What's Up the Observatory of Eilat and the Arava

25/01/2025

I go out almost every night by appointment. The lineup was even better for the last few months. We now begin a little after 18:00 to see Saturn as high as can be. Saturn is interesting now because it rings are still visible but are disappearing for a while.
I can be reached at 054 481 9973
Get a group of people together for a great cold night in the desert. At my site at Mt Yehoram you can also make a campfire.

09/01/2025

Planet Mercury, yesterday - those shadowed craters are likely full of ice. Amazing place to discover water!

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/Top_three_images_from_BepiColombo_s_sixth_Mercury_flyby

09/01/2025

A good demonstration that we live on a sphere.

Our photo and one posted by an overseas follower in response shortly after.

09/01/2025

Saturn's rings are enormous but extremely thin, with the following dimensions: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Width

The main rings are about 175,000 miles (282,000 kilometers) across. The D ring is 66,900–74,510 kilometers from Saturn's center and 7,500 kilometers wide, the C ring is 74,658–92,000 kilometers from Saturn's center and 17,500 kilometers wide, and the B ring is 92,000–117,580 kilometers from Saturn's center and 25,500 kilometers wide. [1, 3, 4, 5]

Thickness

The main rings are only about 30 feet (10 meters) thick. If you had a model of Saturn that was a meter stick wide, its rings would be about 10,000 times thinner than a razor blade. [3, 4, 5]

Mass

The total mass of Saturn's rings is only about 1.5 × 1019 kg, about 0.41 times the mass of Saturn's moon Mimas. [2]

Spokes

Spokes can be longer than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers), greater than the diameter of Earth. [6]

Gaps

The Cassini Division separates Rings A and B, with a gap measuring 2,920 miles (4,700 kilometers) in width. [4]

The rings are mostly made of particles of water ice ranging in size from smaller than a grain of sand up to the size of a mountain. [7]

Generative AI is experimental.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn[2] https://www.britannica.com/place/Saturn-planet/The-ring-system[3] https://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/108-How-large-are-Saturn-s-rings-[4] https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/facts/[5] https://www.smorescience.com/how-old-are-the-rings-of-saturn/[6] https://science.nasa.gov/mission/cassini/science/rings/[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbr8y_Y433Y

Saturn's ring formation has been a mystery since Galileo first discovered them in 1610. Now, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the ...

08/01/2025

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bortle_scale #:~:text=The%20Bortle%20dark%2Dsky%20scale,interference%20caused%20by%20light%20pollution.

29/12/2023

05/12/2023

עברית אחרי האנגלית
Next Wednesday night December, 13, we will be camping out until Thursday morning to observe the best meteor shower of the year, the Geminid meteor shower.
We will be gathering others will be bringing telescopes to see the high winter sky.
The peak of the Meteor shower, up to 120 meteors an hour will be at 2:00 in the morning with best observation from midnight until sunrise.
Bring blankets, chairs, beverages and food. Being wood for a small fire to keep coffee and soup hot.
Fun for the whole family.

ביום רביעי הבא בלילה, 13 בדצמבר, נצא לקמפינג עד יום חמישי בבוקר כדי לצפות במטר המטאורים הטוב ביותר של השנה, מטר המטאורים הג'מינידים.
אנו נאסוף אחרים יביאו טלסקופים לראות את שמי החורף הגבוהים.
שיא מטר המטאורים, עד 120 מטאורים בשעה יהיה בשעה 2:00 לפנות בוקר עם תצפית מיטבית מחצות ועד הזריחה.
הביאו שמיכות, כיסאות, משקאות ואוכל. להיות עצים למדורה קטנה כדי לשמור על קפה ומרק חמים.
כיף לכל המשפחה.

08/08/2023

The Moon rises around 11 or midnight Monday night with Jupiter following just below it. Seeing any early Perseid meteors yet? A few Perseids trickle in starting in late July, then they build for a couple of days toward their peak, August 12-13. The sky then will be moonless for perfect meteor-watching conditions. The weak, long-lasting Delta Aquariid shower is still somewhat active throughout this period. For both showers, the later in the night the more abundant the meteors.
https://buff.ly/3DEG3It