Posts Tagged ‘BBC’

Older Entries »
h1

Stargazing LIVE returns to BBC on 8th January

January 7, 2013

by yaska77

Viewers in the UK have a televisual astronomical treat coming up for three evenings this week as Stargazing LIVE returns to BBC 2 (and BBC HD) tomorrow evening.

Beginning at 8pm and broadcasting live from the famous Jodrell Bank Observatory, the show is aimed at encouraging everyone – whether complete beginner or enthusiastic amateur – to get out and enjoy the wonders of the night sky!

Last year viewers of Stargazing Live! helped identify a new planet - Credit: BBC

Professor Brian Cox and comedian Dara O Briain return for series 3 of Stargazing LIVE on Tuesday 8th January at 20:00 UTC – Credit: BBC

Joining hosts Professor Brian Cox and comedian Dara O Briain once again will be presenter Liz Bonnin (visiting NASA) and astronomer Mark Thompson who will give tips on how best to observe the night sky.

Last year’s show has been credited with boosting sales of telescopes by 500% and once again interaction with the audience will feature heavily, particularly during the half hour “after show” Back to Earth which features more discussion and viewers contributions, and follows on directly from the main show.

GUIDE

Tuesday 8th January – 20:00 UTC – BBC2 and HD

The series begins with the search for evidence of life on Mars and asks viewers for help to explore an uncharted area of the red planet’s surface. Liz Bonnin is at NASA mission control to find out the latest findings of the Curiosity Rover, whilst Mark Thompson shows you how best to observe the moons of Jupiter.

Wednesday 9th January – 20:00 UTC – BBC2 and HD

Our journey through the night sky continues with a look into the distant past, explaining how it is possible to chart the history of the universe by looking millions of light years out into the depths of space.

At NASA, Liz Bonnin meets the team behind the largest space telescope in the world, a device 100 times more powerful than Hubble.

Thursday 10th January – 20:00 UTC – BBC2 and HD

On the final night Brian and Dara discuss meteors, comets and asteroids and how they contributed to the origins of life on Earth.

And the results of the experiment carried out by Stargazing viewers which began during episode one (exploring an uncharted area on the surface of Mars) are also revealed.

We’re really looking forward to it! Last year we had our best night ever for astrophotography following Stargazing LIVE (have a look here at the images we captured!) and if the sky clears we’re aiming to get outside again for some new shots.

For more information on the show (and details on how to get involved) have a look at the Stargazing LIVE website, and if you’re on Twitter you can join in using hashtag #bbcstargazing

Have fun! :)

Posted in Astronomy, Night sky, Space, Stars, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

h1

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 »

h1

BBC’s Stargazing LIVE returns 16th-18th January

January 12, 2012

by yaska77

After three incredibly successful shows last year the BBC’s Stargazing LIVE returns for a second three-night run on BBC Two (and HD) next week.

Professor Brian Cox and comedian Dara O Briain return to get Britain looking skyward! Credit: BBC/Open University

Aimed at encouraging everyone – whether complete beginner or enthusiastic amateur – to get out and enjoy the wonders of the night sky, Professor Brian Cox (Wonders of the Solar System/Universe) and comedian (and enthusiast!) Dara O Briain will once again be appearing live from the famous Jodrell Bank Observatory.

Helped by astronomer Mark Thompson and presenter Liz Bonnin, the show will interact with the audience, answering questions and utilising some of Britain’s finest astronomical minds to explore the sights in the night sky over our heads.

With binoculars or a small telescope you can see Jupiter’s moons! (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Each programme will be followed by “Stargazing LIVE – Back to Earth”, a half hour show where the presenters and their guests return for additional debate and audience participation.

To find out more about the Stargazing LIVE and some of the interesting topics they will be discussing have a look on the Stargazing LIVE website here.

There are also a lot of Stargazing events happening up and down the country which you can attend, to find out if there are any in your area you can search by your postcode on the Stargazing activities page here.

Observing the night sky can become incredibly addictive!

Last year was a great series (despite our own sky being blocked out by clouds for pretty much the entire three days) so if you have any interest in astronomy (and let’s face it, you’re reading this on our astronomy blog) it’s well worth a watch!

Programme Guide (BBC2 and BBC HD)

Monday 16th January

20:30 GMT – Stargazing LIVE – Episode 1
21:30 GMT – Stargazing LIVE – Back to Earth Episode 1

Tuesday 17th January

20:00 GMT – Stargazing LIVE – Episode 2
21:00 GMT – Stargazing LIVE – Back to Earth Episode 2

Wednesday 18th January

20:00 GMT – Stargazing LIVE – Episode 3
21:00 GMT – Stargazing LIVE – Back to Earth Episode 3

We’ll be watching the show and commenting on Twitter, so why not Tweet us your own views and astro pictures, and we’ll share them with our followers!

**For information about the latest series (starting 8th January 2013) click here**

Posted in Astronomy, Night sky, Time-lapse, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

h1

Regular stargazing and astronomy reports e-petition

December 9, 2011

by tte-77

Sign thr e-petition!

Make astronomy weather reports a regular feature on weather broadcasts

If you follow the popular @sky_watching Twitter feed then you would have noticed the recent re-tweet from @UKAstroPetition about the campaign to make Astronomy Weather Reports a regular feature on UK News. There is an e-petition requesting The Met Office to produce regular stargazing and astronomy related weather information and that it be shown as part of broadcasted weather reports via the BBC.

What is the most frustrating part of being an amateur astronomer? The bloody weather.

Not to be selfish though, not only would success with the e-petition be of great benefit to amateur astronomers, it would also help boost public awareness of the study of the sky and stars, which in turn encourages the study of science for future generations.

Join us and support the e-petition! Visit the official Directgov ‘Regular Stargazing/Astronomy reports’ e-petition here.

Posted in Astronomy, tte-77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

h1

NASA confirms final shuttle launch date

June 29, 2011

by yaska77

NASA has confirmed that the last ever launch of the iconic space shuttle will take place on Friday 8th July, after the date was fixed by Mission Managers yesterday.

Around 750,000 people are expected to flock to the roads and beaches around Kennedy Space Center, to witness Atlantis close out the orbiter program which has run for 30 years.

STS-135 Atlantis will lift off at 11:26 EDT (15:26 GMT/16:26 BST) Click to enlarge - Credit: NASA

Inspections passed a new fuel valve on one of the main engines (which was replaced after a suspected leak) and the external fuel tank raised no issues of concern.

Four astronauts will ride Atlantis on this historic final mission – Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. This is the first time there has been such a small crew since 1983′s STS-6 flight, with numbers restricted in case of an emergency.

All STS-135 crew members have been fitted for a Russian Sokol space suit and molded Soyuz seat liner, in the event they are forced to return to Earth via a Soyuz capsule (should the shuttle be deemed unsafe for re-entry).

This is an event not to be missed, not only are shuttle launches one of the most awe-inspiring sights to behold, but this will be the last ever time you’ll have chance to see it live. We’ll feature live coverage of the lift-off, and continued updates throughout the mission, a regular one-stop-shop for all your shuttle needs!

Posted in ISS, NASA, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Older Entries »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 2,154 other followers

%d bloggers like this: