Some Recent Photos:

Click on the photos for a larger view – See the Drop-Down Menus above for other objects.

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Comet 2022 E3 is expected to be the brightest comet of 2023 and is currently visible in the early mornings moving through the northern constellations. It is projected to reach a maximum brightness of mag 5 around February 5th which would make it a naked eye object under dark skies. The photo above was taken through my C9 telescope with the comet shining at ~ mag 7.5.
Because the orbit of the Moon is tilted slightly to the the Ecliptic (the orbital path that the planets follow) there will occasionally be times when the Moon passes in front of the planets blocking them from view for a short time. The photo above was taken as the planet Mars emerges from behind the Moon on this most recent occultation on December 7, 2022. At the time this photo was taken mars was 51 million miles distant while the moon is only 1/4 million miles away. The juxtaposition of the two bodies in the same field of view provides a dramatic sense of scale.
Above is a photo of the recent supernova SN2022hrs located in the spiral galaxy NGC4647. The Brightness of the exploding star at magnitude 12.43 rivals the brightness of central core of its host galaxy. The reference image shows the two galaxies before the nova eruption. Nearby is the bright elliptical galaxy M60 and the very faint Ultra-Compact Dwarf Galaxy UCD-1. UCD-1 may be the densest galaxy known with a stellar density of over 100 stars per cubic light-year.

Viewing the diminutive White-Dwarf companion of Sirius (the brightest star in the sky) is very challenging and most amateur astronomers put this in their “Bucket-List” of astronomical objects to view. It has been said that a good indicator if seeing conditions are favorable is to take a look at nearby Rigel another binary star but one that is much easier to split. Here are comparison photos of both binary stars which I took – each is a single frame and identically cropped – the only difference between the photos are the ISO & exposure settings required to capture the companions. In my opinion the visibility of Rigel B doesn’t necessarily speak to the visibility of Sirius B – perhaps the best that can be said is if you can’t see Rigel B due to either the seeing or your equipment you certainly will not see Sirius B.
Left – My most recent photo of Jupiter showing the “Great Red Spot” and one of the four Galilean Moons – Io.
Right – A recent Pass of the International Space Station appears to arc gracefully above my house.
Photos of ‘The Great Christmas Conjunction” of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The two planets have not appeared this close to each other in the sky in over 800 years (1/10 of a degree or 1/5 the diameter of the Full Moon). Though they appear to be nearly touching they are in fact separated by over 500 million miles. The photo on the Left was taken with a Digital camera and a 45mm lens @ f2.8 – 3 sec exposure ISO1250. The close-up photo on the Right shows both planets and three of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons (Ganymede was behind Jupiter at the time). Since it is difficult to capture Jupiter, Saturn, and the Galilean moons all in focus with a single exposure, the photo is actually a composite of three separate frames which were combined to render the image to show what was visible through the telescope (my 120mm Takahashi refractor).
Left – Photo of Jupiter.
Right – As always, Saturn is a magnificent sight.
Photo of Mars – Each year the Earth and Mars approach one another as they orbit the Sun but since their orbits are elliptical rather than circular the minimum distance that separates the two planets varies from year to year. On October 6, 2020 Mars approached to within 38.6 million miles and was brighter than every other solar system with the exception of the Moon. Mars won’t be this close to the Earth again until the year 2035. On the Right is a map identifying the major surface features as seen in the photo. The South Polar Ice Cap is visible on the lower right side of the planet.

Left – The comet NEOWISE was the surprise event of July becoming easily visible to the naked eye and arguably the best comet since 2002. Although now moving away from the sun and fading from naked-eye visibility it should remain visible through binoculars and small telescopes for some time. Go to the “Comets” section for further photos.

Right – A time-lapse photo of a thunderstorm taken at Lake McConaughy in Nebraska.

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I have been a lifelong amateur astronomer starting at the age of ten when I received a 4” Reflector telescope as a Christmas present – I have rarely been without a telescope since that time.   My father was a U.S. Naval officer who had a professional interest in the stars as  navigational signposts as well as a scientific curiosity in the stars themselves which rubbed off on me over the years. During these formative years the space-race with the Soviet Union was in full swing and all things space and science were making front page news.  My boyhood heroes were the “Mercury Seven” astronauts and their pictures along with pictures of  rockets and solar system bodies, cut from the pages of Life Magazine, were taped to my bedroom walls. One of the most memorable moments at this time was when my father and I watched Echo I  (one of the early satellites) as it passed overhead when we were living at the Presidio in San Francisco.

Over the years I have witnessed the many advancements in amateur astronomy and I can say without hesitation that right now we are living in a “Amateur Astronomy Golden Age” due to the following factors:

  • Quality telescopes at all apertures can be had at historically low prices.  
  • The advent of  Digital Cameras and image processing software has revolutionized Astro-photography.
  • Personal computers and the internet has made professional astronomical publications, databases, and software available to the amateur.

My primary astronomical interest is viewing,  photographing, and researching Double Stars. Many of the photos that are posted on these pages are of these beautiful and interesting bodies.  One however cannot be immune to the other treasures that populate our solar neighborhood and the greater universe at large, so there are samples of many other objects which I have visited and can be accessed through the Drop-Down Menus in the header.

My home and primary observing location is Castle Pines Colorado (EL 6,500 ft), a suburb just south of the Denver metro area. In 2019 I began construction of a permanent observatory structure which when completed will include a warm room, storage space and wind protection.

This website is very much a work-in-progress so check back for additions and updates. Feel free to contact me with comments, corrections or suggestions at: ssmith9831@gmail.com

Oil painting I did at age nine (1961) which shows my deep interest in astronomy and the space program at that time .  Objects from Right-to-left:  The Sun showing prominences and sunspots, sputnik satellite, planetary body?, comet, Jupiter, Saturn, Earth & Moon, Mars, & Uranus (green).  The astronaut on a spacewalk and the space shuttle type vehicle were only conjectures at the time.


“Telescope” by my granddaughter Riley (age 13)
“Death Star” by my grandson Max (age 9)