Deirdre Kelleghan
 
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Goldschmidt rays and the Moons North limb
February  28th / March 1st  2010  23:20 UT - 00 :35 UT
200 mm Dobsonian Telescope  FL 1,200
8mm TVP eyepiece = 150X
Goldschmidt rays and the Moons North limb


South is up in this sketch because that is the way I viewed it and sketched it. Pastels & Conte on black paper.














Our beautiful Snow moon was 99 .9 % drenched in the suns light when I went observing on the last day in February 2010.  Along the NW limb several craters were on view in the libration zone, it was my intention to make a sketch of these elusive features. They presented as dark deep long shadows edged with sharp bright lines against the blackness of space. 

However while these were interesting,  my eye was magnetized toward the brightness of Goldschmidt and its ejecta rays, giving great form to the area.   Several of these long dark shadow lines were also  on view  on the edge of the limb close to Goldschmidt and Herschel .  It was so visually interesting to observe the contrasts on the limb when the moon was so full, a black and white merry dance of slow movement and rich structure.

Plato never looked so dark and flat ,its black floor absorbing the suns light when most of the surrounding area was throwing it toward my eye. I adored the tiny pure white rim sections singing in the light. My sketch wandered across part of Mare Frigoris  , the area around Plato and includes part of Mons Teneriffe .

Info snippet

Full Snow Moon - February Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east of America most often called February's full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult in ancient times.
What's Up for March 2010 from Jane Houston Jones 

    Title Text.

 
 
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The Great Nebula in Orion on  December 2007, sketched by Deirdre Kelleghan.

At a distance of 1500 light years, the Great Nebula in Orion is the closest region of star formation to us. It is also one of the most magnificent sights in the sky through a small telescope.

M42 December 3rd 2007 00:53 UT – 01:45 UT Wicklow Ireland 200mm Reflector FL 1200mm/ 15mm eyepiece/ 80X Pastels/Gel Pen/Blending stick. Seeing 1 Transparency better than normal, broken street light. South is up






After a day of stormy winds and heavy rain the atmosphere seemed cleaner and more settled than usual. I had sketched Holmes for the last time and turned my scope to the magnificent sword of Orion. M42 is a favorite of mine, it would be a wish to see and sketch it in best possible conditions with best possible equipment. The view would I am sure be overwhelming.
The nebulous star forming clouds seemed to be very liner that evening. From my garden it was one of the best views of it, I had ever seen. It was very cold just around 2 degrees, with a chilling wind, flapping my sketch pad and freezing my fingers.
Dec 2007



Its February 2010 soon the spring and summer constellations will grace our skies and Orion will dip below our evening horizon. So while it is still  a jewel in our view try to have a look at it for yourself.  Each time I look into the nebula , I am looking back in time but I am also viewing a place of ongoing creation. Within this beautiful gaseous cloud new stars and new planets are being formed , new future worlds to admire and understand. 

Below  The Orion Nebula reveals many of its hidden secrets in a dramatic image taken by ESO’s new VISTA survey telescope. The telescope’s huge field of view can show the full splendour of the whole nebula and VISTA’s infrared vision also allows it to peer deeply into dusty regions that are normally hidden and expose the curious behaviour of the very active young stars buried there.
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Click to read The European Southern Observatories Press Release including video and still images
ESO Photo Release eso1006 - Orion in a New Light
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Click here for  a cool sky map to help you find things for yourself  It may not work for everyone , let me know and I will send you another if needed.









Image of Deirdre by Bernard Kelleghan 


Global Astronomy Month a worldwide effort to share the night sky with people . 
The whole month of April is gearing up to be the biggest star party ever.
Some details , more next month  Click Here


You can follow GAM 2010 on Facebook Here 
You can follow GAM 2010 on Twitter Here
That's all for now
Deirdre 


 
 
 
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When I first saw this image I thought it looked like petrified trees dotting the surface of Mars. 
Microscopic hairs on strange skin also came to mind :-) 
This amazing image is in fact a photograph which shows dark sand emerging on the surface 
of the red planet as some of the ice covered dunes melt in the warmth of the spring sunshine.


This classic view of Mars  was taken by HiRISE one of the most incredible cameras working in space.This camera rides on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and produces feasts of data and true beauty to share with all of us.
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Kevin Nolan in Dunsink Observatory
The Irish Astronomical Societies first speaker of the year was Kevin Nolan , and what a treat that was. Kevin spoke passionately about his chosen subject Mars a Cosmic Stepping Stone the title of his talk, and his very comprehensive book on the subject. Kevin's explanations about the surface geology of Mars was fascinating. Just before his talk his  very kindly agreed to a short impromptu interview , you can listen to it below .



We were very lucky to have a clear sky later , to enjoy a look at Mars through the Grubb telescope. The north polar cap was very clear , but the seeing was poor / hazy so other features were tentative. However it was once again a pleasure to observe from Dunsink , a great way to end an evening. That's Kevin looking at Mars in the photo. Kevin Nolans book Mars a Cosmic Stepping Stone is available in Hodges Figgis , Waterstones and online via Amazon

February  15th   the IAS speaker in Dunsink is Perikles Rammos from The Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies who will speak about CERN 

Click the play button to hear the interview.
 
First Post! 10/20/2009
 
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