Posts Tagged ‘amateur’

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BBC’s Stargazing LIVE inspires the UK

January 28, 2012

by yaska77

Short of avoiding TV, radio, newspapers and magazines you can’t have failed to notice the success of the recent TV run of Stargazing LIVE. The explosion of interest it caused saw UK telescope sales jump up over 500% in the week the three shows aired, and with organised Stargazing events all around the country astronomy became truly accessible to all with an interest.

New stargazing fans saw the bright planet Venus beneath the crescent Moon on 26th January 2012 (complete with "Earthshine" in our image above) - click to enlarge - Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

And what an interest there is! People turned out in their thousands all over the UK, going to gatherings of astronomical societies and enthusiastic amateurs who shared their time (and their telescopes!) with everyone who wanted a look.

Social media also played a bigger role than ever too. The Twitter hashtag #bbcstargazing was a flurry of activity, trending as the second most mentioned term worldwide for a time, with people actually working on the show often responding to comments.

Suddent dips can be caused by a planet transiting it's star

Stargazing LIVE encouraged members of the public to help analyse scientific data - Credit: Planethunters.org

And as if all this success wasn’t enough, BBC viewers helped identify a brand new planet with “citizen scientists” flocking to the Planethunters website, working through data to spot anomalies. Anyone can sign up and spend as little or as much time as they want helping sift through the info they have, so why not help science!

Another movement now gaining pace after Stargazing LIVE is that of the call to reduce light pollution in UK skies. For a time (as organised by Stargazing LIVE) the Somerset town of Dulverton turned off all its lights to demonstrate the effects of light pollution.

This recent image taken from the ISS demonstrates perfectly the scale of the light pollution from the UK and Western Europe (click to enlarge) - Credit: NASA

A petition has been created on the HM Government website for all who would like to see light pollution reduced. If it can reach 100,000 signatures it will prompt a debate in the House of Commons, and we might be able to affect change to reclaim our night skies.

Please take a few minutes to sign the petition if you agree, your participation can make a difference!

Astronomy is fascinating and this has proved it can be more accessible than you think (there are events ongoing), so perhaps if we all get involved we can reclaim the night sky for all.

Easy links:
Planethunters.org
Nationwide Stargazing Events
HM Government Stargazing e-petition

Posted in Astronomy, Exoplanet, Moon, Night sky, Stars, Venus, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Astronomy Events – November 2011

October 31, 2011

by yaska77

It’s been a little quiet here of late, but we’re hoping better weather is on the way. It can’t be cloudy all the time right?!

That said, October was actually one of our best ever months for observing, we even got the best images we’ve taken with our own equipment so far! Most of them came about from astro events we listed, so here is a list of upcoming astronomy events for November to whet your appetites.

Tuesday 1st November – The Great Red Spot on Jupiter will be visible through a good telescope on the central median line around 21:15 (UTC/GMT) tonight, but also on a number of nights throughout November (see comments below for more info)

Jupiter is only just past opposition so is visible in the night sky all night long for the whole month. A telescope or good pair of binoculars will help show the four brightest Galilean moons (first discovered by Galileo in January 1610), which can be seen stretched out in a line in our photograph below

Jupiter with three moons to the left (Callisto, Ganymede and Io) and one (Europa) to the right, 1st October 2011 (click to enlarge) - Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Wednesday 2nd November -  First quarter Moon

Saturday 5th November – Tonight is the peak of the Southern Taurid meteor shower. Because of the gravitational effect of planets (particularly Jupiter) the Taurids have become spread out over time, allowing separate streams known as the Southern Taurids and Northern Taurids to be observable on different dates

Tuesday 8th November – Moon at Apogee (406,180 km), the farthest point it reaches on it’s orbit around the Earth. Asteroid 2005 YU55 will make a close pass by the Earth today (closer than the orbit of the Moon) but poses no danger

April's Full Moon looking bright as imaged using a 200mm Newtonian Reflector Telescope (click to enlarge) - Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Thursday 10th November – Full Moon, sometimes called the Beaver Moon or Dark Moon

Saturday 12th November – This evening sees the peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower, however the recent full Moon (which is very close to the radiant) will obscure all but the brightest ones

Orionid meteor from October - Meteor observing can be addictive, and capturing them in a photo isn't easy (click to enlarge) - Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Thursday 17th/Friday 18th  November – Leonid meteor shower peaks tonight but the waning Moon may be in the way. Its light will block out a lot of the fainter meteors but you should still see some in darker parts of the sky

Leonid meteor shower radiant position at 01:30am 18th November 2011 (click to enlarge) - Credit: Stellarium/Sky-Watching

Friday 18th November – Last quarter Moon

Wednesday 23rd November – Moon at Perigee (359,690 km), the closest point of its orbit around the Earth. As it doesn’t rise until around 05:15 UTC/GMT (and will be only 5% lit) it won’t interfere if you fancy having a look at some deep sky objects.

Orion will be well above the horizon by 22:00 and our perennial favourite M42 (the Orion Nebula) should be a great sight through binoculars or a small telescope. Located in the sword hanging from Orion’s belt, we managed to get a good look at it in October (it’s one of the autumn constellations we always take a peek at when the skies are clear!)

In the brightest part of the Nebula you can see the four stars that make up the "Trapezium Cluster" (click to enlarge) - Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Friday 25th November – New Moon and partial Solar eclipse, though it will only be visible from Antarctica and parts of the Southern Ocean

Sunday 27th November – Saturn is making a welcome return to our skies, and can be see before dawn (rising just before 04:00 UTC/GMT) to the East near the bright star Spica, part of the constellation Virgo

Remember, it can take your eyes up to 20 minutes to become properly dark adapted, and anything up to an hour for a telescope to reach ambient temperature outside (to ensure the best image), so give yourself plenty of time to get set up!

We’ve also added the “Monthly Guide” section in the menu bar to the right (where this guide will appear), so next time you visit you can find it again easily!

Guide images created with Stellarium

Archive:
Astronomy Events – October 2011
Astronomy Events – September 2011
Astronomy Events – August 2011

Posted in Astronomy, Jupiter, Meteor, Moon, Night sky, Resources, Saturn, Stars, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Astronomy Events – October 2011

September 30, 2011

by yaska77

Here is a list of upcoming Astronomy events for October. The recent clear warm nights at the end of September have given us the chance to get a look at a few things, but the sky is so big! How do you choose!? Well, this latest guide might just have a few suggestions of interest.

Saturday 1st October – In the early hours of 1st and 2nd October the planet Mars can be found right in front of Praesepe (the Beehive Cluster, Messier 44), in the constellation Cancer. Should be great to see with binoculars or a small telescope!

You can see what this actually looked like in our photographs here  (and compare it to the guide image below!), it was one of many targets on what turned out to be a great night!

Mars in the Beehive Cluster, to the east at 02:30 UTC/GMT 1st October (click to enlarge) - Credit: Stellarium/Sky-Watching

Tuesday 4th October -  First quarter Moon

Saturday 8th October – The annual Draconid meteor shower (also known as the Giacobinids) should reach its peak this evening (the height of activity expected between 16:00 and 22:00 UTC/GMT), with calculations suggesting we could be in for an outstanding display. The ZHR (Zenithal Hourly Rate) could range from a few tens of meteors per hour to several hundred

The image below can help guide your eyes, but if it’s as busy as forecasts are suggesting you should see them all over the sky, despite a bright Moon to the south. It might wash out some of the fainter meteors but you should still see the brighter flashes. Draconid meteors are also known to be very slow moving

The location in the night sky Draconid meteors will appear to originate from

The sky at 20:00 UTC/GMT 8th October 2011, to spot Draconids look to the North West (click to enlarge) - Credit: Stellarium/Sky-Watching

Tuesday 11th/Wednesday 12th October – Full Moon and Moon at Apogee (406,435 km), the farthest it gets away from the Earth during it’s orbit. This full Moon is sometimes known as the Hunter’s Moon or Blood Moon (occurs at 02:05 GMT)

Thursday 13th October – The planet Saturn is in superior conjuction on the far side of the Sun, so will be unobservable throughout October

Monday 17th October -  Tonight should see the start of the annual Orionids meteor shower (17th-25th). The Orionids are considered a universal sky-watching opportunity as the radiant point is close to the celestial equator, meaning both hemispheres (northern and southern) will see some of the display not lost in the Moon’s glare. The peak should be on 21st October with a ZHR of around 20-25 per hour

Orionid meteor radiant at 00:00 21st October (click to enlarge) - Credit: Stellarium/Sky-Watching

Thursday 20th October – Last quarter Moon. It won’t rise until after midnight so a good chance earlier on to maybe catch a few meteors

Wednesday 26th October – New Moon and Moon at Perigee (357,050 km), the closest point of its orbit around the Earth.

Jupiter and moons (left to right: Callisto, Europa, Io and Ganymede) from 28th September 2011 (Click to enlarge) - Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Saturday 29th October -  Jupiter is at opposition in the constellation Aries, meaning it is in the opposite side of the sky to the Sun, and will appear at it’s brightest

Sunday 30th October -  British Summertime ends at 02:00 BST, when the clocks go back 1 hour to 01:00 GMT (but at least I get an extra hour in bed!)

Remember, it can take your eyes up to 20 minutes to become properly dark adapted, and anything up to an hour for a telescope to reach ambient temperature outside (to ensure the best image), so give yourself plenty of time to get set up!

We recently added the “Monthly Guide” section in the menu bar to the right (where this guide will appear), so next time you visit you can find it again easily!

Guide images created with Stellarium

Archive:
Astronomy Events – September 2011
Astronomy Events – August 2011
Astronomy Events – July 2011

Posted in Astronomy, Galaxy, Jupiter, Mars, Meteor, Moon, Night sky, Resources, Stars, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Astronomers and schools on the hunt for Snoopy

September 20, 2011

by yaska77

Following a successful summer of asteroid hunting, a team of amateur astronomers are hoping to work with scientists at the University of Glamorgan to search for space debris, but this time it is a distinctly man-made object they’re after – the Apollo 10 Lunar Module ascent stage!

Apollo 10 astronauts Cernan, Stafford and Young - Credit: NASA

As a practice run for the famous landing of Apollo 11 on the moon, Apollo 10 launched in May 1969 and aimed to carry out all the stages of 11′s mission, except for the actual lunar landing.

Once it had completed its historic mission, the Lunar Module ascent stage, known as “Snoopy”, was sent off into orbit around the Sun – and 42 years later it’s still out there somewhere, travelling through space.

Apollo 10 Lunar Module ascent stage "Snoopy" - Credit: NASA

Now, the Faulkes Telescope team at the University of Glamorgan will be working with UK amateur astronomer Nick Howes, along with Ernesto Guido and Giovanni Sostero of the Remanzacco Observatory in Italy, to find Snoopy!

Comprehensive surveys looking for NEO’s (Near Earth Objects) have previously failed to find the ascent stage, but the team have been encouraged by their success in finding so many small, faint asteroids recently, and will be working with various experts in their attempts to locate Snoopy and any of the other Apollo stages still out there.

The Command/Supply Module of Apollo 10 dubbed "Charlie Brown" - Credit: NASA

The project is enlisting help from multiple UK schools, and will attempt to post regular coordinate data which the teams will then examine on a daily basis.

“Getting students involved in analysing real scientific data, and looking for moving objects in a field full of stars is good science” said Dr. Paul Roche (Head of Astronomy at Glamorgan University).

It is hoped that schools will be excited about the opportunity to get involved, to find Snoopy and possibly other relics of the Apollo era.

In the case of dear Snoopy though, those who do find it will be the first to see it since astronauts Cernan, Stafford and Young left her adrift in 1969.

But why Snoopy? Due to the use of their names as call signs the Peanuts characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy became the semi-official mascots for the mission :)

To get your school involved teachers can sign up at the Faulkes Telescope website

Posted in Astronomy, NASA, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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Astronomy Events – September 2011

September 1, 2011

by yaska77

Here is a list of upcoming Astronomy events for September. Night clouds all but ruined most viewing in August, however we did have some successes!

Friday 2nd September – Looking south, Comet C/2009 P1 Garradd passes in between the easily indentifiable stars Vega and Altair (and directly below Albireo), just south of Brocchi’s Cluster over the next 3 evenings. Also known as the Coathanger Cluster, it resembles an upside down coathanger and the comet will almost pass parallel to the line of the “hanger” part, just below the hook (which it is closest to on the 3rd)

Comet Garradd position on 2nd, 3rd and 4th September, below Albireo (click to enlarge) - Credit: Stellarium/Sky-Watching

Saturday 3rd September – Mercury is at its greatest western elongation, meaning it will rise (and should be visible) just before the Sun early morning

Sunday 4th September – First Quarter Moon. The recently discovered supernova in M101 (the Pinwheel Galaxy, in the Plough constellation) should be visible through binoculars over coming days. Click here for a guide to locating M101!

Thursday 8th September – NASA is due to launch the twin Grail spacecraft to the Moon, where they will map the gravity field and provide details about the inner core. Grail will launch on a Delta II rocket, to be covered on NASA TV. There are two launch windows at 08:37 and 09:16 EDT (13:37 BST and 14:16 BST), but the launch period extends through to 19th October, with launch times occurring around 4 minutes earlier each day

Using precision formation-flying, the GRAIL spacecraft will map the moon's gravity field (artist's rendering) - Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Monday 12th September – The Full Moon tonight is also known as the Harvest or Wine Moon. Due to its tilted orbit the Moon in September runs roughly parallel to the horizon, and rises around the same time for consecutive evenings (18:38 BST on 11th, 18:55 BST on 12th and 19:12 BST on 13th)

Thursday 15th September – Moon at Apogee (the point of its orbit farthest away from the Earth) 406,065 km

Tuesday 20th September – Last Quarter Moon. Jupiter (which is present in the night sky all month) rises at 20:20 BST, about 3 hours before the Moon. A truly beautiful sight through a telescope, we’re hoping to get a better look (and take some more images) this month

Our image of Jupiter taken on 21st September 2010, we're hoping to get more pics this year (click to enlarge) - Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Friday 23rd September – Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere (at 09:04 GMT). Equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is inclined neither toward or away from the Sun (the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth’s equator), so day and night are about the same length. This near equilibrium is referred to as the Equilux, where night and day are closest to being 12 hours each (and occurs over 24-25th September)

Sunday 25th September – The gas giant Uranus is at its closest to the Earth today (this year) and should be visible to an unaided eye if your skies are dark enough. Found in the constellation Pisces, Uranus is the only planet to orbit the Sun on its side (possibly the result of a collision in its infancy) and at last count had 27 Moons!

Uranus is closest to Earth this year on 25th September (guide above at 23:30 BST) Click to enlarge - Credit: Stellarium/Sky-Watching

Tuesday 27th September – New Moon, a great time to observe deep sky objects without disruption

Wednesday 28th September – Moon at Perigee, the closest point to Earth in it’s orbit (357,560 km)

We’re hoping to finally get a look at Comet Garradd this month, re-image Jupiter and have a look for the new supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy! Rather ambitious given our luck this year with the weather, but we’ll see!

Remember, it can take your eyes up to 20 minutes to become properly dark adapted, and anything up to an hour for a telescope to reach ambient temperature outside (to ensure the best image), so give yourself plenty of time to get set up!

We recently added the “Monthly Guide” section in the menu bar to the right (where this guide will appear), so next time you visit you can find it again easily!

Guide images created with Stellarium

Archive:
Astronomy Events – August 2011
Astronomy Events – July 2011
Astronomy Events – June 2011

Posted in Astronomy, Galaxy, Jupiter, Mercury, Moon, NASA, Night sky, Resources, Stars, Supernova, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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