Wasn't really expecting to see too many meteors last night as it was forecast to be very cloudy whichever direction you were going to look.

However, the moon did look good when viewed through the occasional break in the clouds 

The last full moon of the year, the so called Cold Moon is looking very bright but not seen any meteors so far. 

That's some kind of ice halo, probably part of a 22 degree circle

Les Cowley is a world expert on this stuff. His website documents dozens of types of atmospheric optical effects
I've seen quite a few of them. Using polarised spectacles seems to enhance them, as they cut out the glare
The Moon & even Venus can also produce some of these effects - long exposure photography can pick them out

They're caused by internal reflections within ice crystals - hexagonal prisms, some longer, some flatter, depends on precise weather conditions
Different patterns arise from reflections from 2, 3, 4 faces in various ways
Primary & secondary rainbow (& moonbow) and sundogs (& moondogs) are just the more common examples
Other effects are caused by diffraction - you can often see hints of red & blue in high clouds near the sun (take care)

Check out his website - it's fascinating !

https://www.atoptics.co.uk/halosim.htm

Mars is very prominent in the South Eastern sky just now, looking bigger and brighter than I have ever seen it, a supporting cast of Saturn due South and Jupiter to the South West makes it quite memorable. Id love to share it with the family but they are all in bed asleep!

Cheers,

Mike P.

By chance I just had good views of the international space station heading NE shortly after 10.30 for about 4 minutes .

If anyone is interested the transit of Mercury is still happening (18.30). Looks like a small round sunspot at 12 o'clock on the sun's disc. Dont look directly, of course, but project onto white card.

Cheers John

Hi Sid,
I confess to being another insomniac as well; though I didn't stay up too long.
I checked on things at 2.15 and the full moon was dazzlingly bright in the southern sky, illuminating the interior of the house. The local tawny owls were particularly vocal.
When I got up again at 4.10 it was ominously dark, but for the right reason; - it wasn't cloudy at all, it was because the moon was in full eclipse; and yes, - it was red enough to remind one of Mars. It only struck me as marginally bigger than usual though.

As the moon very slowly passed out of full alignment the interesting bit started; - a thin crescent of light started to form on the left side of the moon and it was then possible to increasingly assess the edge of the Earth's shadow and its curvature, as if projected onto a screen (i.e. the moon being the screen); - a bit like a tennis ball passing a golf ball all in torch light.
Bearing in mind that the Earth's diameter is about 31/2 times that of the moon, Earth must truly have looked stunning for the first moon landers looking back at it.I watched it until 4.53 when the moon was about half obscured and the light was again quite bright.
I heard not a sound from the tawny owls during the eclipse; - they obviously didn't consider it much of a hoot?

-This morning the BBC excelled themselves. I'm quite used to TV announcers mixing up billions with millions, but this morning they surely took the biscuit. They interviewed several enthusiasts who had been up photographing events, then with no one to correct them, the BBC reprter twice explained that the moon appeared bigger because it was "30,000 TIMES nearer to Earth than usual" (instead of 30,000 kms nearer).
Bless their cotton socks.

12 August 11.20 - 11.50

Great show from the Perseids last night, some extremely bright. Watched well before the maximum peak, and with strong Manchester light pollution to the north, nevertheless saw 8 in 30 minutes. Also 2 satellites passed over.

Cheers, John

It's currently over the mid Atlantic!

Saturn showing well tonight in the south. Can even just make out one of the moons, Titan I think.

Cheers John.

The International Space Station showed really well last night and tonight looks promisingly clear. Passes over at 21.50 from west to south. Even managed to track it in the scope last night despite it travelling at 5 miles a second

Cheers John

excellent view of jupiter and 4 moons tonight, equitorial bands clearly visibal using my standard nikon scope, easy to find just up and right of the moon.

Cheers for the one-up on this guys. Had the Leica APO 77 out last night & Jupiter, the 4 moons and even the equatorial bands were clear. All helped by it being a crisp clear night in Cheshire. Can see why the stars near the moons caused a bit of confusion (that's near in the scope view - not in reality of course!!).

Martyn,
If you download the Stellarium app you should get clear pictures of the moons around Jupiter at any prescibed time.
I found this a big help when I viewed with my Diascope. Conditions were too hazy here recently.
As mentioned on this thread, Bolton Astronomical Socity meet at Ladybridge every month and have a very big(400mm) Telescope. which can look into deep space!

Hi Martin, the main four moons of Jupiter are easily visible through a spotting scope, I've digiscoped a few pictures myself of
Jupiter and it's moons. However, the remaining moons of Jupiter are so small, you'd need a reasonably large astronomical
telescope to get even the faintest image.
I'm afraid, like the rest of us, you're going to have to live with just the four moons.

-- Edited by Tony Darby on Sunday 9th of February 2014 08:33:37 PM

Had amazing views last night of the meteor shower up here in Scotland,started about 11pm as it got really dark and was still going strong when I went to bed,well worth staying up,apparently should be visible for next couple nights.Beats the **** out of the Blackpool Hallucinations,stay up and look if its a clear night

I had a good view of Comet PanSTARRS this evening between about 18.55 and 19.10 using the thin crescent moon as a guide. It showed a bright nucleus and an obvious tail but I had to use binoculars to see it. You only get a narrow time slot to spot it at the moment between the sky becoming dark enough and the comet setting. In the coming days the comet will get higher and so will be visible for longer but it will probably get fainter as it is now moving away from the Sun. Catch it while you can in the next few days.

jason fisher wrote:

---

anyone with a clear unobstructed view to the west at the mo should be able to start to pick up a comet very low to the horizon round about sunset to shortly after over the next few weeks.

---

I had heard about this and following advice on various websites ventured out just after sunset to try to see Comet Pan-STARRS, but clouds scuppered my attempt. Hope to keep trying as it is supposed to be one of the best comet views we could get according to the BBC site at :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21717450

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Tuesday 12th of March 2013 10:36:58 PM

No joy for me also Mike.
I looked for it later on, when it was supposed to be heading from the Plough towards the Pole Star.

Jupiter and the Moon both looking splendid tonight.

Used my 85mm Diascope tonight from my drive,and got good bright views of Jupiter
and 4 of it's moons. The twin traverse banding also very clear and running from 11 to 5 O'clock.
My first solo venture with my own scope and quite fascinating.

Taking the dog for his walk just now,I bumped into a large group of people with astronomical telescopes,
down on the Ladybridge Community Centre car park.
A chap insisted on holding my dog while I climbed the step ladder to look in the ''Big Telescope''
( Subsidized by Bolton Council,I was informed.)
I got a superb view of Jupiter and 4 of the moons.
Apparently this is where Bolton Astronomical Society meet each month.
Anyway I'm off back for more of it! All welcome.

Don't forget the Geminid meteor shower over the nights of 12th/13th. It's a new moon, so the sky is clear of moonlight (not street lights unfortunately), and up to 100 meteors an hour have been quoted in the press (and they're always right, right?). The point from which they should emanate is apparently right overhead. Hopefully we'll get a cloudless night tomorrow at least.

Jupiter is up high above my window now, and these past few days I've been busy taking photos of it and its moons with my camera (its got a good zoom). Quite pleased with the results, thought last time I was up at half 1 in the morning pottering about trying all my various settings! Also seen the pleiades nearby giving some good views. I'll be giving it another go with my camera tonight, since thankfully Jupiter is getting up earlier and earlier, meaning I don't need to wait until 1 o'clock to get my camera out!

Marginally off topic this, but sad news about the death of Sir Patrick Moore this lunchtime aged 89.

As much as anyone he popularised the "sky at night" with his long running program of the same title and inspired me (from age 14) and many others of my generation to gaze skywards and to wonder.

He did for astronomy what Attenborough has done for wildlife, and like him became a national institution.
He was also superb company, witty, generous of spirit, and appreciated a good malt whisky!