The small print
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Astronomy
A rare event as in May 2024 the moon appears near the red giant star Antares 554.5 light years from earth in constellation Scorpion. Antares mass is calculated to be around 12 to 16 times that of our sun with a diameter of 587. 9 million miles (946.15 million km). Our sun’s diameter is 865,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) in comparison.
Waxing gibbous 91% 19th May 2024 from our back garden Red Giant star Antares to the left.
Technology
Ground Penetrating Radar, Photo by PH Morton
Whilst taking Diesel our lively dog for his morning walk in our next road, I came across a couple of personable technicians with this impressive technology. I guessed what it was as I had seen before in archeology documentaries. I chatted with them & they confirmed that it was a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) device.
The technicians are surveying the road in preparation for the installation of more electric vehicle street charging powerpoints.
As with other radar systems (aircraft etc) detection systems, the GPR sends out beams of powerful radio pulses which are reflected off any underground objects/anomalies, etc. A P.C. laptop or similar is used to display the returned signals for interpretation. The signals pinpoint where subsurface features such as buried underground pipes and power, etc cables. are precisely located. This saves much time and cost as there is no need to dig up/excavate large areas as in the recent past to ascertain their placement. For the same reason, these useful devices are now widely used in archeology.
Solar System
Planet Saturn, Photo by PH Morton
I photographed Saturn from nearly one billion miles from our back garden (and Earth!) in the early hours of 3rd September 2023.
I used the near full zoom on my brilliant Nikon P1000 camera. Image taken unguided on a reasonably steady tripod. I used manual exposure etc. settings as easier to focus. No special astrophotography software was used. A very unseasonable warm evening with haze and air currents prevents better clarity. I was pleased with this effort with minimal accessories.
Saturn is 75 thousand miles (120,000 km) in diameter. Saturn is 9.5 times bigger than Earth & 764 Earths could fit inside Saturn. It is mainly made of hydrogen and helium gases. The centre of Saturn is a dense core of metals like iron and nickel surrounded by rocky material and other compounds solidified by intense pressure and heat. It takes 29 years to complete an orbit around the sun.
Heavenly Bodies
30 August 2023
Here it is 🙂
The ‘Blue Moon’ and full moon photo was from our garden in N.W. London.
Tonight sees the moon is closest in orbit to Earth, this phenomena is called a perigee.
The moon is rather special this evening because we are having a ‘Blue moon’. The moon has not actually turned blue, it was just one of the many names given to the many phases and condition of this lunar satellite.
Anyway, It is called a blue moon because as it is rare to have two full moons in one month. So rare that an idiom was coined from it – once in a blue moon.
Take time to look at the night sky tonight for the Blue as we are not likely to seen another ‘Super Blue’ moon until 2037.
Blue & Super Moon Aug 2023 (photo by Peter Morton)
Museum
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The Museum of the Moon is located within the ĺNatual History Museum, ground floor near the Dinosaurs.
It is free to enter if you can find it. There is a map of the whole museum costing £1.00 to help you navigate the roomy museum.
When you’ve found the location, the moon sculpture will certainly take your breath away.
It is huge and so near, I reckon a tall NBA player would be able to reach it quite easily.
The lighting is in muted blue highlighting the spectacular moon just above you.
Because of its size and location, it was easy to take your photo/selfie with the Moon in the background.
This work of art by a British artist, Luke Jerram, was in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
You can visit this Museum of the Moon at the Natural History Museum until 5 January 2020. It would then be on tour.