Astronomy Log

Comet Holmes 17P Update

Posted on: November 17, 2007 /

Categories: Comets

I have not been out for a couple of weeks, it seems the colder weather has put me off and I have been very busy in the evenings as well. But I managed to get outside for a couple of hours the other night after wrapping up warm. I went looking for Comet Tuttle but

Using a Palm with the LX200

Posted on: November 11, 2007 /

Categories: General

I was amazed to find a program called Planetarium which can be installed on a Palm top with Palm OS 3.5 and above. Planetarium is a full astronomy program which can also control your telescope. So the first thing I did was go and get my old Palm M505 out of the loft and charge

Solar System Mobile Kit

Posted on: November 8, 2007 /

Categories: Astronomy Gifts

I saw this Solar System mobile kit on the web. It’s a mobile of the solar system that comes in kit form and has to be put together. The solar system mobile kit comes with everything you need including paints, brushes and a full colour poster. What a great idea for a kids present though,

The Monthly Sky Guide Book Review

Posted on: November 4, 2007 /

Categories: Astronomy Books

The Monthly Sky Guide 7th Edition by Cambridge University Press (ISBN 0521684358) The Monthly Sky Guide contains a chapter on the main sights visible in each month of the year in the northern hemisphere. The Monthly Sky Guide was first published in 1987 and it gets updated every few years, this 7th edition of The

The Sky at Night – Grand Collision

Posted on: November 4, 2007 /

Categories: The Sky at Night

Sir Patrick Moore looks ahead to 2 billion years when the Milky Way will collide with another galaxy, Andromeda, an event which will destroy stars and planets but will eventually create new stars, solar systems and planets. Dr Chris Lintott steps outside to look at Andromeda, easily visible in the night sky using binoculars. It

Moon In My Room

Posted on: November 2, 2007 /

Categories: Astronomy Gifts

I found “moon in my room” whilst surfing around I am really tempted to buy it, ok so it’s bit of a toy, but the idea is really great, and it looks good too. Moon In My Room – What could be cooler than having your own moon hanging up on your bedroom wall or

Comet Holmes 17P

Posted on: November 1, 2007 /

Categories: Comets

I was glad to go out last night on Halloween and see clear skies as I was after having a look at the Holmes Comet after it had managed to get so much news coverage and at the same time come away with some images of the comet which is currently in the Perseus Constellation.

Binoviewer Review

Posted on: October 26, 2007 /

Categories: Equipment Reviews

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to borrow some binoviewers for a weeks use, from James at ScopesNSkies. I was very dubious that a pair of binoviewers could really give me a better view or increased viewing pleasure. The binoviewers are just like a pair of binoculars that can be attached to

Prime Focus Photography on LX200

Posted on: October 24, 2007 /

Categories: General

With a number of clear nights in a row last week I managed to stay out for a number of hours and actually get used to using the LX200. I also managed to let the LX200 take me on some of the tours I uploaded from the Meade website. Whilst out I managed to get

How To Connect an LX200 Telescope to a PC

Posted on: October 14, 2007 /

Categories: How To

I was quite amazed to find out that Meade still only allow you one way to connect your telescope to your PC, which is via an RS232 cable / 9 pin cable, the other end plugs into the RS232 slot on the LX200 base. I would have thought by now that Meade may have added