See the Past coming to Biberach

 The next presentation is in the Stadtbuchhandlung Biberach on 9 October at 7 p.m.

Information here.

Translate / Übersetzen

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First Children's Book available!

 Just in time for Easter, my new book "Can you show me the planets?" is available in Amazon or better yet, in the Stadtbuchhandlung Biberach! Owner Corinna Palm has added my book to her shelves in the stores new location, Schrannen Strasse 4, 88400 Biberach a.d. Riß. Makes a great easter present!

This is the story of a question from my neighbor Mina and how we learn about the hobby of astronomy and the planets, and other celestial objects.

This is a story and coloring book which will bring the young one in your life hours of fun.

The book is available in english and german. Get it today!

On Amazon.de

Will you show me the planets?

Zeigst du mir die Planeten?

On Amazon.com

Will you show me the planets?

Zeigst du mir die Planeten?

Book Series Available

I've published my first series of Adult Coloring Books, designed for meditative coloring, on Amazon KDP. Check it out! 

English (Amazon.com US): Molecular Moods: A Coloring Journey Through Everyday Chemistry

Deutsch: Molecular Moods Malbuchreihe (3 Bücher)

Here is more information about the positive aspects of adult coloring.

German

English

Sunday work?

How about working on a "Sunday"? Imagine a live solar observatory at your place of work. I can setup my telescope in the parking lot or lawn of your business and provide an opportunity for you and your interested coworkers to view the sun, safely directly or by live feed to a monitor.

Its really a treat to take a look at the sun with your own eyes. I employ a wideband filter which provides a view of sunspots on the surface. 

My telescope is not able to show prominences or flares.

In this photo you can see the sunspots responsible for the Aurora Borealis we recently saw on May 11th. The ejection took place a few days before when the area of activity was pointed directly at the earth. The particles then need about 3 to 5 days to reach earth. I photographed these the morning of May 11th. 

If you're interested, send an email to sunday@seabrooke.de. 

Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis Lights Up German Sky

On May 11, 2024, while preparing for a night of stargazing in Mittelbiberach, Germany, I was surprised to witness the aurora borealis in the sky. Grabbing my iPhone, I managed to capture the vibrant hues ranging from green to blue, purple, and even bright magenta. 

Here are some highlights from the unexpected celestial display:

It was a captivating sight, reminding me of the beauty of nature and the wonders that can unexpectedly grace our skies.

**Notice:** The written description was created using ChatGPT LLM.

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Getting ready

Here's what setting up the scope typically looks like. Thirty something minutes of work compressed to about three minutes. 

First the tripod must be positioned and levelled. Then come the counterweights and then the scope itself can be mounted. After that comes the wiring and accessories. 

For this particular session I am employing my Hyperstar v4 adapter than allows wide field, fast astrophotography. Fast means the F stop is reduced from f10 in the standard configuration to f1.2. That means I'll be gathering more light and get better results in a shorter amount of time. This is great for large, faint nebulae and galaxies.

I actually enjoy setting up; I clear my mind of all the stress of being retired and begin to work through the plan I have for the evening.I hope you enjoy the show!