• Question: do you know much about astronemy ???

    Asked by joshdunn114 to Laura, Nicola, Norman, Sandra, Thanasis on 12 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Laura Soul

      Laura Soul answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      I know quite a bit yes, I’ve always been really interested in space so I found out lots about it. I even went to space camp in America! (I’m a massive geek I know…) I have a telescope at home that I use to look at stars in my back garden, one time I took a photo of Mars with it. When I was in University I was a member of the Astronomy club so I was allowed to use the big old telescope that they had there, it was built of wood and looked a bit rickety but I could see really far with it.

    • Photo: Nicola Wardrop

      Nicola Wardrop answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      No, I don’t really know that much about it, but last week I went to an observatory in Australia – we got to look at Betelgeuse through the oldest telescope in Australia, which was pretty cool. Although the newer telescope was a whole lot easier to use!

    • Photo: Sandra Phinbow

      Sandra Phinbow answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      I know a bit about astronomy. I have a 6″ and an 8″ telescope at home and a range of very nice (and expensive 🙁 ) eye pieces.

      I especially like to attach a web cam or a camera to my scope and do ‘astro imaging’, I have imaged some nebulae, and some planets, lots of the moon, lots of the sun (with special equipment so that my eyes are safe!!) – and I was very lucky in that I imaged the Venus transit of the Sun last June. There weren’t many of us in the UK that did.

      I really like looking at and photographing the International Space Station, as well as what are called ‘Iridium Flares’, these are satellites that turn, and their solar panels can reflect the sun, and when they do they are appear to flare and streak in the dark sky. They are very bright and spectacular.

      You can work out when and where you can see them. There’s a good website called ‘heavens-above’, you put in your location and it will tell you when there will be a visible one for you and how bright it will be and in what direction to look and at what precise time.

      Some of my images have been on The Sky at Night website, and on telly.

      I run an astronomy group that has about 30 members, I also write occasionally for an astronomy society magazine. I do some teaching with the local scouts.

      There are some really nice dark skies near to where I live, so I wrap up very warm, take all my gear and go stand in fields at silly O’clock at night, and look at amazing distant objects.

      I was recently personally invited to the home of Sir Patrick Moore to have lunch and a chat, but he was unwell and couldnt make it…then he sadly died 🙁

      So I really like looking for objects and taking photos, I’m not bothered about numbers, or sizes, just as long as I know where to look for it.

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