Category Archives: Astronomy

The sky at night and other celestial phenomena.

One Of A Kind

  By surreywebmaster | 09/12/2012 - 15:01 | Astronomy, Obituaries
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Astronomer Patrick Moore dies

Astronomer and Sky at Night TV presenter dies died peacefully at home according to his friends and staff

Sir Patrick Moore

Sir Patrick Moore, who presented long-running BBC television show The Sky at Night.

The astronomer Sir Patrick Moore has died aged 89. A statement from friends and staff said the broadcaster, who presented the long-running BBC television show The Sky at Night, “passed away peacefully at 12.25pm this afternoon” at his home in Selsey, West Sussex.

It added: “After a short spell in hospital last week, it was determined that no further treatment would benefit him, and it was his wish to spend his last days in his own home, Farthings, where he today passed on, in the company of close friends and carers and his cat Ptolemy.”

Sir Patrick, who celebrated the 55th anniversary of The Sky at Night in April, had suffered from ill-health in recent years. The stargazer used a wheelchair and had become unable to look through a telescope. He died after failing to fight an infection.

The statement continued: “Over the past few years, Patrick, an inspiration to generations of astronomers, fought his way back from many serious spells of illness and continued to work and write at a great rate, but this time his body was too weak to overcome the infection which set in a few weeks ago.

“He was able to perform on his world record-holding TV programme The Sky at Night right up until the most recent episode.

“His executors and close friends plan to fulfil his wishes for a quiet ceremony of interment, but a farewell event is planned for what would have been Patrick’s 90th birthday in March 2013.”

Queen guitarist Brian May paid tribute to a “dear friend and a kind of father figure to me”. He said: “Patrick will be mourned by the many to whom he was a caring uncle, and by all who loved the delightful wit and clarity of his writings, or enjoyed his fearlessly eccentric persona in public life.

“Patrick is irreplaceable. There will never be another Patrick Moore. But we were lucky enough to get one.”

Speaking at the Sky at Night anniversary party , Sir Patrick said he hoped the stargazing series would continue “indefinitely”.

He said: “I’m absolutely staggered. I never thought when I began doing television shows that I’d be on for another year, let alone 55 years.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be good enough or if the subject matter would hold up. I think I’m exactly the same now as I was when I started. I just haven’t got the voice I once had.” The last programme was broadcast on Monday.

Sir Patrick has only missed one episode since it began in 1957 when he was struck down by food poisoning.

His trademark monocle, unique delivery and occasional performances on the xylophone made him a familiar target for satirists and impressionists, but his scientific credentials were never in doubt.

The show’s guests included prominent scientists as well as Goon Show star Michael Bentine and astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. But the demands of live television led to the occasional blooper, with Sir Patrick famously once swallowing a fly live on air.

Sir Patrick, who had a pacemaker fitted in 2006, received his knighthood in 2001, won a Bafta for services to television and was a member of the Royal Society.

He wrote more than 60 books on astronomy and The Sky At Night has inspired successive generations of stargazers.

Obituary: Sir Patrick Moore, OBE, CBE – born March 4 1923, died December 9 2012

‘In 1982 he wrote a humorous but inflammatory book called Bureaucrats: How to Annoy Them. It advised that imposing a thin layer of candle grease on those parts of a form marked “for official use only” would prevent the recipient from writing anything and probably drive him mad. “Useful when dealing with the Inland Revenue,” said Moore.’

Patrick Moore wrote the book under the pseudonym ‘R.T. Fishall’  (say it out loud)…  Big Smile

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Just In Case You Were Wondering…

  By surreywebmaster | 01/12/2012 - 09:00 | Astronomy, Expat News, In The News, Technology/Computing
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Alien hilltop shut for apocalypse

A FRENCH mountain top thought to house alien spacecraft will be closed to the public on December 21, a date believed by some to be the end of the world.

The Pic de Bugarach, in the Aude, is apparently one of the safe spots to ride out the end of world, as apparently predicted by the end of the Mayan calendar.

The strange shape of the mountain, in the Corbières range, has made it an attention spot for legends, including a belief that it houses aliens living in UFOs, who will be saving those nearby come the end of the world.

Aude prefect Éric Freysselinard has ordered that the 1,230m peak be shut to climbers from December 18 to at least December 22 (should that day arrive).

The mayor of Bugarach, Jean-Pierre Delord, who has campaigned for help with the problem for several years, said the ban would also prevent “all these idiots turning up in sandals walking up a snowy mountain, that we then have to rescue”.

The town authorities have already closed sections of the hillside because climbers were taking stones to sell online, labelled as having special powers.

Stories about the mountain have circulated on the internet, becoming increasingly bizarre, and the authorities have taken steps to avoid any cult-like incidents such as mass suicides.

NASA: THE TRUTH about the END OF THE WORLD on 21 Dec

Boffins tackle Mayan Prophecy

Five NASA scientists took time out yesterday to assure the public that the world will not end on 21 December.

The astroboffins dismissed claims that a rogue planet called Nibiru will smash into the earth in three weeks time, killing us all. The planetary smash-up just before Christmas 2012 was allegedly predicted by the Mayans.

A wave of letters and emails from worried Americans has prompted NASA to pull together some of its top brass in a Google Hangout and make them answer questions from the public.

Doomsday, one possible scenario for 21 December 2012

“This is just manufactured fantasy,” said David Morrison, an astrobiologist from NASA’s Ames Research Center, “but the truth is that many people are worried about it and many of those people do write to NASA.”

In particular I’m concerned about the young people who write to me and say they are terribly afraid, they say they can’t sleep, they can’t eat. Some of them have said they are contemplating suicide.

So while it’s a joke to many people and a mystery to others, there is a core of people who are truly concerned.

NASA has tried to dampen fears about December 2012 several times over the past few years, in 2009 and in 2011, for example, it quelled suggestions the earth would be destroyed by a mega volcano in the last few weeks of 2012.

The brainiacs answered a range of questions from the public, including “Is NASA predicting a total blackout of the earth from the 21st – 23rd December?”

No, said Mitzi Adams, a solar/archaeoastronomer from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. She elaborated:

There’s nothing we know of physically that would allow the Sun to switch off for three days and then switch back on.

As for Nibiru – the legendary planet which the Mayans believed had a “3,600-year-long orbit of the Sun” – smashing us to bits in three weeks’ time, David Morrison of the Ames Centre said:

It makes no sense, because if it was there we could see it. We’d have been tracking it for a decade or so. And by now, it would be the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon. You can dispel this rumour yourself, just go out and look at the sky.

There’s an information page if you need a few more facts

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How to Avoid Paying Traffic Fines in France

  By surreywebmaster | 01/06/2012 - 18:53 | Astronomy, Expat News
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A French couple have been able to get away without paying €23,000 in traffic fines on a legal technicality, writes Johnny Summerton.

It’s one of those absurd but true stories which both defies belief and illustrates how a loophole in the law, even in a country such as France which seems to have so many of them, can be exploited to its full potential.

As reported in the regional daily Nice Matin, a couple in the French city of Cannes have managed to rack up fines for traffic offences amounting to the grand total of just over €23,000.

The infractions date back to July 2010 and so far there have been 70 of them – for speeding, illegal parking, not paying at motorway toll booths…and the list goes on.

Oh yes, and as well as the fines there have also been points deducted for those speeding offences.

But the charges against the couple have been dropped – even though it’s clear they must be the ones committing the offences.

And it’s all because of that loophole in the law which has allowed them to register the car they use in the name of their son.

He is, according to the carte grise or the car registration papers, the legal owner of the car – a Fiat Punto – and as such considered by law to be the driver – unless proven otherwise.

So why not charge him, you might be asking?

Well he’s only four years old and obviously is too young to be held accountable.

And as his parents refused to attend a court hearing, the judge had no option but to drop the charges.

“It’s clearly absurd but that’s the way the law operates,” the judge said in dismissing the case.

“Because the parents didn’t attend the hearing, the only thing I can do it drop the charges. It isn’t sufficient to assume that they were trying to get away with not paying fines, it also has to be proven that they were the ones actually driving”, he concluded.

The law allowing parents to register vehicles in the name of their children was apparently introduced in 1984 and was supposed to allow 16 and 17-year-old learner drivers to have a car.

This posting has been supplied courtesy of www.survivefrance.com where you can follow how this debate went, and contribute to it, at How to Avoid Driving Fines in France – its legal.

How to Avoid Paying Traffic Fines in France

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Yard announces crackdown on criminal gangs

  By surreywebmaster | 09/02/2012 - 10:45 | Astronomy, In The News, Policing - General
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1,000 officers to combat the problem at a cost of £60m a year as gang membership hits 5,000

The number of gang members in London has spiralled to almost 5,000, Scotland Yard revealed yesterday as it announced a multimillion pound crackdown on the people responsible for a huge proportion of violent crime.

Click HERE to view graphic

As raids across the capital brought in almost 160 suspected gang members yesterday, the Metropolitan Police announced that 1,000 officers were going to be dedicated to combating the problem at a cost of more than £60m a year.

Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, in his first major initiative in office, promised to “relentlessly pursue” the most violent members of gangs. “Our gang of seven and a half million has got to be bigger and better than the gangs who roam the streets of London. The hard work now starts,” he said.

The police chief and London Mayor, Boris Johnson, were joined by Ingrid Adams, whose 15-year-old son Negus was murdered last year. “This problem doesn’t just affect the poor, people from broken homes or gang members – it could happen to anyone,” she said,

Police estimate that as many as 4,800 predominantly young men are involved in 435 gangs throughout London. Of these, 250 groups were deemed to be criminally active with 62 responsible for two-thirds of related violence.

Gangs, it was revealed, are responsible for a disproportionate amount of London’s crime – half of all shootings, a fifth of stabbings and one in seven rapes. A quarter of aggravated burglaries are also gang related, as well as 22 per cent of serious violence and almost a fifth of muggings.

The vast majority of gang members are men aged between 18 and 24. While an increasing number of women are taking part, they are still just 5 per cent of those charged with related offences. However, women represent 20 per cent of the victims of gang crime, of whom 53 per cent are black and a fifth white.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley announced that the new unit –which includes officers working for Operation Trident, which investigates gun crime in the black community – would co-ordinate intelligence and operate a more “joined up consistent approach” across the capital.

While many gangs are territorial and stick to certain postcodes, others spread their tentacles wider. Task forces will be set up in 19 problem boroughs, co-ordinated by the central Trident command.

Yesterday, 1,300 police officers and staff were involved in raids across London, with 144 warrants resulting in 158 arrests. A kilo and half of heroin and crack cocaine was also seized, as well as thousands of pounds in cash and firearms.

Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Cundy, head of the new unit, said Trident’s remit had changed significantly since its creation, as the make up of gangs and their targets has dramatically altered. In 2010, the victims came from 53 different countries and a third were under the age of 19.

‘I saw daughter collapse,’ says victim’s mother

The mother of a five-year-old girl paralysed in an alleged gang shooting has described the horror of the moment she saw her daughter collapse.

In a statement to the trial at the Old Bailey, Sharmila Kamales- waran said she saw Thusha crumble “as though her legs were going to give up on her” after being shot while she played inside a south London shop on 29 March last year.

Thomas Watson said he saw a man run into the shop, chased by three masked men, one of whom had a gun. Kazeem Kolawole, 19, Anthony McCalla, 19, and Nath- aniel Grant, 21, all deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent. They have also pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and pos- session of a firearm with intent.

Yard announces crackdown on criminal gangs

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If you thought the moon landings took place on a movie set..

  By surreywebmaster | 07/09/2011 - 12:00 | Astronomy, In The News, Technology/Computing
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NASA video Apollo Landing Sites from satellite

High resolution pictures of the surface of the Moon released by Nasa four decades after the last astronauts touched down on its surface reveal footsteps, landing craters and other evidence of man’s lunar explorations.

The images taken by the US space agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter are the sharpest photographs ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 landing sites.

Images also show where astronauts placed some of the scientific instruments that provided the first insight into the Moon’s environment and interior.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is two years old, took photographs of lunar landing sites from 13 to 15 miles above the Moon’s surface.

The pictures have been released following the closure of Nasa’s 26-year-old space shuttle program which completed its last flight in July.

Moon pictures show traces left by astronauts

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Winter solstice marked by eclipse

  By surreywebmaster | 20/12/2010 - 18:43 | Astronomy
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There will be a total lunar eclipse on Tuesday morning, when the Earth casts a shadow onto the Moon.

On the day of the winter solstice, December 21, the full Moon will start to pass through the cone of Earth’s shadow at 6.32am.

The partial eclipse begins when the Moon first enters the dark inner, umbral part of the Earth’s shadow, and will become a total eclipse at 7.40am.

It will reach its maximum at 8.17am, and end at 8.53am.

From southern parts of the UK, the initial partial phase and the beginning of totality will be visible, but the Moon will be dropping down into the western sky as dawn approaches.

From those locations, when totality begins, the Moon will be very low in the west-north-western sky, close to the horizon and in a rapidly brightening sky.

From locations in Scotland and Northern Ireland, totality will be visible in its entirety, but the Moon will be low down after the time of greatest eclipse.

John Mason, from the British Astronomical Association, said: “Observers should go out at about 6.30am when, if the sky is clear, the Moon will be visible in the western sky, and they will be able to watch as more and more of the southern part of the Moon becomes immersed in the Earth’s shadow.

“They can continue watching until the eclipse becomes total at 7.40am, and hopefully for a little while after this time, if they have an unobstructed western horizon.”

Dr Mason added: “For observers in the British Isles, the very low elevation of the Moon during the total phase means that it is not possible to predict just how dark the Moon will be when it is eclipsed, or what colour it will appear. One will just have to go out and have a look.”

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20101220/tuk-winter-solstice-marked-by-eclipse-6323e80.html

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Nasa scientists braced for ‘solar tsunami’ to hit earth

  By surreywebmaster | 02/08/2010 - 21:28 | Astronomy
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The earth could be hit by a wave of violent space weather as early as Tuesday after a massive explosion of the sun, scientists have warned.

By Andrew Hough
Published: 9:00PM BST 02 Aug 2010                          

The solar fireworks at the weekend were recorded by several satellites, including Nasa’s new Solar Dynamics Observatory which watched its shock wave rippling outwards.

Astronomers from all over the world witnessed the huge flare above a giant sunspot the size of the Earth, which they linked to an even larger eruption across the surface of Sun.The explosion was aimed directly towards Earth, which then sent a “solar tsunami” racing 93 million miles across space.

Images from the SDO hint at a shock wave travelling from the flare into space, the New Scientist reported.

Experts said the wave of supercharged gas will likely reach the Earth on Tuesday, when it will buffet the natural magnetic shield protecting Earth.

It is likely to spark spectacular displays of the aurora or northern and southern lights.

Scientists have warned that a really big solar eruption could destroy satellites and wreck power and communications grids around the globe if it happened today.

Nasa recently warned that Britain could face widespread power blackouts and be left without critical communication signals for long periods of time, after the earth is hit by a once-in-a-generation “space storm”.

The Daily Telegraph disclosed in June that senior space agency scientists believed the Earth will be hit with unprecedented levels of magnetic energy from solar flares after the Sun wakes “from a deep slumber” sometime around 2013.  

It remains unclear, however, how much damage this latest eruption will cause the world’s communication tools.

Dr Lucie Green, of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Surrey, followed the flare-ups using Japan’s orbiting Hinode telescope.

“What wonderful fireworks the Sun has been producing,” the UK solar expert said.

“This was a very rare event – not one, but two almost simultaneous eruptions from different locations on the sun were launched toward the Earth.

“These eruptions occur when immense magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere lose their stability and can no longer be held down by the Sun’s huge gravitational pull. Just like a coiled spring suddenly being released, they erupt into space.”

She added: “It looks like the first eruption was so large that it changed the magnetic fields throughout half the Sun’s visible atmosphere and provided the right conditions for the second eruption.

“Both eruptions could be Earth-directed but may be travelling at different speeds.  

“This means we have a very good chance of seeing major and prolonged effects, such as the northern lights at low latitudes.”A Nasa spokesman was unavailable for comment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7923069/Nasa-scientists-braced-for-solar-tsunami-to-hit-earth.html

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The Stars: July

  By surreywebmaster | 05/07/2010 - 08:49 | Astronomy
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By Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest Monday, 5 July 2010      http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-stars-july-2018294.html

Low down in the south of July’s sky lurks a venomous monster: a mighty cosmic scorpion, riding high in the skies of Mediterranean latitudes. One of the rare constellations that actually resembles its terrestrial counterpart, Scorpius was probably first logged in the Euphrates region around 5,000BC.

How did a scorpion find its way into the sky? It has a lot to do with Orion. The bragging hunter claimed to Artemis – the venerated Greek goddess and Mistress of the Hunt – that he was capable of killing every animal on Earth. But Artemis, who protected her animals, was annoyed by Orion’s posturing and sent him a scorpion which stung Orion on the foot – and the mighty hunter was no more. But Zeus, who had been watching the feud, admired the plucky scorpion and had him raised into the heavens. Artemis compassionately asked Zeus to place Orion up there as well. Both constellations are in our skies, but on opposite sides of the heavens: we see Scorpius in summer, and Orion in winter. This ensures that the scorpion can never bite Orion again.

Scorpius is dominated by baleful-red Antares, the sky’s fifth brightest star. Its name means ‘rival of Mars’. Placed in our Solar System, Antares – 800 times bigger than the Sun – would stretch all the way to the asteroid belt. It’s a cool star on its way out, with a temperature of just 3,500C (as compared to 5,000C for our Sun). But it is 10,000 times brighter than our local star.

You can see the top of the constellation from the UK, but if you’re in the Mediterranean you’ll see Scorpius in all its splendour. At the top right are its three grasping pincers – the stars Acrab, Dschubba and Vrischika. Below lies Antares, the scorpion’s heart. Continue sweeping down the beast’s spine to find two beautiful young ‘open’ star clusters, M6 and M7.

Although they’re so close that you can see them with the unaided eye, through a telescope they are a glorious sight. Now we reach his upturned tail. It consists of two stars: first Shaula, which means ‘raised tail’ in Arabic and, finally, there’s Lesath: Arabic for ‘the bite of a poisonous animal’ – as Orion discovered to his cost.

What’s Up:  There’s a celestial lantern to illuminate your barbecues: brilliant Venus, the ‘Evening Star’, which hangs in the west after sunset and grows brighter during July as this fast-moving planet closes with the Earth on their separate tracks around the Sun. To the left (southwards), you can spot two fainter planets: reddish Mars, and, to the left again, pale-yellow Saturn. Mid-month, the crescent Moonlies beneath each. It’s below Venus on 14 July, Mars on 15 July and Saturn on 16 July.

And if your barbecue carries on after midnight look out for the second brightest planet, Jupiter, which rises in the east after Venus has set in the west. The Moon lies near this mighty planet on 4 July and again on 30 July.

There’s a total eclipse of the Sun at the time of the New Moon on 11 July, but – sad to say – nothing of this event is visible from the UK. You’ll have to be in the South Pacific, French Polynesia, Easter Island or Patagonia to witness this awesome sky sight.

Diary 6: Earth at aphelion (furthest from Sun)

11: 8.40pm New Moon; total solar eclipse (not visible from UK)

18: 11.10am Moon at First Quarter

26: 2.36am Full Moon

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