Really nice video here with a 3D model of the Apollo 11 landing site, describing the various objects left behind.
Superb 3D panorama image of a Lunar Module interior here:
https://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/multimedia/vr?passthrough=/files_special/Panos/A19711598000_1
This is a Lunar Module (designated LM-2) that was built for a rerun of Apollo 5 that never happened, hence there still exists one example of the real thing. The others were either crashed onto the Moon or burned up in Earth's atmosphere once they'd fulfilled their purpose.
The door to the surface of the Moon is at the front,under the main instrument panel. Imagine opening that and peering down onto the grey, dusty, pitted surface of another world.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c3ggzx932ljo
Fab !
Quote from: Fishy on June 22, 2024, 10:47:25 AMhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c3ggzx932ljo
Fab !
Subliminal Glastonbury advertising. He's clever that Chris Martin!
I well remember James Burke's broadcasts during the Apollo missions but I don't remember this retrospective, made for the 10th anniversary of Apollo 11.
Superb red moon tonight.. full moon on Monday I think...
Very impressive last night. Out for a walk when it was rising in the SW(ish). Got the full land effect as I approached the brow of the hill where I live. It looked huge and very Mars-like.
In pictures: Blue supermoon glows red https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c984wlypkrdo
Hoping for clear skies tonight...
Quote from: Fishy on August 19, 2024, 12:41:09 PMIn pictures: Blue supermoon glows red https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c984wlypkrdo
Hoping for clear skies tonight...
Climate catastrophe
Quote from: Fishy on August 19, 2024, 12:41:09 PMIn pictures: Blue supermoon glows red https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c984wlypkrdo
Hoping for clear skies tonight...
Not a chance of seeing anything.. rain overcast...
Clearly visible over here, it's beautiful.
Rare supermoon partial eclipse to grace UK night sky https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/ce8vvp4lr3do
Conditions look very promising.
Beautifully bright tonight with moonlight flooding in the front window at the moment.
Yes, just walked the dog under a pristinely clear sky and greatly enjoyed the sight.
I'm very unlikely to be up for the partial eclipse at about 3:45am, mind!
Yes fantastic bright clear moon just now.. won't be up at 4 am tho..
The dog woke me at about 2:30am for a convenience visit to the back garden and the sky had completely clouded over anyway by then.
I was up at 4am for a convenience break .. had a quick look.. full moon but I think I just missed the eclipse..
Going to be another clear night again ..
And still in the west this morning..
Earth to briefly gain second 'moon', scientists say https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dvxgrmk95o
Quote from: Fishy on September 26, 2024, 08:07:46 AMEarth to briefly gain second 'moon', scientists say https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dvxgrmk95o
My first thought about this was that it seems like a lucky near miss - what would happen if it collided with Earth instead of just being captured by the planetary gravity for a bit?
But apparently it's only roughly the size of a bus, and would likely break up and explode in the atmosphere.
In 2013 a meteor exploded 30km above Russia with a 500 kiloton blast, but it was much bigger (14,000 tonnes) and even that wasn't close to an "extinction event".
I read something recently about the real danger being the asteroids in this belt sometimes collide with each other and if that nudge deflects the orbit of something of a troublesome size, it could spell danger for the Earth. I suppose given sufficient time it's inevitable there will be some calamity.
Cracking super moon tonight.. clear skies here..👍
We have a sort of vague looking moon, kind of when you forget to take off your reading glasses and you look at the telly.
It has a 'vibe' though, especially since it's around 17 degrees out.
Nice bright full Moon here as well. Must get a decent telescope one day.
Crap skies here - I'd intended to try a spot the comet - but made do with training my binoculars on the moon instead, for the moments it wasn't hidden.
November full Moon is last chance to see supermoon in 2024 https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c5yp2869y74o
Quote from: Fishy on November 14, 2024, 07:28:57 PMNovember full Moon is last chance to see supermoon in 2024 https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c5yp2869y74o
Not going to be seeing much around here.. dull cloudy dark already..
Clearing skies here.. lovely bright big moon..
How to see the January Wolf Moon beside Mars in the night sky https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cdxnl5lrje1o
Lovely full moon this morning in a clear blue sky..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg8jkzlj03o
Lovely crescent moon tonight with Jupiter just below..
Cracking full moon last night once the skies cleared..
I've just seen what is definitely the best view of the Moon I've ever seen in my life - a sliver of a crescent, with the rest illuminated as a faint globe by Earthshine. Looked like something from an old sci-fi film.
Quote from: Slim on April 30, 2025, 10:30:43 PMI've just seen what is definitely the best view of the Moon I've ever seen in my life - a sliver of a crescent, with the rest illuminated as a faint globe by Earthshine. Looked like something from an old sci-fi film.
Yep..looking good tonight as well...
The Chinese brought some Moon stuff back to Earth in 2020, and a bit of it will be studied in the UK.
It's the first lunar sample we've had since the '70s. One interesting thing is that it comes from a relatively "young" region. Most of the Moon's surface is shaped by ancient volcanic activity and meteorite impacts. But the region where these Chinese samples have been taken is less than 2 billion years old, ie flooded by lava much later than the Apollo sites.
Apparently this was worked out by counting the craters and applying a bit of statistics. Fascinating. But the returned samples have confirmed it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g3krykxypo
In the BBC article the contents of the little vial are described as "more precious than gold dust" which when you consider the expense of getting hold of it and its value to science, seems a ridiculous understatement.
The Chinese mission collected 1.7kg of the stuff. We now have 60mg of it in a safe in Milton Keynes. A bif of googling tells me that 60mg of gold dust would cost about 10p.
The return of the Moon samples was the primary goal of China's Chang'e 5 mission. It probably cost about $1.2 billion. They got 1.73kg so on that basis, 60mg of the stuff was acquired at a cost of $41,618.
Beautiful almost full moon tonight ( think Monday is the full moon)
Love the story of the US astronauts preparing for the moon landings in the 1960s. As part of the training they had to head out to some inhospitable terrain and practice manoeuvres in space suits. (A bit odd I know as there's nowhere on land with the low gravity of the Moon but I'm sure some value was obtained)
Anyway their operation piqued the interest of the local native American tribe. The Chief approached them and asked what they were doing. They explained about the Apollo mission and their plan to land on the Moon.
The Chief said "The Moon? Our Spirit brethren live on the Moon. Would you be able to deliver a message to them".
"A message? Certainly! What would you like to say"
The Chief said a phrase in his local tongue and got the astronaut to repeat it until it was word perfect.
"What am I saying?" asked the astronaut
"I cannot say" replied the Chief. "They are sacred words that only the tribe and our spirits can understand"
As soon as the training was complete the astronaut rushed to find a translator who knew the tribe's language.
"What am I being asked to relay to their spirits" he asked.
The translator did his best to suppress his laughter as he delivered the translation.
" Do not trust these people. They will steal your land"
How to see Sunday's 'Blood Moon' total lunar eclipse https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8739rrez23o
Rainy cloudy here so no chance unless there's a dramatic improvement..
Missed it, but lunar eclipses are ten-a-penny aren't they?
Next total one, 2-3 March 2026. Then New Year's Eve 2028.
Beautiful moon tonight. Shame about last night's clouds.
Bonfire Night's Beaver supermoon to be biggest and brightest of 2025 https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cj97v84gyw0o
Beaver Moon my arse >:(
Bloody BBC and its pandering to Americans.
Cracking full moon... not sure anything super about it tho
Lovely crescent moon tonight in the crisp clear sky
Cracking almost full moon tonight.. it rose very early..
Quote from: Fishy on December 03, 2025, 04:50:27 PMCracking almost full moon tonight.. it rose very early..
It is the "last Supermoon of 2025", and a "Cold Moon" apparently
https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/ce8qelngjlro
For some reason the wings song " c moon " came into my head.. great song not heard it for absolute years..
Quote from: Fishy on December 03, 2025, 07:58:38 PMFor some reason the wings song " c moon " came into my head.. great song not heard it for absolute years..
Yes, it's an excellent song. I must listen to it again. For some reason I thought it was on Venus & Mars but my memory was playing tricks as it wasn't originally on any album. Later released on a couple of compilations according to the Google fella.
Cloudy and raining just now so no chance of any moon sighting unless it clears
And it did clear ... fantastic👍
Was just outside and it is a watery moon, it has a halo-ish shine to it. Lovely.
Supermoon dazzles with a halo in the night sky https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cn5lk2512gyo
Had my old telephoto lens out and took a pic of the Moon:
(https://i.ibb.co/B2hfmWm7/moon.avif)
That's a tight crop. This was before sunset with a thin layer of cloud, and hand held. Will try in better conditions.
I got ChatGPT to enhance it. But did it use detail from the original image, did it use its existing knowledge of the Moon, or did it invent some of it?
(https://i.ibb.co/tpK1xLg1/moonai.avif)
Awesome.. nearly full moon tonight
Here's a better one. The Moon, about half an hour ago. Much better result because:
- I used a camera with a bigger sensor (my KS-1). Same 200mm lens.
- The Moon was higher in the sky (less atmosphere to shoot through)
- Hours after sunset so considerably darker
- Clearer sky
- I supported the camera on a fence
Shot in RAW, manual, ISO 100, 1/125, f8. Contrast enhanced in the GIMP but no AI shenanigans.
(https://i.ibb.co/4w1GryN9/moon260102.avif)
Wolf supermoon rises marking first of 13 full Moons in 2026 https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c773z1rn83do
Quote from: Fishy on January 03, 2026, 12:20:22 PMWolf supermoon rises marking first of 13 full Moons in 2026 https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c773z1rn83do
No need for streetlights tonight.
Lovely bright full moon in clear skies tonight with Jupiter close by..
Went out and took a pic again. Took about 8 or 9 shots and picked the best one. Not sure it's any better than last night's. I might invest in a tripod and a longer lens.
(https://i.ibb.co/Q3VrgrFT/wolfmoon.avif)
Another very clear night so with the Moon in a bit of shadow at the edge, I thought I'd get another pic.
I used exactly the same camera / 200mm fixed focal length lens combination. But the Moon is noticeably smaller tonight - all the Moon images I've posted in this thread are cropped, but not resized.
(https://i.ibb.co/YFzBvj9g/moonjan5.avif)
I was intrigued by this, so I used this site: https://dqydj.com/lunar-distance-calculator/ - to check the distances from my location on Earth to the Moon at the times the photos were taken.
3/1/26 9pm : 370022 km
5/1/26 9pm : 377975 km
(https://i.ibb.co/7dWrZZqC/twomoons.avif)
So the first distance is 0.979 x the second (to within 3 decimal places).
This being the case, the pixel diameter of the Moon in the second image should be close to 0.979 x the pixel diameter of the first. I measured them in the GIMP.
436 pixels in the first, 427 in the second.
427 / 436 = 0.979.
Science!
Just bought this bad boy from a 35mm film camera specialist. It's a 500mm mirror lens, probably made in the late '70s, early '80s. Excellent nick. Should arrive tomorrow.
Not as good as a standard, modern "non-mirror" lens but much less expensive (I paid £100). Will provide Moon images about 2.5x the size of the 200mm lens (also an ancient film camera lens) but more importantly a bit more detail. Just have to wait for another clear night!
(http://bikediary.uk/images/tokina.avif)
My new lens hasn't arrived yet, due to the weather apparently but there was a nice half Moon with the sun up this morning, so I had a go with the 200mm. Taken through the kitchen window.
(https://i.ibb.co/hR8tssJv/moon260110.avif)
Photographer 'over the Moon' with iconic ET recreation two years in the making https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3z475kxwpo
Finally a clear evening with the Moon up, so I had a chance to have a go with the 500mm lens. Used a proper tripod this time. Not sure it improves on the 200mm to be honest! Although the image is larger (downsized here) I think the 200mm is a bit sharper.
(https://i.ibb.co/PvP7kGjn/260127moon.avif)
Snow Moon: How and when to see February's full Moon https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/cvgm4m2wn9po
Nice clear sky tonight, took this with the 500mm and the tripod.
(https://i.ibb.co/gbjQ9211/Moon260328.avif)
I've concluded now that the 500mm does provide better detail, just, than the 200mm. The 200mm is better glass and not compromised by being a mirror lens. But the brute force magnification of the 500 just about overcomes that.
The critical thing is to get the focus just right. For a manual focus lens on an SLR intended to take autofocus lenses, that's not particularly easy, especially when the camera is pointing upward and you have to get under it to squint through the eyepiece or examine the preview screen.
Apparently my K-S1 has HDMI out so I could, at a pinch, take a monitor out onto the patio. Will test that I think. Just ordered a micro-HDMI cable from Amazon.
^^ and then have Gemini of Chatgpt do a minor touch up and voila, the moon at your doorstep.
As an aside, I am not much of a traveler, but I would like to visit Chile's Valle de la Luna . It rarely of ever disappoints I read and the view is stunning.
The crater called Tycho that looks a bit like an orange pip, with streaks radiating from it (highlighted below) is 85km in diameter, smaller than Yorkshire but a bit bigger than Shropshire.
(https://i.ibb.co/LXxdYSDb/tycho.avif)
Just got this one, nice night for it
(https://i.ibb.co/Z6DKpDTm/moonapr23.webp)
A little bit of haze this evening.
(https://i.ibb.co/qLzvkmWw/moon260429.webp)
May's full 'Flower Moon' will light up the sky on Friday 1 May https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/cp846n0wkk6o