How to Slow Down & Own the Day.

 

Ever wondered how to pronounce the names of those constellations? 

The answer lies in this great little book, "Guide to the Stars" by Hector Macpherson. 

As the book was written and printed in the 1940's it has no flashy digital AI generated content, no URL links, no glossy colour photos, just simple plain text, interspersed with line drawing illustrations.

If part of your day is filled with learning the pronunciations of the constellations, it has been  worthwhile.

This book is a perfect antidote to the modern speed crazy world most of us inhabit.

To seek the night sky via telescope or book, or in this case with pronounciation, astronomy is a  perfect way to "Slow down and own the day".

Rainy day look back.

Hiding from the rain and wind at the moment, no stars no Sun!

Time to look through past blog posts. 

Here's one I wrote 14 years ago today... FOURTEEN YEARS AGO ! 

Time does fly...!

May 27th 2025

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Binoculars, Peltier and Lawn Astronomy.

“Were I to write out one prescription designed to alleviate at least some of the self-made miseries of mankind, it would read like this: “One gentle dose of starlight to be taken each clear night just before retiring.”   Leslie C Peltier

It's been really quiet here of late in Simpson Cross, not much observing as the weather has been really bad. 

The night skies that have appeared were not really that good for astronomical observations, I've spent the time available just observing with binoculars.

Newcomers to the hobby of astronomy invariably look for a telescope as their first instrument. This is false economy I feel.

I would suggest the humble binoculars everytime.

They're light, inexpensive and very portable..and there's loads to see in the night sky with them.

My favourite pair of 8x30's only cost £5. 

I used to have a very useful pair of 10X50's that only cost £1.50...they looked really rough , but the optics were fine.

If it's cloudy with no stars to view , read a book.... that's what I do.....

As the weather has been playing up I have spent some of that lost observing time reading a brilliant book by a famous amateur astronomer, it's called The Starlight Nights by Leslie C. Peltier .

I have to say this book captures my feelings about amateur astronomy perfectly.

The chapters I'm reading at the moment are based in the 1920's and 30's.

It shows the reader a world were the pace of life was much slower.

A bygone age where our modern nightly orange glow of so called progress hadn't yet touched.

It seems to me with all our technological haste we are missing out on the simpler slower things of life.

The darkened night skies are one of these simplicities.

Leslie C Peltier's Starlight Nights reminds us to slow down.

I can't praise this book enough...

Famed comet hunter David H Levy gives a wonderfully succinct view of this book:
“Many books explain how to observe the sky; Starlight Nights explains why.” 

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Looking forward to warm summer nights

 Lawn astronomy

Hopefully the month of June will bring better night viewing than May. 

Summer is close, the nights are getting warmer and my annual " Lawn astronomy" season is close.... 
Let me explain:
Because most of the year seems to be cold, wet, windy...I guess you know what I mean....!!! , it's really nice to find a few weeks of the year when the ground is dry and the night time is hopefully warm & balmy. 

On these rare occasions I like to spend my nightly observing session simply lying in the back garden looking up at the stars overhead....

Often I wear headphones that are playing Jean Michell Jarre's  "Equinox" album.... 
This particular music and the beauty of the stars above, coupled with the warm evening.... really is therapeutic ....

Here's to a good summer ....
Clear skies   hopefully
Mark

Written: May 27th 2011

Sky Spaghetti in Blue.

This morning's sky a blue shade of May time, the clouds skirting the horizon.

On top of this early summer paradise  a dumpster full of contrails! 

Every year in May, especially these past ten, have had this sky spaghetti criss crossing of aeroplane contrails!

Some say these contrails are really chemtrails; a subject for a much longer blog post. 

For now, I hold my opinions for lack of definitive data.

What is definite from a personal view:

Over brief periods of non-commercial flying e.g. 911, Icelandic volcano, Covid lockdown,  I noticed a marked increase in telescopic planetary contrast and clarity.

Plus all the stars and Milky Way shone with a brilliance that I haven't seen in Pembrokeshire since childhood.

In all instances, as soon as the aeroplanes were flying again, within 24 hours the night skies were back to their murky watery self.

With a Transatlantic Flight Corridor directly over Pembrokeshire, it's often the case that a truly clear sky is not that common!

AstroType for sure.

Most of my astronomy observations end up either on this blog, in a handwritten journal or typed out on an old typewriter.

Whilst searching through some photos last night I found this old typewritten page. 

Makes me realise I haven't analogue typed out any astro observations for ages!

This I will remedy soon. 

Here's a picture of my mobile astro type machine.

It's a small typewriter, and fits perfectly in our motorhome "Martha". 

First light of the Mars-Beehive sail by.

Clear skies tonight, not a cloud to be seen. 

Here is my first attempt at the Mars - Beehive sail by.

Tomorrow night, Mars will be closer still !

                  --------------------

“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't, they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers."   

                                  Ray Bradbury.

Mars sails past the Beehive.

The trusty Red Vixen will be out and about on the nights of May 3rd, 4th and 5th, hopefully to witness Mars as he sails past Praesepe (the Beehive).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_Cluster

Praesepe is a wonderful star cluster, and a worthy view through any binoculars or low power telescope.

Beehive-Mars-Moon-Perfect

Add to that the wandering Mars, and it will make for a great visual alignment.

With any luck our little red Vixen refractor will be able to capture the whole celestial event.  

Plus I should be able to grab some camera phone photos.

It will be an interesting few evenings. 

Fingers crossed for some clear nights.

I seek Sol's light in a sunbeam.

Managed a quick image of old Sol.

Still using the small aperture mylar filter.

The full 60mm aperture of this telescope would no doubt increase sunspot resolution.

Will keep a look out for a decent 60mm diameter solar filter.

En passant: I am reminded of a quote from one of my favourite astronomy writers.

Joseph H. Elgie wrote the following in April of 1907 :

That breath of "perfume" Elgie talks about is possibly what we today would call Petrichor. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor

Fascinating to make that "perfume" to "petrichor" connection, a span of some 118 years! A tenuous connection to Joseph Elgie, but still...

I seek Sol's light in a sunbeam.

All is quiet, hushed and still.

The cloud free sky lightened by a gibbous Moon.

All is quiet, hushed and still.

In the distance a rally car is negotiating the next bend, changing gear and accelerating. 

A familiar nightime sound from as far back as I can remember in this part of the county.

Here at our park up, the telescope sits patiently.

Vixen red outside collecting lunar photons around 11.00 o'clock.

Tonight the Moon Maiden was on display, another firm favourite, and always a welcome sight.

The little red Vixen was able to show a hint of the Moon Maiden, though better views will surely prevail once I find myself a decent 6mm eyepiece.

There's absolutely no rush at the moment, a 6mm eyepiece will turn up when the time is right. 

Till then I am content to bathe in the light of Luna and write my poems by the muse of Selene.

Here's a picture of the Moon Maiden from an old book, now lost in time and thought:

The bats were flying.

The Sun had not long bid us goodnight, the bats were flying, the night was cooling, and the Moon shone down from high above. 

Helen and I were parked up, not far from Simpson Cross, a village we know well, having lived there between 2001 and 2016. 

Lots of happy memories in that village.

Great memories of my much used little Tal 1 Newtonian reflector are on my mind as I write these words.

It was my main telescope whilst we lived in Simpson Cross.

Tonight I had planned a test for the little red Vixen telescope.

I was trying out an old Japanese 12.5 mm eyepiece. 

After the usual camera phone wobbling over the eyepiece routine, I eventually managed to capture a few half decent pictures. 

The 12.5mm Japanese eyepiece is a definite keeper and a good match for the little red Vixen.

The night sky from this location often looks amazing, so clear and sharp, probably one of the best locations in the county.

BUT... the only trouble is that it has more than its usual share of cloudy nights! 

Tonight was one of those clear cloud free telescope friendly nights.

The "V" of Taurus was upright and close by Pleiades was ready to head into the west.

When you spot the Pleiades dipping down into the westerly twilight, the Summer months are not far away.

Little red Vixen returns.

Last Saturday's solar eclipse got me thinking about my old Vixen refractor; the telescope I used to take my 2015 solar eclipse images.

       2015 Partial Solar Eclipse

One of my good friends bought the Vixen refractor from me some nine years ago.

Over the years I have often thought of that little scope.

Being that we now live in our motorhome, that little refractor would be ideal for mobile observations.

With a bit of messaging and bartering my friend and I made an exchange. 

One telescope for two pairs of binoculars.

It was great to have the little red Vixen back again.

Here are a couple of Vixen images from last night:

They were taken with the "wobbling all over the eyepiece" Samsung phone camera method.

Partial eclipse - Partial blue sky.

This morning's partial solar eclipse was predicted to be a disaster, with a rain, cloud and misery forecast to be spread over much of Pembrokeshire.

From our vantage point in Mynachlogddu the sky gods had different ideas.

Much cloud, small blue sky gaps, crappy solar projecting and a hatfull of patience returned several semi decent eclipse pictures.

It's been 10 years since we last witnessed a solar eclipse from Mynachlogddu; the time has flown!

Luckily, in the UK, we all only have to wait until August of 2026  to see the next one.

I've already emailed those aforementioned sky gods for a clear day on August 12th 2026.