The Amateur Astronomy Thread

[Bazzer]

Last night I got my rig out at sunset hoping for a couple of hours before the clouds arrived, but the weather gods saw what I was up to and the cloud piled in from the West.
Locally, at least at the moment, it's looking like a midnight alarm tonight.

 

[Marchrider]

will leave my days ride until early evening, hopefully I will get to see all 7
forecast looks promising

 

[Psamathe]

I keep wondering about getting myself an observatory (either paying out for a home dome of building a roll-off roof shed. I happen to have a goos concrete slab with enough space in the garden with visibility of a good portion of they Sky. But whenever I start to think more, I watch the weather and the number of occasions I'd actually get to use it would be pretty limited. More in the summer when there is less light.

I suppose part of my reasoning is I'd actually get to use my stuff more if I didn't have the significant overhead of getting it out, aligning it, etc. then packing up when done. But then, if I got to do it more often I guess I'd get a lot slicked and faster at setup/alignment.

But so far I've not got close enough to actually pursue the idea, maybe wait until I'm no longer heading off travelling for extended times or cycle touring for a few months a year and spending more time at home.

Ian

 

[icowden]

I suppose part of my reasoning is I'd actually get to use my stuff more if I didn't have the significant overhead of getting it out, aligning it, etc. then packing up when done. But then, if I got to do it more often I guess I'd get a lot slicked and faster at setup/alignment.

For similar reasons I keep toying with the idea of selling my Dobsonian Skywatcher (1200mm/500mm) . Originally I went for dobsonian as I thought it would be easier for the kids to see things, and sturdier. However they have little to no interest and it's mostly *very heavy* and the eye piece is inconveniently low, even for a short chap like myself.

If I were buying now I'd look at some of the circa £400 models which have go-to tripod mounts.

 

[Marchrider]

I never got to see Mercury, there was just a little nit of cloud on the western horizon and I guess it was behind that.

Other than that, crcking night out on the bike, I just love riding at that time of day. Sunset thru the gloaming to darkness when all the stars are out. In order of there appearance tonight - Venus, Jupiter, Sirus, Mars, Capella, Alderbaren, at which point Orion and all the rest started to take over

 

[Drago]

I had a bit of a headache yesterday so gave it a miss.

 

[Bazzer]

It was the same here. That sliver of cloud was seemingly enough to stop the sight.
Really weird night of weather here. Cool when I managed to get my set up outside around 7:30. Clouds made me bring it in after an hour or so, then a heavy shower. Clearing sky when I took it outside again around 10:15. Packed up around 1am as the clouds rolled in again, but a layer of frost was covering everything. Heard it raining again during the night, then woke up to sunshine!

 

[MontyVeda]

Had to laugh yesterday. At around 6.28pm, the R4 news had a big feature on the procession... the general narrative "tonight you'll be able to see all seven planets" ...the reality, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune had slipped below the horizon about 15 minutes prior to the feature.

 

[Marchrider]

I don't think we will really get to see Mercury for another week or two (saturn will be gone but its hardly visible anyway)
the new moon at the beginning of March will be more of an event - Venus, Mercury, the new Moon, Jupiter and Mars (all the ones that are obvious to see) will all be on view in the same quarter of the sky

4th March 7pm

Plaedies, Orions Belt and the dog star too boot

 

[markemark]

Was crazy. All those planets aligning increased gravity by about 40% which explains my strained ride in this morning after a few weeks off the bike.

 

[figbat]

Was crazy. All those planets aligning increased gravity by about 40% which explains my strained ride in this morning after a few weeks off the bike.

That must explain the numbers I am seeing on the bathroom scales too. I can't wait for the planets to redistribute themselves.

 

[markemark]

That must explain the numbers I am seeing on the bathroom scales too. I can't wait for the planets to redistribute themselves.

Yes, Mars, Galaxy and Milkyway all to blame.....

 

[fossyant]

That must explain the numbers I am seeing on the bathroom scales too. I can't wait for the planets to redistribute themselves.

I noticed that too !

 

[Pross]

Nice to discover this thread. I’ve started to get interested in astronomy over the last couple of years off the back of giving Astro landscape photography a go. Not sure I’ll ever understand much as even Brian Cox, who people like to say makes the subject so easy to understand, baffles me. I got a fairly basic telescope for Christmas so need to work out how to use it and suitable targets for clear summer skies if we get any.

 

[wheresthetorch]

Daytime photo of Venus through a telescope..