LukeSkywatcher

Our neighbours yesterday had all their  trees removed between our back garden and theirs. This means that for the first time in 8 yrs, I have an unobstructed view west from my garden. 

The added bonus is all of the overhanging branches are gone, which makes our garden look bigger.

My only astro regret was giving away my Tal 2x Barlow to someone in Texas, for free

Best Barlow ever.

What totally took me by surprise was the composition of the asteroid.

I had always thought of asteroids as a single solid body, with impact craters etc.

The images yesterday, proved me so wrong.

If I can't remember, it's too many. 

I really only use about 4, which covers everything.

Typically an 8mm,15mm and a 30mm. I also use a 8-24mm zoom.

1 hour ago, Laurieast said:

Google  "dart mission" and see what happens to your screen 😉

I wonder did it cost Google $300,000,000 to create that.

It doesn't look like it nudged it out of its original trajectory. 

Spectacular amount of debris thrown off.

Hurray for screen recorder. I can watch the last 10 mins over and over.

Incredible footage.

4 minutes ago, billhinge said:

poor Dimorphos, never hurt anyone 😪

Kind of feel sorry for it. It has no idea what's heading its way. 

It's simply a test run to see if it's possible to nudge an asteroid off course, if it's on a collision course with Earth. At a cost of $300 million, I think its a good investment.

It's being broadcast live on NASA TV.

I remember all the media hype about it back then (as an 11 Yr old kid), and my Dad telling me about it (He most likely didn't have a clue about astronomy). I had 5 yrs experience of observing the night sky with my first ever set of bins (10x50). 

I don't recall actually ever having seen it.

I do recall seeing a stunning naked eye comet which seemed to hang in the western sky for what seemed like months. I always confuse the name. Was it Hale-Bopp, or that other one (with a Japanese sounding name)?. 

Hyakutake?. It had 2 very distinct tails.

1 hour ago, bomberbaz said:

Saw it earlier on the news and I said space junk. Mainly because of the speed at which it was travelling, far too slow to be a meteor.

My first thought was that it was too fast to be a meteor.

Some great footage above. Difficult to tell what it was. It looks to me to be space junk. 

That is outstanding. A gorgeous display piece and talking point.

Love the frame.

On 07/09/2022 at 19:47, L8-Nite said:

$339.oo 🤣   Stop by your local charity shop's and look for an Ironing Board Chair, I picked one up for £5.oo and its adjustable in height and good for observing.

The drum stool on the left are honestly the most comfortable way to observe. I'm a wheelchair user, but can transfer to any seat. I love drum stools.

On 07/09/2022 at 19:47, L8-Nite said:

 

I don't have a wish list. I have a bucket list, and top of it is a total solar eclipse. We are planning our honeymoon for April 2024 and heading to upstate New York to go visit my best man for our upcoming wedding, and hopefully take in the eclipse. He lives slap bang in the path of totality.  We'll base ourselves in the area for a couple of weeks and do a bit of touring around the east coast, and up into Canada. 

Second on my list is the Northern Lights. That will probably also happen in 2024, for my 50th. 

Thirdly, a holiday to Australia. Its a lifelong dream of mine. Thankfully, my future SIL is Australian (living in Ireland 20 yrs). She will be a great help for our holiday. Most likely just stay in and close to Melbourne (where she is from). If we time it right, we may even see the Southern Lights.

I don't see it happening anytime soon.

50 yrs later and they can't get it right?. Is this just not bravado between USA  and Russia (another space race)?.

Here's mine. 

It could be many factors: seeing, transparency, light pollution etc.

There are definitely advantages to observing from a seated position. The main one being stood over a scope with your neck bent forward can actually hamper the blood flom frow your heart to your head. Also when in this position, the pressure build up in your eyes is greater.

RobDoyle

You say you want a scope "For all the family".

Do you have any small kids?. IF you do, and buy an 8inch Dob, the chances are they may not be able to reach the eyepiece to see. Standing on a chair or stool would help, but can lead to accidents. A good refractor OR (as mentioned) the Skywatcher Heritage 130P would be a better choice.

I have a Cannon 450D. While it is a great camera, it's lacking. 

It rarely sees the light of day (let alone the night sky). IIRC, it has no movie recording function unless hardwired into a computer and using software called video capture (or similar). 

A flip out screen would would be a big advantage, which the 450D doesn't have. I also think exposure times are limited, so an external exposure timer would also be needed. 

As I said, my 450D rarely gets used for anything. My smart phone camera is all I need for my usage.

I am NOT into astro photography in any shape or form. 

Bresser refractors are lovely. Very well built. I have an AR 102xs.

I love it. I use it for solar viewing with my Quark Chromosphere. The worst thing about Bresser scopes is the naff plastic finder scope.

1 minute ago, Franklin said:

Vixen NPL's are very good value as well but I wouldn't recommend going lower than the 8mm possibly even the 10mm due to tight eye relief. The 30mm is a fantastic eyepiece for the money, everyone should own one.

8mm is the lowest I go. Great for planets. My 30mm is my workhorse for scanning the sky. 15mm is lovely for a bit of a wider view of planets such as Jupiter and its moons.