milky Way galaxy in the Northern Hemisphere. For being low and close to the horizon, is perfect for a nice framing with landscape. This panoramic shot comprises 8 single images of 1 minute exposure, tracked with the new Polarie U star tracker, taken with a 48mm lens at f2.8. The deep nightscape view captured recently above Dark Sky® Alqueva lake, shows the core of our galaxy full of known deep sky objects, like emission, reflection and dark nebulae, as well as some star clusters. The stars from Sagittarius and Scorpius constellations are shining so bright and colorful. Thanks to a fog filter used in front of the lens, it could help reveal better their colors temperatures. Below, an annotated version highlights all the summer wonders of deep sky that can be spotted in the image, as well as the galactic center.
PT: Maio é o melhor mês para começar a desfrutar das maravilhosas vistas da Via Láctea no Hemisfério Norte. Por se encontrar baixa e próxima ao horizonte, é o momento perfeito para um bom enquadramento com a paisagem. Esta foto panorâmica compreende 8 imagens únicas de 1 minuto de exposição com seguimento sideral, através da nova montagem portátil da Vixen, a Polarie U. As imagens foram captadas com uma lente de 48 mm a f2.8. Esta visão de paisagem noturna profunda, captada recentemente acima do lago Alqueva, no Dark Sky® Alqueva, mostra o núcleo da nossa galáxia repleto de objetos do céu profundo conhecidos, como nebulosas de emissão, reflexão e nebulosas escuras, bem como alguns aglomerados de estrelas. As estrelas das constelações de Sagitário e Escorpião, destacam-se assim graças ao seu brilho intenso e colorido. Para tal, foi usado um fog filter na frente da objectiva, para ajudar a destacar a temperatura de cor de cada estrela. Em baixo, uma versão anotada revela todas as maravilhas do céu mais profundo de verão que se destacam na imagem, bem como o centro galáctico da Via Láctea.
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Andromeda and Cassiopeia Shining above the Cross from Vidual’s Quartzite Crest in a Deep Nightscape Scene
A deep nightscape image shows Andromeda Galaxy M31 shinning close to the “W or M” from Cassiopeia constellation, both framed in the same close-up winter scene, above the Cross from the quartzite crest of Vidual, in Dark Sky® Aldeias do Xisto, Portugal. The image was captured with vixen Polarie star tracker and the featured result comprises a stack of 6 single shots to improve the view of the deepest details on this nighscape scene. Winter deepsky objects are visible and easily identified in the annotated version below, where we can spot and highlight the Elephant’s Trunk, NGC7380, Caroline’s Rose and Pacman Nebula.
PT: A imagem mostra uma paisagem nocturna profunda onde é possivel ver a galáxia de Andrómeda M31, brilhando perto do “W ou M” da constelação da Cassiopeia, ambas enquadradas na mesma cena de inverno, num close-up captado acima da cruz da crista quartzítica do Vidual, no Dark Sky® Aldeias do Xisto, Portugal. A imagem foi captada com seguimento sideral numa Vixen Polarie e o resultado compreende um stack de 6 single frames para permitir revelar mais detalhes desta cena nocturna de paisagem profunda. Em segundo plano, objectos de céu profundo são visíveis e facilmente identificáveis na versão anotada, onde podemos localizar e destacar a Nebulosa Tromba do Elefante, NGC7380, Rosa da Carolina e Nebulosa Pacman.
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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.
The Great Celestial Dog in a Deep Nightscape Scene
A deep nightscape image shows the Great Celestial Dog. Entirely framed in the scene, Canis Major constellation is shining bright above the top of Pampilhosa da Serra hill, in Dark Sky® Aldeias do Xisto, Portugal. Canis Major features the brightest star visible from Earth (Northern and Southern Hemisphere), with a magnitude of -1.46, contains the first white dwarf star discovered, Sirius B. For being so bright, we can easily distinguish its blueish color with unaided eye. In many cultures, Sirius was used as a time marker for harvesting and celebration, and an important marker in the ancient Egyptian calendar. At a distance of 8.7 light years, Sirius is the fifth nearest star system. The image was captured with vixen Polarie star tracker and the featured result comprises a stack of 10 single shots to improve the view of the deepest details on this nighscape scene.
PT: A imagem mostra uma paisagem noturna profunda onde é possivel ver o Grande Cão Celestial. Totalmente enquadrada no cenário, está a constelação de Canis Major a brilhar no alto da Pampilhosa da Serra, no Dark Sky® Aldeias do Xisto. Canis Major apresenta a estrela mais brilhante visível da Terra (hemisfério Norte e Sul), com magnitude de -1,46, contém a primeira estrela anã branca descoberta, Sirius B. Por ser tão brilhante, podemos facilmente distinguir a sua cor azulada a olho nu. Em muitas culturas, Sirius foi usado como um marcador de tempo para colheita e celebração, e um marcador importante no antigo calendário egípcio. A uma distância de 8,7 anos-luz, Sirius é o quinto sistema estelar mais próximo. A imagem foi captada com seguimento sideral numa Vixen Polarie e o resultado compreende um stack de 10 single frames para permitir revelar mais detalhes nesta cena nocturna de paisagem profunda.
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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 Galactic Profile Scene of Our Own Milky Way Galaxy as Seen from the Darkest Skies of Atacama and Alqueva
A wide panoramic view comprising single exposures between 15 and 25 seconds, captured from the southern hemisphere dark skies of Atacama Desert, in Chile, and northern hemisphere dark skies of Alqueva, in Portugal, reveals a galactic profile scene of our own Milky Way galaxy. At a distance of 26,000 light-years from the dusty core, this panorama is covering approximately 239º from edge to edge. With a visible diameter of about 100,000 light-years and 2,000 light-years thick, is the second-largest galaxy in the Local Group. ESA’s Gaia mission, a dedicated project to accurately map the Milky Way in three dimensions, it is giving us new data and the most detailed map of our galactic home ever made from space, and has been refining our knowledge about this incredible spiral cosmic spaceship. On this large view captured from our planet Earth, we can see above the center bulge obscured by interstellar dust, the bright light of planet Jupiter. Beyond that, glowing nebulae, dark dust clouds and crowded starfields are all spread along the fertile galactic plane. While the lower left view of this panorama shows our neighbour spiral galaxy of Andromeda, located at approximately 2.5 million light-years from us – knowing that one day they will probably collide or mixing together – on the upper right side of the Milky Way arm, another apparently bright light belongs not to a star, but to Omega Centauri, the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way, with a diameter of roughly 150 light-years. On the left side of the image, the well know summer triangle is very well visible, being formed by Vega (in Lyra) – the brightest star above the left galaxy arm – and Deneb (in Cygnus), visible close to the eye-catching red emission North America Nebula, while Altair star (from Aquila) is visible below the arm and “towards” the galaxy core.
PT: Uma ampla vista panorâmica com exposições únicas entre 15 e 25 segundos, captadas a partir dos céus escuros do hemisfério sul no deserto de Atacama, no Chile, e a partir dos céus escuros de Alqueva no hemisfério norte, em Portugal, revela um cenário do perfil galáctico da nossa própria galáxia, a Via Láctea. A uma distância de 26.000 anos-luz do núcleo empoeirado, este panorama cobre aproximadamente 239º de ponta a ponta. Com um diâmetro visível de cerca de 100.000 anos-luz e 2.000 anos-luz de espessura, é a segunda maior galáxia do Grupo Local. A missão Gaia da ESA, um projeto dedicado a mapear com precisão a Via Láctea em três dimensões, fornece novos dados e o mapa mais detalhado do nosso lar galáctico já alguma vez feito a partir do espaço, e aprimorando o nosso conhecimento sobre esta incrível nave espacial cósmica espiralada. Nesta visão panorâmica de larga escala, captada a partir do nosso planeta Terra, podemos ver acima do bojo (zona de poeira central) obscurecido pela poeira interestelar, a luz brilhante do planeta Júpiter. Mais além, nebulosas brilhantes, nuvens escuras de poeira e campos estelares ricos, espalham-se pelo fértil plano galáctico. Enquanto a vista inferior esquerda deste panorama mostra a galáxia espiral vizinha de Andrómeda, localizada a aproximadamente 2,5 milhões de anos-luz de nós – sabendo que um dia estas provavelmente colidirão ou se misturarão – no lado superior direito do braço da Via Láctea, outra luz aparentemente brilhante se destaca, não pertencendo a uma estrela, mas sim a Omega Centauri, o maior aglomerado globular da Via Láctea, com um diâmetro de aproximadamente 150 anos-luz de diâmetro. No lado esquerdo da imagem, o conhecido triângulo de verão encontra-se bem destacado, sendo formado por Vega (Lyra) – a estrela mais brilhante acima do braço esquerdo da galáxia – e Deneb (Cygnus), visível próximo da charmosa nebulosa de emissão vermelha América do Norte, enquanto a estrela Altair (Aquila) é visível abaixo do braço e “em direção” ao núcleo da galáxia.
A Close-up of the Galactic Center
Below is a close-up view of the Galactic Center with an annotated version which reveals the main deep sky objects. Read the entire photo article here.
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The Starry Dusty Field from the Core of Our Milky Way Galaxy
Featured as NASA´s APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day the image shows how far we can go with only 60 seconds exposure. A panorama composed only by 9 single shots of 60 seconds each, captured with a 105mm lens at f/1,8 during my recent trip to Atacama Desert, Chile, reveals a wide deep sky field from the core region of our galaxy. Besides the background completely full of stars, we can easily recognized many well known deep sky objects, emission nebulae like The Eagle (M16), Omega Nebula (M17), Lagoon (M8) or NGC 6357. Reflection nebulae featured on Trifid M20 and many opaque dark regions that is blocking the light behind. The image is showing as well, many star clusters like M23. The blue star pair visible at right is Shaula and Lesath from the back of Scorpius constellation and above it, is also visible two red emission nebulae, NGC6357 and the Cat´s Paw (NGC6334). From the center to the left, those objects are still visible in a middle latitudes from the Northern Hemisphere. Although, from the center to the right, they are mainly visible in the Southern Hemisphere. In the top right corner, we can see another pinky object, knows as IC4628.
PT: Destacada como NASA´s APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day a imagem revela o quão longe e profundo podemos chegar com apenas 60 segundos de exposição. Um panorama composto apenas por 9 fotos individuais de 60 segundos cada, captadas com uma lente de 105 mm f/1.8 durante a recente viagem ao deserto do Atacama, no Chile, revela assim um amplo campo de céu profundo da região central da nossa galáxia. Além de um pano de fundo completamente repleto de estrelas, podemos facilmente reconhecer muitos objetos bem conhecidos do céu profundo, nebulosas de emissão como a Águia (M16), nebulosa Omega (M17), Lagoa (M8) ou NGC 6357. Nebulosas de reflexão como a que está parcialmente contida na Trifid M20 e muitas nuvens opacas de regiões escuras que estão bloqueando a luz por detrás. A imagem também apresenta muitos aglomerados de estrelas como é o caso do enxame M23. O par de estrelas azuis visível à direita é Shaula e Lesath, da cauda da constelação do Escorpião e acima dela, também são visíveis duas nebulosas vermelhas de emissão, NGC6357 e a “Pata do Gato” (NGC6334). Do centro para a esquerda, esses objetos ainda são visíveis em latitudes médias do Hemisfério Norte. Embora, do centro para a direita, esses objectos sejam principalmente visíveis no Hemisfério Sul. No canto superior direito, podemos ainda ver outro objeto conhecido, como IC4628.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
A Panoramic image composed by 9 single shots tracked with a Vixen portable mount captured with a Nikon D810a | Sigma Art 105mm at f/1,8 | ISO1600 | Exp. 60 secs.
A Titanium Moon
Winner of “Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2019“, this Full Moon image is a result of an high-resolution mosaic composed by four panels each one of 30 images combined together to reveal a sharp and detailed surface up to the lunar limb. Taken on 25th October 2018 from Cumeada Observatory in Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, the final image shows that the moon is more then a grey body as it is normally perceived by our human eye. The color of this RGB image have been slightly increased revelling a strange but even so, real appearance, corresponding to the differences in the chemical constitution of the lunar surface, as changes in mineral content can produce subtle color differences in reflected light. The blue hues that can be seen on the seas like “Mare Tranquillitatis”, or “Mare Fecunditatis” (right center and edge) are revelling rich areas in titanium. According to Hawai’s Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, the presence of this unusual titanium-rich layer was produced by the crystallization of a huge ocean of magma that surrounded the Moon when it formed. In the bottom center of the Moon, white stripes are radiating across the southern lunar highlands, coming from the 85 kilometer wide crater Tycho. Above it, in the left center, dark rays from Copernicus crater are extending into the “Mare Imbrium”. In the upper center edge and with a diameter of 51 kilometers, another bright but even small crater can be spotted. Named Anaxagoras, the crater interior has 3km and a relatively high albedo, making it a prominent feature when the Moon is full. In the past, multicolor images calibrated by rock samples from the Apollo missions, were recorded by Galileo and Celmentine spacecrafts and been used to explore the Moon’s global surface composition.
PT: Vencedora do “Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2019“ esta fotografia da Lua Cheia é o resultado de um mosaico de alta resolução composto por quatro painéis, cada um com 30 imagens combinadas, com a finalidade de revelar uma superfície nítida e detalhada até o limbo lunar. Captada a 25 de outubro de 2018, no Observatório da Cumeada, sede oficial da Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, a imagem final mostra que a Lua é mais do que um corpo cinzento, como é normalmente percepcionado pelo nosso olho humano. A saturação desta fotografia RGB foi aumentada ligeiramente, permitindo assim revelar uma aparência incomum mas ainda assim real, correspondente às diferenças na constituição química da superfície lunar, já que mudanças no conteúdo mineral podem produzir diferenças subtis de cor na luz refletida. As tonalidades de azul que podem ser vistas nos mares “Tranquillitatis” ou “Fecunditatis” (centro e extremo direito) revelam áreas ricas em titânio. De acordo com o Hawai’s Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, a presença dessa camada incomum rica em titânio foi produzida pela cristalização de um enorme oceano de magma que cercou a Lua quando ela se formou. No centro da Lua, faixas esbranquiçadas espalham-se de forma raiada pelas terras altas lunares do sul, vindas da cratera Tycho, com 85 quilómetros de largura. Acima, no centro esquerdo, as reentrâncias escuras e raiadas provenientes da cratera Copérnico, estendem-se até ao “Mare Imbrium”. No extremo superior central e com um diâmetro de 51 quilómetros, pode ser vista outra cratera brilhante mas mais pequena. Chamada de Anaxagoras, o interior da cratera tem 3km e um albedo relativamente alto, tornando-se um alvo proeminente quando a Lua está cheia. No passado, imagens multi-coloridas calibradas por amostras de rochas das missões Apollo foram registadas pelas sondas espaciais Galileo e Celmentine e usadas para explorar a composição da superfície global da Lua.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Celestron C14 EDGE HD (XLT) | Nikon D810a | ISO400 – Exp. 1/800 | Mosaic of four panels composed by 30 images each. Processed on Registax and PS CC 2019. 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.
A Stargazer Shows Where to Find Polaris in the Night Sky
A night scene captured in Achada do Gamo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, shows the silhouette of a sky enthusiast that is trying to show us where to find Polaris, the Northern Star, and is not so hard. At left side are visible the colorful stars Alkaid, Mizar-Alcor, Alioth, Megrez, Phecda, Merak and Dubhe, the main stars that are composing the constellation of Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear. Probably is the easiest constellation recognisable in night time and used as a starting point, from beginners to experienced stargazers, to help localize and identify the Northern Star. To find Polaris, use the so-called “Pointer” stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper, Merak and Dubhe. The left hand of the stargazer is pointing to Merak, then just draw an imaginary line between these two stars and extend it out for about 5 times, and you will end up in Polaris, located in the upper right corner of the image.
Andromeda Galaxy Shinning above the Landscape
The photo shows a single shot made with a tracking mount of the entire Andromeda constellation rising above a puddle of acid water from Achada do Gamo. Andromeda Galaxy M31 stands very well visible and aligned between two chimneys from the century old mine of São Domingos, in Dark Sky® Alqueva – Mértola, highlighted against a faint greenish background from a thin band of airglow. With approximately 4 times the angular size of the full moon as seen from Earth, the great spiral galaxy Andromeda is at a mere 2.5 million light-years distant from us, being the closest large spiral to our own Milky Way. In really dark places we can clearly distinguish this naked eye galaxy, but how to find it? Start to identify the star Alpheratz, as the constellation Andromeda begins here, then follow down two stars and we will end up on Mirach. You should see two stars stacked one on top of each other, are they Mirach and Mu Andromedae. If you draw a line through the two stars and extend it past Mu Andromedae star, you should run into the Andromeda galaxy, which is located at about the same distance that separates this last two stars mentioned, being Mu Andromedae much dimmer than Mirach star. Very close to Andromeda galaxy is also visible an even week star called Nu Andromedae. The annotated version that can be found below, also shows galaxy M33 and the well known double cluster in Perseus.
PT: Nesta foto captada numa única exposição com seguimento, é possível ver toda a constelação de Andromeda enquanto nasce acima das águas ácidas da Achada do Gamo. A galáxia de Andromeda M31 está assim bem visível e alinhada entre as duas chaminés da centenária Mina de São Domingos, no Dark Sky® Alqueva – Mértola, destacando-se contra um fundo esverdeado proveniente de uma fina faixa de airglow (luminescência foto-química). Com aproximadamente 4 vezes o tamanho angular da Lua Cheia quando vista a partir da Terra, a grande galáxia espiral de Andromeda está a meros 2,5 milhões de anos-luz de nós, sendo a maior galáxia espiral próxima à nossa Via Láctea. Em lugares realmente escuros, podemos distinguir claramente esta galáxia a olho nu, mas como localizá-la no céu? Comece por identificar a estrela Alpheratz onde se inicia a constelação de Andromeda, depois siga duas estrelas até chegar a Mirach. A partir daqui deve ver duas estrelas que parecem estar uma por cima da outra, são elas Mirach e Mu Andromedae. Se traçar uma linha imaginária através destas duas estrelas e estender à estrela de Mu Andromedae, deverá se deparar com a galáxia de Andromeda, que está assim localizada sensivelmente à mesma distância que separa estas duas últimas estrelas mencionadas, sendo Mu Andromedae de brilho muito mais fraco que a estrela Mirach. Muito perto da galáxia de Andromeda encontra-se ainda uma estrela mais fraca de nome Nu Andromedae. A versão da imagem com legenda pode ser encontrada abaixo, e também mostra a galáxia M33 e o conhecido Duplo Enxame de Estrelas do Perseus.
Poster and Sequence of Total Solar Eclipse
On August 21, 2017, millions of people across the United States had the opportunity to witness the unique and unforgettable moment when the Moon itself completely blocks the sun´s disc. The poster above is a composite result of a series of shots taken in sequence from Stanley Lake, Idaho, from the beginning of partial phase (right opaque listed disc) up to the totality (in the center) and the final stage of partiality (opaque listed disc at left). During totality, the moon´s dark disc completely covers the entire disc of the sun, what give us the unique opportunity to watch the Solar Corona (the most outer atmosphere of the sun), visible in the image above as the background faint white light, although, due to the tremendous variance of brightness in the dynamic range between the surface of the sun and Corona, is not possible to see both of them at the same time. In this this final composite poster of the entire sequence, we are able to safely appreciate the sun´s surface with two group of Sunspots – known as Active Regions (AR) AR2672 and AR2671 mixed with the inner and most outer Solar Corona only visible during totality event.
Beyond the Limits of Earth – Astrophotography from an Airplane
When I was back to Lisbon from a large trip between Chile, Argentina and Uruguay with a stopover in São Paulo, Brazil, I had a rare opportunity somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and under the moonlight to take some images from the window of an airplane, during the sleeping hours, when the lights of the plane were shut off. I asked my colleague Apolónia Rodrigues to cover my head with a black jacket around the window to avoid any reflections from inside. The shutter speed had to be very fast for a night sky photography because it was very difficult to have a pinpoint stars without shaking with the movements of the plane. After a few attempts and efforts, I could capture some nice views with the stars and the night sky above Earth taken at a high altitude, probably between 10,000 to 12,000 meters at a cruise speed of ~900km/h, some of them with lightning below.
Due to the presence of moonlight we can distinguish very well the limb and transition between the blue color from our atmosphere and the black from outer space. Blue light is scattered more than other wavelengths by the gases in the atmosphere, giving Earth a blue halo. The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, commonly known as air, that surrounds the planet Earth and is retained by Earth’s gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night (the diurnal temperature variation). The atmosphere has a mass of about 5.15×1018 kg, three quarters of which is within about 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface. The atmosphere becomes thinner and thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. The Kármán line, at 100 km (62 mi), or 1.57% of Earth’s radius, is often used as the border between the atmosphere and outer space.
PT: De regresso a Lisboa a partir de uma grande viagem entre o Chile, Argentina e Uruguai com escala em São Paulo, Brasil, eu tive uma oportunidade rara enquanto estava algures a sobrevoar o Oceano Atlântico, de captar imagens ao luar a partir da janela de um avião comercial, durante as horas de sono e enquanto as luzes do avião foram desligados. Pedi à minha colega de equipa Apolónia Rodrigues para me cobrir a cabeça e ao redor da janela com um casaco preto, no sentido de evitar quaisquer reflexos a partir do interior do avião. A velocidade do obturador tinha que ser muito rápida para uma fotografia de céu noturna, porque era muito difícil ter estrelas pontuais com a agitação do avião. Depois de algumas tentativas e esforços, tive a felicidade de captar algumas imagens com as estrelas pontuais onde se distinguem as estrelas que compõem o Cão Maior e Orion e onde é possível ver também o contorno da atmosfera acima da Terra. As imagens foram tiradas a uma alta altitude, provavelmente entre 10.000 a 12.000 metros e a uma velocidade de cruzeiro de ~ 900 km/h, alguns deles com relâmpagos abaixo .
The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere. It extends from Earth’s surface to an average height of about 12 km, although this altitude actually varies from about 9 km (30,000 ft) at the poles to 17 km (56,000 ft) at the equator, with some variation due to weather. Most conventional aviation activity takes place in the troposphere, and it is the only layer that can be accessed by propeller-driven aircraft.
In one of the pictures I made an annotation with the main constellations visible. Orion and Sirius are very well spotted. Each one is a single shot: Canon 6D, Exp: 1/3s; ISO8000 24mm f/2.8
Prime Meridian Laser in Greenwich
The Greenwich Meridian separates east from west in the same way that the Equator separates north from south. Inextricably linked with Greenwich Mean Time, it also sits at the centre of our system of time zones. Its path is determined by the location of an historic telescope, the Airy Transit Circle (51°28′40.1″N 0°0′5.3″W), which is housed at the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, in London. The Prime Meridian was established by Sir George Airy in 1851.
A prime meridian is a meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographical coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. Together, a prime meridian and its antimeridian (the 180th meridian in a 360°-system) form a great circle. This great circle divides the sphere, e.g., the Earth, into two hemispheres. If one uses directions of East and West from a defined prime meridian, then they can be called Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere.
PT: O meridiano de Greenwich separa “Este” de “Oeste” da mesma forma que o Equador separa o Norte do Sul. Intimamente ligado com Greenwich Mean Time, também está no centro do nosso sistema de fusos horários. O seu caminho é determinado pela localização de um telescópio histórico, o “Airy Transit Circle” (51°28′40.1″N 0°0′5.3″W), que está localizado no Observatório Real de Greenwich, em Londres. O Meridiano de Greenwich foi criada por Sir George Airy em 1851.
The Prime Meridian in Greenwich Observatory, was long marked by a brass strip in the courtyard, now replaced by stainless steel, and, since 16 December 1999, has been marked by a powerful green laser shining north across the London night sky. The Meridian laser marks the route of the Greenwich Meridian by night in a northerly direction from the Royal Observatory. Under good viewing conditions, it is visible at a distance of over 36 miles with the naked eye and over 60 miles with binoculars.
Summer Triangle above Vatican City State
The Summer Triangle is an astronomical asterism involving an imaginary triangle drawn on the northern hemisphere’s celestial sphere, with its defining vertices at Altair, Deneb, and Vega, the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra, respectively. Only this 3 stars are bright enough to be visible above the light polluted sky from the City State of Vaticano, in Rome, Italy.
Near midnight, the Summer Triangle lies virtually overhead at mid-northern latitudes during the summer months, but can also be seen during spring in the early morning to the East. In the autumn the summer triangle is visible in the evening to the West well until November. From the southern hemisphere it appears upside down and low in the sky during the winter months.
The Church has had a long-standing interest in astronomy, due to the astronomical basis of the calendar by which holy days and Easter are determined. For instance, the Gregorian Calendar, promulgated in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, was developed by Aloysius Lilius and later modified by Christoph Clavius at the Collegio Romano from astronomical data. The Gregorian Tower was completed in 1580 for his purpose, designed by Bolognese architect Ottaviano Matte.
The Vatican Observatory (Latin: Specola Vaticana) is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. Originally based in the Roman College of Rome, the Observatory is now headquartered in Castel Gandolfo, Italy and operates a telescope at the Mount Graham International Observatory in the United States. In the 18th century, the Papacy actively supported astronomy, establishing the Observatory of the Roman College in 1774. In 1789–1787, the Specola Vaticana in the Tower of the Winds within the Vatican was established under the direction of Msgr. Filippo Luigi Gilii (1756–1821). When Msgr. Gilii died, the Specola was closed down because it was inconvenient for students in the city because the dome of St. Peter’s obstructed its view. Its instruments were transferred to the College Observatory. A third facility, the Observatory of the Capitol, was operated from 1827 to 1870. In 1891, however, Pope Leo XIII issued a Motu Proprio re-founding the Specola Vaticana (Vatican Observatory) and a new observatory was built on the walls at the edge of the Vatican.The new Vatican Observatory remained there for the next forty years.
By the 1930s, the smoke and sky-glow of the city had made it impossible to conduct useful observations in Rome. Pope Pius XI relocated the Observatory to Castel Gandolfo, which is 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of Rome. By 1961, the same problems with light pollution made observing difficult at Castel Gandolfo. The Observatory then established the Vatican Observatory Research Group, with offices at the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.
PT: O Triângulo de Verão é um asterismo astronómico envolvendo um triângulo imaginário “desenhado na esfera celeste” do hemisfério norte, com os seus vértices a definirem Altair, Deneb e Vega, as estrelas mais brilhantes nas três constelações de Aquila, Cygnus e Lyra, respectivamente. Só estas 3 estrelas conseguem ser suficientemente brilhantes para serem visíveis a partir de um céu poluído como o que se ergue acima do Estado da Cidade do Vaticano, em Roma, Itália.
Officially called Vatican City State or the State of Vatican City is a walled enclave within the city of Rome. With an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of 842, it is the smallest sovereign state in the world by both area and population. It is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state (a type of theocracy) ruled by the Bishop of Rome – the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins. Since the return of the Popes from Avignon in 1377, they have generally resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City. Vatican City is distinct from the Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes), which dates back to early Christianity and is the main episcopal see of 1.2 billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents around the globe. The independent city-state, on the other hand, came into existence in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, which spoke of it as a new creation, not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870), which had previously encompassed much of central Italy. According to the terms of the treaty, the Holy See has “full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction” over the city-state.
Colorful Night Sky – A Stellar Spectrum
When we first look at the night sky, we can not distinguish the color of each star with our own eyes, although, if we record in a long exposure sequence the path of each star, due to the motion of rotating Earth and consequently the rotation of celestial sphere, a starry trailed sky can reveal much of our colorful Universe. In the image above, captured in Noudar Park, Alqueva Dark Sky® Reserve, Portugal, we can see a lot of different color paths, like: blue, yellow, white or orange. Each color is directly related to the type and temperature of each star. Some of them are hottest, like Alfirk, in Cepheus constellation, and some are coolest like Eltanin, in Draco.
In astronomy, stellar classification is the classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. Electromagnetic radiation from the star is analyzed by splitting it with a prism or diffraction grating into a spectrum exhibiting the rainbow of colors interspersed with absorption lines. Each line indicates an ion of a certain chemical element, with the line strength indicating the abundance of that ion. The relative abundance of the different ions varies with the temperature of the photosphere. The spectral class of a star is a short code summarizing the ionization state, giving an objective measure of the photosphere’s temperature and density.
Most stars are currently classified under the Morgan–Keenan (MK) system using the letters O, B, A, F, G, K, and M, a sequence from the hottest (O type – blue stars) to the coolest (M type – red stars). Each letter class is then subdivided using a numeric digit with 0 being hottest and 9 being coolest (e.g. A8, A9, F0, F1 form a sequence from hotter to cooler). The sequence has been expanded with classes for other stars and star-like objects that do not fit in the classical system, such as class D for white dwarfs and class C for carbon stars.
In the MK system, a luminosity class is added to the spectral class using Roman numerals. This is based on the width of certain absorption lines in the star’s spectrum, which vary with the density of the atmosphere and so distinguish giant stars from dwarfs. Luminosity class 0 or Ia+ stars for hypergiants, class I stars for supergiants, class II for bright giants, class III for regular giants, class IV for sub-giants, class V for main-sequence stars, class sd for sub-dwarfs, and class D for white dwarfs. The full spectral class for the Sun is then G2V, indicating a main-sequence star with a temperature around 5,800 K. Source and more info: click here.
PT: Quando de noite olhamos para o céu não conseguimos percepcionar com os nossos próprios olhos a cor de cada estrela, no entanto, se registarmos numa sequência de longa exposição o rasto de cada estrela, devido ao movimento de rotação da Terra e à consequente rotação da esfera celeste, uma imagem startrail poderá revelar um Universo colorido e rico em informação. Na imagem acima captada no Parque de Natureza de Noudar, Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Barrancos, podemos ver uma grande diversidade de cores desde o azul, ao amarelo, branco ou laranja. Cada cor está directamente relacionada com o tipo e temperatura de cada estrela. Algumas delas são mais quentes, como Alfirk, na constelação do Cefeu, e outras são mais frias como Eltanin, no Dragão.
Rainbow Bands of Airglow in Gravity Waves above Pico Island Were seen from NOAA/NASA Satellite in Space
Featured as NASA´s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).
PT | EN During a climb to the highest mountain of Portugal (2351m) – Pico mountain, located in Pico island, Azores – with a very hard weather conditions due to a strong winds and rain during almost the entire photo expedition with my team colleagues, I stopped at about 1200 meters to appreciate the views and photograph the lights coming from the island of Faial in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, in a rare occasion with only a few clouds and part of the “winter” Milky Way visible as a background of a temporarily clear sky. Above the low clouds, I have captured strange “rainbow bands” of airglow and between them, the Andromeda Galaxy M31 on the top left of the picture. The air glows all of the time, but it is usually hard to see. A disturbance however – like an approaching storm – may cause noticeable rippling in the Earth’s atmosphere. The bands are actually huge parallel structures in the thermosphere 90 km upwards. Perspective makes them appear to converge. These atmospheric Gravity Waves* (not confound with gravitational waves related to Einstein) propagating upwards from disturbances lower down in the atmosphere, are likely the source of the bands. The wave amplitude increases with height (reducing density) and wavelengths can be thousands of kilometers.
Dr. Martin Setvák from Czech Hydrometeorological Institute Satellite Department, Praha, Czech Republic, has processed the Suomi-NPP VIIRS data to check if these gravity waves in airglow can be found in NOAA/NASA Soumi-NPP satellite Day/Night Band (DNB) image. The “day-night band,” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite has indeed captured these glowing ripples in the night sky. The day-night band detects lights over a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses highly sensitive electronics to observe low light signals. The structures of the bands can be seen below, above the Pico and Faial islands in Azores, Portugal.
Airglow is a layer of nighttime light emissions caused by chemical reactions, light of electronically and/or vibration-rotationally excited atoms and molecules high in Earth’s atmosphere, by solar ultra-violet radiation. A variety of reactions involving oxygen, sodium, ozone, and nitrogen result in the production of a very faint amount of light. In fact, it’s approximately one billion times fainter than sunlight. Technically speaking, airglow occurs at all times. During the day it is called “dayglow,” at twilight “twilightglow,” and at night “nightglow”. There are slightly different processes taking place in each case, but in the image above the source of light is nightglow or airglow.
In the first colorful image captured above Pico, we can see a rare event where is distinguished almost each possible airglow color that is appearing on a single band (Gravity Wave) showed like a rainbow. Below is the Airglow Spectrum designed and explained by the expert Dr. Les Cowley from Atmospheric Optics. Green light from excited oxygen atoms dominates the glow. The atoms are 90-100 km (56-62 mile) high in the thermosphere. The weaker red light is from oxygen atoms further up. Sodium atoms, hydroxyl radicals (OH) and molecular oxygen add to the light.
Dr. Steve Smith, Senior Research Scientist at Center for Space Physics of Boston University, is a specialist in airglow and has explained the rare phenomenon captured on these images: “The photo is very other-worldly but it is indeed a photo of two, maybe three, airglow layers with gravity waves propagating through them in the upper mesosphere. The green is most likely due to atomic oxygen near 96 km. The red is probably due to hydroxyl (OH) near 87 km. Possibly sodium from near 90 k m also but the orange may also just be the response of the system to the combination of the red and green airglow. The awesome rainbow appearance of the patterns is easily explained. A GW wave propagates upwards at an angle and because airglow layers reside at slightly different altitudes, the waves reach each layer at a slightly different times. The vertical scale size of the gravity waves is also much larger than the height differences between the layers: OH = 87 km | Na = 90 km | O2 = 94 km | OI = 96 km.
I exploit the fact of the altitude separation of the four brightest airglow layers in my work to determine the scale sizes and other things associated with the GWs. Sometimes atomic oxygen can also produce red emission. This occurs due times of auroral activity particularly at high latitudes but occasionally in the mid-latitudes during strong aurora. This red-line OI emission, as it is called, originates from 250 km (much higher) in the thermosphere and would not match wave patterns seen in the green-line OI emission.
Solar activity has little effect on gravity wave activity in the mesosphere, at least at the latitude of the Azores. There may be effects at high latitudes though. Also solar activity seen on the sun’s disc doesn’t necessarily impact the Earth. Flares and other solar phenomena that are rich in x-rays and UV radiation can cause immediate effects in the earth’s upper atmosphere. Also, even though a CME my be observed occurring on the sun, it may not affect the Earth because they usually miss us because of the sun’s rotation. The Kp index – a measure of the solar activity prior to the time of this photo was at 2-3, which means a relatively quiet time. At the location of the Azores, one would need a Kp index of 6-7 to see auroral emission.”
Dr. Steven D. Miller, Senior Research Scientist – Deputy Director Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere – Colorado State University, have commented the fact that the photos were taken at high altitude and this would probably be the reason why the greens are seen so well, since oxygen in the lower atmosphere will absorb much of that downwelling emission.
Dr. Les Cowley, explain in Atmospheric Optics page that red/orange could be yet more oxygen airglow, this time from atoms 150-300km high where the atmosphere is so sparse and collisions so infrequent that the atoms have time to radiate ‘forbidden’ light (1D ->3P) before losing their electronic excitation in impacts with other atoms and molecules. Deep red banded airglow is likely emission from vibrationally excited OH radicals in a layer ~86km high. Blue airglow is much much fainter and not very obvious on the image. Excited molecular oxygen at ~95 km high can produce it. The excitation is indirect. Possible routes are via daylight dissociation of N2 and NO or twilight recombination of NO+ whose reaction products generate excited O2. The oxygen then decays by emitting blue multi-wavelength banded radiation (Herzberg bands) if it is not first collisionally de-excited.
After receiving the first results of the Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite, I decided to start processing another 12 images taken in the same place and time, to create a wide-angle – panoramic view – of more than 200º where it is clearly visible the airglow activity combined with strong ripples from gravity waves occurring in a huge part of the sky from West to Northeast (from left to right on the panoramic image above). At the same time, Dr. Martin Stevák, starts the final stage of processing the images taken by Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite but in different bands and the result is shown below. These are in Transverse Mercator projection, centered at 38.5N 28W, remapped to 1km pixel size (for Azores).
DNB image
M15 IR band image
Night-Microphysical RGB image
More information about Suomi-NPP satellite and its bands can be found on the following links: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/main/index.html | http://npp.gsfc.nasa.gov/suomi.html | http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/projects/npp/ | http://www.pnas.org/content/109/39/15706.full.pdf | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/5/12/6717
Below, on (A) we can see the DNB image, that can show the Gravity Waves appearing high in the atmosphere, but on (B) Night-Microphysical RGB image can show a different waves from low atmosphere, they are very likely part of the same spectrum of waves launched by the small island of Flores. The (C) is an output from EUMETRAIN’s ePort (http://www.eumetrain.org/eport.html), for 2015-11-17 00 UTC, based on Meteosat WV6.2 band and showing the geopotential (“height”) of the 300 hPa pressure level (in cyan) and isotachs (yellow) at the same level (both from the ECMWF model). The red arrow indicates the jet-stream above the Azores. The (D) is the WV band 27 from Terra MODIS satellite taken at 00:20 UTC. The images are in the same projection and pixel size as the Soumi-NPP images (A & B). The (E) is a Meteosat-10 satellite in the Airmass-RGB product, documenting the dynamics of the atmosphere in the area, and namely showing the jet stream above Azores, taken at 03:00 UTC, the arrow points to the jet-stream band, and the polygon indicates roughly the area covered by NPP images. To watch a 24h loop from Meteosat-10 satellite, click here.
Below is a illustration from a combination of Google Earth Maps from Azores region and Stellarium planetarium software, that can show through the yellow dot, where I was located in the island and which direction my camera was pointing to the sky – as we can see in the illustration at right.
Gravity waves (disturbances to the density structure of the atmosphere whose restoring forces are gravity and buoyancy) comprise the principal form of energy exchange between the lower and upper atmosphere. Wave breaking drives the mean upper atmospheric circulation, determining boundary conditions to stratospheric processes, which in turn influence tropospheric weather and climate patterns on various spatial and temporal scales. Despite their recognized importance, very little is known about upper-level gravity wave characteristics. The knowledge gap is mainly due to lack of global, high-resolution observations from currently available satellite observing systems. The capability of the Day/Night Band (DNB) on the NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership environmental satellite to resolve gravity structures near the mesopause via nightglow emissions at unprecedented subkilometric detail, are impressive. On moonless nights, the Day/Night Band observations provide all-weather viewing of waves as they modulate the nightglow layer located near the mesopause (∼90 km above mean sea level). These waves are launched by a variety of physical mechanisms, ranging from orography to convection, intensifying fronts, and even seismic and volcanic events. Cross-referencing the Day/Night Band imagery with conventional thermal infrared imagery also available helps to discern nightglow structures and in some cases to attribute their sources. The capability stands to advance our basic understanding of a critical yet poorly constrained driver of the atmospheric circulation. More about this study and scientific paper which includes the picture of my TWAN colleague Jeff Dai , led by Dr. Steven D. Miller, Dr. Steve Smith and others…
Below in gray scale are DNB images captured by Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite above Pico island, Azores, as a result of a pre-processing enhanced by a High-Pass filter. Taken on 17th November of 2015 at 02h05AM (03h05 GMT. Local time for the Azores is GMT-1,) approximately at same time I took the pictures from Earth between 1h43 and 2h00AM, pointing to the same direction of the sky. Those waves seen at ~2AM local were right overhead at that time. The waves can change rapidly over the course of an hour, so must have been a very expansive wave train, which seems to be consistent with a large-scale forcing like a frontal system. The result shows the ripples of atmospheric Gravity Waves (left and right image).
Suomi NPP is in orbit around Earth at 834 kilometers (about 518 miles), well above the nightglow layer. The day-night band imagery contains signals from the upward emission of the nightglow layer and the reflection of the nightglow emissions from clouds and Earth’s surface. While nightglow is a well-known phenomenon, it is not typically considered by meteorological sensors. In fact, scientists were surprised at Suomi NPP’s ability to detect it. During the satellite’s check-out procedures, scientists thought this light source was a problem with the sensor until they realized that they were seeing the faintest light in the darkness of night. Learn more about the VIIRS day-night band and nighttime imaging of Earth in this story: Out of the Blue and Into the Black.
In conclusion, Dr. Steven D. Miller, has shared his thoughts related to this picture and beyond…by saying: “is that it would be very nice to have such observations on a geostationary satellite platform so as to be able to observe the wave motion and from that information infer important properties of the energy transfer. The community has a growing interest for such observations now that we are seeing them in “snapshot mode” from the Day/Night Band. The hope is that the publicity gained by such nice photos as yours will help to raise awareness on our need to better characterize the full atmospheric circulation if we hope to represent climate processes accurately in the models we appeal to for insight on climate change.”
The resulted image was also published in a Poster from Dr. Martin Setvák and Dr. Steven D. Miller entitled:
The TWAN ( The World at Night ) have now one of the best collection of hight quality images in the world with many different views of Airglow and Gravity Waves phenomenon captured by TWAN photographers spread around the globe, that could be a great scientific tool to help scientists understanding better this atmospheric phenomenon, as seen from different places on Earth and comparing them to the satellite images from Space.
Professional astronomer and TWAN photographer Yuri Beletsky, in an interesting answer to a question made by our colleague Anthony Ayiomamitis about how does airglow could impact the professional work done by astronomers in places with professional telescopes in sites like ESO – European Southern Observatory, saying that: “It really depends on many factors (imaging vs spectroscopy, field of view, overlapping with interesting spectroscopic lines, etc..). Therefore the answer is – it does affect the observations, but it does not necessarily affect particular scientific case you are trying to solve using those observations.”
* “Drop a stone into a pool of water. The spreading ripples are gravity waves. The waves occur between any stable layers of fluids of different density. When the fluid boundary is disturbed, buoyancy forces try to restore the equilibrium. The fluid returns to its original shape, overshoots and oscillations then set in which propagate as waves. Gravity or buoyancy is the restoring force hence the term – gravity waves.”
Airglow photographs and compiled text with story by © Miguel Claro – The article was written based in the collected information and collaboration of each specialist and intervenient in different fields of working that has analyzed this images from Pico, and that have been specifically mentioned along the article, now published at (www.miguelclaro.com) with his knowledge and review.
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The Precession of Earth – New Photo Technique showing a Vega Polar Startrail.
Featured as NASA´s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).
Since the very first moment I read and learned about the Precession of Earth that I was fascinated with the possibility of having a different star than Polaris, pointing to north, although in that time, few years ago, I didn’t had the right technology and even the chance to could show in a real image how it would be…how would be the sky of my land if I had another star in the place of the well known, Polaris ?
After a long time of burning my mind with some new ideias, I figured out how I could do it, developing what I think is, a totally new astrophotographic technique never applied before, and where I can show in real time the sky rotating around another star, simulating the shifting of Earth Axis even being inside our Earth.
In astronomy, axial precession is a gravity-induced, slow, and continuous change in the orientation of an astronomical body’s rotational axis. In particular, it refers to the gradual shift in the orientation of Earth’s axis of rotation, which, similar to a wobbling top, traces out a pair of cones joined at their apices in a cycle of approximately 26,000 years.
A consequence of the precession is a changing pole star. Currently, Polaris is extremely well suited to mark the position, as Polaris is a moderately bright star located about 0,7º degrees from the pole. But with the crescent light pollution is Increasingly difficult to distinguish the few bright stars in the middle of cities, so near the year 14 000, the brilliant Vega in the constellation Lyra, is touted as the best north star. Although, it never comes closer than 5° to the celestial pole.
When Polaris becomes the north star again around 27,800, due to its proper motion it then will be farther away from the pole than it is now, while in 23,600 BC it came closer to the pole.
What I did to create the both startrails and time lapse images, was to use 2 mountings Vixen Polarie, one to pointing to the actual Polaris Axis and making all the stars staying fixed, but using another Polarie attached to the first one, I could simulate again the Earth Axis Rotation using the sideral motion inverted (I mean, like if I was in the south pole, near the batteries you can switch the button to (N) north or (S) south motion).
But I had special carefully with some things. I have waited until Vega star reach the same altitude I had in my observing latitude, in my case 38º, to have the same distance to the horizon that I have when looking to Polaris.
Very Important: The second condition to give the right movement, was to align carefully the star Vega near the center of the image (my new Earth Axis – now a Vixen Polarie Axis), to create the axis rotation simulating the 5º separation of the celestial north in +14000 (year). I also used the Live View magnifier with the grid option to have a more precise result.
*Important Note: Precession changes the direction of the Earth axis from Polaris to Vega on the celestial sphere, but the positions where the axis crosses the surface of Earth will not change by precession. So the north on the Earth from the observation point will not change, and the latitude of the observation point will not change too. Although, I choose the option that includes “apparently” almost the same landscape field view and where fits both Polaris (at left) and Vega (center), because if I had putting the Polaris in the same central framing position, as I did with Vega ( remembering that is the only possible way – as a condition – to simulating the Earth Axis rotation using the Vixen Polarie sideral motion, and show nowadays, the motion of the stars around Vega in a real Time Lapse movie sequence), I would loose the same landscape field of view with the Castle Tower, and this was also important to give people the notion that the image was really made in the same place. Vega is about 51º away from Polaris, so it means a big change in the field of view towards another position in the sky and consequently, in the landscape, in this case towards left, to Azimuth 0º – North, where stand the Polaris star.
As this technique induces movement, the landscape will move a bit from the first frame to the last one, but in the final startrail “still image”, I made a mask merging the landscape with the first frame again to have a more pleasant result.
All the images were taken from inside the Mourão Castle, in the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, the First Starlight Tourism Destination in the world, in Alentejo, Portugal.
Technical info:
Polaris Startrail starts in 19/04/2015 at 23h48 and Vega startrail starts in 20/04/2015 at 1:07
Canon EOS 6D – Canon EF 8-15 f/ 4L Fishseye USM at 8mm (All Sky). Exp. 30 sec. ISO 2500
The Trails of North Pole in Lisbon Planetarium
Nowadays we can listen many talks around the word “startrails” and today, we can see thousands of pictures of startrails made in many different latitudes of the planet, facing to East, West, South and around the Polar Star, but have you ever thought how it would be a startrail captured from the North Pole? This kind of startrail is less often.
The height of the Polaris star varies with the latitude of each location. In Portugal for example, in average, the polar star is near 40 ° above the horizon, but at the North Pole, the Polaris is at the Zenith (90º), the point just above our heads, which makes – in a long photo exposure – that the track of each star near the horizon, is it shown as a parallel line, where those star never sets. But to realize this, nothing better than to see this long exposure of 25 seconds captured inside the 21 meters dome of our Lisbon Planetarium, Portugal, during a session where it simulates the rotation of Earth in the North Pole.
Canon 50D – ISO1250; Exp. 25 secs. f/4 at 10mm. In 17/05/2014 at 13:49.
Sky of Milk in a Lake of Fire – Azores
Azores is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. One of the islands is São Miguel, where we can find a beautiful lake in the crater center, called Lake of Fire, “Lagoa do Fogo”. Above it, the sky reveals the magnificent arc of our galaxy, the Milky Way, besides the light pollution coming from Vila Franca do Campo, a small town at the southern shore of the island, that illuminates the clouds near the horizon with the an orange tone. From left to right, we can see the swan (Cygnus) constellation, with its North America nebula (NGC7000) clearly visible below the Deneb star, down to the right, we can find Aquila. Sagittarius is covered by the cloud. Near the right limit, we find Scorpius and it´s super giant star, Antares, following to the right edge of the picture, it is visible the planet Saturn, in Libra.
Canon 60Da – ISO2500; 24mm at f/2; Exp. 20 secs. in 04/05/2014 at 3:45 AM. Mosaic of 21 images. Below is the annotated version.
Titan Skygazer, More then a Passion a Life Style
In the real dark nights, the magnificent presence of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, have been a true inspiration for musicians, poets, painters, writers and artists in general. Unfortunately, two thirds of the humankind, have not yet had the opportunity to see the Milky Way with their own eyes, to let fall in love by the beauty and greatness of the Universe around us, making us realize that the Earth is so important as the sky, and our planet has been our spaceship in the life journey through the time and space. In the foreground, we can see the silhouette of a passionate skygazer, embracing the sky like an Atlas Titan from Greek mythology, holding and protecting it from the low cloudy yellow band. Condemned not by Zeus, but by the light pollution created for the entire humanity. Captured the Lake of Fire moutain hill, in Azores, the background reveals Sagitarrius constellation at left, and Scorpius stars.
Canon 60Da – ISO2500; 24mm at f/2; Exp. 20 secs. in 04/05/2014 at 4:48 AM. Below is the annotated version:
Scorpius and Planets above the “Green Island” – Azores
Well known as the “Green Island”, this tipical colorful landscape from Santa Bárbara, in Ribeira Grande, Azores, shows the conection of nature between this rural landscape and the night sky, in this rare oportunity of clear sky, revealing the main stars of Scorpius at left, with the red giant Antares. Above right, in Libra constellation shines an “extra” star, which is actually the bright planet Saturn. At the same aparent altitude, on the right side we can find the blue star Spica, one of the main stars of Virgo constellation. At the right Edge of the picture, the strongest orange/red star, is the light coming from planet Mars. The light pollution reflected on the low clouds, coming from Ribeira Grande city, in the the opposite direction, was enough the light up all the green landscape.
Canon 60Da – ISO1600; 24mm at f/2; Exp. 15 secs. in 03/05/2014 at 2:39 AM. Below is the annotated version.
Jupiter Aureole & four Galilean Moons
Canon 60Da – ISO 640; Exp. 5 sec with an ED80 APO refractor Astro Professional 560mm at f/7 in 29/03/2014 at 00h16m
In this wide view we can see a blueish white aureole around planet Jupiter, seems to the larger aureoles that occur around the Sun and Moon due to the presence of ice crystals in the atmosphere. Beside the intentional overexposed disc of planet Jupiter, and also involved inside the aureole circular shape, are also visible the well known four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Io, Callisto and Europa – observed for the first time 400 years ago by Galileu Galilei – only part of the 67 confirmed moons that are orbiting the biggest planet of our solar system. In the moment of the capture, Jupiter was about 22º above the horizon in the Gemini constellation, with an apparent diameter of +0º 00´38.8″ at a distance of 5.075644 AU with a magnitude of -1.81. Below is the annotated version with the identification of each Jupiter moons.
Seven MAGICal Sisters
| Canon 60Da – ISO2500; 24mm at f/2; Exp. 15 secs. in 30/09/2013 at: 23h30
In the foreground we can see the the great MAGIC I telescope (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes) with the back of it´s gigantic structure in front of Perseus constellation. At the right side of it, low in the sky and near the horizon, stands one of the most beautiful open star clusters in the celestial sphere, the Pleiades M45, well known as the Seven Sisters, or in portuguese: “Sete Irmãs”.
MAGIC is a system of two Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes situated at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, at about 2200 m above sea level. MAGIC detects particle showers released by gamma rays, using the Cherenkov radiation, i.e., faint light radiated by the charged particles in the showers. With a diameter of 17 meters and 236 m2 reflective surface, it was the largest in the world before the construction of H.E.S.S. II. MAGIC is not only huge, but also pioneers a number of technical developments that had never been applied to Cherenkov telescopes before. The mirror is extremely light and can be moved to any position in the sky in less than thirty seconds. It is made up of 270 individual mirror panels that can be independently focussed using an active mirror control system equipped with lasers.
The cosmos and its evolution are studied using all radiation, in particular electromagnetic waves. The observable spectrum extends from radio waves to infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, gamma-rays and finally very high energy gamma rays (starting at energies of 10 GeV). Observations at visible wavelengths (.5 to 1 micrometer) have a history of centuries, gamma astronomy by satellites (keV to few GeV) and ground-based telescopes (above 300 GeV) are end-of-20th century newcomers. The MAGIC telescope can detect very high energy gamma rays in a range of energies where no other telescope in the world can operate, so it opens up a brand new window into the universe.
Below is the annotated version with the identification of the main night sky objects.
The First Quarter Moon
Image of the Moon one day before reaching the “First Quarter”, with the disc 44% illuminated by the sun, the moon was at a distance of about 396.512km from Earth, with an apparent diameter of 30.27´arc minutes. In this phase, we could see a lot of craters due to the game of light and shadows on its surface. Canon 50D + Maksutov telescope F=1250 mm in a Vixen GP2 Photo Guider S tracking mount. ISO 1000; f/ 13.8; Exp: 1/80 sec. in 07/03/2014 at 23:08. Median Sum of 10 images in Maxim DL.
Below is the annotated version to help identifying some of them, as well as the Apollo II mission base.
Comet Lovejoy in Serra D´Aire
This image shows the peculiar landscape of Algar do Ladoeira, in Serra de Santo António, near Serra de Aires with a view to the comet c/2013 R1 well known as the comet Lovejoy, specially, after the dead of comet ISON who was suposed to be the comet of the century, but unfortunately was to young to resist the power our Sun. To help identify the comet in the picture, please see below the annotated version of the picture. Canon 50D – ISO1600 f/2.8; Exp:10 sec. 35mm, taken in 07/12/2013 at 18h30.
Milky Way Galaxy – Deep Sky Wide Field
In this deep sky wide field view of our own galaxy, the Milky Way arm is showed as it as seen and captured from the northern hemisphere of Earth. A first look along the panorama, shows us the hazy band of white light originated from un-resolved stars and other material that lie within the Galactic plane, contrasting with the Dark regions within the band, corresponding to areas where light from distant stars is blocked by interstellar dust. See below the annotated version.
In detail – from left to right – We see part of Aquila constellation with the main visible star Altair and below it, the “E” Dark nebula (B142 e B143). Beside the small Delphinus constellation, we can find the great Cygnus, home for a lot of emission nebulae, like de Sadr region or IC1318. Above Deneb star, we find the Pelican Nebula (also known as IC 5070 and IC 5067) is an H II region associated with the North America Nebula (NGC7000) an emission nebula with a remarkable shape that resembles the North America continent. Above right, the Cocoon nebula (IC 5146) is a reflection/emission nebula and Caldwell object, yet in the constellation of Cygnus.
In the center picture, right of Cygnus lies the Cepheus constellation and the IC1396 nebula, also called the “Elephant’s Trunk Nebula”, is one of the largest emission nebulae in the Northern Sky with a diameter of 3 degrees. It is a giant cloud of gas and dust at a distance of 2400 light years from Earth. Next Cepheus is the Cassiopeia constellation and below right, stands The Heart Nebula, IC 1805 an emission nebula of about 7500 light years away from Earth. At his side, lies the “Soul Nebula”. In line with Cassiopeia at the top of the picture, stands de great Andromeda Galaxy M31, a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth. Few degrees to right we can find the open cluster NGC752 about 1,300 light-years away from us. The cluster was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783, and cataloged by her brother William Herschel in 1786.
Between Cassiopeia and Perseus constellation, shines the Double Cluster, common name for the naked-eye open clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884, both lie at a distance of 7500 light years. Also in the Perseus constellation, we can find another great emission nebula, The “California Nebula” (NGC 1499). It lies at a distance of about 1,000 light years from our planet.
Finally, at the right edge of this Milky Way panorama, we can find the Auriga constellation, with it´s brightest star Capella. This constellation also sustains another deep sky object called: The “Flaming Star Nebula” (IC 405), an emission/reflection nebula that lies about 1,500 light-years away. Above Auriga, stands the Taurus constellation, with the shining star Aldebaran, and at his left, the great open star cluster Pleiades M45 (also known as Seven Sisters), containing middle-aged hot B-type stars. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye, in the night sky. The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. Dust that forms a faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars, was thought at first, to be left over from the formation of the cluster, but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium, through which the stars are currently passing. The Pleiades are a prominent sight in winter in both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, and have been known since antiquity to cultures all around the world, including the Māori, Aboriginal Australians, the Persians, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Maya, the Aztec, and the Sioux and Cherokee.
The picture was taken in Los Andenes, near Roque de Los Muchahos, in La Palma, Canary Island, where stands a huge complex with the some of the largest telescopes in the world. The excellent quality of the sky for astronomy in the Canaries is determined and protected by Law making it one of the best night skies in the world.
Canon 60Da – ISO 1250; Exp. 60 sec. 35mm lens at f/2. Mosaic of 18 images traking with Vixen Polarie travel mount.
Below you will find a resume with all publications – printed and online – related to this particular photograph.
Please refer the i-frame above, generated automatically from the overview page Press.
Air Glow, Milky Way and the Great Lake Alqueva
This serene view, captured on the great lake Alqueva, near the “Ermida de São Pedro” in Mourão, one of the regions belonging to the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, we find several scientifically interesting things. In the center of the picture we can see the natural colors of the most central region of the Milky Way, located near the Scorpio and Sagittarius constellation, where is it possible to recognize many deep sky objects like the Lagoon Nebula (M8) and the Trifid Nebula (M20). In the image was also possible to register a strong presence of Air Glow (Atmospheric Chemiluminescence) , the further thing I have seen similar to an Aurora, which crossed ahead the region of scorpion, with yellow light, by emissions from sodium atoms in a layer at 92 km. Above it, we could see the green light from oxygen atoms in a layer 90-100 km high. This emission layer is clearly visible from earth orbit.
Reflected in the peaceful lake and due to the polarization effect of water, we could clearly see the entire constellation of Scorpius with the real color of each star naturally saturated, due to this polarization and blurred effect, caused by the slowly movement of water during the long exposure. The orange color of the Red Supergiant Antares could be easily distinguished from the blue color of the Subgiant star, Shaula, in the end of tail. Canon 60Da – ISO 1600; 35mm lens at f/2; Exp. 15 secs. Mosaic of 23 images, taken in 15/06/2013 at 02:35 AM
Below is the annotated version of the image:
Summer Triangle and Milky Way above Monte Bravo
In this view captured in Monte Bravo, Mourão, one of the regions belonging to the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, we could appreciate the great Milky Way with the presence of the well known “Summer Triangle”, an astronomical asterism on the northern hemisphere’s celestial sphere, with its defining vertices at, Deneb, Vega and Altair, the brightest stars in the three constellations of, Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila, respectively. But we also could see many infrared emissions coming from nebulas like the great North America Nebula NGC7000, clearly visible at the left side of Dened star, in Cygnus constellation.
Canon 60Da – ISO 2000; 10mm lens at f/4; Exp. 120 secs. Using Vixen Polarie Mount. Mosaic of 6 images, taken in 1~6/06/2013 at 03:34 AM
Below is the annotated version of the image:
Cassiopeia and Andromeda Galaxy in the Air Glow
This serene view, captured on the great lake Alqueva, near the “Ermida de São Pedro” in Mourão, one of the regions belonging to the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, we find several scientifically interesting things. In the left top corner of the image, we could find the Cassiopeia constellation and below the double cluster NGC 884 and 869. Almost in the center image, is clearly visible the great Andromeda Galaxy M31, in Andromeda constellation, the neighbor of Pegasus. Above the Alqueva Lake, is visible the strong presence of Air Glow (Atmospheric Chemiluminescence) , the further thing I have seen similar to an Aurora, with yellow light, by emissions from sodium atoms in a layer at 92 km. Above it, we could see the green light from oxygen atoms in a layer 90-100 km high. This emission layer is clearly visible from earth orbit.
Canon 60Da – ISO 1600; 35mm lens at f/2; Exp. 15 secs. Mosaic of 7 images, taken in 15/06/2013 at 03:45 AM
Below is the annotated version of the image:
From Monte Alerta to North America
In this image we could see two pictures taken at about the same time, day and place, but with a different focal lens, showing a deep travel from Monte Alerta, in Monsaraz (Alqueva Dark sky Reserve – Portugal) to a close approach to North America – not the country on itself – but the well known NGC7000 nebula with North America shape, near the Deneb star, in Cygnus constellation.
In the right picture, we could see part of the milky way region above a tree located in Monte Alerta, taken with a 24mm lens, and where it is visible the nebula IC 1396 and above it, near the Deneb star (top center), the NGC7000.
In the left Deep sky wide field photo, taken with a 70mm lens, we could appreciate a sky of endless colored stars, surrounding “The North America Nebula” (NGC 7000), an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb (the blue brightest star in the image center). At its right, we also could see the Sadr region, or IC 1318, a diffuse emission nebula surrounding Sadr or Gamma Cygni star (the second brightest star in the picture).
But why we can find this colorful diversity of stars ? ”Astronomers came to understand that bluer stars are intrinsically brighter because they are more massive than white or red stars, and more massive stars burn much faster and hotter than less massive stars. The bluish type-O stars, for example, are only 30-50 times more massive than yellow-white stars like our sun. But O stars burn a million times brighter, so they have far shorter lifetimes. O and B stars only last a few million years before they die in spectacular supernova explosions, while cooler and less massive K and M stars burn steadily for billions of years”.
Left Picture: Canon 60Da – ISO1600; 70mm f/4 Exp. 119 secs. + Vixen Polarie mount travel. In 5/07/2013 at 3:30 AM (sinlge frame)
Right Picture: Canon 60Da – ISO1600; 35mm f/2 Exp 74 secs. + Vicen Polarie Travel Mount. In 5/07/2013 at 2:07 AM
Below is a special image with the identification of all deep sky objects that can be seen, and the relation with the different focal distances.
Big Dipper, Air Glow and Gravity Waves in Mourão Dark Sky
In this picture captured in the great lake Alqueva, near the “Ermida de São Pedro” in Mourão, one of the regions belonging to the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, we cloud see the strong presence of Air Glow (Atmospheric Chemiluminescence) involving the Big Dipper constellation (Ursa Major) with the green light from oxygen atoms in a layer 90-100 km high. This emission layer is clearly visible from earth orbit. In the image, is also visible the gravity waves effect. “These waves (internal gravity or buoyancy waves) abound in the stable density layering of the upper atmosphere. Their effects are visibly manifest in the curls of the stratosphere’s nacreous clouds, in the moving skein-like and billow patterns of the mesosphere’s noctilucent clouds and in the slowly shifting bands of the thermosphere’s airglow, as we could see in this picture and in the annotated version of this same image.
Canon 60Da – ISO 1600; 35mm lens at f/2; Exp. 15 secs. Mosaic of 2 images, taken in 15/06/2013 at 04:04 AM
Below is the annotated version of the image:
From Moon to the Planets
Panoramic view over Almada City and Lisbon at the Nautical Twilight, with the Full moon rising above the Eastern horizon (right side of the image), while at the same time but in the opposite direction, the planets Venus, Mercury and Jupiter, are aligned in a triangle formation, setting in the Western horizon (left side of the image).In this panoramic picture is also visible the smooth light transition in the sky, with the end of Nautical Twilight and the beginning of Astronomical Twilight (almost night), at right. Facing to North, is visible the great lighted Monument Christ the King and at the left side of it, part of the 25 April Bridge that connects Almada to Lisbon.
Canon 50D – ISO200; f/4; Exp. 1,6 Sec; 35mm. Panoramic of 10 images with about 200º, taken at 21h42 in 25/05/2013. Below is the image with identification:
Milky Way in Daylight
A rocky region of Portinho da Arrábida, Portugal, with the center of Milky Way behind it, visible at the dawn – almost in the daylight – with the stars of Saggitarius and Scorpius clearly visible, while the sky is turning blue, slowly. Canon 60Da – ISO 1600; Exp.15 Sec; f/2.8; 24mm. In 11/05/2013 at 05h14 AM.
Below is the image with the sky identification.
Below you will find a resume with all publications – printed and online – related to this particular photograph.
Please refer the i-frame above, generated automatically from the overview page Press.
Spring Milky Way
With the arrival of spring, the Milky Way begins to be visible in the skies of Portugal at dawn, in this image, captured in Monsaraz, in the Alqueva´s Dark Sky Reserve, you can watch it in plenty, thanks to this mosaic of 21 images that allows a large field of view, revealing this “arm” of our galaxy above the Convent of Orada (dated 1670).
Near the center and right of palm trees, the moon shines brightly, although not interfering with the giant arc of the Milky Way where it is possible to distinguish a lot of constellations like Ursa Minor, with the polaris star to the left of the image, until the swan (Cygnus), with its North America nebula (NGC7000) clearly visible, down to the right, we still find the constellation of Sagittarius and Scorpio, with the brilliant super giant star, Antares.
Canon 60Da – ISO1600 Lens 24mm f/2; Exp. 15 secs. Mosaic of 21 images, taken in 06/04/2013 at 5h32 AM.
Below is a special image with the identification
Great Orion Nebula M42 with 300mm
With a short field of view due to the 300 mm long focal distance, we can dive into Orion to find the Great Orion Nebula M42 and M43, as well as other deep sky objects visible in the labeled picture (below). Canon 60Da – ISO1250; 30sec; f/5.6; 300 mm. Vixen Polarie mounting. Images taken in 07/02/2013. See also this special image, click here
Orion, Jupiter and Pleiades from Cape Espichel
Image captured in Cape Espichel, Sesimbra, 40km away from Lisbon, we could see above the rocky cliff, some of the (well known) winter constellations visible from the northen hemisphere. Canon 60Da – ISO2000; 63sec; f/4; 10 mm. Below is the annotated version:
Orion´s Deeply in the Sky
Deep faint sky objects, like: Barnard´s Loop or Lambda Orionis, are revealed surrounding the Orion´s Constellation. Canon 60Da – ISO1250; 30sec; f/2.8; 35 mm. See also this special image, click here. Below is the annotated version:
Orion´s IR Sequence Zoomed
In the left sequence image, captured in Cape Espichel, Sesimbra, 40km away from Lisbon, we could see above the rocky cliff, some of the (well known) winter constellations visible from the northen hemisphere. But in this triple sequence, I pretend to highlight the Orion´s constellation as it seen in a Infrared DSLR camera, when you switch between different focal distances. With only a single shot for each different image and using between 10, 35 and 300 mm, we can go deeply in the sky from a wide field of view where fits perfectly: Canis Major, Orion, Jupiter and Pleiades, to a close approach where deep faint sky objects, like: Barnard´s Loop or Lambda Orionis, are revealed surrounding the Orion´s Constellation itself (central sequence image). Finally, with a short field of view due to the 300 mm long focal distance, we can dive into Orion to find the Great Orion Nebula M42 and M43, as well as other deep sky objects visible in the labeled picture (last sequence image).
To do this work I´ve used the incredible Vixen Polarie mounting, to avoid the Earth rotation, and a Canon 60Da, a camera sensitive to the infrared/H-alfa wavelengths.
First sequence image (wide field skyscape): Canon 60Da – ISO2000; 63sec; f/4; 10 mm | Central sequence image (Orion´s Deepsky objects): Canon 60Da – ISO1250; 30sec; f/2.8; 35 mm | Last sequence image (Close Up M42): Canon 60Da – ISO1250; 30sec; f/5.6; 300 mm. Images taken in 07/02/2013.
Below is a special image with the identification of all deep sky objects that can be seen, and the relation with the different focal distances.
Below you will find a resume with all publications – printed and online – related to this particular photograph.
Please refer the i-frame above, generated automatically from the overview page Press.
The beauty deep sky shining above the land
Image taken near a small part of the largest manmade lake in Europe (250 sq km) and one of the world’s largest, called Alqueva. Around this area, we also can find some of the darkest sky regions in Portugal, like Monsaraz, inserted in Dark Sky Reserve Alqueva, the world’s first certified ‘Starlight Tourism Destination’.
From left to right, in the land, we could see the silhouette of the photographer, Babak Tafreshi, that was also making his images of the night sky. Next to the tree, we can see the light of the Monsaraz Castle, also reflected in the calm water of the lake, 30 minutes after the moonset.
Even with some light pollution coming directly from the village castle, the sky above shows a rich variety of deep sky objects that are visible in the infrared camera, like Canon EOS 60Da, as well a lot of star clusters, one asteroid and the Planet Jupiter. From left to right, in the sky, we could identify M46 and M47, M41, and above Sirius the Seagull nebula IC2177. Near the center top image, is visible another infrared emission from Rosette Nebula. Below, the Barnard´s Loop, Horse Head and Orion nebula M42, are strongest emissions indeed. A little bit to the right making the center upper image, is the Lambda Orionis (Sh2 264), Messia. Above the star aldebaran, is visible the open cluster NGC1647 and near to the left, the Vesta asteroid, and above it another open cluster the NGC1746. Below is the brightest sky object capturing in this image, the planet Jupiter, shining near the pleiades M45. In the upper right corner, is located the last infrared brightest deep sky object, the California nebula, NGC1499.
Canon EOS60Da – F/2 15s ISO4000 35mm lens. Mosaic of 24 images. Image taken in 22/12/2012 at 2:58 AM.
The planet Jupiter shining in Taurus
In the image, taken inside the Monsaraz Castle in the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve, Portugal, facing to the constellation of Taurus, is visible the planet Jupiter at the right side of Aldebaran star. Above, is also visible the open cluster NGC1647, and close to it, the Vesta asteroid. Below in the image, above the Rocks from the wall castle, is clearly visible the M45, well known as Pleiades, the 7 sisters.
Canon 60Da – 35mm F/2.8 Exp.10s ISO3200 taken in 22/12/2012 4:13 AM
The Blue Sirius
In this picture captured from the walls of Monsaraz Castle, we can see the entire Canis Major constellation, the star cluster M41, and the brightest star in the celestial sphere, with -1.46 mag. In this image Sirius is shown with unusual strong sparkles, not only produced by a photo star filter attached in the front lens of the camera, but also due to the strong dew which increase the diffusion and saturation effect, showing so, the true blue color of this star, for being at a hot temperature of 25,200K.
Canon 60Da – ISO3200 35mm f/2.8 Exp.13s in 22/12/2012 at 04h18 AM
Below you will find a resume with all publications – printed and online – related to this particular photograph.
Please refer the i-frame above, generated automatically from the overview page Press.
Auriga, Taurus, Jupiter and Pleiades
This image was captured in the Adraga´s beach, in Sintra, Portugal, where we could see a delicate silhouette of the Sintra´s mountain, and above it, the great Auriga constellation, as well as Taurus and near Aldebaran star, (at left side) the planet Jupiter shinning. Above it, in Taurus constellation, are clearly visible the great star cluster, Pleiades (M45).
Mosaic of 12 images taken in 02/12/2012 at 20:29
Canon 60Da, 13 seg. a f/2.8, ISO 2000, Dist. Focal: 35 mm
Below: Image with star identification
Signs of Winter
This image was captured in the land of Juromenha, near Alandroal, one of the regions covered by the Alqueva´s Dark Sky Reserve (www.alquevadarksky.com), distinguished as the Worlds First Star Light Tourism Destination. The image reveals two bright stars of the summer triangle (Altair and Vega) low in the West horizon, just about 3 hours after the sunset, as a reminder that the summer is going away until the next year. The low clouds are also reforcing this idea, fortunately, we still could watch the Milky Way as a background layer with another kind of nebulosity, with a lots of dust, gas and star clusters. In the foreground, making a dramatic and contrasting view, are two great olive trees, the tree that really represents the landscape of Alentejo, in Portugal.
Canon 50D – 35mm f/1.8 13″ at ISO 2500. Mosaic of 24 images, taken in 05/10/2012 between 22h13 and 22h25. Image with annotation.
Light Workshop
Image obtained in Portinho Arrábida, Portugal, during a practice session of a workshop of astrophotography that I drove for about 15 students on February 17, 2012. While in the beach is possible to see many lights of different colors due to the constant movement of the photographers along the sand, in the sky, above the slope of Arrábida, facing to Southwest West, you can see the trails of well known stars as Sirius, Procyon or Betelgeuse and constellations like Canis Major and Minor, Orion or Taurus.
Canon 50D -ISO1250mm 10mm F/4 Exp.30s. Sum of 150 images in a total integration of 75 minutes.
Venus, Jupiter and Moon in the Nautical Twilight
In this image obtained in the nautical twilight, from Almada, Portugal, we can see at left, the path of planet Venus and a few degrees of the Moon, more precisely on it´s left, the path of the planet Jupiter. The photography sequence is the result of the sum of 111 images at intervals of 3 minutes between each, and for about 5 hours, from 18h45 until 00h13, when the moon disappears behind the city buildings.
Canon 50D -ISO400 20mm F/5.6 Exp.2″. Image taken in 29/01/2012
Raining Stars
Rastos de estrelas como chuva caindo sobre um pequeno pinhal na Fonte-de-Telha. Imagem obtida na noite das Perseidas em 13-08-2011 entre as 00h14 e a 01h23. Soma de 75 imagens alternadas cada uma de 25 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 31 minutos. São visiveis diversas constelações como Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus e o planeta Júpiter.
Canon 50D -ISO800mm a 12mm F/6.3 Exp.25s por cada imagem
Moon and Saturn falling in the Ocean
Rasto da Lua e do planeta Saturno a pôr-se na região do Oceano Atlântico. Imagem obtida na Fonte-de-Telha em 03-08-2011 entre as 21h38 e as 22h42. Soma de 331 imagens cada uma de 10 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 55 minutos. São visiveis diversas estrelas como Spica, Porrima, Denebola, Vindemiatrix, Alula Australis e Borealis e o Planeta Saturno.
Canon 50D -ISO400mm a 17mm F/5.6 Exp.10s por cada imagem.
The Light Surrounding the Axis
Rotação das estrelas que circundam a região da estrela polar, registado no Alentejo, em Vila Boim, em 1-07-2011 entre as 00h53 e as 04h41. Soma de 420 imagens cada uma de 30 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 3h30 minutos. São visíveis as distintas cores das estrelas de várias constelações tais como: Ursa Menor, Ursa Maior, Canes Venatici, Draco, Cepheus, Camelopardalis e ainda de Cassiopeia. Em baixo à direita imagem legendada com as principais constelações.
Canon 50D -ISO1250 10mm F/4 Exp.30s por cada imagem.
Milky Way from Alentejo
Imagem da Via láctea obtida em Vila Boim, Elvas, Alentejo. Panorama composto por 4 single images.
Canon 50D -ISO3200 10mm F/4 Exp. 44s em 22-07-10 às 4:02AM
The Starting of Nautical Twilight
Imagem do céu estrelado obtida no Alentejo no começo do Crepúsculo Nautico, às 5h00 AM de 22-07-2010. Pode ainda ver-se uma formação de nebulosidade como se de uma aurora se trata-se. É interessante verificar o início do dia a nascer onde o azul da atmosfera reflectida pelos primeiros raios de Sol se começa a misturar com o escuro da noite, ainda visível no topo da imagem.
Canon 50D- 30″ a F/4 ISO3200 10mm 22-07-10 5h00am
Polaris and Shadow by the light of the Moon
Na imagem podemos observar a minha sombra reflectida no fundo de uma piscina, através da sua água límpida e cristalina, projectada pela forte luz da Lua quase cheia 64% iluminada, que se encontrava à esquerda das minhas costas, a Sul Sudoeste no Azimute 207º. Eu estava virado a norte e apontando para a constelação da Ursa Menor, no centro da imagem, mais precisamente para a estrela Polar.
Canon 50D-F/4 ISO1000 Exp-30s 10mm 19-07-10 22h19
Alinhamento entre Saturno, Marte, Vénus e Regulus
Alinhamento entre os planetas Saturno, Marte, Vénus e a esrtela Regulus. Imagem obtida nos Capuchos, em Almada. É possível ver ainda a Costa da Caparica e parte de Lisboa, assim como do Oceano Atlântico.
Canon 50D- Exp.15″ F/5 ISO200 a 10mm 13-07-10 22h02
ISS Crossing the Night Sky
Passagem da ISS – Estação Espacial sobre os céus de Almada. Na imagem podemos ver a ISS a passar entre a Ursa Maior e a Ursa Menor, atravessando toda a constelação do Dragão. Saliento para o facto de ser visível uma alteração de cor no rasto da ISS à medida que esta se aproxima, chegando mesmo a uma magnítude de -3.5. Imagem obtida no Parque da Paz, no Centro Sul, Almada.
Canon 50D-3X 30″ a F/5 ISO800 a 10mm 10-07-10 22h50
Northen Stars
Imagem do movimento das estrelas a norte do equador celeste registado ao longo da madrugada de 7 Junho de 2010 entre as 3h41 e as 4h50 AM. Para o resultado final foi feita uma soma manual de 128 imagens no CS3 cada uma de 30 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 64 minutos, com uma Canon 50D a uma abertura F-4.5 a ISO 1000, com uma Lente Sigma HSM EX a 11mm. Imagem obtida no Cabo Espichel, Sesimbra.
Arrábida´s Mountain Startrail
Imagem do movimento das estrelas registado ao longo da noite com a lua cheia a iluminar o céu a Sudeste, no dia 26 de Abril de 2010, entre as 22h04 e as 23h08. Para o resultado final foi feita uma soma manual de 108 imagens no CS3 cada uma de 30 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 54 minutos, com uma Canon 50D a uma abertura F-5.6 a ISO 500, com uma Lente Sigma HSM EX a 10mm. Imagem obtida no Portinho da Arrábida, na Serra da Arrábida, Setúbal.
São visíveis várias estrelas assinaladas na legenda da imagem o no video motion, destacando de entre várias, as mais brilhantes como: Sirius, Betelgeuse, Castor, Pollux, Alphard, Alhena, Menkalinan, Alnath…etc.
Céu Estrelado no Convento
Imagem do céu estrelado no convento do Cabo Espichel. Na imagem de baixo pode ver-se a identificação das respectivas constelações.
Canon 50D – ISO3200 10mm F/4 Exp. 25s em 05-04-10 às 23:32
Arrábida Night Lights
Imagem do movimento das estrelas registado ao longo da noite com a Lua quase cheia, no dia 26 de Março de 2010 entre as 22h43 e as 23h01 Para o resultado final foi feita uma soma manual de 33 imagens no CS3 cada uma de 30 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 18 minutos, com uma Canon 50D a uma abertura F-5 a ISO 800, com uma Lente Sigma HSM EX a 10mm. Imagem obtida na Serra da Arrábida. Setúbal.
Panorâmica na Serra da Arrábida
Panorâmica de 7 imagens a partir da Serra da Arrábida a 400m de altitude, apontando a Norte, apanhando toda a região a Sul do Rio Tejo, até Lisboa, linha mais brilhante no horizonte.
Canon 50D – ISO 800 F-6.3 10″ a 14mm em: 26-03-10 às 23:57
In the limit of naked eye detection
Rasto das estrelas da constelação Piscis Aaustrinus, obtida no histórico Castelo de Sesimbra, em 02-10-2010 entre as 00h30 e as 02h17. Soma de 199 imagens cada uma de 30 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 1h40 minutos. Na imagem é possível ver todas as estrelas de fraca intensidade quase no limite de detecção da visão humana a olho nu, que constituem a constelação acima referida. O rasto mais brilhante é o da estrela Fomalhaut, a principal da constelação Piscis Aaustrinus.
Canon 50D -ISO80 50mm F/13 Exp.30s por imagem.
scis Austrinus
O Céu do Cabo Espichel
Imagens do céu em noite de lua cheia, obtidas nas zonas rochosas do Cabo Espichel a 168m de altitude.
Canon 50D – ISO 800 F-4 Exp. 20″seg. – Sigma Ex-series 10mm. Sequência de imagens obtida em 28-01-2010 entre as 22h07 e 00h07
Pine Tree startrails – Rasto de Estrelas
Imagem do movimento das estrelas registado ao longo da noite no dia 14 de Dezembro de 2009 entre as 2h51 e as 4h27. Para o resultado final foi feita uma soma manual de 175 imagens no CS3 cada uma de 30 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 87.5 minutos, com uma Canon 400D a uma abertura F-4 a ISO 800, com uma Lente Sigma HSM EX a 10mm. Imagem obtida na Fonte-de-Telha.
Stars in Motion…
Imagem do movimento das estrelas registado ao longo da noite até ao crepúsculo matinal, no dia 1 de Setembro de 2009. Para o resultado final foi feita uma soma manual de 68 imagens no CS3 cada uma de 30 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 34 minutos, com uma Canon 400D a uma abertura variável entre F-3.5 e F-5 a ISO 400 com a lente a 18mm.
Na imagem podem ver-se várias constelações nomeadamente a constelação de Orion, diversas estrelas como Sirius, Betelgeuse ou Rigel e até a nebulosa de Orion M42, assim como os planetas Marte e Vénus.
A imagem foi obtida no Alentejo, em Vila Boim, Portugal entre as 5:16 e as 5:59 da manhã em 1-09-2009. Na imagem podem ver-se as direcção E e um pouco NE assim como a zona SE, o que evidencia a curvatura no rasto por apontar para o equador celeste, sendo que as estrelas mais à direita SE, curvam para a direita e as no centro, equador celeste, mantêm um rasto rectilíneo. Já as que se encontram mais ao canto superior esquerdo evidenciam uma curvatura para a esquerda. Esta é também uma forma comprovativa de que o Mundo é realmente redondo.
