UPDATE: Due to new observations made of asteroid 2007 WD5, December 29, 31 and January 2, the chances of the asteroid impacting Mars are now 1 in 28, down from 1 in 25. Stay tuned for further developments.
Got a break in the clouds last night and was able to get my first sunset of 2008, I love sunsets sooo much, I even love animated GIF sunsets even more, that's right another animated GIF, consider it my GIF to you, get it , GIF, gift, hey how bout this one, my favorite saying from one of my favorite movies Galaxy Quest "Never GIF up never surrender!", people I've got a million of them, that's the problem got too much time on my hands for word play, should be out doing science with my scopes but too many clouds, right now there is a sunspot happening on the surface of the sun. Active region 0980 , supposed to be the remains of the last active region I missed 0978, as I was doing this post there was an update, we like updates, active region 0980 at 0958 UCT produced a class C1 flare ( small, no problems to Earthlings) and a Coronal Mass Ejection to boot.
Just a reminder about the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. The show starts this Friday 1am EST. low in the N.E. to start, travelling directly overhead by sunrise.
Expect 1-2 meteors a minute, as long as there are no clouds I'll be up and out cold and all, I really really want to get a pic of one of its meteors. No more updates since Friday December 28th. concerning the maybe Mars attack asteroid, if I hear anything I'll do an update, look for the red UPDATE at the beginning of this post, right now there is a 1 in 25 chance of the asteroid actually hitting Mars.
I'll leave you now with another image I took of the very first Saskatchewan sunset of 2008.
45 comments:
Absolutely awesome photo Bob. I'm impressed. If we could get a break from the snow I might be able to enjoy a sunset now and then.
~JD
Hi JD, thanks!, I hear ya brother, way too much snow, and it makes everybody super grumpy.
Those shots are absolutely breathtaking, Bob...wow...
Bob, what a beautiful picture.
Hi Bob (and Happy New Yearr)…
Perhaps we should really put the math to work and figure out the odds of the asteroid hitting one of the rovers! LOL
I love the photo GIFt!!!!
My wife and I also love Galaxy Quest!!! We didn’t know there was another willing victim out there!! LOL
Very cool imagery of the ejection….
Bob be honest….when you get older it is harder to stay awake late at night even if you are excited about a Quadrantid Meteor Shower, how do you do it? (43 years old and 1am is looking a long way off, except for those times when I get a bit of insomnia LOL)
I never get tired of learning more about the creation….but it is easier at civilized hours LOL
Interesting and well written article as usual; and I am excited that there are only 358 shopping days till Christmas….
Thank you Bob for a great shot, and for telling about the meteor shower tomorrow night. And I will be praying for clear sky here without fog and such as New Years Eve there was so much fog, not nice at all for the fireworks to be seen...No snow at all here however while it's cold. happy new 2008 to you and yours :) (((HUGS)))
Tatiana
Thanks Hope,surprised myself on this one.
Thanks Rose, finally got a sunset, been tracking one down for weeks.
Lol, your welcome for the gif, I too am happy about the only 358 days till Christmas, gonna keep my tree up till the Ukrainian Christmas is over January 7th., I probably won't even sleep before the shower, it is getting harder though to stay awake, but hey it is a meteor shower.
Hi and thanks Tatiana!, good luck with the clear skies!!! All the best to you and yours in 2008!!
I will be waiting for the UPDATES. not sure i can do anything else until I find out more!
enjoy your meteor shower and sunsets...fantastic photo!
Bob,
Outstanding sunset photos! We live across from Lake Huron and I was commenting to Jeff how we rarely catch one. LOL It's usually too cloudy or we're doing something and miss them. I'm going to make it a New Year's resolution to watch for a good sky and catch one or two. Jeff does catch sunrises because he works along the lake.
Thanks for the meteor update. Hope you snap those pics!!! You'd make a great Eskimo.
Hugs, JJ
Hi Paula, thanks, when I know you'll know, don't want to keep you in suspence,lol.
Hi JJ, I feel like an eskimo too!
Hi Bob,
WOW!!!! That's much more nice sunset than we have down here in Key West! I love the animation too, I guess I have to try that also one day...LOL..
Interesting post!
Hi Susanne, thanks! coming from the sunset queen that is an awesome compliment!!
1 a.m. on a Friday morn,,I'll be zonked out fron miller time....
I think I'll wait for you pics...
Is WD5 related in any way to WD40?
HI,, i read that.........
Hi gt281, hope to get some pics, as long as the clouds stay away, thats funny about WD5, that's exactly what I think of when I think of the asteroid.
Nice sunset Bob.
~Oswegan
Hi oswegan, thanks!!
Hi Bob, been watching your gif-t photo at work today with my hobby, and I tell you we couldn't take off our eyes off, amazing composition. And this time to kid aside, never seen water intersection before, lol. Thanks for the reminder about the meteor shower, but I hate to tell - got clouds, and that is no surprise. We finally got really cold weather for two days, and now they are calling for warming - no idea what is going on, lol. Again, the sun set is just beautiful. BTW thanks for visiting my blogger friends, and if you really somtimes need to laugh, visit Roger from Idaho Daily Photo. Anna :)
I love your animated gifs! And the sunset is really cool!
So, what do you think? Is the asteroid going to hit Mars? Do you have a prediction? When's it supposed to happen anyway?
I'm really hoping to get a look at the meteor shower. I get off work at 11:30pm... and it takes me 1/2 hr to get home, so there's a good chance I'll see something if there are no clouds.
I did see a meteor the other night when I was driving home. It was really cool, I thought about you and how you would have enjoyed seeing it too.
Good morning Bob. Beautiful sunsets! I too love them. I missed the meteor shower last night. :( I'm looking forward to your next post.
Hi Anna, and thanks for your kind words, too bad about your clouds, it was a little cloudy here as well, got out, saw a few meteors but the radiant was below the cloud cover, sad no pics but got some cool pics of orion and the big dipper, will visit your friend Roger.
Thanks Shirley, cool you saw a meteor, as far as the asteroid hitting Mars probably not going to happen , but it's fun to keep up to date on it just in case it does strike Mars on Jan 30.
Thanks Aura, too bad you missed the shower, out east was supposed to be very good as the radiant would have been higher in the sky see more meteors.
Those great photos & facts Bob! Thanks for stopping by Idaily photo!
Hello Bob,
Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for having dropped by my blog :)!
This is an interesting blog you have here: I like it!
I am such an ignorant when it comes to astro stuff, but I might learn something here, from you :). I will return!
By the way: I will be counting on you to get some info on the meteor shower, cause I am not even going to try to see it anymore...lol.
Cheers
Great sunset. One of the best shots I've seen, and I've personally seen a lot of them. As we say down here in the US, it was one for the GIFFER! Ha, ha.
Hey Roger thanks! Thanks also for the laughs on your blog, very funny.
Hi Max thanks for dropping by, lots more meteor showers to come this year, I'll keep you up to date on all of them.
Wow thanks swubird! hope to get some more in 2008, love my sunsets!!
Hi! Back again for further updates. I keep looking at the video footage of the meteor shower half expecting something to come through my monitor. It's a bit strange really as I could watch it for ages in awe.
I went shopping the other day and found myself looking at very expensive home telescopes. There are so many to choose from!
I know it comes down too how much you want to spend, but could you give me an idea of the right one to get to start off with that has photo capability?
Regards
Peter
Wow, Bob, again I have to tell you that I'm fascinated by your blog. You serve up information I would not normally go after on the net, due to limited time. But your posts bring the universe to my desk, and I'm lovin' it!
How did you do that GORGEOUS sunset GIF? Is there a program or a tutorial for that? I'd like to make some of my own, if you don't mind.... as I have a million sunset, cloud and water shots!
Happy New Year! Hope the sky clears for you to use your scope.
Hi Peter, if you want to just view and take pics of the moon and planets I recommend a dobsonian mount telescope, Celestron makes great ones, so does Meade and Orion, more bang for your buck, as far as the size, I dont recommend anything less then 6" mirror or lens depending on whether you go reflector or refractor type scopes if you want to look for deep sky objects, if your happy with planets and the moon then 4" is fine. Celestron 6" Starhopper is $299.00 cdn, 8" Celestron Starhopper is $395.00 cdn. If you want to take serious images, totally different ball game, the price just jumps drastically, I recommend starting out with an excellent scope the Meade LX90 GPS, they are $2,000, but then you need a camera and laptop, or a good DSLR, not a cheap hobby to say the least. Peter Ive have gone through many a scope from all different manufactures the ones I have mentioned have worked for me, you should read my post as well.
http://blackholesandastrostuff.blogspot.com/2007/07/buying-telescope.html
There are a lot of pitfalls, no short answer, if you have any further questions you can always email me. Call before you buy!
Hi Lynda, thanks, the site I use thanks to Anna at my only photo is
http://www.blibs.com/editor/
Go to the site and upload one of your photos. once it is uploaded you can do all kinds of animations with it along the top of the webpage click on animation, I use reflecting water, after that you can save the animation GIF to your hard drive, then what you have to do is host the GIF somewhere, blogger can't do the animation, I just click on the host button at the bottom of the gif and it takes me to another page, I then click on Host with imageshack.us on the top of the page, it then gives you codes to copy and paste on your blog as your doing a post, any questions feel free to email me, hope this helps!
I love your site! You have done a great job. There is something special for you at my site. You are #2. It’s for all the love and support you have given to me.
Lots of Love and Blessings,
AngelBaby
oop's you are #6, sorry.
Love and Blessings,
AngelBaby
Wow, thanks angelbaby!, but I wanna be number 2 ;( just kidding :)) I will post about it next Thursday.
I just posted a review of this blog at http://problogreviews.blogspot.com/2008/01/hardcore-real-estate-own-piece-of-moon.html
feel free to stop in and check it out.
Hey pro blog thanks for the great review, much appreciated!
Bob, just visiting to view the sunset, since I missed mine behind the clouds today, lol. BTW thanks for all the kind words on the review blog, you are too too kind - I think I will have to give up my job soon, blogging is becoming like a full time job, good for making friends (which I don't have many in real life), and getting good writing skills (I hope). Thanks, Anna :)
Hi Anna, your welcome, I hear you about friends and writing skills, now we got the blogs no time for anything else,lol, oh by the way I did get an image of a meteor, after reviewing the pics at home I found one, tooo cool, I will be posting about my adventure tomorrow.
Bob - you are really working wonders with your moving water reflections! It couldn't be more perfect for the sunset - which is also a beauty without the water.
Hi Kathy, Thanks! It is working pretty good, better then I thought it ever would, I am now going through all my pictures , it is amazing how well it works on a lot of them, gotta get life, lol.
Post a Comment