T D F C

2012 Transit of Venus

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:48:27 +0000

When Venus passes directly between earth and the sun, we see the distant planet as a small dot gliding slowly across the face of the sun.

The next transit of Venus occurs 6 June, 2012. Observers in or near Tain will see the transit at sunrise : 04:19, transit ends 5:36. This will be the last transit of Venus to occur in your lifetime.

Tain & District Field Club will not be organising a special trip to view the transit – we want you to be aware and be prepared for 6th June. And to view safely!

DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITH YOUR BINOCULARS OR EVEN NAKED EYE – you could permanently damage your vision.

USE VIEWING GLASSES OR PROJECTED IMAGE.

Some will recognise Tain Royal Academy in these pictures and the good weather in 2004.

Here are some links regarding Venus and its transit across the sun:

http://www.transitofvenus.org/
Good one – lots of info and an iPhone or Android app to give GPS based timings

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus,_2012

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/transit12.html
The technical astronomy article

http://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/Safe_Solar_Eclipse_Glasses.html
Eclipse Glasses supplier

What is this? – 1st Feb 2012, look SW

philolson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:56:11 +0000

If you are afforded a view on these clear, cold evenings, just after sunset, The moon will be big and to the west of it are two planets.

These three bodies form the whole of the observable objects for a short time each evening.

Cloud Iridescence

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:50:26 +0000

Before dawn on 12th January, 2012 observant watchers of the southeastern sky would have seen two persistent, small clouds which held the imagination. They were of a lenticular shape but their colour was classic ‘mother of pearl’.

Viewed from Tain.

Viewed from Ardgay.

These clouds were very bright even though sunrise was 20 or 30 minutes away. This timing and the presence of other small, low, very dark clouds in the same view indicated these iridescent clouds were, from a very high position, catching (and refracting) sunlight that the darker, lower clouds were not.

An additional special feature was virga below both clouds. This developed as one watched and succeeded the clouds, being faintly visible after the original cloud was all but vanished.

Additionally, a clear anvil developed at the top of one cloud – shown in the picture gallery by clicking an image.

There are a few names that could be attached to these clouds: Lenticular, Nacreous, Polar Stratospheric, Iridescent.

Nacreous clouds typically look very filamentous and cover wide areas of the sky, and have the same mother of pearl colouring seen here and are similarly very high in the sky, visible after sunset or before sunrise.

Iridescent clouds are ‘normal’ but sunlight passes through them at the precise angle to display a spectrum of colour, as in this case. The spectrum can be affected by the cloud composition as well – that may be water droplets, ice crystals, or nitric or sulfuric acids in water.

Here are some references for these types of cloud:

Iridescent Clouds

Polar Stratospheric Clouds, or also Nacreous Clouds

Cloud Iridescence

Virga , or fallstreaks, or precipitation shafts

Lenticular Clouds, HERE or HERE

This whole cloud performance was over in 15 minutes. Watchers before or after would have no idea what took place.

EPOD ( a service of NASA’s Earth Science Division and the EOS Project Science Office (at Goddard Space Flight Center), and the Universities Space Research Association ) has suggested that these clouds were Nacreous Clouds and they have published David’s photo as their photo of the day on Valentine’s Day – see comment, below, of 15th February.

What is this? – January 2012

philolson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:54:08 +0000

Walking past a thick, and dead, old Scots Pine these eggs – are they eggs? – shone out even in the mediocre light.

I assume these will be fine pickings for a tree creeper or other woodland bird.

Please leave your reply below.

First Frog Spawn – 2012

philolson — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:21:57 +0000

Please let us know of early sightings of frog spawn in Sutherland or Ross-shire.

Send a comment from the box below.

Please report your first sighting this year and where that was.

If you are checking for early frog spawn and want to report it please add a comment below with date and location with these details, (minimum essentials shown in bold):

Species

Date

Place (a name from an OS map is best)

OS Grid Ref

Person who recorded this

Numbers

Notes e.g habitat details, time, altitude

Please take a few minutes more and record your observation on the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation web site:
HERE. Every single observation helps build the bigger picture.

Oiled Seabirds on Western Isles

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:49:40 +0000

The problem of oil slicks affecting seabirds off the Western Isles has occurred again recently. Live and dead oiled birds have washed ashore. (links 1; 2; 3 )

There have been numerous occurrences in the past. Despite government attempts at identification rarely has a source for oils been found.

The first birds this time were found on Benbecula on New Years day 2012.

Quadrantid Meteor Shower – 4th January

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:02:16 +0000

In the early hours of Thursday, 4th January, 2012, that is sometime near 4am, this meteor shower will peak.

Look north to find the centre (radiant point).

The meteor shower will last only a short time as the debris we will pass through is narrow.

This year’s shower may be quite productive, showing 40, or 80, or 100, or 200 meteors per hour depending on who is estimating it. One point commentators agree on is that the Quadrantids are unpredictable.

Greater Yellowleg seen and filmed

philolson — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:57:00 +0000

A close relative of the Greenshank, but actually a North American shore bird, the Greater Yellowleg, Tringa melanoleuca, was recently seen in our area.

View a short video of the Greater Yellowleg digiscoped by Russell

A Wasp in Winter

philolson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:20:46 +0000

This is a wasp found on McAllister’s wall today 22 December 2011:

I don’t think I have ever seen a December Social wasp before. I don’t know if this should be counted as a very late record for 2011 or perhaps, as the solstice was officially at 05:30 this morning, a very early one for 2012!

The beast was very much alive despite its hunched appearance.

On face and body pattern I think it is Vespa vulgaris.

Any comments?

Best wishes to all

David

Two Meteor Showers Coming

philolson — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:43:00 +0000

October 2011 may see meteor showers on the night of Saturday the 8th and Late Friday 21st to Saturday night 22nd.

A. October Draconids – usually a minor shower but predicted to be good this year. In two days time 8th Oct with peak between 18:00 & 21:00. Tends to be a short sharp peak for these.
Here is a Map.

And here is some info.

B. Orionids

21-22 October peak 00:30 22nd Oct
Here is a map