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Post by Kimby on Dec 28, 2012 14:34:52 GMT
Last full moon of the year tonight.
Perhaps casimira can enlighten us as to what this one is called.
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Post by htmb on Dec 30, 2012 3:11:31 GMT
 Last night was too cloudy for a good picture, but here's one of the moon tonight. |
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Post by tod2 on Feb 16, 2013 14:45:23 GMT
With all the meteorite news lately I thought I would show you what you missed in the Northern hemisphere when Comet McNaught graced our skies. This is the very first comet I have seen. What was said in the media: At sunset, motorists in South Africa pulled over to watch what seemed to be a bush fire. As the twilight deepened, however, they realized it was something else: the extravagant tail of Comet McNaught. Even experienced astronomers say they've never seen anything quite like it. McNaught's tail materializes at sunset in the southern hemisphere and is visible to the unaided eye as a majestic fan of pale streamers. The comet itself is visible only from the southern hemisphere, but its tail sweeps all the way back into northern skies. People in California, Colorado and Hawaii have seen it peeking above the western horizon about an hour after sunset. This is the comets first visit to our inner solar system, and it is brightening rapidly as it approaches Earth for a 100 million mile close encounter in mid-June. Comet McNaught (C/2009 R1) has a vivid green head and a long wispy tail. To get a good viewing position we were one of the first to arrive but it did not take long for the cars to fill up every empty space alongside the road.   Like excited school children we kept a beady eye out for the first glimpse of a 'spark' in the sky!  A bank of clouds had us worried that they would move in just at the crucial moment.   We need not have worried as the sky remained clear and soon here was McNaught in all it's glory!   All we had was our camera and a tripod so as the crowd grew friendlier we were able to stroll around and have a peep through other telescopes.   It was hard to drag ourselves away but McNaught was flying and it was time we did as well. What a night.  |
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Post by htmb on Feb 16, 2013 14:51:25 GMT
Outstanding, Tod! Your photos are magnificent! What a wonderful opportunity for you. How long were you out viewing the comet?
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 16, 2013 15:01:09 GMT
Oh, Tod ~~ too exciting! Will it be visible again in your area? Wonderful pictures, including the menacing cloud that might have ruined everything. The comet photo just before the picture of the big telescope is especially magnificent, with the stars and the bands of color above the horizon. Thank you so much for this!
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Post by tod2 on Feb 16, 2013 15:01:21 GMT
Much appreciated htmb - if McNaught appeared tonight we would do much better with the photos as we have upgraded twice since then, but they weren't too shabby and I thank you for the praise!
We arrived before sunset and had a lovely cheese and wine supper as we relaxed in our camp chairs.
The party atmosphere took hold and friends greeted each other and came for a chat.
We must have been there at least 4 hours. Maybe even a bit longer.
Oh when, Oh when, will another comet come and dazzle us? ;D
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Post by tod2 on Feb 16, 2013 15:02:44 GMT
And thanks to you Bixa! Have you ever seen a comet down Mexico way? Anyone else??
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 16, 2013 15:10:38 GMT
Never, Tod! I saw the Perseids meteor shower @10 years ago, a peak experience, but would dearly love to see a comet.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2013 17:54:47 GMT
I would too in the worst way!! Tod, these pics just blow me away. And, your poetic description of the atmosphere sounds perfectly lovely.
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Post by Kimby on Mar 9, 2013 20:23:48 GMT
Space Weather News for March 9, 2013 spaceweather.comBRIGHT COMET: This weekend, bright Comet Pan-STARRS is making a close approach to the sun inside the orbit of Mercury where fierce solar heat is helping the comet reach naked-eye visibility. Observers in the northern hemisphere are making their first sightings now as the comet emerges from solar glare low in the western sky after sunset. Soon, the comet could be widely visible to casual sky watchers--no telescope required. Visit spaceweather.com for images, sky maps and observing tips. |
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Post by Kimby on Mar 9, 2013 20:26:17 GMT
We saw what looked like a shooting star last night, from the car driving on the edge of our bright city. Must have been a big one, to be visible in the city light pollution and dust-specked atmosphere! Moving too fast to be the comet, though...
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Post by Kimby on Mar 22, 2013 20:27:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2013 15:26:45 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 9, 2013 19:40:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2013 5:11:30 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 26, 2013 15:43:55 GMT
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Post by Kimby on Aug 13, 2013 7:15:23 GMT
What? No one has mentioned the annual Perseids Meteor Shower, which is peaking tonight, but will continue for a few more days?
You can see 60-100 shooting stars per hour, IF your night sky isn't spoiled by light pollution, smoke or bad weather. Most years the moon is too full, but this year should be perfect viewing. I've got to go outside and check it out, but we are smothering in smoke from Idaho's forest fires so I'm not optimistic.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2013 7:16:05 GMT
Not all of us live in Montana.  |
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Post by Kimby on Aug 13, 2013 8:47:33 GMT
So as I headed up to bed I stepped out on the balcony off the master bedroom and realized that the smoke had cleared a bit and I could see some stars. Not being able to see much sky because of the trees, and unwilling because of bears and mountain lions to walk out into the yard to where the trees are farther apart, I got a stepladder and climbed on top of the roof to look for meteors. I could see more sky, but apparently not enough. Saw one lonely little shooter. Must've sat out there 20 minutes and yet I only saw one little shooting star. Better than nothing but nothing to write home about, either.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2013 17:47:12 GMT
What? No one has mentioned the annual Perseids Meteor Shower, which is peaking tonight, but will continue for a few more days? You can see 60-100 shooting stars per hour, IF your night sky isn't spoiled by light pollution, smoke or bad weather. Most years the moon is too full, but this year should be perfect viewing. I've got to go outside and check it out, but we are smothering in smoke from Idaho's forest fires so I'm not optimistic. I was acutely aware of this event Kimby but remiss in posting of it. My husband and I went for a late night stroll up on the levee and despite some of the light pollution we did see several shooting stars much to our delight. I'm like a little kid when this happens and it's ever so joyful when these things occur.. Much like how I felt when I saw fireflies in Northern Georgia on holiday last month. Call me a 'cheap high', but,I'll take it...  |
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Post by Kimby on Aug 13, 2013 20:35:05 GMT
(Like - "click"!)
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Post by htmb on Aug 13, 2013 21:18:20 GMT
About 20 years ago my sons' young friend was staying with us for a couple of nights at a time when his mother had just started treatment for stage four breast cancer. It was during the Perseids and we happened to live on a large lake in a rural area where light pollution was very low. For at least two hours the three teenage boys and I sat quietly on our dock in the dark and watched a fantastic light show. Though the circumstances were very sad, it remains one of my fondest memories of how sensitive young, overly active teenage males can behave at times.
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Post by Kimby on Aug 14, 2013 5:17:55 GMT
Heading up to bed now that it is fully dark (11:15 pm) and if the stars are visible, will try lying on the roof again to see if the Perseids come out and play tonight. Last night's performance was pretty lackluster....
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 14, 2013 5:28:10 GMT
That's a lovely story, Htmb.
I'll go look outside right now, too, but expect to see nothing but cloud cover.
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Post by bjd on Aug 14, 2013 13:47:01 GMT
We were in the countryside for 3 days this weekend. Clear sky, lots of stars and the Milky Way visible but I didn't manage to see any shooting stars. When anyone said, "There's one", I was either looking the wrong way or it didn't last long enough for me to see it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 15, 2013 3:50:27 GMT
Well, Bjd, you know the real reason was because ~~
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Post by mossie on Aug 15, 2013 19:10:55 GMT
Long time since I've heard Vera Lynn, she had a superb voice. That is a song I don't remember, suppose it was produced for the American market.
Always remembered by me for
" There'll be blue birds over
The white cliffs of Dover",
which meant so much to us when it came out. Afraid I don't know how to produce those links to music.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 15, 2013 23:54:15 GMT
She has such a rich, smooth voice and wonderful delivery. The White Cliffs of Dover is surely her signature song, but it's adorable the way she says "Alabamer". To embed a music link: 1) Go to www.youtube.com/2) At the very top of its page you can search for what you want, using titles or artists 3) Once you find the video you like, copy the url and paste it in a message box here 4) Highlight it, the click the youtube button:  For instance, I went to youtube and searched Vera Lynn. I chose a video and copied and pasted its url here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNB8VbFmlOY Then I highlighted that url and clicked , which gave me: [video src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNB8VbFmlOY"][/video], which when posted renders ~~ |
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Post by mossie on Aug 16, 2013 8:03:00 GMT
Thanks Bixa.
I got so wrapped up listening I drifted right back and could hear again the dreadful thump of one of those planes hitting the hill in front of us. Was that really over 70 years ago
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Post by patricklondon on Aug 16, 2013 15:06:23 GMT
Well, if it's not too way off topic to carry on with Vera Lynn, how about these (though come to think of it, they are sort of relevant to the thread title):
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