AstroPrinter

09/22/2024

07/04/2024

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends out there.
The day of celebration where America rubs the English noses in the fact they are no longer subjects of the crown.
Happy 248th birthday America

06/01/2024

Starliner launch on the Atlas rocked was scrubbed today. Scrub happened at L-3:50. I finally figured out what stands for

05/30/2024

We have all heard about the lack of intelligence but this must be a new level of stupidity.

A Michigan man with a suspended driver's licence didn't appear to have thought through a recent court appearance made on video, joining the Zoom call while d...

05/11/2024

Last night's Aurora Borealis over my home in Michigan. This is the night's images turned into a timelapse.
Taken from my all-sky camera which takes a 30-second exposure every 30 seconds all night.

Everything moving top to bottom is Aurora, at times it appears like very thin clouds moving from top to bottom.

Enjoy

05/04/2024

May the 4th be with you always

04/02/2024

If you have been wondering where I have been. I have been busy with eclipse preparations.

I leave Thursday to head to Texas in the hope of clear skies to image the eclipse

Here is my NASA/JPL page. You should check it out https://www.facebook.com/LiamFinnSSA?mibextid=ZbWKwL

NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, Vice president of the Great Lakes Association Of Astronomy Clubs

01/01/2024

Happy New Year to you all.

I wanted to post this link to a 3D printable coin that can be used as a Solar Projector (like a Pinhole Projector) to show the partial phases of the eclipse before totality on any surface. I do ask that if you do print it or use pics taken of it during the eclipse add the following hashtags on all your posts

The design is under a NONCOMMERCIAL license so you can print it but you cant sell it so scammers, please dont, if you see someone selling them let me know.

Seeing as this is posted on Printables I ask that you like it there so more people see it and more may print it.

Enjoy and safe eclipse observing.

This is a 3d printable eclipse coin. Designed as a pocket eclipse projector to safely project partial eclipse phases | Download free 3D printable STL models

12/06/2023

I have heard statements many times by some new amateur astronomers and the general public, "We get to see 98% or some variation of 90% totality so I dont need to drive anywhere to see the eclipse".

While people can believe this I have to say that as someone that has seen multiple eclipses there is a vast difference. Just telling people this means little as they dont understand the difference so I tend to use analogies to explain the differences.

Analogy one:
Being in the path of totality is like getting a private jet to Orlando, chauffeur limo pickup at the airport, driven to Disney World, no worries about parking, first in every ride in every park for a week and spending the whole week sleeping in Disney Castle.

98% or 99% is like driving from Michigan to Florida with 3 kids in the car, driving to disney, pulling into the Disney parking lot, opening the door and announcing we are at Disney, then driving home without ever going inside the park.

Analogy two:
A total eclipse is like going to your favourate band/group concert, getting VIP passes, being in the front row, being invited up on stage, singing the Encore song with the group and spending the rest of the evening at the concert afterparty with the group.

98% or 99% totality is knowing there is a concert going on, you are unable to get a ticket and you end up sitting at home hearing the crowds screams from the concert.... 8 blocks away.

Analogy three:
This is my final one, I promise. A total eclipse is like spending a private week at Typhoon Lagoon waterpark for you and your friends and haveing full access for a whole week with no one else having access.

98 or 99% totality is like sitting in an inflateable kiddy pool in your back yard...and the kiddy pool leaks.

So I hope this provides some kind of understanding of the difference between any version of a partial and a Total Solar Eclipse. I hope this also helps you and others to explain the difference as we will all come accross people in our day to day life who dont understand why you and I are so excited about April 8th 2024.

Just 124 and a half days to totality

12/04/2023

For the next week or so I'm grounded. I just dropped off my truck to the body shop get the repairs done from being rearended a few weeks ago.

11/29/2023

9463 toys ready to be delivered this evening to tonight. Results of a year long collaboration of in the SE Michigan area.

09/24/2023

Astronomy At The Beach fundraising Winners

Grand Prize 8" Celestron Telescope - Ticket 230327
Private Star Party - Ticket 230293
Private Planetarium Show - Ticket 230192
Andromeda Galaxy Image - Ticket - 230129
Whirlpool Galaxy Image - Ticket 230276
Dumbbell Nebula Image - Ticket 230393
Iris Nebula Image - Ticket 230233

Congratulations to all the winners of the Astronomy At The Beach fundraising Raffle.

We hope to see you all at next year's event with more telescopes, more talks and more raffle prizes.

Special thanks to for donating our grand prize and also to the local astronomers that donated the astrophotography Images.

We look forward to seeing everyone in 2024 at the 28th Astronomy At The Beach