Hawksmoor

Home in Lowestoft and guess what lots of clouds - so no Perseids for me tonight!🥹

Hurrah! Bits of dark sky visible between fast moving cloud over Lowestoft. Managed to catch some 'M' s through my hand held 11x80mm. Bins. Great views of M13, M92 and. M14 globular clusters + open clusters: the double and M39. Milky way through Cygnus a treat. It's great to be back!

I had a positive Covid flow test today. It never rains but it pours. On the other hand it does explain the dry cough, temperature and head ache!

I have now acquired a new Lenovo laptop and StarnetV2GUI has loaded up a treat. Thanks for your help StevieDvd🙂

I now possess an operational Dell laptop upgraded with some of the better functioning components from the dead Lenovo. I am currently reloading software and folders from the Lenovo ssd. Much happier today and who knows, tomorrow I may be back on line processing more of my signature blurry Technicolor astro images.

George in cloudy Lowestoft

I'm back from holiday now and it's raining again!

I'm getting really envious of the rest of the UK, high pressure and transparent skies.  In  Lowestoft wall to wall cloud and cold for days on end. The weather is very weird here. Did a crop and enlargement of another video clip of the sun in white light that I sneaked during a very brief break in the clouds the other day. Surprised how much detail my new planetary camera delivered whilst using my 66mm Altair Astro ED scope a a telephoto lens. QHY make fine value for money cameras!

I'm on holiday and was sat on the hotel balcony which faces west. Between 21:30 and 22:00 last night there was a bright blue band above the horizon which was clearly noticeable with the naked eye even though the buildings and sky were awash with light pollution. I am pretty sure this was a band of NLC activity as has not been visible on any other night whilst I have been here. I didn't expect this in August and much further west than from home. Could have been just a normal cloud/atmospheric effect but it was super luminous, glowing,temporary and very blue. I managed to get a photo with my Canon IXUS compact camera but no way of up loading to SGL until I get back to UK. 

George currently sunburnt and marvelling at a sky with just a few clouds in it!

I'm wondering whether another mouthful of cake will result in an irreversible gravitational collapse of my energy depleted body?

Immobilized by too much pizza - but otherwise mentally alert!

In between the fast moving clouds tonight, I tried out my recently acquired Samyang F2 135 mm lens for the first time and in concert with my modded Canon 200d. Nice hefty bit of glass delivering  circular stars right across the APS-C sensor at F2. I am looking forward to using this combo on my Star Adventurer mount once the nights get a bit darker and longer.

George in Lowestoft next the sea.

In the absence of a clear sky to  photograph  for the 'Sky and Landscape' competition I made one up for a laugh.

It is downright uncanny! Have I the power of telekinesis?

Mrs H had me in the backyard doing something vaguely constructive and helpful when, looking up, I thought "there are plenty of gaps between the clouds why don't I take the covers off the telescope and do some white light solar"? It was only a fleeting thought, I never said a word nor did I move towards the pillar. As if by magic a clap of thunder exploded above my head and almost simultaneously the heavens opened - 'rain drops keep falling on my head' -well they do in Lowestoft!  

It is literally 'end of days' or should that be nights? Even the robotic scopes on the top of Mount Teide have been wreathed in cloud!😶‍🌫️

It's not everyday that you get to see Galileo' s telescopes and his index finger and thumb in two glass jars! 

It's odd how every now and then even an absolute Muppet like me has a moment of revelation! I have been merrily separating stars from nebulous stuff, processing each bit and then recombining them using 'screen' blend mode for longer than you can say Professor Ian Morison. Unfortunately, I have always been troubled by the softness of my stars.  Then today it suddenly occurred to me  I should be 'screen' blending the nebula into the stars and not the other way around. Tried it and lo' and behold the stars are much sharper and the nebula more nebulous! Who would have thought it? What a complete numpty!!

It’s official my Lenovo is intermittently expiring and in doing so corrupting the operating system. It is time for it to fade into the cloud. I’m hoping the recently acquired video clips of Syrtis Major can be saved.

Its 19:38 and looking a bit clear outside. Not wishing to tempt providence I'm trying to move towards my astro-kit, which I store in the sitting room, without making any obvious committments to 'serious viewin' with or without the 'g'. Fingers crossed then!

Its officially 'Spring' here in in Lowestoft, yesterday and without prior warning, I developed an irresistible urge to reorganise and clean out my tool shed. Putting up shelving is almost as satisfying as tearing out the foam rubber inserts in aluminium flight cases. Well almost! 

Jupiter and Venus having a moment over the garden fence. Quick snap with my iPhone.

Just about finished my  'Christmas Crafting' for this year. Spent the day painting with Hammerite. All I could do to restrain Mrs H from sniffing the methylated spirits I was using as a solvent. She has always liked the smell! The 'Spirit of Christmas' and less than £5 a bottle. Absolute 'stocking' bargain for the woman in your life!

George in bed with the December edition of Astronomy Now.

Just as well it’s cloudy over Lowestoft as I’m a bit tipsy! Probably the Talisker but it is Skye related🤣

Just checked out NORAD tracks Santa. The 'man in red' is going well and the reindeer team look fresh and up to the job. Hope I'm on 'the nice list'!

Just downloaded V17 James Ritson's excellent macros for Affinity Photo 2. Just tried out the solar coloriser and up to usual standard👍

Just got in from the backyard after a ‘cold night’ imaging a wobbly Mars. Had an unexpected shower of something similar to fine snow and a low of -4C. I’m getting too old for this malarkey in winter. Now on an intravenous Horlicks drip courtesy of Mrs H.

George the human icicle in Lowestoft next the sea.