Crew Astronomer: Andrew Foster
MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested: MDRS-14 / MDRS-WF / None
Objects Viewed: None
Image attached: Messier 45 (Pleiades Cluster) – finished processing from MDRS WF practice image. 50min exposure LRGB.
Problems Encountered:
Poor weather conditions (Cloudy conditions today).
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: None (no observations made today due to weather).
Notes
Both observatories are clear of snow this evening.
End report.
Crew Astronomer: Andrew Foster
MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested: MDRS-14 [Sent imaging request
46P/Wirtanen & 3C 273]
Objects Viewed: Milky Way & constellation Cygnus (visual only).
Image attached, Cygnus / Milky Way taken with Canon D60 @ ISO 3200 / 20s exp.
Second image w/ light painting by MDRS 200 crew member.
Carried out observational Limiting Magnitude exercise, est. NELM 5.9, clouds moving in from South during exercise.
Problems Encountered:
Poor weather conditions (snow / cold).
Robotic Observatory maintenance carried out, see Operations Report for details.
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: Carried out test of system / visual observation of Sun. No sunspots visible, no major features observed.
Observatory equipment photographs (start of mission) attached.
Notes
Both observatories are clear of snow this evening.
End report.
Astronomy Report
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: May 4, 2018
Sky Conditions: Sunny and clear, with few clouds
Wind Conditions: Low
Observation Start Time: 1400
Observation End Time: 1430
Summary:
One solar flare was spotted today on the sun’s southwestern side. The rest of the sun was scanned with the camera to find more features, but found nothing.
Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best images processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The result is attached.
Objects Viewed: Sun
Problems Encountered: None
Astronomy Report
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: May 3, 2018
Sky Conditions: Clear until about noon, heavy clouds in the afternoon.
Wind Conditions: Low
Observation Start Time: 1100
Observation End Time: 1500
Summary:
No pictures were taken with the camera today, because we hosted a group of schoolkids on a tour of the entire campus, including Musk. The astronomer set up the telescope to track the sun and each kid was allowed to look through it. There were two subgroups of kids, one at around 1130 and the other at around 1430.
After the kids left, the astronomer closed up the observatory because of threatening rain.
Objects Viewed: Sun
Problems Encountered:
Clouds began to obscure the sun during the second viewing.
Astronomy Report
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: May 2, 2018
Sky Conditions: Heavy clouds & rain for most of the day. The sun came out between the clouds in the afternoon.
Wind Conditions: Low
Observation Start Time: 1430
Observation End Time: 1500
Summary:
On eye-viewing, the sun appeared to have no obvious features. The photo taken below has a tiny prominence.
Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best images processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The results are attached.
Objects Viewed: Sun
Problems Encountered:
There was a light drizzle despite the sun being out among the clouds, so I waited 10-15 minutes before it stopped before taking the blanket off the telescope.
Astronomy Report
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: May 1, 2018
Sky Conditions: Mostly clear, occasional clouds
Wind Conditions: Low
Observation Start Time: 1330
Observation End Time: 1400
Summary:
One small, shallow prominence was photographed on the Sun. No other features were apparent.
Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best images processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The results are attached.
Objects Viewed: Sun
Problems Encountered:
One filament was spotted, but was nowhere to be found when viewed through the camera. No amount of tuning could bring it back. The prominence discovered today seems to have developed as quickly.
Astronomy Report
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: April 29, 2018
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with sun still intense through them
Wind Conditions: Windy around noon/afternoon
Observation Start Time: 1315
Observation End Time: 1415
Summary:
Two dark features and a white feature were spotted on the sun today. The dark features are not defined enough to look like sunspots, so they could be filaments. The white spot is almost definitely another solar flare, smaller than the one spotted two sols ago.
Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best images processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The results are attached.
Objects Viewed: Sun
Problems Encountered:
Winds were such that I could not open the lower shutter without it shaking too much, so I kept it closed. The sun was high enough in the sky by then that I could observe it with just the upper shutter retracted.
Passing clouds blotted out the sun at times, so I waited until the camera image cleared before taking captures.
Astronomy Report
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: April 28, 2018
Sky Conditions: Sunny with clouds
Wind Conditions: No wind earlier in morning, windy around noon
Observation 1 Start Time: 0945
Observation 1 End Time: 1015
Observation 2 Start Time: 1145
Observation 2 End Time: 1200
Summary:
Observation 1: The solar flare and filament from yesterday were no longer visible with the camera. No sunspots could be seen with the eye, and the camera could not discriminate any from the granules.
Observation 2: I got a heads-up from Peter Detterline about a prominence on the Sun’s southeast side. It was not visible in the eyepiece at first, but after playing with the tuners it came into view. I attached the Skyris camera, brought the feature into focus, and took a capture.
Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best images processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The results are attached.
Objects Viewed: Sun
Problems Encountered: Winds during second observation were such that I could not open the lower shutter without it shaking too much, so I kept it closed. The sun was high enough in the sky by then that I could observe it with just the upper shutter retracted.
Astronomy Report
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: April 27, 2018
Sky Conditions: Clear
Wind Conditions: None
Observation Start Time: 1016
Observation End Time: 1100
Summary:
EMERGENCY:
One solar flare was discovered today, aimed right at us. It is a whitish spot next to a filament, as shown in the photo attached.
No sunspots or prominences could be spotted with the Skyris camera, despite using the tuners.
Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best image processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The result is attached.
Objects Viewed: Sun
Problems Encountered: None
Name: Eric Shear
Crew: 193
Date: April 26, 2018
Sky Conditions: Clear
Wind Conditions: None
Observation Start Time: 0800
Observation End Time: 845
Summary:
Our (Crew Geologist Astronomer) CGA continued his task of monitoring the sun for sunspot activity. The sunspots are getting smaller – they were not visible with the eye but could still be seen with the Skyris camera. The triple-sunspot observed yesterday has now been reduced to two, with the third almost indistinguishable from the surrounding granules.
No prominences, flares, or filaments were seen.
Photos were taken with the Skyris camera and the best image processed in Autostakkert, Registax, Photoshop, and PowerPoint to colorize and bring out contrast. The result is attached.
Objects Viewed: Sun
Problems Encountered: None
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