Neolithic Moon

[MarkRadice]

On 6 June I joined the Wiltshire Astronomy Society at Avebury stone circle to watch the ISS transit over the moon.  We soon found a spot that was relatively sheltered from the strong wind.  The sky, though, was full of clouds with only the odd break here and there.  I had my 300mm camera lens and a static tripod.  There were a few wide-angle lenses and high-power telephotos while others had their binoculars to enjoy the show visually.  As the transit neared, the sky thankfully began to clear although there was no respite from the wind.

At the appointed time, the ISS rose above the horizon, appearing as a bright star.  It quickly crossed the sky towards the moon.  I centred the moon in the camera’s field of view and, as it neared the lunar surface, hit the continuous shooting button.  As the camera clicked away, the ISS shot across the field of view.  In fact, the whole transit only lasted 0.3s!

To my horror, the camera buffered at the moment the ISS crossed the lunar surface.   The picture below, a composite of my photos, shows the ISS as it moved from top right to bottom left.  I now have to look at for these events and see when the next one is scheduled so I can get a better photo.

A video report is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTbDLlR_gk4

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice indeed. I have fond memories of my visit to the Avebury Ring years back. The kids were a bit too young to appreciate the ancient nature of these stones, but I was impressed

[laser_jock99]

Nice images. The Avebury ring is a true Stoneage gem!

[knobby]

Very eerie place near dusk 

I believe ' Children of the stones' was shot there. ( Early 70s kids TV )

[Ruud]

Lovely pics! Thank you.

[MarkRadice]

Avebury is a great spot isn't it?  I prefer it to Stonehenge to be honest.  We were so lucky to have the transit go right overhead with clear skies.  I can't wait for the next one.

[bejay1957]

5 hours ago, MarkRadice said:

Avebury is a great spot isn't it?  I prefer it to Stonehenge to be honest.  We were so lucky to have the transit go right overhead with clear skies.  I can't wait for the next one.

I remember the night of 6 April 2000 when I visited there to capture a conjunction of Mars and Jupiter, alongside the Moon; had three (35mm) cameras with me - all had battery failure, got short footage with (8mm) camcorder before that too died - as did its spare battery!  As the evening progressed a significant geomagnetic storm occurred, with wonderful aurora around the northern sky - which I couldn't try to capture with no batteries..

 

16 hours ago, knobby said:

Very eerie place near dusk 

I believe ' Children of the stones' was shot there. ( Early 70s kids TV )

Yes, Children of the Stones which aired in 1977, was shot in and around Avebury village, henge and stones; the DVD of the series is available in the NT shop at Avebury.  Happy Day