Missed those noctilucent clouds...

[Rick]

It seems there was a good display early on Monday morning. Today's APOD ( http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080702.html ) shows some photographed from France, and Pete Lawrence posted some pictures taken the same day on uk.sci.astronomy. See:

  http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/atmospheric/2008-06-30_02h30m_NLC_IMG_2697.jpg
  http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/atmospheric/2008-06-30_02h26m_NLC_IMG_2685.jpg
  http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/atmospheric/2008-06-30_02h21m_NLC_IMG_2667.jpg

[Mike]

These are pretty subtle. I guess they would have been hard to spot unless you were looking for them.

I have a camera permanently pointing at the sky - http://87.80.136.184:8080/ - as part of Mike Roseel's Cloudwatch Project (www.cloudwatch.net).

So I suppose I should set it to take an image every minute or so and record it to HD, that way if there were any noctilucent clouds i'd be sure to get an image (presuming they were in the South which is the direction the camera is pointing).

[Ian]

wouldn't the be more likely to the south-west? You might get them if the field of view is reasonable.

[Carole]

If this was early morning and the moon is in waning crescent, surely the clouds would be in the eastern direction where the sun is coming up from.

Also looking at the photos, the moon must be lowish in the East and that's where the clouds are.

Carole

[Ian]

good point, they're not just a evening phenomenon...

[Rick]

Yeah, those are early morning photos. They're quite extensive as NLCs go. The first of Pete Lawrence's photos (the widest field one) shows the classic diagnostic; dark normal clouds in front of illuminated noctilucent ones.

[Carole]

Damn!!

That was the night I stayed up to 2.30 taking my Jupiter images and all the photos are labelled at that time on that night and I missed them!!!

Having said that though they were on the other side of the house, so I suppose that is why.

Thus missed one on Mike's imaging challenges.

Carole

[Rick]

If Mike had made "Moon and M45" one of his challenges...

[Mike]

If Mike had made "Moon and M45" one of his challenges...

Ooh good idea. One for August. Thanks Rick

[Carole]

I was referring to the noctilucent clouds, I had a recollection that as no-one had got them last month he had put them on again for this month. 

Maybe I'm wrong. 

Have you posted the list yet Mike, I couldn't find it when I looked.

Carole

[Mike]

Yes I added them on to this months list also.

No I haven't uploaded it yet. Will do that tonight.

[Rick]

I was referring to the noctilucent clouds, I had a recollection that as no-one had got them last month he had put them on again for this month.

Yep, but you'll notice that both Pete Lawrence's and the APOD photos were taken in part to capture the Moon near M45. They happened to catch the noctilucent clouds as well...

[Carole]

Hadn't noticed that Rick and didn't even look at the NASA link.  As the posting was headed "Missed those noctilucent clouds" just assumed every-one would know that's what I was talking about.

Never mind, E mails and such like can often be open to misinterpretation. 

Thanks for the help with the gallery Rick.

Carole