PIC DU MIDI 2011

( Officina Stellare & Treviso Astronomica expedition to the legendary Observatory )

Early morning, August 4th, a fantastic sunshine from Nino’s home, prelude to a clear day

It will be a long trip, about 1400 km in one day (by car), across half Europe!

Six in the morning, a good Prosecco wine before leaving, not a perfect idea for drive…!

Ready to go , Borghetti coffee liqueur is a perfect travel companion …

First stop on the road, is time for the Nino’s Codino Salame ! The art of Nino in cutting the Codino

and the art of Johnny for eating…

Carcassone Castle, France, fantastic!

Dinner in Tolouse (me, Danilo & Johnny)

Nino Marocchino …..

Campan, a beauty small city near La Mongie

Pic, we are arriving !

La Mongie, all instrumentation ready to be loaded in cableway that take us to 3000 mt on level sea, at the Observatory!

arriving to the Observatory (from cableway)

from the past…

…just arrived and of course, wine and Nino’s Codino with French friends!

for me is time to relax, for Nino is time to cut Codino Salame again, all presents in the observatory want to taste it!

Italian way to astronomy

panorama

all ready for nights, but clouds are arriving….

Sebastian appreciates Nino’s wine, Johnny also…. (meditation after prosecco…)

Thunderstorm ! First time for us, in the past was always sunny!

Sun again, is time to observe, nice sunspot visible

Gino is collimating Officina Stellare superfast astrograph “ RH Veloce 200 “

Now is time for fog and for a deserved relax for Nino ..

me and Johnny go to One Meter telescope (NASA used to map the Moon)

Incredible the one meter telescope resolution on Moon surface!

astonishing Jupiter image by Luis Campo, optics and seeing perfect at Pic du Midi!

Sunset over a sea of clouds , and Johnny

Is time for dinner with French friends and of course Nino’s wine!

sunshine

Danilo’s second day panorama !

morning for Sun observations in white light and H-alfa (of course tasting wine…)

clouds arriving again

just in time for a visit to solar telescope

Two meter (B. Lyot) telescope dome and prime focus instruments

sunset images (my skin burned from Sun..)

The Team from left up : Danilo, Gianpaolo and Johnny

From left down : Nino, me and Gino