Bill Keel
@ngc3314.bsky.social
Astronomer, husband, father, staff of cats, sometime trombonist
I know, right? I can't let it go. (BTW, the later "Voorwerpjes" usage was completely my fault and deliberate). Couldn't help myself having a look with 15-cm Celestron Origin a couple of nights ago from a dark site - and there it is, hanging right below IC 2497.
November 18, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I know, right? I can't let it go. (BTW, the later "Voorwerpjes" usage was completely my fault and deliberate). Couldn't help myself having a look with 15-cm Celestron Origin a couple of nights ago from a dark site - and there it is, hanging right below IC 2497.
Aurora from Tuscaloosa, Alabama! (Shot with my Moto phone propped atop car; I ran a bunch of DSLR sequences and its battery is recharging before I can download). That's a lifetime total of two by now! Red color was visible to the eye.
November 12, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Aurora from Tuscaloosa, Alabama! (Shot with my Moto phone propped atop car; I ran a bunch of DSLR sequences and its battery is recharging before I can download). That's a lifetime total of two by now! Red color was visible to the eye.
Sure, but it would be spectacular on a 16-bit binary odometer.
November 10, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Sure, but it would be spectacular on a 16-bit binary odometer.
Montage of images we got from Space Track overnight down in the Hilton in Live Astronomy, remotely operating 1-meter observatory telescopes in AZ, Chile, Canary Islands. Finally finished data processing and color-compositing (we saw only single-filter greyscale at the time). Come join us in 2026!
October 27, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Montage of images we got from Space Track overnight down in the Hilton in Live Astronomy, remotely operating 1-meter observatory telescopes in AZ, Chile, Canary Islands. Finally finished data processing and color-compositing (we saw only single-filter greyscale at the time). Come join us in 2026!
Meanwhile with a Celestron Origin about 3 meters away - single 2-minute exposure stack, contrast tweaked but otherwise straight from the telescope. (I finally got Comet Lemmon the next night sans fog).
October 24, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Meanwhile with a Celestron Origin about 3 meters away - single 2-minute exposure stack, contrast tweaked but otherwise straight from the telescope. (I finally got Comet Lemmon the next night sans fog).
I am making desperate plans to survive a dispute between research assistants.
September 21, 2025 at 3:01 AM
I am making desperate plans to survive a dispute between research assistants.
ou've been kidnapped. The characters from the last TV show you watched are trying to rescue you. Who's coming to save you?
Ohhhh. Odds 50-50?
Ohhhh. Odds 50-50?
August 21, 2025 at 10:32 PM
ou've been kidnapped. The characters from the last TV show you watched are trying to rescue you. Who's coming to save you?
Ohhhh. Odds 50-50?
Ohhhh. Odds 50-50?
Ah, I thought I had a JPEG of this one. Double quasar and surrounding stars (which I had calibrated photoelectrically at Crossley or Nickel) so I could do iris photometry. (One more gizmo younger colleagues won't quite believe).
August 6, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Ah, I thought I had a JPEG of this one. Double quasar and surrounding stars (which I had calibrated photoelectrically at Crossley or Nickel) so I could do iris photometry. (One more gizmo younger colleagues won't quite believe).
Still life with data formats.
August 6, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Still life with data formats.
(Look at LaTX errors from 6 out of 10 manuscript tables despite the fact that they typeset fine) It must be spreading. We already had to go through this process once in taking some of the data - maybe I should have saved that phone number.
August 6, 2025 at 6:47 PM
(Look at LaTX errors from 6 out of 10 manuscript tables despite the fact that they typeset fine) It must be spreading. We already had to go through this process once in taking some of the data - maybe I should have saved that phone number.
I really enjoy hosting the Live Astronomy overnight sessions, where we operate telescopes in AZ, Chile, Canary Islands, sometimes from audience requests. It's real! It's all real! (Truth in advertising, the data do need some processing to look this good). Hope to catch interstellar comet this time.
August 3, 2025 at 7:46 PM
I really enjoy hosting the Live Astronomy overnight sessions, where we operate telescopes in AZ, Chile, Canary Islands, sometimes from audience requests. It's real! It's all real! (Truth in advertising, the data do need some processing to look this good). Hope to catch interstellar comet this time.
This may be the worst part - I had a JPEG of this already for historic reasons. From 1984.
August 1, 2025 at 1:56 PM
This may be the worst part - I had a JPEG of this already for historic reasons. From 1984.
The ferns seem to have been native around here for a long time. (Truth in advertising: this was in my back yard, but the older ones came from mine tailings near the county line). I would use this image in classes to illustrate the "how has the Sun shone this bright for so long? question.
July 26, 2025 at 7:41 PM
The ferns seem to have been native around here for a long time. (Truth in advertising: this was in my back yard, but the older ones came from mine tailings near the county line). I would use this image in classes to illustrate the "how has the Sun shone this bright for so long? question.
Current SN Ia 2025rbx in NGC 7331 is really bright and in a photogenic spot near the nucleus. (5m each BVR during morning twilight, 1m Kapteyn telescope on La Palma remotely operated by SARA consortium). 🔭
July 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Current SN Ia 2025rbx in NGC 7331 is really bright and in a photogenic spot near the nucleus. (5m each BVR during morning twilight, 1m Kapteyn telescope on La Palma remotely operated by SARA consortium). 🔭
Good fortune to be on the right path to see the Moon temporarily ringed by bright stars of the Pleiades this morning (and similarly one Saros cycle ago, with students at newly-renovated campus 0.4m). Canon DSLR+zoom at 250mm and Celestron Origin, both 0.5s exposures, cropped for lunar reflections. 🔭
July 20, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Good fortune to be on the right path to see the Moon temporarily ringed by bright stars of the Pleiades this morning (and similarly one Saros cycle ago, with students at newly-renovated campus 0.4m). Canon DSLR+zoom at 250mm and Celestron Origin, both 0.5s exposures, cropped for lunar reflections. 🔭
Going into the TARDIS for glance back at 2023 DragonCon. Fell Beasts on a budget, This is the Fashion Way, and lots of Atlanta Radio Theater Company. Plus eyepiece view of Moon from telescopes on Hilton deck.
July 18, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Going into the TARDIS for glance back at 2023 DragonCon. Fell Beasts on a budget, This is the Fashion Way, and lots of Atlanta Radio Theater Company. Plus eyepiece view of Moon from telescopes on Hilton deck.
Prepping for my 22nd DragonCon. I mostly present in Space Track (visit overnight Live Astronomy in the Hilton as we operate remote observatory telescopes!) and Science Track, with forays into military SF and animation. I do keep a broader eye out - here's a montage of some views from 2024.
July 18, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Prepping for my 22nd DragonCon. I mostly present in Space Track (visit overnight Live Astronomy in the Hilton as we operate remote observatory telescopes!) and Science Track, with forays into military SF and animation. I do keep a broader eye out - here's a montage of some views from 2024.
Timelapse of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS +background stars in Ophiuchus from 16x1-minute exposures last night (1m Jacobus Kapteyn telescope on La Palma through SARA remote ops). Unlike bound outer solar-system objects, most of its apparent motion is intrinsic, not reflex of Earth orbital motion.🔭☄️
July 16, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Timelapse of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS +background stars in Ophiuchus from 16x1-minute exposures last night (1m Jacobus Kapteyn telescope on La Palma through SARA remote ops). Unlike bound outer solar-system objects, most of its apparent motion is intrinsic, not reflex of Earth orbital motion.🔭☄️
New study just out from Beverly Smith et al. of multiple galaxy merger IC 2431 including Zoo Gems HST image, a target selected by @galaxyzoo.org volunteers. Dust lanes may suggest two of the disks had near-planar encounter. arxiv.org/abs/2507.10439
July 15, 2025 at 3:00 PM
New study just out from Beverly Smith et al. of multiple galaxy merger IC 2431 including Zoo Gems HST image, a target selected by @galaxyzoo.org volunteers. Dust lanes may suggest two of the disks had near-planar encounter. arxiv.org/abs/2507.10439
Another set: backlit galaxies from Jokimaki et al. 2005 list of M51 analogs (which started on Cosmoquest forum!). Most outside SDSS DR7 used for @galaxyzoo.org 2011 search. 2 outside Legacy Survey, from SARA instruments. Foreground z=0.005-0.063.
June 30, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Another set: backlit galaxies from Jokimaki et al. 2005 list of M51 analogs (which started on Cosmoquest forum!). Most outside SDSS DR7 used for @galaxyzoo.org 2011 search. 2 outside Legacy Survey, from SARA instruments. Foreground z=0.005-0.063.
Getting old projects in order: montage showing some backlit-galaxy systems selected by @galaxyzoo.org volunteers in Hubble Zoo (plus a few serendipitous finds). After detailed analysis, these may help shed light on the cosmic evolution of dust in galaxies. Even the coldest dust shows up this way. 🔭
June 30, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Getting old projects in order: montage showing some backlit-galaxy systems selected by @galaxyzoo.org volunteers in Hubble Zoo (plus a few serendipitous finds). After detailed analysis, these may help shed light on the cosmic evolution of dust in galaxies. Even the coldest dust shows up this way. 🔭
Volunteers with @galaxyzoo.org are already finding candidates for Voorwerpjes (giant gas clouds ionized by AGN extant or extinct) in first image release from @vrubinobs.bsky.social. This one is much better than the subtle blue streamer I found. (Copied for astrosci stream).🔭
June 26, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Volunteers with @galaxyzoo.org are already finding candidates for Voorwerpjes (giant gas clouds ionized by AGN extant or extinct) in first image release from @vrubinobs.bsky.social. This one is much better than the subtle blue streamer I found. (Copied for astrosci stream).🔭
Volunteers with @galaxyzoo.org reporting the first candidates for Voorwerpjes (giant AGN-ionized clouds) in initial @vrubinobs.bsky.social images. (Much better than the subtle blue streamer I found).
June 26, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Volunteers with @galaxyzoo.org reporting the first candidates for Voorwerpjes (giant AGN-ionized clouds) in initial @vrubinobs.bsky.social images. (Much better than the subtle blue streamer I found).
In Huntsville for events marking 30/35th anniversaries of the Astro shuttle missions featuring UV telescopes. This was above the hotel registration desk. They really do want me to feel at home.
June 20, 2025 at 1:56 PM
In Huntsville for events marking 30/35th anniversaries of the Astro shuttle missions featuring UV telescopes. This was above the hotel registration desk. They really do want me to feel at home.
Couldn't help myself after seeing Scott Harrington's article on observing starbursts in Sky and Telescope. Last night, Celestron Origin in suburban front yard: NGC 3991/4/5 (45m exp), AKA Arp 313 and NGC 5430 (60m), where as a grad student I happened on the off-nuclear knot full of Wolf-Rayet stars.
April 18, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Couldn't help myself after seeing Scott Harrington's article on observing starbursts in Sky and Telescope. Last night, Celestron Origin in suburban front yard: NGC 3991/4/5 (45m exp), AKA Arp 313 and NGC 5430 (60m), where as a grad student I happened on the off-nuclear knot full of Wolf-Rayet stars.