August, Sept, Oct, November ... Sorry folks - Menieres strikes again ... and again... will be back when I get a gap ...

thanks for the emails - will  reply when I can ...

Snapshots from October 2009

Lunation 1072:   20 Aug - 17 Sept 2009

1st Sept 2009 12 day moon

Day of sun, hail and cloudbursts - and then a 12 day moon rising in a clear sky!  Wonder if it will stay clear till Jupiter rises ....

Yup!! and there were stars out last night as well!!

Lunation 1071:  22 July  - 19 Aug 2009

Bresser view of Mars in the early hours - photo by Chris Bailey

Forgettable photos of the summer moon!!!

27th July	4th Aug	5th Aug	7th Aug

Lunation 1070:  22nd June 2009 - July 22nd 2009

20th-21st July 2009

40 years since the Apollo Moon landings ...

Our Blue Planet - captured on camera by the Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders - check out NASA's Discovering Earth

Meanwhile, back here on the Blue Planet ... looking in the other direction ...

27 day Moon coming out from behind the silver birches near dawn ... Venus above, Mars faded out ...

Libration would show the SW Hausen crater, terminator just creeping up to Inghirami in SW and Grimaldi in the W

Over the next few mornings from 16th July ...

View to look for on July 17th at around 4 am in the East - and similar over the weekend

Graphic from that useful program Starry Night Enthusiast (opens in new window) - see also SkyMap or Heavens Above etc.

Granite on Venus?

Caption: As seen on 23 July 2007 Credits: ESA/ MPS/DLR/IDA ID number: SEMX0SVHJCF HI-RES JPEG size: 35 kb

“If there is granite on Venus, there must have been an ocean and plate tectonics in the past,”

says Nils Müller at the

Joint Planetary Interior Physics Research Group of the University Münster and DLR Berlin

Full details on ESA Venus Express site

Mars is back!

14th July 2009 - just before the sun rose - morning star Venus, fiery Mars and the Pleiades ... in the East

And the waning moon - last quarter

(been ill - back now - I hope)

NASA Science News for April 24, 2009

On Sunday, April 26th, the crescent Moon, Mercury and the Pleiades star cluster will line up in the western sky for a beautiful sunset conjunction.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/24apr_eveningsky.htm?list110882

sick again ... more when recovered ...

Lunation 1066:  25th Feb 2009 - March 25th 2009

NASA Science News for March 17, 2009

Space shuttle Discovery launched Sunday, March 15th, on a construction mission to the International Space Station. Perfect timing for sky watchers! The mission coincides with a series of ISS flybys over North American towns and cities. People who go outside after sunset can see the shuttle-station combo with their naked eyes and view the changing outlines of the ISS through backyard telescopes.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/17mar_bigconstruction.htm?list11088

10th March 2009 - full moon

No clouds yet - but plenty sky trails ...

MARE HUMBOLDTIANUM  can be seen in the libration zone to the NE ( Ricoh through Tal 1 )

28th Feb 2009

And now a sunset!  Clouds thickening though - no moon to be seen ...

27th Feb 2009 - 2 day moon and Venus

25th Feb 2009 - looking for Comet Lulin

Missed the young crescent but took the Bresser binocs out - viewed Saturn and caught the pale fuzz of Comet Lulin roughly half way between Saturn and Regulus.  Comet will move up towards Regulus and onwards over the weekend ...

Lunation 1065:  26th Jan 2009 - Feb 24th 2009

7th February 2009

Viewed Saturn last night through the Bresser - first time for many months - rings virtually level - Titan visible with 20mm e/p.

Pics  from video too small for details so you get a scruffy graphic instead :-)

6th February 2009 - 11 day moon

Finally was able to get a 'scope-look at the moon - even if it was from inside!  Used the Bresser Skylux - viewing clear even if the photos (Ricoh Caplio RR730) struggled with the double-glazing.  Here is the terminator with the Mare Humorum and the Schiller crater to the south

Lunation 1064: 27th Dec 2008 - 25th Jan 2009

6th January 2009 - 9 day moon

Took the TAL-1 out in the ice - lots of drifting cloud but a beautiful sight to see

the floating mountain tops marking the Northern edge of the Sinus Iridum

1st January 2009 - 4 day moon

27th December 2008 - new moon

Saw the sun going down in the SW, no doubt accompanied by the new moon. This new lunation will bring the new year as well - good wishes for 2009

All photos are copyright ©kjcstudios and may not be used without permission