Two_sugars Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 AH! . .Wind up windows. . . That's what we used to call MS Dos 3.. Bl00dy typical, . first clear night for yonks, and I misread the time for the ISS pass. Great pics, Jeff John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold unravelled Posted August 7, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 7, 2015 Wind up windows? Luxury... Mine are slide up, (when I can get them to slide down). Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythocentric Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Terribly interesting day spent fitting a new graphics board to my laptop and installing new drivers for same. I am reliably informed that all my games will now run up to 38% faster! Well at least they would if I had any which I don't! I must admit that as a life experience it was nowhere near as much fun as sticking your head into a bucket of frogs! Time for beddy-byes! Bill 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted August 12, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 12, 2015 10:30pm clear skies no sign of the persids. 11pm visibility worsening clouds coming from south east still no sign of the persids looks like a washout tonight. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 The International Space Station was very clear though. Could even see it without my glasses on. No sign of much else down here in Dorset though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted August 12, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 12, 2015 Nearly 1am. I've just been stood in my dad's back garden staring at the sky for the last 75 minutes. Perfectly clear and dark. Ideal for meteor observing. Regular sweeps from Ursa Major through Perseus to Pegasus. The result? 12 meteors of which 11 were Perseids. Not very impressive, given the conditions. Had to stop as my neck needs realigning after gawking at the sky!! Quite a number of satellites passing over - but I missed the ISS. Jeff 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock67B Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Evening Jeff, Sadly 'B' cloudy here at the minute - I'm going to try to catch some sleep and check again around 2am! Kind regards, Jock. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two_sugars Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) I caught the ISS about 10.30ish, but no Meteors yet . . .I,ll have another look shortly but it's bl00dy cold outside. . OR. . .I'm getting old. . . . . . Edited August 13, 2015 by Two_sugars Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythocentric Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) It is bloody cold and I'm definitely getting (got) old. I'm glad Jeff brought the clear skies with him but I could have done without the easterly breeze which was rattling my trouser legs! Serves me right for deciding to stand on the raised observation platform at the Yacht Club! So guys. Prime time Thursday and Friday between 1 am and dawn! Anyone feeling brave? Regards Bill PS: Just in case anyone's feeling lazy, the Perseids are being shown on a nightly live feed on NASA TV at www.nasa.gov. Not the done thing of course chaps but I must admit it's much more fun sitting here with a coffee and cream scones than standing on the seafront! Handy for Jeff until he gets his neck re-collimated! Edited August 13, 2015 by Mythocentric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sasquatch Posted August 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) Hi guys, I guessed some of the Lunesters would be escaping the asylum to stare at the sky. Sasquatch is no exception as I just came in from a pleasant 30 minutes laying on the grass/burnt weeds with my cat watching said meteors. Very nice here, warm breezy evening and thanks to the wind, not much smoke. A couple of very long streaks, three quick flashes and one or two fireworks! Shaun. Oh and one bright silent object moving E.N.E. quite erratically that vanished suddenly. Edited August 13, 2015 by Sasquatch 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I went out again around midnight. Could hear a couple of foxes having a barny somewhere. Didn't see the ISS again though. Whilst at 22.30 it was very still and warm, by midnight it was cooler with slightly more cloud cover and some breeze. THOUGHT I saw a few flashes in the sky, but they were very brief and maybe it was just my eyes playing up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Where would I have to look to see the ISS and what am I looking for, i.e. can you define a shape, or is it just a bright light moving very fast, or slow etc? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Where would I have to look to see the ISS and what am I looking for, i.e. can you define a shape, or is it just a bright light moving very fast, or slow etc? Think of the Star Trek Enterprise - it looks nothing like that..... Seriously though Andy, it's just a very bright white light moving silently across the sky - it moves approx from the W to the E. Think it orbits every 90min. It was to the left of the Plough last night. Not very astronomical terms I'm afraid. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two_sugars Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) Where would I have to look to see the ISS and what am I looking for, i.e. can you define a shape, or is it just a bright light moving very fast, or slow etc? Look on tinterwebnet for ISS Tracker, and enter your nearest town. . This will give you viewing times and a rough guide as to where to look. The view is variable from a speck to being able to (just) make out a couple of the solar arrays. . . I have 3 street lamps within about 75yds and I can usually see it Ok. P.S. Managed to see a couple of quick streaks dashing from northish to SEish more or less through Cassiopeia before I went to bed. Edited August 13, 2015 by Two_sugars 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted August 13, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 13, 2015 Good to see that a few of you managed a quick flash or two last night. Irrespective of the number of meteors, it's a pleasure standing under a dark, clear sky. Always makes me think what it'd be like to see the sky through the eyes of an ancient Egyptian or the like. Of course, they'd have seen meteors but not the plethora of orbiting satellites (I must have seen half a dozen in an hour) - unless the UFOs were visiting! Jeff 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock67B Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Andy, I would liken the ISS transit to viewing a very high flying aircraft - it's very bright and follows a steady trajectory. I've got ISS Tracker, as recommended by John, on my favourites, and (when the sky is clear) it is a really useful resource. Joanna was amazed recently when we stood at the bottom of my garden and I looked at my watch and pointed up over a neighbour's roof, and there it was, right on cue. I think she was impressed! Worth Googling the ISS in any case, as the web site gives a wealth of information and lots of images. Kind regards, Jock. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sasquatch Posted August 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 13, 2015 It must have been the ISS that I described in my last post. It disappeared as it entered Earth shadow! It appears a bit further north from here as we're only 42° North. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythocentric Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Good to see that a few of you managed a quick flash or two last night. Irrespective of the number of meteors, it's a pleasure standing under a dark, clear sky. Always makes me think what it'd be like to see the sky through the eyes of an ancient Egyptian or the like. Of course, they'd have seen meteors but not the plethora of orbiting satellites (I must have seen half a dozen in an hour) - unless the UFOs were visiting! Jeff Of course you must remember Jeff that the ancient Egyptian's would have been watching from their home planet Mars at that time (according to the ACT mob!). Pretty sparse for around 3 hours of sky-watching as far as meteors were concerned but, as you say, it was a pleasure re-acquainting myself with some old favorites amongst the heaven's. I suspect I might be leaving the camera behind tonight and taking the 'scope instead. As I mentioned previously, when I got back I tuned in to the NASA TV Perseid Watch with the result of 3 (possibly 5) meteors and 11 satellites. It's nice to think that even the experts can have poor results. What tickled me was that they were running a live Q&A on Twitter and every time a satellite appeared it prompted a flurry of tweets from people claiming to have spotted a UFO, and that was despite the Staff not only telling what, but also which satellite it was! Some people never learn! Regards Bill 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythocentric Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Buggrit! It's raining! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I forgot the 9.30, (21.30) and yes its PEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeING it down here as well. I did have a look at the tracker though and its very interesting. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythocentric Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I forgot the 9.30, (21.30) and yes its PEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeING it down here as well. I did have a look at the tracker though and its very interesting. You might like to have a look at www.heavens-above.com as well Andrew which gives times and directions for a number of satellites. You'd be surprised how many of the begger's there are tootling about up there. In fact satellite watching is almost as popular as train-spotting these days! Now! About this rain! I seem to recall Jeff saying that it always rains when he visits Barrow, not that I'm pointing any fingers I hasten to add, but are we witnessing the Curse of the Grainger's here? Regards Bill 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two_sugars Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 NAA! ! ! it's p1ssing down on the civilized side of the Pennines also. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Cheers Bill for the info about Sat Watch, but you can't collect numbers or hitch a cab ride to the end of a platform from a Satellite, so not QUITE as much fun. And as for Jeff and his visits to Cumbria, well I just didn't like to say anything but . And rain on the Civilized side of the Pennines, I didn't know there was a Civilized side. hahhahahhah Off now to wind up some other sites around here. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted August 14, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 14, 2015 I thought I was pushing my luck - it was dry and sunny for the first 4 days I've been in Barrow. Most unusual! Don't worry Bill, looks like you'll get chance to play with your scope over the weekend. Jeff 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythocentric Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I blame that lot down south Jeff! They couldn't see the meteors for the rain so they decided to spoil it for us. Typical!!!! Roll on weekend! For some reason I've got my heart set on M13 while the moons dark! Regards Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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