Observations
Observation Report 23/03/2014
March 23, 2014 | View ScopeThe Setup
Well it has been a long time, to long really. This winter was very bad in terms of cloud cover and any nights that seemed to be clear did not suit me. But as luck would … Continue reading Read More
A View from My Scope – October 11th – Observation Report
October 13, 2013 | View Scope11 October 2013
This morning was the first time in a long time that I had a chance to take the telescope out and get some real good stargazing done.
Although I had work this morning, I got an early … Continue reading
Huge Asteroid to Pass Earth Tonight
December 12, 2012 | View Scope | One CommentA giant asteroid will make a flyby of Earth over the next few days. The asteroid 4179 Toutatis is about 3 miles wide and will come within 4.3 million miles of Earth during its closest approach around 9 o’clock tonight (GMT).
Earthshine
December 10, 2012 | View ScopeThe winter mornings are a great time to spot Venus and Saturn, but it is also a great time to see Earthshine.
Earthshine is a soft, faint glow on the dark side of the moon caused by the reflection of sunlight from the Earth.
Specifically, Earthshine happens when the light from the sun is reflected from the Earth’s surface, to the moon, and then back to our eyes. Because of this double reflection of light, Earthshine is many, many times dimmer than the direct light of the sun on the moon.
Mercury, Venus and Saturn – The Three Amigos
December 7, 2012 | View ScopeThe winter mornings produce some fantastic skies and is an ideal time to see 3 of the planets of the solar system with the naked eye.
In a southeast direction between 7 and 8 is an ideal time to get a great view of Mercury, Venus and Saturn in the sky.
Saturn and Venus – to close to call
November 26, 2012 | View ScopeOver the next week or so Saturn and Venus will be at their closest in the pre-dawn sky. Just look east and you will see the bright light of Venus and slightly below and to the left will be a dimmer light of Saturn.
Like a Taurus in a China Shop
November 10, 2012 | View Scope | 2 CommentsKeep an eye towards Taurus this weekend and you might just see a few spectacular meteors. The Taurid meteor shower is taken place right now and will continue through the weekend, with the peak expected to be after midnight on the 11th and 12th. However forecasts for this evening in the North West of Ireland is calling for relatively clear skies compared to tomorrow and Monday so it might be best to go looking tonight after midnight. Read More
My Lovely Pegasus, Running Through the Fields
November 4, 2012 | View ScopeThey say when you buy a telescope that the first few nights you have it will be guaranteed to be cloudy. Well I am still without a telescope but someone somewhere must have got one because there has being nothing but cloudy nights for the last week.
Tonight I managed to catch a break in the clouds and got a great view of Pegasus. So this post will focus on the stars that make up this constellation. I did touch on some of these briefly in another post which you can read about here.
Sit Canis Major, Sit, Good Dog
October 29, 2012 | View ScopeAfter a few nights of bad weather, finally we have a another clear sky. Only problem is that this clear sky is at 6 in the morning.
The fact that I got up this morning to take advantage of this view confirms that I have caught the astronomy bug.
The Hunt for Triangulum
October 22, 2012 | View ScopeAfter the disappointment the previous night of being clouded out of the orionids meteor shower (my best effort is below).
