Painting with Sirius

[jah79]

I was playing around with an SLR at prime focus for the first time just taking shots of anything I could. Pointed to Sirius thru a 2x Barlow and accidentally knocked the scope while shutter was open. Then thought this could look pretty if I knock it about a bit more on purpose. Thats where this shot came from:

http://stargazerslounge.com/members/jah79-albums-my-first-album-picture3522-painting-sirius.jpg

Can anybody explain the different colours in the trails?

[MrJulius]

Cool image

I think the colour come from when the unsteady

and turbulent atmosphere

diffracts different wave lengths of light.

The same effect one sees as stars twinkle.

As I think Sirius at least at my location is fairly

low in the sky, therefore the light has more

atmosphere to pass through.

Or it could be when the light hits the edges of the

mirror producing coma.

[yesyes]

I think you've just invented a whole new form of art...

[barkis]

The phenomena is due to atmospheric dispersion, and usually affects bright objects whose light has to travel through more atmosphere.The planet Venus can display red and blue colour too.

Achromatic refractors also show colour around objects too, but this is caused by the scopes lenses failure to focus all the colours of light to the same point. This is not the same thing of course.

Ron.

[LukeSkywatcher]

WOW that really is interesting. The normal colours you see on Sirius are caused by earths atmosphere. The reason they show so clearly with Sirius is because it is the brightest star in the night sky so the colours are enhanced more so then in most stars which just seem to twinkle slightly. Also it is fairlly low down copared to other so more atmosphere to shine through.

Cool image and i'm glad to see you having fun with different aspects of observing and imaging.

[JimBobs63]

Hi,

I had a first look at Sirius tonight, low in the southern sky.

At first I thought I was seeing things... the colours in the twinkle!

Orange and blue were the most obvious. But there were others there as well. I kind of guessed it must be due to air turbulence, but a beautiful sight none-the-less.

Congratulations on capturing it in such an interesting way!

Jim