Night sky aka Star gazing aka Astronomy :-)

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Oct 2019
2:22pm, 18 Oct 2019
32,764 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Anyone else interested in astronomy?

I saw a shooting star last night and had a wee google to see if there was a known meteor shower at the moment or if it was just a wee singleton. Earthsky.com reckoned it could be the tail end of the Draconids (tail being operative word as it's the tail debris from comet 21P Giacomini-Zinner, apparently). Peaked back in early October, but some bits still visible.

Orionids due this weekend, peaking Monday.

Colleague of mine takes the most fantastic night sky pics. Pretty specialist kit though - cameras with special filters, with an exposure tracking the sky for hours and software to automatically combine millions of images to create the best picture. Pretty amazing. :-) G
Oct 2019
8:59pm, 18 Oct 2019
10,726 posts
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Ness
Yeah! I am very interested in astronomy. Current job isn’t great for having time to observe the night sky. Hoping to do some star gazing when I’m on Gran Canaria for Xmas. Planning on spending a bit for a really decent pair of binoculars for it.
Oct 2019
9:26pm, 18 Oct 2019
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Night-owl
I do have an interest in the night sky a lot I don't know hopefully I will learn something
Oct 2019
10:45pm, 18 Oct 2019
29,449 posts
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♪♫ Egnys ♪♫
Years ago, my dad showed me the Plough, Orion and Cassiopeia and I can find them easily (except when Orion is below the horizon). For years I have been thinking “I really ought to be able to identify more than that”. I have tried using an iPad app that is supposed to show the night sky when you hold the screen up, but it keeps inverting the screen and I can never match it up with anything.
Oct 2019
10:04pm, 19 Oct 2019
32,772 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Synge I just use sky map app on my phone. And earthsky.com website. Let's me looknup names of brightest things. Some stars i can now name and helps me tell which planet.

Lucky in Scotland to have reasonably dark skies. :-) G
Oct 2019
10:07pm, 19 Oct 2019
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Cyclops
2leftpedals and I are keen. However, we live in a corner where the M62 meets the M1 so the skies are never dark enough to see much here.

I have promised him a telescope for his birthday (and a trip somewhere dark to use it). Any ideas for a beginner telescope that is not a ridiculous price?
Oct 2019
10:12pm, 19 Oct 2019
32,774 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
I've got a Meade 90. Don't know if it's good but I've seen Saturn rings, Jupiter spot and 4 of its moons! I nearly wet myself! :-) G
Oct 2019
10:15pm, 19 Oct 2019
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Cyclops
I'll have a google...
Oct 2019
10:48pm, 19 Oct 2019
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GordonG
A few years ago one of my kids had a telescope. It was only a cheapie from Boots but decent enough. We saw Jupiter's four biggest moons too and I remember looking at our moon during a full moon and not only could you make out features like ridges, but blimey it was bright and you couldn't look through the telescope for very long!
I'm always frustrated at how on every astronomical event like a big meteor shower it always seems to be bleedin' cloudy and that's on top of the fact I live in London and there's never a dark sky
Nov 2019
10:11pm, 10 Nov 2019
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♪♫ Egnys ♪♫
My neighbour wth the serious telescopes tells me it is the transit of Mercury tomorrow afternoon (last one until the year 2032), so he's hoping for clear skies from 12:30pm until sunset to see Mercury crossing in front of the sun.

Apparently a good opportunity to see soar flares too.

(I'll be in the office all afternoon, so it's 2032 for me!) :-(

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Maintained by HappyG(rrr)
Anyone else interested in astronomy?

I saw a shooting star last night and had a wee google to see...

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