Saturn Aurora

Image courtesy NASA/JPL/University of Leicester/University of Arizona

Hundreds of miles tall, curtains of aurorae undulate above Saturn's south polar clouds in a
composite of near-infrared images released Friday by NASA's Cassini orbiter. (See pictures of earthly auroras generated by a September solar storm.)

In this false-color picture, aurorae are bright green, sunlight reflected off Saturn's rings and high-altitude haze are blue, and heat emissions from the planet's interior glow deep red. Get the full story on National Geographic's Breaking Orbit blog >>

Star Gazers Deep Space Atlas

Astronomy observation help

STAR GAZERS DEEP SPACE ATLAS
A VALUABLE AND VERSITILE TOOL FOR STAR GAZING 

• For ANYONE interested in the night sky, but has no idea where to start!
• For the BEGINNER and SERIOUS star gazer.
• Beginners may with ease, gaze up at the starry sky, find constellations and experienced observers may use a telescope to its full potential.

CAMPING - HIKING - USE AT HOME - DARK SKY OBSERVING
SPECIAL FEATURES

• 270 DEW RESISTANT PAGES - Dew may be wiped off (cold nights).
• STARS SHOWN AS VIEWED FROM HOME - Most other books show the sky upside-down for S.A. because published for northern hemisphere.
• STEP BY STEP GUIDED SKY TOURS EACH MONTH - Locate a constellation and/or celestial object the same evening after purchase.
• WHITE TEXT ON BLACK PAPER - Excellent reading at night with a red LED torch which maintains your “dark adaption”.
• HUNDREDS OF OBJECTS TO OBSERVE -  Star Clusters, Gas Clouds, Galaxies, Dying Stars, Double Stars and Variable stars.
• ON-LINE SUPPORT - Wayne offers assistance to users via a website.

Contact Information:
Wayne Mitchell

Author of the STAR GAZER'S DEEP SPACE ATLAS

Member of the Pretoria Centre of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa

Email: wayne.mitchell@penbrogroupe.com    

Cell: 072 465 7739.

1. Example Pages and contact information(2M)
2. Example Pages and contact information in PDF format .  (2M)
3. Website
   
4. Information and how to order

Get ready for a naked-eye comet - Comet 103P/Hartley 2

Astronomy observation help

Comet 103P Hartley 2 imaged on the evening of 10 Sep 2010 from Mauna Kea, 13x100s luminance plus 3x100s@2x2binning for RGB color, ST2k camera and 100mm APO. Foto: Andrew Cooper

• More info

Lekker! Dit lyk of hier weer `n helder komeet (Comet 103P/Hartley 2) op pad is. Die maan gaan pla, maar dalk sien ons dit met die blote oog of ten minste met verkykers. Hier is `n klomp inligting. Kry jou sterkaarte reg en maak reg om te kyk.

In Suid-Afrika gaan Comet 103P/Hartley 2 so teen 8 Oktber sy kop in die Noorde bo die horison uitsteek.

• Hier is `n kaart vir Suid-Afrika (Pdf-formaat)

Groete

Hannes Pieterse

_________________________________________________________________________

Astronomy:

Get ready for a naked-eye comet

Comet 103P/Hartley promises to be the brightest comet of 2010 when it peaks in October.

Richard Talcott, senior editor

 The brightest comet of the year starts to put on a good show in late September before reaching its peak in October. When Comet 103P/Hartley glows at its brightest, it should be visible with naked eyes under a dark sky.

Australian astronomer Malcolm Hartley discovered this comet in March 1986. It orbits the Sun once every 6.5 years, traveling from just outside the orbit of Jupiter to nearly Earth's distance from the Sun. This is the comet's fourth return to the inner solar system since it was discovered, and its best one yet.

Comet 103P/Hartley should peak at 5th magnitude when it passes closest to Earth in October. A 5th-magnitude star is bright enough to see with naked eyes if you're out of the city, but a comet's light spreads out, making it harder to see. Still, you'll have a good chance to see it without optical aid from a dark-sky site. Binoculars will show the comet nicely, and a telescope will let you see details.
More info

You know you're a Deep Sky Observer when...

Astronomy observation help

1. You consider the moon a major annoyance.
2. You consider Jupiter 'light pollution'.
3. You consider meteors 'light pollution'.
4. You consider the Milky Way 'light pollution'.
5. You contemplate ways of destroying the Earth because it's in the way.
6. You pack Dry Ice around your head to reduce the "noise" from your retina and optic nerve.
7. You refuse to use the ladder with your 20" f/6 at the Winter Star Party stating, "If I use that, the objects are too far north."
8. You consider the H-II regions of distant galaxies as individual observing targets.
9. You spend most of your time looking at or for objects you can barely see.
10. Your favorite objects are objects you can barely see.
    
    
    Click for the rest of the list..

101.  You see the letters "sex" and your first thought is of the constellation sextans!

ISS oor Bloemfontein

Use Heavens Above to track satellites

Try out the Orbitron software

ISS - Visible Passes from Heavans Above

Search period start: 00:00 Wednesday, 22 September, 2010 Search period end: 00:00 Saturday, 2 October, 2010 Observer's location: Westdene - Bloemfontein, 29.1022°S, 26.2110°E Local time zone: South African Standard Time (UTC + 2:00) Orbit: 351 x 360 km, 51.6° (Epoch Sep 22) Click on the date to get a star chart and other pass details.

Date	Mag	Starts			Max. altitude			Ends
		Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
22 Sep	-2.4	05:20:23	16	W	05:21:59	26	NW	05:24:30	10	N
22 Sep	-0.3	20:07:36	10	NW	20:07:39	10	NW	20:07:39	10	NW
23 Sep	-0.9	04:16:23	16	NE	04:16:23	16	NE	04:17:05	10	NE
23 Sep	-2.6	19:00:03	10	NNW	19:02:42	29	NE	19:03:50	22	E
24 Sep	-2.6	19:27:04	10	WNW	19:29:59	46	SW	19:31:34	22	SSE
25 Sep	-2.9	18:19:14	10	NNW	18:22:01	37	NE	18:24:51	10	ESE
25 Sep	-0.3	19:56:06	10	WSW	19:57:32	13	SW	19:58:58	10	S
26 Sep	-2.0	18:46:28	10	WNW	18:49:17	37	SW	18:52:08	10	SSE
27 Sep	-0.1	19:16:00	10	SW	19:16:49	11	SW	19:17:38	10	SSW

• Visit Heavens above and select your own town, city or suburb.
  
• Download Orbitron and roll your own  (Louis in Zastron, hierdie een is vir jou).
  
• Register with Space-track to get fresh elsets  (Get ID and Password and use in Orbitron)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Click on image to enlarge

Opposite the Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)
Explanation: Chances are the brightest star you've seen lately is actually planet Jupiter. Jupiter rules the sky in this labeled view of a starry September night from the Alborz mountains in Iran, complete with the trail of a red flashlight illuminating the mountain road. On September 21st (Universal Time) Jupiter will be at opposition, the point opposite the Sun along its orbit, rising just as the Sun sets. For this opposition, Jupiter will be slightly brighter and closer to planet Earth than in any year since 1963. Much fainter and also approaching its own opposition on September 21st, is the distant planet Uranus. Very near Jupiter on the sky, the fainter planet is easy to spot in binoculars (similar to the inset view), well above and right of brilliant Jupiter and about as bright as one of Jupiter's own Galilean moons. Remarkably close to the opposition of both planets, the point on the sky exactly opposite the Sun on September 23rd is marked the Vernal Equinox. On that date, a Full Moon will join the celestial scene. Of course, any Full Moon is also at opposition.

Nog Astrofoto's uit Bloemfontein deur Herman Bonnet

My poging met M27 in Vulpecia .My" tracking" was uit,die wind het gewaai ,maar ek kon 25 min kry.
Die eerste keer 'n EOS CLS light pollution filter gebruik .Die verskil is dramaties.Ek het geen" flats" ,"darks" of "bias frames" gebruik nie.Het te laat by die huis gekom en dit sou te lank neem.Kamera :Canon 400d met eos cls clip filter,Skywatcher equinox 120mm refraktor,skywatcher eq 6 pro
Foto: Herman Bonnet
ASSA Bloemfontein

Horsehead nebula, Barnard 33, IC434, NGC2023 in Orion
Geneem op 19/12/2009
Canon 400D
Skywatcher eq6 pro
William Optics Zenithstar 80mm refractor
40 min exposure
Foto: Herman Bonnet
ASSA Bloemfontein

Helix Nebula,NGC7293 in Aquarius
Geneem 07/09//2010
Skywatcher equinox 120 mmrefractor
Skywatcher eq6 pro
Astronomik cls light pollution filter
Canon 400D
60 min exposure
darks ,flats,bias frames
Foto: Herman Bonnet
ASSA Bloemfontein

Closest Encounter with Jupiter until 2022

Sept. 20/21 2010:  Been outside at midnight lately? There's something you really need to see. Jupiter is approaching Earth for the closest encounter between the two planets in more than a decade--and it is dazzling.

The night of closest approach is Sept. 20-21st. This is also called "the night of opposition" because Jupiter will be opposite the sun, rising at sunset and soaring overhead at midnight. Among all denizens of the midnight sky, only the Moon itself will be brighter.

Source: NASA Science

• More info

Opeaand by Boyden-sterrewag, Bloemfontein - RSG opname vir Sterre en Planete

Klik op die foto's om te vergroot

Foto bo: Daar's hy. Die Hubble ruimte teleskoop sorg altyd vir groot opgewondenheid tydens ope-aande by Boyden-sterrewag.

Foto middel: Thinus van der Merwe, Prof Matie Hoffman en Hennie Maas aan die gesels tydens `n opname van die gewilde Sterre en Planete-program wat Donderdagaande om 20:30 op die lug is.

Foto onder: Die gehoor luister aandagtig terwyl die opname gemaak word. 

Foto's: Hannes Pieterse

Telescope Dealers in South Africa

Techno Pro

Tel: +27-11-792-6034      Facsimile: +27-11-792-6755
E-Mail: astro@technopro.co.za
Online Shop: shop.technopro.co.za
Internet: http://www.technopro.co.za/

 PhotoWeb SA

Contact Dennis du Plooy
Tel: (011) 888-8858
E-Mail: contact@photowebsa.co.za 
Internet: http://www.photowebsa.co.za/ 

Foton Optoelectronics

Tel: +27 11 787-4375 Or call Oleg : 082-680-4700

E-Mail : sales@foton.co.za 

Internet: http://www.foton.co.za/

Eridanus Optics CC 

Contact Andrie van der Linde

Tel: 083 632 4898

E-Mail :  andrie@eridanusoptics.com

Internet: http://eridanusoptics.com/store/

Telescope SA

Paul 082 823 7384 (Cape Town)
Dave 083 625 7833 (Gauteng)

http://www.telescopesa.za.org