Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I tried to edit my latest entry on my Member’s Page to update the image. On clicking ‘Edit this observation’ – ‘Remove’ I got the error message
Clear skies,
Alex.
Gordon was most helpful when I researched HMNAO’s Occultation Machine. I occasionally ‘phoned him to update him on current developments in occultation astronomy and the promise of Gaia’s astrometry.Gordon’s autobiography was published in JOA 2016-4An obituary (written by Tim Haymes) will appear in the Journal.
Alex.
My Leeds_SE video meteor camera picked up some of these peskies, one clip had 5 of them traipsing across the sky.I see that ‘improvements to mitigate the impact on astronomers’ weren’t evident last night. Hopefully the satellites will be fainter when they attain their final orbits.The Heavens Above website FAQ says:“The brightness of a spacecraft is influenced by several factors…our magnitude estimates should only be treated as a rough guide, and the actual brightness you see could be considerably more or less than this”‘Enjoy’ the show!Alex.Hi James,
Issue 2014-04 of the Journal for Occultation Astronomy (pp. 13-22) contains an article by Friedhelm Dorst on ‘Observations of Planets and Stars near the Sun’.
We deliberated for some time before deciding to publish it in JOA. We do not condone any attempts to carry out such observations. Observing near the Sun carries high risk to one’s eyesight. It only needs to go wrong once! Even if an observer uses electronic recording techniques, they can be tempted to cast a naked eye glimpse towards the Sun and incur dazzle.
Be careful out there.
Clear skies,
Alex.
Does ‘stay at home’ mean that we now shouldn’t spend any time observing from our back gardens? Automated systems are an advantage at the moment.
Alex.
Hi Denis,
Just wait until Scotland’s Spaceport is in operation and they start buzzing rocketplanes over your head… 🙂
Clear skies,
Alex.
Apart from debating “Whatever did the Romans do for us…” and the varied comments about the artwork, I agree that it’s great to see astronomy on the new stamps.
If it encourages some youngsters to take an interest in our fascinating hobby / science it will all be worthwhile.
Alex.
“He’s not an astronomer, he’s a very naughty boy…!”
Well, in my astronomical library Messrs Bone, Moore, Sidgwick et al write about aurorae, novae, and supernovae, so after decades of such usage it now grates on my ears to attend talks about ‘auroras’, etc.
I’ll say tomato…
Alex.
American media inform us that Betelgeuse is ‘fainting’, so perhaps we need some interstellar smelling salts to help it recover from its current swoon…
Hi Colin,
That’s a really nice set of radio data. During that time there is only a low level of activity from minor showers, and the ever-present sporadics, so we can assume the plots give a good approximation of Quadrantid rates.
The NEMETODE peak of 04:45 UT was derived from combining several years’ data and the individual years will have profiles that are affected by sub-peaks, brief drops in meteor flux, etc. The peaks suggested by the IMO and the BAA Handbook Meteor Diary were based on slightly later solar longitudes. The maxima derived from visual, video, radio and professional radar systems can differ in time because they can be detecting meteors from different sized meteoroid bodies and particle-sorting takes place in the stream, etc.
In some cases a bright meteor seen visually won’t have been detected on radio, and a very good radio trace wasn’t picked up by video cameras. I guess these are examples of optimal / non-optimal radio detection alignments.
We had awful conditions for visual and video work this week, so I’ll ask our radio observers to have a look at your extensive coverage.
I’m surprised we aren’t a nation of radio astronomers.
Alex.
Hi Peter,
I’m pleased that your efforts were rewarded with a good number of Quadrantid meteors. I’m sure the Meteor Section would be pleased to receive a formal report even though you observed under difficult conditions where the limiting mag and sky clarity varied so much.
Cheers,
Alex.
The two lectures and the Sky Notes were excellent presentations and the location is most convenient, adjacent to Kings Cross station.One constructive comment – the bright spotlights directed both onto the audience and the display screens detracted somewhat from my enjoyment of the talks, washing out some of the rich colours in the graphics and diluting the fine details in members’ astro images. The YouTube recording is clearer in this respect.Clear skies,Alex.Hi Jeremy,
I have seen some videos from balloon-borne meteor cameras – perhaps not from this group – and the mount wasn’t stabilised, so it spun around at a considerable rate, making the viewer (and analyst) feel seasick. 🙁 It’s certainly one way to get above this interminable cloud and rain.
Perhaps I could collect some Christmas Party helium balloons and attached a video camera…
Clear (and dry) skies,
Alex.
Hi John, Colin,
Nice work.
Your radio detections agree with reports received by the IMO of enhanced rates from around 04:40 to 05:20 UT. Visual observers saw small numbers of AMOs, so this year’s return certainly didn’t produce a meteor storm for us. Valuable data, none the less.
Alex.
The minor shower alpha Monocerotids (IAU 246 AMO) normally produces low rates, but on Friday morning there’s a possibility of a brief period of enhanced activity (about 30 minutes) producing up to 400 meteors per minute.[Edit – I should have written that the brief burst of activity over a few minutes could equate to a ZHR of 400.]The attached sky plot shows the radiant of the AMOs, derived from NEMETODE data for 2012-2018. They appear from an area southeast of Procyon which is well placed for us in the early hours. Our multi-year data gives a radiant of RA 7h 49m, Dec +1.7 degrees and they are fast meteors; we logged them at a geocentric velocity (Vg) of 61 km/s.
The weather forecast for my location is not hopeful – the standard fodder of clouds and rain. 🙁 Please let us know if you record copious numbers of AMOs on video or DSLR cameras, and if radio observers encounter any increased activity in your detection plots.Clear skies,
Alex.
Hi Bill,
Correct, I should have written that the rate during the brief burst of activity could equate to a ZHR of 400.
As expected, I was sitting under a blanket of cloud and rain.
Alex.
Hi Derek,
A spectacular one!
I didn’t catch it on my cameras, but that’s expected because our fields don’t overlap. I’ve asked the NEMETODE group if any other stations recorded it.
Fingers crossed.
Alex.
Hi Bill,
Very nice results.
My Leeds_N camera was clouded out at that time, unfortunately. We’ll see if any other stations were successful and I’ll let you know.
Cheers,
Alex.
