Online Messier Object Catalogue- 29th April

In attempt to add some useful features to this site and hopefully give something back to the online astronomy community, I have been working on writing an online catalogue of the Messier objects. I have been steadily adding features with suggestions from fellow amateur astronomers, to try and tailor it to their needs. If you have an idea, or would like to see a certain feature added, please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll do my best to build it in.

The International Space Station- 20th April

For the past few weeks, the International Space Station (ISS) has been passing overhead in the sky during the evenings. To the naked eye it is a bright dot travelling West to East at about the apparent speed of a plane. It was the first time I had ever seen it, and was suprised by its brightness. Over the next few days I attempted to capture it through my telescopes; a very hit and miss affair. Three evening's worth of images are available here along with animations as it flies across the sky. If you didn't see it this time, the next opportunity to see it is in mid-June.

Snowdon Horseshoe pictures - 11th April

On Wednesday the 4th, I climbed Mount Snowdon in Wales by the challenging Horseshoe route, to raise money for Helen and Douglas House children's hospices. This route takes you up a total of 4 peaks, covering 8 horizontal miles, and along two sharp ridges. Luckily it was a lovely day (not a route for windy weather), and I had a great time. Pictures are available here. Thanks to everyone who sponsored me.

Lake District Pictures - 10th April

Following a small break up in the Lake District, there is a new picture gallery with 12 of my best pictures from the trip. Lakes, waterfalls, sunsets...etc

Star and Satellite Trails - 10th April

After being impressed by my first Iridium Satellite siting, I had a go at taking a picture of one. Sadly, due to the difficulty of photographing them, I only managed to capture the last half but I'm happy with the result. I will be taking a few more when the skies clear again. Also during a recent Lake District trip, I have taken some photos of the fairly unpolluted night sky up there. With the absence of a guided mount, I decided to take some pictures of star trails, to show how the stars move across the sky.