The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Fleecewife on December 26, 2014, 12:20:29 pm
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We don't have a hobbies group on TAS, but some of you must have them (I know there's rarely time, and for most of us our smallholding is our hobby) Anyway, I wondered if anyone on here is into Stargazing, telescopes and so on? Many of us live in areas with really good dark skies, so we can expect dark nights without too much light pollution.
I now have a stargazing telescope :santa: and I'm just waiting for the freezing fog at night to clear, then I'll be getting that crick in the neck that staring at the sky causes. Meanwhile I'm trying to learn as much as I can from youtube, books etc and I'm due to start a 'Futurelearn' online course which teaches all about Orion and what to look for in that constellation both with the naked eye and a telescope.
So, is anyone else interested or am I on my own?
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the space station (?) apparently was visible from Scotland on xmas eve, but it was a cloudy night here so we couldn't see anything. it was supposed to look like a moving star.
I know a few constellations but that's all.
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I love looking at the night sky and do a fair bit of it.
I like to be able to find the constellations; I don't know them all but I know quite a few. When I first see Orion each year I know winter's a-coming; in the summer here we don't get so much stargazing done as the nights mostly don't get truly black.
We seem to get a lot of meteors in our skies - shooting stars - and I usually have a wish. And it usually comes true! One time, a couple of years ago, I saw a shooting star and couldn't think of a wish. Even after pondering off and on the next day, I still couldn't think of a wish. Which was, of course, the best gift of all! :D
I live in hope of seeing the Aurora Borealis, but so far, despite getting all the alerts and spending many hours on many nights out late and willing the colours on the horizons to start shimmering, the only times the lights have been reported our way have been nights I've been sound asleep at the time! (And/or it's been thick cloud, so nothing to see from the ground.)
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I love to see the milky way and some of the constellations I know, but just haven't got the time to learn more.... other hobbies take priority usually (and I am normally knackered once it gets past 9pm...)
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love watching the skies - OH had a telescope last birthday, and I've signed him up for the Futurelearn course on Orion too Fleecewife (I've done a few of their courses myself, thought it would keep him out of mischief for a while!)
We enjoy the meteor showers - there's a website whose name escapes me, that gives dates and timings of them for different areas.
I love the moon!! ;)
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the space station (?) apparently was visible from Scotland on xmas eve, but it was a cloudy night here so we couldn't see anything. it was supposed to look like a moving star.
I know a few constellations but that's all.
We watched space station go over Wales very clearly ... lovely
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the space station (?) apparently was visible from Scotland on xmas eve, but it was a cloudy night here so we couldn't see anything. it was supposed to look like a moving star.
I know a few constellations but that's all.
The Space Station was just a cover up for the fact that Santa allowed himself to be spotted by accident!
I love stars, but don't have much knowledge other than a few basic constellations, would love to find out more.
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I also love looking at the stars and as I seem to spend a lot of time out in the fields at night (!!) have downloaded the free 'Sky Map' app to my iPad. Now if I take my ipad out and aim it at the sky, it tells me what constellation I am looking at and what the various stars/planets are. Or you can just aim it out of a window to what you are looking at. I've found it really interesting. It must be amazing to see them through a telescope though. What a lovely present!
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Oh good, I'm so glad there are more star lovers out there. I find that lambing is a great time to see the stars, when I go out for night time checks. The big drawback at the moment is that clear nights always coincide with freezing :cold: nights so many layers are called for.
I saw the aurora a few times when we first came to live here, but since then the horizon to the north of us, spreading right across the Central Belt of Scotland, seems to give off far more light pollution than it used to, so we don't see much in that direction. Also every single tiny village around us has street lights which are on all night, and are not shaded, whereas 20 years ago there was only one that we could see >:( Still, Monday night looks promising for clear skies and not too much moon.
It's often cloudy when an aurora is forecast, and for the space station/Santa, I didn't hear about it until the next day. Apparently you could see it over London too.
The iPad app sounds really useful for identifying the constellations. So far, I know Orion including Betelgeuse, Rigel and the Orion nebula, the great and small ploughs, Pleiades, Cassiopeia, pole star, Canis major including Sirius, and I've seen the southern cross years ago. I need a good clear night to pick out Draco. I'm wanting to learn to pick out the planets, and now I know they are all in the same plane I think there's hope I'll be able to pick them out. So far I've spotted Jupiter and Mars.
My telescope is a 'go-to' which is a total cheat, but I never used our old telescope because I could never find the stars :roflanim:
I'll see your husband on futurelearn little blue :thumbsup: I'm really looking forward to it :yippee:
How about if anyone hears in advance about something celestial we might be interested in, they post it here so we can all see?
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One of my unfulfilled ambitions in life is to see the Aurora Borealis so if anyone knows of a sighting due in Fife please shout! I'm usually in bed or it's cloudy, but I do love a brief stare a stars on a cold evening or first thing when I'm out for whatever reason.
I was thinking of the Futurelearn course but don't have a telescope and am familiar with a few constellations but would love to learn more. Might give it a go and see how I get on as I'm not doing any FL at the moment and usually have a couple current or catching up! Maybe see you there FW!
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https://www.calsky.com/ (https://www.calsky.com/)
This is the site I used for reference when i bought my scope. In the light polluted london area a 6" refractor could just about cope with the planets..moons of jupiter, saturns cassini division etc. But the novelty did wear off after freezing my buns for many nights - a lot just carting the heavy scope out and waiting for it to all cool down to an even temp.
Out here in darkest wales there's just so much more to see - but the scope is still a heavy beast to drag out and setup and somehow i lost the finderscope in the move. I hate to admit that it's been sat in the barn for 3 yrs unused. Realistically I should admit i lost interest and sell it.
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Shygirl, that wasn't a space station, that was Father Christmas and all my younger grand/great grandchildren saw him!! :excited: :excited:
Sally, to see the Northern Lights is my before-I-die ambition.
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our next-door neighbours daughter downloaded a star gazing app on her phone…you just point the phone and it tells you whats what….it was impressive
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Phillips do a Star Atlas, a wheel on which you set the date and it shows you what constellations are visible and where. On the back is information telling you how to plot the planets for any given date. I'm due to get another one - they cover about 10 years, I think, and this will be my third!
My constellation list is similar to yours, FW, except I've never got the hang of Sirius and Canis Major, nor Draco reliably. I can usually find the twins, Castor and Pollux. When I was in Exmoor, with no light pollution in our valley, good dark nights (that started earlier in summer too), I used to aim to learn another constellation or two each year. We get a fair bit of light pollution here, in every direction, so there will be some stars I'll never see from home. But we do see the space station frequently, so I doubt that many kids around here were fooled into thinking that was Santa's sleigh!
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One of my unfulfilled ambitions in life is to see the Aurora Borealis so if anyone knows of a sighting due in Fife please shout! I'm usually in bed or it's cloudy, but I do love a brief stare a stars on a cold evening or first thing when I'm out for whatever reason.
I was thinking of the Futurelearn course but don't have a telescope and am familiar with a few constellations but would love to learn more. Might give it a go and see how I get on as I'm not doing any FL at the moment and usually have a couple current or catching up! Maybe see you there FW!
Ellied - they say you don't need a telescope for the FL course, although binocs would be helpful - though not necessary. I'm assuming it's a mix of naked eye and their pictures. See you there.
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https://www.calsky.com/ (https://www.calsky.com/)
Thank you for that link pjkvet. I've been looking for something like that. Excellent.
Sally - finding Sirius is easy - just continue down to the left from Orion's belt til you come to an amazingly bright star. That's Sirius and the dog is around it.
The star atlas sounds good. I had something similar which just lasted a year, so I'll look into the Phillips one - thank you :thumbsup:
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This was Christmas eve 11 o'clock looking at the north star
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I love clear nights and an opportunity to get my 4" reflector out, I have found the following programe great in helping you locate stars and planets it gives you a virtual planetarium on your computer or laptop.
http://www.stellarium.org/ (http://www.stellarium.org/)
This is an open source programe and it was suggested by my daughters science teacher when she was studying her Astronomy GCSE,
I find it great.
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I've got a couple of apps on my phone that are really good. The "Sky Map" that Oopsiboughtasheep mentioned works well and I've got another one called "ISS Detector" that tells you when the International Space Station is going over.
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I, too, love the night sky but now I live in a town, it's not so easy to see. I have experienced the aurora though, although not in the form that it is often shown in photos. It was at midnight over Arran and was like standing under a dome shaped 'waterfall' of colour. I will never, ever forget the experience (or how cold it was standing there).
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Due to a neck condition I get dizzy or even fall over so although i have always loved watching the sky I can no longer enjoy it. I have been known to lie flat on the grass in the summer though to enjoy it once it's dark - the dogs tend to ruin it within a few moments unfortunately by rolling all over me. I will download these apps though so thank you, susiev :excited:
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Due to a neck condition I get dizzy or even fall over so although i have always loved watching the sky I can no longer enjoy it. I have been known to lie flat on the grass in the summer though to enjoy it once it's dark - the dogs tend to ruin it within a few moments unfortunately by rolling all over me. I will download these apps though so thank you, susiev :excited:
Do you have a garden recliner? That's perfect for stargazing in comfort :thumbsup:
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VF, you take the most amazing photographs :thumbsup:
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http://astronomynow.com/sky_chart.shtml# (http://astronomynow.com/sky_chart.shtml#)
I don't usually see the early morning sky, so when I did this morning it was a bit scary as I didn't find anything familiar. Then directly above I found the plough and the polestar to the north of it. But that was it. No Orion, no Sirius, but lots of constellations I didn't recognise. Jupiter was very bright and I did spot that (it was just about bright enough to be casting shadows so I could hardly miss it)
So I found this site, above, which shows you the sky at any time, as you see it. The only trouble is, you lose your night vision while you look at the 'puter.
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It was a clear sky last night, although the moon was a little bright so only the brightest stars were visible.
I remember now why I've not got the hang of Sirius etc - in Exmoor, they'd be below the horizon from the valley, and if I went up 'on top', then the light pollution eroded the lower fields. And it's light pollution here is the problem too. I did see Sirius a few times when I was on the moorland farm, but even there the glows of Newcastle and Carlisle were quite visible.
Never mind, there are plenty of other constellations to find and enjoy!
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OK well I have signed up on FL so just have to think where the mini binocs are given I've not seen them in over a decade but don't recall parting with them either.. A drawer or cupboard somewhere... Maybe!
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That picture is beautiful, where I live I get pretty amazing sunsets, but not as beautiful as that! :)
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These are my fav season pics
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Fantastic photos and it's clear why you live where you do.
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I can see the whole coast from where I live and last night the moon was shining down onto the sea, plus it was clear, calm and only 2 clouds near the moon, it was beautiful. Sadly I don't have a really good camera.
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I've just been looking from my front door - faces due south - at 17-1750 and can see Mars to the SW, Aldebaron to the east and the plough off to the north (that one's from the back door)
The moon is fairly bright so can't see duller stars etc, but because it's a half moon you can see the mountains at the dark/light boundary really well through ordinary binoculars. It's amazing.
Later tonight Jupiter will appear low in the SE and track across to the SW by morning. It's very bright too so easily spotted. Orion will do the same.
It's so cold out there I can only stay out for a few minutes at a time, which doesn't let me get my full night vision before I have to retreat to the fire.
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Get up early and have a wee peek at Saturn: it rises just before 6 and you should get a lovely view of the rings.
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Fleecewife.....about night vision........do you know why pirates are usually represented as having an eyepatch? It's not because they've lost their eyeball in a gruesome way. When at sea sailors find when they go down below decks it takes a while for their eyes to adjust to the gloom. So they keep a dark eyepatch over one perfectly functional eye while on deck. This has the effect of making the iris open to maximum on that eye while their other iris is tiny in the glare from the sun and sea. When they need to nip below deck they just flip the eye patch up as they descend the gangway and ....voila!
Maybe you could use this principle for telescope/computer?
BTW the scenario I describe applies to old cutters/man o' wars etc without portholes. Nowadays with wee plastic yachts you get those wee plastic windaes.
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Due to a neck condition I get dizzy or even fall over so although i have always loved watching the sky I can no longer enjoy it. I have been known to lie flat on the grass in the summer though to enjoy it once it's dark - the dogs tend to ruin it within a few moments unfortunately by rolling all over me. I will download these apps though so thank you, susiev :excited:
When I lived in London I once drove inot the rural dark bits near biggin hill to look at the autumn perseids. I fond a large green by the road. I drove onto it, lay down on the grass with the car door open so I could listen to the radio and satred up at the night sky.
20mins later a patrol car hurtled up with full sirens 'cos someone had reprted a drover thrown from his crashed vehicle........ :excited:
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IFLS' Guide to Events in the Skies for 2015 (http://www.iflscience.com/space/sky-watching-event-guide-2015)
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Get up early and have a wee peek at Saturn: it rises just before 6 and you should get a lovely view of the rings.
We had freezing fog :(
Sally's url shows May 23rd will be a good night to observe Saturn. Thank you for that Sally :thumbsup:
I have now found a FutureLearn course on the moons of our solar system, starts beginning of Feb. My futureLearn programme is getting a bit hectic, as on top of the Orion course (see you there too EllieD :wave:) I'll also be doing the Coursera chicken course starting in March. Hmm - I'll leave the moons til later, but still get the info in, if it all gets too crowded. I think there will be a lot of new info to find a home in my brain.
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Sally's url shows May 23rd will be a good night to observe Saturn. Thank you for that Sally :thumbsup:
Just thought - it's an American site, I think, so they're behind us - it may be worth always checking on the night before, as well? :thinking:
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Fleecewife.....about night vision........do you know why pirates are usually represented as having an eyepatch? It's not because they've lost their eyeball in a gruesome way. When at sea sailors find when they go down below decks it takes a while for their eyes to adjust to the gloom. So they keep a dark eyepatch over one perfectly functional eye while on deck. This has the effect of making the iris open to maximum on that eye while their other iris is tiny in the glare from the sun and sea. When they need to nip below deck they just flip the eye patch up as they descend the gangway and ....voila!
Maybe you could use this principle for telescope/computer?
BTW the scenario I describe applies to old cutters/man o' wars etc without portholes. Nowadays with wee plastic yachts you get those wee plastic windaes.
:roflanim: I think you'd have to be really dedicated for that. No, I'm spoilt by being able to see so much straight outside my door, so I nip out for a quick peek, then freeze and go back in. When I bother to tog up I'm fine. Brilliant idea though :idea:
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On the other hand you could just buy a pair of night vision goggles :D
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I'm travelling through the Milky Way at the moment:
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-video-game-that-maps-the-galaxy (http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-video-game-that-maps-the-galaxy)
It's a staggering technical achievement what they've done in this 'game', this is an in-game rendering of the Great Orion nebula:
(http://www.elitegalaxy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Nebula-940x500.jpg)
Also if you've got an iPad the app Sky Guide is awesome - point it at the night sky and it'll give you a guide to what you're seeing:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sky-guide-view-stars-night/id576588894?mt=8 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sky-guide-view-stars-night/id576588894?mt=8)
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You don't need any i anything - my android has the sky map app and it does the same. :innocent:
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It looks as if it's going to be a really clear night tonight, in southern Scotland any way. It's a full moon though which will make the less bright objects more difficult to see, but the obvious ones should be visible. I'm still learning the constellations, so that suits me.
Future Learn Orion starts on Monday - is anyone else going to join in?
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So, the Orion course started today. It's a bit simplistic so far, but I had great fun inventing a constellation and its accompanying fable. We are encouraged to photograph Orion, but it was too cloudy last night.
What I did see, zipping along through the gaps between the clouds, was what must surely have been the space station :thumbsup: Too high and fast for a plane, not following the usual airways, and way too fast for a planet. I'm really pleased as that's the first time I've spotted it.
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What I did see, zipping along through the gaps between the clouds, was what must surely have been the space station :thumbsup: Too high and fast for a plane, not following the usual airways, and way too fast for a planet. I'm really pleased as that's the first time I've spotted it.
We see the space station here quite a bit, with our panoramic 180 horizon. It crosses the sky more slowly than a plane, but given its height it's moving fast, yes.
So what was your constellation called? I'd love to read the associated fable!
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I started but didn't get that far yet. Ancient laptop denied download but it maybe cos I had to declare 32 or 64 bit and I don't know! So no map yet and I had to leave it for chook feeding. Will try again sometime.
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Wow lots of us stargazers then! I've given up on my cheap telescope and had some decent binoculars last Christmas. Love them. I confess to having lots of apps to help... I especially love the one that tells you when the space station is coming over and where it is, and also an auroras forecast - yet to see one as I go to bed early! I have the sky at night year guide as an annual Christmas present , as did my mum her whol life :-)
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The moon has been bright these past few nights, so bright in fact you would think it was just a dark daytime.
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Yes the moon is amazingly bright right now. Makes it more difficult to see the surface features though - best to do that for a part moon so the mountains are picked out by the shadows they cast. The moon was bright enough to shine through the clouds here last night, with a big halo.
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http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/spot-comet-lovejoy-tonight-122920141/ (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/spot-comet-lovejoy-tonight-122920141/)
Have a look at this site, above. It's for a comet which was discovered last Autumn, and will be visible from now right through January, comet Lovejoy. It claims it will be visible with good eyesight once the moon isn't so bright, but should be visible with binoculars anyway, traversing in a line below Orion's feet. It is a North American website so times and positions perhaps slightly different. Where I live there should be a couple of clear hours later tonight, but the moon is barely past full, so I don't expect to see it yet. If you do see it, please let us know.
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There's another free part time astronomy course running on Open2study (an Australian one). It has just started so I joined ;D I've learnt something fascinating already. In a lunar eclipse, which is visible by a whole earth hemisphere at one time, at the point when the Earth's shadow completely covers the moon, the moon glows a deep red. This is all of the sunsets of that hemisphere shining onto the moon and reflecting back to us. Magic :love:
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The new first new moon
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Good pic of the moon VF. Did you take that yourself? So far my attempts to photograph anything in the sky are wrecked by the slight tremor I have. Same with using my new binocs - even Jupiter is waggling about. I need to find some way of supporting the binocs and camera so they don't shake.
So, I'm now halfway through my two astronomy courses and things have definitely picked up, info-wise. I even got 100% for the latest assessment, first time try. Where's that 'smug' icon ::) We've had nebulae, all different types of stars, the life of stars from birth to death, dark matter (something which had to be invented if all our other calculations are to work :roflanim: ), black holes, giant calculations, all sorts
Last night we had the first clear night for ages and with the moon small and rising later, there was so much to see. It was about minus 4 last night though, so I didn't stay out too long.
Jupiter is amazingly bright at the moment and with my new binocs, in spite of the tremor, I could see a couple of its moons. I love looking at Jupiter, because it's so close to us, like a big friend.
For the first time last night I could see the rest of the dog, Canis Major, as it peeped over the horizon, trailing behind Sirius. Haven't seen the Puppis yet, which are just next to the dog, but I am beginning to be able to navigate the stars with a planisphere.
Still haven't set the telescope up yet.
How are you getting on, those who are taking the FL course?
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I decided to leave it as I took ages to download the sky map and still couldn't open it. Then we had a week without visible stars, snow, rain, fog, gales but no clear sky and no desire to go out again once animals were done.
Was so far behind I gave up and left another FL course on money management too as I only just got my tax return in and couldn't face charting my nonexistent income and scary outgoings again!
So I am getting on with knitting and sanding wood craft pieces instead. Next FL starts March so will see how I feel then.
Glad you're enjoying it. Last night I went out for firewood and Orion was right in front of me in a clear sky! Typical!
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Oh that's a shame ellied. When I can't keep up on a FL course I just come back to it later. Once you've joined you can come back to it any time you like, so they claim. There's no point getting behind with the more important things in life though, when this is just for fun.
I couldn't upload the sky map either, and some folk apparently crashed their computers trying. Nor have I taken a single photo of Orion, for various reasons. Mostly, like at yours, it's been 8/8ths cloud cover every night here, but when it has been clear I suffer a mix of shakey camera and being blinded by the camera screen ::). I did get a pic of Jupiter though - it came out as a large black area with a tiny white spot in the middle :roflanim:
I'm enjoying the other students' comments, at least the ones like me who suffer from brain meltdown at some of the stuff.
My Ozzy astronomy course stops at the end of the month too, then I'm doing Moons through Feb. I really should do one of the finance courses, but they seem aimed at those still in work, and we are retired so we need slightly different advice. I've got something else lined up for after Moons, but I'll wait until closer to the time to sign up. It's getting close to lambing :sheep: and seed sowing :garden: times, so maybe I'll have a few months off from exercising my brain.
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I think I mentioned this elsewhere on TAS but can't find it now.
Friday 20th March ie this Friday, there will be an almost total eclipse of the sun :sunshine:, peaking at 0945. The further north you go, the more of the sun will be covered, but it isn't total until the Faroes. In the south of England it will still be an event, and for us in southern Scotland slightly more so. I'll certainly be watching. Remember you need to protect your eyes when watching the eclipse, and sunglasses are not enough.
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I can't wait for this- I hope it's not too cloudy!
For the last eclipse in 1999 ish you could buy those card dark glasses everywhere. Anyone seen any this time around?
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Fleecewife comit Friday over lochness fantastic
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That's amazing Gary - lovely pic :thumbsup:
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It was the first Stargazing Live this evening - Mr F and I both slept through it :roflanim: I did pick up though that Jupiter's four Galilean moons are all aligned in a row to one side of the planet tonight, which doesn't happen very often - time to tog up and go out with the binoculars.
We missed the apparently amazing Aurora last night because we were buried in fog :rant:.
It looks as if the Eclipse on Friday is going to be a non-event here too - cloud and fog forecast again. It seems it will go a bit dark, but what's new! Still, a broad swathe of England, and bits of Scotland will be clear, just not the bit I live in :(
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Some pics from the west coast teliscope smart phone
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So that's the partial eclipse been and gone :sunshine: We had a better view of it than we had expected. There was scudding cloud, but the shrinking sun peeped out from time to time, and we had our old fashioned welding mask at the ready. Within seconds of reaching peak eclipse, solid clouds appeared and we saw the sun no more. That though just gave us time to skip indoors, turn on the TV and watch Liz Bonin flying over the Faroes and seeing the total version from the air.
It wasn't quite as exciting as it was billed to be, more interesting really. However, that's the only one I'm ever likely to see now. There was a total eclipse when I was a little kid, and I can remember looking at that through smoked glass.
Did anyone else here see it? What did you think?
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There was a band of cloud just slightly obscuring it here , unfortunately. This is a pic from the closest to total (going by the clock). The light got really impressively weird though, so that's something!
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We didn't have any viewing kit organised, so it was quite helpful that the sun was partially obscured by clouds throughout - at the peak, we were able to kind of let ourselves see it out of the corner of our eyes, iyswim. ;)
Here it was a story of eerie light and long shadows, getting very dusky and cold, with the clouds moving unpredictably as the air cooled.
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and a few shots of the skies - you can just see the crescent in the last two. (It was larger by eye, this is what the camera caught)
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Thought I'd resurrect this thread because we can now see Saturn in the southern sky. I haven't looked at it through the telescope yet, and last night was the first time I could see it because of cloudy skies.
So, look due south late at night, one and a half fists above the horizon, and the brightish light which doesn't twinkle is Saturn. The stars all twinkle, especially that low to the horizon, because of the atmosphere, but the planets don't.
Unfortunately the moon is about full, and quite close to the planet in the sky, so that will probably affect what we see with the telescope.
The big drawback is that tonight's due to be well below zero so we won't stay out for long.
Jupiter, Venus and Mars are all still in the sky too, Venus very bright. It's lovely being able to see our neighbours - not such a lonely planet after all 8)
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Due to a neck condition I get dizzy or even fall over so although i have always loved watching the sky I can no longer enjoy it. I have been known to lie flat on the grass in the summer though to enjoy it once it's dark - the dogs tend to ruin it within a few moments unfortunately by rolling all over me. I will download these apps though so thank you, susiev :excited:
The trick is 3 sheep skins.... One for you to lie on one to put over you and one for the dogs!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE it at my new place, It's so dark! I can Identify;
The Plough
Cassiopia
Orion
Pegasus
Taurus
The small fuzzy Blob of stars
The one that looks like a kite
etc etc
I must find out the names of more!
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Due to a neck condition I get dizzy or even fall over so although i have always loved watching the sky I can no longer enjoy it. I have been known to lie flat on the grass in the summer though to enjoy it once it's dark - the dogs tend to ruin it within a few moments unfortunately by rolling all over me. I will download these apps though so thank you, susiev :excited:
The trick is 3 sheep skins.... One for you to lie on one to put over you and one for the dogs!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE it at my new place, It's so dark! I can Identify;
The Plough
Cassiopia
Orion
Pegasus
Taurus
The small fuzzy Blob of stars
The one that looks like a kite
etc etc
I must find out the names of more!
You are so lucky to have such dark skies :thumbsup: We have the Central Belt to the north of us which means we see little near the horizon, and we have buildings and trees and hills obscuring large parts of the sky.
I think your 'small fuzzy blob of stars' must be the Pleiades. To find them, follow from Orion's belt to his right to a bright star, Aldebaran, which is the eye of Taurus. Keep on that line for the same length, and you'll see the blob - if that's where you're seeing it, then that is the Pleiades. It's amazing through a telescope.
If you follow Orion's belt in the opposite direction, you come to a very bright star, which is Sirius in Canis Major, the dog.
If you follow the curve of the handle of the plough round and down, you come to a very bright star called Arcturus. This is the main star of the constellation of Bootes (sounds like those things babies wear ::) )
Keep following the curve about the same distance again and you see another slightly less bright star - that's Spica which is the biggest star in Virgo.
I still haven't worked out the whole of Draco, although I see bits of it between the plough and the pole star.
Most of the other constellations are beyond me - I can't usually make out the duller stars and some shapes really seem to have no likeness to their names ::). I do love Orion though, as all winter he stands in the sky directly in front of our front door. He contains so many amazingly interesting stars, galaxies, etc. Poor so and so has to spend the summer standing on his head so folk in Australia can see him.
Something well worth getting is Philip's Planisphere. I think it only costs about £6 online, but be sure you get the one for Northern Europe.
Jupiter is still shining so brightly, due west at 2300, about halfway up the sky. I wonder what it's really like beneath all those madly swirling clouds.
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I think I'l have to record this F'W, then I can play it back while I'm out there looking :-).
I only noticed this thread when the eclipse was being talked about, got some nice pic of that,
'a smile in the sky'.
I love looking at stars, bought quite an expensive telescope quite a few years ago, but can't look through double glazing, mullion windows not big enough to open right, when sky is clear it's too cold to sit about outside, + telescope is too big to lug outside easy. so its a cheap pair ofAldi binoculars ::) .
I can only recognise the Plough and Orion, tried to look on Google Earth, where you can look at the sky as well, but still can't place things when I go outside :-(.
The sheepskins sound a good idea, I'll work on that one :-)
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I read this article (http://www.iflscience.com/space/best-planet-duo-2015-venus-and-jupiter)on the IFLS site and got all excited about seeing Venus and Jupiter... until I realised the article is written from an Australian pov :dunce:
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You can still see Jupiter to the NW, about 1/3 up the sky. Venus was just below and to the right, extremely bright. Mars was around there too, plus Saturn still due south, all together. I think Mars has gone now, probably Venus too - been too overcast to check. The best way to find Venus is to look out at dusk on a clear day, towards the NW, and look for the only star you can see.
The nights are so short at this time of year.
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Hi, fellow 'stargazer' here! go to the NASA website, they have a free downloadable program called 'Astronomy Picture of the Day - 'APOD' which replaces the screen background on your computer - it's changed every day and there are some beautiful photos of the stars, galaxies etc,. Also on the NASA website is the prediction for the passes of the ISS for your area, plus masses of other astronomical and satellite/space exploration material. There is also a good planetarium program also free which is very good and simple to use called ASYNX PLANETARIUM, it's only about 1.8mb and you can set it to your precise location by entering your Lat. & Lon.
We are fortunate to have beautiful dark skies here with little if any light pollution, it's just getting the time to enjoy it!
Happy stargazing, wshing you dark skies!
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Sorry this is posted a bit late, but I forgot that tonight is the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, and for once we have clear skies. We looked at dusk, but the two seemed a fair way apart (unless it wasn't Jupiter we could see) but I'm off to look again.
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At 10.30pm they looked like two aircraft in the distance approaching an airport, one above and appearing behind (as smaller than) the other - but of course were not coming forwards.
According to the googling I've just been doing, Venus would have set around 11.35pm, so there was no point my going out again when I woke at 2am for another look! ::)
Never mind, I saw two twinklers, one a little north of west, and the other in the north west. It never really gets dark here in summer, so there wasn't much else to see; the Plough in the north pointing to the Pole Star overhead, and that was about it. Must get me my up-to-date star atlas, all the same - I'm annoyed I can't work out what the two twinklers were!
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I was really looking forward to this last night - I can be really lazy and just look out of one of my sitting room windows to see Venus usually. It shaped up well - almost totally clear sky till about 10 - then a sneaky streaky cloud in exactly the wrong place ! Rats !
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3143237/Watch-Venus-Jupiter-superstar-tomorrow-Cosmic-illusion-make-planets-merge-one-bright-light-night-sky.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3143237/Watch-Venus-Jupiter-superstar-tomorrow-Cosmic-illusion-make-planets-merge-one-bright-light-night-sky.html)
Having seen the pic on the Daily Wail website, above, I find that what I saw was indeed the conjunction, and the light slightly up and to the left was Regulus. I'm pleased I found that out.
Presumably they will now drift apart, but stay basically close together until they disappear beneath the horizon at night.
The Daily Wail says this conjunction is 'very rare' but apparently it happens about every 8 years.
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West
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So now we're into August, and the big thing to watch for is the Perseid meteor shower. It peaks on Aug 13th, with maybe one every minute, but there are plenty already. Mr F saw one last night which apparently crackled as it moved :o I haven't seen any yet. The shower comes from the NE, 60 degrees up, but to see the shooting stars you need to look 90 degrees away, so SE (maybe NW too, but from here we can't see much in that direction because Glasgow pollutes the skies with light).
I'm completely confused with the skies in the summer - nothing's where I'm used to seeing it.
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we saw the spacestation last night, about 00.35, too cloudy tonight but it's about for a few days yet. saw a shooting star while I was looking.
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Saw some meteors last night. It was quite cloudy, on and off. But enjoyed some quite spectacular "shooting stars! "
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St Abbs Edinburgh my friend sent it the biorealis and the meta shower
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Oh wow VF I didn't realise there was an aurora too.
I saw half a dozen or so meteors last night, but nothing very spectacular, and tonight it's raining. Still a few more nights to watch.
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Sat outside with my daughter from 11.30pm until 1.30am on Weds. night. It was a truly lovely night and we spotted loads of meteors. She was so excited! The sky was really beautiful ......
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Raining last night, but on Wednesday night we had a good show of meteors :excited:
Most of them travelled into the south or south-west from the north or north-east. One was very different, it looked more like a fireball burning a deep golden trail low down, then disappearing.
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Havent seen a blooming thing >:(
Skies pretty clear and quite dark here but, no, not a sausage. I just got eaten alive by midgies!
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Tonight is totally clear and no moon. Since the hay was carted the big field is empty so I sat right in the middle to get a 360 deg view with no trees, buildings etc to obscure the sky. I soon gave up on the meteors as I only saw one, but there were so many brilliant stars, and the Milky Way was the clearest I've seen it for years. I stared and stared til my neck had a crick in it. I've come back in full of the wonders of the Universe.
Rip the Jack Russell sat beside me the whole time - looked like he was lost in wonder too, but more likely he was wondering whenever I was going to do something interesting ::) :dog:
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I went and stood in the field behind our house, at midnight - last night was a no no as it was so wet, but the night before, and one before that. We are really high up, and can see a good way.....but all I saw was plenty of planes banking round to go into Manchester Airport .......
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We're under a flight path too. You think 'wow, look at that really bright star. I wonder why I've not noticed it before'. Then it starts flashing red and green.
I was looking out for the space station again last night but didn't see it this time.
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I heard the Space Station was passing overhead one day and took my wife and boys out to spot it... we saw it and watched in wonder as it tracked across the sky. And then watched in puzzlement as it seemed to split in two and the two parts get further and further apart.
It was clear and bright and obvious, there was no mistaking it.
We drove home wondering if we'd just watched it self destruct or something.
We turned on the TV, the news was on. We'd just watched the last shuttle to visit the Space Station make it's departure.
Proper memory for the 4 of us, all the better for being a total surprise.
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We turned on the TV, the news was on. We'd just watched the last shuttle to visit the Space Station make it's departure.
Oh that is awesome, I am so jealous :notworthy:
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The onley pic from last night folks 11.15
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On the few recent nights that we've not been obscured by cloud, I've started getting to grips with the summer skies.
First off, Cassiopeia is in totally the wrong place, as is the Plough. Orion has fallen over the edge to spend our summer upside down in the Southern Hemisphere, and the easy to see planets seem to have followed him.
So what I can see now is the summer triangle, which is due south once it's got dark, and quite big. The brightest star is Vega to the right, part of the little constellation of Lyra. Bottom is Altair in a small constellation I can't really make out, but my favourite is top left, Deneb. Deneb is the tail of the beautiful swan, Cygnus, with her wings spread wide as she flies through the night.
Tonight I identified the Square of Pegasus (which at this latitude is more of a diamond) in the eastern sky. My destination is a bit further to the left where one day I will find the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest neighbour.
Tonight was the first time Mr F stayed outside long enough to get his full night vision and see the glorious Milky Way. It's so clear and bright, and he was as amazed as I am at how beautiful and awesome it is.
Modified to add: When I went out at 2am I discovered that Orion is back, just emerging above the NE horizon and he may be visible higher in the morning sky at 5. I'm not up at that time but I know some of you are.
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Tonight I have found the Andromeda galaxy :yippee: I can only see it if I look slightly to the side. Must get the binoculars out, then later the telescope. I seem to be learning my way around the summer skies now, just in time for it all to change as we head back towards winter.
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The last few nights have been beautifully clear here, the stars and the milky way resplendent. I spent a little time around 2300 observing by naked eye, a bit too tired after doing a lot of outside work to drag the 'scope out sadly.
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Telescopes used to be so small and easy - stuff one in your back pocket so it was ever ready (well, that's what it shows on Master and Commander :eyelashes:). Now you have to humph a huge awkward thing outside (I can't lift mine), set it up and locate some stars so it knows where it is, all before you can look at what you want to see. Living in the middle of a building site doesn't help either - unexpected trenches appear, piles of stuff are left about, and putting on a torch loses you your night vision. Binoculars are more convenient, but my hands shake a bit (no, not from alcohol), so every star zips about like a mad fly. Wouldn't an observatory be nice :roflanim: Of course when you spot a beautiful object up there, all is worthwhile.
Once I've seen Andromeda through the telescope, I'll be looking for the double cluster, which is just along a bit.
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It's very clear here tonight, with lots to see.
Hopefully it will also be clear skies in the very early hours of Monday morning, as it's the lunar eclipse. As I won't be around for the next one in 2033, I think I'll stay up, as long as we have clear skies. :excited: