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Astronomy

In the mid and late 90s I had a large telescope, an 8-inch Celestron C8 reflector, which was sold again in the meantime. A kind of frustration purchase during the pandemic in 2021 led to the purchase of a new 6-inch reflector, but so far it has mostly just been standing around.

Maybe the hobby will flare up again in the near future, until then I will present results from past times and fresh 3D-Renderings in this section.
Misc

Aurora May 2024

In the night of 10th to 11th of May 2024, a big solar storm produced auroras so bright, that they could be seen as far south as Germany.

Partial Solar Eclipse 2011

On January 4, 2011, a solar eclipse took place, during which the sun in Cologne was 80 percent covered. On the way to the supermarket I was able to get three snapshots.
3D-Renderings

Background-Informations

Short Explanation on how 3D models of celestial bodies can be generated using two high-resolution maps. In addition to the maps, you also need a 3D software like Povray, and admittedly a little experience in programming.

Moon - First Results

A handful of pictures and videos that accrued during the familiarization with the topics Povray and Spherical Heightfields. All of them show the front side of the moon, probably sharper and clearer than amateur astronomers can photograph it.

Moon - Dark Side

Pictures, videos and maps of the dark side of the Moon. Although it has hardly any large mare to offer, it is dotted with countless large and small craters, whose shadows cast at the selected position of the sun are just as impressive as corresponding areas on the fore side.

Mars

First attempts with high-resolution maps of the planet Mars to generate images and videos from the planet. I can already present a few results, others are in the works, maybe there will be a follow-up this autumn or winter.
New + updated pages

Mars Renderings

Published at 09.10.2025

Moon-Renderings - Dark Side

Published at 02.06.2025

Partial Solar Eclipse 2011

Published at 27.03.2025

Aurora May 2024

Published at 24.03.2025

Moon-Renderings - First Results

Updated at 15.03.2025: Two new videos added

Rendering - Background

Published at 10.03.2025