The Liverpool Astronomical Society Forum

Hi im new here and a very amateur astronomer. I was out looking at the stars last night when i saw a red fireball streak across the sky in the east.....ive seen this before once a long time ago but this was different because as it went across the sky i could see bits breaking off it as it went and then it just vanished.

Hi Oonagh, what you saw was more than likely a meteor, most meteors are cometry debris and very small, frequently larger pieces  of debris fall to earth, tons of debris are falling each day, this particular piece may have come off an asteroid or even left over debris from the formation of the solar system, your quite lucky there are lots of people who have never seen a meteor (shooting star) let alone anything larger.

I am a taxi driver working on nights. I have seen nearly a hundred shooting stars. When quiet of a night I just put the radio on and stick my head out of the window, thats assuming there is a clear night.

The point of my post tonight is my missus has just bought me a pair of binoculars, so I thought great.I went outside last night and the right hand lens is not in focus with left, blast...A nice clear sky was wasted.

The last time i saw something like i did was about 30 years ago when i was a child and nobody believed me then lol. Glad i saw this. The next thing i would like to see is the aurora borealis but theres little or no chance in this country is there.

Hi Oonagh, you can occasionally see an Aurora from this far south but conditions have to be just right, so keep your fingers crossed.

Cool  :) cos i was considering going up on one of those flights to see it. Well if anyone hears of it happening let me know :)

No matter how far I stick my head out of the car window when relaxing, I have never seen the aurora borealis.


How long would my neck have to be?

Answers on a postcard. ;D

For the record tonight, its a fantastic clear night sky with a heavy ground frost...Absolutely freezing. :o

Alright King Comet?! just a thought, is there a magnification adjustment on one of the eyepieces? I have a pair and the right hand eyepice has a magnification adjustment on it. Set that to zero and if the images still dont marry up, your binos need collimating mate. I dont have a clue how you do it, but mine need collimating!

Welcome Oonagh! The tenacity of the aurora is dependent on the activity of the sun. At the moment we are in one of the lowest periods of activity (the sun has 11 year cycles). Apparently if conditions are just right and the sun has had a particularly violent outburst (or coronal mass ejection!),you can see the aurora from southern england.
I have seen the aurora once, on one of the flights you mentioned.They said there was an 80% chance of seeing it during the flight. We flew to Iceland airspace and the pilot did figure-of-eights so both sides of the plane could see. It looked like a bright green ribbon, quite thin on the horizon and if you followed it right round, you could tell that it was curving, following the curvature of the earth. It was like slow moving clouds in that it didn't dramatically flicker in front of your eyes, it just seemed to gradually change.
I am reliably informed that amateur astronomers from the far north of europe are not huge fans of the aurora because it interferes with their observing!

That sounds amazing :)

hi Kingcomet,

A useful website for you and your out of focus bins maybe http://www.ave.nikon.co.jp/bi_e/how_to/1/pop6.htm

Regards

Hallo Oonagh, I have recently received a list, from the Society for Popular Astronomy, reporting fireballs observed during the February period that you observed yours.
I am wondering if the one that you observed is on the following list. In particular 08/02/12-13 at 22:15-22:35 UT, Mag -7/-9?; 6 reports over England & N Wales.

08/02/11-12 ~20:55 -8/-12; 19 reports UK, Channel Islands & Netherlands
08/02/11-12  21:45-21:50 Very bright Kent
08/02/11-12  22:45 +/- 15m -7/-9?; 4 reports SE England
08/02/11-12 ~23:00     Very bright Lincolnshire
08/02/12-13 ~22:15-22:35 -7/-9?; 6 reports England & N Wales
08/02/14-15 ~22:15    -5/-7  Manchester
08/02/19-20 ~23:00     Bright  Yorkshire

There website can be found at:  http://popastro.c.topica.com/maakhOxabFni3bfnFWwb/ (http://popastro.c.topica.com/maakhOxabFni3bfnFWwb/)

Well done and keep looking up.  8)