Sixty something years, boy, architect and old chuffer

The Pleiades in my Backyard

Had a a great Birthday Weekend! and a wonderful french supper tonight for a treat. Brancaster mussels cooked in white wine with added chopped parsley and home grown onions. Rustic french bread and butter with sea-salt crystals from the Camargue. A selection of soft and hard cheeses. A toffee apple and pecan pie with cream. A bottle of Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc. Coffee and cognac. Delicious!!!! Thanks for a fine day Toot!

Backyard Astronomer

Capella in Auriga

Last night and the night before Toot and I were out in the garden after midnight looking for Leonid meteors, sadly only a few were seen and none photographed. A meteor hunters life is often full of disappointment! On the plus side the night was good for star gazing subject to the restrictions of the light from a waning moon. I also managed to find on the Internet some excellent freeware astro-imaging software. Combine this with a large number of 20-second exposure light frames using my SLR with an EFS18-55mm lens add a little Photoshop etc. and voila a nice photograph of the constellation Auriga the Charioteer.Cabine du Jardin deux - Backyard Astronomer

Hide and seek Asteroids and Cassiopeia Queen of the Sky

Radar Image of Asteroid 2005 YU55- courtesy of NASA

Having returned from a brilliant holiday and clear skies in Canada and America, I hurried to set up my telescope in order to photograph the asteroid 2005 YU55 as it sped between the Moon and Earth at 29,000 mph.  At its nearest the asteroid passed only 239,000 miles from  the Earth. No other asteroid is known to come closer until the year 2028 ( By which time I will be eighty years old if still alive and snapping!). You can imagine how miffed I was when the clouds blew in off the sea and ruined any attempt to view, let alone image, the asteroid.

To cheer myself up I used Deep-sky Stacker, Photoshop and Neat Image, to enhance  photographs of the open star cluster Messier 39 in the constellation Cygnus which I took in September from garden with my Canon EOS 400D camera.

Messier 39

M31 The Andromeda Galaxy



M31 and M32 in the Constellation of Andromeda

Took my first astro-photo of an object outside the Milkyway. The night I took this was a bit cloudy and this image is the combination of only four light frames (4x20 secs). Consquently, I am quite pleased that I was able to tease out some detail of the galaxy core showing hints of the spiral arms and dust lanes.
You can also see the gravitationly linked elliptical galaxy M 32 which is part of the Andromeda Group our nearest galactic neighbours.

Andromeda is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which consists of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and about 30 other smaller galaxies. Although the largest, Andromeda may not be the most massive, as recent findings suggest that the Milky Way contains more dark matter and may be the most massive in the grouping. The 2006 observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed that M31 contains one trillion (10¹²) stars, at least twice more than the number of stars in our own galaxy, which is estimated to be c. 200–400 billion.

Andromeda is estimated to be 7.1×10¹¹ solar masses. In comparison a 2009 study estimated that the Milky Way and Andromeda are about equal in mass,^] while a 2006 study put the mass of the Milky Way at ~80% of the mass of Andromeda. The Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way are expected to collide in perhaps 4.5 billion years.

The Milky-Way

The Milky -Way as it runs through Cassiopeia
(Look for the Andromeda Galaxy clearly visible left of centre top)

After midnight when the street lights are turned off, the sky becomes transparent and the Milkyway stretches from horizon to horizon.  In late September the Milky-Way bisects the sky, with the constellation Cassiopeia directly overhead. The view from our garden is breath taking!
The image was taken using my Canon 400D EOS SLR with a 28mm lens, 4 photographs were shot in RAW each of 20 seconds duration at 800 ASA. The four light frames together with an equal number of dark frames were stacked using DeepSkyStacker. The resultant combined image was then manipulated using Canon Digital Professional, Photoshop and Neat Image software.

The Ring Nebula in Lyra

M57 The Ring Nebula (my photo)

Had "une belle nuit de l'astronomie dans le jardin". I photographed a number of astro treats through my refractor. The "seeing" was not brilliant as high level cloud was an intermittent problem.  The lack of light pollution thanks to Suffolk County Council turning off the street lights at midnight was a great help. Thank you SCC!

 

M57 The Ring Nebula ( Hubble photo)

M57 The Ring Nebula (my photo enlargement)

Planetary nebula nucleus (PNN)

The central PNN was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Jenő Gothard on September 1, 1886 from images taken at his observatory in Herény, near Szombathely (now part of Szombathely). Within the last two thousand years, the central star of the Ring Nebula has left the asymptotic giant branch after exhausting its supply of hydrogen fuel. Thus it no longer produces its energy through nuclear fusion and, in evolutionary terms, it is now becoming a compact white dwarf star.

The PNN now consists primarily of carbon and oxygen with a thin outer envelope composed of lighter elements. Its mass is about 0.61–0.62 solar mass, with a surface temperature of 125,000±5,000 K. Currently it is 200 times more luminous than the Sun, but its apparent magnitude is only +15.75.

M 57 is 0.7 kpc (2,300 light-years) from Earth. It has a visual magnitude of 8.8v and photographic magnitude of 9.7p. Photographically, over a period of 50 years, the rate of nebula expansion is roughly 1 arcsecond per century, which corresponds from spectroscopic observations to 20–30 km⁻¹). M 57 is illuminated by a central white dwarf or planetary nebula nucleus (PNN) of 15.75v visual magnitude, whose mass is approximately 1.2 MΘ (in solar masses.)

All the interior parts of this nebula have a blue-green tinge that is caused by the doubly ionized oxygen emission lines at 495.7 and 500.7 nm. These observed so-called "forbidden lines" occur only in conditions of very low density containing a few atoms per cubic centimetre. In the outer region of the ring, part of the reddish hue is caused by hydrogen emission at 656.3 nm, forming part of the Balmer series of lines. Forbidden lines of ionized nitrogen or [N II] contributes to the reddishness at 654.8 and 658.3 nm.

A Duck, a Chicken, a Cat and a Spider

"Turned out nice then"

"A Duck, a Chicken and a Cat sat looking at the sky

When a Spider enquired politely have you seen a fly?

You see I'm rather hungry and I haven't had my tea

Could you spare a mite or a great big tick

Would you donate a juicy flea"

Returned to the Cabine after a summer break and continued my experiments with digital picture making, printing and framing. Hope Jasmine likes the picture and gets her Dad to hang it in her Wendy House.

Feeling pleased with myself as yesterday I converted an old webcam for use as an astro-imaging camera. It appears to work but have yet to test it at night attached to my large telescope. If it works, I should be able to use it to photograph Jupiter which is currently visible high above the southern horizon by the early hours of the morning.

"Can you guess what it is yet?"

The Cornfield

As it was raining up until late afternoon, I spent three hours today trying to get my head around digital painting. It requires a different mind set and skills. It has been quite enjoyable learning to control the flow of virtual paint on a virtual canvas. The ability to manipulate light, contrast, colour and texture at each stage of laying down the painting including after the application of virtual paint is quite different from any other medium.
Its clearly easier to scan in previously drawn and painted images and then modify them in cyberspace!

Lowestoft Airshow

East Anglian Landscapes

Bluebell Wood

 Anita, Rachel and the Wild Bears have gone to the beach to watch the Airshow. As 'back' is still giving me gip I have remained at home. I am enjoying playing with the painting tools in Photoshop and have discovered hundreds of ways of integrating photographic images with drawn lines and textures. Whether this is art or faux art (fart for short) is open for discussion?
Have just watched a Red Arrow pass at some speed over our house certainly put the wind up the seagulls!
I'm now going to watch a recording of the "Seventh Seal". "I'm too arty for my shirt, too arty for my shirt it hurts"!

Lower-back pain

The persistence of pain and colour

The repairs to the garden fountain had an unforeseen health affect. In the middle of the night I awoke in pain and had to arouse Anita to administer assistance. As a result I've spent the day faffing about on the laptop. Tried several painting techniques using Photoshop.

Long-tailed Tits

Due to much DIY and visits from grandchildren the Cabine has remained deserted over the summer months of June and July. Today I have been awaiting oak trims from the sawmill so being unable to complete the staircase refurbishment and with time on my hands, I replaced the burnt out pump in the garden fountain. Once the fountain was tested and up and running I retired to the sitting room for tea. Through the window I watched as a group of long-tailed tits fought off great tits and blue tits to monopolise the peanut feeders. Nice birds and not at all dangerous!
After midnight last night the sky was clear and the stars shone brightly. Jupiter was brilliant in the eastern sky and the Andromeda Galaxy could be seen with the naked eye. In my big binoculars the outer reaches of the spiral were clearly visible over at least a moon's width. Sadly today is overcast with rain on the way. No telescope tonight and poor prospects for the Lowestoft Airshow tomorrow!

Foot sore but blister free.

William and William's Dad (Aka: Santa and David Bellamy) at the 10 mile marker

Not much recent action in the Cabine as I have been refurbishing the ground floor lavatory and training for the Southend Half Marathon.
The "bog" is now transformed and my DIY attentions are now focussed upon the hall and staircase.
The Half Marathon went well with William and I completing the 13mile course in 2 hours and 25 minutes (Official chip time). We ran the race without stopping at an almost constant 12 minute mile pace. Thanks to all who supported us on the day and those who sponsored me on the Just Giving Website.
This week, on Wednesday evening, the moon will rise totally eclipsed. Weather permitting I hope to photograph the event from Lowestoft Seafront.

Une grande nuit dans le jardin

Photograph taken with my Canon Digital SLR
 through my Meade 127 mm Apochromatic  Refractor

Messier 3 (also known as M 3 or NGC 5272) is a globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, and resolved into stars by William Herschel around 1784. This cluster is one of the largest and brightest, and is made up of around 500,000 stars. It is located at a distance of about 33,900 light-years away from Earth. M 3 has an apparent magnitude of 6.2 making it a difficult naked eye target even with dark conditions. With a moderate-sized telescope, the cluster is fully defined. It is estimated to be 8 billion years old. It is pretty difficult to spot this object in an amateur telescope without 'Go-To' as it has no nearby pointer stars; though it is almost exactly halfway between and on a line connecting Cor Caroli with Arcturus.

Saturn much closer than M3 but harder
 to photograph with my SLR camera

Greyhound Racing at GreatYarmouth

Nice Dog seeking a good Home see Great Yarmouth Greyhound Stadium Web-Site

Not much action in the Cabine as have had Felix, Maisy, Custard and Tabitha (aka: "The Wild Bears") staying with us for a couple of days. Had a really nice time with them at the Moo Barn and Pets Corner. All the children were very well behaved and really good company! Anita and I had a great couple of days.

Uncle Fred, Aunty Rita and my Cousin Beverley came to see us and took Anita and I for a night out at Great Yarmouth Greyhound Track. We had a great time helping Beverley to celebrate her Birthday. We all had a winner or two and an excellent meal in the track restaurant. On the way home we saw a beautiful full moon which shone orange light on the waters of the Yare Estuary.

My Dog Sad Ken can be seen at the rear having a fag.

Today, Anita has gone to Rachel and Bim's house to pick up Alice, Pixie, Archie and Oscar. They will be staying with us for a few days so hope the weather stays good so we can go to the beach and the Squirrel Park.

I appear to have picked up some chest infection and have lost my voice.  Had to interupt my Half Marathon training plan as am not up to running today.  Ran 5.3 miles on Sunday and it jolly near killed me, Anita is not convinced this is necessarily a good idea.  As Maisy said at the time "Why is Pappa lying down outside on the front step? Is he dead?"

Keep on Running

Started week two of my training programme for the Southend Half Marathon. By heck my little short legs hurt!  I ran 2.7 miles at 10 mile per hour pace this morning. The run included the Camps Lane hill and my knees now feel as though they are fully reversible although I know that this is anatomically impossible!

I have been doing some engineering in the Cabine this afternoon and have completed phase one of the project. Can you guess what it is?



Project X


I am looking forward to tea this evening, Toot is having liver and I am having fresh mackarel fillets with gooseberry jam, sweet potato chips, sauteed potatoes and purple sprouting. For pudding we have Eton Mess with fresh raspberries.  My cup or bowl runneth over and I haven't to run again until Thursday hurrah!

Seeing the Wild Bears tomorrow, double hurrah!

A rainy day in Oulton Broad

The view from our room at the Tromso Radisson Bleu

Looking down from Tromso University
towards the Fjord




Much done today but not a lot in the Cabine.

Today was day one of the Half Marathon Training Plan! Ran two miles in twenty minutes and then spent thirty minutes gasping like a goldfish sans water! Surely this is meant to make me a lean mean running machine not a queasy wheezy arresting geriatric?

Our friends Mike and Stephanie came for lunch and Toot provided: Fish Chowder with Bruschetta, Apple Crumble and Custard, and Cheese and Biscuits with grapes. Very yummy but I might regret the extra weight on my next run which is planned for Thursday.

I gave Mike a glass of Bimbar's Christmas wine, suggesting that he might like to try the "interesting dessert wine" which I had aquired. After he had tasted it I asked him for an opinion. He was much impressed and prefered it to the Muscat we purchased in France last summer!

Anita had one drink only and Stephanie had given up alcohol for Lent, so Mike and I were quite merry by the time coffee made an appearance! 

This afternoon I have returned to preparation of photos for the astrophotography competition. Always nice to finish off the day with a little "Photoshopping".

Point House Ridlington





Point House from the road





I have been busy in the Cabine this week painting a picture of Point House. Watercolour is an unforgiving medium and punishes the lazy artist who leaves too long his paints in the box unattended.

This painting is for Jane and Martin to hang in their new home in France, I hope they like it and that it reminds them of Norfolk! I will send it by post as is quite small.

The next challenge in the Cabine will be "Nevsky Prospekt " St Petersburgh - using pastels (a first for the artist). St Petersburgh was a real treat, packed with wonderful Art Nouveau and Moderne Architecture of real quality. The Hermitage Museum was completely overwhelming with fabulous paintings many of which I have never seen,even as prints.

Whilst in Russia, Toot and I developed a taste for Sushi. Toot is preparing Sushi for dinner tonight so I'm quite excited. What a great treat!

This week I had my first training run in preparation for the Southend Half Marathon. Oh dear! how it hurt!

Perhaps I could try something shorter? Still, I do get to dress up in skin-tight Lycra and make an exhibition of myself.

Second Star to the right, and straight on till morning.





Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!
 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Clear Nights in Lowestoft

Central portion of the Beehive Cluster

Part of the Pleiades Cluster

After many overcast nights, the sky cleared and the stars shone. So I seized the opportunity to view the heavens through my trusty Meade refractor! Given the chance I decided to make my first attempts at photographing stars through my telescope. Focussing was more difficult than I thought and the rate of the earth's spin tended to blur and render stellar points of light as small ovals. However, without the tracking system engaged, I managed to get snaps of the centre of the Beehive cluster in the constellation of Cancer the Crab and also of part of the Pleiades inTaurus the Bull. Clearly, I have much to learn and the attached photographs are work in progress rather than the finished article.
A real treat was the appearance of the brightest and slowest moving meteor I have ever seen. It was a large silver fireball that moved from south to north across a dark black sky! It passed directly overhead whilst I was setting up my scope. Astronomy rocks!
Toot and I did two hours "Gym and Swim" at Bannatynes and we have had two great lunches out with friends this week. So no artistic action in the Cabine.

Scottish Widows on Valentines Day.

Thor about to clobber a Goat

Spent much of the day comparing interest rates, bonds, capital growth rates and other financial gobbledygook as visiting the bank with Toot on Wednesday. I wrote an Excel spreadsheet to do compound interest sums and realised that security and gain are inversely proportional. Its clear to me and St Valentine that the best investment one can make is in a stable loving relationship.
Received a very nice hand made Valentine's Day card from a secret cohabiting admirer!
Decided to create a Valhalla Photoshop montage and may make a painted version.
Toot is preparing a smoked fish and mussel pie for dinner, so I'm off to chop the cabbage!

A spec of dust in the Cosmos

The Astronomers,the Aurora and a Quadrantid Meteor

An enlargement of part of the same photograph
showing the Meteor top right

Going through my Tromso photos I discovered a better image of a Quadrantid meteor and this time in the same field of vision as the Aurora. Oh joy is me!
Off now to see my friend Mr Tesco and then home for tea. I think a Pizza (the most Italianate of all the cheese on toasts) is called for!

Astro-Photographer of the Year 2011

An auroral bridge over the Seven Sisters

The Aurora peeps over the hills on Whale Island

The Aurora spirals across the sky

The Aurora showing bands of colour

Aurora dances with the Great Bear

Cutains of light descend to the horizon

I have been looking at the competition on the Flickr site. A chap from Canada has the best aurora photographs I have ever seen! So I'm not going to win any prizes with my photos but heigh-ho I still have plenty of room for improvement. I have spent the day in the Cabine messing about with photoshop and my Tromso snaps so posting results for comment prior to submision to Sky at Night.
Off to see my friend Mr Lidl; smoked salmon, prawns, pickled ginger and horseradish for tea with some of Anita's scrummy(pauses,looks at camera and licks lips in a lascivious manner) bread.

Sky at Night




The Cabine took on an astronomical flavour as I decided that I would enter a photograph in the Sky at Night competition for Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2011. Thought I might stand a chance in the newcomer to astro-photography category with a Tromso snap.
I have spent most of the day messing about with a trial aurora image in Photoshop. A great piece of software with the same capacity to devour time as the Rubik Cube.(Did you know Rubik was an architect too!). Quite pleased with the result.
Toot says its Plaice and Chips for tea. Excellent!

Visit the Bank Manager

A Chook for Aunty Rita





Very informative visit to the Bank! Did you know that if you don't renew your e-Saver Account at Lloyds each year the interest rate drops to zilch per annum, similar to Cash ISAs. The wonderful world of Banking!!

Little action in the Cabine today but have photographed recent oil painting of a chicken and just about completed a seascape based on a view of the Longstone Light on the Farne Islands.
We are invited to a wedding in Central Park New York so looking at American and Canadian holiday brochures, these Countries are enormous and underline the finite nature of our cash reserves and life expectancy. Investment in a weekend Lottery Ticket seems appropriate! "Do ya feel lucky punk,well do ya"?
Toot promises to make her signature dish for dinner tonight. Chilli crab linguine with Indonesian crackers. Nice!



The Wave



Making-marks Day One

Scarcliffe Church Derbyshire

Strumpshaw Fen Norfolk

A sunny day in East Anglia, what an absolutely fabulous day to be alive. Spent a constructive hour or two in the "Cabine" framing completed paintings. Applied penultimate coat of paint to a seascape, second seagull from the left looks less grumpy than yesterday.
I have a desire to paint angels flying through the sky! Think I might use photographs of the Aurora taken in Tromso last month as a starting point for the "Choir Celestial"
If all this is not exciting enough we have fried fillets of mackerel for dinner with sauteed potatoes,honeyed parsnips and gooseberry sauce. My cup runneth over!