What are the odds? Seriously!

[Pliadian]

Hi All,

What are the chances of this..

I set up at my parents a few days ago because it is East facing and I was waiting for Jupiter.

So to pass the time I was looking at some open clusters near Cassiopeia.

Using a 12" SCT and a 26mm SP eyepiece, I show my dad.

Exactly as he looked through the eyepiece, a meteor whizzes through his field of vision !!

Have you ever heard anyone do that? In that tiny field of view, at that exact second. Amazing.

My dad was chuffed to bits and I thought this must be like a 'hole in one' for Astronomy.

It was 0.44' degree's out of the entire sky.

Scott

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have seen meteors flash through my FOV before. Even though the FOV is small, the aperture is bigger, so you cansee much fainter ones, which are far more common.

Still an awesome sight when it happens

[Pliadian]

I have seen meteors flash through my FOV before. Even though the FOV is small, the aperture is bigger, so you cansee much fainter ones, which are far more common.

Still an awesome sight when it happens

Cool. I have never heard that.

Nice to know thanks x.

[Astrobits]

It happens more often than you think.

The International Meteor Organisation has a whole system set up for the recording of telescopic meteors.

http://www.imo.net/tele

Nigel

[Naemeth]

Things like this inspire people to pursue Astronomy .

[Moonshane]

annoyingly it seems to have for my wife every time she looks through my scopes, never me, only her........

[Pliadian]

Haha, he is 78 and he was like a little boy saying 'wow, I just seen a shooting star'. It was great for him.

I came back at 4am for Jupiter.

1st proper view since a 4" Rubbish reflector.

Was so amazing I got my dad up to see.

(He was awake, sort of and I made him a cuppa)

He absolutely Loved it. That same sharp intake of breath, and wow!

I sat there for an hour solid. Wooly hat pulled down over one eye (good tip), sat on a stool transfixed at the belts.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Jupiter is great through my little C8, it should be awesome through your 12" SCT.

[Cath]

I'm amazed you could notice a meteor fly past in a scope, it would be an extremely fleating appearence indeed given the FOV you'd have and the speed they tend to cross the sky at.

[Lee M]

I've had a jet cross the fov a couple of times whilst observing something at high mag. That normally results in a sudden colourful exclamation in the dark

[goodricke1]

saw a satellite whizz through a .65° FOV the other night... and a few minutes later saw another one! Must be a lot of satellites up there   

[cotterless45]

Try a night cargo plane out of East Midlands across the fov, dazzled wasn't in it !

Nick.

[Pig]

I agree it happens occasionally, lots of satellites too.   Aeroplanes are the scariest especially when its like they are coming straight at you

[garethmob]

when the south wales group had its latest star party a few weeks ago, i was using my bins as well as one of our members scopes and i think on that night i saw about 4 through the FOV,   the draconids were just coming around so its there they came from, but it does send a shivver up the spine every time

[Pliadian]

Nice.

There is hope for me yet.

Seems a lot of you have seen one in your FOV. I didn't tell my dad as he loves it and I want him to feel a bit rare for seeing one.

Cheers guys,

Scott.

[ScottS]

I have seen a couple through my scope in the last year, but they are much better naked eye anyway. Loved the Perseids a couple of months ago.

[Pliadian]

Never seen a shower yet.

Nice name bro.

[brantuk]

I've seen many objects pass by the fov in my scopes including planes, satellites, meteorites, and birds. I've also seen a jumbo jet fly through my solar scope fov during daytime - upside down! I have yet to see a helicopter though.

[foundaplanet]

Had a jet go over Saturn on high mag, if anyone had been stood behind me I would have broken their nose with the back of my head..

[moffer]

A decent display by the Draconids on Thursday night in South Wales. My son and I were out with the scope hunting DSOs and we saw about dozen between approx 9.30pm - 12.00am, including two in the telescope. No doubt we would have seen a lot more if we stopped looking at DSOs and concentrated on the meteor shower instead.

[Austin]

I get plenty of satellites in my subs  

[starman1969]

I'm amazed you could notice a meteor fly past in a scope, it would be an extremely fleating appearence indeed given the FOV you'd have and the speed they tend to cross the sky at.

It could possibly have been a satellite. That is because of the very limited FOV a satellite would appear to zip through very quickly, giving the impression of a meteor. I have spotted a few satellites whilst looking through the telescope and they certainly make me jump when I see one.

[goodricke1]

I'm amazed you could notice a meteor fly past in a scope, it would be an extremely fleating appearence indeed given the FOV you'd have and the speed they tend to cross the sky at.

The difference is appreciable though; the other night I was observing the California Nebula when a meteor flashed past instantaneously, whereas the satelites I've seen can be consciously tracked to the edge of the eyepiece.