UPDATE: There are two places where you’ll be able to observe the eclipse safely. Astrolapalma will hold a free event at Llano de las Brujas from 10:30-1:30 pm, and Astrotour will hold an event costing 2€ per person at the ecological banana plantation EcoFinca Platanologico from 11 am – 1 pm. Do NOT look directly at the sun. You might go blind. On November 3rd 2013 there will be…
Partial Lunar eclipses are quite common. Photos like this aren’t. It was taken by Ana Garcia of AstroLaPalma.com, who offer observations (tours or private), telescope rental, the “Los Indianos” tour in Santa Cruz de La Palma and tailored astronomy travel packages.
Full Moon Silhouettes from Mark Gee on Vimeo. This is a remarkable video of moonrise in New Zealand, shot from over 2 km away. You can get more details (in English) of how it was done at http://io9.com/5980370/a-moonrise-unlike-any-youve-ever-seen. I thought the moon looked odd somehow. It was only when it rose higher that I understood. Of course, it’s upside down (compared to Europe). Full Moon Silhouettes from Mark Gee on…
Sir Patrick Moore presented the BBC programme “Sky at Night” for 55 years, and died yesterday. He got a huge number of people interested in astronomy. I met Patrick when I was hugely pregnant. He was out on La Palma, filming for the upcoming 40th anniversary episode. In spite of being in his 70s with a stinking cold, he gave a great talk for observatory families. He’ll be missed. Sir…
I was 7 years old when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon. My parents were always strict about bedtime, especially when I had to go to school in the morning. This was the only exception that I can remember. Mum got us up at about 2 am to watch the landing live, and I’ve very grateful to her. “That’s one small step for a man, one giant…
This morning, the moon, Jupiter and Venus lay close together in the east. This photo was taken with a compact camera from Llano de La Venta viewpoint, one of the astronomical viewpoints on La Palma.