Events and groupings

So-called "Big comets", comets easily visible to the naked eye, show about once per 10 years. The latest two were Hyakutake (1996) and Hale-Bopp (1997). Little comets, good only at the telescope, are visbile every two or three years. Annular solar eclipses are unusual, because the sky doesn't darken deeply like a total eclipse but the Sun becomes a narrow bright ring. In Friuli the 3rd october it was raining, while from "Parque del buen retiro" in Madrid the sky was extraordinary. Events like "perfect planets alignment" are practically impossible, instead conjunctions (two or more planets in a narrow zone of sky) happen every two or three years, and waiting only little longer is it possible to see four or five planets. Conjunctions like that of Venus e Mercury on june 2005, where the planets were "grazing" each other are much rarer. Planetary transits in front of Sun are also very little frequent: Mercury does every three years on average but only some of them are visbile from Italy. Venus instead experiments a extreme situation: it does transits in couples of eight year intervals, but every 110-130 years! Before the famous transit on 8 june 2004 the last dates 1882, while the next is expected on 2012. Meteors, called also "shooting stars", are visible in every clear night with dark sky; a fistful of times per century you could see a storm with hundreds to thousands of them every hour, like Leonids in years 1998, 2001 e 2002.

COMET LULIN - february 2009

	Comet C/2008 N3 Lulin Exposure: 3 X 120s SC 280 mm F/6.3 Canon 350D Talmassons, 23 february 2009, 23.30


THE COMETS OF LATE 2008 - 22 december 2008

	Comet 29/P Schwassmann-Wachmann Exposure: 3 X 180s Newton 350mm F/5 CCD SBIG ST-10 XME Talmassons, 22 december 2008, ore 23.00	Comet 144/P Kushida Exposure: 3 X 180s Newton 350mm F/5 CCD SBIG ST-10 XME Talmassons, 22 december 2008, ore 21.09

	Comet C/2006OF2 Broughton Exposure: 3 X 180s Newton 350mm F/5 CCD SBIG ST-10 XME Talmassons, 22 december 2008, ore 22.08


THE MOON MEETING VENUS - 19 february 2007

	Moon and Venus at dusk Exposure: 4s @ F/4.9 Focal lenght (eq) 114 mm Canon Powershot A80 Fagagna, 19 february 2007 at 18.37	Moon and Venus reflexed by the river Exposure: 4s @ F/3.5 Focal lenght (eq) 56 mm Canon Powershot A80 Fagagna, 19 february 2007, at 18.48


ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE - 3 october 2005

	The start of annularity Megrez II SD 80mm F/6 Exposure: 1/400s Canon Powershot A80 Madrid, 03 october 2005	The maximum of eclipse Megrez II SD 80mm F/6 Exposure: da 1/400s Canon Powershot A80 Madrid, 03 october 2005

	The end of annularity Megrez II SD 80mm F/6 Exposure: da 1/400s Canon Powershot A80 Madrid, 03 october 2005	The shadows of the trees Exposure: da 1/100s Canon Powershot A80 Madrid, 03 october 2005 CLICK FOR 1600X1200 PIXEL

PLANETARY GROUPING - june 2005

	Venus and Mercury at the telescope Newton 200mm F/5 Exposure: 8 minuti Webcam Toucam Pro Talmassons, 27 june 2005	Venus, Mercury and Saturn Megrez 500mm F/6.2 Exposure: 1/8 sec Film: Kodak Gold 100 Talmassons, 26 june 2005

COMET MACHOLZ - january 2005

	Comet Macholz and Pleiades Lens Tamron 200mm F/3.5 Exposure: 8 minuti Film: Fuji XTRA 800 ISO Monte Matajur, 7 january 2005	Comet Macholz in Taurus Lens 50mm F/2.8 Exposure: 6 minuti Film: Fuji XTRA 800 ISO Monte Matajur, 7 january 2005

VENUS SOLAR TRANSIT - 8 june 2004

	The third contact Newton Marcon 200mm F/5 Filter: astrosolar diam 180mm Barlow 2X Sum of 20 frames from 600 Webcam Toucam Pro Talmassons, 8 june 2004	The whole phenomena Newton Marcon 200mm F/5 Filter: astrosolar diam 180mm Barlow 2X Sum of 11 1/500s exposures Film Fuji Superia 100 Talmassons, 8 june 2004

	Entrance animation Newton Marcon 200mm F/5 Filter: astrosolar diam 180mm Direct focus 20-step Animation Webcam Toucam Pro Talmassons, 8 june 2004	Venus atmosphere during exit Newton Marcon 200mm F/5 Filter: astrosolar diam 180mm Barlow 2X 10-step Animation Webcam Toucam Pro Talmassons, 8 june 2004

COMET NEAT Q4 - may 2004

	Comet Neat Q4 Newton Marcon 200mm F/5 Exposure: 15 minutes Film: Kodak E-200->640 ISO Monte Zoncolan, 15 may 2004

VENUS-PLEJADES CONJUNCTION - 2 april 2004

	Venus near Pleiades Tele Tamron 200 F/3.5 Exposure: 30 seconds Film: Kodak 100 ISO Mortegliano, 02/04/2004

MERCURY SOLAR TRANSIT - 6 may 2003

	Mercury in front of the Sun Newton 200mm F/5 stopped down to 70mm Sum of 11 1/125s exposures Film Kodak 100 ISO Talmassons, 06/05/2003

LEONIDS SHOWER - 18 november 2002

	Leonids radiant Lens 50mm F/4 Sum of 7 1-minute exposures Film Kodak 100 ISO Tre Cunei (CN), 18/11/2002	Two Leonids between clouds Lens 50mm F/4 Exposure: 1 minute Film Kodak 100 ISO Tre Cunei (CN), 18/11/2002

	A fireball trail Lens 50mm F/1.9 Exposure: 30 seconds Film Kodak 100 ISO Tre Cunei (CN), 18/11/2002

BIG PLANETARY CONJUNCTION - june 2002

	6 may 2002, with CAST observatory Lens 50mm F/2.8 Exposure: 15 seconds Film Kodak 100 ISO Talmassons, 06/05/2002	Planets on 6 may 2002 Lens 50mm F/1.9 Exposure: 30 seconds Film Kodak 100 ISO Talmassons, 06/05/2002

	Planets on 15 may 2002 Lens 50mm F/2.8 Exposure: 15 seconds Film Kodak 100 ISO Monte Matajur, 15/05/2002	Planets on 15 may 2002 Lens 50mm F/2.8 Exposure: 15 seconds Film Kodak 100 ISO Monte Matajur, 15/05/2002

COMET HALE-BOPP - spring 1997

	Hale-Bopp with M34 cluster Tele Tamron 200 F/3.5 Exposure: 6 minutes Film ScotchChrome 800-3200 Monte Prat, 07/04/1997	Hale-Bopp between M31 and Acca & Chi Persei Lens 50mm F/4 Exposure: 6 minutes Film ScotchChrome 800-3200 Monte Prat, 07/04/1997

COMET HYAKUTAKE - spring 1996

	Hyakutake, 24 march Lens 50mm F2.8 Exposure: 6 minutes Film ScotchChrome 800-3200 Talmassons, 24/03/1996	Hyakutake, 6 april Lens 50mm F2.8 Exposure: 6 minutes Film ScotchChrome 800-3200 Torsa, 06/04/1996