The latest ExoClock project transits

Martin Crow and Simon Dawes have been busy taking more measurements of Exoplanet transits for the ExoClock project.  Below are some of their latest ones.

''TrES-2b (also known as Kepler-1b or GSC 03549-02811b) is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star GSC 03549-02811 located 750 light years away from the Solar System in Draco. The planet was identified in 2011 as the darkest known exoplanet, reflecting less than 1% of any light that hits it. Reflecting less light than charcoal, on the surface the planet is said to be pitch black.  The planet's mass and radius indicate that it is a gas giant with a bulk composition similar to that of Jupiter. Unlike Jupiter, but similar to many planets detected around other stars, TrES-2b is located very close to its star and belongs to the class of planets known as hot Jupiters. This system was within the field of view of the Kepler spacecraft.  It was discovered on August 21, 2006 by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) by detecting the transit of the planet across its parent star using Sleuth (Palomar Observatory, California) and PSST (Lowell Observatory, Arizona), part of the TrES network of 10–cm telescopes. The discovery was confirmed by the W. M. Keck Observatory on September 8, 2006, by measuring the radial velocity of the star that hosts TrES-2b.'' Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrES-2b

 

HAT-P-37b is an exoplanet in the constellation Draco.

''HAT-P-37 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star. Its mass is 1.169 Jupiters, it takes 2.8 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.0379 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2011.'' Ref:https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/hat-p-37-b/

 

''Qatar-4b is a super-jupiter orbiting the star Qatar-4 every 1.8 days in Andromeda. It was discovered in 2016 by the Qatar Exoplanet Survey (QES).

This planet has a very short orbit, with only 1.8 days for it to complete an orbit around Qatar-4. The period corresponds with a separation of around 0.03 AU, which is almost 20 times closer than Mercury is to the Sun. Despite that, it has a perfectly round orbit. Since the host is an active star, Qatar-4 may be destroyed by tidal waves from the star.'' Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar-4b

 

''TrES-3b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star GSC 03089-00929. It has an orbital period of just 31 hours and nearly twice the mass of Jupiter.

The planet TrES-3b is named Umbäässa. The name was selected in the NameExoWorlds campaign by Liechtenstein, during the 100th anniversary of the IAU. In the local dialect of southern Liechtenstein, Umbäässa is a small and barely visible ant.

It is the third transiting planet found by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey. It was discovered in the constellation Hercules about 10 degrees west of Vega.'' Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrES-3b

 

Astro-images from the 28th and a little bit of the 29th June 2024

NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.

A lovely selection of images from Society members.

First two superb images are of the Sun and Moon taken by Jim Burchell on the 28th.

 

Next are a selection of fantastic images of the Noctilucent Cloud that put in an appearance during the night of the 28th/29th June.  It turned out to be quite a stunning display as you will see :-)

First set of images are from our Chairman John Archer whilst in Northumberland on the 28th June.  The 1st 3 images show the NLC developing over the North Sea.

Taken at 10.46pm.

Taken at 10.55pm.

Taken at 11.04pm.

Taken at 11.20pm.

 

The next 2 images are from Diane Clarke taken from Belvedere.  The 2nd image is absolutely stunning.

Taken at 10.53pm.

Taken at 11.15pm.

 

The next 2 superb images were taken by Honor Wheeler from Dartford.

Taken at 10.10pm.

Taken at 11.14pm.

 

This super image was taken by John Howarth from Bexley.

Taken at 11.10pm

 

This dramatic NLC image was taken by Bob Bryne from Dartford.

Taken at 11.27pm.

 

These lovely NLC images were taken by Sonia Rubie from Bexley.

Taken at 11.06pm.

Taken at 11.12pm.

 

These last 2 superb images were taken by Jim Burchell from Dartford just after midnight, so on the 29th June 2024 at 12.06am and 12.07am.

 

Crescent Moon & Mercury – 7th July 2024

A super collection of images by members of a Waxing Crescent Moon and Mercury taken on the 7th July 2024. The Moon had an illumination of 3%, which is the percentage of the moon that is illuminated by the Sun and an age of 1.6 days old, which is how many days it has been since the last New Moon.

 

John Howarth - Bexley

 

 

Honor Wheeler - Dartford

Mercury is just above the 'M' on the label Mercury in the photo.

  

 

Jim Burchell - Dartford

 

Richard Bohner - Arizona, USA.

Image taken 6 hours after Honor and Jim's images in the UK.  Notice how the Moon position has changed relative to Mercury.

Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) sightings – July 2024

A lovely selection of NLC images taken by Society members on the 7th & 14th of July 2024.

 

7th July 2024

Honor Wheeler - Dartford.

A panoramic photo by Honor Wheeler comprising 5 individual images.

The bright star like object on the right hand side, middle is Jupiter, diagonally up, top and right is Mars and in-between at the top of the image you can just make out the Pleiades. Taken using a Canon Camera M6II on a tripod, ISO800, f/4.5, 1/2sec, 18-400mm lens set to 37mm. 02:18UTC

 

Jim Burchell - Dartford.

 

Bob Byrne - Dartford.

 

Sonia Rubie - Bexley.

Taken using an iPhone - point & shoot.

 

14th July 2024

Jim Burchell - Dartford.

 

Honor Wheeler - Dartford. 

This is 6 frame panoramic taken at 21:45UTC.
Taken using a Canon Camera M6II, Tamron 18-400mm lens, ISO800, f/4, 1/1sec. Each frame the lens was set to 27mm. Panoramic created in Bimostitch and processed in Snapseed.

 

Martin Crow - Burnham on Crouch, Essex.

Time Lapse video by Martin Crow

[video width="480" height="720" mp4="https://crayfordmanorastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WhatsApp-Video-2024-07-15-at-12.04.54.mp4"][/video]

 

Diane Clarke - Bexley. 
 
Taken @ 22.33 BST / 21.33 UTC.  Using a Canon m50 Mk2, 50mm prime lens @ f2.8, 1/3 sec ISO 1600.Jpeg from RAW

 

Sonia Rubie - Bexley.

Taken using an iPhone - point & shoot.

Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) sightings – June 2024

It is Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) season and members have been watching the sky to see if these elusive clouds put in an appearance - and I am pleased to report that they have. A few members have spotted them....

First this season was by Honor Wheeler whilst in Norfolk on the 17th June 2024.

[video width="848" height="478" mp4="https://crayfordmanorastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/WhatsApp-Video-2024-06-21-at-18.15.02.mp4"][/video]

 

Second was by Jim Burchell on the 18th June 2024 from Dartford.

 

Third was by Jim Burchell & Sonia Rubie on the 20th June 2024.

NLC spotted by Jim on the 20th June 2024 from Dartford.

 

NLC spotted by Sonia Rubie on the 20th June 2024 from Bexley.

 

And finally, fourth by Martin Crow on 23rd June 2024 from Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex.

 

The Sun by Jim Burchell

NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.

A lovely collection of white light images of the Sun taken by member Jim Burchell in May & June this year; showing several large sunspots. Jim took the images using a Pentax KP camera attached to a 102 mm Altair refactor fitted with a solar filter and then processed in Snapseed.

Aurora – 2024 May 10th/11th

Like many of the stars we see in the night sky, our own Sun is a variable star. Its activity waxes and wanes, peaking every 11 years in a phenomenon known as the Solar Cycle.

As it approaches this peak we see more dark sunspots appear on its face, and some of those sunspots can grow to huge sizes, becoming larger than our own planet.

Recently an ink blotch trail of sunspots ten times the size of Earth appeared on the Sun, so big it was even visible to the naked eye through solar eclipse glasses and was a stunning sight through telescopes fitted with solar filters.

As it developed, this sunspot group began firing off powerful solar flares, again and again, like a WWII battleship firing a broadside.

And when a sequence of these flares was directed towards Earth, astronomers who study space weather became very excited at the prospect of enhanced auroral activity in the night sky once the solar material reached Earth.

They predicted that, if everything went well, the evening of Friday 10 May 2024 might see an impressive display of the Northern Lights, perhaps even one of the largest for years.

Even though there was no guarantee of seeing anything, aurora-watchers crossed their fingers and made plans to go aurora-hunting after sunset that evening. Ref:https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/aurora-10-may-2024

So on the night of 2024 May 10/11 several CMHASD members all over the UK looked up at the sky in anticipation and finally at around 10.30pm watched in amazement at an Aurora display. 

Below is a slideshow of a presentation that CMHASD member Sonia put together showing some of the images members had taken that night and 3 time lapse videos too.  Some of the photographs taken by members show vivid colours but to most naked eye observers the colours were not so obvious due to light pollution.  

[ngg src="galleries" ids="83" display="basic_slideshow"]Time lapse videos by Honor Wheeler.

[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://crayfordmanorastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Aurora_TimeLapse20240510_HW01.mp4"][/video]

[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://crayfordmanorastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AuroraTimeLapse20240510_HW02.mp4"][/video]

 

Time lapse video by Martin Crow.

[video width="848" height="480" mp4="https://crayfordmanorastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/WhatsApp-Video-2024-05-11-at-00.14.01.mp4"][/video]

The Moon – 15th May 2024

A super image of the Moon taken by member Diane Clarke on the 15th May 2024. During this day the phase of the Moon is First Quarter.  The Moon is 49.91% illuminated; which is the percentage of the moon that is illuminated by the Sun. The Moon was 7.37 days old, which shows how many days it has been since the last New Moon.

Diane's image is a stacked image from a 10 min AVI file.  Taken with a Seestar s50, using Autostakkert, with slight colour correction using Affinity Photo.

You should also be able to make out the clair-obscur effects on the Moon known as the Lunar X and V in this image too. 

Lunar X and V are famous optical features on the Moon, visible for several hours around the time of the First Quarter through a telescope.  When the Moon’s terminator; the line between light and dark on the Moon is just in the right place, you can see a letter X and a letter V on the Moon’s surface.

Lunar X and V are examples of how lighting and topography can combine to produce a pattern that seems familiar to the human eye.  The X is formed when parts of the rims of the craters La Caille (68km wide), Blanchinus (68km) and Purbach (118km) catch the Sun’s light. The V is caused by Sun light illuminating the Moon close to the crater Ukert along with several smaller craters.

For more information check out https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/skills/lunar-x-v and https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-is-lunar-x/

The Moon – 12th May 2024

A stunning collection of photos of the Moon taken on the 12th May 2024 by Neil Webster.  The Moon was 25.1% illuminated and 4.71 days old.

AA115mm APO EQ6 R, ZWO ASI290MM, R/IR filter

4 frames stitched in Microsoft ICE: each 90sx33fps. Best 20% stacked in AutoStakkert.

Acquisition: firecapture
Processing: AutoStakkert & Photoshop

For higher resolution photos of the above; check out Neils flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/137388222@N05/

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