A few weeks ago NASA released a video in stunning 4K quality showcasing some of the sharpest and most detailed views of the Sun at different wavelengths. These images were captured by NASA’S Solar Dynamic Observatory launched in space in 2010.
As stated in the introduction, each minute of video takes 10hrs in the hands of specialists to process. Not too bad considering that I’ve sometimes spent hours to produce a single image.
Not a UFO! Last weekend the US Navy launched a Trident II D5 strategic ballistic missile from USS Kentucky (a Ohio class SSNB) off the southern coast of California. Justin Majeczky and a friend were lucky enough to be shooting a time-lapse video over the Golden Gate bridge when they noticed the missile launch.
While not an astronomy target, capturing missile or rocket launches, especially at night lends itself very well to astro-photo gear, setup and software. And nighttime launches often provide nice results, especially after sunset as the exhaust plume reflects sunlight high up on the atmosphere. Can also trigger the formation of noctilucent clouds.
If you live in near a spaceport, or near a naval war exercise, tracking and capturing a missile or rocket launch with your gear can be rewarding.
While the Taurid Meteor Shower is expected to peak on November 11th and 12th for the Northern Hemisphere, some fireballs have already been observed and recorded.
The following video was recorded in Bangkok Thailand just before 9pm local time November 2nd
And a few days prior to that the following was captured in Poland on October 31st.
These fireballs as they streak across the sky often produce color due their chemical composition and the heat generating entering the atmosphere. Some may even leave behind a smoke trail that will persist for some time.
The Taurid Meteor Shower are remnants of a large comet that probably got broken up by repeated close encounters with Earth and other planets 20,000 to 30,000 years ago.