• TV
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • SHOWBIZ
  • SOAPS
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • FORUMS
  • Follow
    • Follow
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • google+
    • instagram
    • youtube
Hearst Corporation
  • TV
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • SHOWBIZ
  • SOAPS
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • FORUMS
Forums
  • Register
  • Login
  • Forums
  • General Discussion Forums
  • General Discussion
Space and Astronomy Thread
<<
<
35 of 137
>>
>
tvqueen1905
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by HenryGarten:
“Do you not know how to find north?”

not fully no
Ricardodaforce
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by tvqueen1905:
“not fully no”

Do you know which direction the sun came up from this morning?
Carlos_dfc
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by daznov11:
“So why can we see them, without special equipment at night, is it because they're so bright?”

Binoculars and telescopes aren't much use for watching a meteor shower because they are so fast-moving, and you never know exactly where one will appear.

They appear seemingly at random - and streak across the sky in a matter of a second or two - by the time you had raised binoculars to our eyes - it would be gone.

That's not to say you CAN'T EVER see them with an optical aid though.
I've seen loads whiz through my field of view while using telescopes and binoculars, but that's just sheer luck that they happened to pass close by to wjat I was already looking at.

You'll see far more by picking an area of sky, sitting back on a deck-chair or lounger, and gazing at as wide a patch as you can.
HenryGarten
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by Carlos_dfc:
“Binoculars and telescopes aren't much use for watching a meteor shower because they are so fast-moving, and you never know exactly where one will appear.

They appear seemingly at random - and streak across the sky in a matter of a second or two - by the time you had raised binoculars to our eyes - it would be gone.

That's not to say you CAN'T EVER see them with an optical aid though.
I've seen loads whiz through my field of view while using telescopes and binoculars, but that's just sheer luck that they happened to pass close by to wjat I was already looking at.

You'll see far more by picking an area of sky, sitting back on a deck-chair or lounger, and gazing at as wide a patch as you can.”


As you probably know there are people who are interested in telescopic meteors. I can not see the point myself. If they are that faint there is not a lot of point in looking for them.
tvqueen1905
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by Ricardodaforce:
“Do you know which direction the sun came up from this morning?”

i wasn't awake when it did
Joni M
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by tvqueen1905:
“i wasn't awake when it did”

I don't know if you're joking

The sun ALWAYS rises in the east.
Pearl McG
12-08-2009
This is amazing free software that will show you where everything is in the sky in real time. Just change the location to nearest you.

http://www.stellarium.org/
Carlos_dfc
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by tvqueen1905:
“i just hope i don't look in wrong direction and miss them

last night i went to try spot some with no luck

the stars were all faint”

You can spot them in most areas of the sky - it's just that some areas will have a higher likelyhood.

Around 10pm to midnight - When Perseus is roughly North-east - the best places to look will by high to the East, High to the North - or directly overhead.

Shower meteors appear to shoot AWAY from the radiant - and the radiant of the Perseids, as the name suggests, is in the constellation Perseus.

If you have no idea which direction North and East are - take a close look at the following two pictures...

The first shows how to find North...
Look around the sky for either the 'W' shape of Cassiopeia - or the familliar shape of the Plough. Both will be about mid-height in the sky (35° to 45° up)
If you spot the 'W' first (it'll be on it's side like in the picture) - look to the left of it for the Plough - the 'top' of the 'W' points roughly North-ish
When you find the Plough - locate the two stars on the end - known as 'the pointers' - an imaginary line extended from the pointers, will lead you directly to the North Pole Star (Polaris)
Straight down from that, is almost exactly due North.
And while looking North - East is to your right.
http://i29.tinypic.com/246t5di.gif

The Perseids appear to emanate from Perseus - and will appear randomly in any of the directions shown on the chart below - but never actually AT the radiant point in Perseus - often even further away than the arrows on the chart, but always AWAY from Perseus.
http://i29.tinypic.com/2yzltt2.gif
tvqueen1905
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by Joni M:
“I don't know if you're joking

The sun ALWAYS rises in the east. ”

well yeah i know it does

just how to find east from angle of my house

now think i saw the plough last night

getting dark here hope remaining clouds clear off
Carlos_dfc
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by tvqueen1905:
“just how to find east from angle of my house”

If you are prepared to say where you live - just the town, no need to be too accurate.
(You could PM me if you don't wanna say so in the open forum)
Then maybe by telling which nearby town is North or East of you, would help???

What I mean is - from where I live - near Darlington...
Newcastle is North of me, and Middlesbrough is to my East
Confusing
12-08-2009
Clear sky (almost) here in Norwich, just looked out my window, can't see a thing
Pearl McG
12-08-2009
I'm in Norwich too and just saw about 8 in around 20minutes before the cloud rolled in.
Confusing
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by tvqueen1905:
“not fully no”

Go on Google Maps, see which way your house is facing.

Originally Posted by Pearl McG:
“I'm in Norwich too and just saw about 8 in around 20minutes before the cloud rolled in.”

I didn't see anything an hour ago except a moving plane. What are you supposed to look for? A shooting star kind of thing?
Pearl McG
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by Confusing:
“Go on Google Maps, see which way your house is facing.


I didn't see anything an hour ago except a moving plane. What are you supposed to look for? A shooting star kind of thing?”

Pretty much. They were all directly above so you really need to be lying down. They were over a large area so you can't really concentrate on one spot.
kmercuryj
12-08-2009
Oh crap, my bedroom window is facing West!
Joni M
12-08-2009
I couldn't see owt too cloudy in Liverpool.
Carlos_dfc
12-08-2009
Ayone still struggling with directions (tvqueen?)...

Now the Moon's up, due East is a tad to the right of it.
That very bright 'star' - can't miss it, brightest thing in the sky, after the Moon - is Jupiter - that's roughly South-East at the moment.
Joni M
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by Carlos_dfc:
“Ayone still struggling with directions (tvqueen?)...

Now the Moon's up, due East is a tad to the right of it.
That very bright 'star' - can't miss it, brightest thing in the sky, after the Moon - is Jupiter - that's roughly South-East at the moment.”

Oooh ta, gonna go and try again
TelevisionUser
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by Pearl McG:
“I'm in Norwich too and just saw about 8 in around 20minutes before the cloud rolled in.”

That is regrettably the problem in the UK. All too often we miss out on celestial events because of the cloud and rain.

One day, I wouldn't mind going to somewhere like the Nevada or Australian deserts to see a really good Perseid or Leonid meteor shower.

Has anyone ever been to such places and witnessed truly dark (and clear) skies?
rockerchick
12-08-2009
I saw something, it looked like a star shooting across the sky but it didn't go too far and i didn't see any kind of trail behind it, just one and it was gone in 2 seconds.
mangomoon
12-08-2009
Been outside since 10pm, looking directly overhead I've only seen one. Very bright.
I think I can see Jupiter, is it quite low down in the sky?
Looks like the clouds will clear in an hour or two.
GMAKAIWTY
12-08-2009
Its a meteor shower tonight.

I have seen a few.
Last edited by GMAKAIWTY : 12-08-2009 at 23:11
Joni M
12-08-2009
Still too cloudy.

OT but took the dogs with me and they've just ragged me all over the shop trying to catch the fox!
Mootle
12-08-2009
Originally Posted by GMAKAIWTY:
“Its a meteor shower tonight.

I have seen a few.”

Oooooh, many thanks for reminding me
MisoSoup
12-08-2009
Does that start tonight?

I started a thread on them before now, (during BB8 I think) it was so much fun - people all up and down the country were out looking for shooting stars
<<
<
35 of 137
>>
>
VIEW DESKTOP SITE TOP

JOIN US HERE

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Hearst Corporation

Hearst Corporation

DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK

© 2015 Hearst Magazines UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 72 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 9EP. Registered in England 112955. All rights reserved.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Complaints
  • Site Map