Eclipse of the Sun
Tomorrow’s partial eclipse of the sun could be one of the most spectacular seen from the UK for some time, as the sun will rise partially obscured by the moon at around 8:00 in London.
You will need to be able to have good view to the south east, so I’ll be going to either Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath depending on the weather.
Things I Have Never Done
Everybody has lists like these, which often include such things as making love in a hammock or aeroplane, which for most people are very unlikely. I won’t comment about the two I mention here, except to say that I did have my own plane for many years. But it didn’t feature a hammock!
Two things on my real list are learning to swim and having someone deliver a takeaway meal, which I then pay for at the door. As to the latter, I’ve never even had one delivered by the vendor. The learning to swim will stay forever, but as I have a branch of the Bombay Bicycle Club just round the corner, a takeaway will probably be delivered at some point in the near future.
Unusual things I have done include.
- Gone to Royal Ascot with someone else impersonating someone who had died many years before. The gateman said she looked well. She still did, when I saw her a couple of weeks ago.
- Crashed an aircraft and walked away from it. As did all my passengers! The plane was a right-off!
- Hunted three types of hare hounds; harriers, bassets and beagles in one day.
- Been extremely drunk on a Mersey Ferry.
- Seen the Beatles perform live.
- Piloted a light-aircraft all round Australia and even on to the Great Barrier Reef.
- Been present at the birth of all my three sons. For the first, my wife was three weeks late and she fooled the Middlesex Hospital into believing she was in labour. More…
- Won a National Championship at real tennis.
- Seen a Transit of Venus.
- Had dinner in Rick Stein’s restaurant with two widowed daughters of an heriditary peer. More…
- Came off best after a mugging in Naples. More…
- Hitched a Lift in the cab of a High Speed Train from Edinburgh to Inverness. More…
My late wife always said she married me because she knew life wouldn’t be boring. I intend to keep proving she was right. I must not let her down!
Total Eclipse of the Moon
There is a total lunar eclipse early in the morning of Tuesday 21st December. It’s not particularly well-placed for UK observers, as the Moon sets during totality, but if it’s clear it will be possible to see an eclipsed Moon setting over the north-western horizon in the morning twilight. The partial phase begins at 6:32 UT and totality starts at 7:40 UT, not long before the Moon sets at around 8:14 UT.
Somif you know a place that gives glorious sunsets and the weather is clear, you’ll know where to go.
Up With the Morning Star
Venus has very bright these last few days, as I hope this picture shows.
Venus, The Morning Star
The planet is just above the tree in the middle.
I’ve pointed Venus out to several people lately and they haven’t realised what they are seeing. Knowledge of the stars and planets is something that should be properly taught. At my school, Minchenden, there was an observatory that contained a beautiful telescope in both artistic and scientific terms, that had once belonged to Prince Albert. One night, someone broke in, smashed it all and stole the lens. It was no act of wanton vandalism, but a cold calculated crime. I at least hope that the thief dropped the lens, so got no pleasure from his act.
I always look up when I’m in unfamiliar lattitudes. I remember when C and myself were in a hotel in Alice Springs, a kid of about sixteen had set up his telescope and was showing the guests the night sky from an Australian perspective. We had perhaps an hour of his charming and informed company. I hope that somewhere in the world, he is still following his hobby. Perhaps as a career!
Sadly, we were the only people, who that night took advantage of his company. But how many read their horoscopes every day and act on them?
No wonder the world is in the state it is today, if that is the general view of science.
So what am I doing up at this hour?
I slept well as I usually do, but last night, I spent several hours clearing my loffice loft of my past life. So most of it was old magazines, books and software I no longer need, but the only way to clear it, was to drop everything into a wheelie bin and then transfer it to boxes, which I then threw in the skip.
Clearing the Office Loft
It may have been a long-wnded process, but my shoulders aren’t strong enough to carry the boxes down the rather rickety loft ladder.
So perhaps the adrenaline is flowing through my body. I certainly feel pretty well today, although my left arm is tired.
A Suite of Planets
On Tuesday night, I noticed a planet in the western sky. It could have been Venus, but looking at the Internet, it possibly could have been Saturn. A bad star chart in a newspaper, indicated that it could have been Saturn.
So last night, I checked and got my Meade telescope out. I also found this entry on the Internet, which showed that the planet was indeed Venus. The chart shows that Saturn is above the moon, but also that Mars should be visible to the naked eye.
According to the entry about the planets, the rings of Saturn are not particularly spectacular at present, as we are looking at them almost side on. But you’ll still see one of the most unusual and spectacular sites in the sky. Even a good pair of binoculars will reveal them!
So keep checking where the planets are on the Internet and take a look regularly, when the sky is clear.
Perseid Meteor Showers
Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock has just entertained us all on Breakfast Television by talking about the Perseid meteor showers which reach their peak tonight.
What a brilliant enthusiast!
We need more scientists like her, who obviously know their stuff and broadcast it in a way that could get even the worst couch-potato interesting!
I shall be watching when I come back from the football at Shrewsbury. The best time would appear to be between 9 and 11 tonight, before the moon rises.
One thing, is that they’re posting pictures on Twitter.
To take part in the Twitter Meteorwatch, follow @NewburyAS and @astronomy2009uk or use the hash tag #meteorwatch.
The Sky at Night
The Sky at Night is the BBC’s longest running program.
I used to watch it as a child and when I went to my Grammar School, we were lucky enough to have a six inch refracting telescope, and I was able to spend evenings watching the stars. I have a telescope now, but I never seem to get time to use it.
I also saw Patrick Moore at the British Astonomical Association in Piccadilly, where he gave a talk on the non-effect of the moon on earthquakes. He really boomed out his message!
Tonights program on BBC4 was about the moon and as ever it was fascinating.
In the program, they showed images of the moon sent in by amateurs. Not one was sent in by a woman.
Where are the women scientists?
The Anonymous Widower 