Late September bought clear skies that, as is usual, coincided with a full moon. With the telescope now mounted on its pier, it is a matter of moments to roll […]
Venus and Jupiter with 150 Mak 6 June
Quick dodge of the clouds yesterday evening to catch Jupiter being photobombed by Europa and Venus approaching half-phase. Note Great Red Spot just starting to appear round the limb. Europa […]
Second Light
Second light in the new observatory – the build video is here: After 2 hectic days travelling to Bristol it was lovely to relax under the stars. With the telescope and […]
Observing from Tenerife
Isn’t it strange how chance conversations can provide a new opportunity? 2 minutes spent chatting to my old friends from Basingstoke Astronomical Society at Astrofest saw me invited (gate-crashing?) an […]
Halos, aurora, the Moon & Uranus
Last Tuesday I visited the always welcoming Wiltshire Astronomical Society (WAS) for a talk by Mary McIntyre that described the variety of light shows that are created in the atmosphere. […]
Neolithic Moon
The 6 June, in addition to being the anniversary of the D Day landings, is the date I had been invited to give a talk to the Wiltshire Astronomical Society. […]
Observing the NGC 1275 Galaxy Group in Perseus
My observing has been frustratingly limited this season. Working away from home (and the scope) with lots of driving plus the usual inclement weather are all conspiring against me. With […]
Jupiter 4 December 2016
My first look at Jupiter since May, caught very early on Sunday morning with a new-to-me C11. The sky was getting light so I used the IR filter to pull […]
Sketching M56 Globular Cluster in Lyra
It has been a few weeks since I have been outside as I recover from having my left hip resurfaced. Luckily the weather has been fantastic so, in addition to […]
June 5 – Mars and Saturn
Keen to carry on observing Mars after a fantastic few nights in Cyprus, I excitedly watched the weather forecast. A fine sunny day with hot sunshine turned into a lovely […]