Padfield

[David M]

Those are amazing lunar images, Guy. The detail is incredible, e.g. the Bay of Rainbows and some of the craters.

How do you do it? When I take images of the moon they are invariably a little blurred.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Guy, your images of the Moon are much larger than mine I was sure it was a full Moon it looked perfectly rounded Goldie

[Padfield]

Hi David. Point-and-shoot, maximum zoom, steady hand and just a hint of post-processing! Incidentally, I prefer to call it the Bay of Purple Emperors (Sinus iridum: 'iridum' = genitive plural of iris).

Hi Goldie. It was almost full moon. I think the true full moon was supposed to be at 05h12 this morning. Your pictures were excellent. You have a better camera than me but I have a bigger zoom!

Guy

[David M]

Hi David. Point-and-shoot, maximum zoom, steady hand and just a hint of post-processing!

Thanks for the advice, Guy. I'll give it a go next time there's a clear, moonlit night & if I post any on here then you'll know it's worked!

[Padfield]

Hi David. Point-and-shoot, maximum zoom, steady hand and just a hint of post-processing!

Thanks for the advice, Guy. I'll give it a go next time there's a clear, moonlit night & if I post any on here then you'll know it's worked!

I look forward to it, David! I should perhaps have added that I use ISO 100 for the moon and point light metering to make sure it is stopped down enough - the moon is deceptively bright.

We have had remarkably good weather on the East Coast recently, compared to what others seem to have been getting. Yesterday was wall-to-wall glorious, though far too cold for butterflies.

Sun rising ...



... moon sinking (also in the morning) ...



... beautiful light in the cemetery in the afternoon ...



... and a beautiful moon to finish:



And here was the moon tonight on our evening dog-walk, the shadow moving on around her sphere:



Guy

[David M]

Beautiful images again, Guy. Many thanks for the advice regarding ISO settings for lunar photography; the crescent moon was looking exceptionally sharp this morning as I left the house at 7.10am. Had I not been working it would have given me chance to get my camera out and take a few photos.

[Padfield]

Thanks again, David.

The celestial object that has been attracting most interest recently among astronomers is Betelgeuse, which has been steadily dimming in recent weeks. The Daily Telegraph even stated that since October this star 'has been dimming to the point where it is difficult to see with the naked eye'. This is nonsense - it is perfectly visible to the naked eye and still a rival to most stars in the sky. Here is Orion rising above the rooftops of my street last night, with Taurus up to the right of the picture:



Betelgeuse is the slightly reddish star forming Orion's right shoulder (on the left as we look at him). The other red giant in the picture is Aldebaran in Taurus.

Here is Orion on his own last night:



And here is a shot I took a decade ago:



To the naked eye there's not a lot of difference in the relative brightness of Betelgeuse, compared to other stars in the constellation. But accurate measurements apparently show a considerable decline in brightness, leading some astronomers to suggest a supernova might be imminent ... I won't hold my breath!

Minnie on New Year's Day ...



... and a ruff today:



Happy New Year to all!

Guy

[Padfield]

Another beautiful night and I couldn't resist taking some more photos of Orion, despite the moon lightening the sky. It really did look, on my evening dog-walk, as if Betelgeuse was dimmer than before - and it looked particularly red tonight as well.





And the moon:



Guy

[David M]

You've got me interested in this, Guy. I've been reading about Betelgeuse and its potential to go supernova.

Seems it would be some spectacle viewed from earth even though the star is 600+ million light years away!

Maybe we'll get lucky (or unlucky perhaps, since nights will be illuminated for several weeks according to the reports).

[Padfield]

Glad to have hooked you, David! Of course, if a supernova happens during our northern summer, the nights will be dark and there will be two stars visible in the daytime (the sun and Betelgeuse).

Today was mostly glorious in East Suffolk, with brilliant gorse out on the heathland:



It was not attended by many insects, sadly!

Back to matters celestial: There will be a penumbral eclipse of the moon tomorrow with its maximum at 19h10. In the hope the sky will be clear, I took a photo tonight of the nearly full moon to compare with tomorrow's:



Guy

[essexbuzzard]

It was a glorious moonlit night earlier, sadly it’s clouded over down here now. Good luck for clear skies tomorrow night!

[Padfield]

Thanks Buzzard. In the event, we were blessed with perfect skies tonight - as I think most people were. Here is the moon at 19h10 - maximum eclipse:



The lower right limb is distinctly darker, being closer to the umbra, but the whole moon was visibly dimmer than a normal full moon. This was a penumbral eclipse, meaning essentially that if you were on the moon you would be witnessing a partial solar eclipse, with the earth covering part of the disk of the sun. That is what I imagine when I look at it - I imagine being there, looking in the direction of the earth.

Earlier in the day I was photographing what I took to be a golden plover but I now think is a grey plover, from the heaviness of the bill. If any birders are reading this perhaps they could confirm. I think these are both the same bird:





This is a grey plover I photographed a few days ago. I think the colour difference is all to do with the beautiful light today:



Guy

[Wurzel]

I too was watching the moon at 19:10 Guy Though I thought it looked better first thing this morning when it was golden yellow I would go for Grey Plover for your bird as generally the winter plumage is 'spangled' in yellow. There is a hint of gold on the back in the first image but I think that's the light as I can't see any yellow on the second image.

Havea goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

I too was watching it. There was a bit of cloud coming and going (stratocumulus), but it cleared at the right time. The moon had a colder, greyer look than normal.

I too would go for grey plover. Your bird has a warmer glow than usual, but this is probably caused by the low winter sun. Golden plovers also tend to be found in flocks, in winter at least.

[bugboy]

Yea, Grey Plover for me too. As you say Guy, that's quite a chunky bill. I got myself a few snaps of the Moon too, clear skies in London, I feel another gif coming on

[Goldie M]

"Hi! Guy, I was pleased to see the Moon and thought about you right a way " I thought I bet Guy is out getting shots tonight"

What a difference from the Blood Moon we saw in January on the 21st last year, these differances fascinate me. Goldie

[David M]

Fabulous lunar image again, Guy. I saw it just after dark fell hanging low above Swansea from Mumbles - it looked absolutely stunning. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me so I was unable to follow your earlier advice.

I'll get it eventually!

[Padfield]

Thank you for all the grey plover IDs. It's nice to have confirmation. You're right, Buzzard - I do usually see golden plovers in flocks - and usually on the far side of the river in the fields, where I can't get a proper close-up view.

Thanks for the moon comments too. The colour of the moon, like that of golden and grey plovers, can be quite misleading. When it rose that night it was at first yellow, as the light passed through the atmosphere and the haze from the town, then that rather cold grey during the eclipse, and finally brilliant white again when the eclipse was over. This is the moon then - almost perfectly full, high in the sky and dazzlingly bright:



No doubt about the ID of this little person I caught this afternoon as the last light moved down the reedy creek:





Guy

[bugboy]

Great shots of the Queenfisher, the one I keep trying to stalk is still giving me the slip, such shy birds

[Wurzel]

I'm with Bugboy - great shots indeed - for a bird that's so bright and vibrant it can be quite difficult to approach at times. I'm still waiting to get the classic 'Kingfisher on a 'No fishing' sign' Mind you as this one is sitting out in the open so well you could easily photoshop the sign in

Have a goodun

Wurzel