our Universe is so amazing, i can never get bored with the pics of night sky.
btw i use star walk app, its the best tool for stargazing, you don't need any expensive equipment!
and when you buy your first telescope, it's no more stargazing, it's passion
April 3 - Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons.
April 21, 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower usually peaks on April 21 & 22, although some meteors can be visible from April 16 - 25. This year, the gibbous moon will hide most of the fainter meteors in its glare. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight, and be sure to find a dark viewing location far from city lights.
May 5, 6 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on May 5 & 6, however viewing should be good on any morning from May 4 - 7. A thin, crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what could be an good show. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight, far from city lights.
May 11 - Conjunction of Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter. The three planets will form a 2-degree long vertical line in the early morning sky. The planet Mars will also be visible nearby. Look to the east near sunrise.
All this info was stolen from this site .
Some of these things might be cool for the night photographers. I, however, have no skill or equipment, but I might go take a look anyway.
You can see the ISS tonight at 19:13 to 19:15. Might want to make it to the sticks and see also if the weather cooperates. There's usually a sighting a day.
Also, since the shuttle is up, you can see it as well. This is your second to last chance to see the shuttle. Also, if you have an HF radio, you can hear the space shuttle when it passes over. You can find the frequencies online.
so what you're saying is that I'm generally just too lazy to have not seen it yet.
If it's clear tonight, I will be out with my eyes peeled
There's a sighting at 4:19 in the morning on May 29th.
4:40 on May 30th
3:30 on the 31st
5:02 on the 31st
3:51 on June 1st
If this changes, I'll update here.
Happy viewing!
If anyone saw it, and has pics, I'd like to see.
Managed a couple of snaps of the full moon though afterwards, not sure how they turn out.
Is anyone actually an amateur astronomer here? I've been thinking of getting myself a telescope to do a bit of star gazing and maybe take some snaps, but no idea what would be good start-up equoiment.
I had a telescope years back, but since I moved to Switzerland, I find the light pollution has killed my enthusiasm somewhat.
Even Hale-Bopp's coma was only just visible from here.
I find that if you can put a hill between you and a city, it'll really cut the light pollution. If the weekends ever supported it, camping to see the Milky Way is totally possible here.
Note: this link with only work for today. I'll try and remember to change it to the archive image once I have the chance.
Sadly, my camera is not good enough to record it, but I also like the stunning sunsets and (being an Aviation worker) views like this:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/...ac312cb7_b.jpg
Donations for my "DSLR fund to photograph the night sky" gratefully received.