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Space and Astronomy Thread
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tvqueen1905
15-02-2013
4 minutes till ISS
Sad_BB_Addict
15-02-2013
CNN http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/
Gneiss
17-02-2013
I've been doing a bit of Solar observing today seeing as it's nice and sunny here at the moment...

I've even snapped a rough and ready picture using a mobile phone held up to the eyepiece.

http://seeviewo.org/seeview/downloads/sunsf.jpg

You can clearly see a dark filament on the surface (bottom right) and a couple of nice prominences either side of 2 O'Clock.
Gneiss
18-02-2013
If you take a look at the Moon right now you can't miss Jupiter just a few degrees to the right of it...

With a pair of binoculars you will also see three of Jupiters brightest moons, the forth Io is at the time of writing not visible with standard binoculars.
Elissa Richards
19-02-2013
It was a good night last night for viewing after the disappointment of missing the close approach last Friday due to cloud. I went out in time for the ISS flyover at 19:48 and succeeded in tracking it through the Dob at 46x magnification, could make out the solar panels and general structure, it moved very fast though through the FOV and I had about 80 secs of viewing time in all.

I must've been looking as similar sort of time as Gniess (as in the rock??) last night, I could see Io emerging from behind Jupiter around 20:15 ( I can't remember exactly) and it was a lovely site. The icing on the cake was watching Io's transit shadow moving across the Giant Red Spot a few mins after. I tried using a moon filter last night (#88 ND Filter) and it brought out detail quite nicely in the cloud bands of Jupiter, I wasn't expecting too much from it so was nicely surprised.

After that I got a bit lazy and did some lunar viewing, managed to just resolve the central Alpine Valley Rille in fleeting moments of steady seeing. I could see the southern part that's approx 0.75 miles across but not the thinner sections further into Alpine Valley. After that I had a quick peek at NGC 2392 (Eskimo Nebula), even with the strong moonlight it was instantly visible at 32x with a defined blue hue, ramping up to 300x I could easily see the central star and an extended disc of dust. I got too cold after that and packed up.

How's this for a telescope advert?

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clea...telescope.html
SaturnV
19-02-2013
Caught both ISS passes last night, it's not subtle! Two more tonight and the forecast is clear.
Elissa Richards
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by SaturnV:
“Caught both ISS passes last night, it's not subtle! Two more tonight and the forecast is clear.”

You can say that again, I haven't gone out looking for it since last year and it really caught my eye how much it stood out in comparison to the surrounding stars.

Bring on 18:58 and 20:32 tonight

30 mins before the first pass, Jupiter will be worth a look as Io will exit an eclipse at approx 18:32
SaturnV
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by Elissa Richards:
“You can say that again, I haven't gone out looking for it since last year and it really caught my eye how much it stood out in comparison to the surrounding stars.

Bring on 18:58 and 20:32 tonight

30 mins before the first pass, Jupiter will be worth a look as Io will exit an eclipse at approx 18:32”

Thanks for the tip.

ISS 18.54.49 for me and over 5 mins.
HenryGarten
19-02-2013
There is a long running sighting the ISS thread here
Elissa Richards
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by HenryGarten:
“There is a long running sighting the ISS thread here”

Cool thanks for the link....

I think a few of us could probably do a proper astronomy thread for users with scopes etc, Generally it's a bit technical for this general thread and also doesn't quite fit in the ISS threads. I think we've got a few good experienced observers on here to keep it running.
albertd
19-02-2013
Can anyone confirm my belief that Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) is unlikely to be a good object at our latitudes due to it being too low in the sky (or even below the horizon) when at its brightest in early March?
HenryGarten
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by albertd:
“Can anyone confirm my belief that Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) is unlikely to be a good object at our latitudes due to it being too low in the sky (or even below the horizon) when at its brightest in early March?”

I think that the answer is that no one knows. Not sure if you are old enough to remember Kouhoutek but after that fiasco no one is ever going to be sure about comets again.

I was looking at a rather nice picture of Comet McNaught earlier today. I like seeing comets discovered by McNaught as he is a friend of a friend of mine.

I have a feeling that Pan-Starrs might not be that great as if it was going to be I would have thought that excitement would be rising by now.

Still no harm in keeping an eye out. March 12 it should be near the crescent moon.

Here is a dated article about it. See here

Here is a fairly recent article.
albertd
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by HenryGarten:
“I think that the answer is that no one knows. Not sure if you are old enough to remember Kouhoutek but after that fiasco no one is ever going to be sure about comets again.”

Hee Hee! I am old enough to remember Arend Roland!
HenryGarten
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by albertd:
“Hee Hee! I am old enough to remember Arend Roland! ”

Well funny you should say that. I just asked that friend of McNaught what his opinion of the comet was. He said that it would be more an Arend Rowland than a Hale Bopp.

I enjoyed Hale Bopp but my best memory of a comet is actually Bennett. But then I lived under better skies back then.

I am sure that around 12th March is the time to look.
f_196
19-02-2013
I'm looking more forward to Comet ISON towards the back end of the year.
HenryGarten
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by f_196:
“I'm looking more forward to Comet ISON towards the back end of the year.”

Yes that is the one that they are beginning to talk about now.

Still a while away yet.
atg
19-02-2013
Then there was Comet West Did anybody else see this one, because I certainly never did? Perhaps it was not well placed from the UK.
HenryGarten
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by atg:
“Then there was Comet West Did anybody else see this one, because I certainly never did? Perhaps it was not well placed from the UK.”

I missed this one completely. I cannot think why other than I must have been too busy with other things.
TelevisionUser
19-02-2013
Originally Posted by HenryGarten:
“I think that the answer is that no one knows. Not sure if you are old enough to remember Kouhoutek but after that fiasco no one is ever going to be sure about comets again.

I was looking at a rather nice picture of Comet McNaught earlier today. I like seeing comets discovered by McNaught as he is a friend of a friend of mine.

I have a feeling that Pan-Starrs might not be that great as if it was going to be I would have thought that excitement would be rising by now.

Still no harm in keeping an eye out. March 12 it should be near the crescent moon.

Here is a dated article about it. See here

Here is a fairly recent article.”

Originally Posted by f_196:
“I'm looking more forward to Comet ISON towards the back end of the year.”

I honestly think it's too soon to tell how bright these comets will be (especially with the November one!) although I hope that at least one of them is comparable with the fine displays of Comet Hale-Bopp or Hyakutake.

And now for something completely different...(and much larger!)

Cosmos may be 'inherently unstable'
Scientists say they may be able to determine the eventual fate of the cosmos as they probe the properties of the Higgs boson. A concept known as vacuum instability could result, billions of years from now, in a new universe opening up in the present one and replacing it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21499765
HenryGarten
22-02-2013
Curiosity a self portrait

An interesting self portrait of Curiosity
HenryGarten
03-03-2013
Programme on the meteor on C4 now.

Another on BBC2 at 9 pm.

Sky at Night at 11.55 pm.

APOD yesterday
atg
03-03-2013
That Horizon programme looks like a more general coverage of asteroids, while ch4 is this one specifically.
TelevisionUser
03-03-2013
Originally Posted by HenryGarten:
“Programme on the meteor on C4 now.

Another on BBC2 at 9 pm.

Sky at Night at 11.55 pm.

APOD yesterday”

Originally Posted by atg:
“That Horizon programme looks like a more general coverage of asteroids, while ch4 is this one specifically.”

That C4 programme will be repeated tomorrow at 9pm on the 4seven channel on Freeview, satellite and cable.

Tonight's Sky at Night should have a report on the close pass of Asteroid 2012 DA14 last month. That small asteroid was imaged by the Goldstone radio telescope (see https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=as...ih=600#imgrc=_) and those images have been put together to form a video (see http://www.facebook.com/spacecom/posts/510920272280337) and that video shows that this asteroid has an elongated, potato-shaped form.
HenryGarten
05-03-2013
Picture of two comets Panstarrs and Lemmon


They peak in the next two weeks.
tvqueen1905
05-03-2013
Originally Posted by atg:
“That Horizon programme looks like a more general coverage of asteroids, while ch4 is this one specifically.”

i watched the channel 4 one

not seen horizon one yet
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