A Merry and Starry Christmas

"A very Merry Christmas from all the staff at the Jodrell Plank Observatory. Lets hope 2020 brings lots of clear transparent nights, new comets and an excellent Mars opposition. We hope to 'capture' them all for your stargazing delight". Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Transit of Mercury 11-11-2019

Mercury can be seen against the Sun's corona centre right
The above image created from the SDO 'Sun Today' (171 angstroms filter) image by Pip Stakkert
Credit "Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams."

Mercury's tiny silhouette can be seen against the Sun's corona at the left edge of the disc
The above composite filter image created from the SDO 'Sun Today' images by Pip Stakkert
Credit "Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams."

 

Mercury can be seen against the Sun's chromosphere centre bottom, active prominence visible on the limb above
The above image created from the SDO 'Sun Today' (304 angstroms filter) image by Pip Stakkert
Credit "Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams."

The above image created from the SDO 'Sun Today' (composite 171,211 and 304 angstrom filters) by Pip Stakkert
Credit "Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams."

NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory

Screen grab from the Slooh Internet Site live broadcast
Credit: Slooh.com. Solar Scope Canary Islands

Canon 600d DSLR with a 66mm Altair Astro Lightwave telescope with white light solar filter plus x 2.5 Barlow lens acting as a composite telescopic lens the whole arrangement hand held. Single 1/640 sec exposure at ISO 400.

" On the 11th November 2019, the weather at the Jodrell Plank Observatory was truly appalling. Grey clouds from horizon to horizon and intermittent rain like 'stair rods'. I made the strategic decision to have Karl Seguine monitor the data downloads from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory whilst I kept an eye on the local weather conditions in case there was a break in the clouds. Just before sunset the weather began to improve and at the last moment I climbed to the highest vantage point at the observatory and managed to capture a few images of Mercury more or less in the centre of the Sun's disc". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The last Swan of Summer

The Nebulosity around Alpha Cygni aka Deneb - Canon 600d DSLR with EOS 90-300mm zoom lens mounted on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. A stack of 30x60 sec lights at ISO 800

"The team took advantage of an almost clear night to capture a last chance image of the star clouds in and around Deneb" Not the best of images but Pip Stakkert is going a bit 'bonkers' as a result of the bad weather enforced stargazing lay off" - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Ring around the Moon

'Ring around the Moon' - Canon compact camera - View last night over the Jodrell Plank Observatory

"For some while, the weather over Lowestoft has been very unsuitable for astronomy. Last night we had some rain, lots of cloud and a few moments during which we could see the full moon over the Observatory. We noticed that there was a ring or halo around the moon! A ring is an optical artefact created as sunlight, reflected from the Moon's surface, is reflected and refracted by thin clouds of tiny ice crystals that sometime form in the Earth's upper atmosphere.  Each tiny ice crystal acts like a miniature optical lens. The crystals have a similar elongated hexagonal shape and light entering through one face and exiting via another is refracted by 22 degrees which corresponds to the diameter of the outer ring or halo in the above image" - Karl Seguine - Jodrell Plank Observatory Community outreach coordinator.

'Early Heads Up - As observable from most of the Northern Hemisphere, the innermost planet Mercury will be seen to transit the face of the Sun on the 11th November 2019.  

As seen from the UK, the transit will commence at 12:35 UT when the Sun's altitude will be 19 degrees. Mercury's very small black dot reaches greatest transit at approximately 15:19 UT when the Sun's altitude will be only 7 degrees. The transit will be ongoing after sunset as viewed from the UK.

Caution: NEVER observe or image the Sun with the naked eye or any unfiltered optical instrument. If you wish to witness this event contact your local amateur astronomy association or club who will be happy to help you undertake this safely.

Is the Great Red Spot unravelling?

A crop from Juno Image 7228 - Credit NASA JUNO - taken on the 12th Of September 2019 at 03:39:56 UT when the space craft was at Altitude 42965.2  km, Longitude 314.8963 and Latitude -46.6062. Credit for image processing: Jodrell Plank Observatory Imaging Team Leader Pip Stakkert

"The Great Red Spot has been a constant feature of the turbulent weather system on Jupiter for many centuries. The GRS has been getting smaller for a number of years and this summer the 'shrinking' gained momentum. Close inspection of the above enlarged image reveals 'rivers' of dark material 'leaking' from the  edge of the GRS into the surrounding belts and zones. The affect mimics an 'unravelling' at the interface between the 'Spot' and it's surroundings. Will the GRS continue to shrink? Will the the GRS disappear altogether? If so will another similar storm grow to replace it in size, colour and longevity? We can only guess, watch and wonder but how sad will it be if this old friend departs from the Jovian atmosphere, it's like never to be seen again?" - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Stars and a comet

Comet W2 AFRICANO in the constellation Andromeda - Altair Astro Lightwave 66mm. Doublet Refractor with 0.6x focal reducer and field flattener and Canon 600d DSLR all on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. Crop of a stack of 15x60sec lights at ISO1600. Credit: Kurt Thrust

The blue-white supergiant star alpha cygni otherwise known as Deneb.This star forms one of the vertices of the 'Summer Triangle' asterism. Altair Astro Lightwave 66mm. Doublet Refractor with 0.6x focal reducer and field flattener and Canon 600d DSLR all on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. Crop of a stack of 40x60sec lights at ISO1600. Credit: Pip Stakkert.

" We have been trying to spot and image Comet W2 AFRICANO for some time without any success. With the Moon a late riser on Saturday night, we managed to capture it in the constellation Andromeda close to the bright stars delta and epsilon Andromeda. The comet is moving south quite quickly through Andromeda towards the constellation Pisces. This faint comet is showing a coma and a short tail".
- Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

"Deneb is a spectacular star. It is very bright, very large and  very distant from our Solar System at 2,600 light years. Deneb has a mass approximately 19 times that of the Sun. It has such a large size that if it was to replace our Sun its outer surface would reach as far as the orbit of Earth". 
- Archie Mendes - visiting theoretical astronomer at the Jodrell Plank Observatory - Reydon University - 'School of Computer Modelling and Difficult Sums' 

" We are saddened to report that our friend and colleague Archie Mendes has been refused permanent UK residency. He will be missed at the Jodrell Plank Observatory. We will not see his like, wit and intelligence again, certainly not locally!". 
- Ivor Hump Chair of the Jodrell Plank Observatory Board of Trustees. 

Downloads from the Juno Satellite orbiting Jupiter

A crop from Juno Image 7425 taken on the 12th Of September 2019 at 03:39:56 UT when the space craft was at altitude 8097.9 km, Longitude 322.4213 and Latitude 25.9796. Credit for image processing: Jodrell Plank Observatory Imaging Team Leader Pip Stakkert

Io shown in front of Juno image of Io's shadow transit. Credit for Io image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona. Credit for mage processing: Jodrell Plank Observatory Community outreach coordinator – Karl Seguine.

" Today the whole team spent a very happy afternoon in the 'Observatory Media Studio'. After a couple hours of jolly political banter we put together the above images from data downloads from the Juno Spacecraft.

The images show a shadow transit of the innermost moon Io across the cloud tops of the planet Jupiter. IA shadow transit of Io doesn't happen everyday but it is far from a rare event. What is special is that Juno was in the right location to photograph the event.

Our sponsors Anita and George witnessed and imaged a shadow transit of Io and Ganymede back in 2014. They witnessed and imaged it from a distance of 588 million km whereas Juno imaged it from 8,000 km".
- Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory

Link:https://george-artcabinedujardin.blogspot.com/2014/03/double-shadow-transit.html

Demonstration of the Rotation of the Earth

Comet the Cat, Mr Shrodinger's Roof and the Stars in and around the 'celestial north pole'. Polaris is the bright star to the right and above the TV aerial 

"Last night we tested Jolene's latest 'dew zapper' by undertaking an automated two hour long imaging run, The Canon 600d DSLR was tripod mounted and aimed North in the direction of our neighbour Mr. Shrodinger's house. The camera was programmed to take 15 second exposures at ISO 800 with an interval of one minute between each exposure. The relative humidity and temperature at the Observatory was recorded as 85% and 11 degrees Celsius respectively. When the camera lens was inspected after 2 hours of operation there was no sign of condensation. The dew zapper (and electrical battery) had exceeded their calculated design performance parameters.
Pip Stakkert spent some time today in the 'Observatory Media Studio' making a time-lapse film from the 'still images' obtained over night. The film demonstrates the rotation of the Earth and the principle of relativity. With our feet firmly anchored in the dirt our frame of reference is provided by the Earth, so when the Earth rotates we perceive the stars as rotating about the Earth's axis of rotation." - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Star Trails around Polaris - Credit: Kurt Thrust

Stars, planets and moons

A small square of sky at the border between the constellations Perseus and Camelopardalis seemingly devoid of stars when viewed with the naked eye, but when imaged with a DSLR it becomes festooned with starlight.

“Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

" Each one of the coloured dots in this image is a star, a large ball of gas similar to our Sun at the centre of which, nuclear fusion is taking place. These stars are of differing sizes and at different distances from our Solar System. All are light years  distant and light years are measurements of distance that are 'mind bogglingly large'. Some of these stars are close together and are bound by gravity whilst some only appear to be close, being in the same area of sky but at vastly different distances. I cannot imagine how many planets and moons these stars may support. Do any of them host life of some kind or another and will we ever get to find out? It is all rather mind boggling and simultaneously wonderful. 

Tonight we have been testing the 'dew zappers' made by Jolene and whilst doing so I could not get out of my mind the vastness of the Universe"

- Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory.

'Play misty for me'

200 Ohm resistors wired in parallel

A band of 12 resistors wired in parallel forming the heater for the Altair Astro Lightwave telescope's objective lens - battery connectors also wired in parallel for two 9 volt batteries.

Completed 'dew zapper' added to the EFS 18-55mm. zoom lens for a trial imaging run

 

Completed heater for the Altair Astro Lightwave telescope.

" Jolene McSquint-Fleming, the Jodrell Plank Observatory's 'Instrumentation Engineer' has been 'working her electrically insulating cotton socks off' constructing light weight battery operated 'dew zapping' lens heaters for a number of bits of glass in constant use at the Observatory.  With relative humidity readings in excess of 80% being regularly recorded here on the UK's East Coast, the existing thermal insulation around camera and telescope lenses has been unable to keep dew at bay for longer than an hour before condensation has prevented clear sharp images from being obtained. Jolene has now completed two heaters; one to fit a standard  Canon EFS 18-55mm. zoom camera lens and one to be used with the Observatory's Altair Astro 66mm. Lightwave telescope. She is currently working on another three. Many thanks to Alan Sheehan B.E and IceInSpace for the invaluable 'Dew Zapper' design Excel Spreadsheet"  -  Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory

A stack of trial images taken with a Canon 600d DSLR and an EFS 18-55mm. zoom camera lens using the in-house fabricated 'dew zapper'

" I was pleased that the 'dew zapper' worked effectively for over 2 hours" - Jolene McSquint-Fleming

Open ClusterTombaugh 5

Open Cluster Tombaugh 5 and yellow giant star Gamma Persei - 66mm. Altair Astro Refractor - 0.6x focal reducer and field flattener - Canon 600d DSLR - 20x60sec lights at ISO1600 - on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount - Credit Kurt Thrust

"Searching for Comet W2 (AFRICANO) to no avail. It is obviously quite faint and with the Moon now waxing over the Jodrell Plank Observatory our success is far from guaranteed." - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Perseus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda - Canon 400d DSLR at f=18mm - 10x30secs at ISO1600 on a fixed tripod - Credit Pip Stakkert

" Much to our embarrassment we noticed that we had confused open cluster NGC 1502 with open cluster Tombaugh 5. Kemble's Cascade although in the same constellation is some way away. We have adjusted this post accordingly. We pride ourselves with running a blame free culture at the Jodrell Plank Observatory but I can assure you heads will roll . " - Ivor Hump - Chair of the Jodrell Plank Observatory Board of Trustees.  

NGC 7331 and the Deerlick Group revisted

NGC 7331 and the Deerlick Group - COAST Robotic Telescope - telescope.org- The  Open University- credit Pip Stakkert

" With the constellation Pegasus riding high in the Northern Hemisphere sky we thought it would be churlish not to revisit this interesting group of galaxies. The above image was taken last month with the COAST Robotic Telescope on Mount Teide, Tenerife. For a more in depth look at these galaxies follow the link to our previous post. If you live in a rural area with particularly dark sky conditions you may be able to see NGC 7331 with large binoculars or a small telescope". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory.

https://jodrellplankobservatory.blogspot.com/search?q=Deerlick+Group

Credit : Sky Map Pro 9

'Cloud dodging' in the early hours - Perseids 2019

The early hours of the 13th of August 2019 -
A Perseid meteor close to the radiant dodges between the clouds
- Dual Camera Meteor Rig - Credit: Pip Stakkert.

Wide sky image - Perseid meteor in the Constellation Pegasus
 - Note the Andromeda Galaxy - the elongated patch of nebulosity centre left in the image
 - Dual Camera Meteor Rig - stack of 20x30sec lights at ISO 1600 - Credit: Kurt Thrust.

Two Perseid meteors in this composite image - tracked back to determine the approximate position of the radiant - Dual Camera Meteor Rig - Credit: - Archie Mendes

A sporadic meteor shoots across the the 'W' asterism of the Constellation Cassiopeia - Dual Camera Meteor Rig - Credit Pip Stakkert.

 " The weather forecast for the night of the 12th and the early hours of the morning on the 13th August 2019 was poor to say the least. I put all the Observatory staff on standby but was not very hopeful about seeing, let alone imaging, meteors. In the event, things turned out better than any of us expected.

High winds, fast moving clouds, high levels of humidity and moonlight all conspired to present the team with a number of challenges. The moonlight illuminated the clouds and made photography quite difficult. We did see more meteors than we imaged  but that said, the number spotted this year was quite disappointing. The majority were seen after 2:30am. BST and one or two of these were quite bright. The Perseids are fast moving meteors and can be quite spectacular. One very bright meteor flew fast and directly over the Observatory, sadly we were unable to photograph this fireball! 

At midnight, we measured the relative air humidity in the Observatory grounds and it was +80% saturated. In the early hours we fought a losing battle in preventing condensate forming on the lenses of our two imaging cameras. I have asked our instrumentation engineer - Jolene McSquint- Fleming - to manufacture a pair of matching battery operated lens heaters -(known in astro-circles as 'Dew Zappers'). She is on the case and will hopefully have the issue 'sorted' before the 'Leonid Shower' in November.

" Comet the Observatory cat was out and about all night, sitting on the Observatory roof and mewing at the Moon. " - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Predicted time of the visual Perseid Maximum - early hours of the 13th August 2019

A 2019 Perseid having its moment of glory close to the 'w' asterism of the constellation Cassiopeia. Canon 400d DSLR EFS 18-55mm lens at f=18mm. all mounted on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. Credit: Pip Stakkert.

"This Perseid meteor was imaged in the early hours of the 11th of August. The weather tonight over Lowestoft is not promising. Rainfall is predicted for 23:00 BST and intermittent cloud from midnight. 'The Jodrell Plank Observatory Meteor Rig' will be set up by Jolene after the rain stops and hopefully we may capture a Perseid or two in between the clouds. The Jodrell Plank Observatory Team and Comet the Observatory cat are on standby hoping for a break in the cloud cover. 

The LVST has been 'pinging away' all day and earlier this morning the rate of radar reflections received at the JPO, appeared to be as high as one per minute".-Kurt Thrust - acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Little Dumbell, Butterfly or Corkscrew Planetary Nebula - Messier 76

Messier 76 the Little Dumbell Planetary Nebula COAST Robotic Telescope - Open University - telescope.org -SHO filters (Sulphur Hydrogen Oxygen) - 13th July 2019. - Pip Stakkert.

" A planetary nebula has nothing to do with planets. A planetary nebula is the name given to an expanding shell of gas around an ageing star. It is thought that one day, in the far future, this fate awaits our Sun when it begins to run out of hydrogen fuel and leaves the main sequence. 

Messier 76 is some 2500 light years distant from Earth in the constellation Perseus and just over one light year across. It is quite faint, having an apparent magnitude of 10.1 and quite small, so difficult to find and see through a small telescope. The above image was taken through SHO filters so the the colours are false. The colour red indicates ionized sulphur gas, green indicates ionized hydrogen and blue indicates ionized oxygen" -  Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

NGC 6960 - The Western Veil Nebula

NGC 6960 The Western Veil Nebula COAST Robotic Telescope - Open University - telescope.org -SHO filters (Sulphur Hydrogen Oxygen) - 3rd August 2019. - Pip Stakkert.

" The Veil Nebula, located in the constellation Cygnus, is an interesting telescopic target. The veil nebula or NGC 6960  is the shock wave from a supernova which occurred some 10,000 years ago. This shock wave is ploughing through the interstellar medium. Ionised hydrogen and oxygen can be seen glowing green and blue respectively in the above image. Red indicates the presence of ionised sulphur. The bright star is 52 Cygni and although it appears linked to the nebula it has nothing to do with the original supernova"  - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Messier 51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy

The Messier 51 Group -  M51A or NGC 5194 - interacting grand design spiral galaxy - and dwarf galaxy M 51B or NGC 5195- in the Constellation Canes Venatici  - COAST Robotic Telescope -telescope.org -Open University - credit: Pip Stakkert. 

" Two galaxies Messier 51A and the smaller NGC 5195 are interacting gravitationally and as a result creating star formation in the core area of M51. Both galaxies are estimated to be 25 million light years distant from Earth. The accentuated spiral structure of the Whirlpool Galaxy is thought to be the result of direct interaction between it and its companion galaxy NGC 5195, which may have passed through the main disk of Messier 51 about 500 - 600 million years ago. In this hypothesis, NGC 5195 came from behind Messier 51 through the disk towards the observer and made another  crossing as recently as 50 - 100 million years ago.  Currently, NGC 5195 is believed to be slightly behind Messier 51. A number of supernovae have been observed in M51." - Kurt Thrust - acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Credit : Wikipedia

Meteor Rig fully operational

" Simultaneously captured by the Canon 600D and 400D DSLRs with matching EFS 18-55 mm. lenses, this very bright meteor flashed across the sky in the early hours of the 30th of July 2019. Weather and moonlight permitting, here at the Jodrell Plank Observatory, we are now ready for the Perseid Meteor Shower 2019. " - Jolene McSquint Fleming Instrumentation Engineer and Associate Astronomer at the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Oh those summer nights!

Alpha Capricornid or Delta Aquarid Meteor seen against the summer Milky Way Canon 600D DSLR - EFS 18-55mm lens at f=18mm on a Star Adventurer mount. 50 x 30sec lights at ISO1600

The Milky way sure is dusty!

Combination of images taken with  a QHY5-11 planetary camera and a Canon 600D DSLR both using an Altair Astro 66mm Doublet refractor on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount.

"Tell me more tell me more" - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory

New Meteor Rig

Jolene McSquint-Fleming our instrumentation engineer has been
working hard in the 'clean room' building a dual camera 'Meteor Rig'

" It will not be long before the Perseid Meteor Shower 2019 will be lighting up the skies over the Jodrell Plank Observatory. Jolene has been hard at work building a new rig to enable more of the night sky to be imaged simultaneously. We are currently awaiting the delivery of a matching 18-55mm Canon EFS lens but we have already been testing the rig using lenses that we have to hand. We have captured images of Capricornid Meteors and inadvertently the bright trail of the International Space Station when it flew over Lowestoft" - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

How low can you get?

"This year Jupiter and Saturn are so low from our latitude that we can get only our tiny 66mm Altair Astro refractor to track them across the sky. For a challenge, we decided to try and obtain images of Jupiter and Saturn using this little scope. The above composite image was compiled by Pip Stakkert using the Canon 600D DSLR and the QHY-11 planetary camera. The red spot, the two equatorial bands and three of the Galilean Moons are easily seen and a tiny Saturn with a number of its moons can be viewed under the dark line of Mr Schrodinger's television aerial" - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Summer Milky Way and Saturn over the Jodrell Plank Observatory

"Whilst most of the United Kingdom has been enjoying hot warm weather, Lowestoft has been sitting under a blanket of cloud. This last weekend, the weather took a turn for the better and we enjoyed two nights of warm clear skies.


"The planets Saturn and Jupiter were shining brightly very low in the South as viewed from the Jodrell Plank Observatory. At our latitude and in May, June and July, the night sky never gets properly dark. Imaging activity is therefore at a minimum over the summer period. 

This year, with Saturn and Jupiter so low and barely rising above our neighbour's roofs, planetary imaging using the large refractor is not possible. Our imager in chief, Pip Stakkert, being at a loose end, decided to take this image of the southern Milky Way using a Canon 600D DSLR mounted on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. 

Saturn can be seen in this summer sky portrait nestling between the two roofs and dimmed by the light pollution which unfortunately hugs the horizon". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The LVST goes live with Perseid Meteor Shower Data from 2016!

When a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere it acquires energy due to formation of a shock wave and creates a trail of ionised gas or plasma. The plasma reflects radar signals. 

"The LVST makes use of the 'back and forward scatter' of radio waves broadcast by the GRAVES radar transmitter which operates at 143.05 MHz and is located near Dijon in the South of France .  Please explore the data on the following pages which the Jodrell Plank Team hope to build upon over the coming years. Meteors have shaped our planet and created the opportunity for our mammal ancestors to exploit. Without the intervention of the Chicxulub Meteor, 66 million years ago, we would not have evolved and the dinosaurs would still be in charge"!  Jodrell Plank Community outreach coordinator – Karl Seguine 

"Are you sure they aren't still in charge" - Kurt Thrust -acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory

Having mashed up and crunched the numbers, right or wrong, interesting insights into the strengths and weaknesses of statistical analysis and  the 2016 Perseid meteor shower have been gained. 
If you are interested please click the link here:

2016 Perseid Shower Statistics

or click on the permanent link on the vertical navigation bar under the Total Page Views, which will take you to the LVST Home Page.