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Old 01-05-2013, 23:38
TelevisionUser
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Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceship ignites engine in flight
The spaceplane being developed by UK billionaire Sir Richard Branson has made its first powered flight. The vehicle was dropped from a carrier aircraft high above California's Mojave Desert and ignited its rocket engine to go supersonic for a few seconds. Sir Richard's intention is to use the spaceship to carry fare-paying passengers on short pleasure rides above the Earth's atmosphere.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22344398

Saturn storm's eye is 12 times UK size
An enormous hurricane raging at Saturn's north pole has an eye 2,000km (1,250mi) across - big enough to cover the UK 12 times over. The striking images of the storm were snapped from a height of 420,000km (260,000mi) by the Cassini spacecraft, which arrived at Saturn in 2004. They were captured in red and infrared wavelengths and have been false-coloured to show detail.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22351048

The end of the Herschel space telescope mission

Europe's flagship space telescope has stopped working. The billion-euro Herschel observatory has run out of the liquid helium needed to keep its instruments and detectors at their ultra-low functioning temperature. This equipment has now warmed, meaning the telescope cannot see the sky.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21934520
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Old 11-05-2013, 14:20
swnymor1963
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ISS...emergency space walk(live)to repair leaking coolant

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22493171
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Old 13-05-2013, 09:54
HenryGarten
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Changeover at the ISS
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Old 19-05-2013, 17:07
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The planet-hunting space telescope Kepler has been hobbled by a broken wheel, say scientists at Nasa. Two of four reaction wheels are now faulty. At least three are needed to orient the telescope correctly.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22548886
http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n13.../#.UZj2BUpXVwQ

Lunar water came from Earth
Born in fire, but not born dry - the Moon's interior contains substantial water stolen from Earth following the Moon's creation in the molten debris from a cataclysmic collision between Earth and another still-born planet, according to new analysis of lunar rock samples.
http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n13.../#.UZj2LUpXVwQ

Bright Meteorite Explosion on the Moon
Anyone looking at the Moon at the moment of impact could have seen the explosion--no telescope required. For about one second, the impact site was glowing like a 4th magnitude star. Ron Suggs, an analyst at the Marshall Space Flight Center, was the first to notice the impact in a digital video recorded by one of the monitoring program's 14-inch telescopes. "It jumped right out at me, it was so bright," he recalls.
http://www.space-travel.com/reports/..._Moon_999.html

...and now for some personal recommendations:

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_K..._Had_It_Coming

We Choose the Moon: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission
http://wechoosethemoon.org/
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Old 23-05-2013, 10:07
atg
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Good news everybody!

A brand new Saros cycle, #150, starts tomorrow at about 0454BST.

There is an interesting article about it here.

Unfortuantely it is completely invisible from Earth.
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Old 26-05-2013, 11:34
HenryGarten
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Good news everybody!

A brand new Saros cycle, #150, starts tomorrow at about 0454BST.

There is an interesting article about it here.

Unfortuantely it is completely invisible from Earth.
Oh fascinating.. I notice that the Saros numbers for the sun ad the moon are different. There as a new Saros cycle of the sun started on 1st July 2011. It was Saros 156.
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Old 26-05-2013, 16:17
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This is the title of a good documentary on Demand 5 about the work of the exoplanet-hunting Kepler space telescope (which is now in trouble - see above) and the direct link is below:
http://www.channel5.com/shows/aliens...s-are-we-alone

Ed-ge of space
Voyager’s chief scientist Ed Stone sent the twin spacecraft to the edge of the solar system. Will he see one of them leave?
http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/index.html
http://www.nature.com/news/voyager-o...-bound-1.13040
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Old 02-06-2013, 17:23
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Black hole bonanza possible as immense gas cloud passes
A vast and hidden field of small black holes predicted to be near the centre of our galaxy could be revealed as a giant gas cloud passes by. The G2 cloud is as large as our Solar System, and bound for a "supermassive" black hole at the Milky Way's core.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22694229

Ancient Mars Had Flowing Rivers - Sedimentary conglomerates containing rounded pebbles suggest that rivers flowed in the Red Planet's past
Observations by the Mars Science Laboratory Mast Camera (Mastcam) in Gale crater reveal isolated outcrops of cemented pebbles (2 to 40 millimeters in diameter) and sand grains with textures typical of fluvial sedimentary conglomerates...Climate conditions at the time sediment was transported must have differed substantially from the cold, hyper-arid modern environment to permit aqueous flows across several kilometers.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6136/1068
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22708902


There is an ongoing debate about whether Mars was permanently or only periodically warmer in its distant past and just how warm it was - like open North Sea water or more like Antarctic pack ice most of the time: https://www.scientificamerican.com/p...-have-12-11-28
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Old 03-06-2013, 13:33
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I got a little bit of observing done over the weekend, I miss the dark winter skies but quite enjoy not needing to go out dressed up in arctic style thermals.

There was one item missing off my Messier list I had yet to do which I've been saving as the final item - M57 Ring Nebula in Lyra. I've seen this so many times but never marked it off my observing lists. I just felt it was one of the best Messier objects to finish with. I could make out the central star in fleeting moments. I was struggling with my light pollution it seemed as I've seen the central star a few times before, albeit from a different site.

I did various asteroid hunting and nailed down a few more:

3(Juno)
5(Astraea)
13(Egeria)
14 (Irene)
18(Melpomene)
22 (Kalliope) - I'm a little reserved in claiming this as 'bagged' yet, going to go back tonight and see if it's moved position

Somebody mailed me asking what apps I use or any for recommendation, here's a few I feel are worth a look at

All available via Google Play

Earth Now - Nasa app showing Earth's vital signs (CO2 levels, air temp, gravity field)
APOD - Astronomy Picture of The Day, a nice new wallpaper everyday
Galilean - Paid for (£2.53) app that is all about viewing the galilean satellites
Gps Fix - Most accurate Gps locater I can find, usually accurate to within 6 m
Heliosphere - Nice 3D modelled planetary surfaces for various planets and moons
Copernican Orrey - Pretty animation simulating a mechincal orrery
PlanetDroid - Not the prettiest of apps but useful resource for locating planets
Star Odyssey - Indepth reference app for hundred's of named stars
Astro Panel - Excellent weather app, detailing out usual weather info plus specifics such as seeing, transparency etc
Iridium Flares - Set up alerts for Iridiam flare passes over your location
Jovian Widget - Real time orientation of Jupiter's major satellites
Saturnian Widget - Real time orientation of Saturn's major satellites
Sky Safari - Basic version (£5), imo the best app based planetarium programme, lots of additional reference to 0000's of objects
Star Log - Record all your observations. I've used it for approx a year and have nearly a thousand observations logged.

There are others, will add more if requested.
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Old 03-06-2013, 19:33
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I got a little bit of observing done over the weekend, I miss the dark winter skies but quite enjoy not needing to go out dressed up in arctic style thermals...
In November this year, asteroids Pallas, Vesta and Ceres should all be visible in the 8-9 magnitude range. The Dawn space probe has already delivered some stunning pictures of Vesta and some time in 2015 it'll get to Ceres, the largest of the asteroids. The year 2015 is also important for another reason because that's when the New Horizons probe reaches the dwarf planet Pluto.

I also have two further suggestions for new objects to look out for in the night sky:

The Caldwell catalogue objects (some of these are in the southern skies though)
The Kemble asterisms

PS I can't wait until Comet Ison arrives in November!
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Old 03-06-2013, 23:02
Elissa Richards
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In November this year, asteroids Pallas, Vesta and Ceres should all be visible in the 8-9 magnitude range. The Dawn space probe has already delivered some stunning pictures of Vesta and some time in 2015 it'll get to Ceres, the largest of the asteroids. The year 2015 is also important for another reason because that's when the New Horizons probe reaches the dwarf planet Pluto.

I also have two further suggestions for new objects to look out for in the night sky:

The Caldwell catalogue objects (some of these are in the southern skies though)
The Kemble asterisms

PS I can't wait until Comet Ison arrives in November!
I've already done them asteroids last year, Vesta and Ceres were mag 6 back then and I tracked them for around 3 months over multiple nights.

I've done the majority of the Caldwell list that's observable from the Northern Hemisphere. Kemble's cascade is quite pretty and I'll return no doubt for another gander this winter.

Thanks for the links but I've got it well covered thanks and don't need any advice on targets to chase. I join in here mainly for the amateur observing talk, it's fair to say all the types of stuff you copy links for I'm very much aware of (doing an astrophysics degree) and in some cases will be directly using data. We're not all in need of a well meaning guiding hand
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Old 03-06-2013, 23:38
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Forgive me if that sounds a bit blunt, I just don't want you wasting your time recommending things I'm already well versed in.
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Old 04-06-2013, 00:08
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I got a little bit of observing done over the weekend, I miss the dark winter skies but quite enjoy not needing to go out dressed up in arctic style thermals.
I was also out a couple of days ago, with my regular observing buddy - we're currently evaluating dark-sites for a project....

It's a long story, so apologies in advance.. I'll try to keep it short...
The two of us founded a local astronomical society a couple of years back - membership has been steadily expanding, but we got a VERY exciting offer a few months ago....
You've probably heard of the Rev. Espin... He of the double-star list, discoverer of several nebulae, variables, Nova Lacertae, etc....?
Well... the Rev. upgraded from a 17¼" scope to a 24", and his old 17¼" Calver reflector was eventually re-figured and re-built to an f/4. It was in the posession of a local telescope builder, who very sadly died last year - His son got in touch, and has offered us this 17¼" Calver, if we can house it and get it working.
It's currently in bits - the mount and OTA need extensive refurbishment - but the optics are pristine (they spent the last 5yrs stored separately from the rest of the scope) - we also have an expert from a local university on board, and expect the 'scope to be operational in a year or two
So... currently we are evaluating potential sites for an observatory...

Also looking into funding - but that's another matter completely - LOL

Anyhow...
Thursday night we think we may have found our site.
Good quiet spot, well away from urban light pollution, land-owners are enthusiastic, ticks all the boxes

Not exactly the best time of year for observing though - This far North the sky no longer gets fully dark at any point of the night, we have to wait until early August for that
Have to make do mostly with planets and double-stars up here at this time of year.
We did try for a few DSOs around 1am-ish - The Messiers I tried for were visible, but washed out (using a C8 SCT)
Some very nice NLCs to the North were a bit of a bonus.
REALLY looking forward to Aug/Sept coming round - that's my fave time of year - The skies are getting properly dark again, but it's usually still a comfortable temperature.
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Old 04-06-2013, 02:13
Elissa Richards
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I was also out a couple of days ago, with my regular observing buddy - we're currently evaluating dark-sites for a project....

It's a long story, so apologies in advance.. I'll try to keep it short...
The two of us founded a local astronomical society a couple of years back - membership has been steadily expanding, but we got a VERY exciting offer a few months ago....
You've probably heard of the Rev. Espin... He of the double-star list, discoverer of several nebulae, variables, Nova Lacertae, etc....?
Well... the Rev. upgraded from a 17¼" scope to a 24", and his old 17¼" Calver reflector was eventually re-figured and re-built to an f/4. It was in the posession of a local telescope builder, who very sadly died last year - His son got in touch, and has offered us this 17¼" Calver, if we can house it and get it working.
It's currently in bits - the mount and OTA need extensive refurbishment - but the optics are pristine (they spent the last 5yrs stored separately from the rest of the scope) - we also have an expert from a local university on board, and expect the 'scope to be operational in a year or two
So... currently we are evaluating potential sites for an observatory...

Also looking into funding - but that's another matter completely - LOL

Anyhow...
Thursday night we think we may have found our site.
Good quiet spot, well away from urban light pollution, land-owners are enthusiastic, ticks all the boxes

Not exactly the best time of year for observing though - This far North the sky no longer gets fully dark at any point of the night, we have to wait until early August for that
Have to make do mostly with planets and double-stars up here at this time of year.
We did try for a few DSOs around 1am-ish - The Messiers I tried for were visible, but washed out (using a C8 SCT)
Some very nice NLCs to the North were a bit of a bonus.
REALLY looking forward to Aug/Sept coming round - that's my fave time of year - The skies are getting properly dark again, but it's usually still a comfortable temperature.
Wow that's great news, even more so with optics being all good. what type of mount is it? Must have some serious machinery to move that sized OTA around. That sized aperture plus dark skies is heaven, I think that'll be bigger than Keilder's in-house scope! Did they also donate any EP's etc? I've heard of Rev Espin but never really looked into much about DI Lacertae, might do a spot of bed time reading on it

Nice touch getting the land owners on side, we're forever getting stopped by the old bill when venturing out into the countryside thinking we're up to no good.

I'm with you on August, Cygnus gets much easier to view from my garden and I can't wait to sweep it with some new EP's. I think for the next viewing season I'm going to get more into sketching and try to image a few more galilean transits.
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Old 04-06-2013, 13:06
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what type of mount is it? Must have some serious machinery to move that sized OTA around.
The mount is a 'wedged' yoke - and it is indeed a very heavy-duty bit of kit.
Took us a day to dismantle it and transport - it's now in pieces awaiting a full re-furbish and rebuild.
This pic was taken just prior to dismantling - as you can see, we've got some work ahead of us - but it'll be worth the effort.
http://oi39.tinypic.com/366bk.jpg
No eyepieces, or anything else for that matter.
The previous owner's son told us that the 'vultures' descended after his father's death, and anything that looked good, was claimed - this scope was overlooked, mainly because the optics were elsewhere, and the current dilapidated look of the mechanicals.


Nice touch getting the land owners on side, we're forever getting stopped by the old bill when venturing out into the countryside thinking we're up to no good.
LOL, yeah - we have a couple of regular dark-sites - and have the land-owners permission to use both.
Though in the past I have attracted the attention of the old-bill more than once - even got the searchlight treatment from the helicopter one night.
This new site is a place which already does country-skills workshops and a lot of outreach - When we approached them, it turns out they were already planning a 'skyspace' type of thing, a bit like the one at Kielder.
They seemed very enthusiastic about the idea of an obsy alongside, and the prospect of in-house experts (it was quite flattering to be referred to as 'experts' - LOL)

...... I'm going to get more into sketching and try to image a few more galilean transits.
I've sketched all my life, and it seemed a natural progression for me, to also sketch my eyepiece views.
I'd highly recommend it. You see far more when you're sketching - the very act of putting the view down on paper, makes you study what you're seeing in far more detail than casual observing.
This is the only transit sketch I have on my computer - A Ganymede shadow transit from a few yrs back, had to grab it fast, through a gap in the clouds, so all I did was draw a circle round an eyepiece cap, position the moons, and quickly fill in the planet. Then after scanning, flood-filled the background in PaintshopPro.
http://oi44.tinypic.com/6iwnk2.jpg
(Callisto was out-of-shot, to the left)

Oh - and apologies in advance if you already thought of this... but get yourself a few eyepatches - They're invaluable when sketching.
Even a dim red torch will affect your night-vision a little bit, and the dimmer the torch, the more difficult it is to sketch.
I've found that a red torch of mid-brightness is about ideal for sketching, but the observing eye will need protecting from it.
Use one eye for observing, and the other eye for sketching - and patch the eye you're not using - especially the observing eye while the torch is on.
It might seem awkward at first, but you soon get used to it.
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Old 05-06-2013, 00:46
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Forgive me if that sounds a bit blunt, I just don't want you wasting your time recommending things I'm already well versed in.
That's fine, it's just l had no fore knowledge of the amount of observing that you've done, that's all.

And now for other astro stuff:

Voyager: To the Final Frontier
This is the story of the most extraordinary journey in human exploration, the Voyager space mission. In 1977 two unmanned spacecraft were launched by NASA, heading for distant worlds. It would be the first time any man-made object would ever visit the farthest planets of the solar system - Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nj48v

I saw this yesterday evening and it's quite good. Apparently, we have Michael Minovitch to thank for the gravity assist technique that enabled the exploration of the outer solar system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Minovitch

Europe's Mars Express spacecraft celebrates 10 years
The European Space Agency (Esa) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Mars Express mission...Its most significant discovery is probably the detection of water-altered minerals at the surface.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22754128

Emergence of two types of terrestrial planet on solidification of magma ocean
Understanding the origins of the diversity in terrestrial planets is a fundamental goal in Earth and planetary sciences. In the Solar System, Venus has a similar size and bulk composition to those of Earth, but it lacks water. Because a richer variety of exoplanets is expected to be discovered, prediction of their atmospheres and surface environments requires a general framework for planetary evolution.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal...ture12163.html
http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/
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Old 22-06-2013, 16:38
Smiley433
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Supermoon visible* tonight in UK. Moon at perigree (closest point to Earth) so will appear 30% bigger and brighter.

Some info on BBC Website on how best to view moon.


* Not available in Scotland due to weather conditions.
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Old 22-06-2013, 16:39
f_196
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Supermoon visible* tonight in UK. Moon at perigree (closest point to Earth) so will appear 30% bigger and brighter.

Some info on BBC Website on how best to view moon.


* Not available in Scotland due to weather conditions.
Likely to be cloudy here.

All terrestrial events occur with cloud cover in West Yorkshire!
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Old 22-06-2013, 17:51
atg
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Supermoon visible* tonight in UK. Moon at perigree (closest point to Earth) so will appear 30% bigger and brighter.
Super-full-moon, as the Moon is at perigee once every month, just usually at some other phase.

Also, "30% bigger and brighter" needs to be clarified as "30% bigger and brighter than a full Moon would be at apogee".

Yours sincerely

A Pedant
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Old 22-06-2013, 18:57
Smiley433
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Super-full-moon, as the Moon is at perigee once every month, just usually at some other phase.

Also, "30% bigger and brighter" needs to be clarified as "30% bigger and brighter than a full Moon would be at apogee".

Yours sincerely

A Pedant
Sorry, was just quoting from the BBC website and bringing it to the reader's attention for those that may get visibility of it tonight.

I'm happy to stand corrected.
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Old 22-06-2013, 19:00
atg
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Sorry, was just quoting from the BBC website and bringing it to the reader's attention for those that may get visibility of it tonight.

I'm happy to stand corrected.
They'll be telling us Mars is going to look the size of a football in August next.
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Old 22-06-2013, 19:26
albertd
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What the BBC are actually saying is
The effect is to make the Moon seem 14% bigger and 30% brighter than when it is furthest from the planet
Most of that small effect is caused by an illusion which results in the Moon appearing to be larger than it actually is when it is low in the sky. At the same time, it is at its nearest when in the full phase.
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Old 22-06-2013, 21:44
atg
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What the BBC are actually saying isMost of that small effect is caused by an illusion which results in the Moon appearing to be larger than it actually is when it is low in the sky. At the same time, it is at its nearest when in the full phase.
Actually the 14% figure is entirely because the Moon is 14% closer, 356989 km compared to 406491 km at the next apogee. The other effect is an optical illusion.

Here's a Mars hoax link.
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Old 22-06-2013, 21:54
U96
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Overcast where I am.I remember seeing the huge moon last Summer,really low,massive and very bright.
One of the most beautiful things I've ever see.It was mesmerising!.
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Old 22-06-2013, 22:01
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As expected - chucking it down.
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