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About

Username: John_Brady
Joined: March 2011
Visits: 396
Last Active: May 17
Roles: Administrator

John_Brady

kepler space telescope
That's real pity even though Kepler had already completed its mission end target in November 2012, we all want it to keep on going for as long as possible. This spacecraft has shown that alien worlds are the norm rather than the exception, with…

Comment by John_Brady May 17 permalink
Good to be back
Welcome back Kensamay :)

Comment by John_Brady May 15 permalink
Solar Images
Hi Andy, Sorry I've not had direct experience of using that type of solar filter myself. But yes, an Astrosolar filter made by Baader seems a very good option. You will see detailed sunspot activity across the solar disk, although not solar p…

Comment by John_Brady May 10 permalink
M1
I know that some parts of the M6, and M74 in Scotland are also unlit/or unlit between certain hours. I seem to remember recently that studies are being done on whether turning the lights off on sections of motorways and at junctions has any effect o…

Comment by John_Brady May 4 permalink
Solar Images
Thanks for the comments

Comment by John_Brady May 3 permalink
Saturn on camera - finally!
That is brilliant Andy, a really awesome view of Saturn ! Thanks for sharing.

Comment by John_Brady April 24 permalink
Moon Images, 19th April
Thanks, they were from videos taken with a DMK41 CCD mono camera, and stacked in Registax.

Comment by John_Brady April 22 permalink
What are the best new sights for a complete beginner
Obviously the larger the aperture the better, a 70mm scope will not handle a huge amount of magnification. But a lot of objects are at their best at lower magnifications such as M44 for sure. The larger open clusters actually seem to look better i…

Comment by John_Brady April 19 permalink
TAL 2 telescope
Hi Mark, sorry I have no experience of that scope. I think your best bet is to email the manufacturers, I'm sure they'll be a good help. Good luck

Comment by John_Brady April 17 permalink
What are the best new sights for a complete beginner
Hi Daz, Have you tried the Orion Nebula/sword, now quite low to the west at nightfall? Being in a city might block your view but it's quite a bright object. There's always the Pleiades open cluster fairly low in the west/north-west at ni…

Comment by John_Brady April 17 permalink
m44
In the countryside the Beehive Cluster really stands out, and can sometimes be mistaken for the Pleiades to the untrained eye. I live in a semi rural location and don't think M44 is that easy to see unless the sky is very clear. I think in the …

Comment by John_Brady April 15 permalink
TAL 2 telescope
Hi Mark, I haven't used a TAL 2 telescope myself, but what seems to be the problem?

Comment by John_Brady April 15 permalink
forum query regarding Inbox please
Apparently the forum software doesn't support editing in private messages as it does in normal discussions, which is annoying. I will check for the latest version.

Comment by John_Brady April 12 permalink
Lyrids Meteor Shower
Yes Sue, most times the meteor shower name refers to the constellation where they radiate from. Yes look towards the north-east from late evening on the 21st, to beyond midnight and into the pre dawn hours, if you can stay up that long :-) http://…

Comment by John_Brady April 10 permalink
forum query regarding Inbox please
Hi Sue, I'll look into that.

Comment by John_Brady April 10 permalink
M89
Thanks yes you're right, M89 is in Virgo, now corrected.

Comment by John_Brady April 9 permalink
No cloud, can't see much.....Why?
That app sounds very useful indeed Stephen, I did a search for it on iPhone but it came up nothing. There's got to be something like it.

Comment by John_Brady April 8 permalink
No cloud, can't see much.....Why?
Different nights can have different amounts transparency, meaning some nights are clearer than others even when there's no cloud. Maybe on that night the sky was a bit hazy. I've also found that the best, crystal clear starry skies come wh…

Comment by John_Brady April 7 permalink
No cloud, can't see much.....Why?
Hi Daz1057, Yes Sue is right. But this could also be because during spring as you look up into the sky you're looking away from the plane of the Milky Way & more into deep space. This is why spring is popular among astronomers as the con…

Comment by John_Brady April 7 permalink
At last a clear sky
Real nice image. Last night at last with initially a mainly clear sky, I got out the 8 inch skywatcher into the garden and got a quick look at the classic spiral galaxy M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy. Such a stunning sight, the main face on spiral with…

Comment by John_Brady April 5 permalink
Comet panSTARRS
The great Pete Lawrence from BBC Sky at Night has a site with a very nice chart of where Comet Panstarrs is, updated daily. Go down the page and click on charts, the comet is nearby the Andromeda Galaxy as of the start of April. http://www.digitalsk…

Comment by John_Brady April 2 permalink
You have to check this out...
It's so crystal clear and almost looks like you could just step out onto the Martian lanscape, looking quite familiar and Earth like. It is incredible considering that this is another planet, 223 million miles away, on the other side of the S…

Comment by John_Brady March 26 permalink
comet
I've not been very successful with Panstarrs either Canopus and Sue, but we could all be in for a treat with Comet ISON. Though comets are very unpredictable, and like cats they both have tails, and do exactly what they want.

Comment by John_Brady March 21 permalink
Comet panSTARRS
That's great Tom, meeting two other comet hunters on your trip up Eggardon Hill. It's always nice meeting people out in the field of the same mind set I've not been very successful with Panstarrs myself either, have also plagued wit…

Comment by John_Brady March 21 permalink
Comet panSTARRS
Stephen nailed it, well done !

Comment by John_Brady March 16 permalink
Comet panSTARRS
I have not seen this comet yet, the mainly clear nights I've had were plagued by cloud along the horizon. I'm going to give it a go tonight armed with my 20x80's, but yeah Sue the weather doesn't look fantastic for comet watching…

Comment by John_Brady March 15 permalink
Comet panSTARRS
I had a clear sky last night the 11th, but pesky cloud along the horizon so I didn't spot it myself. Tonight the 12th, Comet PANSTARRS is west/north-west of the very slim crescent Moon low after sunset. The Moon sets at 7.20 pm

Comment by John_Brady March 12 permalink
Comet to hit Mars?
They have enough hardware on and in orbit around Mars to get images of this comet, and if it does hit the red planet it could be spectacular. To hit, or not to hit? I would lean more on the side of it wanting to hit >:) The likes of Jupiter…

Comment by John_Brady March 7 permalink
southern x
Wow you definitely get about Canopus7 :) Were you able to spot the Jewel Box Cluster? They say it's visible to the naked eye as a 4th magnitude object, but looks impressive in binoculars. From your location you probably had no chance of seeing…

Comment by John_Brady March 7 permalink
Comet to hit Mars?
Hi Paul, the papers will try to overblow this stuff at any opportunity. But yes it will pass pretty close to the red planet, 186,000 miles, or even closer. http://1.usa.gov/14sAL8Z

Comment by John_Brady March 6 permalink

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