My free monthly sky diary for April 2019 showing the events of the night sky visible from the UK is now available in a printable pdf version for download.
Click here, or on the image below to download the pdf.

I also have the sky diary to share available on Google calendars.
Click here to go to my Google calendar.

More events will be added to the live Google calendar as more information becomes available.

Don’t forget to watch the results and images coming back from New Horizons as it whizzed past the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule on New Years Day.

Click on the link below for more details:
http://www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/new-horizons-ultima-thule

On the 24th of March it was a clear sunny day. With clouds forecast to come over from midday, I decided to get out and do some solar imaging with the Quark.
Active region 2736 was close to the Sun’s limb. This set off a powerful flare a few days ago, and I know from experience that an active spot on the limb can show some incredible detail and activity.

For those interested, here’s the setup I use:
120mm Evostar refractor. It’s not the best for chromatic aberration, but working in narrow band the Hydrogen Alpha red wavelengths, this does not effect the image.
Lunt Herschel Wedge. For white light imaging.
Baader Solar Continuum Filter. To enhance spot and solar granulation detail when white light imaging.
Daystar Quark Chromosphere. I have now had this one almost two years and it is working extremely well. Click here to read my Quark, Or Not to Quark Page.
DMK41 Imaging Source camera. It is a monochrome camera. I create the orange colour afterwards in Photoshop.
A tilt adapter. To prevent Newton’s Rings when using the Quark.
An inch and a quarter focal reducer. To get a slightly wider field of view and brighter image.
Sharpcap Pro. 60 second videos captured.
AutoStakkert! Initial AVI processing.
Registax. Wavelet sharpening.
Photoshop. Further sharpening, Curves to reveal faint detail and adding colour.

The setup shown above was with the Herschel Wedge in place.

The seeing looked pretty awful as I started, but thought I’d persevere anyway.
As the Quark was coming up to temperature, I put the Herschel Wedge in to capture it in white light.

The spot looks extremely foreshortened and the surrounding bright faculae stand out pretty well against the darker edge of The Sun’s disk.

By the time I had finished taking this, the Quark had come up to temperature and was ready. So I removed the wedge and Continuum filter and set everything up for narrow band Hydrogen Alpha imaging.

One glimpse showed me that there was a lot going on around this spot. Some faint line of plasma were held suspended above the chromosphere, to one side of the spot.
As I was imaging, a strange bulge developed, which I had never seen before. Towards the end of the two hour imaging session, what looked like a surge prom was developing. At this time seeing had gone down horrendously and most of the detail in the captured AVI’s had now been lost. As the day was heating up in the sunshine, and some scudding clouds had now started to interfere, the time to finish imaging was fast approaching.

I had been taking images for over two hours, from 09:11 until 11:19. I tried to take an AVI every 2 minutes or so. It was finally time to stop imaging and then start processing all those AVI’s to produce the images for the animation. I ended up with 37 images at the end of the imaging run.

This is a single image of the active region. I then spent the best part of the whole day processing the images and getting them ready to make animation to show what was going on. At one point a strange “bulge” appeared.
The phone shot of the screen below, shows what I could see.

The resulting animation is below. I was totally blown away.
There is so much going on here.
The active region itself is bubbling away nicely, plumes of plasma being thrown out with the surge prom/s developing towards the end of the animation. The suspended plasma is seen streaking across and falling into the sunspot, following the magnetic field lines of the spot. You can also see the rotation of the Sun throughout the duration of the animation, as the active region moves closer to the limb.

I could look at this animation for hours. Totally mesmerising.

That’s why I love doing solar stuff.
You just never know what you are going to see every time you set things up.

This ius a single image of the

 

On Tuesday the 19th of March I will returning to Cranfield Astronomical Society to present:

Rosetta & Philae: From Concept To Reality

My presentation includes the conclusion of this spectacular mission to Comet 67P – Churyumov-Gerasimenko, right down to its final image before it “crash” landed on the comet’s nucleus, plus some of the latest findings and images that have recently been published.

Courtesy of Dr Colin Snodgrass from the Open University, there is a chance for the audience to sniff Comet 67P.
I will be collecting opinions on what they think it smells like.

Thanks to a 3D printed model, they can also get a really good feel for what the comet looks like.

So, if you’re in the area, come along, say “Hello” and enjoy my presentation.

I’m really looking forward to catching up with this friendly group again.

Meeting starts 7:30pm.

Venue:
CSA Lounge.
Building 114.
Cranfield University.

For the second time, Luton Astronomical Society have invited me to do their British Science Week Presentation.

On Wednesday the 13th of March, I will be presenting my
Whistle-Stop Tour of the Universe (Hitch-Hiking on a Ray of Light).

So let’s hope that they and all the visiting children strap themselves in and brace themselves for a journey that really is out of this world. Of course, it’s just a really fantastic excuse to show lots of beautiful images of our wonderful universe.
Unfortunately, Flat Tim won’t be attending this time!

So if you are in the area, you can book a free ticket from their Web site:
http://www.lutonastrolink.org.uk

Then come along and say “Hello”.

Meeting Venue:
University of Bedfordshire,
Putteridge Bury Conference Centre,
(LU2 8LE) Map

Meeting starts at 7.30 until 9.00pm.
(Doors open 7:00pm).

Get yourself out and have a look towards the west after sunset tomorrow evening (8th March).

The Moon will appear as a very slender crescent low over the western horizon.
So make sure that you have a good low view in that direction.

The image below shows the appearance of The Moon at about 18:15 (UT).

So get yourself out and see if you can spot it.
Mercury is to the right and a bit lower than the slender crescent Moon so will be even more difficult to spot so low down.

But hey, give them both a go.

 

My free monthly sky diary for March 2019 showing the events of the night sky visible from the UK is now available in a printable pdf version for download.
Click here, or on the image below to download the pdf.

I also have the sky diary to share available on Google calendars.
Click here to go to my Google calendar.

More events will be added to the live Google calendar as more information becomes available.

Don’t forget to watch the results and images coming back from New Horizons as it whizzes past the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule on New Years Day. Click on the link below for more details:
http://www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/new-horizons-ultima-thule

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This July is the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

I just couldn’t let the anniversary of this amazing achievement in human exploration go without doing something special to mark the occasion.

So, make a note in your diary for Saturday the 20th of July.

On that day I will be hosting an afternoon and evening to celebrate all that the Apollo missions achieved.

This will be held at The Saxon Hall in Raunds, Northamptonshire.

Afternoon – 5 Planetarium Shows.
In the afternoon there will be a five planetarium shows.
Using immersive full-dome planetarium projection, these shows will transport you to the lunar surface to witness the Eagle as it comes in to land with less than 20 seconds of landing fuel left.
Be totally immersed within all the action as you experience the historic mission and their return to Earth.

Evening – Space Race Presentation.
The evening will be a presentation over-viewing the space race of the 1960’s between The Soviet Union and The United States.
This resulted in Neil Armstrong and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin landing their spidery lunar module Eagle onto the surface of the Sea of Tranquillity.
What did they achieve while they were there?
What has happened since?
And looking to the future, what will happen next?

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The planetarium shows and presentation are suitable for all children aged 10 – 110.
(Under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult).

Save the date of the 20th of July in your diary.

Booking will be opening on my Web site very soon.

On Monday the 11th of February I will be visiting West of London Astronomical Society (WOLAS).

I will be presenting Out Of The Darkness: Pluto, New Horizons & Ultima Thule.

The talk takes you through the history of Pluto, from it’s discovery by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, right up to the results of the amazing Hew Horizon’s mission. This amazing probe finally revealed Pluto and its Moons in fantastic detail as it shot past in July 2015.

New Horizons first extended mission allowed it to shoot past another Kuiper Belt object, 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule by the mission team, on New Years day 2019. All the data and images transmitted slowly across over 4 billion miles will take 20 months to be returned to Earth.

As this data is being returned this presentation is constantly being updated to include new images and findings. From the latest results released the end of last week, it looks like they are having to  re-write the text books entirely re-think how Kuiper Belt objects like Ultima Thule are formed way out in the solar system.

This is a new society for me, so am looking forward to meeting some new fellow enthusiasts.

WOLAS’s meeting starts at 8pm.

Venue:
Christ Church,
Redford Way,
Belmont Rd,
Uxbridge,
Middlesex.
UB8 1SZ

 

Looking at an animation a few weeks ago I commented that Ultima Thule looked slightly flattened. Seems like my suspicions were indeed correct. This Web page tells all:
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20190208

The lovely triple conjunction of The Moon, Venus & Jupiter continues on the morning of the 1st of February.

Yesterday, The Moon was between the two more distant planets as can be seen in my images at the bottom of this page.

The Moon has now moved more to the East and closer to the horizon, so will be a bit lower in the sky, as well as a sporting a much thinner crescent.
The diagram below shows the view at 07:00am on the 1st for February.

Just get out and enjoy the spectacle and start your Friday off with a smile.

 

 

My free monthly sky diary for February 2019 showing the events of the night sky visible from the UK is now available in a printable pdf version for download.
Click here, or on the image below to download the pdf.

I also have the sky diary to share available on Google calendars.
Click here to go to my Google calendar.

More events will be added to the live Google calendar as more information becomes available.

Don’t forget to watch the results and images coming back from New Horizons as it whizzes past the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule on New Years Day. Click on the link below for more details:
http://www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/new-horizons-ultima-thule

In the early hours of Monday the 21st of January there is a total lunar eclipse.
This is caused by The Moon moving through The Earth’s shadow.
The Sun, Earth and Moon are completely lined up in a straight line, with The Earth in the middle.

Here’s a composite image of a lunar eclipse taken in 2007.

The complete eclipse is visible from the UK, although you will need to stay up until the early hours of the morning to view it. That is if the weather decides to co-operate with us.

At the start of the eclipse, The Moon will be 46° above the south-western horizon.
As the eclipse progresses, The Moon will get lower and lower in the sky.
At the end of the eclipse The Moon will very low in the north-western sky.
Make sure that you take this into account and view the eclipse with a clear horizon in this direction if you want to see it right up until the end.

For more details about the eclipse click here to visit Fred Espanek’s fabulous Web site for more details:

To learn how to photograph the Eclipse visit AstroBackYard’s Web site by clicking here.

The diagram below shows how the Moon goes into the Earth’s shadow.
I have added the times that The Moon reaches crucial points during the eclipse.

02:36 – The eclipse begins.
At this time The Moon’s limb touches the outer penumbral part of the Earth’s shadow.
It will slip gradually into this fainter shadow, but any change in brightness as the Sun’s direct light is cut off is unlikely to be noticed until it gets much deeper into the penumbra.

When The Moon is deepest into the penumbra, you may be able to see a bit of darkening of the left hand limb at this stage.
This is more noticeable if you take a slightly under-exposed image of the Moon just before the partial umbral phase begins.

03:33 – The Moon reaches the Earth’s darker umbral shadow.
At this time the drop-off of light on that side of The Moon is very dramatic as all direct light from the Sun is prevented from reaching the surface.

There will be very little colour for a while, but within about 30 minutes, as more of The Moon goes into the umbra, we should hopefully be able to see some red colour starting to appear on the Moon. The only light reaching the Moon’s surface within the Umbra is passing through the Earth’s atmosphere. Most of the blue in the sunlight is scattered in the Earth’s atmosphere, so predominantly red coloured light reaches the lunar surface.

The further The Moon moves into the umbra, the darker and redder it will become.

How dark will The Moon get?
That depends on two things:

1. How deep The Moon goes into the umbra.
During this eclipse The Moon passes a little bit north of the central shadow, so will be a bit brighter than other eclipses where the path is more central.

2. Cloud cover around the limb of The Earth. The more cloud there is, the less light reaches The Moon.
Of course we have trouble doing local weather forecasts, so don’t expect a forecast for around the whole circumference of The Earth!

04:41 – Totality begins.
The Moon is now completely within The Earth’s umbral shadow.
No direct light from the Sun reaches the lunar surface.
Hopefully we will now have a lovely glowing red Moon shining in the only light reaching the Moons surface.
As the ruddy Moon is a lot fainter than normal, longer exposures can be used to reveal the star background behind The Moon, without over-exposing it. These make for great images.

Also look out for a turquoise tinge at the beginning and end of totality, which is light passing through The Earth’s ozone layer.
See the image I took below during the 2015 lunar eclipse which shows this effect really well.

The area of the lunar limb towards the edge of the shadow (north) may appear to be a bit brighter throughout totality as it is not so deep within the umbra.

This is especially pronounced at the beginning and end of totality, when the Moon is closer to the edge of the umbra.

An long exposure of the eclipse from the 28th of September 2015, showing background stars.

05:13 – Maximum Eclipse.
We are now halfway through the eclipse.
So now time to make the most of the next 30 minutes we have left of totality.

Just before totality ends, don’t forget to look out for that turquoise tinge, which is light passing through The Earth’s ozone layer.

05:43 – Totality ends.
The Moon has now started to move back into the lighter shadow of the penumbra.
Some direct sunlight is now hitting the lunar surface.
The brighter lit portion of The Moon gradually gets bigger until direct sunlight reaches all parts of The Moon’s visible disk.
Any red colour which may have been visible will fade as the portion directly lit by The Sun increases.

06:50 – Second penumbral phase begins.
A repeat of the first penumbral phase of the eclipse now plays out in reverse.
By this time, The Moon is getting very low in the north-western sky.

But don’t forget to look behind you (Yes, it’s that season!).
Venus and Jupiter will be visible over in the eastern sky, shining like bright beacons.

The sky should now be getting brighter as dawn approaches.

07:48 – Penumbral Eclipse ends. The end of the eclipse.
The show is now all over.

Hopefully, if the clouds co-operated, we will all be very happy, but very tired bunnies.

The sky will be very bright and it will be either time to go to bed, or to get ready to go to work.
I’ve got a few planetarium shows to do that day!

Here’s hoping for some happy eclipsing.

 

 

The Practical Astronomy Show comes to Kettering, Northamptonshire.
https://practicalastroshow.com

A FREE, yes I did say FREE whole day of practical astronomy.
What’s not to like?

The Practical Astronomy Show brings a selection of leading astronomy businesses, organisations and educational institutions together under one roof, for one day.

Astronomy products and services will be available for purchase from various stands.

Organisations involved in astronomy education, outreach and tourism will be available to meet and greet the general public.

I will have a small stand at the show.

As well as selling my books and promoting presentations and planetarium, I will have lots of hands-on fun for visitors as well.
This will, of course include the ever popular whiff and feel of comet 67P and some new 3D astronomical images.

I will also be promoting all the local astronomical societies in my area.
If your society would like me to hand out some leaflets, please let me have them.

A list of the main attending vendors is at the bottom of this page.

As well as the trade stands displaying lots of astronomy goodies, there are a number of free talks as well:

• Dr Paul Abel – UK Visual Astronomer.
• Dr Robin Glover – Author of SharpCap PRO image capture software.
• Gary Palmer – UK Astrophotographer.
• Damien Peach – UK Astrophotographer.
• Niels Haagh – designer of the unique Panther mount.

EXHIBITION STANDS – HALL
Exhibitor stand numbers so far…

F1 Altair Astro / iOptron / Pegasus

F2 Widescreen Centre

F3 Tring Astronomy Centre

F4 Orion Optics

F5 Rother Valley Optics

F6 Starlight Xpress

F7 365 Astronomy

F8 Peak2Valley Instruments / Saturn Instruments

F9 Ian King Imaging

F10a Gary Palmer Astrophotography – Speaker

F10b Dr Robin Glover SharpCap PRO – Speaker

F11 Altair Astro

F12 WW Astro

EXHIBITION STANDS – GALLERY & PENDEEN
Exhibitors so far…

656 Imaging

Teleskop Schutzbauten

Space Rocks

NPAE Precision Astro Engineering

MSG-Meteorites

BAA – British Astronomical Association

Campaign for Dark Skies

Online Astronomy Society Academy

Webb Deep Sky Society

BBC Sky at Night Magazine

International Astronomy Show

Star-Gazing (That’s Me Folks!)

Tim Treadwell

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most recent LORRI images downloaded from New Horizons during the flyby of Ultima Thule will be posted on this Web Site:

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/soc/UltimaThule-Encounter

Enjoy!

Dave

 

 

My free monthly sky diary for January 2019 showing the events of the night sky visible from the UK is now available in a printable pdf version for download.
Click here, or on the image below to download the pdf.

I also have the sky diary to share available on Google calendars.
Click here to go to my Google calendar.

More events will be added to the live Google calendar as more information becomes available.

Don’t forget to watch the results and images coming back from New Horizons as it whizzes past the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule on New Years Day.
Click on the link below for more details:
http://www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/new-horizons-ultima-thule

For a printable version of this page, CLICK THIS LINK.

Another comet of interest was discovered on the 18th of December by Japanese astronomer Masayuki Iwamoto.

Comet C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto) is a fast-moving comet passing closest to Earth around the 11th of January. It will still be at least 28 million miles from Earth at it’s closest.

It’s estimated maximum brightness will be between +7.5 and +8.9. Although not that bright, it should be easily visible in binoculars or a small telescope and make a great photographic subject.

The chart below shows the path of the comet against the star background over the next 3 months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The map below shows the comet’s path during the first part of January until the beginning of February.

The map below shows the path of the comet throughout January, into February.

On the 3rd of February, the comet passes a couple of degrees north of The Sombrero Galaxy Messier 108.

On the 10th and 11th of February the comet will pass fairly close to the three Messier galaxies, M95, M96 and M105.

This will make a great photographic opportunity, especially as the comet will be at its brightest but it will be moving at its quickest around this time. The Moon will be just before 1st Quarter, so stay up late into the early hours after Moonset when the comet is high in the sky.

On the 12th of February, the comet will by now have moved considerably and will lie fairly close to the bright +3.6 magnitude star Eta (η) Leonis, situated within The Sickle of Leo.
The Moon will be at First Quarter on this evening.

Passing through the northern part of Cancer mid-February, by the 18th of February the comet will be found close to the 1st magnitude star Castor in Gemini, making it very easy to find.

This map shows the path of the comet towards the end of February into March 2019.

 

By the 27th of February, the comet, now fading considerably, will have moved into Auriga. It passes between the bright open clusters M38 and M36 on this date, making another great photographic opportunity. The Moon will be just after last quarter this day, so will not rise until the early hours.

How this comet will actually perform and how bright it might become is anyone’s guess.
After all, it is a comet.

The only way to tell for sure is to out there and enjoy this new comet and whatever it brings us.

Dave

For a printable version of this page, CLICK THIS LINK.

If the political climate and government department shut-downs in the United States continue, NASA TV will not be operating on New Years Day.

This is of course the day that New Horizons is shooting past its next target way out in the Kuiper Belt; The Ultima Thule Flyby.

Click HERE or on the image below to download the press kit.

If NASA TV isn’t back up and running by then, live images and data streaming back from the probe on the day will not be broadcast.

Luckily there are other ways of us being able to keep up with this.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/Where-to-Watch.php?fbclid=IwAR3UlzA8-MTL6E7AyDINYOHkdrsWDJuKknYNgl_qEDXn772EcqMWRU73qMQ

Live coverage will be streamed via that Web site.
The schedule of the webcasts is below:

Friday 28th December, 2018
18:00 – 18:30 GMT (1:00-1:30 pm EST)
New Horizons: Beyond Pluto. Preview of the spacecraft and science operations during the Ultima Thule flyby.

Monday 31st December, 2018
19:00 – 20:00 GMT (2:00-3:00 pm EST)
Press briefing: Ultima Thule flyby science and operations preview

20:00 – 21:00 GMT (3:00-4:00 pm EST)
Q&A: Ask the New Horizons Team

01:00 – 04:00 GMT (8:00-11:00 pm EST)
Panel discussion on exploration of small worlds (01:00 – 02:00 8 – 9 pm EST); Ultima Thule flyby countdown events; mission updates

Tuesday 1st January, 2019
05:15 – 05:45 GMT (12:15-12:45 am EST)
Live coverage of countdown to closest approach (12:33 am); real-time flyby simulations

14:45 – 15:15 GMT (9:45 – 10:15 am EST)
Live coverage of New Horizons signal-acquisition from Ultima Thule flyby

16:30 – 17:30 GMT (11:30 am– 12:30 pm EST)
Press briefing: Spacecraft status, latest images and data download schedule

Wednesday 2nd January, 2019
17:00 – 18:00 GMT (2:00-3:00 pm EST)
Press briefing: Science results from Ultima Thule

Thursday 3rd January, 2019
19:00 – 20:00 (2:00-3:00 pm EST)
Press briefing: Science results from Ultima Thule

To make sure everyone can join in the excitement, Alan Stern, Principle Investigator for New Horizons, is determined to keep us all as informed as much as possible so will be streaming and posting as many ways as possible.

John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory will be webcasting live on their Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jhuapl

Alan will also be posting results on social media, so keep up to date with this exciting encounter by following him here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlanStern

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/s.alan.stern

Comet 46P/ Wirtanen is at it’s closest to Earth this weekend.

It’s supposed to be naked eye, but I’ve so far failed to see it without optical aid. It is now easily visible in 10×50 binoculars. The Coma is a bit bigger than the apparent size of the full Moon. In 15×70 binoculars the full extent of the coma can be seen and it is HUGE!

Despite what the popular media say, it’s not going to be spectacular, or dazzling.
This weekend it will be conveniently located smack bang between the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters in Taurus, so will be fairly high up in the sky late evening.

To make the most of this opportunity to see it before the Moon gets even brighter, free maps of it’s position are available to download from my Web site:

http://www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/comet-46p

Enjoy!

Dave

Comet 46P – 13th December 2018.
72mm refractor and Nikon D750 DSLR.

 

 

So! Comet 46P / Wirtanen (The original target of the Rosetta and Philae mission) is huge!

It’s apparent size is a little over 1°, making it larger than the apparent size of The Moon (or Sun).

It is also supposedly bright enough to be a naked eye object.
But being so big, it’s light is spread out over a wide area of sky, making it a bit more difficult to make out, especially if you have some light pollution, like me.

It’s not visible from my location with the naked eye, but it is just about visible in my 10×50 finder scope. Very extensive and faint, a bit like Messier 33 in Triangulum.

A pair of 15×70 binoculars really do it more justice, showing it much brighter and just how extensive the coma reaches out from the pseudo nucleus.

Here’s an image I took on the 9th of December.

Using the subs I took, I also made an animation showing the movement of the comet during the duration of the imaging session.

Travelling northwards (that makes a change!), 46P will at its brightest on the 17th of December.
At this time it will be located between The Hyades & The Pleiades in Taurus, so will be very easy to find.

Click here to download my guide for Comet 46P.

How big is the Coma? I have made a composite image showing the Comet against M42, The Orion Nebula. Both images taken with the same setup on the 8th of December.

While I was in the area, I wanted to do some more comet fun, so I wandered up to catch Comet 64P / Swift-Gehrels, which was just starting to cut across the constellation of Triangulum that evening.
It’s a lot smaller and fainter, at about 10th magnitude, but is still showing up very nicely in the image.

Just before I finished, I pointed the telescope towards Mars so I could capture Neptune close to it before they move too far apart from one another. Here’s the result.

All images taken using a 72mm refractor and a Nikon D750 DSLR.

Comet 64P’s path for November and December is below.
(Click on the map for a bigger view)

For a black on white printable version, Click Here.

 

My free monthly sky diary for December 2018 showing the events of the night sky visible from the UK is now available in pdf form to download and print.
Click here, or on the image below to download the pdf.

I also have the sky diary to share which is available on Google calendars.
Click here to go to my Google calendar.

My guide to viewing Comet 46P Wirtanan, which is now a naked eye object and at its best this month, is also available here:
http://www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/comet-46p

More sky events will be added to the live Google calendar as more information becomes available.

On Wednesday the 21st of November the Flat Tim fun and games for all ages roadshow will be out once again for my very last evening presentation of the year.

This time it’s another visit to my very good friends at North Essex Astronomical Society.

I shall be inflicting on them my ever popular audience-participation presentation:
“Celebrate Tim Peake’s Principia Mission”.

I am looking forward to meeting up with this group again and catching up with some very good friends.

Like all my other visits out with this presentation, I’m really looking forward to having a lot of fun with this lot during the audience participation bits. I am sure that, like the other groups I have taken this presentation to, they will really enjoy the fun evening @Flat_Tim and I have planned.

All are very welcome, especially kids, as this presentation is aimed at all kids with any level of knowledge, at all ages from 10 – 110.
So bring along your children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents to find out what Tim got up to during his 6-month stay in The International Space Station.

Just come along enjoy the presentation and say “Hello”.
If not to me, then to @Flat_Tim.

I wonder how keen these folks will be compared to some of the other groups about having their selfies taken with him at the end of the evening for me to stick on social media. I can’t wait to find out.

If you can’t make any of my Tim Peake talks, or don’t want to, just make sure that you visit Cardiff to see the Soyuz capsule (TMA-19M) and Sokol KV-2 space suit.
These are currently on display at The National Museum in Cardiff until the 10th of February. Click this link for more details.

There is also a virtual reality space descent simulator which I can tell you is absolutely brilliant.
Click here to see details of Tim’s Soyuz capsule tour.

The Capsule and suit will eventually land back at The London Science Museum next year.

The meeting starts at 8:00pm.

Venue:
Henry Dixon Hall
Henry Dixon Rd
Rivenhall
Witham
CM8 3HR

Anyone is welcome – beginner or expert – and there is no need to pre-book.
A small charge applies to help us cover costs (typically £3 for non-members; £2 for members; U16s free).
Doors open at 7.30pm with the talk starting at 8.00pm.

Note that if you are using satnav system, this postcode may not take you directly to the hall – please check this Google Maps link if you aren’t sure:
http://g.co/maps/kt88j 

On Monday the 19th of November I will be once again visiting Wolverhampton Astronomical Society.

I will be taking them on a wild ride, touring from The Earth out to the very edge of our observable universe, hitch-hiking on a ray of light.

Appropriately, the presentation is entitled:
A Whistle-Stop Tour of the Universe (Hitch-Hiking on a Ray of Light).

So let’s hope that they all strap themselves in and brace themselves for a journey that really is out of this world.
Of course, it’s just a really fantastic excuse to show lots of beautiful images of our wonderful universe.
Unfortunately, Flat Tim won’t be attending!

So if you are in the area, come along and say “Hello”.

Wolverhampton AS’ meeting starts at 7:30pm.

Venue:
Highfields Environmental Centre,
Boundary Way,
Penn
Wolverhampton,
WV4 4NT 

+ Google Map

 

Comet 38P – Stephan-Oterma

Click here to download a printable pdf version of this page.

This period comet was discovered in 1867, by two observers in Marseilles Observatory.

It orbits The Sun in a 38 year orbit, moving out beyond the orbit of Uranus at Aphelion, perihelion at about the same distance from The Sun as Mars.

This comet reaches perihelion early this month, and will pass about 0.8 Astronomical Units (~74,000,000 miles) from Earth, reaching peak brightness around the 23^rd of November.

The comet is currently (8^th November 2018) about +10^th magnitude but brightening slowly.

It could reach a maximum brightness of +9.5 on the 23^rd of November.

The comet is moving in a wide arc just below Gemini, heading north-eastwards towards Lynx by the end of the year. By this time, it will have faded considerably.

Use the map at the bottom of this blog entry to find the comet.

Being so far north, it will be visible for the duration of its apparition.

It certainly won’t be as bright as Comet 46P, which should be very bright in December and is the subject of a separate blog entry:
http://www.star-gazing.co.uk/WebPage/comet-46p

Click here to download a printable pdf version of this page.

 

Path of comet 38P during January.

 

On Monday the 12th of November,  will revisiting Aylesbury Astronomical Society to present:

Rosetta & Philae: From Concept To Reality

It’s been a while since I last did this presentation which now includes the conclusion of this spectacular mission to Comet 67P – Churyumov-Gerasimenko, right down to its final image before it “crash” landed on the comet’s nucleus, plus some of the latest findings that have recently been published.

Courtesy of Dr Colin Snodgrass from the Open University, there is a chance for the audience to sniff Comet 67P.  I will be collecting opinions on what the audience think it smells like.

Thanks to a 3D printed model, they can also get a really good feel for what the comet looks like.

So, if you’re in the area, come along, say “Hello” and enjoy my presentation.

I’m really looking forward to catching up with this group again.

Meeting starts at 7:30pm.

Venue:
9th Aylesbury Scout Hut,
Oakfield Road.
Aylesbury
HP20 1LJ

My free monthly sky diary for November 2018 showing the events of the night sky visible from the UK is now available in pdf form to download and print.
Click here, or on the image below to download the pdf.

I also have the sky diary to share which is available on Google calendars.
Click here to go to my Google calendar.

More sky events will be added to the live Google calendar as more information becomes available.

The day was bright and clear. The Sun was shining and it looked like it would be a good evening to eventually try and capture a reasonable image of Mars, and do some lunar imaging before it got too full as well. In the end it turned out to be a very productive night (and day).

More of my images are on my Flickr Site:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eagleseyeonthesky

I was quite busy that day, (life seems to have picked up big time since I “retired”, but I’m certainly not complaining), but after making the regular trip to the post office to send out some books, on the way back I decided to get the scope out that afternoon to see if I could capture Venus in the bright daylight sky. It was only 4 days before the planet reached inferior conjunction (27th October). At the time I was hunting it down, it was just 9° from the Sun, and only about 14° above my horizon.

It was certainly going to be a challenge. Luckily towards the South, there is a gap between the neighbours houses, so I had a bit of a chance. I put the 120mm Evostar refractor onto the mount and centred it on The Sun. Once I knew the light from the Sun was passing centrally through the scope, using the computer, I calibrated the mounts position on the Sun. I then sent the scope to the position of Venus. It took me quite a while to get the scope focused (as I hadn’t viewed the Sun directly) and Venus centred, but when I did, a wonderfully thin crescent presented itself, bubbling and bouncing away in the afternoon atmospheric turbulence. It was extremely bright and so beautiful to see.

After viewing for a short time, I attached my DSLR and captured a few images of Venus, to make sure I bagged at least one image.

Single DSLR Image of Venus. 120mm Evostar refractor.

Once happy I had captured a couple of acceptable images, I removed the camera and attached my ZWO ASIU120MC camera to try and take a better image. Getting the planet focused and centred on the camera chip again was even more challenging. But finally I managed to get the crescent in focus and processed to capture some avi’s. About an hour after I started, I watched as Venus slowly disappeared behind my neighbours house.

Processed avi image of Venus. 120mm Evostar refractor, ZWO ASIU120MC camera.

True to the weather forecast, for once, later in the day the skies stayed clear as the sky darkened. I set myself up near the house, so that I could get on Mars as soon as it got dark. I would have to wait until later when it passed through that gap, had I stayed where the pier is set.
I set my Celestron C11 on the mount and took a number of AVI’s of Mars.

Mars – C11 and ZWO ASIU120MC camera.

This is about the best image I could manage, given the small size of the disk and very wobbly seeing just above the neighbours roof.

By the time I finished on Mars, The Moon was now quite high in the sky, so then concentrated my efforts on imaging that. Despite a large, bright gibbous phase, some nice features were picked out nicely along the terminator.

The very bright crater Aristarchus and Schroter’s Valley.

Craters Pythagoras and Babbage . 

Lunar Swirl Reiner Gamma and craters Hevelius and Cavalerius.

Bright ejecta rays around crater Kepler.

Colour saturated ejecta rays around crater Tycho.

On Tuesday the 25th of October, I will be re-visiting Luton Astronomical Society

This time I will be presenting COMETS: Enigmatic and Beautiful Visitors.

I will be showing at what comets have done to intrigue, terrify and inspire people throughout history.

I will also be looking at what we learnt from all the hype surrounding the apparition of Comet ISON and it’s demise as it passed perihelion as we awaited our long awaited “Comet of the Century!”.

I will also be looking forward to the prospects for incoming Comet 46P/ Wirtanen, which could become a naked eye comet this December.

Luton Astronomical Society meet at:

Putteridge Bury Conference Centre.
Hitchin Road,
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU2 8LE

The meeting starts at 7:30pm.
So if you’re in the area, pop along and say “Hello”.

On Sunday the 21st of October the Flat Tim fun and games for all ages roadshow will be out yet again.

This time it’s another visit to my friends at Rugby & District Astronomical Society.

I’ll be bringing them my ever popular audience participation presentation:
“Celebrate Tim Peake’s Principia Mission”.

I am looking forward to meeting up with this group again.

Like all my other visits out with this presentation, I’m really looking forward to having a lot of fun with them during the audience participation bits.
I’m sure that, like the other groups I have taken this presentation to, they will really enjoy the fun evening @Flat_Tim and I have planned.

All are very welcome, especially kids, as this presentation is aimed at anybody with any level of knowledge, for all ages from 10 – 110.
So bring along your children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents.

Just come along enjoy the presentation and say “Hello”.
If not to me, then to @Flat_Tim.

I wonder how keen they will be compared to some of the other groups about having their selfies taken with him at the end of the evening for me to stick on social media. We’ll soon find out.

Tim’s Soyuz capsule is currently on display at Peterborough Cathedral until the 5th of November. Click this link for more details.
If you can’t make any of my Tim Peake talks, make sure that you visit the Cathedral to see the Soyuz capsule (TMA-19M) and Sokol KV-2 space suit.
There is also a virtual reality space descent simulator which I can tell you is absolutely brilliant. It goes on display in Cardiff from the 15th of November.
Click here to see details of Tim’s Soyuz capsule tour.

The meeting starts at 7:30pm.

Venue:
Church Lawford Village Hall,
School Street,
Church Lawford,
Warwickshire.
CV23 9EE

Click the Google Map link below for more details:
https://www.google.com/maps?ll=52.383449,-1.341121&z=16&t=h&hl=en&gl=US&mapclient=embed&q=52%C2%B023%2700.4%22N+1%C2%B020%2728.0%22W@52.383449,-1.341121

Comet 46P/Wirtanen is getting brighter, and heading northwards.
Now Naked Eye (Apparently!).

Comet 46P taken from home – 13th December 2018.
72mm Altair refractor and Nikon D750 DSLR.

Click this link to download a printable version of the information on this Web page.

This periodic comet is going to reach perihelion, (closest to the Sun), and closest to The Earth (only 7,220,000 miles distant) and at its brightest on the 16th of December.

At this time it is predicted to be around 3rd magnitude and close to the Pleiades Star Cluster. If the prediction turn out to be correct (How often are they?), the comet could easily become an easy naked eye object around this time.

Comet 46P has an orbital period of 5.4 years and the solid nucleus has a diameter of about 1.2 km.

Comet 46P was the original target for the Rosetta and Philae mission.
The target was changed to Comet 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko when the launch of Rosetta was delayed after the Ariane rocket failure in 1996.

Here are the circumstances of this years apparition.

You can follow progress on the Facebook Page dedicated to the comet:
https://www.facebook.com/46PWirtanen/

46P is currently in the constellation of Fornax, low down in the southern sky in the early around midnight. Currently about magnitude 10, it is challenging from the UK, being so far south.

It is currently heading south, but by the second week in November, it then starts heading north. From this point onward, it will start to pick up speed as the distance from the Sun and Earth decreases.

Path of Comet 46P during November and December 2018.
Click on the map for a better view.

By the first week of December, the comet is within the stars of Cetus and now moving even faster northwards, brightening all the time.
The Moon will be New on the 7th, so will be well out of the way at this time.

Path of Comet 46P during December.

The comet moves swiftly into Taurus mid-December and should now be starting to get very bright.

On the 16th of December, at the time of it’s brightest, at magnitude 3(?), it is nestled very nicely between the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters. We hope it will be a nice naked eye object at this time. The Moon will be a day after 1st Quarter at this time, so will be setting well before midnight, so should not disrupt the view once it sets.

Close up view of 46P’s path around Perihelion.

The comet continues to head northwards, into Auriga, passing through the triangular asterism of “The Kids” on the 22nd of December.
The Moon will unfortunately be full at this time, so will tend to wash out the comet.

It passes the first magnitude star Capella on the 23rd and 24th.
The gibbous Moon in the morning sky will now disrupt observations until the second week of December.

The comet’s apparent motion will have started to slow down a bit now and should have started to fade in brightness, but hey, post-perihelion, anything could happen…

By the end of the year, the comets pace has slowed right down and we find it within the constellation of Lynx.

Path of the comet during January and February 2019.

During January, the comet has slowed right down, faded considerably  and now starts a long slow loop as it moves into the head of Ursa Major.

Let’s hope that this comet lives up to all our expectations and gives us a great winter show.

Dave