Avebury Sky..

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Not really, but it could have been...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7468832.stm

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Coming your way...

Or have they been...

http://www.itv.com/News/NewsGalleries/UFOfiles/default.html

Tony

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:19 pm

there was a fantastic disply of Noctilucent clouds for an hour before sunrise.
It covered half the sky with glowing, shimmering tendrils.
PeteG

Guest

whilst i have seen the elusive nacreous clouds i have never seen those.!!

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:37 pm

I got a couple of photos on Spaceweather
PeteG

Guest

Well done pete.
Ps, when did you move to wiltshure. ? Razz

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:47 pm

1997 after 10 years living on Dartmoor.
PeteG

Guest

The credit says Wiltshure

thats a 4:30am typo PeteG

thats a 4:30am typo
lol!

PeteG

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7489457.stm

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 20, 2008 10:31 pm

Cloudy sky again tonight - I've only seen the stars 4 times since I bought that telescope!

Check out this link on BoingBoing though - special software for videoing meteors:

METEORS

I could watch that stuff for hours! I love the way they streak across the sky, then die in a flash as they burn up.

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 20, 2008 10:47 pm

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:12 pm

well that was strange.
A good flyer over and I got about 30 seconds before the camera battery died.
I grabbed the second camera and the batteries also died.
Then both mobile phones in the house beeped to say the batteries have died.
Must be aliens flying over to make crop circles tonight.
PeteG

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

Funny cos talk of aliens making crop circles drains me. Wink

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:40 pm

it's probably the army playing with their new war toys.
A major exercise is about to begin on the plain.
PeteG

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:57 pm

Steve,
thats an interesting piece of software.
Could be usefull for the August meteor shower.
PeteG

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:36 am

a very nice Iss flyover just before midnight tonight.
It is getting early every day and with the weather good over the next few days I will try to get out to the stones for some better photos.
PeteG

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 471 Location : Wiltshire

Can I be th first to wonderful picture Pete, I went out for a short walk last night and the sky was just beautiful - still not dark at 10.00pm - if I could, that is when I would be lurking in Avebury. This morning there is mist rising off the old hill-side cemetery at the back of my house, its going to be a gorgeous day.

(Hope you're not disappointed re other Swindon stone - it is a lovely place anyway).

June

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:42 pm

Another nice flyover tonight.
PeteG

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:59 pm

Lovely!

It was cloudy here, but I never knew to be looking anyway.
Is there one website that will give alerts for events in the sky that are visible from the UK?

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:03 pm

here's a link for times over Calne
Spaceweather flybys

Double check it with
Heavens Above
(which has an hour added to the times given by spaceweather.)
Not all flyovers are visible as the ISS goes in and out of the earths shadow
PeteG

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:19 pm

Excellent - thanks!

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:22 pm

This is usefull as well
Visual flyovers

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

They don't last long but can be very spectacular!
http://www.heavens-above.com/iridium.asp?Dur=7&lat=51.34091&lng=-1.99677&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=CET

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:25 am

I've seen several iridium flares but only caught one on film.
The upcoming meteor shower between the eclipses is looking good!
Lets hope the weather plays ball eh (some hope!)

Do you still have your scope Pete?
PeteG

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

Still got the scope which is getting a bit more use these days after a long lay-off....Waiting for Jupiter to get to a decent position for some web cam photos.

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:33 am

have you tried imaging the ISS yet?
PeteG

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

Not yet....I need to get myself sorted with a decent DSLR which is in the pipeline as long as no unforeseen bills pop up!

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:42 am

I have a Canon EOS 30D with 2 lenses for sale of your interested?
1 year old and hardly used.
E Me if you want to make an offer.
I prefer my pentax...
PeteG

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

I can remember taking my kids outside and pointing out with my finger where the next iridium flare would appear. Didn't tell them what it was though, had them believe i could summon up alien spacecraft and would have them wave. lol!

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

I've got a 450D on order but haven't decided on any lenses at the moment....

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:02 am

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

I'm getting it to fit directly on the scope at prime focus initially.....I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares with my old film images and what editing(trickery!) can be done to minimise the light pollution problems that I always found frustrating with emulsion.

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:33 am

digitals pick up light pollution just as well as film.
Shooting RAW files lets you create false HDR's and such trickery that can be carried out in photoshop instead of coming out of a darkroom with a head full of chemicals.
Do post us some of your webcam photos Pete!

PeteG

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

This is about the best I've done with Saturn using a Philips SPC 900 NC webcam & "registax" software. It is very average compared to what some of the real experts get on modest telescopes. Trouble is the best results are obtained when atmospheric "seeing" is good and in our climate such opportunities are very rare and usually in the early hours when they do occur. You need to be very devoted and my bed is too attractive these days!

Subject: Re: Avebury Sky.. Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:25 am

sigh. I'd love a scope that could do that....
PeteG

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

Was the camera mounted on a drive for that pic.?

what was the length of the exposure.?

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

The camera is mounted on a driven telescope....magnification is approximately x400....The method is to take a short period of video (about 1 minute) and select the clearest individual frames from the video. These are put into some dedicated software which accurately aligns them and averages the exposures. This image of Saturn is a stack of about 40 individual images.....I've put a short sequence of the moon on You Tube taken with the same camera/scope set-up which shows the problems of atmospheric turbulence.

Joined : 12 Jul 2008 Posts : 321

Thanks for the info Admin.