Things you don't see every day...

Color in a New Zealand Christmas tree, A duck in tree, and a double yoker....

Comet C/2011 W3 Lovejoy

Coming soon to a STEREO imager near you, newly found comet C/2011 W3 Lovejoy. Will it make the distance? Ground based imagers indicate some brightning starting to happen. Several more days to wait for the STEREO data to catch up.
The possibilities are seen here,
http://cometal-comets.blogspot.com/2010/03/bright-stereo-comet.html

What would a comet impact look like? This sequence of plasma falling back to the solar surface is from the large CME of june 07. http://helioviewer.org/?movieId=lHl15

20111210-11 - The comet has arrived into the STEREO HI1 imagers FOV. Showing a well formed tail and quite bright. Compared to the other two bright kreutz seen above it is a few orders of magnitude larger. So if all goes well and it has the mass and integrity. The comet may make it passed the close approach to the Sun. The orbit data needs to updated with the new image data to confirm this though. Here what it looks like? as always image data courtesy of STEREO/SECCHI/NASA, many thanks.

20111214 - A small kreutz comet entered into the SOHO C2 FOV and vaporised, as they usually do, is this a prelude to what Comet Lovejoy may do? Comet Lovejoy has been estimate at being 200m wide.

Comet C/2011 W3 Lovejoy continues to brighten and extend its tail. This image below shows the comet from two points of view. Each postion is at the same time step.

20111215- The comet has now entered into the FOV of SOHO C3.

20111216 - Tried to photograph the comet from the ground, Thought I had something, I could not work out focus at infinity, but close focus proved it was just cobwebs and cosmics, oh well may be later. ( I did try this yesterday with no result.. realise today's effort was too late...)

... then again, later might be tooooo late....  Yep...

The comet has reached the contact point with the sun surfaces, now SDO and STEREO cameras are the only ones with a good view

The comet head is now very close to the sun and is showing signs of shrinking, it's harsh out there...

image data from SOHO/LASCO/ESA/NRL.

20111216 11:30am Oztime - Amazing  SDO has the comet in moving images,

 Amazing success with the SDO image stream, well done to Karl Battams NRL for kicking butt.. and SDO for the great efforts...eagerly awaiting STEREO follow up... again sooo amazing...follow links...

Camilla_SDO First video of Comet Lovejoy through the AIA telescope on @NASA_SDO #CometLoveJoy owl.li/810tC

20111216 13:19 - Just checked in again to find the great news, C/2011 W3 Lovejoy has made it around the corner, follow this tweet from  SungrazerCometsSungrazing Comets

I'm astounded and delighted! RT @NASA_SDO: Comet Lovejoy reemerging on the other side of the sun http://ow.ly/813Dl

20111218 - The STEREO DATA is beginning to arrive, Here is the comet entering STEREO COR2A, with some image processing and scaling done...

Comet Lovejoy inbound as seen in SDO images

Comet Lovejoy survives as is seen heading out in SDO imager.

20111218 - below The Comet is seen heading out in STEREO Cor2A

20111222 - STEREO HI1A images for 20111219 show structures in an expanding dust tail.

20111223 - Structured comet image from STEREO data of 20111220

20111230 - images in STEREO HI2A indicate a steady fading of the comet tail. Not as dynamic as 45P Honda-Mp... mostly dust?

Sunspot goes bang!

Sunspot goes bang as seen in SDO imagers 20111109-13:17 bang!

A cold filament is launched, to be come the body of CME material, as a sunspot erupts and plasma loops reload.  http://helioviewer.org/?movieId=lTQ15

This image is from the latest SDO data available through Helioviewer.

Here is an big picture view using SOHO C2 and C3 data that show the progression of the CME outwards from the event, over four hours.

Other interesting consecutive helioviewer sequences showing loops reloading.

Red Bull emerges  http://helioviewer.org/?movieId=0Qs15

Solar Anemone http://helioviewer.org/?movieId=3Qs15

The other big CME in 2011 June is seen here

http://helioviewer.org/?movieId=3LQ15

Comet 17P Holmes

Comet 17P crosses STEREO HI2A imager during 2008 early February to late March.

halloween fun

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/XyNakX3BpWpKzSbT

halloween fun, yes i am related to these guys, cool suff.....
cut and paste the above link...dont forget to full screen it to get the horrifying full effects....

Comet 45P in STEREO

Comet 45P is crossing STEREO HI2A imager showing tail dynamics. This sequence is across four days. It will get bigger and brighter as the comet will pass approx 0.18au from STEREO A.

Image data courtesy of STEREO/SECCHI/NASA.

The tail extends and becomes more dynamic in images over the 09/23-30.

Several CME plumes are passing by.

 The big picture,

Solar Loops launch

Solar loops reload after a recent CME launch.
Helioviewer is back, I made this movie using their
web interface. Amazing details with SDO images.
Image data courtesy of SDO/NASA.

STEREO Images

Fun with Google Picasa and Stereo images I have made since 2007. Some maybe from STEREO/SECCHI/NASA so credit and copyright to them. The rest are mine so you just have to pick which ones. 8)

Stereo Elenin

The real Elenin comet is seen crossing STEREO B HI2 imager in early August. No great tail is seen and it doesn't look that impressive. Though, the really impressive thing is that the NASA/STEREO guys put the efforts in to roll the space craft to make these images possible.

image data courtesy of NASA/STEREO/SECCHI, many thanks for it.

SDO sees SOHO comet

In bound SOHO comet disintergrates as seen in SDO AIA images. Image data courtesy of SDO/NASA.

Plasmoids

A recent Solar CME released large amounts of material from the the Sun's surface. Some interesting plasmoinds can be seen in the STEREO Cor2 imagers. Image data courtesy of STEREO/SECCHI/NASA, I did the rest my self.

Scope Park Concept

Congrats to GRAS on securing a plot of land at Siding Spring for there new Australian GRAS complex. This is my concept of heavy duty set of amateur observatories, complete with control rooms or accommodation. I like the new one click Comet service they offer. I will have to get in the queue for Comet Elenin.

From the ground

Here are a few attempts of imaging the sky using my own equipment. A Standard DLSR and an EQ mounted Orion 80MM EON. The struggle with suburban light polluted skies and polar alignment make things always interesting. I need more time and more Patience, working on both.... These Images are single shot 90sec images with just a little post exposure processing, they would mostly washed with a light red haze with out it.

Eta Carina Nebulae, compare with the older post of GRAS images

M42 in Orion , compare the older post of GRAS images

Centaurus A

Omega Centaurus

The best for last. I was able to spend a night in the country on the Loddon river flood plains in central west Victoria. The recent flood water had mostly gone, my brother had an new duck pond complete with wild ducks. Fishing for carp from the back porch which also turned up as the occasional road kill on the local roads. They were seen crossing the flooded road, Why did the carp cross the road?... no better not.

Still a struggle with polar alignment, but managed these two single shot wild field 5 minute exposures. One of the LMC and the other of the southern cross, coal sack dark nebula and omega Centaurus show as a yellow fuzz ball.

Comet 249P

A view of comet 249P as seen in STEREO HI1A imager. Showing a small tail to the left as it passes close to perihelion, the sun is to the lower right and north is up.