Peter Lewis's Avatar

Peter Lewis

@peterlewis55.bsky.social

Londoner. Lots of varied interests including natural wildlife of all kinds, astronomy, global travel, opera, music, culture, sport and entertainment. Family Man. I share my photos. Politics free zone.

10,826 Followers  |  272 Following  |  4,556 Posts  |  Joined: 07.02.2024
Posts Following

Posts by Peter Lewis (@peterlewis55.bsky.social)

Post image

Here's the Stellarium graphic to compare

09.03.2026 19:44 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

I'm back! So is a brief clear patch so here's Jupiter this evening and all 4 Galilean Moons (l to r) Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa
#astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

09.03.2026 19:40 β€” πŸ‘ 31    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you. I've just spent a beautiful afternoon with my family.

08.03.2026 18:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Sunrise from a day ago, just after the Saharan dust arrived and just before the clouds and rain! #loveukweather

07.03.2026 09:46 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

It's a fabulous evening target this time of the year.

07.03.2026 08:38 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I love seeing images of the Trapezium. So many overblown shots which hide these gems.

06.03.2026 17:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

This morning's sunrise through the Saharan dust.
@stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

06.03.2026 09:23 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Thanks, hopefully it'll be a good weekend all round!

06.03.2026 09:00 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
93.5% waning gibbous Moon. Slightly filtered through a heavy sky containing dust particles from sand blown over from the Sahara.

93.5% waning gibbous Moon. Slightly filtered through a heavy sky containing dust particles from sand blown over from the Sahara.

Good morning World! For the record, here's last nights Moon at Midnight! Waning through the Saharan mist.
#astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

06.03.2026 08:07 β€” πŸ‘ 128    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Yes, 5 uninterrupted hours certainly helped last night.

05.03.2026 17:26 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

M51 is very high so not impacted by moonlight. 5 hours of uninterrupted shooting from midnight.

05.03.2026 12:20 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I targeted areas well away from the Moon. Fortunately the mist never returned.

05.03.2026 11:55 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

There are fewer tickets available for UCL games as more tickets are allocated to sponsors etc. Also, the demand will be higher than normal given the opposition.

05.03.2026 10:45 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

It's good they allocated more to the ballot as that gives a fairer chance to those who can't sit on their computer in a queue all day.

05.03.2026 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
The M81/2 Group is one of the closest galaxy groups to our own Local Group, located approximately 12 million light-years away.

Messier 81 (Bode’s Galaxy): A massive, "grand design" spiral galaxy and the group's brightest member. It contains over 200 globular clusters and a supermassive black hole.

Messier 82 (Cigar Galaxy): An edge-on "starburst" galaxy. Its exceptionally high rate of star formation is triggered by tidal interactions with M81.

The M81/2 Group is one of the closest galaxy groups to our own Local Group, located approximately 12 million light-years away. Messier 81 (Bode’s Galaxy): A massive, "grand design" spiral galaxy and the group's brightest member. It contains over 200 globular clusters and a supermassive black hole. Messier 82 (Cigar Galaxy): An edge-on "starburst" galaxy. Its exceptionally high rate of star formation is triggered by tidal interactions with M81.

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a "grand-design" spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is one of the most studied and photographed objects in the night sky.

M51 is famous for its gravitational interaction with a smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195 (M51b). This interaction has triggered intense star formation along its prominent spiral arms.
Composition: It contains an estimated 100 billion stars and has a supermassive black hole at its core.

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a "grand-design" spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is one of the most studied and photographed objects in the night sky. M51 is famous for its gravitational interaction with a smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195 (M51b). This interaction has triggered intense star formation along its prominent spiral arms. Composition: It contains an estimated 100 billion stars and has a supermassive black hole at its core.

Wow! A completely clear night and TEN hours of continuous 'shooting' at some cracking galaxies (described in ALT). The Dwarf3 smartscope was quite hot at the end!
#astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

05.03.2026 10:30 β€” πŸ‘ 109    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0

Arsenal could end up playing them 5 times!

04.03.2026 23:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Well done Newcastle. A repeat at the weekend?

04.03.2026 23:41 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Still a bit of atmospheric colour as it begins to rise in the east.

Still a bit of atmospheric colour as it begins to rise in the east.

Tonight's Moon on the rise. 98.1% waning gibbous!
#astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

04.03.2026 20:34 β€” πŸ‘ 79    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

There's many safe ways to photograph the Sun but that normally involves a decent white light filter and good zoom on a camera or, in this case, a long focal length scope. Phone cameras these days can be very sophisticated.

04.03.2026 18:03 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Used my 8 inch telescope, attached a solar safety filter and my phone.

04.03.2026 17:56 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Since August 2024. It's definitely nicer here than other places not worth mentioning!

04.03.2026 17:12 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

It's been pretty good so far since Meteorological spring arrived!

04.03.2026 16:41 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Good afternoon from Sunny London! I spot some spots!
#astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

04.03.2026 14:47 β€” πŸ‘ 44    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1

πŸ™‚πŸŸ 

03.03.2026 22:59 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

It's certainly the reason we're still here. A defence shield against all sorts.

03.03.2026 21:33 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Yes, the Moon is always fascinating. Always changing yet always the same!

03.03.2026 21:26 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Indeed. Lovely undulating clouds

03.03.2026 20:42 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Sure is, thanks.

03.03.2026 20:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Captured by a Dwarf3 smart scope. 320 x 0.5 second exposures and stacked.

Captured by a Dwarf3 smart scope. 320 x 0.5 second exposures and stacked.

The orange colour of my last post has long since gone as the waning gibbous Moon (99.6%) gains height.
#astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

03.03.2026 20:35 β€” πŸ‘ 45    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

🀣

03.03.2026 20:18 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0