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Qualia

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Qualia last won the day on May 15 2015

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    The lesson of humility is so often brought home to us in astronomy...
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  1. Hello there - Just finished reading your "what can I expect to see" sticky - it's great! In it you mentioned you were going to write a couple more, did you ever write them I couldn't find them. Your 4" sketches are amazing and a really useful guide for what to look out for in my 127 mak! Many thanks 

  2. Good to be back. I promise to reply to all posts etc over the next day or so. I hope everyone had a good August :-)

    1. Show previous comments  6 more
    2. Qualia

      Qualia

      Thank you all for your kind words. It really is nice to be back and to see such warm and tender folk. Thank you :-)

    3. Pig

      Pig

      Welcome back Mr Gough

    4. Piero

      Piero

      A warm welcome back, Rob! :)

  3. It is so hot outside. The soles of my feet were beginning to 'burn' through my trainers as I observed the Sun!

    1. Pig

      Pig

      reminds me of the song "Under The Boardwalk"

    2. Luke

      Luke

      Nice to feel the object you are observing! :D I do feel a closeness with lunar and solar that isn't quite there with deep sky, though of course DSO's have a charm of their own too.

    3. jetstream

      jetstream

      The power of the sun is awe inspiring. It never ceases to amaze me. Take care in this heat Rob.

  4. Interesting set of active regions, loops, spikes, surges and a hedgerow type prominence some 211,000 km long and perhaps as much as 80,000km high on the Sun today. If you get a chance today the solstice sun is worth checking out :-)

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. jabeoo1

      jabeoo1

      Managed a look, its a spectacular sight. The sun is really flexing its plasma today.

    3. DRT

      DRT

      Sounds great, Rob - horrible weather here this weekend so no solar for the third week in a row :-(

      211,000km is a very precise measurement - what are you using to gauge that?

    4. Qualia

      Qualia

      Sorry to hear about the weather :-( It's a right pain when it's not clear. Derek, I use a micro-guide from Baader. It's only a guesstimate but it helps frame a general idea :-)

  5. Thank you for your kind words, Ron. You are a true gentleman and very thoughtful It was a pleasure to put together and write and if it helps or inspires others, then what a bonus! However, words like your own are what truely inspire and make SGL the warm and wonderful community it is. Thank you. Paul, sadly for me serious galaxy season is over. I had a great innings over the spring but now the summer constellations are calling: globs, nebulae, and gorgeous rich star fields. Good luck if you get the chance
  6. The inspiration of the post came from noting that there is sometimes a disappointment for many beginners when they set out to observe. Perhaps they expected to see planets the size of golf balls or Hubble like images. In this light, the post came with the hope of grounding expectations rather than puffing them up. In a way astronomy is like music: music is interpreted upon the spaces built around it and so to with observing the wonders of the night sky. Each time you go out to look at the sky, you can find something new, you can learn something, you literally broaden your horizons. And the sky keeps giving, it keeps coming back to you, never asking for more, never giving less. Stargazing teaches you to observe - attentively and with care. It teaches you to be sensitive to the rhythms and changes of nature. If you're so declined, it'll teach you optics, physics, chemistry and collimation Just as importantly, it gives you an awareness of self on the cosmic scale. In a sense, it teaches you that you are a very small being on a tiny rock tucked in orbit around a pretty normal star which in turn is orbiting within just another galaxy of countless others that make up the universe. If there is something as grand as an art to observing, it may consist in nothing more than being sensitive to each of those moments, wholly receptive and regarding those moments as utterly new and unique. Your telescope ought to give you years of enjoyment but in a sense, you don't need Hubble and you don't need an 8" to enjoy the night sky, just a set of eyes, a dash of wonder, a pinch of imagination, patience and a good slurp of enthusiasm. Let us know how you get along There's a lovely poem written by Ventrudo that I'd like to share: I look at the stars because I love to. Because under the stars, I can find solitude without loneliness. Because of all the dumbed-down TV and mind-numbing blather on the internet I thus escape. Because an understanding of the stars cannot be stolen or extracted by force, but comes only through thoughtfulness and humility and endless patience. Because in a world where most people seem to spend their lives doing what they hate, stargazing is at once an endless source of delight and a small act of rebellion. Because I suspect I'm passing this way just once, so I might as well see something extraordinary while I'm here.
  7. Best experience of Saturn this year. Sharp and complex at 300x :-) Sun in both WL & H-a is also rather handsome this morning. Going to the beach today but will try to make a little report with the drawings later. Happy Saturday everyone :-)

    1. Show previous comments  3 more
    2. faulksy

      faulksy

      nice one rob, had a good night on saturn thursday using my 5mm pentax lovely strong views, but there was a slight double , found out i was looking through the mesh on the kids trampoline lol

    3. Qualia

      Qualia

      Thank you for your kind comments :-) Luke, I hope you'll be able to salvage something from the images. Faulsky, two Saturns can't be a bad thing :-) Gerry, for once I think I was able to get a hint of the seeing you get in Canada :-) Shaun, thank you :-)

    4. Luke

      Luke

      Thanks, Rob, images should be fine, I took some new ones to replace the blurry ones! It meant I had to play dodge the clouds for a bit, but lucky escape :) No time for such schoolboy errors during the week!

  8. Sun is rather fetching today; huge hedgerow complex on the western limb :-)

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      Nice heads up, Rob, what a fine hedgerow :) I thought the main spot had some nice activity around it too, it looked like there was a little flaring going on when I was out, inbetween the customary weekend clouds :D

    3. jabeoo1

      jabeoo1

      Nice! Although the haze is not helping the detail. Massive & wide hedgerow. Cheers Rob.

    4. Qualia

      Qualia

      Thanks for the replies :-) Hope you all had a nice session :-)

  9. Hot today and tomorrow more so. Today is already 38ºC and tomorrow they reckon that'll climb to around 45ºC. Anyway, Sun looks rather charming and well worth a visit in white light or h-alpha :-)

    1. David Smith

      David Smith

      45ºC -ouch! I like my Sunshine but......

  10. Not sure if I'll stay up all night, but it's been a cracking evening. 2am, clear skies and still in t-shirt and shorts :-)

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Pig

      Pig

      Sounds great Rob, I haven't seen blue sky or stars for a week now.. jus constant wind or rain or both.

    3. Qualia

      Qualia

      A lot of April was like that here; rain, clouds. Looks like summer is beginning now but the weather in 'Valencia' is some of the worse I've seen in Spain. A lot of heat in the daytime and come night, a lot of cloud. Hopefully this year will be better....

    4. scarp15

      scarp15

      Been raining here, looks better for backyard tonight, next two wkends will be looking for a crack at some dark sky, after which perhaps becoming too light.

  11. 1st proper day of the year :-) 37ºC, so went to the beach. Took the sun scope and had a wee session. Very pleasant.

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Qualia

      Qualia

      I guess next week will be hot and muggy here, Shaun but today, the clouds cleared. I have to do the weeks shopping but when I get back I'll post up a few sketches.

    3. Pig

      Pig

      Sounds excellent Rob, I was in North Italy last week and the weather was lovely...not over warm but some lovely clear days.

    4. JB80

      JB80

      A couple more weeks of this and the pool will be warm enough for a swim. :) Good to hear you are enjoying the nice weather Rob.

  12. Sorry about my absence this week. I will make up for it this weekend. Hope everyone is enjoying the Sun this morning :-)

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. cotterless45

      cotterless45

      Welcome back ! We've a cold front meeting a warm one !

    3. nightfisher

      nightfisher

      welcome back rob, i hope you got every thing done in the UK that needed doing, chin up mate

    4. Luke

      Luke

      Good luck Rob for some Super Solar! I was very happy to catch a few little patches this morning, the forecast was dire.

  13. Active sun woth seeing today, if you get a chance :-)

    1. toilandtrouble123

      toilandtrouble123

      Ordering some Baader solar filter sheets in a fortnight, with the other half promising to make me a filter for my refractor and DSLR's :) Never tried solar obs before

    2. Pig

      Pig

      You are not kidding Rob, its a cracker for both Ha and white light.

    3. jabeoo1

      jabeoo1

      Damn I have been busy DIY today, missed the whole show. Looks good for the week though so hopefully tomorrow :)

  14. Thank you so much for your kind words You are all really good sports and make SGL the very special place that it is Seriously, thank you
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