The Weather Outlook

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Bolty
02 April 2026 15:38:20

How big are these things going to be?!

Originally Posted by: westv 

Who knows? If the aim of them is to focus light on areas the size of solar farms and the like, then I'd imagine quite large. I haven't seen much else about it other than that ITV article from March.


Scott

Blackrod, Lancashire (4 miles south of Chorley) at 156m asl.

My weather station 

Roger Parsons
03 April 2026 03:07:53
Artemis Mission - BBC News updated 1 minute ago... Watch Mission Control Centre...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4g4ygw0r02t#player 

The Artemis II mission has completed a critical engine burn that will propel the Orion spacecraft on its journey to the far side of the Moon

'Feeling pretty good up here': Artemis II makes critical push out of Earth's orbit towards Moon

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4g4ygw0r02t 


RogerP

West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire

Everything taken together, here in Lincolnshire are more good things than man could have had the conscience to ask.

William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides - c.1830

Brian Gaze
03 April 2026 09:02:01
I noticed the comments about smart telescopes. TBH, I didn't know of their existence but I'm now considering buying one. I've already got a 200mm Newtonian with a motorised mount and computer tracking, but it's a pain to set-up etc. However, with the "smart" telescopes I'm wondering how "real" the images are, but also whether they are focused on deep sky only. Any views? This from AI:

1. Jupiter: The "Striped Marble"

Jupiter is the most rewarding planet for these devices because of its brightness and size.

Cloud Belts: You will consistently see the two primary North and South Equatorial Belts. They appear as two dark, parallel lines across the disc.

The Great Red Spot (GRS): Under very steady skies, you can see the GRS as a small orange/pink "indentation" or smudge within one of the belts. You will not see the turbulent "swirls" inside it.

The Moons: All four Galilean moons are easily visible as bright pinpricks. With "Lucky Imaging" mode, you can even watch their shadows transit across the planet's face as tiny black dots.

2. Saturn: The "Lemon with Handles"

Saturn looks beautiful in these scopes, but lacks the "crispness" of your 200mm reflector.

The Rings: You will clearly see the rings as a distinct structure separated from the planet body.

Cassini Division: This is the dark gap between the rings. In a 50mm smart scope, the Cassini Division is almost never visible. The rings will appear as one solid, smooth band.

Surface Detail: You might see a slight darkening at the polar region, but you won't see the individual atmospheric bands that your Newtonian shows.

3. Mars: The "Tiny Ruby"

Mars is the most difficult target for small apertures.

The Disc: Even at its closest point (opposition), Mars remains very small. You will see a clear, tiny salmon-colored circle.

Polar Caps: You may see a bright white "glow" at one of the poles, but it usually looks like a highlight rather than a clearly defined ice cap.

Surface Features: Large dark regions like Syrtis Major can sometimes be captured as a faint, dark grey smudge in the center of the disc, but only during opposition and with heavy post-processing.


Brian Gaze

Berkhamsted

TWO Buzz - get the latest news and views 

"I'm not socialist, I know that. I don't believe in sharing my money." - Gary Numan

The Beast from the East
03 April 2026 10:57:21
So it takes 4 days to get to the moon!  Same speed as the Apollo missions! So we havent progressed at all in 50 years, apart from the price tag


Purley, Surrey, 70m ASL

"We have some alternative facts for you"

Kelly-Ann Conway - former special adviser to the President

fairweather
03 April 2026 13:26:21

So it takes 4 days to get to the moon!  Same speed as the Apollo missions! So we havent progressed at all in 50 years, apart from the price tag

Originally Posted by: The Beast from the East 

I think you'll find Newtonian physics including gravity haven't changed much over a far longer period!


S.Essex, 42m ASL
doctormog
03 April 2026 13:37:51

I noticed the comments about smart telescopes. TBH, I didn't know of their existence but I'm now considering buying one. I've already got a 200mm Newtonian with a motorised mount and computer tracking, but it's a pain to set-up etc. However, with the "smart" telescopes I'm wondering how "real" the images are, but also whether they are focused on deep sky only. Any views? 

Originally Posted by: Brian Gaze 

Yes, this is my why I got it , rather than for planets etc.


fairweather
03 April 2026 13:42:25

I noticed the comments about smart telescopes. TBH, I didn't know of their existence but I'm now considering buying one. I've already got a 200mm Newtonian with a motorised mount and computer tracking, but it's a pain to set-up etc. However, with the "smart" telescopes I'm wondering how "real" the images are, but also whether they are focused on deep sky only. Any views? This from AI:

1. Jupiter: The "Striped Marble"

Jupiter is the most rewarding planet for these devices because of its brightness and size.

Cloud Belts: You will consistently see the two primary North and South Equatorial Belts. They appear as two dark, parallel lines across the disc.

The Great Red Spot (GRS): Under very steady skies, you can see the GRS as a small orange/pink "indentation" or smudge within one of the belts. You will not see the turbulent "swirls" inside it.

The Moons: All four Galilean moons are easily visible as bright pinpricks. With "Lucky Imaging" mode, you can even watch their shadows transit across the planet's face as tiny black dots.

2. Saturn: The "Lemon with Handles"

Saturn looks beautiful in these scopes, but lacks the "crispness" of your 200mm reflector.

The Rings: You will clearly see the rings as a distinct structure separated from the planet body.

Cassini Division: This is the dark gap between the rings. In a 50mm smart scope, the Cassini Division is almost never visible. The rings will appear as one solid, smooth band.

Surface Detail: You might see a slight darkening at the polar region, but you won't see the individual atmospheric bands that your Newtonian shows.

3. Mars: The "Tiny Ruby"

Mars is the most difficult target for small apertures.

The Disc: Even at its closest point (opposition), Mars remains very small. You will see a clear, tiny salmon-colored circle.

Polar Caps: You may see a bright white "glow" at one of the poles, but it usually looks like a highlight rather than a clearly defined ice cap.

Surface Features: Large dark regions like Syrtis Major can sometimes be captured as a faint, dark grey smudge in the center of the disc, but only during opposition and with heavy post-processing.

Originally Posted by: Brian Gaze 

I'm finding the opportunity and lugging around too much as well. The thought of having one of these with me in the boot of my car when I'm on holiday in a dark space is appealing. Fast to set up and good for nebulae and some galaxies. But at the end of the day, like all astrophotography, including that from Hubble, they are lots of pixels of collected light, collated and enhanced by computer software. But who wouldn't want a mini-Hubble in the boot of their car.

I took this with my DSLR on my tripod using"lucky imaging video".

https://ibb.co/TxBGHJbz 

  


S.Essex, 42m ASL
fairweather
03 April 2026 13:52:55
Can somebody explain why, when I insert an image using the icon above it just puts in the url which you then have to click on rather than just go directly  to the image. How do people do that? I have never mastered it on here but have no problem elsewhere.
S.Essex, 42m ASL
Retron
03 April 2026 14:03:06

Can somebody explain why, when I insert an image using the icon above it just puts in the url which you then have to click on rather than just go directly  to the image. How do people do that? I have never mastered it on here but have no problem elsewhere.

Originally Posted by: fairweather 

It's because your link isn't an image, it's a web page.

The actual image URL is this:

https://i.ibb.co/hJRNKrZp/Jupiter-4-ON-1-cropped-more.jpg 

...and you can get that, on Edge at least, by right-clicking the image and selecting "copy image link".

(Great capture BTW! 👍)

UserPostedImage


Leysdown, north Kent
Quantum
03 April 2026 14:11:34

So it takes 4 days to get to the moon!  Same speed as the Apollo missions! So we havent progressed at all in 50 years, apart from the price tag

Originally Posted by: The Beast from the East 

I share your cynicism. 

Firstly it hasn't helped that NASA has relied so much on SpaceX until recently. I'd say that company is one of the biggest money flushing exercises humanity has managed but Elon ofc owns more than just one dollar burning enterprise.

So it hasn't helped that all of the SpaceX asininity has set our baseline expectations so low that we see any rocket that doesn't immediately explode as some kind of success story. However when you zoom out a little the whole exercise still ends up being unproductive; there are far more cost effective ways to do good science - the only point to this is that it somehow lays the groundwork to people going back on the moon within a few years even though it will inevitably be delayed until after 2030 and then quietly shelved circa 2032. 


25/26 (850hpa temp) 11 days snow/sleet falling

18/11 (-4) 19/11 (-6) 20/11 (-6) 01/01 (-7) 04/01 (-10) 10/01 (-7) 11/01 (-3) 30/01 (-1) 13/02 (-6) 15/02 (-4) 18/02 (-6)

24/25 10d

18/11 (-6) 19/11 (-6) 23/11 (-2) 22/12 (-5) 04/01 (-5) 05/01 (0)14/02 (0) 15/02 (0)12/03 (-6) 13/03 (-6)

23/24 8d

29/11 (-6) 30/11 (-6) 02/12 (-5) 03/12 (-5) 04/12 (-3) 16/01 (-3) 18/01 (-8)08/02 (-5)

22/23 7d

18/12 (-1)06/03 (-6) 08/03 (-8) 09/03 (-6) 10/03 (-8) 11/03 (-5) 14/03 (-6)

21/22 12d

fairweather
03 April 2026 18:04:46

It's because your link isn't an image, it's a web page.

The actual image URL is this:

https://i.ibb.co/hJRNKrZp/Jupiter-4-ON-1-cropped-more.jpg 

...and you can get that, on Edge at least, by right-clicking the image and selecting "copy image link".

(Great capture BTW! 👍)

UserPostedImage

Originally Posted by: Retron 

What if it's an image on your own PC? I uploaded it to a free hosting site and used the link it generated? That is what just gave me the link, not the image.


S.Essex, 42m ASL
Gandalf The White
03 April 2026 21:32:46

I think you'll find Newtonian physics including gravity haven't changed much over a far longer period!

Originally Posted by: fairweather 

Beast probably thinks they could simply be teleported to the moon.


Location: South Cambridgeshire

130 metres ASL

52.0N 0.1E



The Beast from the East
04 April 2026 01:40:17

Beast probably thinks they could simply be teleported to the moon.

Originally Posted by: Gandalf The White 

My point is that if we cant travel any faster than we could in 1972, then is there any justification for the billions of taxpayers money to be spent on things like this?

Its fine for Musk and other private sector entities to do what they can, but that money could be better spent helping Americans at home


Purley, Surrey, 70m ASL

"We have some alternative facts for you"

Kelly-Ann Conway - former special adviser to the President

Gandalf The White
04 April 2026 06:56:02

My point is that if we cant travel any faster than we could in 1972, then is there any justification for the billions of taxpayers money to be spent on things like this?

Its fine for Musk and other private sector entities to do what they can, but that money could be better spent helping Americans at home

Originally Posted by: The Beast from the East 

A simple question for you: why do you think speed is important?  Faster means more fuel is required, both to accelerate and decelerate, and assuming you want both the journey there and the journey back to be faster that’s two lots of extra energy needed, which means an ever larger rocket has to be launched with even more fuel.  All for what benefit exactly?


Location: South Cambridgeshire

130 metres ASL

52.0N 0.1E



The Beast from the East
04 April 2026 07:51:15

A simple question for you: why do you think speed is important?  Faster means more fuel is required, both to accelerate and decelerate, and assuming you want both the journey there and the journey back to be faster that’s two lots of extra energy needed, which means an ever larger rocket has to be launched with even more fuel.  All for what benefit exactly?

Originally Posted by: Gandalf The White 

I'm thinking of the astronauts.  Especially the girl who seems quite attractive.  Imagine 3 strapping young men and pretty girl stuck in a tiny capsule for 10 days! All sorts of things could happen!


Purley, Surrey, 70m ASL

"We have some alternative facts for you"

Kelly-Ann Conway - former special adviser to the President

NMA
  • NMA
  • Advanced Member
04 April 2026 08:25:06

A simple question for you: why do you think speed is important?  Faster means more fuel is required, both to accelerate and decelerate, and assuming you want both the journey there and the journey back to be faster that’s two lots of extra energy needed, which means an ever larger rocket has to be launched with even more fuel.  All for what benefit exactly?

Originally Posted by: Gandalf The White 

When you travel really fast, there are problems when you stop like this Beast.


Vale of the Great Dairies

South Dorset

Elevation 60m 197ft

ozoneaurora
04 April 2026 10:54:51
Some nice pics from the Orion :)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8jzr423p9o .

fairweather
04 April 2026 18:29:21

My point is that if we cant travel any faster than we could in 1972, then is there any justification for the billions of taxpayers money to be spent on things like this?

Its fine for Musk and other private sector entities to do what they can, but that money could be better spent helping Americans at home

Originally Posted by: The Beast from the East 

I think we all agree with that and my point was that this is a small amount of money compared to what they are spending on killing innocent people and until the American people start questioning that as a priority this is a more worthy distraction.


S.Essex, 42m ASL
Roger Parsons
06 April 2026 14:46:40
Great clip showing this event. Mind-boggling!

The solar system has one less comet. On April 4th, Comet MAPS (C/2026 A1) flew through the sun's atmosphere only 160,000 km above the sun's surface. The comet went in, but only a cloud of debris came out:

https://spaceweather.com/ 

https://spaceweather.com/images2026/05apr26/obliterated_opt.gif 


RogerP

West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire

Everything taken together, here in Lincolnshire are more good things than man could have had the conscience to ask.

William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides - c.1830

Roger Parsons
09 April 2026 14:43:31
A NAKED-EYE COMET IS COMING: Astronomers were disappointed on April 4th when sungrazing Comet MAPS (C/2026 A1) disintegrated in the sun's atmosphere. Forget about it. Comet PANSTARRS (C/2025 R3) is even better: "If you want to catch the comet, your best chance is over the next week or so," says Nick James of the British Astronomical Association. "You will need to get up early, a couple of hours before sunrise, and have a good, low, eastern horizon."

https://spaceweather.com/images2026/08apr26/panstarrs_strip.png 

https://spaceweather.com/ 


RogerP

West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire

Everything taken together, here in Lincolnshire are more good things than man could have had the conscience to ask.

William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides - c.1830

Roger Parsons
10 April 2026 16:28:59
Artemis II splashdown. SpaceWeather writes:

https://spaceweather.com/ 

"If all goes well, the crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on Friday, April 10th, around 5:07 pm Pacific Time. Between now and then, amateur astronomers can photograph the brightening capsule (magnitude +12 to +10) in the constellations Ophiuchis and Scorpius. Here are instructions for downloading coordinates from JPL. 

https://spaceweather.com/images2026/28mar26/horizons.html 


RogerP

West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire

Everything taken together, here in Lincolnshire are more good things than man could have had the conscience to ask.

William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides - c.1830

Roger Parsons
11 April 2026 03:19:04
BBC Live: Artemis II crew 'feeling great' after completing history-making Moon mission.

"The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 01:07 BST (20:07 EDT), with commander Reid Wiseman confirming his team is healthy."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3dlnzv5r71t 


RogerP

West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire

Everything taken together, here in Lincolnshire are more good things than man could have had the conscience to ask.

William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides - c.1830

Gandalf The White
11 April 2026 07:34:16

BBC Live: Artemis II crew 'feeling great' after completing history-making Moon mission.

"The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 01:07 BST (20:07 EDT), with commander Reid Wiseman confirming his team is healthy."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3dlnzv5r71t 

Originally Posted by: Roger Parsons 

I stayed up to watch the return to Earth. It was a nerve wracking few minutes when they were out of contact, particularly as it was a little longer than expected.

It’s still amazing to me that something so complex goes perfectly; there’s almost no margin for error during re-entry, as the slight error on the previous unmanned flight showed.


Location: South Cambridgeshire

130 metres ASL

52.0N 0.1E



The Beast from the East
11 April 2026 10:40:08

I stayed up to watch the return to Earth. It was a nerve wracking few minutes when they were out of contact, particularly as it was a little longer than expected.

It’s still amazing to me that something so complex goes perfectly; there’s almost no margin for error during re-entry, as the slight error on the previous unmanned flight showed.

Originally Posted by: Gandalf The White 

Its also rather depressing that in 60 odd years of Space travel, we havent worked out a way of doing this easily.  We still cant travel any faster in space than we did during the original moon landings.  We are no closer to Mars.  If the laws of physics dictate that we can never travel easily and safely great distances, let alone leave the solar system, then what is the point of spending all this money.  If Aliens really did exist, they would have made contact by now.  Even if complex life like humans exist,  no one in the universe has clearly invented Star Trek style technology of fast space travel and long distance communications or they would have been here already or sent a message at least.    


Purley, Surrey, 70m ASL

"We have some alternative facts for you"

Kelly-Ann Conway - former special adviser to the President

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