November 2019

November 29th 1815 GMT Deep Sky

Unfortunately, I had a bad back or I might have tried some more adventurous shots. I started with the Hyades star cluster at 70mm focal length, ISO 6400 and 6 seconds exposure but only one frame was good.

I had five frames of Melotte 20 at 300mm focal length, ISO 6400 and 2 seconds exposure but they didn't stack. I processed the best one.

I managed to stack 40 images of the Pleaides star cluster (M45).

November 29th 1715 GMT Moon

I had another try with my DSLR at 300mm focal length. ISO 100 and 1/250 second exposure. the result was very similar.

November 29th 1605 GMT Moon

It was just after sunset and the sky was still quite bright. I snapped the Moon at 300mm focal length, ISO 400 and 1/250 second exposure.

November 19^th 0650 GMT Moon

I repeated the shot from the morning before.

November 18^th 1830 GMT

After arriving home from work, I set up a camera trap for meteors. I used 16mm focal length ISO 6400 and 6 seconds exposure. I aimed at Perseus, as I knew that several minor showers were active in that area.

I did not catch any meteors but managed a nice shot of Perseus.

I also added one of Cassiopeia.

November 18^th 0645 GMT Morning Moon

The Moon was waning gibbous and high in the sky. I took some shots at 300mm focal length, ISO 100 and 1/1000 second exposure.

November 13^th 0710 GMT Moon

I snapped the dawn moon low in the north west. It was full. I used my DSLR at 300mm focal length, ISO 100 and 1/1000 second exposure.

November 11^th 1740 GMT

The Moon looked full, at least to camera and eyeballs. Cloud was scattering moonlight enough to obscure all but the brightest stars. I took some shots with DSLR at 300mm focal length, ISO 100 and 1/1000 second exposure. The quick session was much easier than the transit.

November 11th 1225 GMT Mercury Transit

I just about sorted focus out before cloud rolled in and I missed first and second contact. With the Sun low down in the English autumn sky, conditions were hazy. At about 1245 GMT, I caught the tiny silloutte of Mercury near the solar limb bit you will need to use zoom to see it. I used 1540mm focal length, ISO 100 and 1/800 second exposure.

I processed a similar frame 2 minutes later but cropped the image. It was slightly out of focus.

I used a similar method at 1400 GMT and caught Mercury, with it having moved.

I tried some close-ups with my 3x Barlow but none of them worked. I also tried to see the transit using my binoculars and an eyepiece in the Mak but with no result. The transit turned out to be harder than the one I had observed many years ago.

November 8^th 2200 GMT Moon

Fortunately, there was a gap in the cloud later in the evening, so I caught the Moon with my DSLR, using the same settings as the evening before.

November 8th 1750 Visual

I wish I had taken my camera with me when I was out and about on appointments. I always have my binoculars in my car boot. The Moon looked quite superb, especially around the southern craters. Sinus Iridium was away from the terminator but still prominent. I also saw Melotte 20, which only showed the brighter stars and the Perseus Double Cluster was barely visible.

November 7^th 1810 GMT The Moon

I had another go at the Moon in full darkness with my DSLR at 300mm focal length, ISO 100 and 1/400 second exposure.

November 7^th 1625 GMT Moon

I was out and about working but stopped for a couple of minutes to snap the Moon with my DSLR at 300mm focal length, ISO 400 and 1/800 second exposure.

November 7^th 1440 GMT Sun

The Sun was already low down and I could only get a faint disc in hydrogen alpha light. I took some frames more in hope than expectancy.

November 4^th 1550 GMT The Moon

After seven days of hurt, with persistent rain and cloud, I saw the Moon at half phase. It was low in the south. I took some snaps from an upstairs window with my DSLR at 300mm focal length, ISO 400 and 1/800 second exposure. Cloud soon rolled in again to close the gap in the clouds.

Relegation

Relegation Round-Up March 8^th

^{Of the teams in immediate danger, only Brighton scored any points and it was a great away draw at Wolves. Aston Villa were due to play away to Leicester on Monday 10th, a match that Leicester should win easily.}

^{In the "not technically safe yet" crunch match, Newcastle won at Southampton but, with the bottom six all being in poor form, it is even possible that both teams, plus Everton just above them, may have already gained enough points to stay up.}

^{Burnley and Crystal Palace, both on 39 points, can safely open the champagne, as only a freak set of results would send them down. This is about as likely as Mick Channon coming out of retirement.}

Relegation Round-Up March 1^st

^{Here is the league table:}

^{https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football}

^{Norwich are down as they need to outperform their rivals by 7 points or 6 points and loads of goals. Sorry, it won't happen.}

^{For Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Watford, West Ham and Brighton, they are separated by a mere 3 points and it should be any 2 from 5 to go down.}

^{Newcastle, 4 points above this group are not technically safe but they and anyone above them are just about immune from the drop.}

^{38 points should be enough to stay up this season, although most managers normally reckon 40 points is the safety zone.}

Relegation Round-Up February 2^nd

Well, is it really 3 months since I last posted an update. Whilst I feel sorry for teams that get promoted then go back down, I was right about Norwich, bottom on 18 points. They are 7 points adrift of 17th place.

After that, it looks like being any other two of the bottom 6. They are:

15		Brighton	25	-7	26
16		Bournemouth	25	-13	26
17		Aston Villa	25	-15	25
18		West Ham	25	-13	24
19		Watford	25	-16	23

With 13 games to go and only 3 points in it, it is too close to call. It could be decided by the width of a ball or a VAR decision on a red card.

Crystal Palace are 14th on 30 points so need 3 wins and a draw to reach 40 points to avoid the drop from 14 games. Surely. they should avoid the drop.

Although 40 is generally regarded by experts as being needed to avoid the drop, if we assume that West Ham (in 18th) neither improve nor flop, it gives them about 38 point at the end of the season so 39 or 38 with a good goal difference will be enough.

I was right about Norwich and right about Brighton, Bournemouth and Aston Villa being in the nix but I did not expect either Watford or West Ham to be in danger.

On the other hand, I am TOTALLY wrong about Leicester and Sheffield United. I was pessimistic about Southampton and Newcastle, who are in the hunt for mid-table mediocrity instead.

Relegation Round-Up November 3^rd

Well, I have to admit I have been wrong about some teams this season, very wrong. When I was listening to the professional pundits on the radio, it sounded that most of the teams in the Premier League were in some sort of trouble. If you look at the league table, the season is over a quarter of the way through, it suggests that a mere 30 points could be enough to avoid relegation.

Watford are currently bottom and must be winning the race to be the worst underachievers in the league. I really didn’t expect them to be bottom. Despite an excellent away draw at Spurs, they must start picking up more points soon, or else.

Norwich were a team I flagged as a team in danger and I have been proved right.

Many people will remember Southampton’s 9-0 home defeat to Leicester for years. Really ,the rot set in when they lost at home to Bournemouth. A narrow defeat away to Manchester City suggests there is some fighting spirit at the club but it got them just as many points as they did against Leicester. As some of the teams above them are playing almost as badly, the odd home win or away draw could change the picture entirely.

Just out of the bottom three are Everton and Aston Villa. I thought that Villa could have a bad season but stay up, whereas I thought Everton would be pushing for a Europa League place. There’s so much quality at the club, they really should be doing better.

Were it not for a completely unexpected win at West Ham, Newcastle would be just above the drop zone. That valuable, unexpected 3 point bonus could be crucial at the end of the season. I tipped them as a possible contender for the drop and I predict a few tough months ahead.

Burnley have dropped alarmingly and they were one of my dark horses for the drop at the beginning of the season. They should stay up but football is a funny game.

Where I have been most wrong so far is a group of teams from 6^th to 9^th, separated by a single point. Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Brighton were all teams that I predicted varying degrees of trouble for and they are all punching above their weight.

Finally, Leicester are third when I had predicted them to avoid the drop but finish in the bottom half. If Watford are the underachievers of the league, so far, then Leicester must be the overachievers.