These are the views from our house in Winford this morning (click on the pics for bigger versions):

The back garden probably best shows the scene, but here’s one of the front too.

Thank goodness I have a colour camera eh?

As this doesn’t apply to me, he must have sent it to the wrong Dad

Date: 20/11/2008

Credit: RNLI/Michael Satterthwaite

Merry Christmas!

Next year is the International Year of Astronomy and the Vectis Astronomical Society are intending to join the rest of the astronomy world by holding events throughout 2009.

As well as pavement astronomy, we are hoping to join together with other interest groups around the Island and provide talks and general sky watching.

Planning is at a very early stage but if you are holding any events on the Island during 2009, and are interested in having astronomy equipment brought to you, please drop me an email or a comment on this blog and I’ll start the ball rolling.

I’ll be posting details of planned Island events here as well as on the VAS website but if you are on the mainland and would like to find out what’s going on in your area please visit the UK IYA website.

Please remember though, NEVER look directly at the Sun. Direct observation either with or without optical aid is to be avoided unless correct filters are used. Instead project the Sun’s image through a pair of binoculars or a telescope onto a sheet of white card at the focal point. Observation of the projected image is therefore perfectly safe.

1. A partial solar eclipse will be visible on Friday, 1st August. About 25% of the Sun will be hidden between about 10:00 – 10:30 BST. However, you probably won’t be able to notice any difference in the amount of daylight.
2. The Perseid meteor shower is due to peak between 11-12th August. There should be increasing activity towards dawn on the 12th, and as the waxing gibbous moon sets at about 23:20 on August 11, an early morning vigil may be called for. During this time, a meteor a minute may be seen coming from the direction of Perseus (just below Cassiopeia).
   The Perseid meteors are produced by debris from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Incoming meteoroids can be travelling as fast as 60 km/s as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere.

   

3. On the 16th August, there will be a partial eclipse of the Moon which is perfectly safe to observe directly. The eclipse starts at 20:43 with the moon just above the horizon in the east-south-east. Mid-eclipse, when a little over 81% of the Moon is immersed in the Earth’s shadow, is at 22:10 with the Moon lying only 12° above the south east horizon. Partiality ends at 23:45 and throughout the eclipse the Moon’s north polar regions remain outside of the Earth’s shadow and appear dazzlingly white in contrast to the eclipsed portion.

Yet again, Christmas is almost upon us.

Since we decided to stop sending so many cards and instead to support the RNLI lifeboat crews with the money, it’s this time of year that I’m reminded about the fantastic work they do. In order to raise extra funds the RNLI have arranged an SOS day on 25th January 2008 so if you can spare some time or a few quid, please look out for events near you on that day and make a special effort to get along to one.

Even if you can’t attend an event, feel free to donate to the cause here.

For those who don’t know, Sue and I stopped sending Christmas cards a few years ago. We felt that there were better ways to spend the money and have made an annual donation to the RNLI ever since. Feel free to join the cause! we won’t be offended if we don’t get a card from you!