Posts Made By: Carlos E. Hernandez

Paul,

The Great Red Spot (GRS) region appears to be still active at this time as recorded in your images. I look forward to your future images.

Carlos

Lonnie,

An outstanding image of the ISS taken with the Stellacam and your fine instrument. The amount of detail resolved is very impressive. I think that you would have imaged a cosmonaut!

Carlos

Jake,

An excellent image of M17! Thank you for sharing it with us all. I am glad that the new camera (Canon 300D) is working out for you.

Carlos

Christopher and Michael,

Thank you for the compliment on my observation of Neptune. I did not note any detail over this bluish-greenish disk compared to that detected over Uranus. Rarely have observers detected any detail over this very distant planet (average distance from the Sun of 30.07 AU, compared to 19.2 AU for Uranus). Neptune's diameter is 30,784 miles (49,532 km) compared to Uranus' of 31,770 miles (51,118 km). Neptune's period of revolution is 164.8 years (compared to 84 years for Uranus) which means that the planet has not completed one circuit around the Sun since it's discovery in 1846 (on September 23rd by Johann Gottfried Galle and Heinrich Louis d'Arrest of the Berlin Observatory using a 9.6 inch Fraunhofer refractor( http://bdaugherty.tripod.com/astronomy/berlin.html ) based upon calculations provided by the famous French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (although credit is also given to the British astronomer John Couch Adams for his calculations made around the same time). Neptune will reach that mark in 2011!

Useful links on Uranus and Neptune:
http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html
http://www.nineplanets.org/neptune.html

Discovery Links:
http://www.u-net.com/ph/naw96/discover.htm
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/nk/neptune/
http://www.u-net.com/ph/lassell/

Dodi,

An outstanding image of the Sun in H-alpha. The faculae and prominences are very prominent. Thank you for sharing this image with us all.

Carlos

Paul,

I hope that you are enjoying your retirement. Thank you for posting your excellent images of the Moon (Mons Rumker), Venus, and Uranus. Uranus is a very difficult target for the eye and camera. I know as I posted an observation of it on the Solar System Observing forum. I look forward to your future images.

Carlos

Alex,

Better late for the party than missing it entirely. Thank you for posting your excellent image of the transit of Venus (second contact).

Carlos

Dave,

Sounds like you enjoyed very productive night observing the heavens. I would ask if you noted Charon next to Pluto but the answer is probably NO. Thanks for sharing your observing session.

Carlos

Wes,

I wish that you would quit posting Apollo images of the Moon instead of your own. That is an incredible image of Archimedes! I look forward to your future images.

Carlos

Jake,

A nice image of the solar surface showing the various sunspot groups and faculae. The solar surface does appear more active than noted for some time. I look forward to your future images.

Carlos