ThePortForum.com

Posted: **06:43 Fri 17 Jul 2015**

jdaw1 wrote:
DRT wrote:planet
?

Oops.

Posted: **18:44 Fri 17 Jul 2015**

I will stop calling Pluto a planet once you have convinced the praticioners of certain religions that the Earth is, in fact, more than 6000 years old.

Posted: **20:07 Fri 17 Jul 2015**

DRT wrote:Interesting to note that the picture above seems to be a zoomed-in view of a part of the planet that is not the part that the diagram suggests.

Conspiracy theories begin with such pictures.

I’ve just understood what you might mean. The zoom-in is not a zoom-in of the same image. The whole-moon was taken at a different time from a different angle and different distance.

Meanwhile, we have a juicy picture of Pluto’s plain.

Posted: **08:46 Sat 18 Jul 2015**

The first hi res pic from New Horizons. Now we know why the odd orbit.

Posted: **09:23 Sat 18 Jul 2015**

LOL'd properly

Posted: **10:15 Sat 18 Jul 2015**

Pluto certainly seems to have more faces than we thought it might...

: 08d9167a132226a408d2d4a61ffe0a05.jpg (45.68 KiB) Viewed 23593 times

Posted: **22:04 Sun 19 Jul 2015**

I snapped these when I was out walking Monty this evening...

: 12% Waxing Crescent; 2015-07-19 21.44.01.jpg (62.85 KiB) Viewed 23576 times

: Sunset Geese; 2015-07-19 21.26.19.jpg (83.92 KiB) Viewed 23576 times

A nice end to the weekend

Posted: **08:45 Mon 20 Jul 2015**

In Northern Ireland we have elected ministers of state who still believe in Ussher's chronology, and think the dinosaurs a bad trick by some Victorians.

Posted: **10:16 Mon 20 Jul 2015**

I think somebody should have made encouraging noises about Derek's geese. Positively Chekovian.

Posted: **17:29 Mon 20 Jul 2015**

Another form of drivel moved to here.

Posted: **02:32 Fri 31 Jul 2015**

One for Owen...

: Full Moon - 30 July 2015 - Canon EOS 650D and SkyWatcher 100ED Pro; 2015-07-31 02.35.40.jpg (260.58 KiB) Viewed 23555 times

Posted: **06:35 Fri 31 Jul 2015**

Beautiful!!

Posted: **10:22 Fri 31 Jul 2015**

Australia escape — the punishment for wasting reviews.

Posted: **10:43 Fri 31 Jul 2015**

DRT wrote:One for Owen...

Awww... Thanks Derek. How did you know it was my Birthday? It's a beauty.

Posted: **10:43 Fri 31 Jul 2015**

jdaw1 wrote:Australia escape — the punishment for wasting reviews.

I fail to see the celestial connection.

Posted: **10:52 Fri 31 Jul 2015**

LGTrotter wrote:
jdaw1 wrote:Australia escape — the punishment for wasting reviews.
I fail to see the celestial connection.

I think he's in the wrong room.
THE CRICKET'S ON IN THE NEXT ROOM MR. WISEMAN
At least he's dressed today.

Posted: **07:10 Mon 03 Aug 2015**

It's the Perseids meteor shower soon. Reaches its peak on August 14, I think.

Expect heavy rain, thick cloud and fog overnight on August 14-15.

Posted: **20:49 Thu 06 Aug 2015**

djewesbury wrote:THE CRICKET'S ON IN THE NEXT ROOM MR. WISEMAN

Oh, sorry, I thought this was the optician’s.

Posted: **22:49 Thu 06 Aug 2015**

jdaw1 wrote:
djewesbury wrote:THE CRICKET'S ON IN THE NEXT ROOM MR. WISEMAN
Oh, sorry, I thought this was the optician’s.

Shhh! Can't you read the sign? This is a library!

Posted: **23:03 Thu 06 Aug 2015**

djewesbury wrote:Shhh! Can't you read the sign? This is a library!

Yes yes, of course I want a pint with my beef patty. Sigh: today’s youth just don’t know anything.

Posted: **07:54 Fri 07 Aug 2015**

jdaw1 wrote:Yes yes, of course I want a pint with my beef patty.

Patty? PATTY?! Do you wear shoulder-pads to play rugby, sir? I think not!

Posted: **21:49 Mon 10 Aug 2015**

Astronauts sample salad grown on ISS:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stati ... ady_to_eat

I wonder if grapes would grow in space...

Posted: **09:11 Tue 11 Aug 2015**

AHB wrote:It's the Perseids meteor shower soon. Reaches its peak on August 14, I think.

Expect heavy rain, thick cloud and fog overnight on August 14-15.

Has anyone seen anything yet, apart from the low thick cloud that has covered whichever part of the country I find myself in.

Posted: **11:39 Tue 11 Aug 2015**

Not yet, but apparently it is to be clear over Barlborough this evening.

Posted: **11:53 Tue 11 Aug 2015**

DRT wrote:Not yet, but apparently it is to be clear over Barlborough this evening.

Also over Belfast.

Posted: **00:48 Wed 12 Aug 2015**

I saw a few little ones tonight but then saw a huge fireball heading west that left a glowing trail about 5 degrees across (the Moon being 0.5 degrees in diameter) that lasted 3 or 4 seconds before slowly fading away.

My work is done. Time for bed.

Posted: **07:08 Wed 12 Aug 2015**

Belfast clouded over in the end, but should be clear tonight. Will keep a lookout.

Posted: **22:48 Wed 12 Aug 2015**

I've seen six tiddlers in 30 minutes. I'm not impressed.

Posted: **23:13 Wed 12 Aug 2015**

AHB wrote:I've seen six tiddlers in 30 minutes. I'm not impressed.

It is too early. The maximum rate happens in a couple of hours from now. You are effectively watching expectantly for Ian Bell to be bowled out at 9 a.m. - wait two hours and one minute and you will be certain to see what you seek.

Posted: **06:11 Thu 13 Aug 2015**

You were absolutely right. 2 hours and 1 minute later it was cloudy over Wokingham.

Posted: **23:10 Mon 17 Aug 2015**

The New Horizons spacecraft is far away, so pictures download slowly. But there haven’t been any new images for weeks (image gallery): why?

The Dawn spacecraft is not so far away, but also hasn’t had any new images for weeks (image gallery): why?

Posted: **22:56 Tue 18 Aug 2015**

jdaw1 wrote:The New Horizons spacecraft is far away, so pictures download slowly. But there haven’t been any new images for weeks (image gallery): why?

The Dawn spacecraft is not so far away, but also hasn’t had any new images for weeks (image gallery): why?

New Horizons is not scheduled to send new images until mid September. It is currently sending detailed data from the closest pass (not all pictures) and from mid September onward there will be weekly releases of data and/or pictures.

I know nothing of Dawn.

Posted: **15:46 Sun 30 Aug 2015**

NASA’s New Horizons Team Selects Potential Kuiper Belt Flyby Target.

Posted: **16:07 Sun 30 Aug 2015**

DRT wrote:NASA’s New Horizons Team Selects Potential Kuiper Belt Flyby Target.

It is about as big as Nix.

Posted: **16:25 Sun 30 Aug 2015**

jdaw1 wrote:
DRT wrote:NASA’s New Horizons Team Selects Potential Kuiper Belt Flyby Target.
It is about as big as Nix.

Once you pass the 9th Planet there isn't much of any size out there

Posted: **08:44 Fri 11 Sep 2015**

Sputnik Planum.

Posted: **12:28 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

Latest detailed colour image of Pluto from New Horizons (70MB PNG).

Derek - are you able to create a similarly (or more) detailed one of the moon using your equipment?

Posted: **12:33 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

Last weekend I spent up in the mountains (a tad above 6,000 feet). While I sat on the deck on a very clear dark evening, with a glass of Port in hand, watching the stars, and looking for satellites streaking by, I though "If only DRT was here with his telescope I may actually see something really cool."

Posted: **18:14 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

PhilW wrote:Latest detailed colour image of Pluto from New Horizons (70MB PNG).

With the moons added into the corners, that would make a very difficult 1600-piece jigsaw.

Posted: **19:05 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

PhilW wrote:Latest detailed colour image of Pluto from New Horizons (70MB PNG).

Derek - are you able to create a similarly (or more) detailed one of the moon using your equipment?

Not unless I buy an Apollo rocket on Ebay and get myself to within a few km of the surface

I have been looking at that image on another site. If you zoom right in and pan around it is fascinating to see how the terrain changes so abruptly from one region to the next. Very impressive and very geologically confusing.

Posted: **19:06 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

Andy Velebil wrote:Last weekend I spent up in the mountains (a tad above 6,000 feet). While I sat on the deck on a very clear dark evening, with a glass of Port in hand, watching the stars, and looking for satellites streaking by, I though "If only DRT was here with his telescope I may actually see something really cool."

I must try to get there one day and we can try out your theory

Posted: **19:39 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

For those with an interest in such things this is notice of a Lunar Eclipse that will occur in the early hours of Monday morning. Unusually, this will coincide with a Super-Moon event so the Moon will appear larger than normal.

The Moon will be relatively high and due south when this event occurs so should be visible from most locations provided the clear skies continue until then.

I will try to get some pictures.

Posted: **20:10 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

DRT wrote:For those with an interest in such things this is notice of a Lunar Eclipse that will occur in the early hours of Monday morning. Unusually, this will coincide with a Super-Moon event so the Moon will appear larger than normal.

That would be a "blood moon", yes? In which case co-incidence with super-moon would make it all the more unusual. Good luck with the skies, and hope you get some excellent pictures.

Posted: **20:34 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

PhilW wrote:That would be a "blood moon", yes?

Yes, that is what it has become known as relatively recently.

Posted: **21:01 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

Only recently? I thought the "moon turning to blood" was Old Testament (maybe New, I forget - it does sound more like something that would come from Revelations).

From the image at the top of the linked page, it looks like the "peak" of the eclipse will be at 02:47, but that we will have totality (if that term is acceptable for this eclipse given that only refracted light reaches the moon, direct paths are full blocked) from around 02:15 to 03:15. I think I'll set my alarm and keep the binoculars out; thanks for the heads-up, btw.

Posted: **21:47 Fri 25 Sep 2015**

PhilW wrote:Only recently? I thought the "moon turning to blood" was Old Testament (maybe New, I forget - it does sound more like something that would come from Revelations).

[url=http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-blood-moon-lunar-eclipses-2014-2015#why]Here[/url] EarthSky.com wrote:Why is the term Blood Moon being used to mean a full moon of a lunar tetrad?

We can’t really tell you why more and more people are using the term Blood Moon to describe the four full moons of a lunar tetrad. We don’t know why, exactly.

Here’s the definition of a lunar tetrad, again: four successive total lunar eclipses, with no partial eclipses in between, each of which is separated from the other by six lunar months (six full moons). There’s no obvious reason why Blood Moon should be associated with this term.

To the best of our knowledge, however, the use of the term Blood Moon to describe a lunar tetrad is of recent origin. It might have originated with John Hagee’s 2013 book.

We’re still not sure whether Blood Moon pertains to the full moon of any tetrad, or specifically to a tetrad that coincides with the feasts of Passover and Tabernacles.

Either way, the nouveau definition of Blood Moon has definitely gained traction during the interval of the ongoing tetrad, the four total lunar eclipses of 2014 and 2015

The book referred to, written by a nutter, seems to predict that this current tetrad signals the end of the world.

I will stay up to photograph it, but none of you will see it because we will all be gone by morning.

Posted: **06:40 Sat 26 Sep 2015**

DRT wrote:
PhilW wrote:Only recently? I thought the "moon turning to blood" was Old Testament (maybe New, I forget - it does sound more like something that would come from Revelations).

[url=http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-blood-moon-lunar-eclipses-2014-2015#why]Here[/url] EarthSky.com wrote:Why is the term Blood Moon being used to mean a full moon of a lunar tetrad?

A slightly different definition than I expected; I thought the "moon turning to blood" or "blood moon" simply referred to any lunar eclipse, where the moon appears to turn red, as opposed to anything to do with lunar tetrads; though it sounds like the latter is a new/nouveau/recent redefinition of the term.

I'm tempted to have a go at photographing this myself, though only with standard camera and tripod, rather than scope.

Posted: **07:14 Sat 26 Sep 2015**

Go for it!

It seems that the east of the country will have clearer skies than in the west so you might be lucky. The forecast here has now changed to a blanket of cloud

Posted: **08:36 Sat 26 Sep 2015**

Little green men discovered on Mars?

Posted: **03:36 Sun 27 Sep 2015**

DRT wrote:
Andy Velebil wrote:Last weekend I spent up in the mountains (a tad above 6,000 feet). While I sat on the deck on a very clear dark evening, with a glass of Port in hand, watching the stars, and looking for satellites streaking by, I though "If only DRT was here with his telescope I may actually see something really cool."
I must try to get there one day and we can try out your theory

Bring sunscreen its slightly warmer and with a tad more sun here. But the port will be kept cool so it's ok.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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