'Albedo' and the surface geology of the 'Moon's Near-side'

The nearside of the Moon using false colour to show the differences in albedo (reflection of sunlight) .
Image compiled from AVI video files - 66mm Altair Astro Refractor - QHY5-11 colour planetary camera - Credit: Archie Mendes

" The changes in albedo, quite literally reflect the variations in surface geology of the Moon. The  different  mineral content of the highlands (shades of green) and the Maria or Seas (shades of blue and red) is clearly displayed in the above colour enhanced images.

The lunar maria  have a lower albedo and therefore appear darker to the eye than do the highlands. They are generally lower lying and as a result of their younger age are less heavily cratered. The lunar maria cover approximately one third of the nearside and are large basaltic-lava filled plains. The majority of maria lavas formed between 3 and 3.5 billion years ago. A large amount of the maria were formed by lavas erupting in or flowing into very large impact basins. It should be noted that the impact basins are 500 million years older than the lava which fills them. There is therefore, no real evidence that the volcanism was connected to impact events. Oceanus Procellarum, the largest  Mare, does not correspond with any known impact basin.

The maria are predominantly basalt whilst the highlands are anorthosite composed of calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar. Plagioclase feldspar is mainly found in the lunar crust whilst pyroxene and olivine are primarily found in the underlying mantle. . With respect to the highlands, the maria are comprised from basaltic lava with higher abundances of olivine and pyroxene and less plagioclase. With respect to terrestrial lavas, the lunar lavas have lower viscosities and a lower iron content. Some mare lavas contain high levels of titanium (ilmenite)." - George Hammer - Geologist  

Credit: Wikipedia

Catching Crabs

MESSIER 1 the Crab Nebula - Credit Open University COAST Robotic Telescope - telescope.org and the Bradford Robotic Telescope. Combination of data from both telescopes taken several years apart and one using standard RGB filters and one using SHO filters - Credit Pip Stakkert Imaging Team Leader at the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Crop from the above image: Credits:Open University COAST Robotic Telescope - telescope.org, the Bradford Robotic Telescope and  Pip Stakkert Imaging Team Leader at the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

"In 1054 AD, Chinese astronomers noted a bright star in the constellation Taurus the Bull, this was a supernova, a star that having fused its reserves of helium gas under went a cataclysmic gravitational collapse. The resulting mega-explosion created the supernova remnant the Crab Nebula - Messier 1 and a spinning Neutron Star known as a 'Pulsar'. The Crab Nebular is 6500 light Years distant and has an apparent diameter of 7 arc minutes as viewed from the earth. It is expanding at 930 miles per second. The pulsar spins at 30.2 times per second and has a diameter between 17 and 19 miles. The Crab Nebula is too small and dim to be seen with the naked eye but it is said to be visible with the aid of binoculars. I have tried to view it through 11x80mm binoculars from a number of dark locations but with no success.  I have seen it through a number of telescopes.  One of the most spectacular viewings I have enjoyed was through the eyepiece of  Olly Penrice's large reflector at Les Granges in the South of France". - Kurt Thrust -acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Image showing the location of the Pulsar at the heart of the Crab Nebula Credit: Bradford Robotic Telescope and Pip Stakkert.

Credit: Wikipedia

Total Lunar Eclipse 21st January 2019 And 'Wolf' Moon

Partial phase of the eclipse composite image. Still photograph taken with Canon 600D DSLR and Altair Astro Starwave 66mm. refracting telescope mounted on Star Adventurer equatorial mount.

 Composite of two images showing both the colour and illumination of the moon in eclipse and the nearby stars which could be seen because of the reduced reflected light from the moon. 
Very near time of maximum eclipse. Two images with different timed exposures blended together to show background stars as well as colour and illumination affects of the eclipse. Still photographs taken with Canon 600D DSLR and Altair Astro Starwave 66mm. refracting telescope mounted on Star Adventurer equatorial mount.

The air temperature was particularly low and as maximum totality approached cloud and high level atmospheric ice crystals created a halo around the eclipsed moon. Still photographs taken with Canon 600D DSLR and Altair Astro Starwave 66mm. refracting telescope mounted on Star Adventurer equatorial mount.

Maximum Totality.Still photographs taken with Canon 600D DSLR and Altair Astro Starwave 66mm. refracting telescope mounted on Star Adventurer equatorial mount. 

The 'Wolf' Moon rising over Lime Avenue Oulton Broad

The larger than life disc of the full 'Wolf' Moon. Mosaic of two stacked videos taken with a QHY5-11 colour planetary camera and my Altair Astro Starwave 66mm. refracting telescope mounted on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount

 "The whole team were up all night to witness and photograph the grandeur of a total lunar eclipse, sadly, the Jodrell Plank Observatory does not pay its staff overtime rates. They do get free and unlimited hot 'Marmite' drinks after midnight.Take a night off team and credit to all. Special thanks to Pip Stakkert who has spent all day working on the image files after a very long night". Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory

Comet 46P/Wirtanen in the Lynx

Comet 46P/Wirtanen in  the constellation Lynx - 66mm  Altair Asto Starwave refractor with 0.6x focal reducer and field flattener - Canon 600D DSLR on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. Credit: Pip Stakkert

"The night of the 13th and early morning of the 14th of January 2019 presented the best skies over the Jodrell Plank Observatory since early December 2018, so the team was active trying to capture some good images of the Comet46P/Wirtanen as it sailed through the dim constellation 'The Lynx'. Unfortunately, on the night, much of the equipment malfunctioned  and the above image constructed from a stack of salvaged light frames was the best obtained" - Kurt Thrust - acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Detailed crop from the above image

The Sun Voyager Reykjavik

'Sun Voyager Reykjavik with auroral - ribbon'  - image composite two cameras - credit Pip Skakkert and Karl Seguine

Sun Voyager is a sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, located next to the Sæbraut road in Reykjavík, Iceland. Sun Voyager is described as a dreamboat, or an ode to the sun. The artist intended it to convey the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom. - Credit Wikipedia

"Nice bit of outreach work Karl"! - Kurt Thrust - acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Assembling the Observatory's new 3d Printer

Jodrell Plank's new 3d Printer taking shape the Observatory 'clean room'

" Our stalwart Observatory 'Instrumentation Engineer and Associate Astronomer' - Jolene McSquint-Fleming " has been beavering away in the Jodrell Plank Clean Room assembling the new 3d printer which we hope will enable us to create our own connectors, shims and other bits of astro-kit. In particular we hope to develop a more sensitive and versatile spectrometer. The Observatory is totally reliant upon gifts and grants from its sponsors and friends to fund its astronomical activities, staff salaries and premises costs. We would very much like to thank Dr N. Rogers and Prof Henri Roberts for donating the 3d Printer Kit" - Karl Seguine - Jodrell Plank Observatory Community outreach coordinator. 

Iris

Iris Nebula - NGC7023- PIRATE robotic telescope - Open University -Telescope.org - Credit Pip Stakkert

" Image taken with the PIRATE robotic telescope on Mount Teide Tennerife. The photograph was processed in the imaging suite at the Jodrell Plank Observatory by Pip Stakkert. 

NGC7023 or Caldwell4 is a bright reflection nebula 1300 light years distant in the constellation Cepheus. Light from a very bright and blue star HD200775 within a star cluster LBN487 is scattered  and reflected off dust in the shrouding  interstellar cloud from which the cluster was created."  Kurt Thrust - acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Detail of the star cluster LBN487 around HD200775

"The Jodrell Plank Board of Trustees wishes to register its concern regarding the future operation of the Jodrell Plank Observatory after BREXIT.  A large number of the Observatory's technical and professional operatives along with its senior managers are foreign nationals earning salaries significantly below the British Government's threshold for residency. Kurt Thrust the acting CEO and current Director of Operations may be forced to return to Malta and Archie Mendes to Greece. The general level of 'suck-wittery' exhibited at this time by her Majesty's Government and Opposition is totally bewildering to anyone with a modicum of intelligence and education". Ivor Hump - Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

This is what a Telescope looks like without an astronomer Theresa !