Astronomy

Rob Creek · Status: Offline

RE: Astronomy

Chris Harper · Status: Offline

RE: Jupiter and moons

Rob Smith · Status: Offline

I use a free app called Sky View Lite (you can also buy into a higher level version), its quite a versatile app which gives a choice of what night sky info you want to view and also allows you to track across the sky, identifying whatever is on the screen?

John Watson · Status: Offline

There are many apps for phone or PC to show the night sky. I use one called "Night Vision" though I can't find the link, presumably because it's ancient. Some show artificial satellites too

Some of the phone apps let you hold the phone up to the sky so you can see the constellations - move the phone around and the display moves in synch with what's up there

There's a near-total Lunar Eclipse on Friday, just before dawn

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2021-november-19

For Manchester, the middle of the eclipse is just 10 mins before the moon sets (and sun rises), so good views are unlikely even if the sky is clear (it won't be)

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

simon ghilks wrote:
Jupiter and 5 moons visible high to SSE early evening and another planet very bright low to SSW, showing as a crescent, don't know which one though, maybe Venus?

Hi Simon,

Got to be Venus, as only two planets show phases, and Mercury is too small to observe this (unless you're talking mega telescopes). Speaking of Jupiter; during one of the earlier matches of the T20 Cricket World Cup, the cameraman trained his camera on it. It was a 'wow' moment as I had never considered how big and clear an image such a camera would show. The cloud strata and at least a couple of its moons were also visible. It was probably the lasting memory I will take from the competition's coverage!

-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Sunday 14th of November 2021 09:15:33 PM

simon ghilks · Status: Offline

Jupiter and 5 moons visible high to SSE early evening and another planet very bright low to SSW, showing as a crescent, don't know which one though, maybe Venus?

Mike Passant · Status: Offline

Correction - Jupiter was of course on the left; (thats with rushing ahead of dinner).

Cheers,

Mike P.

Mike Passant · Status: Offline

Hi John,

Tonight was clear at last and both planets showed well from 16.25 onwards over the following 30 mins. From here in Durham the compass bearing was 220 degrees (roughly south/south-west). Thanks also to Mr. Rayner for his reminder call, though we were already viewing at x 60 with the two planets spanning the middle third of the picture, Jupiter on the right being slightly higher.

Regards and thanks,

Mike P.

John Watson · Status: Offline

Mike, you may have missed the very closest view, but the alignment continues. Tomorrow's weather should be very clear

I took a really cr*p photo at ~17:00 - any earlier & the sky's still bright, any later & the spectacle is too near the horizon

Digiscoping is tricky unless you're an expert (which I'm not) - I found my phone constantly trying to re-focus because of the odd light balance, so I took loads of pics hoping one might be good. I've attached the "best" one - you can possibly see Saturn's rings, and also 3 (maybe 4) of Jupiter's moons. It was much clearer viewing through the scope

Mike Passant · Status: Offline

Dec 20th - Too slow off the Mark! When I started looking they had already dipped below the horizon.

Dec 21st - obscured by cloud.

Dec 22nd - obscured by cloud and rain.

= Light up a Hamlet; - another memorable dip.

(Actually, it takes a special talent to dip on something that size).

A Merry Christmas to all in the GM community!

Regards,

Mike P.

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

John Watson wrote:
I'll try to explain, for those with little brains

Thanks John but my struggle was really just about the sheer enormity of the solar system kind of thing 😁

John Watson · Status: Offline

Damn, that was quick, PNW, it is indeed dependent on the plants [sic] especially Jupiter

The Sun-Jupiter combination revolves about their centre of gravity (barycentre), which is often just above the visible surface of the Sun, depending on where the other planets are

The Earth orbits around the Sun's centre, more or less, though Jupiter (etc) have a slight influence. Planets Venus & Jupiter have a tiny effect on Earth's tides too (not measurable)

dave broome · Status: Offline

John Watson wrote:

Now, a QI Xmas question: where's the centre of the Solar System ?
1) The Sun
2) The Earth
3) Somewhere Else ?

A prize of a free PPE contract to the closest answer

Answer 3 - the centre of the solar system is wherever the next Greater Manchester rarity turns up biggrin

Peter Nolan Woolley · Status: Offline

The center of the solar system is dependent on the relative position of all the plants, so the center changes from within the sun or just outside it, depending on where it is within it's own wobble.

John Watson · Status: Offline

I'll try to explain, for those with little brains biggrin

You can see Jupiter & its 4 large moons with our optics any day of the year. Well, if it's not cloudy. The names (& orbital periods) are:
- Io (1.77 days)
- Europa (3.55 days)
- Ganymede (7.15 days)
- Callisto (16.7 days)
Of interest, note the first 3 of these are precise multiples - "orbital resonance" - when their orbits have settled into a natural gravitational stability

Likewise, Saturn & its rings might be visible at any time

First, the 2-D bit:

All planets orbit the Sun in a near-circle - ellipse (ie, oval) - all going the same way around (conventionally denoted as anti-clockwise), those nearer the Sun move faster. The Earth's orbit is elliptical, being nearest to the Sun in late December (surprisingly!)

There are frequent alignments of 3 (or more) planets, called "conjunctions". They're in a near-straight line. Astrologers love these things, though they have no scientific value whatsoever. They can still make pretty pictures, though

Now the 3-D bit:

These orbits are tilted slightly wrt each other. Consider each orbit to follow an elliptical path through a plane - the planes are tilted. Even the Earth's orbit is tilted by 7 degrees against the Sun's rotation axis

So, in a conjunction between, say, Jupiter and Saturn, the planets might appear to pass each other somewhat above or below the other every ~20 years, depending. But, every 397 years, the planes of these orbits also coincide precisely with the Earth's orbital plane - and the 3 planets align very closely, providing photo opportunities of the Solar System's 2 prettiest planets

Now, a QI Xmas question: where's the centre of the Solar System ?
1) The Sun
2) The Earth
3) Somewhere Else ?

A prize of a free PPE contract to the closest answer

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Thanks to Pete’s tip off, Saturn was much more impressive than I had expected and certainly than the phonescoped images attached portray as it’s rings were remarkably clear. Jupiter looked massive too!

Shame my little brain can’t quite comprehend what I witnessed tonight!

pete berry · Status: Offline

It was absolutely brilliant tonight about 4.40pm,looking fairly low in the sky in a south westerly direction. With my telescope it was possible to clearly see the ring around Saturn,and 4 of Jupiter's moons were clearly visible as well. What an amazing sight,recommend anyone to have a look tomorrow if it's clear shortly after dusk. By 5.15 they were still visible but due to the change in angle I couldn't make out the ring around Saturn which was clearly visible half an hour earlier.

John Watson · Status: Offline

The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction is an ongoing thing, but at its closest (on 21 Dec) they'll be 0.1 degrees apart, which is 1/5 diameter of the moon. Without optics, they're difficult to distinguish. With optics, Saturn will be the same angular distance from Jupiter as the latter's moons. There should be some good pics on the internet of this

The last time they were this close was in 1623, though the line of sight was close to the sun so few people (if any) saw it. The 1226 conjunction was better seen, and is the one widely reported today. Note the periodicity of 397 years for the 3-D alignment (it's not every orbit, because the 3 planetary orbits are slightly inclined wrt to each other)

View SW very low, immediately after sunset

Also, the Geminid meteors are ongoing 100+ /hour just now. Origin is 1/3 up sky in East (mid-eve), meteors anywhere really, radiating from that point. It's the best evening shower of the calendar

No aurora this far South for the foreseeable. The new solar cycle is just kicking off, and these are usually associated with highly active sunspots for the aurora to come this far South. There are usually ~2 days warning after major magnetic events

Obviously, if it's cloudy, stay inside & have a beer instead

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

Not usually a contributor to this thread, but thought that it was worth alerting people (who might not know) to the forthcoming conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on 21st December. According to my source, they will appear as a single entity; so close will they be - in fact, that it will be the closest such encounter for 800 years !!!! Further details may be found at https://www.buxtonweather.co.uk/ where you can also read about a possible glimpse of the Aurora Borealis on Saturday. Here's to some clear skies.

-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Tuesday 15th of December 2020 09:53:03 PM

John Watson · Status: Offline

It's both morning & evening comet. Generally low in the NW (evening) moving to low in the NNE (morning)

It's at it's closest to Earth at the moment, but well past its best visually. Can be tricky to pick out now, but obvious with optics if you know where to look

There are some brilliant pics here:

https://spaceweather.com

And archive pics:

https://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=166416
https://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=166085
https://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=165709

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

John Rayner wrote:
Chris, This must be USA timing because as far as I know its an early morning object over here (03.30ish) Cheers John.

John,

It certainly ISN'T an early morning object over here! I saw it clearly (from next door's lawn) the night before last from about 11.00 p.m. Certainly worth a look if it clears up again.

Cheers,

Andy B

Chris Harper · Status: Offline

Yes cheers John. I did mention that. The Plough in USA is Big Dipper.

Too cloudy at the minute here but there are some great images out there frim elsewhere in the UK.

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Chris, This must be USA timing because as far as I know its an early morning object over here (03.30ish) Cheers John.

Chris Harper · Status: Offline

Comet Neowise visible last night and next few nights apparently. Just after sunset with binoculars.

Piece from a US web attached

Mike Passant · Status: Offline

Yesterday was not only Fathers Day here in UK, but also marked the Summer solstice, as well as across parts of Asia and Africa a Ring of Fire total eclipse of the sun. This occurs when a solar eclipse coincides with the moon being at apogee in its orbit around Earth and therefore appearing too small to totally block out the sun even in direct alignment.

Paul (in NE Thailand) called us up via FaceTime and added that they were seeing only a partial eclipse at Kutchum, - for the total ring effect they were too far south by approx. 1000 Kms.

Regards,

Mike P.

Rob Creek · Status: Offline

A photo I took with my bridge camera of the Flower Moon on Thursday night from the driveway and also the build up before it emerged from the dark clouds.

ps I realised that Id not altered the time on my camera on the earlier image.

John Watson · Status: Offline

Of interest, Comet Swan might possibly be visible in the next few weeks. The bad news is that it's quite close to the Sun, so to stand any chance of viewing it you need to be up before dawn (eg 04:15) and look very low in the sky (a hand span up) looking ENE. Currently very faint, even with bins, but expected to brighten. These things are infamously unpredictable, so don't expect a biblical scene. But, if you don't try, you don't get

sid ashton · Status: Offline

With relatively few clouds in the South Eastern sky the Flower Moon is showing very well at the moment (Thursday 22.51).

John Watson · Status: Offline

Here's a photo of the disintegrating comet Atlas, illustrating 2 batches of Starlink:

https://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=161494

Rob Creek · Status: Offline

Theyre all on the move again tonight, had one around 9.50pm then again at 10pm, 2 together at 10.05pm then had 5 in the last 5 minutes.

John Watson · Status: Offline

They're all moving slowly to their designated orbits. When there are 12,000 (or maybe 42,000) in place, there will always be many in view at all times, all moving across the sky - that's why they're there.

To understand what the impact on professional & amateur astronomy will be like, imagine Elon Musk running drones every few miles along the entire coastline of the UK - would professional & amateur birders be happy with that ?

Rob Creek · Status: Offline

Apparently theres 60 of them John, and I too was a bit surprised at the spacing and the random timing between them going over.

John Rayner · Status: Offline

I counted 24 but think I missed some. Anyone know how many there are supposed to be in that particular train? The light pollution round my way is terrible, couldn't see many of the satellites with the naked eye but OK through binocs.
They were more spaced out than I was expecting. Thought they would be a tight 'string of pearls'.

Cheers John

Rob Creek · Status: Offline

The satellites are still on the move in the last few mins if anyone is trying for them, tried an iPhone video at 9.56pm but obviously didnt work, and at 10.14pm there were still some moving, seen about 8 up to now.

A shooting star seen too!

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Apparently Starlink satellites are viewable again tonight at approx 21.58.

Travelling SW to E with a decent maximum elevation of 62 deg. The website I got this info from states that timing may vary by 10 mins.

I have never seen them myself but will give it a go tonight.

Cheers John.

simon ghilks · Status: Offline

Dukinfield 19/4/20

Just popped outside to look for the meteor shower, didn't see any but must have caught the satellites mentioned below. Didn't know what they were before I looked on this thread, quite odd to see what looked like stars moving across the sky on the same line at the same speed and almost all at equal distance from each other. Must have seen at least 20 of them go by looking south, they were moving west to east, last one at about 2145.

John Watson · Status: Offline

Comet Atlas is definitely falling apart & getting much fainter

Those Starlink satellites might look impressive, but when there are 10,000s of them, Astronomy will be destroyed. But on the plus side, Elon Musk will have even more money

David Kaye · Status: Offline

Lyrid meteor shower visible from tonight then Eta Aquariids from Saturday. For full list of major meteor showers this year go to

https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/meteors-and-meteorites

Ken Dunning · Status: Offline

Anyone watching the Starlink satellites? Quite impressive to watch them trail across the sky.

( First set start at 18:41 but only rise to 10° altitude.) IGNORE

( Ones at 19:14 get up to 66° altitude. 38 satellites following each other in a 16 minute period. ) IGNORE

The website I took these from had logged me out and set observing location to a default setting sorry.

Tonight's Starlink start at 2:32am

-- Edited by Ken Dunning on Saturday 11th of April 2020 06:55:43 PM

John Watson · Status: Offline

Peter, try a photo of the Pleiades, just right of Venus. Use phone App software to do a longer exposure. Experiment

Peter Nolan Woolley · Status: Offline

Last evenings supermoon and also Venus as was very bright, so the opportunity wasn't wasted. like Doc both digiscoped as always. smile

John Watson · Status: Offline

Comet ATLAS is possibly showing signs of breaking up

which would make it much fainter

But, this may just be a temporary effect

Currently very high NW & difficult to find even with good bins. Not seen it myself yet

-- Edited by John Watson on Wednesday 8th of April 2020 02:56:30 PM

Doc Brewster · Status: Offline

sid ashton wrote:
With a very clear sky at the moment (23.07 hrs) the "super moon" is looking good

And digiscopable through birding gear smile

sid ashton · Status: Offline

With a very clear sky at the moment (23.07 hrs) the "super moon" is looking good wink

John Rayner · Status: Offline

David Kaye wrote:

International space station is visible over the next few days. Timings are:
Thursday, March 26, 8:28pm, 3 mins (appears W, disappears SE)

Thanks David,
I watched it pass over tonight and it crossed my mind that it must the safest place to be for avoiding Coronavirus.

Cheers John.

John Watson · Status: Offline

We don't want those scopes & cameras to get rusty from lack of use, do we ?

There could be an excellent photo challenge in the approaching Comet ATLAS, especially with the current fine weather

Its currently too faint without optics, but this should change it could even be spectacular (yeah, right) in a couple of months. Binoculars should show a very faint pale green smudge the tail hasnt grown much yet. Its size is currently ½ the moon

To locate it after sunset, its very high NE. Take a line between the Pole Star & Ursa Majors pointers, then up a little bit

To photograph it, you need a reasonably large aperture, low magnification, long exposure (1-15 secs ?) and tripod (awkward angle, though). It might even be possible using a smartphone with camera App, some of them can do a long exposure

Full details on SpaceWeather.com

Post your pics here !

David Kaye · Status: Offline

International space station is visible over the next few days. Timings are

Wednesday, March 25, 9:15pm, 2 mins (appears W, disappears W)
Thursday, March 26, 8:28pm, 3 mins (appears W, disappears SE)
Friday, March 27, 7:41pm, 4 mins (appears WSW, disappears E)
Friday, March 27, 9:17pm, 2 mins (appears W, disappears WSW)
Saturday, March 28, 8:30pm, 3 mins (appears W, disappears SSE)
Sunday, March 29, 8:44pm, 4 min (appears W, disappears ESE)
Sunday, March 29, 10:19pm,1 min (appears W, disappears WSW)
Monday, March 30, 9:32pm, 3 min (appears W, disappears S)
Tuesday, March 31, 8:46pm, 4 min (appears WSW, disappears SE)
Tuesday, March 31, 10:22pm,1 min (appears WSW, disappears SW)
Wednesday, April 1, 9:34pm, 3 min (appears W, disappears S)
Thursday, April 2, 8:47pm, 4 min (appears WSW, disappears SSE)
Saturday, April 4, 8:50pm, 3 min (appears WSW, disappears S)

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Ian Chisnall wrote:
sid ashton wrote:
Went out into the garden to look for the lunar eclipse just after 7pm and there was a Robin singing!!
I guess it must've been a Lunar-tick

Good call Ian, the old ones are the best biggrin

John Watson · Status: Offline

I have to say it was the least impressive (penumbral lunar) eclipse ever - the bottom right of the Moon went slightly grey for a short while. Still, worth seeing

https://spaceweathergallery.com/eclipse_gallery.html

Ian Chisnall · Status: Offline

sid ashton wrote:
Went out into the garden to look for the lunar eclipse just after 7pm and there was a Robin singing!!

I guess it must've been a Lunar-tick