Beulah

Me too. :)

Let us know what you get.

Thanks for the kind comments, Marvin. The Ursids are normally not much to write home about but it's got the benefits of no Moon getting in the way for a while during the peak, unlike all the other meteor showers this year! First of all, the photo is a little 'blurred' due to image quality loss - the original TIFF is sharper! The info is as follows: Canon 6D (apparently great at picking up H-alpha in its unmodded state) Samyang 14mm f/2.8 at f/2.8 12 x 25 seconds on static tripod, ISO 6400 Painfully stacked in Sequator (to eliminate Mr Musk's latest venture 😁) and slight tweaks in Adobe Photoshop 2020.

The weather has majorly sucked this astronomy season. The amount of rain, snow and hail we have had since October is hard to be believed. So no Geminids observed here and out of all the meteor showers we have had this year, managed to catch one, lonely Monocerotid (image below)... Oh well, let's hope for clear weather during the Ursid peak of December 23rd...

That's a fab idea. @Grant

The white cylindrical altitude bearings? Diameter: 20mm Length: 18mm I believe it takes an M6 screw. 🙂 Over the years I've owned telescopes across the Skyliner range, from 6 to 16 inches and it seems the bearings are all the same size.

Minus 5 last night, remote location, 12 inch scope, army softie suit, lots of layers, hot flask, stunning clear skies = bliss. I don't care how cold it is, as long as I am well away from man-made light pollution!

Sounds ideal. Wouldn't bore me in the slightest as it's something I'd like to achieve although I am nearly there. Access to work is imperative, though, so I live in a sort of 'Goldilocks Zone' where the remote wilderness is accessible just by stepping out of the garden and a short drive takes me to work... Cananda is a place where you can really get away from it all; all the remote places in the UK always have some form of tourist industry... Scotland sounds like the next best place. Hope you succeed in obtaining that cabin; or even how about buying a bit of land and building your own? The guy below is my hero and I would love to achieve this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog

Well I woke at 4:15 AM in hope that the permacloud had shifted. Alas, no.

Sleet, hail and low cloud scudding over us at incredible speeds. Thank goodness for Slooh!

Just had the mandatory fire training at work and it's shocking how fast a charged, dubious lithium cell can 'disassemble' and burn a house down!

With all the dark sky designations that Wales has, 20% is now protected from encroaching light pollution.

(Photograph: Milky Way and Zodiacal Light over Pont ar Elan, Elan Valley, by Ian Collins) Wales Goes Starry-Eyed for New Astro-Tourism Trail Move over Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones, Wales has just landed its own star-hunting trail, and it's more star-studded than an A-list red carpet. The Cambrian Mountains destination of Wales has just opened a new astro-tourism trail recognising its recent accolade as one of the UK’s top spots to go star-gazing. Six stellar places have been awarded Dark Sky Discovery Site status, putting them right up there on the celestial map. The trail, which covers a driving distance of just over 50 miles, can be visited over the course of a few nights for a glimpse of Orion, The Great Plough and the North Star. It is accompanied by an illuminating Cambrian Mountains & Elan Valley Dark Sky Guide which details what to look out for throughout the year with a pair of binoculars or telescope. “The Cambrian Mountains is one of best places in the world to view dark skies,” said Dafydd Wyn Morgan, Project Manager for the Dyfodol Cambrian Futures project, which is running the astro-trail. “The clear skies offer incredible views of the Milky Way, meteor showers and the International Space Station when it passes over.” “By day the six locations allow you to discover a community woodland brimming with wildlife, the UK’s tallest reservoir, a 12th century abbey and mining heritage stretching back to Roman times.” The public can find the new Dark Sky Discovery Site locations at Coed Y Bont; Pontrhydfendigaid and the Arch near Devil’s Bridge; Llyn Brianne car park, Rhandirmwyn and Llanllwni Mountain; Pont ar Elan at the Elan Valley and the aptly named Star Inn Pub in Dylife. The new sites have been added to the Cambrian Mountains’ three previous established night sky locations of the Dolgoch and Ty’n Cornel Hostels and at the National Trust’s Llanerchaeron property. “The fact we have many pubs and restaurants near the astro-trail should help soothe things. If it's a bit cloudy or cold, people can pop in for a meal while they wait for the crystal clear dark skies,” Dafydd added. “Visitors can enjoy a day walking on the hills then wrap up warm for a night of star gazing in the Cambrian Mountains.” Visit https://www.thecambrianmountains.co.uk/discover-dark-skies and find out more about the dark sky of the Cambrian Mountains.

Weed barrier fabric and a sewing machine makes a wonderfully useful, light and cheap blackout curtain and folds up to quite a small size.

Looking at Google maps it looks like you've got some lovely open moorland to the South of Elgin. I'd be scouting around during the day to look for any sort of layby or old forestry tracks to set up as there's not much light pollution southwards....as long as your vehicle can get there and back...

The Sony is so full of win.

In this age of social media and wanting to have an audience it appears that AP is more popular than OA/stargazing. We all want a tangible result and a picture tells a thousand words. Observational astronomy, however, can only be expressed in words and the online world does not have the patience to read reams of text. Shame, as it's a rich store of knowledge to find out what can be seen through various optical apparatus under a variety of skies. I for one, use the search function often for that purpose as it aids my own observing journey...

That is freaking epic.

That's the word: bolide... I was trying to remember what the term was! Yes, I also saw pieces breaking off, like molten metal...

Amazing - wish I had seen it. Saw a green fireball at 6am one morning, a few years ago. Very similar to this (please excuse the 'quality' source): https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5282970/wakefield-green-fireball-sky-yorkshire-video-new-years-eve/ You just don't know what to think when you see it - a very surreal experience, especially when it is so silent!

@quaoar....absolutely amazing. Well caught!

Yes, me too.. I was going to go out tonight to try again but have to plan for an astronomy event. Ohhh, the irony...

Yup, wanted a first light on a new dob but after a very physically active day, was too tired to make the trip. Day job also gets in the way!😁

Breathtaking image! How is the Sony compared to the 5D iii? (If I recall correctly?)

Try Shropshire Astronomy Group: http://www.shropshire-astro.uk/events.html They have events about 40 minutes' drive away. (Little Ness/Rodington) Great group - I was never a member as I moved but loved their outreach events. A very enthusiastic bunch of folks!