Dear all,
It’s my biggest pleasure to share with you a special image indeed which is the first from me on 2010, the first of Mars and the first of my new telescope!
In fact, I had the longest ever spell of poor weather I can remember, but after 106 days I could finally break my inaction in a some way.
The special telescope I’ve built for myself only is a genuine Cassegrain 400mm with the usual Gladius-like design, but much bigger in size and weight. It also features a f/4 imaging solution at the parabolic primary’s focus by replacing the secondary mirror for deep sky imaging.
This telescope was named Gladius XVI (16, in roman letters) because this is the “key number” (16″ f/16) with it and the optical set has been manufactured by italian optician Luigi Marcon, my trusty supplier with glass!
Visually speaking, Mars is a boring beacon whose light is hard to tame without filters. I could even perceive in some steady moment the elusive Deimos moon when this was far away enough from the planet!
On Jan. 23 eve, I could finally fit my camera there and catch the Mars light for the first time!
Although conditions were all but great, these were enough to take an image.
Find it in my blog webpage:

MARS JAN. 23, 2010

Colors are very close to those I noticed at the eyepiece, but not the contrast which was quite enhanced through the image.
It looks to me Mars this year is showing some weaker albedo variations than last years. I’m not sure if it’s me or the seeing or what else…
I’d like to know your visual impressions.
Let’s hope I could have some steady night soon or later to enjoy the new beast here with me.
Your comments are welcome!
All the best.

Hello everybody,
After a long spell with high sun lunar images, you can look now at some area close to the limb.
In this scene you can see the Appennines and the mons Haemus promontorium leading southward on the bottom-right corner of the frame.

APPENNINES AND MONS HAEMUS

The image was a bit log-stretched with highlights to put on more evidence the dark mons Haemus against the bright peaks of the Appennines.
Hope you liked it.
More to follow.

Hello everybody,
Today’s image is showing the Aristarchus Plateau.
The high sun angle is better revealing crater blankets, radial ejectas and small impact craters everywhere probably caused by the Aristarchus itself when forming.
This area is definitively interesting and nice to see regardless of the illumination.

ARISTARCUS PLATEAU

More to follow.

Hello everybody,
I’m now sending lunar images taken on late 2009.
Yet another remarkable libration helped me to catch the elusive mare Orientale at its best.
For the first time, I could even pick the farside Cordillera staying behind the mare itself!
I got this panorama by sticking 3 images:

MARE ORIENTALE

To be also noticed a sort of courious “dipole” with the bright crater Byrgius A on the bottom-left corner against the dark Grimaldi basin on the bottom-right corner. in the middle, the neverending Sirsalis rille.

More to follow.
Thank you for your kind attention.

Hello everybody,
Last image of my 2008 backlog.
This was also the only one I could capture on that September night before of the clouds rolling in definitively.
We can see here another rarely imaged area placed half way between well known craters Fracastorius (to the west) and Petavius (to the east).
Santbech crater is the prominent crater on the middle-top side of the image.
SANTBECH

More to follow.
Thank you for your attention.

Hi all,

It’s been a looong while since my last lunar image sending.
So much, that I’ve a backlog of images as old as 1 year and half!

The local weather here is the worst ever with 100+ days (and still counting…) gone with exceptionally poor conditions. Just incredible.

Fortunately (if I can use this term), I had time enough to process some very old images captured on Summer 2008 and never processed yet.

These 2 shots dated June 10, 2008 are showing 2 maris which seldom appear this favourable because placed close to the lunar limb.
A very favourable western libration (7.5 degs) delivered a nice view of:

MARE HUMBOLDTIANUM

MARE MARGINIS

Both the 2 images were hard enough to process given the very high sun angle causing a very little contrast on the lunar ground.

Hope you can enjoy them all nonetheless.

More to follow.
Thank you for your attention.