Skywatchers' Journal

[Hill]

 

Have any of you northern hemispherians been looking out for comet Holmes? It coma has been mysteriously expanding and now its so big its about the same angular size as jupiter :phones: so go and have a look tonight, you dont even need binoculars, though they will help :eek: It is currently in the constellation of Perseus.

 

I went out tonight and saw it as soon as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. There are a bunch of good pics at SkyandTelescope.com - Sky Events - Comet Holmes

[Turtle]

I went out and shot a bit of video. The Moon's now on the rise below the comet and clouds are moving in.:phones: 12:40 am my time

YouTube - Comet 17P/Holmes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT8oqbtZG2M

[Turtle]

What's up Holmes? :( Comet 17P/Holes that is. :hihi: I took a still from the video and ramped up the brightness & contrast a bit.

 

On an operational note, I have resolved to save for a good tripod; anything less is a major detriment to astrovideography. No matter how carefully I adjust the tensions, the cheap model I have creeks, sqwawks, jerks, lurches, locks, and in any and every way hinders good results. :lol:

 

Any of you others out there in the virtual world have any practical experience with astrovideography to share? :camera: :cup:

[Queso]

I'm pretty sure I asked this last year....

but is that bright orange planet that rises in the East and is significantly brighter than everything else Mars?

 

What's the second brightest planet?

 

I'm trying to map out everything in my mind...my memory sucks...thanks...

[Turtle]

I'm pretty sure I asked this last year....

but is that bright orange planet that rises in the East and is significantly brighter than everything else Mars?

 

What's the second brightest planet?

 

I'm trying to map out everything in my mind...my memory sucks...thanks...

 

What time does it rise? (You're still West Coast, yes/no?) I think Mars is rising around 10:00pm PDT.

 

On a mind map tangent, all the planets rise in the ~East and set in the ~West. While brightness of the planets varies, Venus pretty much rules that category. That said, we also have some bright stars along the ecliptic, which is the imaginary line through the plane of the solar system and along which the planets and Zodiac constellations appear to 'travel' through our night skies. In the West, the star Aldebaran in the Constellation Taurus rises around 7:00pm for example.

 

I use some sky software that came with my roomies telescope, but there must be something similar free online. Any of you other skywatchers have a line on that? :) :warped:

[Queso]

is venus around midnight? there's one planet that just stands out. I can never tell the difference unless it's sunrise venus.

[Turtle]

is venus around midnight? there's one planet that just stands out. I can never tell the difference unless it's sunrise venus.

 

Venus is never around midnight; either before Sunrise and colloquially mis-called the "The Morning Star', or just after Sunset and colloquially mis-called the 'The Evening Star'.

 

Here's a list of some 'skyware', with a few you can download free. I have 'Starry Night'. :warped:

 

Planetarium Software

[Queso]

cool. so it is mars. i'll check out that program. thanks shelly.

[Hyba]

I crossed the Australian Nullabour Plains in a car (with a tent) and camping in stop off's - coming from Europe I didn't understand what 'light pollution' meant. Anyone who lives near cities go into the middle of nowhere, and see the wonder right above you at night, I was absolutely gobsmacked - stunning and imprinted on my mind forever.

[Turtle]

Alert! Alert! The sky is (may be) falling!!! :coin: No one contends that asteroid 2007 TU24 is not coming, or that early orbital projections put it at ~ 1.4 lunar distances from Earth at closest approach, but, some are contending the orbit is now actively destabilizing in a manner favorable for 2007 TU24 to come a lot closer...as in hitting either Earth or the Moon!!!

 

Whatever the case, we don't have long to wait: arrival date, Tuesday January 29. :

 

Here's the official NASA 'most current' orbital applet: >> JPL Small-Body Database Browser

 

Looking for the rumored course change data....searching....:) ...:hihi:

 

PS Wow! There's a web page dedicated to it!! I love spiders. 2007 TU24 asteroid

[DougF]

Watch the total lunar eclipse on 21 February

 

 

18 February 2008

The early morning of Thursday' date=' 21 February is your last chance to see a complete lunar eclipse before December 2010. Visible across most of western Europe, the best time to see the eclipse is between 4:01 am and 4:51 am CET.

 

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and the Moon are aligned and Earth casts its shadow over the Moon. You can watch the lunar eclipse with the naked eye without risk.

 

The upcoming eclipse will also be visible across majority of North America, South America and parts of Africa.

 

The exact timings of the different phases of the upcoming eclipse are given below, all times are in CET.

 

 

Visibility of the total lunar eclipse, 20 Feb 2008

01:36 Penumbral eclipse begins

02:43 Partial eclipse begins

04:01 Total eclipse beings

04:26 Mid-eclipse

04:51 Total eclipse ends

06:09 Partial eclipse ends

06:15 Penumbral eclipse ends

 

 

The sub-lunar point will be located over Europe’s spaceport in French Guyana at mid-eclipse. [/quote']

 

ESA - Space Science - Watch the total lunar eclipse on 21 February

[freeztar]

For us Eastern Americans, that will be at 10:30 PM EST Wednesday night. I'll be watching. :phones:

[DougF]

Yes I'll be watching too, just thought I would give the heads up if you wanted to watch,

[freeztar]

Yes I'll be watching too, just thought I would give the heads up if you wanted to watch,

 

Yes, thanks for that! :phones:

[freeztar]

The moon's almost fully eclipsed now, but it's so cloudy where I'm at that I can't see a thing. :)

[DougF]

freeztar

The moon's almost fully eclipsed now' date=' but it's so cloudy where I'm at that I can't see a thing. [/quote']

 

Been cloudy here all day, but just in the last 10 min I got a hole in the clouds and got one real good look.

[paigetheoracle]

Looking up at The Northern Hemisphere, what amazes me about the night sky is the amount of pairs of stars that seem to be the same distance apart and the same magnitude nearly. I know it's just an illusion, caused by the way the mind likes to search out patterns but does this seeming alignment of equal distance/ equal magnitude, ever get beyond three stars in a row? (Orions Belt and one other instance in my night sky - I can't vouch for The Southern Hemisphere).