[BAA-ebulletin 00768] Reminder of meeting this Wednesday

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================


I would like to remind you that the next meeting of the BAA will be on
Wednesday 30th October in the new lecture room, Burlington House.


17.30 Open AGM, minutes, report on accounts
17.45 President's review of year and presentation of awards
18.15 Council ballot results
18.20 Presidential Address
19.20 Close AGM
19.20 Open OM, minutes, notices
19.25 Sky Notes
19.45 Close


Doors open at 17.00 and the meeting will start at 17.30 and is due to
finish by 18:00. Tea will be served in the library from 17:00

Hope to see you there


--
Hazel Collett
Meetings Secretary for the British Astronomical Association
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Strong Solar Activity on Oct. 25th

Space Weather News for Oct. 25, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

GLOBAL SOLAR ACTIVITY: Solar activity is high and intensifying. This
morning, new sunspot AR1882 unleashed an X1-class solar flare. The
flare was bracketed by two erupting magnetic filaments--an ensemble of
explosions that involved more than half of the solar disk. For more
information on these blasts and possible Earth-effects, visit
http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar flares are
underway? X-flare alerts are available from
http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com
(voice).

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

[BAA-ebulletin 00767] BAA Solar Section - Activity Warning

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================

Active Region 1882 has unleashed two X-class solar flares today.
AR1875 and AR1877 are also currently active. Observations/images are
requested in the coming days from these sunspot groups.
NOAA activity warning is produced below:

Solar activity is very high. New region NOAA 11882 in the SE produced
two X-class flares; an X1.7 at 07:53 UT and an X2.1 at 14:51 UT today.
It also produced two M-class flares.
Numerous C-class flares were observed from regions NOAA 11875 and 11882,
as well as a C1.8 from NOAA 11869 (N12 over the west limb) at 13:06 UT.
NOAA 11882 was too near the limb yesterday for a good determination of its
magnetic field configuration, but current SDO magnetograms show it as
beta-gamma-delta class. This region is expected to produce M-class flares
and an additional X-class flare is possible.
NOAA 11875 may produce an additional M-class event, but an X-class
flare seems less likely from this region. NOAA 11877 may produce
an M-class flare.
NOAA 11882, S08 E63 (X=-853,Y=-172). Beta-gamma-delta region.
NOAA 11875, N08 W33 (X= 523,Y= 64). Beta-gamma-delta region.
NOAA 11877, S12 W13 (X= 213,Y=-281). Beta-gamma region.


======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Back To Greenwich.....

http://www.timeanddate.com/newsletter/october2013.html

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

ATV-4: all good missions must come to an end

ATV-4: all good missions must come to an end

26-10-2013 08:22 PM CEST

ESA's supply and support ferry ATV Albert Einstein has served the International Space Station faithfully since it was launched from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana in June. Its mission comes to an end next week when it undocks on Monday and enters Earth's atmosphere five days later.

You are subscribed to ESA Space News for European Space Agency.

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

---

This e-mail alert was generated automatically based on your subscriptions. Some updates may belong to more than one category, resulting in duplicate notices.

Questions Read our FAQ

STAY CONNECTED:

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Preferences  |  Delete profile  |  Help

---

This message has been sent to astrocomera@googlemail.com by ESA Web Portal, ESRIN, 00044 Frascati (RM), Italy

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (October 27, 2013)

Dear comet observers,

We have prepared the following new charts for our homepage:

C/2012 S1 (ISON):

- two 6x8 degrees charts for the period 28 October - 8 November 2013

C/2012 X1 (LINEAR):

- a 4.5x6.0 degrees chart for the period 27 October - 5 November 2013

C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy):

- two 6x8 degrees charts for the period 28 October - 6 November 2013
- a 9x12 degrees chart for the period 6 - 11 November 2013

2P/Encke:

- two 6x8 degrees charts for the period 28 October - 8 November 2013


These new charts are now available in the charts section of our
mainpage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro

Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

SPA ENB No. 363

                           

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY         Electronic News Bulletin No. 363  2013 October 27 Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular Astronomy.  The SPA is Britain's liveliest astronomical society, with members all over the world.  We accept subscription payments online at our secure site and can take credit and debit cards.  You can join or renew via a secure server or just see how much we have to offer by visiting    http://www.popastro.com/ COMET ISON APPEARS INTACT NASA A new image of the incoming Comet ISON suggests that the comet is intact, despite some suggestions that the supposedly fragile icy nucleus might disintegrate as the Sun warms it.  The warmth that it has received so far, however, is nothing to what it will get when it passes closest to the Sun on November 28.  In a Hubble image taken on October 9, the comet's solid nucleus is unresolved.  The coma surrounding it is symmetrical and smooth, which it probably wouldn't be if the nucleus were in a number of separate pieces.  A jet of dust that was seen in April is no longer visible.  The comet will be closest to the Earth on December 26, at a distance of 40 million miles. 'PEBBLE' THOUGHT TO BE COMET FRAGMENT Witwatersrand University A team of South African scientists and international collaborators believes that it has identified a small piece of rock as being formerly part of a comet that entered the atmosphere above Egypt about 28 million years ago.  It exploded, melting some of the sand beneath it and forming a huge amount of yellow silica glass which lies scattered over a 6,000-square-km area of the Sahara.  A magnificent specimen of the glass, polished by ancient jewellers, exists in Tutankhamun's brooch with its striking yellow-brown scarab.  The impact of part of the comet also produced microscopic diamonds. Diamonds are produced from carbon-bearing material by high pressures, such as occur deep in the Earth but can also be generated by shock. Part of the comet reached the ground, and the shock of the impact produced the diamonds. The team's attention was attracted to a black pebble found years ago by an Egyptian geologist in the area of the silica glass.  Chemical analysis of the pebble led them to the conclusion that it is the first recognized hand specimen of a comet nucleus, rather than simply an unusual type of meteorite.  Comet fragments have not been found on the Earth before, except as microscopic dust particles in the upper atmosphere and in Antarctic ice.  Space agencies have spent large sums to secure very small amounts of pristine comet matter. CURIOSITY CONFIRMS ORIGINS OF MARTIAN METEORITES American Geophysical Union A new measurement of Mars' atmosphere by the Curiosity rover provides the best evidence yet that certain meteorites that have been believed to have come from Mars really did originate there, while at the same time it provides a way to rule out Martian origins of other meteorites.  The rover measured the isotopic composition of argon. Isotopes of argon with masses of 36 and 38 exist naturally throughout the Solar System, but on Mars their relative abundance is altered because a lot of the planet's original atmosphere was lost into space, with the lighter form being lost more readily because it requires less energy to escape.  Past analyses by Earth-bound scientists of gas bubbles trapped inside supposed Martian meteorites had already narrowed the Martian argon ratio to between 3.6 and 4.5 (that is 3.6 to 4.5 atoms of argon-36 to every one argon-38), giving a supposed Martian atmospheric value near four.  Measurements by the Viking landers in the 1970s put the Martian ratio in the range four to seven; the new measurement gives 4.2. One of the reasons that scientists have been so interested in the argon ratio in Martian meteorites is that it was -- before Curiosity -- the best measure of how much atmosphere Mars has lost since the wetter, warmer days billions of years ago.  Had Mars held onto its entire atmosphere and its original argon, the isotopic ratio would be the same as that of the Sun and Jupiter, whose gravities are too high to allow argon to escape, so their argon ratio (5.5) represents that of the primordial Solar System.  While argon comprises only a tiny fraction of the gases lost to space from Mars, it is special because it is a 'noble' gas, i.e. inert, not reacting with other elements or compounds, and therefore a straightforward tracer of the history of the Martian atmosphere.  Other isotopes measured by Curiosity also support the idea of loss of atmosphere, but none so directly as argon. WATER DISCOVERED IN REMNANTS OF EXTRASOLAR PLANET University of Warwick Astrophysicists have found the first evidence of a water-rich rocky planetary body outside our Solar System in its shattered remains orbiting the white-dwarf star GD 61, 170 light years away.  Using observations obtained with the Hubble telescope and the Keck telescope in Hawaii, they found an excess of oxygen -- a chemical signature that they interpreted as implying that the debris had once been part of a bigger body originally consisting of 26% water by mass.  By contrast, only approximately 0.023% of the Earth's mass is water.  Evidence for water outside the Solar System has previously been found in the atmospheres of gas giants and in radio-astronomical observations of gaseous material.  The new study marks the first time that it has been attributed to a rocky body outside the Solar System, but that is not surprising, because we have not known even of the existence of such bodies until quite recently.  Ice is widespread in the Solar System: the dwarf planet Ceres, and certain satellites of the major planets, contain ice buried beneath an outer crust, and analogous discoveries have recently been reported in such unlikely bodies as the Moon and Mercury.  Some scientists believe that bodies like Ceres were the source of the bulk of terrestrial water.  The researchers suggest that the water detected around the white dwarf GD 61 may have come from a planet that once orbited that star before it became a white dwarf. Like Ceres, the water was most likely in the form of ice below the planet's surface.  From the amount of rock and water detected in the outer envelope of the white dwarf, the researchers estimate that the disrupted planetary body had a diameter of at least 90 km. However, because their observations can only detect what is being accreted in recent history, the estimate of its mass is on the conservative side.  It is likely that the object was as large as Vesta, one of the largest minor planets.  Originally GD 61 was a star somewhat bigger than the Sun, and host to a planetary system.  About 200 million years ago, GD 61 completed its evolution and became a white dwarf, yet parts of its planetary system survived.  The water-rich minor planet entered an orbit that took it very close to the star, where it was disrupted by the star's gravity.  The researchers believe that de-stabilising the orbit of the minor planet requires a so-far-unseen, much larger planet in orbit around the white dwarf.  At this stage, all that remains of the rocky body is simply dust and debris in orbit around the white dwarf.  In the remnants lie chemical clues which are said to point towards a previous existence as a water-rich terrestrial body. ONE OF THE LARGEST STARS KNOWN IS TEARING ITSELF APART RAS Stars with masses tens of times larger than that of the Sun have very short and dramatic lives compared to those of less-massive ones.  Some of the most massive stars have lifetimes of less than a few million years before they exhaust their nuclear fuel and explode as supernovae.  At the very ends of their lives they become unstable and eject a lot of material from their outer envelopes.  That material has been enriched with heavy elements by nuclear reactions in the interior, and includes many of the elements that form rocky planets like ours, such as silicon and magnesium.  How the material is ejected and how the loss affects the evolution of the stars is however still unknown. Using the Very Large Telescope Survey Telescope (VST) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile an international team of astronomers has been surveying the Galaxy with a special filter to detect nebulae of ionized hydrogen.  Meanwhile the VST Photometric H-Alpha Survey (VPHAS) has been searching the Galaxy for ejected material from evolved stars.  Both observed the star cluster Westerlund 1, which is a massive cluster of several hundred thousand stars about five kiloparsecs away in the southern constellation Ara, but our view of it is so hampered by gas and dust that it appears comparatively dim in visible light.  One of the stars, known as W26, in Westerlund 1 was observed to be surrounded by a cloud of glowing hydrogen.  Such clouds glow because they are ionized, meaning that the electrons have been stripped away from the hydrogen atoms.  Clouds of that type are not normally found around red supergiant stars such as W26; indeed, this is the first ionized nebula ever discovered around such a star. W26 itself is too cool to ionize the gas; the astronomers speculate that the source of the ionizing radiation may be either hot blue stars elsewhere in the cluster, or possibly a fainter, but much hotter, companion star to W26. W26 is one of the largest stars ever recognized, with a radius 1500 times that of the Sun, and is also one of the most luminous red supergiants known.  Such large and luminous massive stars are highly evolved, so W26 must 'soon' come to the end of its 'life' and explode as a supernova.  The nebula observed around W26 is very similar to the one surrounding SN 1987A, the remnant of a star that exploded as a supernova in 1987.  SN 1987A was the closest observed supernova to the Earth since 1604, and gave astronomers a chance to study the properties of such explosions.  Studying objects like the nebula around W26 may help astronomers to understand the mass-loss processes that affect massive stars and lead up to their explosive demise. MOST DISTANT GRAVITATIONAL LENS HELPS WEIGH GALAXIES ESA An international team of astronomers has found the most distant gravitational lens yet -- a galaxy that, as predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity, deflects and intensifies the light of an even more distant object.  The discovery provides an opportunity to determine the mass of a distant galaxy.  Since the first find in 1979, numerous such gravitational lenses have been discovered.  In addition to providing tests of Einstein's theory, gravitational lenses have proved to be valuable tools.  Notably, they enable us to determine the mass of the matter that is bending the light -- including the mass of the still-enigmatic 'dark matter'.  The lens also magnifies the background light source, acting as a natural telescope that gives astronomers a more detailed look at distant galaxies than is otherwise possible. Gravitational lensing involves two objects: one is further away and supplies the light, and the other is the lensing mass or gravitational lens, which sits between us and the distant light source, and whose gravity deflects the light.  When the observer, the lens, and the distant light source are precisely aligned, the observer sees an Einstein ring -- a perfect circle of light that is the projected and greatly magnified image of the distant light source. The recent discovery was made completely by chance.  It looked like an extremely young galaxy, but it seemed to be at a much larger distance than expected.  The Hubble telescope showed it to be an almost perfect Einstein ring, indicating a gravitational lens with very precise alignment of the lens and the background light source.  The lensing mass is so distant that the light, after deflection, has travelled 9.4 billion years to reach us.  Not only is this a new record, the object also serves an important purpose: the amount of distortion caused by the lensing galaxy allows a direct measurement of its mass.  That provides an independent check on astronomers' usual method of estimating distant galaxy masses -- which rely on extrapolation from 'nearby' ones.  Happily, the 'usual methods' pass the test. Bulletin compiled by Clive Down (c) 2013 the Society for Popular Astronomy Society for Popular Astronomy

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

A Comet Explodes

I will keep you updated.....

Space Weather News for Oct. 22, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

A COMET EXPLODES: Amateur astronomers are reporting a 100-fold
outburst of brightness from Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR). Images reveal a
spherical shell of gas that reminds observers of Comet 17P/Holmes,
which exploded in 2007. So far the comet is too dim for naked-eye
viewing, but at magnitude +8.5 it is bright enough for imaging by
backyard telescopes. Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and
more information.

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar flares are
underway? X-flare alerts are available from
http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com
(voice).

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Orionid Meteor Shower

Space Weather News for Oct. 20, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

ORIONID METEOR SHOWER: Earth is passing through a stream of debris
from Halley's Comet, source of the annual Orionid meteor shower.
Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Oct. 21st with approximately
20 meteors per hour. Bright moonlight will reduce visibility,
however. The best time to look is during the hours before local
sunrise when the shower's radiant in the constellation Orion is high
in the sky. Check http://spaceweather.com for more information.

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar flares are
underway? X-flare alerts are available from
http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com
(voice).

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Hunters Moon Clouded Out-Look Out For The Orionids If Not Too Much Bright Moon

http://earthsky.org/tonight/radiant-point-for-orionid-meteor-shower?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=bccb06d1cb-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-bccb06d1cb-393732205

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Even More about the Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/October-18ths-Penumbral-Lunar-Eclipse-227611471.html

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

More About the Penumbral Eclipse and the Hunters Moon

http://earthsky.org/tonight/hunters-moon-to-rise-as-the-sun-sets-on-october-18?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=8465517176-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-8465517176-393732205

http://earthsky.org/space/see-the-penumbral-eclipse-of-the-hunters-moon?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=8465517176-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-8465517176-393732205

http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-penumbral-eclipse-of-the-moon?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=8465517176-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-8465517176-393732205


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

[BAA-ebulletin 00766] BRILLIANT FIREBALL WITH PERSISTENT TRAIN ON 14 OCTOBER 2013

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================
BRILLIANT FIREBALL WITH PERSISTENT TRAIN ON 14 OCTOBER 2013

Reports are coming in from Northern Ireland and Scotland of a brilliant
fireball, visible between 20:42:12 and 20:42:37 UT on Monday, 14th October
2013.

The event was imaged by Marcus McAdam from the Isle of Skye over Red Cullin.
Amazingly, Marcus didn't actually witness the event himself because he had
left his camera set-up and running taking a timelapse sequence while he went
to have dinner at a nearby hotel!

See Marcus's lovely image by following this link:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=569483046438616&set=a.42102661128426
1.109587.371383149581941&type=1

From the Isle of Skye the fireball descended from Pisces into Cetus and so
was visible in the south-eastern sky. Cloud permitting, it would have been
well seen from Glasgow and Edinburgh and locations such as Dumfries and
Galloway as well as the Isle of Man and sites across the north and west of
England.

Visual sightings have so far only been received from a limited number of
observers in Northern Ireland and Scotland, but more observations are
urgently required, particularly any images of the event. Marcus McAdam's
timelapse image sequence reveals that the fireball left a persistent train
that was visible for 13 minutes after the event. Maybe some observers saw
the train even though they missed the fireball itself?

Any BAA members who saw this event, or who may have been contacted by
non-astronomers who witnessed it, are asked to collect as much information
about the sighting as possible and send it either to the BAA Meteor Section
's Fireball Co-ordinator Len Entwisle at len.entwisle@btinternet.com or to
meteor@britastro.org.

Useful information will include the name and location of the observer, the
precise time of the event, the altitude and azimuth of the start and end
points of the visible track, the position of the observed track relative to
the background stars (if possible), and a description of the fireball's
appearance together with any unusual features such as the persistent train.


This e-bulletin issued by:
John W. Mason, Director, BAA Meteor Section
2013 October 18
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Faint Eclipse of the Hunter's Moon (Oct. 18th)

Space Weather News for Oct. 18, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

FAINT LUNAR ECLIPSE: On the night of Oct. 18th, the full Hunter's
Moon will pass through the outskirts of Earth's shadow, producing a
faint "penumbral" lunar eclipse. This is much less dramatic than a
total lunar eclipse; nevertheless it should be easily visible to the
naked eye as a dusky shading in the southern half of the Moon. The
zone of visibility stretches from the eastern half of North America
across Europe and Africa to western parts of Asia. Check
http://spaceweather.com for maps and details.

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar flares are
underway? X-flare alerts are available from
http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com
(voice).


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Penumbral Eclipse Of The Moon Tonight

http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/1432013/

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

With Sympathy....

To all members,

With Deepest Sympathies....

Raymond Norris died earlier this week-a very rewarding and resourceful
member to have for Lyra-R.I.P.


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Comet ISON....

http://www.astronomy.com/observing/sky-events/2013/10/get-the-most-from-comet-ison-in-late-october

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Minor CME Impact Expected on Oct. 15th

Space Weather News for Oct. 14, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

AURORA WATCH: A CME propelled toward Earth by an M1-class eruption on
Oct. 13th is expected to hit our planet's magnetic field on Oct. 15th.
Polar geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible when
the CME arrives. Check today's edition of http://spaceweather.com for
more information and updates.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic
storms are underway? Storm alerts are available from
http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com
(voice).

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

SPA ENB No. 362

                                                                                                                                   

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY           Electronic News Bulletin No. 362   2013 October 13 Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular Astronomy.  The SPA is Britain's liveliest astronomical society, with members all over the world.  We accept subscription payments online at our secure site and can take credit and debit cards.  You can join or renew via a secure server or just see how much we have to offer by visiting    http://www.popastro.com/ CURIOSITY FINDS WATER ON MARS NASA Curiosity landed in Gale Crater on the surface of Mars on 2012 Aug. 6. There was hope that it could throw light on the question: "Could Mars have once harboured life?"  To do that, Curiosity carried equipment (grandiosely entitled the 'Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite'), which includes a gas chromatograph, a mass spectrometer and a tuneable laser spectrometer) for gathering and processing samples of rock and soil.  Those tools enable SAM to identify a wide range of chemical compounds and determine the ratios of different isotopes of key elements.  By combining analyses of water and other volatiles from SAM with mineralogical, chemical and areological data from Curiosity's other instruments, we have made some progress in understanding surface processes and the action of water on Mars.  Operators used the rover's scoop to shovel up dust, dirt and finely grained soil from a sandy patch.  They fed portions of the fifth scoop into SAM, where the 'fines' -- dust, dirt and fine soil -- were heated to 835C.  Baking the sample also indicated a compound containing chlorine and oxygen, probably chlorate or perchlorate such as had previously found near the north pole on Mars.  Finding such compounds also at Curiosity's equatorial site suggests that they might be distributed more globally. The analysis also suggests the presence of carbonate materials, which form in the presence of water. In addition to determining the amount of the major gases released, SAM also analyzed ratios of isotopes of hydrogen and carbon in the released water and carbon dioxide.  Isotopes are variants of the same chemical element (so with the same numbers of protons in the nuclei) with different numbers of neutrons, and therefore different atomic weights.  SAM found that the ratio of some isotopes in the soil is similar to the ratio found in atmospheric samples analyzed earlier, indicating that the surface soil has interacted heavily with the atmosphere.  The isotopic ratios, including hydrogen-to-deuterium ratios and carbon isotopes, tend to support the idea that as the dust is moved around the planet, it reacts with some of the gases from the atmosphere.  SAM can also search for trace levels of organic compounds.  Although several simple organic compounds were detected in the experiments, they are not clearly Martian in origin.  Instead, it is likely that they formed during the high-temperature experiments, when the heat decomposed perchlorates in the samples, releasing oxygen and chlorine that then reacted with terrestrial organics already present in the SAM instrument.  SAM can perform another kind of experiment to address the question of whether organic molecules are present in the Martian samples.  The SAM suite includes nine fluid- filled cups which hold chemicals that can react with organic molecules if such are present in the soil samples.  The combined results could shed light on the composition of the planet's surface, and may offer direction for future research. FOMALHAUT IS A TRIPLE STAR University of Rochester. The 'nearby' star system Fomalhaut -- of special interest for its unusual exoplanet and dusty debris disc -- has been discovered to be not just a double star, as astronomers had thought, but one of the widest triple stars known.  By carefully analyzing astrometric (precise movements) and spectroscopic measurements (that allow the temperature and radial velocity to be determined), researchers were able to measure the distance and motion of the third star.  They concluded that the star, until recently known as LP 876-10, is part of the Fomalhaut system, making it Fomalhaut C.  Fomalhaut C appears a long way from the big, bright star that is Fomalhaut A.  The stars are about 5.5 degrees apart, which goes a long way towards explaining why the connection between LP 876-10 and Fomalhaut had previously been overlooked; the high-quality astrometric and velocity data were the key.  The researchers also needed to show that it would be feasible for the two stars to be gravitationally bound together, rather than moving independently.  Fomalhaut A is such a massive star, about twice the mass of our Sun, that it can keep its tiny companion bound to it. despite their separation of 158,000 astronomical units (Earth--Sun distances).  The team had already gathered several years of observations on the companion star with the SMARTS 0.9-m telescope at Cerro Tololo in Chile.  The radial velocity of the star was measured by observers from the University of Chicago and proved to be within about 1 km/s of that of Fomalhaut A. There are 11 star systems closer to us than Fomalhaut that consist of three or more stars, including the closest star system of all, Alpha Centauri.  The new measurements show that the Fomalhaut system is the most massive and widest among these 'nearby' multiple systems. Fomalhaut A is the 18th-brightest star, and is one of the few stars that have both a directly-imaged exo-planet and a dusty debris disc, but it was only recently confirmed that Fomalhaut was a binary star although that had first been suggested in the 1890s.  Many questions remain about Fomalhaut A's exo-planet and debris disc, such as why the planet is in such an eccentric orbit and why the debris disc does not appear to be centred on the star A.  It is possible that Fomalhaut's wide companions B and C have perturbed the planet and debris belt orbiting A; however, the orbits of the companion stars are not well-constrained -- the orbits of B and C around A probably take millions of years, so they cannot be determined accurately at all soon.  While C is a red-dwarf star -- the most common type in the Universe -- B is an orange-dwarf star about 3/4 the mass of the Sun. From the vantage point of a hypothetical planet orbiting C, A would appear to be a brilliant white star about as bright as Venus appears to us.  B would appear to be an otherwise unremarkable bright orangish star similar in brightness to Polaris.  The age of the trio is about 440 million years -- roughly a tenth of the age of the Solar System. FIRST CLOUD MAP OF EXO-PLANET NASA Astronomers using data from the Kepler and Spitzer space telescopes have created the first cloud map of a planet beyond our Solar System, a Jupiter-like object known as Kepler-7b.  The planet has high clouds in the west and clear skies in the east.  Previous studies from Spitzer have resulted in temperature maps of planets orbiting other stars, but this is the first look at cloud structures.  After observing for three years, astronomers were able to produce a very-low-resolution 'map' of the giant, gaseous planet.  They would not expect to see oceans or continents on such a planet, but they interpreted the observations in terms of clouds.  Visible-light observations of Kepler-7b's moon-like phases led to a rough map of the planet that showed a bright spot on its western hemisphere, but they were not enough on their own to decipher whether the bright spot was coming from clouds or heat.  However, the Spitzer space telescope, observing in the infrared, was able to measure Kepler-7b's temperature, estimating it to be between 1,100 and 1,300 Kelvin.  That is relatively cool for a planet that orbits so close to its star -- within 0.06 AU -- and was considered by the astronomers to be too cool to be the source of light that Kepler observed.  Instead, they think it was light from the star, refelcted from cloud tops on the west side of the planet.  Kepler-7b reflects much more light than most giant planets so far discovered, and astronomers attribute that to clouds in the upper atmosphere.  The cloud patterns on the planet do not seem to change much over time -- it has a remarkably stable climate.  The findings are an early step towards using similar techniques to study the atmospheres of planets more like the Earth in composition and size. ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER DENSEST GALAXY Michigan State University An international team of astronomers has found a galaxy so dense that as many as 10,000 stars are crammed into the space of 4 light-years or the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri.  That galaxy is more massive than any ultra-compact dwarfs of comparable size and is arguably the densest galaxy known in the local Universe.  It is in the Virgo cluster of galaxies, about 54 million light years away.  What makes the galaxy, called M60-UCD1, so remarkable is that about half of its mass is found within a radius of only about 80 light-years. making the density of stars about 15,000 times greater than found in our neighbourhood in the Milky Way.  Another intriguing aspect of the galaxy is the presence of a bright X-ray source in its centre, possibly a black hole 10 million times the mass of our Sun.  The discovery of ultra-compact galaxies is relatively new -- only within the past 10 years or so.  Until then, astronomers could see such objects but assumed that they were either single stars or very-distant galaxies. Astronomers are trying to determine if M60-UCD1 and other ultra-compact dwarf galaxies are either born as really jam-packed star clusters or if they are galaxies that get smaller because they have stars ripped away from them.  The possible massive black hole, combined with the high galaxy mass and Sun-like levels of elements found in the stars, favour the latter idea.  A giant black hole at the centre of M60-UCD1 helps tip the scales against the picture in which that galaxy was once a star cluster, since such large black holes are not found in such objects. FINAL ANTENNA DELIVERED TO ALMA ESO The 66th and final antenna for the Atacama Large Millimetre/sub- millimetre Array (ALMA) project has been handed over.  The 12-m- diameter dish was manufactured by the European AEM Consortium and also marks the successful delivery of a total of 25 European antennae -- the largest ESO contract so far.  North America has provided 25 12-m antennae, while East Asia has delivered 16 (four 12-m and twelve 7-m). By the end of 2013, all 66 dishes are expected to be working together as one telescope, in an array that will stretch for up to 16 kilometres across the Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.  Radiation at the wavelengths observed by ALMA comes from some of the coldest, but also from some of the most distant, objects, including cold clouds of gas and dust where new stars are being born, and remote galaxies towards the edge of the observable Universe.  The Universe is relatively unexplored at sub-millimetre wavelengths, as the telescopes need extremely dry atmospheric conditions, many large antennae and advanced detectors.  Even before completion ALMA has already been used extensively for scientific projects and has shown great potential. PROPYLENE FOUND IN SPACE NASA The Cassini spacecraft has detected propylene, a chemical used to make food-storage containers, car bumpers and other products, on Saturn's moon Titan.  This is the first definitive detection of propylene otherwise than on Earth.  A small amount of propylene was identified in Titan's lower atmosphere by Cassini's 'Composite Infrared Spectrometer' (CIRS).  That instrument measures the infrared light, or heat radiation, emitted from Saturn and its moons in much the same way our hands feel the warmth of a fire.  Propylene is the first molecule to be discovered on Titan by CIRS.  By isolating the same signal at various altitudes within the lower atmosphere, researchers identified the chemical with a high degree of confidence.  CIRS can identify a particular gas glowing in the lower layers of the atmosphere from its unique thermal fingerprint.  The challenge is to isolate the one signature from the signals of all other gases around it. Voyager 1, which flew past Titan in 1980, identified many of the gases in Titan's hazy brownish atmosphere as hydrocarbons, the chemicals that primarily make up petroleum and other fossil fuels on Earth. On Titan, hydrocarbons form after sunlight breaks apart methane, the second-most plentiful gas in that atmosphere.  The newly freed fragments can link up to form chains with two, three or more carbon atoms.  The family of chemicals with two carbon atoms includes the inflammable gas ethane.  Propane, a common fuel for portable stoves, belongs to the three-carbon family.  Voyager detected all members of the one- and two-carbon families in Titan's atmosphere.  From the three-carbon family, the spacecraft found propane, the heaviest member, and propyne, one of the lightest members.  But the middle chemicals, one of which is propylene, were missing.  As researchers continued to discover more and more chemicals in Titan's atmosphere with ground- and space-based instruments, propylene was one that remained elusive.  It was finally found as a result of more careful analysis of the CIRS data. SPACECRAFT GOES INTO LUNAR ORBIT Spaceweather.com Among the few people allowed to work during the US government shutdown, controllers for NASA's 'Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer' (LADEE) fired the spacecraft's engines on Oct. 6, slowing it enough to be captured by lunar gravity.  LADEE is now in orbit round the Moon.  Soon, the spacecraft will begin its mission to study the Moon's exotic and diaphanous atmosphere, which is very much affected by space weather. PLANCK TELESCOPE SET FOR SWITCH-OFF BBC News The process of disposing of the Planck space telescope has begun.  The satellite, which mapped the "oldest light" in the Universe in unprecedented detail, has completed its mission and will be turned off in a fortnight's time.  It is currently a million miles from the Earth, and is undergoing some final engineering tests.  European Space Agency controllers will initiate a big burn on Planck's thrusters, pushing it away from the planet into a separate orbit.  A second burn on 21 October will run the satellite's propellent supply to exhaustion.  The batteries will be disconnected and the transmitters switched off.  Final contact is scheduled for 23 October, and Planck will just drift off.  Planck has returned a great deal of information, recording thousands of objects in the sky not previously recognised. But its main quest was to survey the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) -- the "first light" to be emitted once a post-Big-Bang Universe had cooled sufficiently to permit the formation of hydrogen atoms.  Before that time, scientists say, the cosmos would have been so hot that matter and radiation would have been 'coupled' - the Universe would have been opaque.   Bulletin compiled by Clive Down (c) 2013 the Society for Popular Astronomy

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Sundiving Comet

Space Weather News for Oct. 10, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

SUNDIVING COMET: A comet is falling into the sun today. Images from
the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory show a bright comet rapidly
evaporating as the sun turns up the heat, and it may be only hours
away from complete disintegration. Check http://spaceweather.com for
images of the death plunge.

JUNO PHOTOGRAPHED: Yesterday, NASA's Juno spacecraft buzzed Earth only
347 miles above our planet's surface. Although the spacecraft was very
faint, several amateur astronomers managed to photograph it. Their
images are featured in a special gallery on today's edition of
http://spaceweather.com.

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar flares are
underway? X-flare alerts are available from
http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com
(voice).



--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

[BAA-ebulletin 00765] Juno flyby tonight

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================

Juno flyby tonight

The Juno spacecraft, en route to Jupiter, will be performing a
slingshot flyby of Earth tonight, Oct.9/10, and will be well
positioned for observation from Europe on its outbound trajectory.
Juno passes closest approach in shadow at an altitude of only 558 km
over the southern tip of Africa at 19:21 UT, then it leaves eclipse at
19:39 UT, and will be in view from Europe and Asia as it departs. It
will be faint and rapidly moving, fading from possibly mag.10 around
20h UT to mag.>13 after midnight as it recedes. However, expert
observers may be able to locate it. Go to Heavens Above
(http://www.heavens-above.com/) for customized predictions, or to JPL
HORIZONS (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?horizons) for an ephemeris.

Preston Dyches of the Juno outreach team says: "We are interested in
receiving any images or video to potentially share via Juno's web and
social media (when the US gov't shutdown ends, of course)." Folks may
email images to: juno_outreach@jpl.nasa.gov.

______________________________________

John H. Rogers, Ph.D.
Jupiter Section Director,
British Astronomical Association.

<jhr11@cam.ac.uk>
http://www.britastro.org/jupiter
_______________________________________
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

[BAA-ebulletin 00764] THE SKY AT NIGHT

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================

THE SKY AT NIGHT

There has recently been much public speculation about the future of the BBC's "The Sky at Night". It would appear that programmes are scheduled until December, but no decision has been taken about what happens beyond that date.

The Councils of both the British Astronomical Association and the Royal Astronomical Society have approved a joint letter, to be sent on behalf of both societies to the Director-General of the BBC emphasising the contribution that "The Sky at Night" has made to British science since 1957 and urging the retention of a monthly programme devoted to astronomy.

There is also an on-line petition for your consideration and possible signature. A link is given below:

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-bbc-please-do-not-axe-the-sky-at-night

Bill Leatherbarrow
President, British Astronomical Association
2013 October 5

======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Spacecraft Goes into Lunar Orbit

Space Weather News for Oct. 6, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

SPACECRAFT GOES INTO LUNAR ORBIT: Among a select few allowed to work during the US government shutdown, controllers for NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) fired the spacecraft's engines this morning, Oct. 6th, slowing it enough to be captured by lunar gravity.  LADEE is now in orbit.  Soon, the spacecraft will begin its mission to study the Moon's exotic and diaphanous atmosphere, which is mightily affected by space weather. For more information about this development, plus new color images of incoming Comet ISON, visit http://spaceweather.com.

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: Would you like a call when solar flares are underway? X-flare alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).


--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

[BAA-ebulletin 00762] Upcoming double and triple events of Jupiter's moons

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin

======================================================================

Upcoming double and triple events of Jupiter's moons
____________________________________________________

A fascinating series of double and triple phenomena of Jupiter's moons will be occurring throughout October.  The coupled orbits of the inner three moons mean that their phenomena recur at intervals of one week plus a few hours.  The events visible from Europe including the UK are transits of I + II, preceded by their shadows, on Oct.5 (02:38-06:05 UT), Oct.12 (see below), Oct.19 (06:25-09:54 UT), Oct.26 (08:37-11:46 UT). (Times are from the first appearance of two shadows on the disk, to the last appearance of two moons on the disk.)  John Sussenbach has already provided a nice time-lapse movie of the first event in this series, on Sep.27/28.

The best event is on Oct.12, with the shadow of IV in transit along with the shadows of I + III.  There will be at least 2 moons and/or shadows on the disk from 03:24-08:02 UT.

Two other series of similar events will be occurring this month as well, but at times visible from non-European longitudes:

Transits of I + II, preceded by their shadows:
Oct.1, 8, 15, 22, 29/30.

Transits of I + III, preceded by their shadows (with II entering eclipse in the meantime):
Oct.3, 10, 17, 24, 31.

See the BAA Handbook for full details.

John Rogers
(Jupiter Section Director)
======================================================================

BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:

http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Magnificent Eruption on the Sun

Space Weather News for Sept. 30, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

MAGNIFICENT ERUPTION: On Sept. 29th, a long filament of magnetism in the sun's northern hemisphere erupted, producing a magnificent CME and several must-see movies from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.  Although the CME was not aimed at Earth, our planet might receive a glancing blow from the cloud on Oct. 2-3.  Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

STORM ALERTS: Would you like to be alerted when the CME arrives? Geomagnetic storm alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information