Category: Sky Phenomena - My Stardust Observatory

~ Large sunspot group AR 4115 on surface of Sun 16th June 2025 ~

6/16/2025

There is another large sunspot group on the solar surface that is very active and will most likely produce a CME in the next couple of days.

While taking my images high cloud came across the sky and produced a lovely solar halo around the Sun, I took these images through a thin layer of cloud.

Images taken with a Seestar S50 telescope with the attached solar filter at 1x and 2x magnification, 20 images captured which were stacked in RegiStax6 and processed in PS.

~ Cyclone Alfred bears down on QLD coast 7th & 8th March 2025 ~

3/8/2025

We had been watching this cyclone for the past week as it travelled out at sea off the coast of Queensland as a Category 2 cyclone! Then on the 7th of March, Cyclone Alfred turned toward the coastline near the Gold Coast. We were right in the firing line, with the southern trailing arms of the storm producing winds at over 130km hour, it hit our coastline during the night of the 8th, the house was shaking and the wind sounded like a freight train! Oh My!!!

The last time the Gold Coast got a direct hit from a cyclone was over fifty years ago so we were very lucky indeed that it crossed just north of us near Morton Island and was downgraded to a Category 1 as it crossed over the islands to the north of us…Wow the power of nature, it’s so mighty :-o

Credit: Screenshot 6pm 9 News 7th March 2025 ~

~ Wow! Comet ATLAS (C/2024 G3) in western sky at Mt Tamborine ~

1/21/2025

We were not expecting that!

I grabbed my husband and camera and raced up to the top of Mt Tamborine to try and see if we could see the comet…. and Wow, I spotted the comets tail still in the very light twilight sky, which was amazing. As it got a little darker it came out in all its glory :-D

It was a bit smoggy from a bush fire low on the horizon, and I think that’s why the coma area of the comet was glowing a golden colour.

Images were taken between 7.30 – 8pm 20th January 2025, with a Canon 70D camera and Tamron 18-40mm lens on a tripod with exposures from a couple of seconds up to 30 seconds; ISO was from 200 to 1600.

~ Spectacular crepuscular rays at dawn (4.30am) 30th December 2024 ~

12/30/2024

I woke up very early this morning and looked out my bedroom window and Wow!

The eastern sky was just stunning; the dawn colours were amazing with beautiful crepuscular rays of light right up the horizon… I was off and running to grab my camera, what a way to start the day :-D

Image was taken with a Canon G7x M11 camera with manual focus, ISO 125 1/80th second exposure.

Early morning Rainbow after thunderstorm (6.40am) 23rd November 2024

11/23/2024

I just love it when we have an early morning thunderstorm, I raced outside with my camera when the Sun peeked out in the eastern sky to see what was happening in the west, and there it was!
A beautiful rainbow to light up my day :-)

Image was taken with a Canon 70D camera and Tamron 18-400mm lens with settings at 1/350th second and ISO200.

~ Incredible Mammatus Clouds before a severe thunderstorm ~

11/5/2024

~ Incredible looking storm clouds (Mammatus Clouds) ~

Oh Wow, this is what the sky looked like before the thunderstorm hit, how incredible are these clouds they looks so ferocious!!!

Mammatus clouds get their name from the cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of the cloud and are usually associated with severe thunderstorms.

We have been having thunderstorms nearly every afternoon at the moment but its been a long time since I’ve seen these amazing clouds…this time we didn’t get hail thank goodness, just a lot of heavy rain, thunder and lightning.

Images were just taken with my iPhone as the storm was approaching very quickly and I worry about getting hit with lightning!!!!

Some more information on these Mammatus Clouds at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammatus_cloud

https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2020/mammatus-cloud-show-captured-by-lucky-scientists/

For an excellent High Resolution cloud chart please go to NOAA site at:
https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/clouds/nws-cloud-chart

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) on Mt Tamborine (Full Moon sky)

10/17/2024

We have had thunderstorms nearly every afternoon since the comet started its journey outward having survived its touch with the Sun. My husband and I raced up to Mt Tamborine west of the Gold Coast to get a clearer view of the western sky.

To my dismay there was a lot of smoke in the sky, it did make for a beautiful coloured sunset photo but for any chance of seeing the comet, well we would just have to wait and see!

I took some test shots with the camera and at 6.40pm you could just make out the comet low in the western sky, fantastic! Also, by this time the full Moon was now coming up in the opposite direction - Oh dear :-o - Oh well - I did the best I could; the main thing was I got the Comet…Yay!

I really think if there had not been smoke and light from the Moon then the Comet would have looked truly spectacular.

My Images were taken with a Canon 70D camera and 18-400 Tamron lens on a tripod with numerous exposure settings from 2 seconds to 4 second and ISO from 400 to 3200.

~ Huge tail Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) at dawn (4:22am) 7th October 2024 ~

10/7/2024

After a whole night of observing in my observatory, I opened the door and looked to the east at the pretty dawn sky and saw a very faint smudge; I asked myself could that be the comets tail?

All I had with me was my little Canon G7x Mark 11 point and shoot camera so I rested it on the car bonnet and took some images…Wow, yes there it was!

To my delight you could clearly make out this huge faint gas tail going right up the horizon, I just wish I had come out earlier and taken some images, but that’s all right I’ve managed to capture it anyway :-)

This Canon camera is just amazing for night-time shots, because its lens goes down to F1.8; the settings for these photos were 5-second exposures and ISO3200. I always use manual focus for infinity that way the stars are in focus.

I’m at my dark sky site at my Stardust Observatory in Leyburn, QLD, Australia.

~ Wow! Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) at dawn in Australia

10/1/2024

~ Wow! Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) at dawn (4:32am) in Australia on the 1st October 2024 ~

Wow, I could not believe my eyes when I went outside at 4.30am and saw the comet naked eye low in the eastern sky, it was as clear as could be; it was so exciting!

I had to work very quickly as dawn light was approaching, in the end I really had only about 6 minutes to work with but I’m so thrilled to have captured it…Woohoo!

My images were taken with a Canon 70D camera and a Tamron 18-400mm lens, exposure time was 6 second with ISO800 and they are only one-shot images.

Time of images from 4.32 to 4.38am, after that, the sky was just too light :-D

Credit: Star Chart from Stellarium App

~ Beautiful double rainbow in the sky this afternoon ~

9/28/2024

Rainbow Principles: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rainbow_principle.svg

I had to hurry home to get some photos of this vibrate coloured rainbow late this afternoon…it was very pretty :-)

Images were taken with just my iPhone on automatic.

Information from the UK Met Office website at:
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/optical-effects/rainbows/double-rainbows

How are double rainbows formed?
Double rainbows are formed when sunlight is reflected twice within a raindrop with the violet light that reaches the observer's eye coming from the higher raindrops and the red light from lower raindrops.
This means the sequence of colours is inverted compared to the primary rainbow, with the secondary bow appearing about 10 degrees above the primary bow.

Rainbows are refracted and reflected sunlight and are complicated:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/atmos/rbowpath.html

Rainbow Principles:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rainbow_principle.svg

https://old.atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/sec.htm

Now that was the science behind rainbows, but really, they are just a beautiful thing to see :-D