ISS transiting the Sun here in Hokkaido a few hours ago. Pretty happy with this considering I used a telescope I made with mostly junk and cheap AliExpress parts and an iPhone held up to the eyepiece. 114mm Newtonian Dobsonian. Couldn’t have done it without transit-finder.com. 🔭 ☀️
Transit-finder.com makes this kind of thing remarkably easy if you want to try this yourself. I’m waiting for some good ISS passes of the moon which should be easier to see given its much larger angular size. 🔭
Blink and you’ll miss it. Tiangong, the Chinese Space Station, passing in front of the Sun this afternoon. Once at full speed and then slowed down to 1/8th speed. (It’s very small, you might not be able to see it on a small screen. Moves horizontally right to left just below center of Sun. 🔭 ☀️
Image of Sun with three sunspots visible
NASA’s image of the Sun with three sunspots visible
Our local star. I bought a cheap solar filter from AliExpress. I don’t trust it with eyes but I do trust it with my iPhone. 114 mm Newtonian dob, 40mm eyepiece. NASA picture on the right for comparison. 🔭 ☀️
Blurry image of Jupiter and 4 moons exactly matching the calculated locations below.
An iPhone picture snapped through the eyepiece of a homemade 114mm Newtonian telescope of Jupiter and the Galilean moons compared to the calculated image from thskylive.com. Isn’t science amazing! This picture was taken about 40 minutes ago in Hokkaido, Japan. 🔭 🧪
Disappointing to hear astronauts promoting Bronze Age superstitions about magic sky fairies whilst using advanced science and engineering to travel safely around the moon. #artemisII 🔭
This is really hard to see but I captured the Chinese Space Station passing in front of the moon this evening. I used my budget homemade telescope and an iPhone. The video is slowed down and is inverted so the space station moves from bottom left to top right. 🔭
I just finished building my cedar strip canoe and so today was launch day. Design is the Solo Day by Ashes Still Water Boats. Beautiful warm day at Lake Toya in Hokkaido, Japan even though there is still snow on the surrounding hills. #canoe #woodenboat
Pinhole Solargraph showing the parking path of the Sun over the course of a day with snow in the foreground and a line of trees in the mid distance.
Single day Solargraph. This was an experiment in using a slightly larger pinhole. Trees are less in focus but the path of the Sun is very clear. 🔭 ☀️ #pinhole
Pinhole picture of larch trees in snowy ground, and the bright lines of the sun adding through the sky. There is a ridge line in the background. Whole picture is angled at about 30°.
Two week Solargraph made from a Danish cookie tin pinhole camera and ILFORD photographic paper. Hokkaido, Japan. 🔭 ☀️
Almost total cloud cover here in Hokkaido. Just a faint fuzzy glow visible.
Very poor image of a fuzzy crescent eclipsed full moon.
Worst lunar eclipse ever! Almost total cloud cover. This is the best shot I could get. 🔭
Almost full moon with Regulus just above.
Despite 95% cloud cover, sub zero temperatures and strong winds, I just watched Regulus disappear behind the moon with my homemade telescope! 🔭
I took a picture of Jupiter and the four Galilean moons earlier this week with my homemade telescope. I can see two cloud bands on Jupiter and maybe the Great Red Spot if I squint? 🔭
Solargraph showing the path of the sun with snow in the foreground and trees on the horizon in the mid distance.
1 week Solargraph in Hokkaido, Japan. I’ll try to set another up in this location for a year. This was made with an empty Fanta can, pinhole, ILFORD photographic paper and black tape. 🔭 ☀️ 🌞
It was sunny for a couple of days and then snowing for a couple of weeks and then sunny for a couple of days again. You can see at one point there was a brief bit of sunshine for an hour or so in between the two sunny periods.
Pinhole photo showing the arcing path of the sun through the sky. There are a line of trees in the middle distance which the arcs cut through. The foreground is snowy ground. There are two distinct arcs with a small gap between them.
Pinhole Solargraph. 4 week exposure leading up to the winter solstice using an old aluminium Fanta can as a camera and ILFORD photographic paper. Hokkaido, Japan. #photography #art #pinhole #lofi
Here is the high tech camera. Yes, that’s a Fanta can with hole poked in it and lots of black tape!
Solargraph showing the path of the sun over about 4 weeks. Two distinct Solar paths are visible. A line of trees in the mid distance and snow in the foreground.
Pinhole Solargraph of the 4 weeks up to the solstice. This is the best one yet I think. Looking forward to seeing the six month ones I’m setting up right now. 🔭
Cedar strip canoe sitting in the deep snow. Trees in the background.
Almost finished building a cedar strip canoe. Still need to finish making the seat and varnish everything.
Black and white image showing the lake, shore and ridge line with a bright arc showing the path of the Sun.
One week Solargraph next to Hangetsu lake, at the base of Mt. Yotei, Hokkaido, Japan. Really happy with how this one turned out, especially the reflection in the partially frozen lake. It’s great we were able to leave it undisturbed in a place where so many people visit. 🔭 ☀️
Picture of waxing gibbous moon.
The moon a few minutes ago from Hokkaido. 🔭
Thanks. It’s unlikely but a real concern here. I have scuttled inside with my telescope a couple of times after hearing something big moving around in the undergrowth. Probably deer but not worth chancing it!
Thanks! Not bad for a homemade telescope made with cheap mirrors from AliExpress and a cardboard tube from the hardware store!
The moon, Saturn and the ISS lined up diagonally in a gap between larch trees.
The moon, Saturn and the International Space Station lined up between the trees just now. Hokkaido, Japan. 🔭
This evening’s waxing gibbous moon.
The moon is looking beautiful this evening. 🔭
Week long Solargraph image showing the path of the sun behind some trees and snow in the foreground.
New pinhole Solargraph! This one was in place for a week. Had a few really sunny days and then lots of cloud. Am I going to do a month long and year long one? You’d better believe it! 🔭 ☀️
Fuzzy picture of Jupiter showing two diagonal cloud bands and three moons.
My best picture of Jupiter yet with my homemade 114mm Dobsonian telescope. Also Europa below and Io and Ganymede above. So cool to see cloud bands on another planet! 🔭
It’s strangely beautiful isn’t it? Like some kind of relic from the past. I’m going to try and make one that captures a week or month next.
