Tycho in Colour

This image was taken 5 years ago on the 10th April 2006. It is an amazing image of Tycho with the ejecta rays from the huge crater. With some patience I managed to bring out the colour using Registax, Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. I used my Skywatcher 130m and Philips Toucam Pro II modified webcam. I have never been able to capture anything like this since!

Super Moon!

Tonight is a Super Moon! The Moon is now the closest to the Earth in 18 years and it is a full Moon which makes it beautiful to watch!

Took these images tonight with my Skywatcher 80ED Pro telescope and Canon 350D camera.

In reality, the Moon is only slightly larger than usual, but with clear skies and a full Moon it looks very bright. I looked at lots of websites tonight about the Super Moon and the bad omens connected with it.

The earthquake in Japan is an amazing co-incidence don't you think?

Now I am not the sort of person to spread doom and gloom, but when you think about it...is it possible that the Moon had something to do with the earthquake in Japan?

Do you think that the forces of gravity involved makes it possible? Earth and Moon interact with each other applying forces on each other. If the Moon is closer to the Earth then a larger force by the Moon is exerted on the Earth which may cause stress in certain areas of the Earth. Maybe it was 'the straw that broke the camel's back' and the Earth cracked and caused the earthquake in Japan and not long ago in New Zealand. Here is a good explanation of the 'Supermoon' and it's myths! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/03/18/kryptonite-for-the-supermoon/

ISS and Discovery

ISS and Discovery approaching from the West with Hyades and Pleiades in top left.

Tonight I set up and waited for the International Space Station and Discovery to make it's high pass over England. It was 18.45pm and clear skies. I set up the Canon 350D on a tripod and aimed at the West, the point of approach, with a wide view. Overhead the ISS was very bright mag -3.3 ... a wonderful sight!

I managed to capture three 20 second exposures. One on approach, one overhead and one decending away to the East.

ISS and Discovery overhead with Hyades and Pleiades to the right.

In the photos you can also see the star clusters of Hyades and Pleiades as the ISS passes close by.

ISS and Discovery silently moving away to the East.

I also made a video of the ISS using a 'Flip' Camera.

Orion wide view

Tonight I set up my Canon 350D on a tripod ready to capture the pass of ISS and Discovery. The ISS was a beautiful sight approaching from the West and destined to cross the Orion Constellation. Then just as the ISS reached Orion...it vanished! I checked on 'Heavens above' and sure enough it fades before it peaks!

Never mind...try again tomorrow!

Still managed a nice photo Orion without ISS!

Discovery - end of an era!

Discovery on it's final launch February 24th

As I write this, the space shuttle Discovery is docked to the International Space Station for the very last time. It first launched in 1984 and has completed 39 successful missions. Discovery delivered the HUBBLE Telescope bringing a window into the universe from space and later returned to service HUBBLE.

Sadly, there are only two more Shuttle missions before the entire programme is ended...I wonder how they are going to carry on servicing the ISS? It must be fantastic for the astronauts to look out of the window to see Discovery arriving for the final time!

Discover on it's first flight in 1984.

Discovery has flown 38 flights, completed 5,247 orbits, and spent 322 days in orbit. Discovery is the orbiter fleet leader, having flown more flights than any other orbiter in the fleet, including four in 1985 alone. Discovery flew all three "return to flight" missions after the Challenger and Columbia disasters: STS-26 in 1988, STS-114 in 2005, and STS-121 in 2006. Discovery is presently flying the second to last space shuttle mission STS-133, having launched on (NET) Feb. 24, 2011.

STS-41-D: First flight
STS-51-D: Carried first incumbent United States member of Congress into space, Senator Jake Garn (R–Utah)
STS-26: Return to space after Challenger disaster (STS-51-L)
STS-31: Launch of Hubble Space Telescope
STS-60: First Russian launched in an American spacecraft (Sergei Krikalev)
STS-95: Second flight of John Glenn, oldest man in space and third incumbent member of Congress to enter space
STS-92: The 100th Space Shuttle mission
STS-114: Return to space after Columbia disaster (STS-107)
STS-116: First night time launch of a shuttle since the Columbia disaster. Last Shuttle launch from LC-39B
STS-131: Longest mission for this orbiter

Stargazing Live!

Three nights of live astronomy with Brian Cox from Jodrell Bank in Cheshire.

I have never seen anything like this before, prime time television on BBC 2 HD, lots of high tech link-ups and huge touch screens! I watched it all last night and tonight and thought it was excellent...another one tomorrow! This week has many events happening, today was a partial eclipse of the sun that could be seen at sunrise, yesterday a conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus and right now as I speak, Earth is the closest to the sun possible. (Not that you would know that here with the snow!) We are also in the peak of a meteor shower, which showed up live on one of the live clips.

I didn't like the bits with Jonathon Ross, he had no idea at all and probably got paid a lot of money for being on the show...they could have chosen someone better! Dara O Briain was funny at times, but talked too much!

Another good thing about this is that Dianne Oxberry, from North West Tonight is there showing photos and chatting with the crew at Jodrell Bank, a lot of air time was given to this which made it even better.

I have sent lots of photos to the site, maybe get a mention?

A great programme, I have followed Brian Cox on Twitter and sent messages as well. Maybe now people will look up more at the sky instead of their mobile phones!

"Jodrell Bank, home of the iconic Lovell telescope, is hosting a major BBC astronomy event.
Stargazing Live, which takes place between Monday 3 and Wednesday 5 January, is being broadcast every night from the Cheshire site.
Dr Tim O'Brien from the University of Manchester research facility said that staff were looking forward to "showcasing the observatory".
"We're keeping our fingers crossed for clear skies," he added.
Beautiful

Stargazing Live is presented by Professor Brian Cox and Dara O'Briain
Stargazing Live is co-hosted by scientist and TV presenter Prof Brian Cox and comedian Dara O'Briain, an amateur astronomer, in an attempt to introduce more people to the wonders of the night sky.
All three programmes are being broadcast live from the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics where University of Manchester researchers control all three telescopes on site well as five others in Cheshire, Cambridgeshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.
Dr O'Brien said January promised to be an 'exciting' time for stargazers with three major astronomical events, including a partial solar eclipse, taking place.
"Some of the most spectacular starscapes are in the winter, with constellations like Orion, Taurus and the Pleiades all being visible," he said.
According to Dr O'Brien, the recent cold snap had actually helped stargazing, though he was mindful that any willing stargazers should consider the freezing temperatures before venturing out into the winter night.
"Sometimes in the winter, when you get these clear cold nights, if you're lucky and you don't get the fog, all the water vapour is frozen out of the atmosphere and you can get some very beautiful, clear nights for looking at the sky," he said.
"If you spend any length of time outside, you see more and more because your eyes get used to the dark and you'll see the fainter and fainter stars.
"If it's not too cold, get wrapped up warm and persuade yourself to get outside - get a glass of mulled wine or something - and look at some of the stars, it's just beautiful."
Hearing the stars
Of course, anyone who knows anything about Jodrell Bank knows that the centre is not strictly speaking stargazing, but rather star-listening, as all eight of the main Jodrell-controlled telescopes receive radio, rather than light, waves.
Dr O'Brien said they "do have some telescopes that you can look through at Jodrell Bank, but they're rather small."
STARGAZING LIVE: EVENTS

Mon 3 Jan: the Perihelion (point at which the Earth is closest to the Sun in its annual orbit) occurs
Tues 4 Jan: a partial solar eclipse is visible for a short time after sunrise
Weds 5 Jan: the Quadrantid Meteor Shower happens in the constellation of Boötes and the Comet Hartley passes
Stargazing Live: local events
"All our big telescopes are radio telescopes, picking up radio waves coming from outer space, rather than visible light, the sort of stuff you can see with your eyes.
"So we don't need clear skies, we can see through clouds with radio waves, which is why we're able to do that level of astronomy from Cheshire, since it's cloudy [there] relatively often.
"We can also do it during the day as well, so in principle, radio astronomy is something that you can do 24 hours a day."
With that in mind, Dr O'Brien said the team at Jodrell were "keeping our fingers crossed for clear skies, but it's all been set up so that there'll be images brought in from around the country."
Adding: "If we're unlucky and the clouds gather over Jodrell Bank, I'm sure there'll be other places where it will be clear and people have the opportunity to get out and look up and see some of the amazing things you can see in the night sky."
'Iconic'
Whatever happens though, Dr O'Brien said the whole three days would be a brilliant way of showing off the Centre for Astrophysics.
"I think for a long time, Jodrell Bank has been seen as an iconic representation of science and engineering as a whole, not just astronomy.
"When it was built, [the Lovell telescope] was the world's largest telescope, and it's still the third largest steerable telescope in the world, so it still has a key role to play in international astronomy.
"We're looking forward to having a chance to showcase the observatory."

Airfix Apollo 11

OMG....finally it is completed, only taken a full year to assemble and paint!

It now sits on my shelf to look at in awe...if it took me that long to build it with plastic, how long did it take back in 1969.

Gosh...I always wanted this Airfix model, I never thought I would ever have one and most of all complete one...paints and all!

It comes to pieces as well...

1st Stage...

2nd Stage...

3rd Stage...

Command Module and Lunar Lander...

Fiery Sunset

A cresent Moon and fiery sunset!

Temperature outside about -6 degrees, snow on the ground and earlier this week freezing fog with temperatures down to -12. The sky is crystal clear, beautiful stars and Orion just coming over the Eastern horizon!

Jupiter high in the Southern sky and this morning Venus was stunning in the morning sky...the real Christmas Star!

Airfix Saturn V

At last... I have finally made my Airfix Saturn V Rocket Kit!

Kathleen bought it for me for Christmas last year, but I was reluctant to build it because I always wanted one and didn't want to make a mess of it! It felt better having it in the box complete rather than breaking something or losing a part. I went to Hobbycraft yesterday to buy the paint needed to finish off the model... I now need somewhere to put it safely!

You have to say that Saturn V was the most incredible and amazing vehicle ever!

Melissa made a smaller version!

Jupiter's Moons

Last night the Moon and Jupiter reached their closest points to each other. Jupiter is very bright in the Southern sky and with the Moon just above, it was a wonderful sight.

Photo shows Jupiter with four of it's Moons (left to right) Europa, Io, Ganymede, Callisto.

Blue Earth

This photo never ceases to amaze me... incredible!

So peaceful and tranquil, all alone in the blackness of space

The Earth, the Earth
Is big and bright
With the stars in skylight
Bright Earth, bright Earth
How lovely you are
I want to touch you
But you are very far

An early Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is very early this year and coincides with beginning of Autumn (23rd September this year)

This means that the Moon will rise directly in the East at about the same time as the Sun sets directly in the West. The last time this happened was in 1991 and will not be seen again until 2029.

This photo taken just as the Moon started to wane with the Canon EOS and 200mm lens.

The Moon was a beautiful sight making it almost daylight on that clear night!

Perfectly clear sky!

The UK is currently experiencing something most unusual!

A volcano in Iceland has emitted loads of dust and gas and is sitting over our country. All flights in and out of the UK have been grounded for the last couple of days. The weather today has been gorgeous, wall to wall sunshine and I have sat in the garden and experienced for the first time ever perfectly clear blue sky.

No vapour trails and no noise from airplanes...wonderful!

Can we keep this going for another few days? I hope so!

A lovely cresent Moon tonight very near to Venus, Mercury has now vanished, managed to capture it just in time!

"Passengers face further disruption after flight restrictions were extended until 1300 BST on Sunday as the danger from Icelandic volcanic ash continues.
The National Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) said forecasts showed the ash cloud progressively covering the whole of the UK after 1900 BST.
British Airways has cancelled all long and short-haul flights in and out of the UK on Sunday.
Officials warn that European airspace could be disrupted for several days. "

Venus and Mercury

Took this image on Wednesday 7th April of Venus and Mercury viewed over Starmount in Radcliffe at about 9.15pm. I stood for ages watching the sunset and as the sky darkened first Venus then Mercury came into view.
A lovely sight!
Used my Canon EOS 350D, set to ISO 800 and 500ms exposure.
Today we have had the best day for months, temperature reaching 20 degrees and wall to wall sunshine...fantastic! (we have waited so long!)

Mr Moon

Every time I see the Moon when i'm with Melissa (my Grandaughter) I show her the Moon and say "Look! It's Mr Moon!.

Tonight she said "Grandad, you always say that and he's not watching!

Well, this is a lovely image that I took that shows the beauty of Mr Moon!

Orion

A lovely wide view of Orion from my back garden.

I took my skywatcher 80ED out to try to capture Mars with the SC1.5 camera, but didn't have much success. I have not used the SC1.5 camera with this scope and I think it was having problems focusing. I need to find out a bit more before trying again.

Instead I took out my Canon 350D and tried some wide field views of Orion.

I must admit that the awful Winter has put me off going outside and setting up the equipment in the freezing cold. Now that Spring has arrived i'm inspired to get out there a bit more!

Mars and Moon

A wonderful sight tonight of Mars and the Full Moon.

Had a good look with my Skywatcher 80ED scope. Captured some images with the Canon 350D and 200mm lens mounted on a small tripod.
The image shown is Mars and the Moon from my back garden.
Back garden is almost like daylight with the Moon so bright, but very cold, didn't stay out for long.

Mars is in opposition at the moment so it is very bright.

If you look carefully at the image you can see some detail on Mars. I now need to get my Philips Toucam ProII out with the Skywatcher 130m and see if I can capture some images as good as last time Mars was this clear.

Frozen Britain

What an amazing image! Snow from above! (Click to enlarge)
We are now in the grip of the coldest Winter ever. Tonight temperature down to -10 and still falling. The toilet has just frozen up and i'm flushing salt down it to keep it clear!
Icicles like I have not seen since the 1960's hang outside my house and there is no end to the freeze! Clear nights, but too cold to get outside and image.

Eclipsed Blue Moon at New Year!

Took this image at about 7.45 tonight with my Canon 350D with 200mm zoom lens. ISO 100.

Well, this is a rare one!

Tonight on New Years Eve I saw a Partial Lunar Eclipse (about 10%) It is also a 'Blue Moon' the second full moon of the month. A wonderful sight in the clear sky tonight after all the snow and gloomy weather.

The last time there was a Lunar Eclipse and a Blue Moon together was 350 years ago ... so I wonder when this happened last on the last day of the year and decade as well!!!

Tonight the Moon is bright, almost as high as it can get in the sky. Cold and calm... a moment of reflection for the end of a year and end of a decade.

Here are some of my children from school with their beautiful poems!

http://tinyurl.com/yfa8sjp

Happy New Year!

3D Show

Amazing stuff this 3D.

Went to see 'A Christmas Carol' at the cinema with 200 kids from school on Wednesday. The film has been filmed in 3D, but the cinema didn't have 3D technology to get the full effect. Still the film was superb, would love to see it in true 3D.

Yesterday I showed my class a 3D Space Show and gave all 30 kids 3D glasses. I displayed the images on the Interactive Whiteboard as a Powerpoint Presentation. They all loved it!

Now my eyes are not brilliant, so I wasn't sure how it would look on a big screen in 3D, but it worked really well.

Above is one of the images that I used, 3D Mars!