"Wow". .double WOW!"
19 Nov 2016 21:24:34 UTC
Topic 202937
(moderation:
Ladies and gents of CafeE. I have for you a true astro tale to tell. Its about midnight Nov 17th or 18th of 2011. I've just had a shave and drying my neck, head up at a sharp angle, looking south thru our frosted bathroom window, I see a dull distant light slowly fall out of the sky. I think to myself, "That must be the city police helicopter's searchlight?" (But minus the usual noisy rotorjet 'wail'). During the next few seconds....as I watched it descend, it grow rapidly in brightness, and then, coming directly in a trajectory over our roof as a fireball. . . .FLAAASH!! In a becalmed sort of shock, I instantly had the thought, "Meteor...wow...could be another...". Took a lucky guess that it may have fragmented. I quickly skipped around into our south-facing kitchen, yanked up the blind, got down on one knee, head at a high angle for a better view well above the dark rooftops. Waiting a few seconds...counted 10and11and12...then suddenly...there IT was! What a rare and beautiful event to witness - as the second, brightening meteor - after about an 8 second descent - frag 'exploded' in complete silence over our backcourt! A strange effect was to see an array of shadows from our gardens trees slowly 'climb up' the far buildings. Go on Einsteinians beat that double. All the best this winter. BR
Wow indeed ! :-)The shadows
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Wow indeed ! :-)
The shadows changing so fast would be right spooky. Epic. A very quick thinking lad. Can't top that one*.
Cheers, Mike.
* Well there was the time I was taking a pee on a dark night in the back yard, as you do, and I did get suddenly & awesomely illuminated by a police helicopter searchlight. Somewhat stunned, I actually waved at them with my free hand. Anyway they evidently figured I wasn't the guy they were after ( and for the record I wasn't ). As they moved on I thought I heard a faint chuckling over the rotor noise. Bloody FLIR ......
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
Well there was the time I was
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I say old chap rather too much info don'tcha know! Now I 'll try and break this to you gently, but in Pommie land there was a gentleman in the 1890's that invented a certain siphonic appliance that negated such primitive procedures. Gentlemen of refinement use both hands.
[Scene the Bush Kangeroo]
What's that Skippy? Dad's fallen down a mineshaft, and you want me to phone the flying Doctor?
What d'ya mean no?
Oh I see, Dr Hewitt is doing it again and you want me to phone the police helicopter?
[Scene ends with parental advisory caution]
T Crapper Esq
Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)
Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now
Billy... when I'm over my
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Billy... when I'm over my envy, and my awe... I might come back and talk to you.
;)
That might take longer... :) I am very very impressed though
@other conversation going on: when I had my arm stuck in a catflap because I'd hooked a coathanger into the sleeve of my jumper and secured it under the watchstrap on my other arm after I'd put that one through my letterbox to guide it towards a yale lock further up the door, I remember time passing very slowly and periodically getting really quite hot and bothered - which is when I got circled three times by a helicopter. I don't know what kind it was because my view of my surroundings was really quite limited.
There were no searchlights. It was daylight.
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
When I had my arm stuck in a
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In your front door??
They have infrared beams .....
[Met control room]
HQ to Charlie Victor two
Female, IC1, attempting access to premises on your patch, investigate.
Charlie Victor Two - Roger HQ on way.
Report Charlie Victor two
Charlie Victor two - Female apprehended. Attempting to free said person from coat hangers about her person. Hearing strange knocking from basement area, should we investigate.
HQ to Charlie Victor two. Advise extreme caution, BT report odd disappearances in that area.
Roger HQ.
[Met control room out]
Waiting for Godot & salvation :-)
Why do doctors have to practice?
You'd think they'd have got it right by now
Back to Billy's meteors. What
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Back to Billy's meteors. What did you hear ? A bang or two some time later perhaps ......
{ For the record it was my backyard, in 1984, and I wasn't entirely sober. So there, now you have a fully justified circumstance ! Doesn't anyone know what 'caught short' means ? .... oh, that's all right then, don't mention it, my mistake, silly presumptive me, as tendered in evidence, the court believed it, case was withdrawn, no offense recorded, storm in a teacup type of thing, police over-reaction, the judge did say not to do that if I was ever overseas though, and he thanked me for all the shiny new banknotes and all ..... so I said thanks Uncle Bazza !}
Cheers, Mike.
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
Dear Anniet. No need for envy
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Dear Anniet. No need for envy now. Can you believe today's BBC 'Tech' News? All you have to do is book a Japanese cube satellite "Shooting Star" event in 2020! Party time! . . . . . .All the Best.
Shooting stars from space for 2020 Olympics
21 November 2016 Last updated at 11:49 GMT
When the 2020 Olympics gets underway in Tokyo, Project Sky Canvas hopes to paint the sky above with shooting stars.
The plan is to put a micro-satellite in orbit that will fire tiny particles into the atmosphere.
As they fall to Earth they will burn up and become on-demand shooting stars that can be directed to any chosen location and be seen within a radius of up to 200km (124 miles).