November 2006
18-19/11/2006
Local:Calar Alto
Calar Alto
The first night
At the place where we stayed at Las Menas de Serón (that are restored mining facilities), the sky was already sufficiently dark despite or perhaps for being encircled by mountains and already at an altitude of 1500 meters. Even after a trip of almost 1000 km on our backs it was not possible to pass that sky without an observation. Without exception all the group's telescopes were setup, and that were quite a few: one 15 " obsession, one 8" dob, a 8" maksutov-Newtonian on top of a G11, one takahashi Sky90, a 80mm TMB and several small mounts with cameras. Although the place's lights (gentily extinguished by place's manager), the sky was of great category, with among others objects, a direct horsehead vision from the Obsession, an unusuall scene of seeing the constellations appearing at the top of the massice but already well high at West. Gone to bed early for the long day and night that would follow.
A day at Calar Alto's Observatory
The Calar Atlo Observatory is located at the Andalusian mountain chain of Los Filabres, that also serves as imponent background to the coastal city of Almeria. With an altitude of 2160 meters (7084 ft) and in a arid and semi-desertic region, it provides about 200 clear sky nights per year. The recint has an area of 100km2 and is encircled by beautiful landscapes. At South is the Mediterranean, at North a landscape almost like “American Western” and at West the the Sierra Nevada's snowy tops. It was a sunny day with only some high clouds, but at that altitude the air temperature is quite coolish. A large bird (seemed vultures) migration as passed by using the ascending air to gain altitude, but it seemed that something had died because it resembled the typical circle flying waiting for lunch.
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With the generous authorization of Observatory director dr. João Alves (Portuguese), and with amiable orientation and patience of our host Juan Capel we were offered a memorable visit to some of the telescopes and installations. We can't express all our gratitude for this visit to become a reality. See more pictures from the Observatory
The Observatory was initiated in 1973 and currently lodges five telescopes: a 0.8m Schmidt , three Ritchey-Chretien of 1.2, 2,2 and 3,5 meters, all manufactured by the prestigious Zeiss (this is an observatory of the Max Planck's German Institute for Astronomy) and finnaly the 1.5m (Reosc) telescope belonging to the observatório Nacional de Madrid. We passed by almost all them and entered in the 0.8m Schmidt dome and finally on the technological cathedral of Zeiss 3.5m.
The most imponent certainly was the 3.5 meters (138") Zeiss , in which we had one delayed visit having covered the machine room , the mirror's “bathroom” and finally the great dome. With a mass of 230 metric tons it was the last of the generation of telescopes with ume monolithic mirror (mirror in one piece), having this one an impressive weight of 13 tons. Designed with inspiration on the Palomar Mount's gigantic 200" Hale telescope , also uses an horseshoe mount as the side image shows, this was the last of the giant telescopes that type of equatorial mount. This 3.5m mirror is f/3.5 made of zerodur that have a low coefficient of expansion characteristic, guaranteeing a good thermal stability, being also very versatile in the optical configurations, being able to be used in primary focus, Coudé or Cassegrain with an fast and ingenious configuration system.
I dont recall seeing a 230 tons machine moving so graciously and at the same time so quiet, elegance of German engineering at its best with certainty. The operator made the favour to turn the telescope to us and to open the petals that protect the primary mirror. We also had the chance to watch the nitrogen filling of the 4 4mp CCDs that cover each one 45 minutes of arc in the “wide-field” configuration . The telescope, accessories, secondary, CCDs, spectrographs were all familiar to us but all in a huge scale. A true monument.
A special thanks to the astronomeur that it postponed in half hour the beginning of his session due to our visit.
See more picture of this telescope.
A night at 1.23m recint
After the visit, we headed to the 1,23m Zeiss recint currently on inactive status, that was the chosen place to not disturb the Observatory's activity, having for neighbors the 2.2m and at little more distance the 3.5m, both had intense activity during all the night. This site is one of the Observatory's highest points almost along with the geodesic landmark, featuring a wide horizon and a general sight of all the place, right in the middle of the biggest concentration of Zeiss telescopes of the planet.
We arrived before 18:00 hours with the Sun still above of the horizon and lefted little more than 12 hours later. It was a long night session that had time to do almost everything: to take off photographs, eat, drink, to talk, to look at and through the telescopes or simply to look at the sky.
The night as expected, was of some thoughness although the relatively lower night temperatures that had surrounded it. According to the local meteorological station records, the termometer didn´t go lower than 4 degrees celsius (39F), but that was the temperature of air _without_ wind. During all the night a breeze blew on the unprotected places and sometimes with some "freezing to the bone"s gusts, the little or no humidity happily did not accent more the discomfort. Nevertheless, these were not exactly extreme conditions and the majority helded the session uninterruptedly.
It was a bit disappointing to verify the damage by the inexorable advance of the ligh pollution already has caused on most parts of all the low horizon, losing the classification of very dark site at least for visual observations , but it did not modified the scientific quality of the place, reorienting the research with instruments that are not affected by the light pollution, such as spectrographs.
The SQM reached a maximum value of 21.40, a bit shorter than the verified maximum values of 21.50 in Montesinho, Bragança and Pulo do Lovo, Serpa. But 2000 meters are still 2000 meters and the transparency that comes with it guaranteed a sky of magnitude 6.5-7 on the darker regions of sky, no short of spectacular, still with an extraordinary extremely low turbulence of just 1 arcseconds. Some clouds appeared but didn´t last long, but conveniently used for breaks to chat, to give a walk around, and of course to eat something. The neighbor 2.2m open dome was a good indicator that night was to last.
Additionally to the above named equipment, half dozen of Spanish amateur astronomers with a stratospheric 25" Obsession had joined us and also other telescopes for planetary imaging.
The first part of the night I was entertained, as well as many friends, taking photographs with the 50mm lens, of which can see here and here. Next I done a good around review objects that deserved to be observed under dark skies: the nebulas at Swan, the Veils, the North America and Pelican, Crescent Nebula and all region to Deneb, as well as the Auriga and Cassiopeia constellations , with all its clusters and nebulas. Also I gave a look at the Swan comet that by that time was very close to zeta aquilae (on the 25 " it was an impressive).
At my corner was the Alcino with his 80mm TMB and son Rodrigo, having at certain occasion go for the integral observation all the objects suggested by the charts of the Karkoscha. I found amusing to compare directly the charts with the sky. All the stars were seen directly and without difficulty making too much easy to find and to observe. Worthy notice are the small and faint M81, satellite galaxy, NGC 2976, surprising big NGC 2403 in Camelopardalis, small galaxy NGC 1023 and still smallerl nebula NGC 1491, both in Perseu.
On the personal challenges (a bit exaggerated sometimes), I tried to see Sirius B, but the Sirius (A) beyond being the firmament's brighter star has rare and special gift to remember me that I have a doublet refractor, even so I didn't think that was the cause of the negative observation. The fifth star of the trapezium also was missed although the perfect solidity of the image only limited by difraction - the turbulence was notorious smaller than the theoretical resolution of the telescope… The sky lacked a bit more transparency or perhaps some patience.
The 25" Obsession was a center of great attentions, sometimes with rush hours. Among others, they had been the quasi-photographic visions of the chaotic galaxy M82, NGC 2392 (“Eskimo”), with an amazing detail of the multiple gas shells that I considered as definitive vision of this nebula, at least for the times to come, and still of the extraordinarly colorful and complex Orion's nebula M42/M43. The more distant gaseous giants were of a abismal size with the Encke's minima easy on Saturn, even so have preferred of obsession 15” that me it seemed a bit more collimated. Sometimes the eyepiece height was not advisable to who had vertigos, but I think that the curiosity largely overlapped the fear of falling from the “wallmart” category stairs. On the other hand, the smaller telescopes had also benefited (perhaps more) from this sky, and all had shown to the respective owners and to whom wanted to, observations of rare beauty that only a good sky can allow.
During all the night the leonids falled, having some of them crossed half hemisphere, and for times they came in pairs, but in a somewhat superior cadence than the sporadical meteors. Unfortunelly wasn'ts intense as some forecasts announced, disapointing many of us who came ready to see and to capture them.
The session finished with the most intense and extensive zodiacal light that I've remember had witnessed. Extended eye to eye corners half of the hemisphere throughout the ecliptic from the Lion constellation (somewhat disfigured by Saturn) until the Gemini feet's. It was so notourious that I misjudged being clouds forming, putting then a final quality stamp on this sky.
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We returned at 6:20, somewhat frozen but happy. Were there Alberto, Alcino and son Rodrigo, Anselmo, Filipe Alves, José Ribeiro, Licínio, Luís Carreira, Luís Evangelista, Paulo Barros, Paulo Bénard Guedes and about 6 or 7 local amateur astronomers whose the name missed. Also with us on trip, Claudia and sister and Patrícia.
See more pictures of observation site.
Turistic Adenddum - Recuerdos de la Alhambra
In the return home day , a good part of the group woke up early to stop in the way to visit one of the most famous sets of monuments of Spain.
I was always curious of the origin of the inpiration classical guitar piece “Recuerdos of la Alhambra” of Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) one of most beautiful and heard (and played) by this instrument . After the visit I find that it makes justice to the memory of the visit of Palaces and gardens of cidadela of Alhambra in the outskirts of Granada , having the imponent Sierra Nevada as background. A luxury scene.
We stayed there a little less than 2 hours but using a fast pace step it was possible to visit a good part of the gardens with many fountains of the Generalife (Gardens of the Paradise) and the two of alcázares (palaces) more interesting, Carlos V and the Moorish masterpiece Nazaries, being the Alcazaba (fortaleza) for the next time. Without a doubt it deserves a more paused revisit, even so has the inconvenience of perhaps being a too much saturated by tourists, I don' t even suspect as how wouldl be on the high seasons, when it must be insane to go there.
And finally the trip was uneventual.
As usual in these expeditions a detailed story can be read in www.atalaia.org, decorated with many images of the group, also having Paulo Guedes made a page on this trip.
11/11/2006
Local:Pousados
Magusto at Pousados
"Mr" Mota, once again ahd put to at our disposal its backyard for yet another night under stars, close to Alcanena. It was the night of Saint Martinho with a magusto with chestnuts, steaks, "morcelas" and wine.
The comet SWAN was still with some brightness, but this time it was not possible to practically see and photograph any tail.
 Cometa C/2006 M4 (SWAN) |
The 3 great Auriga clusters - M36, M37 e M38 & al
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Then the Moon was up, being Saturn the session's last target, and the my first time since its return from the back of the Sun. The rings are already notorious less inclined. 3 satellites were seen.