Category: Astronomy Report

Astronomy Report

Name: Federico Arturo Martinez Espinoza

Crew: Crew 201 MEx-1

Date: Dec 29 2018

During our time on MDRS, as astronomer my main job was to make observations of different space bodies using the MDRS-WF telescope, the observations were focused on astrophotography of the next bodies:

Object	Filters	Exposure	Images taken
46P Wirtanen	RGB	60s	3
Andromeda Galaxy	H alpha	210	5
Andromeda Galaxy	RGB	60s	3
NGC7000	RGB	45s	3
Messier 101	RGB + Halpha	60s	4
Horsehead nebula	RGB + Halpha	60s	4
NGC2024	RG + Halpha	60s	3
PGC21396	RGB + Halpha + Lum	45s	5
* Horsehead nebula	RGB + Halpha	300s	4
* M1	RGB + Halpha + Lum	300s	5
* PGC27077	RGB + Halpha + Lum	120s	5

*Pending

The filters used to process the images were on most of them RGB and some of them the Halpha filter with a time of exposures between 45 and 300 seconds, after calibrating the images on AstroimageJ I proceed to give the color using photoshop based on the steps the quick guide had gave me.
The results were varied depending on the time of exposure and the filters used, but many of the images were great and I am getting experience and exciting about astrophotography.

Federico Arturo Martinez Espinoza

Crew: Crew 201 MEx-1

Date: Dec 28 2018

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested MDRS-WF

Objects Viewed: Horsehead nebula

Problems Encountered: None, the filters used to take this image was RGB.

[title Astronomy Report – December 27th]

[category astronomy-report]

Name: Federico Arturo Martinez Espinoza

Crew: Crew 201 MEx-1

Date: Dec 27 2018

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested MDRS-WF

Objects Viewed: Messier 101

Problems Encountered: The filters used were RGB and H Alpha, the image taken with H alpha were not great and the final result after photoshop was not as expected, so I decided to remove the h alpha filter.

Astronomy Report

Name: Federico Arturo Martinez Espinoza

Crew: Crew 201 MEx-1

Date: Dec 25 2018

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested MDRS-WF

Objects Viewed: Andromeda Galaxy

Problems Encountered: None, I used the image in Photoshop to give it color, used RGB filter to take 3 images with an exposure time of 60 s.

Astronomy Report
Name: Federico Arturo Martinez Espinoza
Crew: Crew 201 MEx-1
Date: Dec 22 2018

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested MDRS-WF

Objects Viewed: Andromeda Galaxy

Problems Encountered: None, we really like our first image of Andromeda Galaxy, I used Hapha filter to take five images with an exposure time of 210 s.

MS, We did some astronomy work.

Astronomy Report
Name: Federico Arturo Martinez Espinoza
Crew: 201 MEx-1
Date: 21- Dec – 2018

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested MDRS-WF
Objects Viewed: 46P/Witarnen
Problems Encountered: Do not know if the lack of experience using photoshop to give color to images is the cause, but can not find the comet on the picture
.

Mission Support,

This is our Astronomy Report. Today we learned how to use the Telescope of the Musk Observatory. It was a cloudy day, so we couldn´t take any pictures for you.

Receive the report.

Astronomy Report
Name: Federico Arturo Martínez Espinoza
Crew: 201
Date: Dec-18-2018
Sky conditions: Clear
Wind: Calm
Observation start time: 15:20
Observation end time: 15:50
Summary: This was the first day we went to Musk Solar Observatory to probe how to start, adjust and calibrate things correctly and as soon as possible to get ready for our first observations for the next days.
Objects viewed: Just use of the telescope to locate the sun, none a particular object.
Problem encountered: N/A

Thank you!

Crew Astronomer: Andrew Foster

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested: None.

Requested objects – None.

Objects Viewed: None

Images attached:

1. Dark sky from MDRS: Sirius, Orion, Taurus and winter Milky Way. Canon D60, 40x15s images + 4 darks @ ISO5000, images processed w/ DeepSkyStacker and PS.

2. Solar feature, likely faint sunspot AR2729, captured with Lunt 100mm solar scope 08Dec2018, w/ Imaging Source DBK colour camera @15fps, best 1200 of 1400 frames, processed w/ Registax 6 & PS.

Problems Encountered:

N/A

MUSK OBSERVATORY

Solar Features Observed (08DEC2018): Solar filament, faint Sunspot AR2729. Note – found observation of solar features challenging, likely due to inexperience with coarse / fine tuning of solar etalon.

Notes

Crew Astronomer departed station 12-08-2018, (now post-processing images acquired during mission).

End report.

Crew Astronomer: Andrew Foster

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested: MDRS-WF (05 DEC), hope to add further WF observations if conditions clear later this evening.

Requested objects – None.

Objects Viewed: None

Image attached: None.

Problems Encountered:

Poor weather conditions (Cloudy conditions continue today).

MUSK OBSERVATORY

Solar Features Observed: None.

Notes

Both observatories are clear of snow this evening.

Attached 3 x photos: Astronomy Laptop and Astronomy box (end of mission), plus photo of packaging for backup UPS battery left in Science Dome (empty packaging only, UPS battery is inside Dome).

Crew Astronomer departing station 12-08-2018

End report.

Astronomer: Andrew Foster

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested: MDRS-WF (05 DEC)

Requested objects – Requested yesterday (05 DEC) 46/P Wirtanen (wide field),

MDRS-14 imaging update:

46/P Wirtanen (cometary coma imaging) – Active

3C 273 (Quasar) – Active

AG Peg / RW Aur (photometry measurements) – Images available (will download post-mission for processing).

Objects Viewed: None

Image attached: None.

Problems Encountered:

Poor weather conditions (Cloudy conditions continue today).

MUSK OBSERVATORY

Solar Features Observed: Short observation of Sun through eyepiece w/ high cloud conditions, no detail visible. Carried out short test of Imaging Source DBK camera (no image captured).

Notes

Carried out minor repair on Solar observatory dome – loose seal secured (see attached photos).

Both observatories are clear of snow this evening.

End report.