Mike Christie
LightNews LightNews
banner
mikechristie.bsky.social
Mike Christie
@mikechristie.bsky.social
1.3K followers 630 following 740 posts
Interested in maths, physics, astronomy, astrophotography. Member of Astronomical Society of Edinburgh. Emeritus Professor at Heriot-Watt University.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Mike Christie
televueoptics.bsky.social
Albert Nagler
(1935—2025)

The Nagler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of condolences these past few weeks. Each is helping us inch forward from our loss.

Our new blog post has an image gallery from Al’s life:
tinyurl.com/TVOTWAlNagler
Al Nagler signing a telescope next to a banner with the Tele Vue logo.
November 24, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Mike Christie
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
Have you e-signed @sciencecentres.bsky.social's letter to the UKGov? Today is your last chance before it goes to Downing St! Join 1000s of us in calling for fairer funding for the UK's science centres currently excluded from UKGov infrastructure funding.🧪🔭
✍️ www.sciencecentres.org.uk/openletter20...
astroroyalscot.bsky.social Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · Sep 27
The fantastic UK network of science and discovery centres needs your help to survive and thrive! Sign this letter urging the UKGov to stop excluding science from the financial support that is available for other museums, art galleries & theatres 🙏🧪🔭👩‍🔬🎢

👉✉️: www.sciencecentres.org.uk/openletter20...
Catherine having a laugh at the Aberdeen science centre with three girls playing with a powerful fan. Catherine chatting to an interested girl in front of an arch they've just built. Catherine and two kids looking earnestly at some marshmallows in a glass jar that is about to become a vacuum. Catherine looking through a giant lens. She has a mask on.
November 23, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Reposted by Mike Christie
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
Perks of the job: sneak previews of awesome books! This is a beautiful blend of travel & adventure; wonder & awe; 🧪STEM, #histsci, astronomy, art & nature. If you've ever looked up and wondered "what is that?", then the inimitable @drlucyrogers.com has written this for you!
drlucyrogers.com Dr Lucy Rogers @drlucyrogers.com · Aug 13
I am very excited to report that my book is now available for pre-order!!

If you like things that fly – be it aircraft, bugs or birds, then this book is for you!

I am also so delighted with the beautiful cover art by @Rachelhillustrates.bsky.social :)

www.penguin.co.uk/books/461507...
Book cover of "UP" with butterflies, glowworms, bats, condors, a hot air balloon, an aircraft, a kite, stars, clouds and other things that are above us.
November 22, 2025 at 2:55 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Got some Ha to add to a recent image of M33. CFF135 🔭 with #Touptek ATR2600 mono camera and filters. #astrophotography
Spiral galaxy M33 in Triangulum, showing red star forming regions and blueish regions with young hot stars.
November 21, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Mike Christie
dannydenfisch.bsky.social
I've submitted my application, but not sure I'll meet the criteria, soooo a little ask. I'd be grateful of a #follow #repost if you like #space, #physics & want to help me get invited to @nasaartemis.bsky.social launch!

In return you'll get excellent content, & hopefully learn something too! 🧪🔭🙏
Screen shot of Artemis 1 launching and the NASA Artemis competition social media post
November 19, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Reposted by Mike Christie
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
Had a few enquiries recently about #Seestar smart-telescopes for #scicomm or xmas gifts for keen-kids. If you are lucky enough to have the cash (£369), these are a great investment & super easy to use.
👇These images were all taken in just a few mins in the light polluted city of Edinburgh. 🤩🔭
The Veil Nebula. A green/red whispy flash across a dark star-studded sky. Text reads: NGC 6992: 6min. Bode and the cigar galaxy Two swirly peachy spirally galaxies on a dark star-studded background Text reads: M81 8min Andromeda and friends A huge galaxy filling the frame with a swirling dust lane across it, surrounding a bright warm core. Text reads M31 4min The dumbbell nebula Looks a little like an open mouth with red lips and green innards, on a dark star studded sky Text reads M27 5min
November 16, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Reposted by Mike Christie
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
🥳 Huge congrats to @sherwoodobs.bsky.social! Their hugely successful creation of the Sherwood Observatory and Planetarium has been recognised with a King's Award for Voluntary Service! If you're in the Nottingham/Derby/Sheffield area, they are well worth a visit! 🔭
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Sherwood Observatory volunteers celebrate King's Award
The award goes to a group of volunteers who have helped others experience the wonders of space.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 10:02 AM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Combined two sessions on M31 from Jan this year with last nights group observing session with @e-astronomer.bsky.social , @astroroyalscot.bsky.social and @andynightsky.bsky.social and processed in PixInsight. About 2 hours of data, 15s exposures, gain 60. #Dwarf3 smart 🔭, #astrophotography
M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, is our closest galactic neighbour. The galaxy has a bright nucleus, spiral arms showing dust lanes, and two satellite galaxies.
November 9, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by Mike Christie
astronomyedinburgh.bsky.social
A time-lapse of a typical night observing with our remote telescope in Spain: ASERO. On an average night we observe 6 variable stars, a couple of comets and a chosen deep sky object - all selected by our members. 🔭☄️
Sometimes we do live observing, always fun!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n5F...
ASERO Timelapse
YouTube video by Astronomical Society of Edinburgh
www.youtube.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Mike Christie
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
Your guide to the November night skies courtesy of @astronomyedinburgh.bsky.social. Wishing you all clear skies and lots of lovely #Leonid 'shooting stars' (meteor shower peaks on the 17th)! 🤞🧪🔭🤩
An Infographic from the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh showing the November 2025 Highlights as a list. You can find the text-only format here: https://www.astronomyedinburgh.org/2025/10/24/sky-diary-november-2025/
November 2, 2025 at 12:24 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Two more images from last night's session: Gassendi and Mare Humorum to the left, and Plato to Sinus Iridum to the right. Both best 10% frames from 2500 frame video taken with #CFF 135 🔭, #TeleVue 2.5x powermate, #Touptek 585MM camera. #astrophotography
Gassendi and Mare Humorum. Gassendi is upper left of the picture with Mare Humorum just below. Mare Nubian is to the right of the picture Plato to Sinus Iridum. Plato is the large lava filled crater to the upper right, and Sinus Iridium (the bay of rainbows) is a large lava filled crater with missing south east wall to the middle centre of the picture
November 2, 2025 at 10:37 AM
mikechristie.bsky.social
The heavily cratered southern uplands of the Moon, showing Tycho, Clavius, and Schiller. Best 10% frames from 2500 frame video. #CFF135 🔭, #Touptek 585MM, #Televue 2.5x Powermate. Processed in Astrosurface and PixInsight. #astrophotography
The heavily cratered southern uplands of the Moon. Prominent craters visible are Tycho (upper right), Clavius (large, lower middle), and Schiller (elongated, upper left).
November 1, 2025 at 9:07 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
My daughter's #cat Biscuits getting into the #Halloween spirit.
A 3-legged tabby cat sits amongst leaves and pumpkins in an indoor photo shoot.
October 31, 2025 at 4:13 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Sh2-173, or the Phantom of the Opera Nebula, imaged with @astronomyedinburgh.bsky.social remote 12" Murrell Newtonian 🔭 at #Trevinca in Spain. RGB stars with Ha for the nebula. #astrophotography
Sharpless2-173, or the Phantom of the Opera nebula. A red nebula that looks like a face is looking downwards towards the left of the picture, with a bacjmground of coloured stars.
October 30, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Mike Christie
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
🔊Announcing a new Physics/Astro PhD scholarship scheme in Edinburgh, for students from a Black heritage, inc mixed Black background. Please help me spread the word. The scholarship covers all tuition fees, living costs & research travel. #blackinSTEM 🔭👩‍🔬⚛️

ℹ️: www.ph.ed.ac.uk/studying/pos...
October 20, 2025 at 3:52 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
#Aurora from South Edinburgh just now. Looking west, barely visible to the naked eye because of the LED streetlights here. 10s hand held photo with phone. #astronomy
Red glow of the Aurora over rooftops in Southern Edinburgh.
October 18, 2025 at 7:55 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Woken early by Felix Astronomicus and saw the sky was clear, so got a quick shot of the Moon. CFF135 🔭, #TeleVue 2.5x powermate, #Touptek 585 mono. Pleased that I got most of Hadley Rille. Best 100 frames from 1000 frame video. #astrophotography
Close up of the Moon showing the Apennine mountains, with Hadley Rille. The three major craters near the Apennines are Archimedes with lava filled floor, Autolycus and Aristillus. Following the sweep of the mountains you come to Cassini with A and B craters clearly seen. Then the Alpine Valley and Plato.
October 12, 2025 at 8:49 AM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Large prominence on NW limb of the Sun captured at 15:20 today (11 October) with Coronado SolarMax 🔭 and #TeleVue 2.5x Powermate. #Touptek 585 mono camera. Stacked in AstroSurface, then processed and coloured in PixInsight. #heliophysics #astrophotography
Large prominence on NW limb of the Sun.
October 11, 2025 at 2:38 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
NGC7293 (Helix Nebula) imaged in HSO earlier this month with @astronomyedinburgh.bsky.social remote Murrell 12" Newtonian 🔭 at #Trevinca in Spain. 71 x 300s Ha, 96 x 300s Oiii, 171 x 300s Sii. Processed in PixInsight. #astrophotography
The Helix Nebula (NGC7293) is a planetary nebula in Aquarius. It is one of the closest planetary nebula to us and was formed by an intermediate to low mass star shedding its outer layers at the end of its life. The red colours are hydrogen-alpha, the yellowy clouds indicate some silicon2, and the blue colours are oxygen3
October 10, 2025 at 7:58 AM
mikechristie.bsky.social
My previous M33 combined colour RGB data from last year with L data from my new Touptek because I had not got good flats for the G and B channels. I fixed that this evening and processed 85 x 60s L, 20 x 60s G, B, and 19 x 60s R to get this image. CFF135 🔭, #Touptek ATR2600M. #astrophotography
M33 the Triangulum galaxy. This was taken with a mono camera using luminance, red, green and blue filters which were combined in post processing. Even without H-alpha, the red Ha regions are visible along with young blue star regions and dust lanes near the centre of the galaxy.
September 28, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Reposted by Mike Christie
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
The fantastic UK network of science and discovery centres needs your help to survive and thrive! Sign this letter urging the UKGov to stop excluding science from the financial support that is available for other museums, art galleries & theatres 🙏🧪🔭👩‍🔬🎢

👉✉️: www.sciencecentres.org.uk/openletter20...
Catherine having a laugh at the Aberdeen science centre with three girls playing with a powerful fan. Catherine chatting to an interested girl in front of an arch they've just built. Catherine and two kids looking earnestly at some marshmallows in a glass jar that is about to become a vacuum. Catherine looking through a giant lens. She has a mask on.
September 27, 2025 at 7:35 AM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Trying out my new #Touptek ATR2600M mono camera on M33. This is the first 24 luminance images. I'll probably combine with some RGB data from last year once the sequence is finished. Scope #CFF135 🔭 on #TTS160 Panther mount. #astrophotography
A mono image of M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, showing spiral arms and foreground stars from the Milky Way
September 23, 2025 at 9:23 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
About 1 hour on M31 with a #Dwarf3 smart scope in equatorial mode. (257 exposures at 15s, gain 60.) Processed in PixInsight. #astrophotography 🔭
Andromeda galaxy (M31) with two satellite galaxies (M32 and M110). M31 shows a bright core and dark dirt lanes, with bluer regions where bright new stars are towards the edge of the galaxy.
September 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Set up CFF135 🔭 hoping to try new #Touptek ATR2600MM. But loads of clouds, so quick shot of Moon with #Touptek ATR585MM and #TeleVue 2x Barlow. Best 100 frames from 1000 frame video, stacked and sharpened in Astrosurface. #astrophotography
Moon 1 day past full, showing Mare Crisis and craters along the terminator
September 8, 2025 at 8:39 PM
mikechristie.bsky.social
Solar prominence on SE limb, taken today (8 Sept) in gaps between light rain. Coronado SolarMax III 🔭 with #Touptek ATR585M camera and #Televue 2.5x Powermate. Stacked and sharpened in #Astrosurface, and coloured and inverted in #PixInsight with Solar Toolbox. #astrophotography #heliophysics
Zoomed image of the Sun's SE limb, showing two prominences with a long filament leading to the larger prominence
September 8, 2025 at 12:12 PM