Popular Post Dean Watson Posted August 22, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted August 22, 2017 My brother has recently gotten me into looking at the letters page from viz... Yeah... I know... But some of its quite funny, and I dont know how everyone else feels, but isnt this, well, umm ... ALL meteor displays? Always felt they sounded better in the mind than in the observance? Tweedledee, Brantuk, +RonC and 4 others 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Hilarious - I've always liked Viz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 I never get my hopes up for any meteor shower. Meteor shower or not, I will have other targets, that I know precisely where to look for in mind on a clear night, whether using naked eye, bins or scope. When I do see a meteor, which I never expect, it is always a nice bonus. If it is bright and leaves a trail for several seconds it can really make my observing session. The Viz article is very funny, though I've never heard Sir Martin Rees swear. Brantuk and BAZ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Thing is - meteors happen all through the year and I've seen many just looking up during a clear night at a regular observing session. I've even had a few go through the eyepiece which is very exciting when it happens. The peak rate times have always been a disappointment by contrast. Orion 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Watson Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 57 minutes ago, Tweedledee said: I never get my hopes up for any meteor shower. Meteor shower or not, I will have other targets, that I know precisely where to look for in mind on a clear night, whether using naked eye, bins or scope. When I do see a meteor, which I never expect, it is always a nice bonus. If it is bright and leaves a trail for several seconds it can really make my observing session. The Viz article is very funny, though I've never heard Sir Martin Rees swear. Yeah... sorry about that, only occurred to me after id posted it... If moderators get twitchy, so be it...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithysteve Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 The Viz article is satirical drivel but based on truth generally. The general media hypes up these events to the point that the public experience an anticlimax! This gets astronomy a bad press! i was caravanning near Rutland waters on the 12th, I saw 14 meteors in an hour and a half, but I saw more than 14 satellites and even more planes! Satellites no doubt are really useful, but tend to do my head in! Watching for Meteors is like waiting a long time for a bus, then three turn up at the same time ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Watson Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 3 hours ago, Smithysteve said: The Viz article is satirical drivel but based on truth generally. The general media hypes up these events to the point that the public experience an anticlimax! This gets astronomy a bad press! i was caravanning near Rutland waters on the 12th, I saw 14 meteors in an hour and a half, but I saw more than 14 satellites and even more planes! Satellites no doubt are really useful, but tend to do my head in! Watching for Meteors is like waiting a long time for a bus, then three turn up at the same time ? Mmm... Inclined to agree about the bad press. Its the weather reports they stick it in I blame! I sometimes think that ALL media should lay off reporting astronomical/space stuff entirely. I mean, lets face it when is it ever less than utterly embarrassing... What I like about the joke is that it is unwittlngly (or possibly wittingly) actually a bit near the knuckle and more accurate than most of the reports you see on the BBC or wherever. Except for the looking at it through a 'jolly large telescope' of course. Ah, muggles, bless 'em. Im getting to the point now where If I talk about astronomy with someone and they get onto the subject of a programme they saw last night on black holes, I like to make stuff up. I mean, who'll know. Landings on the Sun, Space Shuttle flights to the Moon. I have no shame. Its surprising what you can get away with. Saying that, my partner has a Phd in archaeology and if we're ever going to parties I always make a point of suggesting to other guests they ask her all about dinosaurs. Shes gotten wise to it now though... Turning Fifty in October. Its lovely not having to give a stuff anymore! Orion and BAZ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Great spot, Dean. I have to admit I'm spending more time leaving a camera outside "snapping" away while I'm indoors than looking. This time round, I'm spending more often sticking my head out of the door and coming back in when it is cloudy. I'm finding it interesting following the Perseids but it is true that one can wait for ages. Best I've seen is a mag -4 one. My brightest I've ever seen was mag -6 from Dusseldorf. I sometimes see sporadic meteors while out and have been known to capture some on camera. In fact, I see quite a few sporadic meteors while watching for showers, so wonder if they are more frequent than we think. I would not recommend staring at the sky at times when there are no recognised showers. At a rate of 1 per 20 minutes, it is like watching paint dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Thing is - meteors happen all through the year and I've seen many just looking up during a clear night at a regular observing session. I've even had a few go through the eyepiece which is very exciting when it happens. The peak rate times have always been a disappointment by contrast. [emoji4]I was very fortunate to see the 1998 Leonids - meteors every second or two, coloured, orange, green luminous trails that persisted and drifted for sometimes a minute. The sky lit up just like lightening flashes. I didn't want it to stop. The shower coincided with the return of the 33 year period comet Temple Tuttle. Must have dropped off a load of dust and particles. Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk Smithysteve, Brantuk, Tweedledee and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 This man made meteor shower should be spectacular... https://singularityhub.com/2017/11/20/the-first-man-made-meteor-shower-will-light-up-japan-in-2019/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 I've often wondered about the astronauts on the ISS releasing marbles to create meteor showers. I also think it would be a good idea to build a large satellite to create artificial solar eclipses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Why would you want to create artificial solar eclipses Phil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 On 21/11/2017 at 16:03, Doc said: Why would you want to create artificial solar eclipses Phil? Because I (nor many people) do not have the readies to travel to a natural one. I'm also reluctant to spend the cost of a decent solar telescope only to get clouded out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I got the following info from a physics forum regarding the same topic. Some physicist has worked out that if at the same altitude of the International Space Station, an object would need to be about 3.35 km (2.08 mi) across to blot the Sun out entirely. If this is correct I think the costs and logistics involved to build and launch some an object would far out weigh any gain one got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 12 hours ago, Doc said: I got the following info from a physics forum regarding the same topic. Some physicist has worked out that if at the same altitude of the International Space Station, an object would need to be about 3.35 km (2.08 mi) across to blot the Sun out entirely. If this is correct I think the costs and logistics involved to build and launch some an object would far out weigh any gain one got. With the latest TV news about wages and austerity, I think the number of people able to travel to an eclipse will decrease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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