Asteroid Zoo Talk

Dots...

  • leonie_van_vliet by leonie_van_vliet

    Just like to know what those tiny withe dots are popping up ever so often and never in same frame. Sometimes there the ,odd ones,
    a little bigger not round. Are they flukes from the lens? I am able to distinguish the difference between other objects and asteroids.

    Thanks in advance!
    Leonie van Vliet

    Posted

  • artdent42 by artdent42

    Someone suggested they might be a cosmic ray that hit the camera while it was making a photo exposure. I do not know for sure, but it I'm happy with that explanation. Happy hunting!

    Posted

  • leonie_van_vliet by leonie_van_vliet

    Thanks, that might be a good explanation artdent42, Cosmic rays!

    Leonie. van Vliet... 😃

    Posted

  • peterbees by peterbees

    There are cosmic ray artifacts, but the tiny white dots are probably defective pixels in the imaging device. Often they dodge around in a figure 4 pattern (sometimes seen as an 'Inverted T') because the camera is realigned slightly between images so that these pixel defects can be identified for what they are. Cosmic rays tend to leave irregular short streaks and blobs on just one image. There are also dark or grey blobs which are probably foreign matter (dust) in the camera system, as well as strong vertical lines which are electrical glitches in the recording process.

    Bright streaks at random angles, on single frames, may be FMOs (Fast Moving Objects) such as planes, satellites or meteors. Circular or curved bright areas are usually lens flares from bright stars out of the frame - as are spikes originating from obvious bright stars. Patchy glow may be obscuring cloud or haze.

    Anything else is probably 'out there'!

    Posted

  • leonie_van_vliet by leonie_van_vliet

    Thank you peterbees, for explaining its appreciated. I rather be thorough than at random marking things that do have a logical
    explanation.

    Leonie van Vliet... 😃

    Posted