Telescope Pictures (Celestron 130 SLT)


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Athens Sunrise (.wmv movie)

Sunday 7 October 2007
5:11 AM
(Unaided.)

A celestial triangle formed by Venus (upper right), Saturn (lower left) and the B8 V star Regulus (center top...no, it's not dust on your screen). The waning crescent moon falls within the triangle.

(Above)
A cartoon reference image generated from Starry Night digital astronomy software.

Sunday 7 October 2007
6:50 AM
(Unaided.)

The same celestial triangle, as morning approaches.

The Sun
Saturday 22 Semptember 2007
6:43 PM

The solar surface is void of significant spot activity; our local star is currently in a quiet phase of its ~11 year cycle.

Lunar Surface
Wednesday 5 September 2007
2:53 AM

Lunar Eclipse
Tuesday 28 August 2007
5:38 AM


Lunar Eclipse: February 20,2008 8:30 PM - 12:30 AM

10:31 PM

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon; we see the Earth's shadow projected onto the lunar surface. We don't see lunar eclipses with every cycle of the Moon because the Moon's orbital plane does not exactly coincide with the Ecliptic plane (the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun).

11:01 PM

You can credit Earth's atmosphere with providing an orangish color to the moon during an eclipse. The atmosphere acts like a filtered lens. It bends red sunlight into our planet's shadow and scatters out blue light. It's the same reason why sunrises and sunsets appear reddish. If Earth were an airless planet, its shadow would be pitch black and the eclipsed moon would be invisible.