The completed observatory base is of patio construction with a concrete pad beneath decorative concrete pavers. The color of the pavers here is more intense in this picture because they were freshly wetted. We are considering sealing the pavers to enhance the color for a longer term.
Our contractor, taking advantage of a break in the weather, applied Polybind-brand polymeric sand to the observatory’s patio base completing that phase of the project. The space beneath the patio paver stones needed to be dry to allow the sand material to freely flow into all available gaps. Once wetted, the Polybind rapidly cures, sealing out insects and seeds.
Checking with the manufacturer of our Sirius Observatory we learned that production delays will push back our project well into the summer months. Disappointing, to say the least, but good things are worth waiting for. We’re considering now whether to install the steel pier at the center of the base while we wait — with or without a telescope attached, the pier could be covered between uses. With the pier in place, we wouldn’t need to carry out a tripod and mount every time we wish to use the observing pad.
The first DSLR image of the night turned out to be the most spectacular.
It turned out to be a stronger impact than forecast, and the strongest thus far of this solar activity cycle; the geomagnetic storm of May 10 – 11, 2024 produced auroras (Northern and Southern Lights) visible at night from locations nearly pole to pole.
The Responsible Spot: The morning of the aurora, we photographed Sun, capturing this close-up of AR3664, the source of coronal materials that caused the Northern Lights or Aurora storm. It was a most impressive feature and remained intact and spewing powerful flares as it disappeared over Sun’s western limb!
The forecast of possible aurora prompted me to step outside at about 10 PM (EDT), when twilight had faded, to check the skies. At first I saw what I thought might be clouds but knowing auroras can be feeble, I watched. Sure enough, there was movement in those “clouds”.
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center’s depiction of the expected extent of aurora May 10, 2024.
Glancing overhead I saw what I found hard believe — aurora ray features directly overhead … at 41º latitude, a rare sight, indeed! Rushing back indoors, I pulled together camera, fisheye lens, and tripod and headed back out.
What most people saw with their unaided eyes resembled thin clouds. Watching those “clouds” as they ebbed and flowed, and subtle coloration betrayed their true nature to those who knew what to look for. The auroral streaks pictured here were directly overhead in Medina, Ohio — 41º latitude.
The aurora still presented itself as cloudy streaks with, perhaps, hints of color. Now also armed with my smartphone, I activated its camera and aimed it at the sky. There on the screen, light amplified by the phone’s electronics, glorious, eye-popping colors filled the sky! I’d never before experienced an aurora like it.
First image of the night came from the iPhone 13 camera, revealing the true extent of the ongoing aurora.
Only occasionally, during the time I was out, did the aurora’s color become visible to me; apparently being just below the limits of my, and others’ visual perception. Another local observer noted color was more visible shortly before I stepped outside to check on things — the actual peak of the display must have happened as twilight was ending and before 10 p.m.
During the hour we watched the show in the sky, the event slowly faded, then returned bringing forth another burst of color. The balance of images here are from a Canon EOS 5D Mk. 4 DSLR camera with a Sigma fisheye lens. The DSLR exposures are ISO 400, f/2.8, and 4 to 8 seconds.
I observed and photographed the aurora from shortly after 10:00 until about 11:30 EDT and in that hour or so, the intensity faded and then re-surged before fading away again which was my signal to shut down. I might have stayed out longer but had a commitment for the next day — sleep was needed — so, satisfied I’d seen the phenomenon at its best, I put away the camera gear.
Looking very nearly straight up, these rays appear to be emanating from a position in the east-northeastern sky. The extent of the aurora was impressive, visible well into the Deep South of the United States. The aurora australis was widely visible in the southern hemisphere.
Knowing it would be all over the news, I submitted my most spectacular shot of the night to the local newspaper — a daily that publishes on Saturday but not Sunday. It was too late for the Saturday edition but the editor gave my photo a three-column, Page 1 spot on Monday.
Colors rain down on a quiet residence, perhaps poured out from the Big Dipper seen here in an inverted position. The north star, Polaris, is a tiny dot near the center of this picture. (Note how two stars of the Dipper’s bowl point toward Polaris.) The short horizontal streak to the right of Polaris is a moving airplane’s navigation lights, captured in the several seconds of the camera’s exposure.
Our Sun is still in its peak activity period, by some accounts it won’t hit solar maximum until some time in 2025, so there may be more auroras in our near future but this was one for the history books!
Page 1 of the Medina County Gazette, Monday, May 13, 2024.
The round patio seen here will form the base and floor of the observatory.
The landscape contractor promised, at the end of last season, that they would return to finish work on our observatory patio. Remaining to be done is installation of polymeric sand in the “grout” lines of the patio pavers. The material will be swept in to fill the gaps between the paver stones with enough getting beneath them to make them stable — the stones rock a bit now when walked upon. We’re told the weather must remain above freezing and the concrete surface beneath the stones must be dry in order for the polymeric sand to properly fill the spaces and cure properly.
One manufacturer wrote this about the benefits of their product: “Polymeric sand is appreciated by paver installers because joints you get from it are durable and even. This eliminates any risk of weed growth and ant infestation that could affect the overall aesthetics and durability of paver projects.” — Techniseal.com
We are likely now beyond freezing temperatures until this fall. Now we await a stretch of dry weather and it may be a while — it has been a very rainy spring!
Many eclipse watchers were, with unaided eye, able to see the bright pink or red prominence shown here in our heavily-cropped image of the April 8, 2024 eclipsed sun. The prominences appear red because they are composed primarily of hydrogen which, at high temperatures, emits red light. Image rotated to place the prominence at top for aesthetic reasons. Image Credit: James Guilford / Stella-Luna Observatory.
While we very much wanted to view and photograph Sun’s corona during the April 8 total solar eclipse, a blanket of high, thin cloud covered the area blocking faint details. We were, however, able to observe and image the bright inner corona and prominences (“proms”) along the rim of the eclipsed Sun and what a show it was.
Sun is in the active phase of its 11-year cycle and, during totality, prominences were expected and seen in various sizes and at several sites around the rim. The largest was easily spotted with the unaided eye, causing questions from casual observers as it brightly shined at about the six o’clock position of the eclipse ring as viewed from North America. We were delighted with the images of proms that we were able to acquire!
As Moon drifted across Sun during totality it, in turn, covered and exposed different regions of Sun’s limb. To give a fuller impression of prominences seen, we grafted two of our images from totality into one picture; one image was recorded just as totality began, the other as totality was about to end. The resulting picture is not a view one would have had but does correctly illustrate the position and visual size of the proms.
Two images of totality are combined here to illustrate the visual size and placement of promiences exposed during totality of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. The large loop of the prominence near the six o’clock position was easily spotted with the unaided eyes of many, adding to the wonder of their eclipse experience. Image Credit: James Guilford / Stella-Luna Observatory.
Observers in Northeast Ohio were fortunate. Although the morning began with heavy cloud cover, skies cleared and allowed decent viewing of the eclipse in its entirety. Temperature drops were easily felt as bright daylight transitioned to an eerie twilight. As totality began, cheers of awe could be heard from gathered eclipse watchers at a nearby organized event. Automatic street lights illuminated. A robin was heard singing its evening song. Sunset colors lit the horizon about three-quarters of the way around us. In the southwest, beneath the eclipsed Sun, the horizon appeared dark. And then, as bright sunlight returned, first via a brilliant crescent, then by an expanding and warming solar disk, it was over. Those we spoke with were delightedly awestruck having had the experience of a lifetime.
Following are several images of Sun as the eclipse began, during the partial phase, and as it ended. Times are expressed as UTC and were recorded automatically by the camera, set via GPS. Observers in different areas will have seen times that differed from ours and each others due to parallax effects, Moon being much closer to Earth than is Sun.
First Contact: The first noticeable encroachment of Moon over the solar disk is shown here. This image was recorded at 17:58:34 and marks the beginning of the eclipse process. Two areas of sunspots are also noted here. Image Credit: James Guilford / Stella-Luna Observatory.Sunspot AR3628 was about to be covered by the silhouetted Moon as the eclipse progressed from the lower right-hand area of this image toward the upper left. This was imaged at 18:40 UTC. Image Credit: James Guilford / Stella-Luna Observatory.Fourth Contact: By this point most casual, and many serious observers, had packed up satisfied with a wonderful eclipse experience. We kept the camera running, just so that this instant could be recorded — the moment when Moon completed its passage in front of Sun, in this picture at 20:28:35 UTC. Image Credit: James Guilford / Stella-Luna Observatory.
The Sun: March 24, 2024, 15:46 UTC, as seen from Medina, Ohio, USA. Canon EOS 6D Mk. 2, Askar 103 APO telescope @ f/6.8, Spectrum Telescope filter, ISO 250, 1/2000 second.
Taking advantage of a rare day with clear skies, I set up the new-ish Askar 103 APO telescope and got a bit more solar imaging in. The huge sunspot group at the center of the image above is designated AR3615 — it and the isolated sunspot above it (AR3614) exploded in tandem on March 23, directing their CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejections) at Earth. When the CME hit our planet, the result was a severe geomagnetic storm. While not specifically practicing for the upcoming solar eclipse, the experience doesn’t hurt, either! This period of activity makes the sun’s photosphere interesting to observe as features visibly change day-to-day and even more rapidly, if one looks close enough. Sun is nearing the predicted peak of its 11-year cycle of activity which is expected in 2025. That means a couple of more years (at least) of interesting things to see on our nearest star.
On Saturday, October 14, 2023, there will be plenty of buzz about the annular solar eclipse taking place. The eclipse will happen, blue sky or cloudy, dimming the day’s midday light. Here in Medina, Ohio we won’t, however, be seeing the real attraction, the so-called “Ring of Fire”. We will, however, experience a partial eclipse of the sun; about 35 percent of the sun will be obscured by Moon, making Sun a crescent.
Eclipse timings for Medina, Ohio as provided by TimeAndDate.com
What’s an annular eclipse, then? Well, “annular” means ring-shaped, not “annual” as in once a year. The ring, or annulus, we’re talking about here is created by our Moon passing between we Earthbound viewers and Sun covering most, but not all of the solar disk. At its peak, an annular eclipse leaves brilliant ring of sunlight visible, shining around the edges of Moon — the ring of fire. The better-known total solar eclipse occurs when Moon covers all of the solar disk, allowing viewers to see the beautiful haze of Sun’s corona streaming around the dark circle where Moon superimposes Sun.
Solar eclipses take place in three basic varieties: partial, annular, and total and what happens on each occasion is dependent upon the positions of Sun, Moon, and viewer. Why won’t anyone see a total solar eclipse this Saturday? In short, it’s because Moon’s orbit is elliptical, not circular. On an elliptical path Moon will appear larger or smaller from Earth, depending upon Moon’s position on its orbit. We’re fortunate that Moon can so perfectly cover Sun when it’s a bit nearer us, producing glorious total eclipses. But when Moon is a bit farther out for an eclipse and appears smaller, it can’t quite cover all of Sun and that’s when annular eclipses happen.
Moon is near enough to Earth that parallax influences what viewers experience. At the center line of an annular or total eclipse, the full effect of the event may be enjoyed. Stray off that center line (path of annularity, or path of totality) and a partial eclipse is seen. It’s like someone hiding a few steps behind a tree. If the tree is directly in the line of sight of the viewer, the person is hidden. Take a step to one side, however, and the hidden person begins to be revealed. Parallax.
Viewing: Neither those out west nor we here in Ohio can safely view the annular or partial eclipse phases safely without proper gear. ISO-Certified viewers are the gold standard so long as they are undamaged. Eclipse viewing glasses are available from many sources though it’s probably too late to order them in before this weekend’s event. Maybe think about buying some soon for next year’s total eclipse! There is a mix of opinion regarding #14 welder’s glass — they’re probably alright to use if you have them but be careful — welder’s glass comes in different shades and lighter shades may not provide adequate protection!
Do Not Use: Sunglasses of any sort, photographic negatives, Compact Discs, shiny plastic wrapping, etc. for viewing the sun. If you view the brilliant solar disk improperly, damage to your eyes can result and be instantaneous and permanent. If you happen to have solar eclipse glasses from previous events, those would be great to use but examine them first! Hold the glasses close to a bright light source and look for pinholes, scratches, or other damage; if you can see light spots coming through the lenses throw the glasses away!
White light image of Sun. Numerous sunspots can be seen freckling the lightly-textured photosphere. At the east and west limbs of the solar disk may be seen light-colored, jagged tracks called faculae. September 22, 2023. Photo by James Guilford.
September 22, 2023. 17:12 UTC — Shooting Sun today as sunspot AR3435 rotated toward the center point of the disk, viewed from Earth. I also tried my trusty Thousand Oaks Optical Type 2+ glass solar filter on the same setup. I’ve seen some excellent results from the glass filter in the past but there seemed to be a bit of detail lost from the image. Some of the loss may have been from the filter but, perhaps more likely, there may have been a slight shift in focus or instantaneous turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere. I must say, however, while I like the brilliant color of the glass, I love the detail and tonality of the white light film — Astrozap Baader film white light solar filter.
I hope to add a telescope or system to my arsenal, allowing hydrogen-alpha (Ha) viewing and imaging of Sun’s chromosphere and prominences but I have longstanding appreciation for sunspots and hope to also dramatically improve imaging of those features.
These images are single-exposures, not stacked stills or video frames, so I shoot multiple singles aiming for momentary clarity in the atmosphere. I then manually review the frames and select the best single frame(s) for final processing. This day I used a DSLR camera with telephoto lens for the sake of convenience. The same two filters fit my 90mm refractor with a focal length of 1,000mm but using the scope would have meant significant setup; too lazy to do that, I guess.
Technical Information: Tripod-mounted Canon EOS 7D Mk. 2 camera, Canon 400mm f/5.6 L lens with Canon 2X telextender for 800mm and f/11. Mono Image: ISO 500, f/11, 1/1000 sec. Color Image: ISO 500, f/11, 1/800 sec.
The Sun, recorded within minutes of the white light photograph, this time imaged through a glass solar filter which imparted a rich orange color to the picture. September 22, 2023. Photo by James Guilford.
Drawn plan of a patio structure that is to form the base of our observatory. The observatory will be built at the center of the circular paved area while a tapered pathway provides access. An 18-inch Sonotube will form the concrete foundation for a steel pier supporting the telescope.
Today we approved the final design of the patio that will serve as the base of the observatory. With the observatory structure already on-order, it’s now a waiting game. Dates for delivery/construction of these two main components are uncertain, though the landscape work is expected to start in early November. Depending upon how things unfold we may be in a situation where either the observatory arrives before the base construction begins and we rush to assemble before winter, or the base is built and we wait for the observatory. Either way, depending upon timing and weather conditions, the crated components of the structure may wind up overwintering in our garage! We’re running late.
Crater Tycho is featured here, its web of light-colored ejecta radiating in all directions. Celestron C11 telescope with ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera.
Taking advantage of what seem to be rare clear skies, last night (September 1, 2023) I ran first light trials on the Celestron C11 I was given, in combination with my ZWO ASI color astronomy camera. The telescope, with its decent aperture and long focal length, may become the primary observatory instrument. The results were largely disappointing with no good deep sky results, terrible results from Saturn, and not-so-good images of Jupiter. Even Earth’s Moon, usually an easy target, was barely in focus. It didn’t occur to me to use my Bahtinov mask focus aid — my gear is spread across two buildings and three or four locations! Once built, the observatory should help with organization. I hope to try again this coming week when mild, clear nights are forecast and I hope it is only a matter of technique and not an optical issue.
On the positive side, polar alignment was excellent as was goto control alignment so telescope sky tracking was very good during my efforts — until something caused an unexpected reboot of the telescope controller. I don’t know if dew short circuited a connector or if the connector pulled loose from the handbox but it was disconcerting!
The images shown here are simply interesting to look at, though not the quality I’d normally want to show. The first is youngish Crater Tycho showing off its extensive web of ejecta rays. The second picture includes several lunar “seas” including the “C” shaped Sea of Crisis. Two craters are seen near the left edge of the circle; the lower of those craters is named Picard. No, Star Trekkers, not THAT Picard. Still, a fun fact.
Several lunar seas are shown in this image with the Sea of Crisis, the C-shaped feature, on the right. Within the Sea of Crisis are seen two small dots and the lower of the two is Crater Picard. Celestron C11 telecope with ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera.
A local landscaping company was contacted to design and quote on a “hardscape” base for the Sirius observatory dome structure. The thinking here is that, since the site is a residential lot, a potential future buyer may or may not want an observatory. Some day, when the property is put up for sale, the observatory structure could be optionally sold and removed, leaving a nice patio feature with a center spot for a table or fire feature for the new owner. In the mean time, the landscaping will make the observatory even more attractive and provide a solid base. We’ll be meeting with the designer soon for some Q&A and tweaks to the design
Stella-Luna Observatory 