Re: Night Sky : Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:21 pm  

rover49 wrote: There will be another one along shortly (well, a few thousand years !!!) Not at all. There's loads. You could with a bit of effort view 5 comets at the moment. One of them (Comet Lovejoy) is even just about naked-eye visibility, in the early morning, though due to twilight, binoculars are far better. http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/2013_R1.pdf

rover49 wrote: There will be another one along shortly (well, a few thousand years !!!) Not at all. There's loads. You could with a bit of effort view 5 comets at the moment. One of them (Comet Lovejoy) is even just about naked-eye visibility, in the early morning, though due to twilight, binoculars are far better. http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/2013_R1.pdf

Re: Night Sky : Wed Dec 04, 2013 4:33 pm  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote: Not at all. There's loads. You could with a bit of effort view 5 comets at the moment. One of them (Comet Lovejoy) is even just about naked-eye visibility, in the early morning, though due to twilight, binoculars are far better. http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/2013_R1.pdf Cheers. I have a telescope I haven't used in a while, I was looking to get an adaptor for my SLR to try photography through it. Do you know if these are any good (in general)

Ferocious Aardvark wrote: Not at all. There's loads. You could with a bit of effort view 5 comets at the moment. One of them (Comet Lovejoy) is even just about naked-eye visibility, in the early morning, though due to twilight, binoculars are far better. http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/2013_R1.pdf Cheers. I have a telescope I haven't used in a while, I was looking to get an adaptor for my SLR to try photography through it. Do you know if these are any good (in general)

Re: Night Sky : Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:24 pm  

rover49 wrote: Cheers. I have a telescope I haven't used in a while, I was looking to get an adaptor for my SLR to try photography through it. Do you know if these are any good (in general) There's loads. You'll want a T-ring to fasten your camera to your adapter, there'll be specific ones for your make of camera. http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptors/t-rings.html Then you need a T-mount adapter like so http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptor ... apter.html (depending if your eyepieces are 1 1/4" or 2" variety) They make eyepiece adapters like so http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptor ... hread.html which have some travel for focusing. You can also extent the magnification by use of extension tubes like so http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptor ... -tube.html I'm sure FLO or any good optics shop would be delighted to discuss chapter and verse and also as ever having a word with people at your local astronomy club is a good idea as there are always people with loads of old kit surplus to requirements.

rover49 wrote: Cheers. I have a telescope I haven't used in a while, I was looking to get an adaptor for my SLR to try photography through it. Do you know if these are any good (in general) There's loads. You'll want a T-ring to fasten your camera to your adapter, there'll be specific ones for your make of camera. http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptors/t-rings.html Then you need a T-mount adapter like so http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptor ... apter.html (depending if your eyepieces are 1 1/4" or 2" variety) They make eyepiece adapters like so http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptor ... hread.html which have some travel for focusing. You can also extent the magnification by use of extension tubes like so http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptor ... -tube.html I'm sure FLO or any good optics shop would be delighted to discuss chapter and verse and also as ever having a word with people at your local astronomy club is a good idea as there are always people with loads of old kit surplus to requirements.

Re: Night Sky : Wed Dec 04, 2013 8:23 pm  

We were promised "The Comet Of The Century" by young Master Aardvark and we got bugger all, I demand a refund.

I've also got frost bite from staring at the night sky like a massive gormclops, a case for damages.

Re: Night Sky : Thu Dec 05, 2013 2:26 am  

Sandra The Terrorist wrote:

We were promised "The Comet Of The Century" by young Master Aardvark and we got bugger all, I demand a refund.

Your money's safe.

Sandra The Terrorist wrote:

I've also got frost bite from staring at the night sky like a massive gormclops, a case for damages.

I was kidding. Soz.

Re: Night Sky : Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:26 am  

Sandra The Terrorist wrote:

We were promised "The Comet Of The Century" by young Master Aardvark and we got bugger all, I demand a refund.

I've also got frost bite from staring at the night sky like a massive gormclops, a case for damages.

I must stray off-topic for a moment to say that "gormclops" is one of the best words Ive ever encountered. Along with 'exculpate" I shall henceforth endeavour to utilise it at every available opportunity.

Re: Night Sky : Fri Dec 13, 2013 7:06 pm  

Nice video of the moon circling Earth, taken from the Juno spacecraft as it did a fly-by in October on its way to Jupiter. The sort of video that definitely makes you think. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25328277

Nice video of the moon circling Earth, taken from the Juno spacecraft as it did a fly-by in October on its way to Jupiter. The sort of video that definitely makes you think. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25328277

Re: Night Sky : Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:50 am  

meteors over dartmoor http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Spectac ... story.html

meteors over dartmoor http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Spectac ... story.html

[DaveO]

Re: Night Sky : Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:37 am  

Well perhaps a tad beyond the means of your average enthusiast but one of these would seem to give a good view of the night sky. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25426424 Thank God in these times of Austerity, Science like this still goes on.

Well perhaps a tad beyond the means of your average enthusiast but one of these would seem to give a good view of the night sky. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25426424 Thank God in these times of Austerity, Science like this still goes on.

Re: Night Sky : Thu Dec 19, 2013 4:33 pm  

Over Christmas, when you're bored, reclining with a port, and letting the turkey digest, how do you fancy discovering supermassive black holes at the cores of distant galaxies? Radio Galaxy Zoo, a citizen science project, has launched. It will only take you about a minute to learn to match galaxy images and once you've done that, you'll be able to work out if a galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its core. There are billions to check, which is why without the help of amateurs like us, the job can''t be done. "Did you do anything interesting over the holidays?" "Why yes, I discovered a supermassive black hole" http://radio.galaxyzoo.org/

Over Christmas, when you're bored, reclining with a port, and letting the turkey digest, how do you fancy discovering supermassive black holes at the cores of distant galaxies? Radio Galaxy Zoo, a citizen science project, has launched. It will only take you about a minute to learn to match galaxy images and once you've done that, you'll be able to work out if a galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its core. There are billions to check, which is why without the help of amateurs like us, the job can''t be done. "Did you do anything interesting over the holidays?" "Why yes, I discovered a supermassive black hole" http://radio.galaxyzoo.org/