Hello all,

Last month I spent 9 nights imaging from the Paradour
on Mount Teide in Tenerife.  At 7000 ft altitude,
the site was above the clouds that shrouded large 
parts of the island.  I went in company with another
member of Farnham AS and we both gathered about 40
hours of data.

The images can be seen here:-
<http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/images_index.htm>

and a report here:
<http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/tenerife_2008_index.htm>

If the above links haven't come out properly
then just go to:-
http://www.astroimaging.org.uk



Donal
--

On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:51:42 +0100, Donal 
wrote:

>Hello all,
>
>Last month I spent 9 nights imaging from the Paradour
>on Mount Teide in Tenerife.  At 7000 ft altitude,
>the site was above the clouds that shrouded large 
>parts of the island.  I went in company with another
>member of Farnham AS and we both gathered about 40
>hours of data.
>
>The images can be seen here:-
><http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/images_index.htm>
>
>and a report here:
><http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/tenerife_2008_index.htm>
>
>If the above links haven't come out properly
>then just go to:-
>http://www.astroimaging.org.uk
>
>
>
>Donal
>--  

Those are excellent images. I have not had time to read the report
yet.

Steve

-- 
Neural Planner Software Ltd          http://www.NPSL1.com
EasyNN-plus. Build Neural Networks.  http://www.easynn.com 
SwingNN.     Forecast the Future.    http://www.swingnn.com

It's a great place, we had a great time last time out and even got to see 
the top 3 stars in the Southern Cross from the Observatories site. Hope to 
be out there again in March with Rod and Dave

Andy

Mr Andrew R Green BSc(Hons) FBIS, FRAS





"Stephen Wolstenholme"  wrote in message 
news:2gql945lq8ag8k182irgu8bejdj1svk9b0@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:51:42 +0100, Donal 
> wrote:
>
>>Hello all,
>>
>>Last month I spent 9 nights imaging from the Paradour
>>on Mount Teide in Tenerife.  At 7000 ft altitude,
>>the site was above the clouds that shrouded large
>>parts of the island.  I went in company with another
>>member of Farnham AS and we both gathered about 40
>>hours of data.
>>
>>The images can be seen here:-
>><http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/images_index.htm>
>>
>>and a report here:
>><http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/tenerife_2008_index.htm>
>>
>>If the above links haven't come out properly
>>then just go to:-
>>http://www.astroimaging.org.uk
>>
>>
>>
>>Donal
>>--
>
> Those are excellent images. I have not had time to read the report
> yet.
>
> Steve
>
> -- 
> Neural Planner Software Ltd          http://www.NPSL1.com
> EasyNN-plus. Build Neural Networks.  http://www.easynn.com
> SwingNN.     Forecast the Future.    http://www.swingnn.com
>

Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:

> On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:51:42 +0100, Donal 
> wrote:
> 
>>Hello all,
>>
>>Last month I spent 9 nights imaging from the Paradour
>>on Mount Teide in Tenerife.  At 7000 ft altitude,
>>the site was above the clouds that shrouded large
>>parts of the island.  I went in company with another
>>member of Farnham AS and we both gathered about 40
>>hours of data.
>>
>>The images can be seen here:-
>><http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/images_index.htm>
>>
>>and a report here:
>><http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/tenerife_2008_index.htm>
>>
>>If the above links haven't come out properly
>>then just go to:-
>>http://www.astroimaging.org.uk
>>
> 
> Those are excellent images. I have not had time to read the report
> yet.
> 
Thank you very much, Steve.  There are a few more images to come over the
next week or so.  Processing seems to take more time than
was spent taking the images.



Donal
--

Hi,

Yes -- the conditions in the Canary Islands are arguably the best in the
world during June and July -- although during the rest of the year a few
other observatory sites are better (notably Mauna Kea Hawaii).

Quoting from "Night-time image quality at Roque de LOS Muchachos
Observatory", A & A Supplement series, Vol. 125, October 1997, 183-193:

   "During the summer, 50% of the time seeing is better than 0.54", a
    value which drops to 0.46" during June, with a narrow distribution
    (rms = 0.17"). These figures place the ORM among, or better than, the
    best astronomical sites...)"
-- from
http://ukads.nottingham.ac.uk/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1997A%
26AS..125..183M&db_key=AST


For this reason we did all our Lucky Imaging observations at Roque de
LOS
Muchachos (on La Palma) between June and July (see e.g.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M15_core_lucky_10pc.gif and
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucky-Exposures-Robert-
Tubbs/dp/3836497697/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217835939&sr=8-5 ).

Conditions can be pretty bad during the winter on La Palma, though.

Hope that's of interest.

Bob


Donal wrote:
> Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
> 
>> On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:51:42 +0100, Donal 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> Last month I spent 9 nights imaging from the Paradour
>>> on Mount Teide in Tenerife.  At 7000 ft altitude,
>>> the site was above the clouds that shrouded large
>>> parts of the island.  I went in company with another
>>> member of Farnham AS and we both gathered about 40
>>> hours of data.
>>>
>>> The images can be seen here:-
>>> <http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/images_index.htm>
>>>
>>> and a report here:
>>> <http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/tenerife_2008_index.htm>
>>>
>>> If the above links haven't come out properly
>>> then just go to:-
>>> http://www.astroimaging.org.uk
>>>
>> Those are excellent images. I have not had time to read the report
>> yet.
>>
> Thank you very much, Steve.  There are a few more images to come over the
> next week or so.  Processing seems to take more time than
> was spent taking the images.
> 
> 
> 
> Donal
> --  
>

Tenerife is one of the nicest places I have observed from, but when I was up 
Mauna Kea at Gemini, and visiting Keck and UOH the skies there were just 
incredible even at the Onizuka Centre the observing was superb too.

I also loved observing in Australia, I was at the AAO in the Warrumbungles 
at the GBR Observatory and that was awesome too.

But Tenerife being so close to us is pretty damn good too.

Cheers

Andy
-- 
Mr Andrew R Green BSc(Hons) FBIS, FRAS


"Bob Tubbs"  wrote in message 
news:489d5eb2$0$4241$6e1ede2f@read.cnntp.org...
> Hi,
>
> Yes -- the conditions in the Canary Islands are arguably the best in the
> world during June and July -- although during the rest of the year a few
> other observatory sites are better (notably Mauna Kea Hawaii).
>
> Quoting from "Night-time image quality at Roque de LOS Muchachos
> Observatory", A & A Supplement series, Vol. 125, October 1997, 183-193:
>
>   "During the summer, 50% of the time seeing is better than 0.54", a
>    value which drops to 0.46" during June, with a narrow distribution
>    (rms = 0.17"). These figures place the ORM among, or better than, the
>    best astronomical sites...)"
> -- from
> http://ukads.nottingham.ac.uk/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1997A%
> 26AS..125..183M&db_key=AST
>
>
> For this reason we did all our Lucky Imaging observations at Roque de
> LOS
> Muchachos (on La Palma) between June and July (see e.g.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M15_core_lucky_10pc.gif and
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucky-Exposures-Robert-
> Tubbs/dp/3836497697/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217835939&sr=8-5 ).
>
> Conditions can be pretty bad during the winter on La Palma, though.
>
> Hope that's of interest.
>
> Bob
>
>
> Donal wrote:
>> Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:51:42 +0100, Donal 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello all,
>>>>
>>>> Last month I spent 9 nights imaging from the Paradour
>>>> on Mount Teide in Tenerife.  At 7000 ft altitude,
>>>> the site was above the clouds that shrouded large
>>>> parts of the island.  I went in company with another
>>>> member of Farnham AS and we both gathered about 40
>>>> hours of data.
>>>>
>>>> The images can be seen here:-
>>>> <http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/images_index.htm>
>>>>
>>>> and a report here:
>>>> <http://www.astroimaging.org.uk/tenerife_2008/tenerife_2008_index.htm>
>>>>
>>>> If the above links haven't come out properly
>>>> then just go to:-
>>>> http://www.astroimaging.org.uk
>>>>
>>> Those are excellent images. I have not had time to read the report
>>> yet.
>>>
>> Thank you very much, Steve.  There are a few more images to come over the
>> next week or so.  Processing seems to take more time than
>> was spent taking the images.
>>
>>
>>
>> Donal
>> --

Actually, I've never observed on Tenerife -- only on La Palma. The fact 
that all the big nighttime telescopes were put on La Palma, while the 
daytime solar telescopes, and the infrared, microwave and radio 
telescopes were put on Tenerife agrees with the idea that perhaps the 
night skies might not be that dark on Tenerife.

Bob

Andy G wrote:
> Tenerife is one of the nicest places I have observed from, but when I was up 
> Mauna Kea at Gemini, and visiting Keck and UOH the skies there were just 
> incredible even at the Onizuka Centre the observing was superb too.
> 
> I also loved observing in Australia, I was at the AAO in the Warrumbungles 
> at the GBR Observatory and that was awesome too.
> 
> But Tenerife being so close to us is pretty damn good too.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Andy

Bob Tubbs wrote:

> Actually, I've never observed on Tenerife -- only on La Palma. The fact
> that all the big nighttime telescopes were put on La Palma, while the
> daytime solar telescopes, and the infrared, microwave and radio
> telescopes were put on Tenerife agrees with the idea that perhaps the
> night skies might not be that dark on Tenerife.


I had exactly the same concern before going to Tenerife.  However,
there is very little difference between it and La Palma.

Both sites have some visible light pollution on parts of the 
horizon.  On Tenerife it is visible to the North-East and to 
the South - South-West.  The photo here shows it:-
www.astroimaging.org.uk

That image has had very little processing,  and the Milky Way
is clearly visible down to the horizon which shows that
there is not much pollution.

I photographed Omega Centauri at an elevation of 6.5 degrees.
The lowest that I have ever attempted from my back yard is
23 degrees in narrowband.

We tested the visual limiting magnititude on two nights, and
both times it was 6.25.


Donal
--

And what fantastic images they are too, thanks for posting them Donal. Glad 
you enjoyed the Parador, it certainly is a convenient place. Next Stop Mauna 
Kea then?

Cheers

Andy
-- 
Mr Andrew R Green BSc(Hons) FBIS, FRAS


"Donal"  wrote in message 
news:g7phq4$g0g$1$8300dec7@news.demon.co.uk...
> Bob Tubbs wrote:
>
>> Actually, I've never observed on Tenerife -- only on La Palma. The fact
>> that all the big nighttime telescopes were put on La Palma, while the
>> daytime solar telescopes, and the infrared, microwave and radio
>> telescopes were put on Tenerife agrees with the idea that perhaps the
>> night skies might not be that dark on Tenerife.
>
>
> I had exactly the same concern before going to Tenerife.  However,
> there is very little difference between it and La Palma.
>
> Both sites have some visible light pollution on parts of the
> horizon.  On Tenerife it is visible to the North-East and to
> the South - South-West.  The photo here shows it:-
> www.astroimaging.org.uk
>
> That image has had very little processing,  and the Milky Way
> is clearly visible down to the horizon which shows that
> there is not much pollution.
>
> I photographed Omega Centauri at an elevation of 6.5 degrees.
> The lowest that I have ever attempted from my back yard is
> 23 degrees in narrowband.
>
> We tested the visual limiting magnititude on two nights, and
> both times it was 6.25.
>
>
> Donal
> --
>

Andy G wrote:

> And what fantastic images they are too, thanks for posting them Donal.

Thank you!  The images would have been much better if I
had stuck to the original plan.  However,  I acted like 
a spoilt  kid in a candy shop - and tried for far too 
many targets.

> Glad you enjoyed the Parador, it certainly is a convenient place. Next
> Stop Mauna Kea then?

Only if there is a bar less than 100yds from my  
telescope :>)

Actually,  we are already planning a return trip for next year. 


Clear skies

Donal
--