Mastodawn

This is my tribute to those that can fly and to those that dream of some type of flight in their lives. #fly #airship #skywatcher #thomas #black #heart #instrumental #music #musicsky #airman #clouds https://thomasblackheart.bandcamp.com/track/skywatch

Skywatch, by Thomas Blackheart

from the album Tales From The Eye Volume 3

Thomas Blackheart

Stella-Luna Observatory Apr 25

A little scare, a quick fix

Our Sky-Watcher HelioStar 76Ha Solar telescope mounted on the observatory’s permanent mount. The focuser, for those new to these things, is operated via the silver knob seen at the lower end of the telescope. Photo by James Guilford.

A couple of days ago, during a rather ambitious solar imaging session, the focuser on our Sky-Watcher HelioStar 76Ha telescope failed. And by failure, we mean the specialized diagonal that holds an eyepiece or camera would not stay put! The focuser would barely move the assembly and, once released, the diagonal plus camera would … zzzzzzip! … slide outward as far as it could. As one might expect, that sort of thing makes the telescope worthless. Disappointment? Disaster?

Contacting Agena Astro, the telescope’s seller, their rep. reminded us that the unit was still under warranty and supplied contact information for Sky-Watcher USA’s Support. Sending off an email describing the issue we waited a reply. “Sounds like the focuser might need to be adjusted,” came the reply a short time later. “Don’t worry we have a lot of adjustment with this focuser.” Adjusting three screws on the telescope, as instructed, and within five minutes the system was working good as new!

The Sun as it appeared via hydrogen-alpha light on April 24, 2026; as imaged using the Sky-Watcher HelioStar 76Ha Solar telescope, and a ZWO ASI monochrome camera. False color applied. Image by James Guilford.

So there was a little scare. Excellent support provided by the retailer and the manufacturer. A quick fix. And we were able to take advantage of excellent conditions today, making images of our local star! Thanks go out to Agena Astro and Sky-Watcher USA!

#AgenaAstro #astronomy #heliostar #SkyWatcher #solar #solarAstronomy #sun #telescope

Nosaj

Apr 22

Hey #skywatcher fedi, just saw this when leaving work today #Perth #WesternAustralia

Is there some space thing going on or is this a conventional aircraft effect?

Darren Flynn Apr 14

M82 - Cigar Galaxy
12 million light years away in Ursa Major. The core is nearly 100 times brighter than the milky way. Its abundant star formation activity is thought to have been triggered by its interaction with the nearby M81, Bode's Galaxy.

Skywatcher EQ AL55i mount
Skywatcher Skymax 127mm Maksutov
Nikon Z30
Asiair Mini
ASI 715MC guiding
Svbony SV165 guide scope
59 x 120sec
Bortle 4

#zwoastro #nikon #skywatcher #astrophotography #seestar_s50 #darksky #deepsky #cloughjordandarkskybowl

Kiki Jan 19

I usually share only high resolution images here. But for astrophotographyI still need another lens and this time all I had was my phone.

We already knew a solar storm was heading our way. Ever since I missed the massive storm back in May 2024, I’ve been trying every single time. Sooo I went out only to realize that the fog was just as thick as it had been hours earlier. After a full day of sunshine it honestly felt like the weather was mocking me. Standing alone on a field, waiting for what felt like forever… nothing. No glow. No hint. Just fog. So I packed my things and started walking back.

And THEN my first beam appeared. The dancing green lights you always see in photos and documentaries. I stopped immediately and thought: Wait… that green cloud wasn‘t there a second ago?!
Pulled out my phone and it was gone.
Then it came back. Again and again. At the peak there were two beams at once.

Watching them appear and fade in real time is a feeling you can’t put into words. I was sitting there with tears in my eyes. I truly never believed I would see green, dancing auroras with my own eyes in southern Germany. Until now, I was already grateful just for the faint red glow that I saw two times already.

This was something else.
Absolutely unreal. The quality isn’t what I usually share but I had to share this moment. Some things are too powerful to keep to yourself.🙂

#aurora #auroraborealis #northernlights #solarstorm #spaceweather #astrophotography #nightphotography #phonephotography #stargazing #skywatcher #cosmicmoments #onceinalifetime #natureiswild #emotionalmoment #chasingaurora #southerngermany #nightscape #spaceconnection #meaningoverquality