Michael O'Connell

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Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 127 total)
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  • in reply to: Comet C/2023 A3 visible in STEREO HI images #625793
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    The motion of the comet is quite apparent each evening.

    in reply to: Comet C/2023 A3 visible in STEREO HI images #625771
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    0.5 sec exposure with the iPhone this evening from Paxos island, Greece.

    in reply to: Comet C/2023 A3 visible in STEREO HI images #625754
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Significantly easier to see this evening.
    Approx 5 deg long tail.
    Easy naked eye target tonight.
    Fab in my 2×54 binos

    in reply to: Comet C/2023 A3 visible in STEREO HI images #625748
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Just spotted the comet naked eye here in Corfu. Faint fan-shaped tail about 0.5 deg long

    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Ooohh that’s interesting!

    in reply to: Congratulations to Dr Andrew Wilson #625325
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Good man Andy!
    Well done!

    in reply to: Remote Observatory #624790
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Thanks Peter for that info. Much appreciated.

    in reply to: Remote Observatory #624765
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Good stuff. Thanks Ian.

    in reply to: Piggy backing on C14 #624705
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    I’m not a fan of side by side for balance reasons.
    I also don’t like placing a heavy scope on top of a SCT.
    The torsion of a heavy scope at top of the SCT combined with the torsion of the SCT on to the mount may be applying quite a strain on the OTA strucure that I wonder does it place pressure on the corrector glass?
    I would suggest Parallax rings.
    Michael.

    in reply to: Total success from Mena, Arkansas #622504
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Hi Kwong
    Yes, I used a program called Set’N’c to automate the exposures and allow me to enjoy the eclipse visually.
    All details of each photo are outlined on each image page.
    Regards
    Michael.

    in reply to: Total success from Mena, Arkansas #622498
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    On the HDR image, you will see the double star to the LHS of the Sun.
    They are Zeta Piscium A & B, magnitude +5.2 and +6.4 respectively.

    Below it, you will see 88 Piscium, mag +6.19

    To the unaided eye, Venus was visible several minutes before totality.
    Jupiter was easy to see once totality started.
    Saturn was spotted soon after, and finally Mars.

    in reply to: Preparing for the eruption of T CrB #622224
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Hi,
    Not monitoring purposefully but I like to keep an eye out for anything that might crop up in the background…
    A fortuitously placed meteor right next to CrB but no sign of the outburst yet…
    Cheers,
    Bill.

    Interesting you mentioning that Bill.
    I’m planning to adjust a couple of my GMN cameras a little to bring it in to their FOV for a longer period of time.
    I may put a UV/IR rejection over the lens as well to allow some approximation of magnitude.
    Michael.

    in reply to: 2023 – how was it for you? #621114
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    I don’t keep a log, but the weather here has been a real disaster. Worst I’ve seen in a long time.
    Met Éireann, the Irish met service, had confirmed that we had the wettest March on record, and the wettest July on record. 2023 was also the warmest on record.

    in reply to: Scrapping Honorary Membership ! #620805
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Thanks Andy for answering my queries.
    Much appreciated.
    Regards,
    Michael.

    in reply to: Scrapping Honorary Membership ! #620802
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Sorry, inadvertently deleted my own message there. Reposting again:

    Good to see the BAA actively reviewing it’s by-laws, membership structure and seeking to broaden it’s membership base whist maintaining prudent financial accounting practices.

    It’s also great to see members actively involved and debating the measures – a sign of a healthy organisation.

    As someone who is well away from achieving honorary status, it has always impressed me to see the names added to list each year.

    I fully appreciate the accounting reasons for proposing such a change.
    However, I note the points made above by Denis and Tony, which are quite valid.

    Two financial-related questions if you don’t mind please:
    1) Does ‘Honorary’ imply free posted hard copy, or is it limited to digital subscription only?
    2) Aside from a couple of very large well publicised financial bequeaths in recent years, does the BAA receive many smaller bequeaths? And on this note, has the BAA actively looked at the benevolence element of fund raising? I am sure many members would like to support the organisation on their passing, if their personal financial position allowed and they felt that their monies would leave a tangible legacy for many years to come. The reason I ask is that maintaining a close relation with the older generation of members may bring in more financial benefits than the cost savings this measure may provide in the short term.

    Regards & Thanks,
    Michael.

    in reply to: Auroracam at NLO #620733
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    That’s a nice feed David.
    Mind me asking what camera you are using?
    Regards,
    Michael.

    in reply to: Betelgeuse #620672
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Folks,
    My initial thoughts after successfully observing the occultation last night:
    ————————————————————

    Through hazy skies, we (myself and Alex Pratt) had a successful observation of the occultation of Betelgeuse from just south of Alicante, near the airport.
    My personal thoughts from visually observing it are:

    Skies consisted of variable levels of haze, which made the observation more challenging (and head-wrecking) that I would have liked.
    The dimming was not sudden like a typical occultation, but rather quite gradual which appeared to take approx 2-3 seconds.
    The star appeared to dim by approx 1 to 2 magnitudes – quite noticeable.
    The rise was more difficult to detect visually due to the haze.
    I was expecting it to remain at its faintest magnitude for a period of time, and was surprised to see it brightening almost immediately after reaching minimum magnitude.
    Attached is a handheld photo of Orion taken during the event with an iphone.
    Also attached is a screenshot of a lightcurve taken with my Watec 910 HX/RC and 40mm f/4.5 apo with Bessel V filter.

    ————————————————————
    Regards,
    Michael

    in reply to: Preparing for the eruption of T CrB #619096
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Really good talk!
    Thanks for sharing Ian.
    Michael.

    in reply to: Variable Star Section Meeting, Sept 2 #619055
    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Looking forward to seeing them Andy. Thanks.

    Michael O’Connell
    Participant

    Janice,
    Attached are some photos from that website where I have enhanced the face a little.
    Regards,
    Michael.

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 127 total)