Satellites

A satellite, possibly a Russian electronic surveillance satellite, flaring reflected sunlight .

"The night sky teems with satellites and bits of old rockets, so much so that its almost impossible to take a sequence of photographic images without one of them showing the tell-tale streak of low orbit astro-debris.  Every now and again sunlight bounces of a tumbling satellite creating a bright flare in the night sky.
 
The bright star in the right corner of the image is Alpha Bootes or Arcturus.  Arcturus is the fourth brightest star in the night sky and the brightest in the Northern hemisphere sky.  Its apparent brightness is a function of its absolute luminosity - approximately 170 times that of the Sun, its large diameter - approximately 25 times that of the Sun and its relative proximity at 36.7 light years.  Arcturus has been shining for the best part of 7 billion years or for about half the life of the Universe. Arcturus has used up its hydrogen, left the 'main sequence' and is a 'red giant'.

Just below and to the right of the flaring satellite, is a 'C' ring of stars known as the 'Northern Crown' or Corona Borealis.  The white and brightest of the stars in Corona Borealis - Alphecca  is an eclipsing binary star".  Kurt Thrust -current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Jupiter and the Galileans

Composite image of Jupiter and the 4 Galilean Moons on the 25th May 2017. Taken with the Meade 127mm Apo Refractor, x3 Televue Barlow lens and the QHY5-11 Planetary Camera

"The four largest moons of Jupiter are known as the Galilean Moons as they were first seen and recognized for what they are, satellites of Jupiter, in 1610 by Galileo Galilei. Galileo was living in Florence when he used his refracting telescope to investigate the Solar System's largest planet - Jupiter.

We have just returned from Florence and whilst there were able to locate the house from which these observations were believed to have been made". Kurt Thrust current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Galileo's House in Florence

Galileo on the Wall -"with a smile that says it all, as he sees the rise and fall of every soldier passing".

Wall plaque commemorating the observation of the Galilean Moons or Medicei Satellites (or Medicei stars) as they were than known

" The night of the 25th of May 2017 was clear and still over our sleepy town of Lowestoft. Kurt was out in the Observatory until 5.00 am the following morning. When he awoke, around about lunch time, I had aleady been hard at work for several hours in the imaging studio, manipulating the Jupiter data set obtained the night before. I am quite pleased with the image which shows a number of cloud top features." Pipp Stakkert Imaging Team Leader at the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The planet Jupiter on the 25th May 2017. Taken with the Meade 127mm Apo Refractor, x3 Televue Barlow lens and the QHY5-11 Planetary Camera

Two nights in May 2017

The planet Saturn in the constellation Ophiucus taken on the 26th May 2017 from the Jodrell Plank Observatory using the Meade 127mm. Apo refractor plus 3x Televue Barlow lens and the QHY5-11 colour planetary camera.

" The ringed planet Saturn will be at opposition, ie. at its nearest point to the earth in their respective orbits around the Sun, on the 15th. June 2017. Unfortunately and for the next few years, Saturn will be very low in the sky as viewed from Lowestoft. Indeed the above image was aquired when Saturn was only 15 degrees above the horizon.  As the Jodrell Plank Observatory does not benefit from a mountain top location, capturing a clear picture was logistically difficult. We tracked the planet as it appeared and disappeared from view between adjoining buildings and the branches of trees. Thankfully our Imaging Team Leader' -  Pipp Stakkert was able to assemble the threads of data to obtain a coherent and relatively sharp image.  Saturn is angled to show its northern hemisphere in 2017, and its rings are inclined at an angle of 26° to our line of sight, which is almost the maximum inclination they can have. The above image shows the outer A ring and inner B ring separated by the dark Cassini Division. A closer inspection reveals a hint of the C ring inside the B ring".
Kurt Thrust - the current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

 

Comet C/2015 V2(Johnson) in the Constellation Bootes on the 27th May 2017. 127mm. Meade Apo Refractor - Altair Astro 0.8x Field Flattener and Focal Reducer - Canon 600d DSLR - guided exposures using the QHY5-11 camera. 5x4minute exposures at ISO 1600 stacked.

"The comet is moving at approximately 28 kilometres a second getting ever closer to the Earth  and the Sun. It is also decreasing in declination heading towards perehelion on the 12th of June 2017. The tail always points away from the Sun and does not indicate its direction of motion - as can be seen in the time lapse animated image below"  Archie Mendes - Astrophysicist Reydon University.

Comet C/2015 V2(Johnson) - showing real motion over approximately one hour.