Look Out Of Your Window Now! Astronomical events.

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
No not a comet, the planet Mercury. There's a price to be paid for all that nice sunshine. The tail is made of Sodium, which sputters out under the relentless blast from a Sun filled sky.

At Dartmouth St school some decades ago now I dropped a small shrapnel of Sodium into an inkwell in the physics lab as a joke. It did a passable imitation of Mount Vesuvius on heat !!! .... and got me the long walk for the cane and punishment book. :eek:

https://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=169723
 

Noah

Well-Known Forumite
I dropped a small shrapnel of Sodium into an inkwell in the physics lab as a joke

When I was at school the chemistry master had worked in industry before he became a teacher. One of his stories was that at the plant he worked at they used 7 lb blocks of sodium which came sealed in tin cans. The works foreman cycled home along the canal towpath. One day they pinched one of the sodium blocks and as he passed them on his way home they lobbed it into the canal. It hurtled around the surface of the water emitting flames and smoke. Foreman fell off his bike. We never got to hear the rest of the story.
 

The Hawk

Well-Known Forumite
WEATHER PERMITTING (and, unfortunately it doesn't look too good):

At 17:58 and 31.5 seconds this evening, the International Space Station will transit (pass in front of) the moon, providing a unique view of the largest human made object in orbit, as it passes in front of our natural satellite. This will only be viewable along a very narrow track across a small part of the planet and Stafford is at the centre of this track.

If the weather permits, you will be able to see the Space Station as it approaches the moon (travelling west to east), and then as it passes in front of the moon. It will cross the moon in a second or so, so you'll have to be quick to catch it.

This is what such a transit looks like and the second image shows the predicted track of the Space Station, across the moon, tonight:
127238479_10157849712387522_1857300267004829044_o.jpg

126172321_10157849718622522_5100050995717600494_n.jpg
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
The 1000 foot Arecibo Radio Telescope has finally collapsed. This has been on the cards for a while. Although not steerable, this did have some directional capability because the receivers were mounted on a huge cradle suspended above the dish which was built into a natural hollow.
It has a lot of good work to its name over it's 50 plus year lifespan. It also featured in a James Bond film, Golden Eye.

Arecibo Observatory telescope in Puerto Rico collapses after 57 years | New Scientist
 

The Hawk

Well-Known Forumite
Keep an eye on Jupiter and Saturn, as they creep towards their great conjunction on 21 December 2020.
Great views of Jupiter & Saturn this early evening, as they approach tomorrow's great conjunction, their closest for almost 800 years (and it will be another 400 years before they get as close and friendly again).

The weather forecast for tomorrow doesn't look good, so I will probably have to settle for what I got tonight.
 

MilleD

Well-Known Forumite
Great views of Jupiter & Saturn this early evening, as they approach tomorrow's great conjunction, their closest for almost 800 years (and it will be another 400 years before they get as close and friendly again).

The weather forecast for tomorrow doesn't look good, so I will probably have to settle for what I got tonight.

Rain rain rain :(
 
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