Forum: Astronomy

Hi all, An asteroid will pass very close to the earth tonight it seems. It will be closer than the satellites we have put around the planet. It is something you may be able to view, and details on where to look etc. are in the news story. Details are here:...

Just a line to say that the NASA forum now displays the NASA photo of the day each day. You can spot the threads with the photos as they say photo of the day in the title and use a different thread icon to text only messages. NASA get to take some very neat photos from space and other planets...

The new LX800 may be of interest to any here thinking of serious astro-imaging. Details are on the Meade Web site here: http://www.meade.com/lx800/ A photo showing it with a camera attached: Steve

Hi all, I've been copied on some info re an interesting sounding event at the Science museum in London... here is the info I have: I'm writing you from the Science Museum, regarding a special event that might interest you: Cosmic Explorers Day. This event is supported by the Royal...

Speaking of things astronomical, isn't Mars supposed to be at its closest for fahsan's of years in August? Nigel.

If we get a clear night this week Comet Lulin could be worth a look. Info at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/35992534.html Andy

There will be a total lunar eclipse which will be visible from the UK on the 21st of February. You will need to be up early to see it though, it takes place at 3am. If it's as good as last years it should be pretty spectacular. Brian

Tomorrow night sees Mars passing within 1/2 a degree of the moon, this will take place between 11.30pm Saturday and 1.00am Sunday. Both should be visible in the same FOV in a telescope, rain permitting of course.;) Brian

Earlier this year a friend of mine that I went to school with and grew up with died, something that some of his parents family did was to name a star after him, they've got a pack with certificates and information about the star and everything. Personally I've always been a bit skeptical about...

The Leonid meteor shower peaks on Saturday 18th/Sunday 19th November. They will come in from the East. The best time for viewing would be after midnight. Brian

The comet 17P/Holmes is now visible to the naked eye, in the past week or so it has gone from a mag 16 object down to a mag 2.5. The comet is located in the constellation of Perseus a couple of degrees SE of the star Mirfak. Don't look for a tail, it hasn't developed one yet, it just looks...

An interesting photo/viewing opportunity arises on the morning of the 16th Oct. Looking in a ESE direction between 6-7am you will see Venus shining very brightly, and 3° directly above Venus you will see Saturn. Brian

Having seen some of the wonderful pics of the Heavens , I'm some times tempted to have a go myself. So: which to buy, a Reflector or a Refractor; they all seem good. What size should I start with, I think that eventually I would want to attach a camera. What about storage? I would imagine...

For some strange reason last night I couldn’t sleep, so I sat up and peered out of the window to see a beautiful clear night sky… About directly south or south, south east by the way the time is 04.00… I spotted a glittering object behind the oak tree…. (Not going to break into song) anyway, I...

...just for the info of those who have not yet subscribed.. there are some neat plans afoot for an Astronomy meet and BBQ. However, to see them you have to be a ukexpert subscriber.. that just means chipping in a small amount towards the cost of operating the ukexpert community. You can...

Hi, I was wondering if anyone else has downloaded the latest version of Google Earth? It now has a huge Sky/Astronomy section that appears to have a vast amount of information. Perhaps I shall begin to make sense of some of it this coming weekend with the Astronomy get together:rolleyes:

For people who have never seen the International Space Station this month gives a good opportunity. The Space Station will be over the UK for periods of up to 4mins. on various days throughout the month, unfortunately most of the sightings will be early morning, 5-6 am. Follow the link and...

The Perseids meteor shower promises to be a good one this year. The showers will peak in the early hours of the 13th Aug, with up to 80 meteors an hour. The place to look is in the east, look for the constellation Cassiopeia, shaped like a big 'W'. Once you've found the 'W', just keep your...

There is a total lunar eclipse on the 28th August 2007. It will only be visible from the Pacific area. It will be visible in Australasia, far east Asia, and North America (apart from the Northeast). People in the UK will have to wait till February next year for a total eclipse. Brian

Saturday March 3rd their will be an excellent photo opportunity with a full lunar eclipse, where Earth's shadow blocks out sunlight on the moon. Total eclipse will last for about 75 minutes, starting at 22:43:49 UT and ending 23:58:01 UT. It will be visible over Europe, Asia, Africa, South...

The moon and Saturn Are very close to each other, go outside now and you will see Saturn at 4pm in relation to the Moon, sorry for leaving it so late. Brian

Finally bagged this tonight - after being thwarted by clouds for the last week or so. Absolutely beautiful - EASILY visible by naked-eye, and awesome in binoculars. Using Venus as a point of reference (at about -4 magnitude) I'd estimate the head/coma to be at around mag -2. Tail also bright...

For anyone with a clear sky tonight, there is the nice sight of saturn sitting just above right of the waning moon. I tried to take an image and as sod's law would have it the clouds rolled in. Brian

For those interested the comet 2006 M4 (Swan). is in range for people with telescopes. The comet is currently in the constellation of Canes Venatici, (next door to Ursa Major). Anyone with a decent NW horizon and a scope should spot it from sunset onwards. The comet is currently mag.8, but...