The Night Sky

[Bunnylump]

Wow. Image taken by Tim Peake of him passing over the aurora borealis. So, Facebook is good for SOMETHING!

[Bunnylump]

OK, so someone explain to me WHY it is that yesterday it was brilliant sunshine and a completely cloudless sky, yet today the clouds are looming in and the rain is on its way for tonight...when I've booked to go to a stargazing experience at Dunstable Downs, complete with astronomers and telescopes?

[LAT]

I think you have answered yourself! What a shame!
Hope you have an enjoyable evening anyway.

[Bunnylump]

Thank you! We'll still go; I believe they are having a planetarium set up there too anyway, so as long as we can get past all the over- excited children, it'll still be an improvement on another night in front of rubbish on the telly!

[SparkOut]

because of....

[SparkOut]

Oliver Cromwell

[Bunnylump]

Oliver Cromwell?

Well, we did get to see the moon through one of the big telescopes - well, for a few seconds, in a brief cloud break. That was amazing - I could clearly see the craters. There was an astronomer giving a really interesting talk / demonstration. This kind of thing blows my mind - e.g. he was speaking about Deneb (in the Cygnus constellation) which he thought was the most distant star visible from here with the naked eye. It's 1,550 light-years away and is 200,000 times brighter than the sun! He also told us about Betelgeuse, which is a red super giant in Orion, which he thought was the most likely to explode into a supernova - although, of course, it might have done that already, but we haven't seen it yet because it's so far away!

A real shame about the weather, though, because it would have been a great spot for viewing.

[LAT]

Sounds like an interesting evening.

I am also confused about the Oliver Cromwell mention.

[SparkOut]

The most interesting thing about King Charles the First is that he was five foot six inches tall at the start of his reign, but only four foot eight inches tall at the end of it, because of...

the dramatic pause at that point lends itself to being subverted into anything at all, but always followed by "Oliver Cromwell".
Hence, Oliver Cromwell can be blamed for anything and everything.
(Even though this isn't strictly speaking, actually true, he deserves it. Not a puritan at all, but a nasty, self-serving, hypocritical tyrant.)

[Bunnylump]

Aaaaahhh. I've never heard that! We live and we learn!

[SparkOut]

http://www.xkcd.com/1644/

[Bunnylump]

Just about sums me up. I know nothing about it really, but yes, it is AWESOME. In the truest sense of the word.

[Bunnylump]

Well, I just got in from sitting in my deck chair in the garden (armed with a bottle of red, naturally!) having spent about 3 hours gazing upwards. The Perseids were on the go for a while (saw about 5 really big ones) but the clouds have come over so no more tonight. However, I quite enjoyed sitting there watching the CLOUDS!

P.S. I was also kept company by a hedgehog.

[Wulfruna]

We have just spent a fascinating day at a special Open Day at the Norman Lockyer Observatory in Sidmouth. Norman Lockyer, a pioneer astronomer, was the world's first professor of Astronomical physics. He is credited with the discovery of Helium gas. He built the observatory in 1912 after retiring to Devon. The observatory has several telescopes going back to the 19th century, and a planetarium where we had a good show of the night sky in August. There were lots of volunteer enthusiasts there doing activities with the kids and demonstrating how they track things like the Perseids.... they had a screen showing images of the meteorites as they were passing over at that moment - and Thomas got a special badge for helping the man to spot one that was just appearing at the edge. Unfortunately their appearance in the night sky tonight is rather too long after his bedtime! But I guess the rest of us will be out there having a look....
Scurra had timed his holiday here specially to fit in with the Open Day when we picked up a leaflet earlier in the year, so it was good that he managed it.

[SparkOut]

It's Perseid time of year again http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/40888669

(not looking promising here atm)

[Bunnylump]

Yep, I was hoping to spot a few in my friend's garden tonight - we're going to meet her new grandson, PERCY*, for the first time. So it seems sort of appropriate!

*What is it with all these old names coming back?

[Bunnylump]

In case anyone forgot, it's that time of year again. Weather actually LOOKS like it might behave tonight, so I'll be out there (in whirlygig summerhouse, which D has taken to calling my "Wendy House") so that I can avoid the mosquitoes! I've invested in some mosquito netting so that I can have the windows open. Best idea ever!

[SparkOut]

Yeah, hmmm.
Fork Wigglybum... clear skies and bloodsucking insect-free. Uhuh. Right.
Have lots of fun in your magic roundabout. (Much better name than a Wendy House, whoever heard of a rabbit called Wendy?)

[Bunnylump]

Someone I used to know thought I looked like Wendy Craig (I did have her hairstyle for a while! ) and so he always called me Wendy. I could think of people I would prefer to be likened to looks wise!

[chazzie]

so have we seen picture of the magic roundabout with the rabbit playing the guitar?