Yesterday's solar image, in the style of an old 1970's amateur solar picture.
If you were an amateur astronomer back in the 70's it must have been difficult to capture any images of solar prominences.
I wonder what the amateurs back then would have made of the humble 40mm Ha telescope? it would no doubt have raised a few smiles.
Take that same PST back to William Herschel's time, and it would have had him dancing around the garden! There's never a TARDIS around when you need it.
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Ranting about the lights.
The state of the night skies has been much on my mind of late.
Unfortunately much of Pembrokeshire now suffers from the creeping lights disease.
Artificial night lights are cropping up everywhere in this beautiful county, and completely destroying that inky night blackness I remember so well as a kid.
I keep reading reports that Pembrokshire is one of the least light polluted counties in the UK, this is utter nonsense, as anyone can tell you who has lived here long enough.
My night sky observing goes back to 1975, and I can confidently say that in all those years since that time, the damn light pollution has done nothing but steadily grow and paint the night sky with its sickly pallid artificial glow...!
As Arthur C. Clarke says in one of his short stories. "and one by one the stars went out".
Enough moaning about light pollution... for now.
In Memory of
It is with sadness that I report that the man responsible for founding the Campaign for Dark Skies (now renamed The Commission for Dark Skies) recently passed away.
Bob Mizon was a great promoter and champion of all things astronomy.
He was well known throughout the world for his efforts into tackling the light pollution problem.
I met him just the once, though brief, he left a lasting impression of a great communicator and a gentleman.
He will be much missed.
