Starship Asterisk*

Observing SPACE from the Atacama desert, these observatories under the Milky Way of the southern skies contain contain many amateur telescopes.
The benefit of locating here is clear!
This image was captured on July 17th, 2015

The Milky Way Beach (Greece, July 18, 2015)
http://www.alexandrosmaragos.com
Copyright: Alexandros Maragos

The Milky Way at Finiki Village in Methoni, Messinia, Peloponnese, Greece.


The Milky Way Beach (Greece) by Alexandros Maragos

The crescent Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Regulus
from Rabat (Malta)
Copyright: Alexei Pace

A beautiful conjunction of moon, planets, stars and a comet tonight, visible in the southern hemisphere after sunset.
In this shot we have Venus at top, with the moon immediately below. Regulus to their right, and Jupiter below them.
Further below is comet c/2014 Q1 Panstarrs.
This scene was shot from the Andes mountains, at approximately 5,000 meters looking west over the Atacama desert lithium mines.
Shot with a Nikon D3s and 24-70mm f/2.8 lens at 70mm

Jupiter and Venus at NSP

Taken at the Nebraska Star Party, 2015. Onlookers prepare for a nights observing, and are currently looking at the planetary duo, still in close proximity just after sunset.
Richard S. Wright Jr.
www.eveningshow.com

Triple Setting of Moon, Venus, Jupiter
http://www.ancientstarlight.com
Copyright: Drew Sullivan The moon, Venus and Jupiter line up not only with each other, but with the horizon at sunset July 18,

Santa Cruz Mountains, California

The image is also visible with labeling and further information here:

http://www.ancientstarlight.com/Triple_Setting.html

Drew Sullivan

Panstarrs c/2014 q1, Moon, Jupiter, Venus & Regulus above the Indian Ocean.
http://lucperrot.fr/
https://www.facebook.com/lucperrotphoto
Copyright: Luc Perrot

Copyright: Raul Villaverde Fraile
https://www.flickr.com/photos/113243238 ... 3149002556

Messier 11 by Raul Villaverde, en Flickr

Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Comet PanStarrs

Credits: Amit Ashok Kamble

Finally after a long time some clear skies and what an evening to go after the comet C/2014 Q1 - Panstarrs

Spent some time with members from the Tauranga Astronomical Society chasing after the comet, we had few scopes out there but was a bit challenging to go after the comet with a C8 scope, so we settled down going after it with our camera and lens.

I managed to get few shots of the comet as it set down in the western sky.

Here is a crop image of the moon, venus, jupiter and comet panstarrs on the left of the frame, it's fascinating how it has two tails.

The comet was discovered on August 16, 2014 at Magnitude 18.4 by Pan-STARRS 1 telescope (Haleakala)

Magnitude when i shot this image was around 5.25 wasn't visible much visually but was a good view through binoculars, scopes and camera.

Exif: 10s, f2.8, ISO 3200 at 50mm using canon 50mm f1.8 lens on Canon 6D

June 2015
Location: San Romualdo - Ravenna (Italy)
LX200 12"GPS with Starizona reducer/coma corrector F/7.1
CCD QSI 520wsi cooled -18
Baader RGB and Narrowband filters
Autoguide with ASI120MM and PHDguiding2 on ETX105
RGB-HA-OIII: H-alpha Baader 7nm 55x5', OIII Baader 8,5nm 60x5', R 40x3', G 39x3', B 39x3'
Acquired with: MaximDL5 - Calibrated with Dark, Bias and Flat
Processed with: MaximDL5, Astroart4, StarTools1.3, AstraImage4, Photoshop CS2, Paint Shop ProX7 and Topaz Plug-in

Best regards,
Cristina Cellini

Milky Way in Sálvora Skies.

Sálvora is one of the islands that form the National Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia and which nowadays remains the most virgin and free of human being influence.

A natural area undoubtedly magical in which it can be found the ancient village of Sálvora with its houses whose walls of granite withstand the passage of time. This way shines over the old constructions the Julys Milky Way in the region between the constellation of Sagittarius and the Summer Triangle.
http://www.astrobin.com/195364/

Author: Pablo J. Martínez Alemparte.
Date: July, 14 - 2015.
Sálvora Island (Galicia-Spain).

Camera: Canon EOS 450D + Sigma 10-20/f4.0.

A variation of the conjunction of the moon and Venus last night, where also the star Regulus and the planet Jupiter appear.
Canon 5D MIII
140 mm
2.0 sec; f / 5.6; ISO 100
And a lot mist.



http://www.astrophoto.com.mx/picture.ph ... category/8

Solar eruption 19th of July.
204 mm H-alpha refractor.
image © Philippe TOSI

Moon, Venus and Jupiter all setting
http://www.ancientstarlight.com
Copyright: Drew Sullivan The moon, Venus and Jupiter align not only with each other but with the horizon at moonset (taken a few minutes later than the former image)

The image is also available as a web page with annotation here:

http://www.ancientstarlight.com/Triple_Setting.html

Drew Sullivan

Hello Pluto!
Credits and copyrights: Data: NASA/APL/SwRI; Processing: Giuseppe Conzo M8 - Lagoon Nebula
Copyrights: Jose Luis Pluto and Pluto
Credits and copyrights: Data: NASA/APL/SwRI and Disney; Processing: Brent Bozo The Depths of the Lagoon
Copyrights: Adam Block
Larger size: https://www.adamblockphotos.com/m8-the- ... ebula.html En route to Pluto
Copyrights: Ákos & Gábor Széll, NASA Pluto from New Horizon and from Earth
Copyrights: NASA and Fabio Castelluzzo From Mountains to Moons: Multiple Discoveries from NASA’s New Horizons Pluto Mission
Credits: NASA/JHU APL/SwRI
More about: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/from- ... to-mission Detailing the Detailed Surface of Pluto
Credits and copyrights: Data: NASA/APL/SwRI and Disney; Processing: Brent Bozo Noctilucent clouds
Copyrights: Malcolm Le May Messier 8&20
Copyrights: Raul Villaverde Fraile

Bi-colour NGC 6164-5
http://www.astrobin.com/195481/E/
Copyright: Slawomir Lipinski

NLCs on July 10 2015 close to the Baltic Sea with the bridge to the island “Fehmarn”
Copyright: Marco Ludwig – Neumünster Observatory / Germany

http://www.sternwarte-nms.de
and more of my pictures:
http://www.sternwanderer.eu

Located in the mouths of Galician estuaries known as "Rías Baixas" there stand the European westernmost islands: Sálvora, Ons and Cíes. They are nowadays protected under the status of National Park. Particularly, Salvora Island is nowadays uninhabited and visitors may only come by reservation and cannot stay over night. In the framework of a study of sky quality measurement I was lucky to be invited to come and take some pictures. Here we can see a typical galician food storage facility known as "hórreo". Not far from it is the ruined village which in ancient times hosted workers of a small salt industry. Despite more than a nautical mile from mainland, we can still see the effects of light pollution in the Eastern and Southern directions. The solitude and quietness is only disturbed by seagulls at large numbers living at the island. Still a beatiful night sky and pleasant feeling there though.

Located in the mouths of Galician estuaries known as "Rías Baixas" there stand the European westernmost islands: Sálvora, Ons and Cíes. They are nowadays protected under the status of National Park. Particularly, Salvora Island is nowadays uninhabited and visitors may only come by reservation and cannot stay over night. In the framework of a study of sky quality measurement I was lucky to be invited to come and take some pictures. Here we can see a typical galician food storage facility known as "hórreo". This one in particular was erected at one side of a beautiful stone floor square, which prevented plants to completely sorround it. We can also see a falling star near the vertex of the milky way arch. Despite more than a nautical mile from mainland, we can still see the effects of light pollution in the Eastern direction. The solitude and quietness is only disturbed by seagulls at large numbers living at the island. Still a beatiful night sky and pleasant feeling there though.

Gaia satellite and amateur astronomers spot one in a billion star
Copyrights: Credit: Marisa Grove/University of Cambridge Institute of Astronomy
An article: http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/gaia ... llion-star Milky Way Galactic Center from Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Copyrights: Michael Krypel Conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and Comet Panstarrs
Copyrights: Christian van den Berge Road to the Sun
Copyrights: Álvaro Ibáñez Pérez Venus and Jupiter over Lake Namtso
Copyrights: Jeff Dai Lovers at night
Copyrights: Jeff Dai Comet Panstarrs C/2014 Q1
Copyrights: Ian Griffin Comet C/2014 Q1 (APANSTARRS)
Copyrights: Kevin Parker
Full size: http://www.astrobin.com/full/194962/0/ NASA’s New Horizons Discovers Frozen Plains in the Heart of Pluto’s ‘Heart’
Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
An article: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa- ... to-s-heart

ISS transiting the Sun
Copyrights: Romain Lucchesi Milky Way over Yosemite National Park
Copyrights: Jack Forkner IC1396
Copyrights: Jesús M. Vargas and Maritxu Poyal New Horizons Approach in native resolution
Credits and Copyrights: Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI; Composition: Nik Schubert Milky Way over Greece
Copyrights: Christophe Anagnostopoulos
More images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/christoph ... 135126883/ Fantastic Red Sprites over the Czech Republic
Copyrights: Petr Horálek Spectacular Sunset over Bryce Canyon
Copyrights: John Rummel

A Pair of Planetaries
Copyrights: Don Goldman
Larger size: http://astrodonimaging.com/gallery/a-pa ... anetaries/ Sun Kiss
Copyrights: Charles L Hakes Pluto LORRI mosaic of Tombaugh Regio
Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI/Marco Di Lorenzo/Kenneth Kremer Moon with planets and Regulus form a new southern Cross
Copyrights: Caio Garcia Jardini Jorge Colourful sky
Copyrights: Justin Hongell SOFIA, Moon, Venus and Jupiter
Copyrights: Grant Bisset Moon & Venus, through tree branches
Copyrights: Peter McArthur Veil Nebula
Copyrights: Róbert Németh Venusian reflections
Copyrights: Chris Cook

NGC 6820 ("pillar") and NGC 6823 (open cluster near pillar)
Full-size/details: http://jeffjastro.com/dso/NGC6820_28Apr15.htm
Copyright: Jeff Johnson (http://jeffjastro.com)
... Imaged from my backyard. Thank you for looking ...

Stellar Riches
Copyright: Troy Casswell
Stellar Riches by Troy Casswell, on Flickr

Two Moons by Paul Stewart, on Flickr