Checkout this amazing movie of the Milky Way taken on top of Spain's highest mountain El Teide.
Thursday 21 April 2011
Tuesday 5 April 2011
1971
Tomorrow will be my fortieth birthday (6th April). A lot of has happened in Astronomy and spaceflight over the past forty years, so on the eve of my birthday lets time travel back to the year 1971 and see what was going on in the world of spaceflight and astronomy...
General:
Stephen Hawking demonstrates mathematically that the Big Bang must have come from a single point and postulated the existence of mini black holes.
It was the 400th anniversary of Johannes Kepler's death
Notable Dates:
January 31, 1971: Men were still flying to the Moon. Apollo 14 mission, with Alan Shepard Jr., Stuart A. Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell, was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
June 30, 1971: Tragedy! Three Russian cosmonauts Lieutenant-Colonel Georgi Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev were found dead in their Soyuz 11 space capsule after it made a perfect landing in Kazakhstan.
April 19, 1971: The first ever space station of its kind Salyut 1 was launched by the USSR.
July 26, 1971: Apollo 15 launched with David R Scott, Alfred M Worden and James B Irwin aboard. It was the first time the Lunar Rover was used.
October 1971: Astrophysics - Joseph C. Hafele and Richard E. Keating took four atomic clocks aboard commercial airliners and flew twice around the world to test the theory of relativity.
28 October 1971: The last of the british built Black Arrow rocket with the satellite Prospero on board was launched from Woomera, Australia.
November 13, 1971: Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, swinging into its planned trajectory around Mars.
Let's see what the next forty years has in store...
General:
Stephen Hawking demonstrates mathematically that the Big Bang must have come from a single point and postulated the existence of mini black holes.
It was the 400th anniversary of Johannes Kepler's death
Notable Dates:
January 31, 1971: Men were still flying to the Moon. Apollo 14 mission, with Alan Shepard Jr., Stuart A. Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell, was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
June 30, 1971: Tragedy! Three Russian cosmonauts Lieutenant-Colonel Georgi Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev were found dead in their Soyuz 11 space capsule after it made a perfect landing in Kazakhstan.
April 19, 1971: The first ever space station of its kind Salyut 1 was launched by the USSR.
July 26, 1971: Apollo 15 launched with David R Scott, Alfred M Worden and James B Irwin aboard. It was the first time the Lunar Rover was used.
October 1971: Astrophysics - Joseph C. Hafele and Richard E. Keating took four atomic clocks aboard commercial airliners and flew twice around the world to test the theory of relativity.
28 October 1971: The last of the british built Black Arrow rocket with the satellite Prospero on board was launched from Woomera, Australia.
November 13, 1971: Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, swinging into its planned trajectory around Mars.
Let's see what the next forty years has in store...
Wednesday 30 March 2011
First Images of Mercury from Messenger
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| Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington |
This image is one of the first images of Mercury taken from the Messenger spacecraft in orbit around the planet. The image was taken at 5:20 am EDT on Mar. 29, 2011.
It looks very much like the Earth's Moon's surface close up. Like our Moon, Mercury is heavily cratered and shows similar features such as rays and rilles.
More images can be seen on the Nasa website.
Wonders of the Universe - Messengers
Episode aired: 27/03/2011
In the last of the series, Brian takes us on a journey across the Universe using light as our personal guide.
It is the light which has travelled for thousand, millions and billions of years to enables us to see beautiful objects like the Lagoon nebula and Eta Carinae (one of the most massive stars in our galaxy), distant suns and galaxies.
Once again Brian takes himself to the limit by flying in a plane that breaks the speed of sound, highlighting the fact that even light has a limit, but unlike sound it cannot be broken.
Olaf Romer over 400 years ago determined the finite speed of light from the timings of Jupiter's Moons. This has profound implications of the nature of the Universe. When we peer into the distant Universe we see it as it was in the past.
Brian even did some astronomy showing a picture he imaged of the Andromeda galaxy, one of the Milky Way's closest neighbour some 2.5 million light years away. When light left that galaxy the Earth was populated with early hominids.
Brian goes to Victoria falls to explain that light is split up into a spectrum and that visible light is only part of the broader electromagnetic spectrum which includes X-ray, Infra-red, Microwave and Radio waves. Astronomers uses Microwave radiation to map the early Universe just after the Big Bang.
Brian finally talks about life and how it evolved here on Earth to become sensitive light in order for it (us) to view the sky with awe and ponder the nature of the Universe.
Locations include Zambia, Egypt, Tanzania and the Rocky Mountains.
Another thoroughly enjoyable episode.
Overall it's been a great series, personally my favourite of the two. Perhaps there may be another follow up such as 'Wonders of the Earth' or 'Wonders of Spaceflight'!
Sunday 27 March 2011
My Goto Experiences
Since I was a young lad I have owned a variety of telescopes. I learned how to find my way around the heavens with sky maps from astronomy books. I even started an astronomy society at secondary school. Over the years my knowledge of the night sky grew but I found it was not as extensive as other amateur astronomers and whenever I used my trusty eight inch reflector it would take me a great deal of time and effort to find deep sky objects in the light polluted London skies by just star-hopping. Sometimes, I was viewing only a dozen or so objects in a single observing session. This left me feeling short-changed on nights that were crystal clear. My enthusiasm for observing was ebbing away and I was using the telescope less and less.
In 2002 I decided to purchase my first Go-To telescope. I opted for the Meade LXD55 6 inch refracting telescope with Autostar™ Go-To computerised control handset. Unlike Go-To mounts of alt-azimuth design such as the Meade ETX, LX200 or Celestron’s NexStar, the LXD55 models were equatorially mounted. I was one of the first in the UK to own this particular model and was excited at the prospect of finding thousands of objects; although perhaps not in a single evening!
I realised, however that despite owning an equatorially mounted telescope for many years, it still felt that a lot of effort was required to set up the instrument to perform Go-To alignments accurately. In the early days when I was learning how to use a Go-To telescope, finding an object was sometimes a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. The software on-board the Autostar handset was not as accurate as it is nowadays. When the telescope was finally ready for use, it would leave me very little time to do any actual observing. I felt I was back to square one!
Thankfully, I realised I was not alone with my experiences. LXD owners via internet user-groups and at sky camps described similar experiences.
It took a little while to master the Go-To setup procedure, but as I did I gained a new enthusiasm for observing as I was able to observe many more objects in a single observing session than with a just a traditional telescope.
A few years later I acquired the next model which was an LXD75 8 inch SCT on a much superior re-engineered mount. I sold the LXD55 mount but kept the 6 inch refractor OTA which I have to this day.
The Meade comes with a two inch R&P focus mount so to maximise your observing ability I would recommend that two inch accessories are used. Recently, I acquired a two inch ED Barlow lens to complete my ‘two inch solution’: two inch focuser, Williams optics two inch diagonal and two inch eyepiece. Most telescopes come with a two inch eyepiece focusers and I would definitely recommend considering two inch accessories
I wanted to share my experiences with the astronomical community so I decided to write a book about the Meade LXD series. It took about two years from concept to publication and a lot of work was involved but it gives me great satisfaction to know that my book is helping Meade LXD users worldwide understand their telescope.
I don’t think I would part with my Meade anytime sometime soon unless it is to get an apochromatic model of similar aperture). Perseverance and patience brings its rewards and it was worth sticking with the telescope in the end.
Nowadays with add-ons such as GPS and magnetic compasses built into the telescope mount setting up a Go-To telescope is far easier.
With today’s skies seriously affected by light pollution, Go-To has become the observing
solution to assist astronomers in searching for those faint fuzzy objects.
Monday 21 March 2011
Wonders of the Universe - Falling
Episode Aired: 20th March 21:00
In the third episode of this series Brian talks about Gravity, the force that works on the largest scales influencing Stars, Planets, Galaxies and the fate of the Universe.
Brian Cox explains why one side of our Moon is always facing the Earth, what will happen when the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way collide, and how a neutron star is formed when a massive star explodes as a supernova.
In order to experience what gravity is like on other planets larger than the Earth, Brian takes a spin in a centrifuge and expeiences a max G-force of 5G, which you could see that he found it quite unpleasent. He also takes a trip on the famous 'Vomit Comet', an airplane which simulates weightlessness... it was quite funny watching him attempt to explain the concepts of gravity whilst being jostled about inside the plane!
The nature of gravity known as the Einstein's General Theory of Relativity was explained. Spacetime is the fabric of Space and the Universe. Matter bends space and the greater the mass of an object the greater the curve of the spacetime surrounding the object. Spacetime is full of peaks and valleys... in fact everything in the Universe is falling through spacetime.
Finally we are taken to the centre of our galaxy where a massive black hole is thought to reside. The ultimate curvature of spacetime is a black hole. The analogy of a fast river flow was used to explain what it could be like very close to and inside a black hole.
Various Locations includes a canyon in New Mexico, a river delta and Brian standing alone on top of a mountain.
Once again a fascinating insight into the workings of the Universe.
Sunday 20 March 2011
By the light of the Supermoon!
Very recently there has been a lot of talk in the news about a special Lunar event that is taking place this weekend. It's called a Supermoon and was first coined by Astrologer Richard Nolle over thirty years ago.
So what is a Supermoon? The Moon's orbit around the Earth is not perfectly circular and so at certain times in its orbit it is at it's closest to the Earth (perigee - 354,000 km [220,000 mi]) and at other times furthest away (called apogee - 410,000 km [254,000 mi]). So a Supermoon is when the Moon is within 90% of it closest ever approach in its orbit and coincides with a full Moon, this is called perigee-syzygy. However due to the nature of the orbit we dont get a Supermoon every month but it does happen quite often.
The notion of a Supermoon is steeped in superstition and conspiracy; all sorts of natural disasters, earthquakes, erupting volcanoes etc... have been attributed to this natural occurence. Apart from unusually high and low tides there has been no empirical evidence to prove that any natural disaster has been caused by a Supermoon, past or present. In fact the tragic Japan Earthquake occured a week before the Moon's closest approach.I find that people believe what they want to believe so it sometimes doesn't matter what the scientists say to alleviate concerns only that the media makes it good reading! In any case it fires the public imagination and an increased number of people observed the full Moon last night more than normal.
The next occurence will be November 14, 2016.
So what is a Supermoon? The Moon's orbit around the Earth is not perfectly circular and so at certain times in its orbit it is at it's closest to the Earth (perigee - 354,000 km [220,000 mi]) and at other times furthest away (called apogee - 410,000 km [254,000 mi]). So a Supermoon is when the Moon is within 90% of it closest ever approach in its orbit and coincides with a full Moon, this is called perigee-syzygy. However due to the nature of the orbit we dont get a Supermoon every month but it does happen quite often.
The notion of a Supermoon is steeped in superstition and conspiracy; all sorts of natural disasters, earthquakes, erupting volcanoes etc... have been attributed to this natural occurence. Apart from unusually high and low tides there has been no empirical evidence to prove that any natural disaster has been caused by a Supermoon, past or present. In fact the tragic Japan Earthquake occured a week before the Moon's closest approach.I find that people believe what they want to believe so it sometimes doesn't matter what the scientists say to alleviate concerns only that the media makes it good reading! In any case it fires the public imagination and an increased number of people observed the full Moon last night more than normal.
The next occurence will be November 14, 2016.
Friday 18 March 2011
Messenger Mercury Space Probe Enters Orbit
NASA's Messenger Probe finally entered stable orbit last night on its final journey to the Sun's closest planet.
It has taken almost seven years to reach its final destination performing flybys of Earth and Venus before carrying out three flybys of Mercury before final orbit insertion which occured 00:45 GMT early Friday morning of the 18th March.
Mariner 10 back in the 1970's was the only space probe to fly by the Planet but it was never designed to make orbit. Only about 60% of the planet was imaged at that time and so it fell to Messenger to complete the portrait.
Armed with a whole host of instruments NASA scientists are hoping to unlock Mercury's secrets and make new discoveries in what is considered one of the most challenging environments given the close vicinity of the planet to the Sun.
More details can be found on NASA's website.
Thursday 17 March 2011
Wonders of the Solar System - Book Review
Review Date: 16/03/2011
Companion to the highly popular television series which was first aired by the BBC back in 2010, Brian Cox takes us on a personal guided tour from the birth of the Solar System to the far reaches of the Sun's influence and what lies beyond.
The book is split into five main chapters which follows the episodes of the TV series; The Wonder (intro), Empire of the Sun, Order Out of Chaos, The Thin Blue Line, Dead or Alive and the final chapter Aliens. Topics include; Historical account of the motion of the planets, The life and death of the Sun, Saturn and its moons, craters on Mercury, the atmospshere of Venus, Jupiter and it's moons, Martian volcanoes and the search for life in the Solar System.
This is not your usual run-of-the-mill astronomy book but then again it was not your usual run-of-the-mill TV series. The planets were discussed from a very different angle and not in the usual order of distance from the Sun, which in my opinion makes it unique amongst books about the Solar System and a refreshing change.
What I also like about this book is that concepts are uniquely explained using real analogies here on Earth so it made them easier to understand. There are many images of Brian in various poses, doing things (like wearing solar glasses!) and with various pondering stares across landscapes. The TV series was shot in many exotic locations around the world so you could be forgiven to think that the book is Brian's personal travel photo album!
The few critiques I have about the book is that the style of graphics gives the book a retro 1980's feel... I wasn't too keen on the grey background for some of the images, black would have been much better. One or two of the images could have been more up to date (such as on page 49 where a false color image of the Solar Corona looks like it was taken by the USA Skylab space station from the early 1970's). However, for newbies to astronomy they would probably find the images satisfactory. There are also some technical errors which unfortunately reduces the quality of the publication.
A great addition to any library and an excellent companion to the TV series. Highly recommended. ****
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Wonders of the Universe - Stardust
Episode aired: Sunday 13th March
In the second episode of the series Brian cox explained how we were made from the deep interior of stars. A list of star-stuff known commonly as the periodic table of elements consists of 92 elements that we, the earth, solar system, galaxies and what we can see in the universe is made up of.
Brian used analogies such as when bubbles stick together and even the demolition of a building to explain how the basic elements hydrogen and helium were created at the very beginning of the Universe.
Elements up to iron are created inside stars as they near the end of their lives. The heavier elements such as Gold, Platinum and Zinc are created by stars that undergo cataclysmic explosions called supernova, forming the Earth and ultimately life.
Locations included India, Chile and America. Brian was even playing an old piano in a derelict western-style bar on the outskirts of a disused gold mine in California as he explained how much gold there is on Earth and why it is so rare.
Another really good episode.
In the second episode of the series Brian cox explained how we were made from the deep interior of stars. A list of star-stuff known commonly as the periodic table of elements consists of 92 elements that we, the earth, solar system, galaxies and what we can see in the universe is made up of.
Brian used analogies such as when bubbles stick together and even the demolition of a building to explain how the basic elements hydrogen and helium were created at the very beginning of the Universe.
Elements up to iron are created inside stars as they near the end of their lives. The heavier elements such as Gold, Platinum and Zinc are created by stars that undergo cataclysmic explosions called supernova, forming the Earth and ultimately life.
Locations included India, Chile and America. Brian was even playing an old piano in a derelict western-style bar on the outskirts of a disused gold mine in California as he explained how much gold there is on Earth and why it is so rare.
Another really good episode.
Saturday 12 March 2011
Wonders of the Universe - Book Review
Sequel to the Wonders of the Solar System and companion to BBC TV series of the same name, Brian Cox takes us on a personal guided tour from the birth of the Universe to the end of time and beyond. Split into four main chapters Messengers, Stardust, Falling and Destiny, topics include; What is Light?, Time Travel, The Big Bang, Life and Death of Stars, Gravity and Relativity and the ultimate fate of the Universe.
The one thing for which this book stands out from other books of this subject is the way concepts are explained using real analogies here on Earth. This gives a sense of reality and something tangeable to relate to. For example, Brian Cox's explanation of entropy using a simple example with sandcastles,a concept not easily understood for the lay-person and even the budding astrophycisist was especially clear.
My one and only critique is that the style of graphics gives the book a retro 1980's feel... and in fact I felt that I have seen many of the images before in books from that period, although perhaps I am missing the point!
My personal favorite of the two books in the series. Highly recommended.
*****
*****
Sunday 6 March 2011
Wonders of the Universe: First Episode - Destiny
Saw the first episode of the Wonders of the Universe tonight.
Brian cox provided some great explanations including the concept of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics defining the arrow of time.
Really well explained concepts of time and space and the fate of stars and the universe.
I like the fact that all these concepts were explained with Brian Cox visiting in some of the most exotic locations on Earth. The special effects were stunning and the music very dramatic which added to the effect.
Looking forward to the next episode.
Brian cox provided some great explanations including the concept of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics defining the arrow of time.
Really well explained concepts of time and space and the fate of stars and the universe.
I like the fact that all these concepts were explained with Brian Cox visiting in some of the most exotic locations on Earth. The special effects were stunning and the music very dramatic which added to the effect.
Looking forward to the next episode.
Friday 4 March 2011
3D Video of Last Discovery mission docked with the ISS
Check out these amazing videos taken by french amateur astronomer Thierry Legault, using modest equipment.
http://astrosurf.com/legault/STS-133.html
http://astrosurf.com/legault/STS-133.html
Wednesday 2 March 2011
Wonders of the Universe - Sunday 6th March 9pm
Following on from last year's popular series wonders of the solar system Professor Brian cox will be taking us on a guided tour of the wonders of the universe with the first episode of four being screened this coming Sunday on BBC 2 and BBC HD at 9pm.
If the last series is anything to go by it should be just as interesting if not more.
For more details see the BBC website.
If the last series is anything to go by it should be just as interesting if not more.
For more details see the BBC website.
Amazon @ Phuturespace
The Phuturespace website has a new look. From now on it will bring you the latest in astronomy and space products that US Amazon.com and UK Amazon.co.uk has to offer.
There will be regular featured products as well as reviews. All links will take you directly to the appropriate Amazon websites. Also look out for Phuturespace astore coming soon!If you wish to see a particular product and want it reviewed contact me and I will put it on the website.
Happy browsing!
Thursday 24 February 2011
Farewell and Godspeed Discovery!
After much delay the space shuttle Discovery is due for launch today at 16:50 EST (21:50GMT). This will be the last voyage of Discovery before being retired off as part of the current US administration's plan to mothball the Shuttle fleet.
The shuttle will also bring the first humanoid robot to the ISS. The Robonaut 2, or R2, which is a joint project of General Motors and NASA. R2 will stay behind when Discovery departs the space station and will become a permanent 'resident' of the space station.
There may be another Shuttle launch in a few months with Endeavour marking the end of an era for manned shuttle spaceflight.
You can watch the launch live from the NASA website.
The shuttle will also bring the first humanoid robot to the ISS. The Robonaut 2, or R2, which is a joint project of General Motors and NASA. R2 will stay behind when Discovery departs the space station and will become a permanent 'resident' of the space station.
There may be another Shuttle launch in a few months with Endeavour marking the end of an era for manned shuttle spaceflight.
You can watch the launch live from the NASA website.
Saturday 5 February 2011
Astrofest 2011 Day 2: Afternoon and end of the day
A very busy afternoon indeed. Was near front of queue so didn't wait too long to see Brian Cox, then went into the next room to see Brian May and Patrick Moore.
Rushed out of there to get a seat for the session 4 afternoon lectures which in my opinion was the best session of the whole two days.
So that's it! Another Astrofest finished. Thoroughly enjoyable, especially today (Saturday).
Rushed out of there to get a seat for the session 4 afternoon lectures which in my opinion was the best session of the whole two days.
So that's it! Another Astrofest finished. Thoroughly enjoyable, especially today (Saturday).
Astrofest 2011 Day 2: In the queue for the book sigining
People are already queuing up for the book signing so have jumped in the queue!
The queue has apparently gone all the way down the stairs to the basement!
The queue has apparently gone all the way down the stairs to the basement!
Astrofest 2011: Day 2
In contrast to the Friday I have always found Saturday at Astrofest to be quite manic. It all started when astronomy now start deciding to host signing sessions around lunchtime. It all really kicked off in 2007 when Brian May, Chris Lintott and Patrick Moore were invited along to promote their book 'Bang!'. The queues went from three flights of stairs from the top floor where the book signing took place all the way down to the basement. Ever since then a special guest would be invited along to sign books. This year is no exception, not only Brian Cox and Patrick Moore will be there but now Brian May will also be there. He will be promoting a unique conference where there will be a whole host of famous guests relating to astronomy, spaceflight, Human endeavour, art and music.
It's called the Starmus Festival and will be hosted on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
Anyway, it's going to be a busy day and will have to queue up early in order to not wait too long to get my book signed.
It's called the Starmus Festival and will be hosted on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
Anyway, it's going to be a busy day and will have to queue up early in order to not wait too long to get my book signed.
Friday 4 February 2011
Astrofest 2011 Day 1: End of the day
Overall it's been a very good day. Attended the lectures in the morning and walked about the trade stands in the afternoon.
The trade stands have been very busy between lectures and should be even busier tomorrow. A bit disappointed that one or two trade stands that regularly exhibit were not in attendance this year.
Looking forward to tomorrow when Brian Cox, Patrick Moore and another special guest will be signing books.
The trade stands have been very busy between lectures and should be even busier tomorrow. A bit disappointed that one or two trade stands that regularly exhibit were not in attendance this year.
Looking forward to tomorrow when Brian Cox, Patrick Moore and another special guest will be signing books.
Astrofest 2011: Day One
Looking forward to the day. I am attending the first morning session. There a change of layout with one or two of the trade stands this year. Widescreen are on the ground floor replacing Telescope House who cant make it this year.
I don't have a shopping list this year but you never know at these events as there is always one or two bargains around if you can spot them.
I don't have a shopping list this year but you never know at these events as there is always one or two bargains around if you can spot them.
Sunday 30 January 2011
Countdown to Astrofest 2011
This coming Friday and Saturday 4th and 5th February sees the ever popular European Astrofest at Kensington town centre, High Street Kensington. This year promises to be another action packed event.
The lecture topics include biographies (Fred Hoyle, Arthur Stanley Eddington), archeoastronmy, cosmology, lunar geology, spaceflight (Apollo), Mars, Near Earth Asteroids and even a comedienne!
This year also promises to be interesting as Brian Cox particle physicist and astronomer will be giving a talk saturday afternoon entitled "Recreating the early Universe", no doubt talking about the Large Hadron Collider. He will also be signing copies of his book "Wonders of the Solar System" during lunchtime on the Saturday. Going by past signing sessions from notable guest speakers like Patrick Moore, Chris Lintott and Brian May it probably is a good idea to queue up early to avoid the long queue to get your book signed. I believe Patrick Moore will also be there signing his latest book "Data Book of Astronomy".
There will be the usual plethora of trade stands strewn across three floors displaying plenty of equipment and gadgets, so there is always the opportunity to grab a bargain or two.
The lecture topics include biographies (Fred Hoyle, Arthur Stanley Eddington), archeoastronmy, cosmology, lunar geology, spaceflight (Apollo), Mars, Near Earth Asteroids and even a comedienne!
This year also promises to be interesting as Brian Cox particle physicist and astronomer will be giving a talk saturday afternoon entitled "Recreating the early Universe", no doubt talking about the Large Hadron Collider. He will also be signing copies of his book "Wonders of the Solar System" during lunchtime on the Saturday. Going by past signing sessions from notable guest speakers like Patrick Moore, Chris Lintott and Brian May it probably is a good idea to queue up early to avoid the long queue to get your book signed. I believe Patrick Moore will also be there signing his latest book "Data Book of Astronomy".
There will be the usual plethora of trade stands strewn across three floors displaying plenty of equipment and gadgets, so there is always the opportunity to grab a bargain or two.
Sunday 23 January 2011
Three Springer Authors
I have been a member of Loughton Astronomical Society (LAS) for almost twenty years. The level of expertise at the society range from the beginner to the serious observer. The society is unique as it happens to have not one, not two but three authors all who have published with Springer.
Jack Martin is author of "A Spectroscopic Atlas of Bright Stars: A Pocket Field Guide (Astronomer's Pocket Field Guide)", a unique reference to some of the brightest stars in the sky. It is suitable for astronomers and students at all levels interested in the facinating subject of Spectroscopy. More details can be found here.
Steve Ringwood is author of "Astronomers Anonymous" which in my opinion is probably the most funniest (and very true!) account of the antics and misadventures of amateur astronomers today and throughout the ages. More details can be found here.
Jack and myself also contributed to another Springer publication, "Practical Amateur Spectroscopy" which describes some of the latest methods in spectroscopy available for amateur astronomers. More details can be found here.
All three of us will be at Astrofest UK this year (Kensington Town Hall, Fri 4th and Sat 5th February) where we will be promoting and signing our books somewhere in the vicinity of the Springer stand on the third floor. Hope to see you there!
Jack Martin is author of "A Spectroscopic Atlas of Bright Stars: A Pocket Field Guide (Astronomer's Pocket Field Guide)", a unique reference to some of the brightest stars in the sky. It is suitable for astronomers and students at all levels interested in the facinating subject of Spectroscopy. More details can be found here.
All three of us will be at Astrofest UK this year (Kensington Town Hall, Fri 4th and Sat 5th February) where we will be promoting and signing our books somewhere in the vicinity of the Springer stand on the third floor. Hope to see you there!
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| The Three LAS Springer Authors! Myself (left), Jack (centre) and Steve (right) Taken at Astrofest 2010 |
Wednesday 12 January 2011
New Meade AudioStar
Meade have launched a new handset that is set to replace the trusty Autostar #497 handset. Its called the AudioStar™.
Hoping to get hold of one of these at Astrofest so that I can field-test it.
Here's the advertising blurb...
Originally developed for the ground-breaking series of Meade LS™ LightSwitch® telescopes, Astronomer Inside is built into the new AudioStar™ controller (with speaker) now included with Meade's LX90™, LT™ and LXD75™ lines of telescopes. The intelligence integrated into these Meade telescopes delivers all the astronomical knowledge and experience of a professional astronomer.
The incredible Astronomer Inside does all this:
· Knows the sky so you don't have to
Controls the telescope to find and track any
of over 30,000 celestial objects automatically
· Takes you on a guided tour
Shows you the best objects in your sky from
your location and time and then plays audio
descriptions of those objects so you learn the
details of what you are seeing
· Has over 4 hours of audio descriptions
that bring astronomy to life
Includes planets, stars, constellations,
clusters, nebulae, galaxies and more
It's like having a personal astronomer standing next to you.
To find out more about Astronomer Inside and the entire line of Meade Instruments products, or to buy online, visit meade.com.
UPDATE: You can now buy the handset alone on Ebay
Hoping to get hold of one of these at Astrofest so that I can field-test it.
Here's the advertising blurb...
Originally developed for the ground-breaking series of Meade LS™ LightSwitch® telescopes, Astronomer Inside is built into the new AudioStar™ controller (with speaker) now included with Meade's LX90™, LT™ and LXD75™ lines of telescopes. The intelligence integrated into these Meade telescopes delivers all the astronomical knowledge and experience of a professional astronomer.
The incredible Astronomer Inside does all this:
· Knows the sky so you don't have to
Controls the telescope to find and track any
of over 30,000 celestial objects automatically
· Takes you on a guided tour
Shows you the best objects in your sky from
your location and time and then plays audio
descriptions of those objects so you learn the
details of what you are seeing
· Has over 4 hours of audio descriptions
that bring astronomy to life
Includes planets, stars, constellations,
clusters, nebulae, galaxies and more
It's like having a personal astronomer standing next to you.
To find out more about Astronomer Inside and the entire line of Meade Instruments products, or to buy online, visit meade.com.
UPDATE: You can now buy the handset alone on Ebay
Saturday 8 January 2011
Stargazing Live! Post Episode Review
On the whole I thought the episodes were very good and aimed at the right audience. Brian Cox was especially enthusiastic and I was very impressed with Dara O Briain who added sensible humour so it made the discussions credible and interesting. I would have liked to have seen a few more 'how to' guides from BBC The One Show's resident astronomer Mark Thompson but he did a good job of explaining some of the basics on observing and what equipment to use. It was fun watching Jonathan Ross being given a brief tour of the night sky by Mark.
Shame the weather wasn't great down here in London so unfortunately I missed the Partial eclipse at sunrise on Tuesday 4th. However the due to cloud the effect was such that it was noticeably darker than normal driving to work. If it was clear the darkening effect might have gone unnoticed.
As well as screening the episodes the BBC encouraged astronomical societies all over the uk to host public observing events and lectures to fire the public imagination and get them involved in the subject.
I would love to see another set of these Stargazing Live episodes again, perhaps later on the year. Perhaps it could coincide with a Star Party like the one in September at Kelling Heath.
Shame the weather wasn't great down here in London so unfortunately I missed the Partial eclipse at sunrise on Tuesday 4th. However the due to cloud the effect was such that it was noticeably darker than normal driving to work. If it was clear the darkening effect might have gone unnoticed.
As well as screening the episodes the BBC encouraged astronomical societies all over the uk to host public observing events and lectures to fire the public imagination and get them involved in the subject.
I would love to see another set of these Stargazing Live episodes again, perhaps later on the year. Perhaps it could coincide with a Star Party like the one in September at Kelling Heath.
Sunday 2 January 2011
Stargazing Live!
The BBC are showing three episodes over three days dedicated to amateur astronomy. This coincides with a partial solar eclipse which can be seen from the UK and occurs on the morning of Tuesday 4th January.
Astronomer and host of the series 'Wonders of the Solar System' Brian Cox teams up with celebrity guests Dara O Briain and Jonathan Ross to talk about how to get started in astronomy and stargazing.
Events are are taking place all over the country and some observatories around the world are also taking part. To find your nearest event see the Events page on the Beeb website.
Happy observing!
Astronomer and host of the series 'Wonders of the Solar System' Brian Cox teams up with celebrity guests Dara O Briain and Jonathan Ross to talk about how to get started in astronomy and stargazing.
Events are are taking place all over the country and some observatories around the world are also taking part. To find your nearest event see the Events page on the Beeb website.
Happy observing!
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