Pembrokeshire Astronomer

Back in August 2009, whilst camped out on the Preseli Hills, awaiting the main Perseid shower maximum, I had an idea... I had an idea for a poetry form that might be of interest to poets,  I later called it  HIYA . Firstly you make a chart, as follows: Then you choose any word you want to make your poem. For example I will use the letters of my name:  MARK . Look up each letter of your word on the above chart.   Write down the corresponding number you see above it. My word  MARK  would read as follows: M =4,  A =1,   R =9,  K =2 Once you match a number to each of your letters, y ou then use this number as a syllable count for each line of your poem. Poem for the Perseids                                                                             ...

" armchair" study of the stars was no substitute for standing out in the night air and feeling the "beauty of the heavens."  Joseph H  Elgie   One of my all time favourite astronomy books has to be The Stars Night by Night, by Joseph H. Elgie. Joseph Henry Elgie (1864–1927) was a British astronomical writer during the early 20th century.  He was best known for his ability to translate complex celestial movements into poetic, accessible language for the "backyard astronomer."   ​He was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS), and a member of the British Astronomical Association. ​Elgie’s writing was a wonderful blend of poetical  phrase, blended with  a "star-gazer’s" eye for detail. His most fabulous book; as far as I'm concerned is: ​ The Stars Night by Night:  Being the Journal of a Star Gazer (1914):  This was his most influential work, structured as a journal that guides the reader through the constellations and celestial e...

It's that "May the 4th be with you" day. Here's a photo capture of today's Sun, burning bright and beautiful with a stunning May time radiance. The little Vixen telescope is back in the motorhome, where it belongs. Recently I bought myself one of those camera adapters that fit over the eyepiece. It cost the princely sum of £2 ! The adapter did a great job of holding our smartphone in place. Seeing that the phone was now held tight I could spend some time adjusting the manual focus settings, which made all the difference.

Here are the Month of May night sky highlights: The Moon dominates this month with two full moons. ​May 1: The first full Moon.  ​ May 16: New Moon.  This is the best May night for peeps at the Milky Way.  Because the Moon is at its closest point to Earth (perigee) during its new phase, the skies will be at their darkest.  ​ May 31: The Blue Moon.  This is the second full moon in a single calendar month, so it takes the "Blue Moon" title.  It will also be an apogee (its farthest point from the Earth) Full Moon, so it will appear slightly smaller in the sky.  Planetary & Meteor Highlights: May 6: η-Aquariid Meteor Shower Peak.  These fast-moving meteors are debris from Halley’s Comet.  While they are usually better seen from the southern hemisphere, Pembrokeshire's low southern horizon over the Atlantic gives us a decent chance to spot them in the early morning hours. May 14: Venus at Peak.  Venus reaches its highest altitude in the e...