Jump to content
Snow?
Local
Radar
Cold?
IGNORED

Favourite Astronomical Phenomena?


Favourite Astronomical Phenomena?  

43 members have voted

  1. 1. Favourite Astronomical Phenomena?

    • Solar Eclipses
      11
    • Lunar Eclipses
      1
    • Aurorae
      12
    • Comets
      5
    • Transits
      0
    • Conjunctions
      0
    • Occultations
      0
    • Novae
      2
    • Meteor showers
      12


Recommended Posts

Posted
  • Location: Swansea (West)
  • Weather Preferences: Snow, Thunderstorms, Hot Summer days
  • Location: Swansea (West)

Comets, I remember Hale-Bopp in Spring 1997, which was visible to the naked eye, would love to see another comet in the skies without the need of telescopes soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
I remember when the landlord at the pub told me that the northern lights were caused by light reflecting off the Arctic ice caps.

Silly sod.

I've had many an argument about that particular little gem. Another one I've heard, is that rainfall-patterns are being disrupted by RAF jets breaking-up thunderclouds?? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......
  • Weather Preferences: Hot & Sunny, Cold & Snowy
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......

Lunar Eclipse for me. When I've seen enough Auroras I'll end up prefering them but at the mo' I'll stick to what I know. And yes Oon, a fine brace of Northern Sparrowhawks swooping through the frozen wastes on their furry little wings (and their sharp pointy teeth!).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Viking141
I've had many an argument about that particular little gem. Another one I've heard, is that rainfall-patterns are being disrupted by RAF jets breaking-up thunderclouds?? :p

You think thats good - have you heard the one about how contrails are not contrails at all but are in fact mind control chemicals being sprayed by our governments!

Aha ha ha ha ha ha

:lol: :lol: :lol: :p

Edited by Viking141
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Renfrewshire
  • Location: Renfrewshire

Got to say Aurorae.

Certainly one of the wonders of the night sky, remember seeing it up here in Paisley way back in 1999 I think, brilliant experience.

Would love to go to the Arcitc to witness them in all their glory :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......
  • Weather Preferences: Hot & Sunny, Cold & Snowy
  • Location: Mytholmroyd, West Yorks.......
You think thats good - have you heard the one about how contrails are not contrails at all but are in fact mind control chemicals being sprayed by our governments!

Aha ha ha ha ha ha

:(:):) :o

..........and we all know they do that via the water supply............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"There's one phenomenon that I haven't included on that list but has anyone seen the zodiacal light? Really hard for the uK with all that light pollution."

Yes, I've seen it. I could trace the light right along the ecliptic

as far as the Milky Way. However, this was from Australia.

I've also seen ZL from the Mediterranean.

:rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Uxbridge 35m ASL
  • Location: Uxbridge 35m ASL

The best I have seen was the eclipse in 99 in France. Totality with the pink streamers showing all round the sun as it was at sunspot maxima.

I saw the Leonids in darks skies above central america but the peak of the storm missed us there otherwise that I think could have been as good or better.

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
Posted
  • Location: south London
  • Location: south London

The crab nebula...well realy its a supernova...and also Lyra..m52 if my memory is right..oh you need a telescope with a camera..sorry

well Im cheating these events happened many thousand years ago but still they are events and still can be seen

Edited by dogs32
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W

Shoooo!

This is a hard one but in the end I had to plump for Aurorae. I was fortunate enough to see a full Solar Eclipse in Turkey last year and I also saw the spectacular 2001 Leonid meteor storm but for sheer awesomeness nothing matches being under a highly active full corona aurora.

The only phenomena I've seen to better it is a brilliant display of Nacreous Clouds

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: .
  • Location: .

My favourite is not on the list: galaxies (I guess they are phenomenal but not phenomena?!)

I used to get such a tingle when I viewed one of the Messier objects knowing it was really a distant galaxy from which light had taken millions of years to arrive. I remember once being on a Junior Astronomical Society weekend and being shown several of the galaxies in Ursa Major: M 81 and M 82 in particular I think.

Otherwise, got a similar sense of awe under the southern milky way in Africa. But it's the idea that there are entire systems of stars way out there far far beyond our own Milky Way galaxy that really gets me going, or rather makes me silent!

'We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night' epitaph on grave of an astronomer.

Edited by West is Best
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W
'We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night' epitaph on grave of an astronomer.

The Old Astronomer to His Pupil

Reach me down my Tycho Brahe, I would know him when we meet,

When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet;

He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how

We are working to completion, working on from then to now.

Pray remember that I leave you all my theory complete,

Lacking only certain data for your adding, as is meet,

And remember men will scorn it, 'tis original and true,

And the obliquy of newness may fall bitterly on you.

But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learned the worth of scorn,

You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn,

What for us are all distractions of men's fellowship and smiles;

What for us the Goddess Pleasure with her meretricious smiles.

You may tell that German College that their honor comes too late,

But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate.

Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;

I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

Sarah Williams

http://3ap.org/sarahWilliams.shtml

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Lower Brynamman, nr Ammanford, 160-170m a.s.l.
  • Location: Lower Brynamman, nr Ammanford, 160-170m a.s.l.

Solar eclipse. Was fortunate enough to have the holiday of a lifetime - literally - in 1973 and saw that year's total eclipse from the deck of a boat somewhere off Mauritania. It's the spookiest thing you can imagine, seeing the darkness rush towards you, watching the colours leach out of everything and the sudden drop in temperature. A partial eclipse does not come close! Then there's the corona, which is the most beautiful thing you can imagine, and the diamond ring, which in a way is sad because you know that that 6 and a half minutes is never going to happen again....

(I might have said aurorae if I'd ever been fortunate enough to see one...)

Edited by crepuscular ray
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Ashford, Kent
  • Weather Preferences: Anything
  • Location: Ashford, Kent

Not having seen a full eclipse of the sun or Aurorae, i have voted for comets. I long to see another with the same majesty as Hale-Bopp, what a stunner!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Lower Brynamman, nr Ammanford, 160-170m a.s.l.
  • Location: Lower Brynamman, nr Ammanford, 160-170m a.s.l.
Not having seen a full eclipse of the sun or Aurorae, i have voted for comets. I long to see another with the same majesty as Hale-Bopp, what a stunner!

True, it was even visible from South Kensington with full orange streetlights and amazing seeing the structure in the coma through a small telescope. But, not having seen Hale-Bopp from anywhere dark, I'll stick with the eclipse.

- first astronomical memory, being woken up and shown comet Ikeya-Seki when I was barely toddling. (Come to think of it, that's probably the earliest thing I remember at all).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • UK Storm and Severe Convective Forecast

    UK Severe Convective & Storm Forecast - Issued 2024-03-29 07:13:16 Valid: 29/03/2024 0600 - 30/03/2024 0600 THUNDERSTORM WATCH - FRI 29 MARCH 2024 Click here for the full forecast

    Nick F
    Nick F
    Latest weather updates from Netweather

    Difficult travel conditions as the Easter break begins

    Low Nelson is throwing wind and rain at the UK before it impacts mainland Spain at Easter. Wild condtions in the English Channel, and more rain and lightning here on Thursday. Read the full update here

    Netweather forecasts
    Netweather forecasts
    Latest weather updates from Netweather

    UK Storm and Severe Convective Forecast

    UK Severe Convective & Storm Forecast - Issued 2024-03-28 09:16:06 Valid: 28/03/2024 0800 - 29/03/2024 0600 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH - THURS 28 MARCH 2024 Click here for the full forecast

    Nick F
    Nick F
    Latest weather updates from Netweather
×
×
  • Create New...