Thetownend.com

that's fucking ace.

so we should be able to see this around 5pm ish? I'll take a looky once i get off the train.

As mentioned last month, a real astronomical treat is in store for us on Monday 1 December. A lunar occultation, when the Moon passes in front of Venus, will occur, starting at 15:44 UT (Universal Time, same as GMT), as seen from Kidderminster, thus obliterating the planet from view.

The Moon will be only four days old at the time of the occultation, so will appear as a narrow sliver of light. The occultation will finish at 17:15, when Venus reappears from behind the Moon.

Times will vary slightly in other parts of the two counties, so to make sure that you don't miss anything, look out from about 15:30 (you need to look out early anyway to make sure you find the planet) and 17:10 UT respectively.

At the start of the occultation it will still be daylight, with the setting Sun about 1° above the SW horizon, but believe it or not, Venus is bright enough to be seen in daylight, if you know where to look. And we do know where to look - just to the left of the Moon, about 13° high in the S.

The Sun will have set by the time Venus reappears.

And here comes the usual warning about the Sun: don't be tempted to observe the start of the occultation through binoculars or a telescope, as if you look at the Sun through most optical devices, even accidentally and for a short time, you can cause serious and permanent damage to your eyesight. Once the Sun has well and truly set, you're perfectly safe of course.

BR - were you in Thailand in 2001?

I was on Koh Chang Nov and Dec and there was an amazing meteor storm...I used to love lying on that beach. You could literally see the sattelites tracking across the sky it was so clear.

  BR I remember Halle Bopp....97 was it. I was about as excited as I can get, I'd always wanted to see a decent comet since I was a kid. A visible to the naked eye no mistaking it for something else sort. 

  BR I remember Halle Bopp....97 was it. I was about as excited as I can get, I'd always wanted to see a decent comet since I was a kid. A visible to the naked eye no mistaking it for something else sort. 

Interesting Facts About flammableBen

Fact 57: flammableBen has a GCSE in Astronomy!

'tis a secret.

Nah it's not really a secret. One of they years I was at New College doing A-Levels I had a big gap in my timetable between 9'am for an hour and 1pm on Tuesdays. I'm guessing it was the first year, because I must have been on some sort of idea that I was going to go to things. My Physics teacher at the time was seeing if anybody wanted to do some Astronomy, I had nothing on at that time so I figured I might as well. The GCSE's were a bit of an afterthought I think, figured that we might as well do the exams. I think I only got a D.

I don't really remember much of it to be honest. Covered a big range from constellations to more sciency stuff like measuring distance to starts, the red and blue shift thingies in light when things are moving away/towards you, Loads and loads of shit that I can't remember.

Oh yeah built a telescope out of cardboard tubes too. Good times.

I'm not sure I ever finished my telescope, think it might have been around the time I was losing interests and spending more time in pubs. I remember something about things being upside down through it because of the lenses.

Learning new things used to be so much easier when I was younger. I don't have the concentration anymore. Meh.

I'm 24 and a half. I lost a year. :(

I was in Thailand then yeah, although I saw no meteor storm. Probably on account of me being in a big city an not an Island (Light pollution and all that)