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Natural phenomenon you have witnessed?
- Thread starter Howardh
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GRALISTAIR
Established Member
There is an annular/ring of fire solar eclipse in progress over chunks of the USA right now.
I can remember the annular solar eclipse on Saturday 31st May 2003, which displayed ‘a ring of fire’ but only if observed in the far north of Scotland. I observed it in perfect conditions from the northeast coast of England, at around 5 o’clock in the morning just after sunrise. The sun’s disk was about 95% covered, appearing red and horn shaped as it rose above the sea, even casting a red shadow on the water. I was really fortunate to have a clear eastern horizon that morning, but unfortunately had no camera with me.
In two weeks time there is a lunar eclipse, but it will only be partial in the UK.
3141
Established Member
Maybe someone has already referred to the Milky Way, but I haven't time to read the whole thread.
When I was in primary school in about 1948, I read in a book that if you looked up into the sky at night you would see a great band of stars - the Milky Way. We lived in North London, and although local streets still had gas lamps there was already enough light pollution that what the book described wasn't obvious. But when I worked in a rural part of Zambia in the early 1970s we went out very early one morning to observe Bennett's Comet, and there was the Milky Way - fantastic. Huge numbers of stars everywhere, and a vast range of colours, something which fewer and fewer people are able to see nowadays. And the Southern Cross, which is actually not very impressive.
When I was in primary school in about 1948, I read in a book that if you looked up into the sky at night you would see a great band of stars - the Milky Way. We lived in North London, and although local streets still had gas lamps there was already enough light pollution that what the book described wasn't obvious. But when I worked in a rural part of Zambia in the early 1970s we went out very early one morning to observe Bennett's Comet, and there was the Milky Way - fantastic. Huge numbers of stars everywhere, and a vast range of colours, something which fewer and fewer people are able to see nowadays. And the Southern Cross, which is actually not very impressive.
Howardh
Established Member
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On the Costa del Sol this weekend as the sky was so clear, the half-moon could clearly be seen during the early afternoon, unfortunately I didn't have my camera/phone on me.
gabrielhj07
Member
I had a great view of the Northern Lights from a 777 a few weeks ago. Not as good as my friend who flew the day before though:
Then on Thursday, I was treated to the following views of Venus:
The first one is somewhere in Utah and the second is directly above the Grand Canyon:
Then on Thursday, I was treated to the following views of Venus:
The first one is somewhere in Utah and the second is directly above the Grand Canyon:
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Howardh
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Pity we only get to see part of Venus, when almost full-on it's getting behind the sun, probably at it's brightest when we see 2/3 of it but then I assume it would be low in our sky and this the atmosphere block a lot of the light?
Here's a map of the current night-sky https://www.theplanetstoday.com showing where Venus is compared to earth/Sun/Moon and Jupiter is superbly positioned for excellent viewing!
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
Venus is very, very, easy in full daylight at the moment provided you know where exactly to look. Oh... and if the sky is not covered in clouds!!
Actually Venus is at greatest brilliance when showing as a thickish crescent. At that point it’s position is halfway between greatest eastern elongation (evening apparition) or greatest western elongation (morning apparition), and inferior conjunction (when in line between the Earth and the Sun).
weepingwillowb
Member
One afternoon a few years ago I was up at Mow Cop, on the Staffordshire/Cheshire border, when fog came drifting over the Cheshire Plain, until it was like I was looking down on a sea of fog.
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Probably temperature inversion.
As I said above I saw it in daylight last week because it was right next to the moon.
But more generally - I'm waiting for it to appear as an evening star again, as it's easier to see.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
Yes, but the moon was nowhere in sight when I saw it - and I do make a point of looking for it whenever it's a clear day.
I do agree it's a much easier object in the evening as it's a time when we're all still active, but for an evening appearance - try seeing if you can find it early afternoon; once you've located it it's quite easy to find it again on subsequent days. Weather permitting, of course!!
True.
It's quite a long haul now until the next good evening appearance, by the look of it.
Picking some times just after sunset and looking at https://fourmilab.ch/yoursky, a site I've used for around 15 years:
Just about above the horizon at 21:30 BST on July 1, and virtually unchanged at 21:00 BST on August 1. Even by 20:00 BST on Sep 1 it's only gained a little height, and little better at 19:00 BST on Oct 1. Slightly higher by 17:00 GMT on Nov 1, it only really starts becoming prominent this time next year and looks like it should be reasonably easy to see by Dec 1. Looks an unfortunate evening apparition, spending several months in the summer and autumn only just east of the sun. It does become prominent for a while in February and March the following year, however, before very suddenly disappearing in late March.
The shallow angle of the ecliptic and the horizon during summer and autumn is to blame I suspect. By contrast in spring the angle is steep, so the best appearances of Venus tend to be in the spring. So you really want an evening apparition to coincide with the first half of the year, as happened this year.
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Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
That's true; it tends to be a cycle of good evening apparition, good morning apparition, shallow evening apparition, shallow morning apparition, then back to a good pair - although not always as it does depend on the timing, as you say.
MasterSpenny
Member
Edit: now realized that the sun was reflecting onto the window, so it wasn’t really an actual duplicate sun sort of thing.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
I managed to pick out Jupiter shortly before sunset - that should be relatively easy tomorrow as well if the sky remains clear; the Moon will be further east than Jupiter but will be a useful marker.
TheHSRailFan
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I only find out about the normal lights reaching as far south as just north of London when they quickly are gone and it's trending on UK Twitter. I do wish to see them and plan to go to Norway and Finland to look at em. Meteors I wish to see but never do. Seeing the planets on the other hand is easy when they come out and the odd space-related news site talks about viewing them, on twitter.
Stars are not a phenomenon but the council turns off the street lights after 1, so it is easy to see a lot of stars and take long exposure shots on my phone (or 'night sight' as my phone calls it). The light pollution of London is visible on them though...
A big one that I am willing to say and show off was when Comet Neowise came past. I stayed up late one night to see if I could see it, and faintly did in some binoculars I had. Showed my dad who was awake because of something. Was fun to see as the sun was rising and it was fading into the blue sky.
At some point, I do want to go somewhere that has little light pollution and look at the stars as well as take a photo of the Milky Way.
Stars are not a phenomenon but the council turns off the street lights after 1, so it is easy to see a lot of stars and take long exposure shots on my phone (or 'night sight' as my phone calls it). The light pollution of London is visible on them though...
A big one that I am willing to say and show off was when Comet Neowise came past. I stayed up late one night to see if I could see it, and faintly did in some binoculars I had. Showed my dad who was awake because of something. Was fun to see as the sun was rising and it was fading into the blue sky.
At some point, I do want to go somewhere that has little light pollution and look at the stars as well as take a photo of the Milky Way.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
Meteor watching requires patience, time to let your eyes fully adapt to the dark and is generally better after midnight; if the weather is clear the Geminid meteor shower ( best nights will be 13th / 14th and 14th / 15th December this year ) would be an excellent opportunity to try - but do make sure you are wrapped up very warm. Don't try to look at the radiant; you'll do better looking at an angle away from it and looking at Orion is probably the easiest way of getting the right distance from the radiant.
You don't say where you are, but if you're in the south of England a very good place that isn't far from any facilities and accommodation would be West Wight but outside Yarmouth itself; try the Totland Bay / Freshwater areas. Fort Victoria Country Park would be a very good location to try from.
High Dyke
Established Member
The Memsahib managed to get a picture of some nacreous clouds the other evening. Sadly, I didn't witness this rare cloud formation from where i was working.
Image shows Nacreous clouds, a rare weather phenomenon. (Credit: M. Bullock)
Image shows Nacreous clouds, a rare weather phenomenon. (Credit: M. Bullock)
I was hoping that you would report the latest sunrise too! Here in the Fens sunrise has been 0809 I think for the last 3 days.
Pete_uk
Established Member
So, I think this may have been natural, or maybe not...
Back around 1998 I was looking out a bedroom window at home in Stroud where I could see down over the Severn just below the 'bends' or 'Goose neck' at around half past eleven at night.
Out of nowhere a orange glow appeared low in the sky. It looked like an oval glowing orange thing with a orange aura which was moving around it and changing shape. I could see this through some binoculars, there was no other structure or anything around it. After a few minutes it just slowly faded away.
A few minutes later it reappeared for a few minutes but this time - this is where it gets strange(!) - a much smaller orange thing came up from the ground at a bit of an angle and disappeared into the bigger orange thing which itself then faded away.
Back around 1998 I was looking out a bedroom window at home in Stroud where I could see down over the Severn just below the 'bends' or 'Goose neck' at around half past eleven at night.
Out of nowhere a orange glow appeared low in the sky. It looked like an oval glowing orange thing with a orange aura which was moving around it and changing shape. I could see this through some binoculars, there was no other structure or anything around it. After a few minutes it just slowly faded away.
A few minutes later it reappeared for a few minutes but this time - this is where it gets strange(!) - a much smaller orange thing came up from the ground at a bit of an angle and disappeared into the bigger orange thing which itself then faded away.