Search found 48 matches
- Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:13 am
- Forum: General chat
- Topic: Sir Patrick Moore
- Replies: 53
- Views: 13864
Re: Sir Patrick Moore
I haven't seen it yet, but last night the BBC did a 30 minute tribute programme about Sir Patrick, it's available on BBC iPlayer until Tuesday 18th Dec in the UK. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01psbjf/Sir_Patrick_Moore_Astronomer_Broadcaster_and_Eccentric/ The synopsis reads: A look back at ...
- Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:18 am
- Forum: General chat
- Topic: Sir Patrick Moore
- Replies: 53
- Views: 13864
Re: Sir Patrick Moore
....However the appearances of 'celebs' likes of Brian May and .... I agree with you with some of the others but Dr Brian May, who colaborated in recent years with Sir Patrick, whose PhD is in astrophysics. Yes he was part of one of the most successful bands of the 70s and 80s but that's not the re...
- Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:02 am
- Forum: General chat
- Topic: Sir Patrick Moore
- Replies: 53
- Views: 13864
Re: Sir Patrick Moore
I came on here for the first time in quite a while to post about the passing of Sir Patrick and then I have to read the vitriol in this thread. Whether you liked him or not, now is not the time to spout off in that manner. Any visitors to this site and any budding astronomers would read and be put o...
- Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:15 am
- Forum: General chat
- Topic: stellarium
- Replies: 14
- Views: 3560
- Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:09 am
- Forum: General chat
- Topic: Betelgeuse's nebula ..
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1798
The only worrying thing is that when it does explode, anywhere between today and the next couple of million years, the amount of cosmic radiation that will head our way could be quite devastating is considering its relative closeness to us. Whether it be a threat to the biology of Earth is one thing...
- Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:39 am
- Forum: Light pollution
- Topic: Legislation regarding street lighting
- Replies: 1
- Views: 3798
Legislation regarding street lighting
I was wondering whether anyone would be able to point me in the direction of any legislation that covers street lighting that spills onto private property? I am in dialogue with my local councillor who is rather helpful but unfortunately he has been stone-walled by Hertfordshire County Council, who ...
- Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:23 am
- Forum: Telescopes and instruments
- Topic: New telescope help
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2136
- Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:19 am
- Forum: Telescopes and instruments
- Topic: New telescope help
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2136
Thanks everyone for your help. I fully understand that in the case of Dobs one can have a larger mirror than a Newtonian for the same cost but the mount is quite off putting; and as I suspected, not suitable for imaging unless motorised. I did see the scope that Colin is selling, and whilst it looks...
- Mon Jun 06, 2011 3:43 pm
- Forum: Telescopes and instruments
- Topic: New telescope help
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2136
- Mon Jun 06, 2011 9:25 am
- Forum: Telescopes and instruments
- Topic: New telescope help
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2136
New telescope help
It's been a while since my last post, so here's an extra long one... It's about time I had a new scope, the 3" reflector that I've been using up until now has served it's purpose and now I want to got to the next level of viewing. The 3" scope was excellent for a beginner and gave stunning...
- Thu Jan 28, 2010 11:12 am
- Forum: Astrophysics
- Topic: Travelling at speed of light
- Replies: 5
- Views: 3064
It's calculated by using the Lorrentz transformation: T(Earth) = T(Rocket) / [sqr root(1 - [V(Rocket)/V(Light)]^2)] However if V(Rocket) was impossibly going at the speed of light, the equation would return infinity. So if the rocket travelled at 99% of c, then T(Earth) would be about 7 times that o...
- Fri Jan 15, 2010 9:43 am
- Forum: Astrophysics
- Topic: Solar eclipses
- Replies: 0
- Views: 1525
Solar eclipses
Today there was an annular eclipse, for quite a while now I would like to learn more about how eclipses are calculated. I know that the Saros series allows when they are calculated within a cycle with a period of 18.3 years and that after each of those cycles the path of the moon's shadow slowly mov...
- Tue Jan 05, 2010 10:11 am
- Forum: Space exploration
- Topic: Nasa's Kepler planet-hunter detects five worlds
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1560
Nasa's Kepler planet-hunter detects five worlds
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8440392.stm Nasa's Kepler Space Telescope has detected its first five exoplanets, or planets beyond our Solar System. The observatory, which was launched last year to find other Earths, made the discoveries in its first few weeks of science operations. Althou...
- Tue Jan 05, 2010 9:30 am
- Forum: General chat
- Topic: The Case For Pluto
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1717
From what I think I read somewhere I gather most of the delegates had gone home when the IAU got round to considering Pluto (?) Yes that is true according to the book, also at the time some members tried to cobble together a sub-clause and the whole thing got over complicated. For what it's worth, ...
- Mon Jan 04, 2010 9:47 am
- Forum: General chat
- Topic: The Case For Pluto
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1717
The Case For Pluto
I received this book (title in subject line) at Christmas and I can very much recommend this quite enjoyable read. The author, Alan Boyle, mentions in the forward that like a number of astonomers he too agreed that Pluto should be relegated without giving it much thought. It was after sitting down a...