La Cañada Observatory, is an initiative by Juan Lacruz, the observatory started astrometric operations in the summer of 2002, it is registered as station J87 in the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union.

The Observatory also participates in the studies on minor bodies promoted by the Group on Meteorites, Minor Bodies, and Planetary Sciences of the Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC-IEEC).



Sunday, August 31, 2008

2008 QM16 and 2008 QN16

These two new minor planet designations are number 96 and 97 for La Cañada. They were first observed on the night of August the 23th then confirmed on the night of the 29th.

Although they have no published orbit yet 2008 QM16 seems to have a perihelion distance q about 1.33, probably a Mars crosser.

Friday, August 22, 2008

2008 Aug 22th, JuanMi and Covichi

Two main belt asteroids discovered by Juan Lacruz from La Cañada Observatory (J87) have been named by the committee on small body nomenclature (CSBN), (178256) Juanmi, found on 2007 Nov 03, and (185576) Covichi, found on 2008 Jan 26th, JuanMi is the son and Covichi the daugther of the discoverer.

(the citations will be updated in a few days in the above links to JPL)

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Nebulas in the Sagitarius region

M17, the Omega nebula, also called the Swan.

M8 The Lagoon (South) and M20 theTrifid.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

The galaxy in Andromeda (M31)




The great Andromeda galaxy

Messier catalogue number 31, the fainter companions NG205 (North East) and M32 (Sowth West) can also be seen.

Canon EOS 40d + EF 200 F2.8 L.
Observatorio de La Cañada, 2008 Aug 02, 00h UT.

(copy left) Juan Lacruz 2008