English (UK)
A group of amateur astronomers from the Asturian Astronomical Society Omega has carried out a scientific observing stay using the 1.23 m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory, within the framework of the III Javier Gorosabel PROAM Collaboration Award, granted by the Spanish Astronomical Society.
The award originates from a project developed in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which members of the association took part in the analysis of data from the K2 mission of the Kepler space telescope, focused on the study of extrasolar planets. The project was led by Dr. Enrique Díaz Alonso and the ICTEA, and was recognised for its contribution to collaboration between professional and amateur astronomy.
The visit to the Calar Alto Observatory took place on 7, 8 and 9 December, with the participation of Alfonso Coya, Juan Collada, Juan Menéndez and Javier Polancos.
During their stay, the group carried out several observing sessions with the 1.23 m telescope, highlighting observations of the well-known comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) after the fragmentation event that occurred in late November, the successful transit of the exoplanet HAT-P-20b, as well as several remarkable astrophotographs of objects such as the galaxy Cetus A.
The programme also included a visit to the observatory’s scientific facilities and its larger-aperture telescopes. The participants emphasised the excellent development of the scheduled activities and the support provided by the observatory staff throughout the entire stay. This visit forms part of initiatives aimed at promoting collaboration between the professional scientific community and amateur astronomy groups, facilitating access to scientific infrastructure for projects of common interest.
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SAA Omega observers: Alfonso Coya, Juan Collada, Juan Menéndez and Javier Polancos. |
 Comet 3I/ATLAS |
 Observing night with the 1.23 m telescope |
