The chromosphere of the sun - high res photo.

The chromosphere is the thin middle layer of the Sun's atmosphere, located just above the visible surface (photosphere) and below the outer atmosphere (corona). It comes from the Greek word chroma, meaning color, because it shines with a bright red glow during total solar eclipses. The red color comes from glowing hydrogen gas, specifically the hydrogen-alpha (H-alpha) light wavelength. It extends roughly 2,000 to 4,000 kilometers (about 1,200 to 2,500 miles) above the solar surface. Unlike inner layers, it gets hotter as you move outward, rising from about 4,000 K near the bottom to 10,000 K (or higher) at the top. Possible to see/photograph: Spicules: Narrow, grass-like jets of plasma that shoot upwards from the bottom layer before falling back down.

Prominences and filaments: Huge, cool loops and clouds of gas held above the surface by magnetic fields. Visibility: It is normally hidden by the blinding brightness of the photosphere below, but it is visible during total solar eclipses or through special solar filters.

Photo taken with several photos stitched together as a high res photo of the sun.

Partial Solar Eclipse from Sweden

Partial solar eclipse from Sweden. It was stressful to find a place for this. The clouds rolled in and I headed off in the car towards clearer areas. Finally, when the eclipse had already started, I found a place by the water with less clouds. I could see the eclipse with the naked eye and photographed it without a filter. There is a risk of both my eyes and the camera sensor being damaged, but everything worked out.

Great sunspots

Several sunspot groups with active areas. Many eruptions have occurred from these areas in the days, some strong, and have now created auroras as far south as +36 New Mexico. Here in Sweden it is far too bright right now for us to be able to see any auroras. Today's images were taken with CaK filter 394 nm which is in the border area between the photosphere, which is visible in white light, and the sun's chromosphere, which is reserved for narrow-band H-alpha filters. In addition to the structures known from white light, such as sunspots, the network of chromospheric flares distributed over the entire solar surface also becomes visible, which precedes the formation of sunspots, as well as supergranulation cells and Ellerman bombs.

Center of our galaxy

The center of our galaxy rises from the ocean late at night off the east coast of Sweden. The center of the Milky Way is the dense core of the galaxy, located about 25,000–28,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. At its absolute center is the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (not visible in these photos, still under the sealine), which weighs about 4 million solar masses. The area is hidden behind thick space dust and is characterized by an extreme density of stars. 

A beautiful view on the east coast with fluorescent water in blue and algae in red. In the sky, the Milky Way is seen in the Cygnus area with the large nebula NGC 7000. Low on the northern horizon, a faint aurora is also visible with nice colors and some pillars.

Folding pattern by the sea and Jupiter

Fluorescent limestone in red, calcite, in a folding pattern by the sea. Folding patterns in rocks are primarily created through plate tectonics, where the Earth's crust plates collide and compress the bedrock over millions of years. This process, called folding, occurs when rocks are subjected to enormous pressure and temperature conditions, causing them to bend and fold instead of cracking. 

In the sky, the planet Jupiter is seen next to the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

Me and the Milky Way

Standing in dark conditions and making sure to get night vision with the Milky Way over the sea is a beautiful sight. Seeing the dust clouds of our galaxy the Milky Way visually is a fantastic experience. This picture was taken last Saturday night with myself standing on a cliff looking over the Baltic Sea.

Light pollution threatens the night sky and wildlife and all the satellites are also destroying the night sky. what will we see in the future when we look up at the starry sky? Will this view be gone? This week is International Dark Sky Week https://darksky.org/ check out the website and help to protect the night sky.

Cygnus nebulosity

The constellation Cygnus (The Swan) is extremely rich in nebulosity and gas clouds because it lies directly in the plane of the Milky Way. It is one of the most active regions of star formation and contains several known emission nebulae and supernova remnants.

Here are some of the most prominent nebulae in Cygnus:

The North America Nebula (NGC 7000): A large emission nebula resembling the North American continent, complete with a "Gulf of Mexico". It is located near the star Deneb.

The Pelican Nebula (IC 5070): Located right next to the North America Nebula and separated only by a dark dust cloud.

The Veil Nebula (Cygnus Loop / Veil Nebula): A gigantic supernova remnant formed by a massive star that exploded 10,000–20,000 years ago. It consists of several filaments (veils) that stretch across the sky.

Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888): An emission nebula created by stellar winds from a Wolf-Rayet star, located about 5,000 light-years away.

Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318): Located in the region around the star Sadr, in the center of the constellation.

Cygnus also contains the Cygnus Molecular Nebula Complex (Swan Complex), a huge cloud of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Because of all this nebulosity and dust, the region is a popular target for astrophotography.

Single exposure by the east coast of  Sweden

The dark spots you see on the moon are actually giant, solidified lava fields called maria. These were formed billions of years ago when huge amounts of liquid lava gushed out of the moon's interior and filled large craters after meteorite impacts.

Composition: The fields are mainly composed of basalt, a dark, iron-rich volcanic rock similar to that found on the ocean floor here on Earth.

Volcanic activity: It was long thought that volcanism on the moon died out billions of years ago, but new analyses of lunar samples suggest that there may have been active volcanoes as recently as 120 million years ago.

Lava tubes: Beneath the surface are hollow lava tunnels, or lava tubes. These giant caverns are considered ideal locations for future lunar bases because they protect against radiation and extreme temperatures.

Asymmetry: There are significantly more and larger lava fields on the side of the moon that faces Earth than on the far side, which is because the crust is thinner on the front side.

A quick look at the moon

A quick visit to the Carpe Noctem Observatory tonight. It cleared up and I managed to take a quick photo of the moon before fog clouds ruined the session.

The picture shows beautiful mountain ranges on the right side of the Mare Imbrium lava field.

The top mountain range is the Montes Alpes, one of the most distinctive mountain ranges on the moon, located between Mare Imbrium and Mare Frigoris. It stretches for about 250 km and is best known for being literally split in half by an enormous valley.

Important peaks and landmarks

Mont Blanc: The highest point of the mountain range, located on the eastern side, with an altitude of about 3,600 meters. The name is taken from the highest mountain on Earth in the European Alps.

Vallat Alpes (Alpine Valley): The most spectacular formation in the area. It is a straight, 166 km long and about 10 km wide trough that cuts straight through the chain. It is a favorite for amateur astronomers to observe.

Promontory Agassiz: A headland at the southern end of the chain, rising about 2,300 meters.

Below the Alps and the Caucasus Mountains" most often refers to the lunar mountain range named after the Caucasus Mountains on Earth. These mountains lie on the northern part of the lunar far side and form a boundary between Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis.

Peaks of the Lunar Montes Caucasus

Unlike Earth's mountain ranges, most individual peaks in the lunar Montes Caucasus do not have official names.

Highest peak: The highest point reaches an elevation of about 6,000 meters (19,000–20,000 ft) above the surrounding lunar surface.

Geographical location: The mountain range extends for about 445 km and is located near prominent craters such as Aristillus, Autolycus, and Calippus.

Below lies the beautiful Montes Apenninus mountain range, the most impressive mountain range on the lunar far side. It extends for about 600–950 km and forms the southeastern rim of the giant impact hole Mare Imbrium.

The Most Prominent Peaks

Here are the highest and most famous named peaks in order from north to south:

Mons Hadley: A massive peak at the northern end of the range, with an elevation of about 4,500–4,800 meters.

Mons Hadley Delta: Located south of Mons Hadley and is about 3,500–3,600 meters high. The valley between these two mountains was the landing site of Apollo 15 in 1971.

Mons Bradley: Located further south with an elevation of about 4,200 meters.

Mons Huygens: The highest peak of the range (and often considered the moon's) rising about 5,300–5,500 meters above the surrounding plains.

Mons Ampère: A peak west of Mons Huygens with an elevation of about 3,000 meters.

Mons Wolff: Marks the southwestern end of the range near the crater Eratosthenes and reaches about 3,500 meters

Where life once evolved.

 A clear and cold night by the sea on planet Earth. In the sky, the constellation Orion is visible with the star factory Orion Nebula under Orion's belt, visible to the naked eye. Our star Sun was probably created from a similar star factory long ago. The Orion Nebula (M42) consists primarily of gas and dust, where the absolutely dominant elements are hydrogen and helium. It is an emission nebula that shines because young, hot stars ionize the gas.

The Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a rotating disk of gas and dust that surrounded the young Sun. By clumping together pebbles and cosmic dust, the planet grew. Originally, the Earth was a red-hot melt that cooled and formed a solid crust. Water was added later, probably via comet impacts. The theory of the origin of life is that life on Earth arose in the ocean about 3.5–3.8 billion years ago, probably in close proximity to hot springs on the seafloor where amino acids and simple bacteria were formed. The ocean served as a protective environment for the first organisms before oxygen and the ozone layer made life on land possible. The oldest traces of life are 3.5–3.7 billion years old and are found in marine environments. Early theories focused on the "primordial soup" in shallow sea bays, while more recent research often points to hot springs (hydrothermal vents) in deep water. Complex organic molecules (amino acids) formed in the water and assembled into simple bacteria. These first organisms were independent of oxygen, but later began to produce it through photosynthesis. Evolution started with simple microorganisms, followed by algae, and later the first multicellular animals developed in the sea. The picture shows algae and seaweed that fluoresce via UV light. They are clearly visible thanks to the current record low sea level. Algae contain chlorophyll for photosynthesis. When chlorophyll is hit by UV light or blue light, it absorbs the energy, but cannot use it all. The excess energy is emitted as a red or pink glow. This is called fluorescence and can often be seen underwater with special lighting or when analyzing algae. Under Orion, light pollution from civilization is seen, life has developed into an intelligent species Homo Sapiens Sapiens that eventually invented electricity. The place where the picture was taken, Nothamn Sweden, is known for its geology, 1.9 billion years ago there were explosive volcanoes here that spewed ash and lava over a shallow sea that covered the area. Early forms of life, microorganisms, lived on the seabed, which together built up limestone layers. Iron precipitated in the limestone and layers of iron ore were formed, something that is common throughout Bergslagen. Deep down, beneath the volcanoes, large magma chambers have solidified into the rocks diorite and gabbro. So the rocks in the picture were created during this time.

74% moon

 

Opened up the observatory and started to adjust the focus, connect the camera etc. and had just started taking pictures when heavy snowstorms came. But between these I was able to take pictures of tonight's moon which was 74% full. In the pictures you can see large craters like Copernicus, Plato, Archimedes and lava fields like Mare Imbrium with high mountain ranges Montes Alpes. Montes Alpes (Lunar Alps) is a prominent mountain range on the northern side of the moon, named after the Alps on Earth, and known for its highest mountain, Mons Blanc (3,600 m), and the impressive valley Vallis Alpes. The chain extends for about 220 km in a crescent shape, with a part bordering the lunar sea Mare Imbrium, and is one of the moon's most distinctive formations. Vallis Alpes is a lunar valley that divides the Montes Alpes area into two parts. It extends 166 km from the Mare Imbrium basin and trends east-northeast to the edge of Mare Frigoris. The valley is narrow at both ends and widens to a maximum width of about 10 km along the midsection. Copernicus is a prominent impact crater on the Moon located in the eastern Oceanus Procellarum. The crater is 96 km in diameter and 3.8 km deep. According to samples taken by Apollo 12 astronauts, the crater is about 800 million years old.

Airglow Aurora and Big Dipper

Heavy airglow and faint aurora borealis with the big dipper in the sky.

On planet earth you see fluorescence in water and lichens.

Airglow is a faint emission of light by a planetary atmosphere. In the case of Earth's atmosphere, this optical phenomenon causes the night sky never to be completely dark, even after the effects of starlight and diffused sunlight from the far side are removed. This phenomenon originates with self-illuminated gases and has no relationship with Earth's magnetism or sunspot activity, causing aurorae.

The Big Dipper is an asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez, of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl" or "body" and three define a "handle" or "head". It is recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures. The North Star (Polaris), the current northern pole star and the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper (Little Bear), can be located by extending an imaginary line through the front two stars of the asterism, Merak and Dubhe. This makes it useful in celestial navigation.

 

Ocean's purification plant and night sky

Mussels play a super important role as the ocean's purification plant by filtering enormous amounts of water, combating eutrophication (nitrogen/phosphorus), creating habitats (biodiversity) and providing healthy food for people (protein, vitamins), making them a climate-smart and nutritious resource for a sustainable future in Sweden's aquatic environments and other aquatic environments.

Ecological roles Water purification: Mussels filter plankton and particles, purify the water and combat eutrophication by binding nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Habitat and biodiversity: Mussel beds serve as protection and substrate for many small animals, which increases biodiversity. Key species in the food web: They connect benthic life with free aquatic life, and some freshwater mussels use fish to disperse their larvae.

Some mussels washed up at the shore a clear night by the coast. Faint Aurora and airglow visible in the sky in this macro widefield photo.