astroman
28-Feb-09, 12:34
Thankfully the weather was kind to us last night, allowing some observing to take place. It was delightful to see a good turnout being rewarded with clear skies.
With the cloud breaking as it did after a day of lousy weather we were treated to breathtaking views of the night sky. With clear skies and a variety of telescopes on hand there was lots to see. Early on we were treated to views of the crescent Moon and Venus showing a similar crescent phase. Then with the sky darkening the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula and the Milky Way started to become visible. By the end we had seen stars & star clusters galore, galaxies, a planet almost without its familiar rings, a passing comet, an iridium flare and a shooting star or two. Let's hope for more of this at future events!
Below are a couple of photos taken at the event:
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj138/astroman_caithness/MikeTalkCastletownFeb09a.jpg
Mike Lunan in full flow giving a tour of what can be seen in the night sky
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj138/astroman_caithness/OldRefractorOrion1.jpg
A handmade telescope in use at the event, with the constellation Orion in the background.
If you're interested in attending future Caithness Astronomy Group events celebrating the International Year of Astronomy then details can be found here -
http://www.caithness.org/nightsky/A4%20IYA%20Event%20Flyer%20for%20Web.pdf
With the cloud breaking as it did after a day of lousy weather we were treated to breathtaking views of the night sky. With clear skies and a variety of telescopes on hand there was lots to see. Early on we were treated to views of the crescent Moon and Venus showing a similar crescent phase. Then with the sky darkening the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula and the Milky Way started to become visible. By the end we had seen stars & star clusters galore, galaxies, a planet almost without its familiar rings, a passing comet, an iridium flare and a shooting star or two. Let's hope for more of this at future events!
Below are a couple of photos taken at the event:
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj138/astroman_caithness/MikeTalkCastletownFeb09a.jpg
Mike Lunan in full flow giving a tour of what can be seen in the night sky
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj138/astroman_caithness/OldRefractorOrion1.jpg
A handmade telescope in use at the event, with the constellation Orion in the background.
If you're interested in attending future Caithness Astronomy Group events celebrating the International Year of Astronomy then details can be found here -
http://www.caithness.org/nightsky/A4%20IYA%20Event%20Flyer%20for%20Web.pdf