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Space and Astronomy Thread
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afcbfan
11-03-2013
It looks like an aircraft contrail to me; certainly doesn't look like these northern hemisphere pics of it: http://www.universetoday.com/100619/...isphere-debut/
Milian
11-03-2013
We get a lot of planes flying over here, and that most definitely wasn't a plane - the contrails are a lot longer and thinner than that, usually. The pic was taken with a mobile and uploaded, so it probably wasn't the clearest pic we could have taken, but I do know it was the comet.

I'll be looking again this week - it'll be around again, won't it?

Edit: haha I'll feel most foolish if it was a plane. Eek.
HenryGarten
11-03-2013
A view from Canary Islands.
Darthchaffinch
11-03-2013
Am on the west coast of Sweden and the skies are stunningly clear at the moment! Must make a trip to the coast to try and get a pic!
cmq2
11-03-2013
Originally Posted by HenryGarten:
“A view from Canary Islands.”

Another time lapse from Arizona: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWf3hgYP_cc
HenryGarten
11-03-2013
Here is an excellent site for comet PannStarrs

The moon should be a good marker tomorrow night.
Howjo
12-03-2013
sun is shining in the north west , sorry to be a pain roughly where will it be tonight , i run a beaver scout group and will try and show them

any help would be greatly appreciated thanks
HenryGarten
12-03-2013
Originally Posted by Howjo:
“sun is shining in the north west , sorry to be a pain roughly where will it be tonight , i run a beaver scout group and will try and show them

any help would be greatly appreciated thanks”

See this image.

Also see my post immediately above yours.
Carlos_dfc
12-03-2013
Originally Posted by Howjo:
“sun is shining in the north west , sorry to be a pain roughly where will it be tonight , i run a beaver scout group and will try and show them

any help would be greatly appreciated thanks”

For the next coupla weeks it will be low to the West, shortly after sunset.
For best view, give it at least 45 mins after the Sun has set - that way the background sky will be darker, allowing the comet to stand out against it, and the tail will be pointing generally away from the Sun.
The comet should be very low above the western horizon, and will gradually move a little further Northwards each night, and a little further away from the Sun.
However, it will also be dimming very gradually too - so the overall contrast between background sky, and comet probably won't change much from one day to the next.

By the end of the month it's expected to be dipping below naked-eye brightness - but will still be a nice binocular object. For the first few days of April it tracks slowly past the Andromeda galaxy, making for nice binocular views, and a great photo-opportunity for astrophotographers.

Personally, I've not seen it yet
Clouds to my west for the past few days - though tonight is looking hopeful - currently sunny.

If you can see the thin crescent Moon tonight, look a few degrees left and up a bit from it, to find the comet.


edit:
Henry's picture proves the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words
cmq2
12-03-2013
Originally Posted by HenryGarten:
“Here is an excellent site for comet PannStarrs

The moon should be a good marker tomorrow night.”

I downloaded the app from the website. Tomorrow I am looking at sunset at 18:10, plus 45mins for reasonable darkness, gives 18:55. The comet reaches the horizon at 19:30. It is at 5'o'clock around the moon face and roughly halfway between horizon and moon at 19:00. Clear sky forecast for sunset here, but it appears a good view of the western horizon is essential.
TelevisionUser
12-03-2013
Originally Posted by BeethovensPiano:
“Maybe some big news coming from the Curiosity rover next week?

http://spaceref.com/mars/curiousmars...-analysis.html”

Their star announcement was...they've found clay on Mars:

At a briefing at NASA's Washington headquarters, NASA scientists said the rock contains clay minerals that formed in a watery environment - an environment that may be favourable for microscopic organisms.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/na...#ixzz2NMqjoMz5

That confirms other evidence that Mars had a wetter and more benign past (it takes centuries to form clay beds) and was possibly more conducive to the emergence of life there (there's no direct indication of that yet).

Originally Posted by Carlos_dfc:
“For the next coupla weeks it will be low to the West, shortly after sunset.
For best view, give it at least 45 mins after the Sun has set - that way the background sky will be darker, allowing the comet to stand out against it, and the tail will be pointing generally away from the Sun.
The comet should be very low above the western horizon, and will gradually move a little further Northwards each night, and a little further away from the Sun.
However, it will also be dimming very gradually too - so the overall contrast between background sky, and comet probably won't change much from one day to the next.

By the end of the month it's expected to be dipping below naked-eye brightness - but will still be a nice binocular object. For the first few days of April it tracks slowly past the Andromeda galaxy, making for nice binocular views, and a great photo-opportunity for astrophotographers.

Personally, I've not seen it yet
Clouds to my west for the past few days - though tonight is looking hopeful - currently sunny.


If you can see the thin crescent Moon tonight, look a few degrees left and up a bit from it, to find the comet.


edit:
Henry's picture proves the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words
”

Me neither and tonight was also clouded out so zero chance of seeing the comet - dayum!

The forecast for the next couple of days is a bit better so here's hoping.
Howjo
13-03-2013
Thanks for all you r help, come sunset and it had clouded over , so will try again tonight
HenryGarten
13-03-2013
Comet should be on view tonight.
Zaphodski
13-03-2013
Originally Posted by HenryGarten:
“Comet should be on view tonight.”

Tried to see it but no joy....
balthasar
13-03-2013
Originally Posted by Zaphodski:
“Tried to see it but no joy.... ”

No joy here yet, you need luck and the patience of a saint when comes to comet spotting.

Best of luck to all on the thread.
HenryGarten
13-03-2013
A friend of mine saw it in binoculars.
TelevisionUser
15-03-2013
Originally Posted by balthasar:
“No joy here yet, you need luck and the patience of a saint when comes to comet spotting.

Best of luck to all on the thread.”

I saw nothing on Wednesday despite the clear skies and tonight it clouded over in the west so that even the crescent Moon was obscured. Spotting live baby unicorns is easier in comparison!
cmq2
15-03-2013
Originally Posted by TelevisionUser:
“I saw nothing on Wednesday despite the clear skies and tonight it clouded over in the west so that even the crescent Moon was obscured. Spotting live baby unicorns is easier in comparison!”

Here is a photo taken in London: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tom_190...n/photostream/

It is there, provided you look at the original hi-res or the zoomed link.
Carlos_dfc
16-03-2013
AT LAST!
Spotted it tonight (well - last night, considering it's now after 2am)
Very, very difficult to pick it out from the background sky by naked eye.
I had spotted it but didn't realise - thought it was just a faint star.
Then was sweeping slowly with 20x80 binoculars and finally identified it - once I'd got a handle on where it was, I was able to home in on it by naked-eye, and on closer scrutiny, and using the technique of averted vision, was able to see that what I first thought was a faint star, was slightly fuzzy, with just a hint of tail pointing upwards.
By about 7:25, when it was really low, but the sky had darkened more - it was really nice in the binocs.

Fingers crossed for more cloudless nights, so I can follow it as it passes by the Andromeda galaxy early next month.
balthasar
16-03-2013
QUOTE=Carlos_dfc;64806865]AT LAST!
Spotted it tonight (well - last night, considering it's now after 2am)
Very, very difficult to pick it out from the background sky by naked eye.
I had spotted it but didn't realise - thought it was just a faint star.
Then was sweeping slowly with 20x80 binoculars and finally identified it - once I'd got a handle on where it was, I was able to home in on it by naked-eye, and on closer scrutiny, and using the technique of averted vision, was able to see that what I first thought was a faint star, was slightly fuzzy, with just a hint of tail pointing upwards.
By about 7:25, when it was really low, but the sky had darkened more - it was really nice in the binocs.

Fingers crossed for more cloudless nights, so I can follow it as it passes by the Andromeda galaxy early next month.[/quote]
Thanks for posting Carlos all I will end up with is frostbite and a better understanding of how clouds work...
f_196
16-03-2013
Gutted. My best chance of seeing it was a few days ago, clear skies - except for one rogue slow moving black cloud exactly where I was looking.

No chance of clear skys methinks. Hope ISON is worth it now.
tiger2000
20-03-2013
I've followed the progress of these craft since their launch in 1977, amazing that it is no longer in the solar system.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21866532
TelevisionUser
20-03-2013
...who was the actual discoverer of pulsars which are rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation which can be picked up by Earth-based radio telescopes.

She appeared on this week's edition of Science Cafe and the interview and questions and answers are well worth a listen. I have also provided links to other relevant sources.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00848zw
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016812j
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/u...sights/pulsars

Curiosity breaks rock to reveal dazzling white interior
A rock crushed under the Curiosity Mars rover's wheels has dazzled mission scientists in more ways than one...The unusual colour indicates the presence of hydrated minerals that formed when water flowed through the robot's landing site in ancient times.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21340279

Ice blades threaten Europa landing
Jupiter's icy moon Europa is a prime target for future space missions as it harbours a buried ocean that could have the right conditions for life. But attempts to land may face a major hazard: jagged "blades" of ice up to 10m long.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21341176

Originally Posted by cmq2:
“Here is a photo taken in London: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tom_190...n/photostream/

It is there, provided you look at the original hi-res or the zoomed link.”

Thanks for that pic, cmq2, and the comet is most definitely visible on that image. Unfortunately, the western horizon has been clouded over these past few days so I've still not seen the darn thing. In any event, here's a spotting guide for anyone who has a clear sky: http://astronomical-calendar.org.uk/...tarrs-march-20
Caldari
28-03-2013
Martian Gigapixel panorama, courtesy of Curiosity.

http://www.360cities.net/image/mars-...r-days-136-149
TelevisionUser
28-03-2013
Originally Posted by Caldari:
“Martian Gigapixel panorama, courtesy of Curiosity.

http://www.360cities.net/image/mars-...r-days-136-149”

That could almost be a scene from the mountain outcrops of the Sahara during a sandstorm but about -80*C cooler!

Whilst on the subject of Mars, here are a few interesting radio programmes:

The planet Mars boasts the most dramatic landscapes in our solar system. Kevin Fong embarks on a grand tour around the planet with scientists, artists and writers who know its special places intimately- through their probes, roving robots and imaginations.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rggq7

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the planet Mars. Named after the Roman god of war, Mars has been a source of continual fascination. It is one of our nearest neighbours in space, though it takes about a year to get there. It is very inhospitable with high winds racing across extremely cold deserts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00772rr

Hitch a ride to the Red Planet; Samira Ahmed is at the controls for a trip that promises commentary on NASA's latest Mars mission, a history of our fascination with the planet and the huge pull it has exerted on our cultural life. To plot a course through the clouds of theology, astronomy and pure speculation, the science writer, Marcus Chown has joined forces with the theoretical physicist, Lawrence M. Krauss, and one of Radio 3's New Generation Thinkers, Josh Nall - a science historian from Cambridge University.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mss9z
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