greglloyd

Yes, this is something I didn't realise until I watched this video last night . I didn't realise the sun (and solar system) are aligned at an angle of 62 degrees from the galactic plane. And therefore, it is actually a temporary thing (albeit at galactic timescales) that the southern hemisphere has the best view of the center of the galaxy. It's just a pity it will take 125 million years (as you said) until the northern hemisphere points directly towards it! Oh well!

Check out this video. Note Orion rising on the left side of the video and how high it goes into the sky (initially on it's side and then going vertical as it heads towards the zenith). Imagine what the Orion Nebula must look like with Orion so high in the sky! Also note the large and small Magellanic Clouds to the center right. I suspect the southern sky can be awesome with many showcase DSO's reaching very high in the sky (especially in the Sagittarius region.

...until you proudly answer "Yes, I'm an astronomer" in a serious tone, and Joe Public follows up with "So.. have you seen ur-anus?"

Let's be honest here. The average person thinks astronomers are a bunch of nerdy people (or perverts trying to look through people's windows!). I don't think it really matters being referred to as astronomers or stargazers lol. The public perception is basically the same!

I saw what looked like a very fast satellite two nights ago. It was moving from approx south to north and was really shifting compared with any other satellites I have seen fly over. Direction of travel was from Orion, Taurus, through Perseus, etc. I would estimate it to have been moving at least 2 to 3 times faster than what the ISS would appear to be moving. It really caught my eye because of the speed actually.

Just wanted to drop a quick post about the great service from FLO today. I ordered a Moonlite focuser on Wednesday evening which was promptly shipped by FLO yesterday via Fedex Next Day (I'm in NI). Got a little concerned today when the aforementioned focuser did not arrive at my workplace. Checked the Fedex website and they said "Delivery Attempted - Card Left". Checked with the door man and no delivery was attempted all day. I decided to give Fedex a call (you would think that would be easy!) to find out what had happened and got through to a rather unhelpful call agent who just wouldn't even talk to me about it. She told me there was a 'problem' and to go and speak to the retailer! Gave Steve a call at FLO, and he quickly took my details and got on to Fedex. Seems there was some problem the delivery guy experienced and he updated the system to say he had attempted to deliver. It's now arranged to arrive on Monday (fingers crossed!). Steve apologised for the delay and even refunded me the courier charges. He said that if there is any issue come Monday, to give him a buzz and they will sort it. Brilliant service - thanks Steve! My two hobbies are Astro and RC Helicopters - both niche markets. Quality gear in both these hobbies is impossible to obtain locally, and people rely on internet businesses to get the stuff they want / need for their hobbies. Businesses in these markets are reliant on good reputation as word gets quickly around if you don't look after your customers. So congrats FLO on providing your great service. All my orders have gone very smoothly to date, and I'm sure I'll be gazing through my Moonlite focuser at some stage next week! As a side note, I previously bought a NexStar 6SE from FLO which was delivered extremely quickly by Fedex, so no doubt this is just one of those rare occasions when the courier didn't get it delivered on time. They are usually fine :-) Thanks again, Greg