Dr Paul Leyland

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Viewing 20 posts - 141 through 160 (of 713 total)
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  • in reply to: Constellation British Crown #617205
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    I think Charles’ Wain predates our monarchs of that name but it’s most appropriate for this weekend.

    It undoubtedly does so. The Wikipedia article goes into at least as much detail as you are likely to want. In particular, it has the same name in essentially all Germanic languages.

    in reply to: Constellation British Crown #617204
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    I think Charles’ Wain predates our monarchs of that name but it’s most appropriate for this weekend.

    It undoubtedly does so. The Wikipedia article goes into at least as much detail as you are likely to want. In particular, it has the same name in a number of North Germanic languages.

    in reply to: Constellation British Crown #617181
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    …and there is Cor Caroli…

    https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/cor-caroli-heart-of-charles/

    Now well-placed for images of the starfield.

    Tucked inside the handles of Charles’ Wain. You can’t miss it.

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by Dr Paul Leyland. Reason: Clean up formatting
    • This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by Dr Paul Leyland. Reason: This BBCode doesn't implement [indent]. Grrr
    in reply to: A possible cosmological paradigm? #617158
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    An equivalent way of saying this, though it needs considerably deeper understanding of QM, is that the uncertainty principle follows inexorably from the properties of the Fourier Transform.

    The linkage is that a quantum state is fundamentally a function of complex numbers, whereas in classical mechanics everything is purely real.

    Some of you may know why that the question of the existence of uncertainty principle relating energy to time, and why it has the same value as position-momentuum relation is very far from obvious, largely because time is not a quantum operator. A fascinating journey down a rabbit hole finally gives a good answer to that question, but the reasoning is very far from obvious.

    in reply to: Bob Mizon #617061
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Hacienda San Jorge in Los Concajos perhaps?

    The architecture and colour scheme look rather familiar.

    in reply to: Using RVB Photometric Filters for DSO Imaging? #617027
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    On my last trip to La Palma I took some images in Sloan i’, r’ and Johnson V (I don’t have any other JC filters nor Sloan g’) of the M67 Landolt field. The primary interest is photometry calibration but I also realised that tri-colour images should be possible, even though they may look odd.

    The images have not yet been processed but I will report back later.

    Paul

    in reply to: JUICE launch #616924
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Good luck. Should be straightforward with you kit, clouds permitting.

    How faint can you go? I guess perhaps mag 21 with 2-4 hours of subs stacked on the object. Fancy trying to find out?

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by Dr Paul Leyland. Reason: Fix minor tyop
    in reply to: Pie in the Sky #616902
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Now you mention it, iota Cancri is my favourite double star. Similar to Albireo but rather prettier IMAO.

    in reply to: Pie in the Sky #616899
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Pi Cephei is was double star of the month according to https://www.webbdeepsky.com/double-stars/object/pi%20Cep

    Pi Gruis is, by all accounts a fine double, but too far south at -46 Dec for UK-based telescopes. I may give it a try when I return to La Palma.

    Pi Sco is visible from most of the world. The primary is a spectroscopic binary and the secondary is rather difficult (though well separated) at mag 12.2. The primary does show eclispes, but with a depth of only 30mmag it likely presents a worthy challenge to photometrists willing to stretch themselves. The period is 1.57 days. Anyone up to it this summer?

    in reply to: Winchester Weekend #616898
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Sounds good. Often thought I should attend.

    The event is always fully booked before I receive my supply of round tuits and generally before I know whether I will be in the country at the time it is held.

    in reply to: Old BAA Handbooks #616848
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Sorry, no.

    in reply to: Astronomy themed pub in Goostrey, Cheshire #616707
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Beautiful!

    in reply to: Use of Non-Technical Units in astronomy #616705
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    BTW I was present at the British Concorde’s (002) maiden flight from Filton, Bristol, which happens to be 54 years ago today!

    I have been in the cabin of a Concorde. Sadly, it was travelling at Mach 0 in a hangar at Duxford, just down the road from here.

    If anyone would like to replicate my experience, please let me know in good time and I will show you around the district and, in particular, introduce you to the excellent pub “The Plough” in Duxford.

    Paul

    in reply to: Game changer in PixInsight #616653
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Good to see others imaging extragalactic GCs!

    in reply to: Use of Non-Technical Units in astronomy #616651
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    We should get back to good old Imperial units.

    I suggest the Fathom-Fortnight-Slug system.

    in reply to: Use of Non-Technical Units in astronomy #616435
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Given that serious astronomers express stellar luminosities both in ergs/second and in a inverted logarithmic scale to a bizarre base, I am inclined to cut journalists some slack.

    in reply to: Using ASTAP for comet measurements #616390
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Now done.

    in reply to: Using ASTAP for comet measurements #616389
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    I will get in contact soon. From the GUI point of view, APT works rather well in setting the ellipse parameters.

    in reply to: Asteroid to pass by Earth this weekend #616377
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    Hmm, perhaps I should have added a 😉

    Not everyone recognizes my sense of humour.

    in reply to: Asteroid to pass by Earth this weekend #616376
    Dr Paul Leyland
    Participant

    I’ve just watched the BBC1 lunchtime news about this flyby. Under the name of each astronomer interviewed about this NEO, the BBC gave them the title ‘Astrologer’.

    Argh! 🙂

    Alex.

    Reclaim the night!

    With a concerted effort in the public media, astronomers could call themselves astrologers and hoi polloi would begin to think of astrologers as scientist rather than mystics, entertainers and/or charlatans.

    Vocabulary has changed radically in the past. Consider the terms “nice”, “gay” and “hacker”.

    Might be difficult though …

Viewing 20 posts - 141 through 160 (of 713 total)