From the Space Station

This appears to be going the rounds - taken from the International Space Station of the earth at night - but in case you've not seen it. I recommend watching it in full screen!

Halt, who goes there? - Baaaaaaa!

Following those two posts, this would be a good point to mention the last Silk screen showing of the season was last week. This film - The Dish - tells the story of the Parkes radio telescope's role in the Apollo moon landings - wonderfully funny!
Oh, and at the AGM - after the film - it was nice to see that Io non ho paura I recommended was the no 2 most highly rated film of the season.

Links on Jodrell

These two may be of interest

• Schrödinger’s Pig


• and Alan Garner's involvement in the current campaign, I thought he lived closer to the Edge but apparently not

Jodrell Bank

You may have seen the recent news that e-MERLIN funding for Jodrell back likely to be withdrawn with the following possible consequences:

- Astronomers would be unable to exploit an £8M upgrade (due to be completed in 2009) which will make e-MERLIN the world’s most powerful array of radio telescopes.
- The UK will lose its major observational capability in radio astronomy, a subject which UK astronomers pioneered more than 50 years ago and in which we still play a leading role.
- The UK will no longer participate in European and global networks of large radio telescopes.
- The UK will risk losing its world-leading role in this area of science and innovation.
- At least six radio telescopes will be closed down (the Mark II at Jodrell Bank and the telescopes at Pickmere, Darnhall, Knockin, Defford and Cambridge).
- Since e-MERLIN is the main activity at Jodrell Bank Observatory, it would place a serious question mark over the sustainability of the observatory as a site for active scientific observations.

I won't mention the live heritage nature of that site..If you wish to register your objection to this proposal this might well be a good place to visit!
I find it hard to believe that the government would allow this to happen in view of the iconic nature of the site but the proposal and intention appears to be there!

Ink blots

Wonderful Rorschach 'test' at today's Astronomy picture

View from the front door

.. taken a few minutes ago - those are new lights on the local multi-storey car-park which has now been closed for around 2 hours. Carefully moulded shields so that the light doesn't pollute upwards - but it shines down on us. We'll be lucky to see the moon let alone the eclipse tomorrow!