In June, I chatted to an old friend, Bob Dryden at the BAA’s summer meeting at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL). I first met Bob when I started in astronomy, […]
Observing the Far Side of The Moon
The moon’s captured rotation around the Earth prevents us from observing the rear-facing hemisphere. No matter how many times I have observed the moon, I can only ever see slightly […]
Clear skies – Thursday 7 November 2019
The sky cleared late afternoon but, after days of rain, the air tasted of damp as the air temperature dropped after sunset. Once home from work, I set up my […]
19 October 2019: Waning Moon before the RWC Semis
19 October 2019: 20 Day Waning Moon A beautiful morning and, having to get up early to watch England v Australia, I couldn’t resist heading to the observatory to image […]
Early Morning Lunar Observing 20, 21 and 23 September
Late September saw lovely clear skies each morning, perfect for some high resolution lunar observing. What a way to start the day! It’s amazing to watch sunset over a distant […]
August 2019 Bank Holiday Observing
23 August 2019 After driving back from a somewhat cloudy holiday in Broadhaven, Pembroke the sky has suddenly cleared for the bank holiday heatwave. Time to roll back the observatory […]
A Victorian Observatory and Star BQ
Each August, the South West Astronomy Fair is held at the Norman Lockyer Observatory near Sidmouth, Devon. I have wanted to visit for years, but family or work commitments get […]
Petavius
I love the fact that we can witness planetary geology from the garden. The lunar crater Petavius (dia 177km) is a beauty through the C11. It has 4 rilles (see […]
Peering Round the Corner
Late September bought clear skies that, as is usual, coincided with a full moon. With the telescope now mounted on its pier, it is a matter of moments to roll […]
Restarting the Herschel 400
My observatory is already giving me a lot of pleasure. I bought a second-hand pier and an adapter plate over the summer so, now the nights are getting longer, my […]