Starlight trail
My all-time favorite: our starlight horseback ride. My friendly models this time are Denise and Chacay (one of our younger horses). Click to view larger picture.
Tololo revisited
Another delightful visit to Tololo. This time together with Eric, an astrophotographer from the US, and Jan Hattenbach, science writer and blogger from Germany. More pics
Morning Parade
For the first time since 2005 all five visible (naked-eye) planets could be seen at once in the morning sky. Since the mountain ridges around the Hacienda made it rather difficult to capture all five planets at once, I searched for a different spot, and finally got lucky in a high-mountain valley that provided the perfect view towards the east.Click on image to enlarge.A lovely pair: Venus and Mercury in
Local Rodeos
Rodeos are a vivid part of the Chilean culture, especially in the countryside. Here are some impressions from local rodeos. More pics
Morning Conjunction
A lovely conjunction with Venus, Mercury and the waning Moon was visible in the morning sky.
Morning Moon
I caught the waning gibbous moon in the morning hours. Approximately 77% of the lunar disc are lit.
Construction Site
A new, privately owned observatory is built in our vicinity by ScopeDome GmbH. Upon its completion the observatory will consist of four domes ranging from 4 to 5.5 meters, accommodating telescopes with apertures of 0.5 meter up to one meter.The hill itself is appropriately called Loma Brillantel, which can be roughly translated as luminous hill.More pics
Heavenly conjunction
On the morning of November 7, 2015, the waning crescent moon formed a splendid triangle together with brillant Venus (lower right) and the much fainter red Mars (to the left).I took the picture in the wake of a 6.8 earthquake that had hit our region just an hour earlier, and send us all running out of the house. Luckily no damage was done.
Morning Sky
A magnificent spectacle as the waning moon joins the early-morning planet round-up. Jupiter can be found directly below the moon and brillant Venus shines in the lower right-hand corner. Much fainter is the planet Mars, the tiny spot just left of Venus.*A close-up of the heavenly conjunction.
Supermoon Eclipse
On the evening of September 27, 2015, we were lucky to witness the eclipse of a Supermoon. A full moon is referred to as a Supermoon when it is closest to the Earth and therefore is a tiny bit larger and brighter than a regular full moon. Lunar eclipses of Supermoons are relatively rare. The last one took place in 1982 and the next one will be in 2033.Here in Oregon