h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sunday night was my first view of Holmes,

That's got to be visible from almost anywhere: it's as bright as Polaris and binoculars show its grown to a size bigger than Jupiter would be at that distance! We'll have to wait a while yet (the new year-ish, is my guess) to see any tail properly as, currently, it's behind the comet and pointing away... (just like a cat, sometimes )

No bruises or anything, yet, from DK-dismounts - if i'm very careful, i may get to the eclipse in Gorno-Altaysk after all.

I've got the nicknames of the characters for the trek, if not all the humans required to fit them. They were inspired by one of the MTB youtubes: Hoppy, Droppy, Jumpy... Bouncey, Crash, Cinders and Dirt.

I'm going as Dirt, obviously, and Sean-the-wheel-builder brought me some cleaning products recently - one is called "DIRTWASH".

We seem to have drifted from plants & things your way. Sorry.

How's you? ed.

It was still far too cloudy here to get a glimpse of the comet. How long will it be visible for?

So, you chose you nickname because you could be eating quite a bit of dirt, when the beastie throws you off?

Theres not much to say about plants at this time of year. Most are dying down rapidly now. I'm happy to talk about other things, it's what makes lifer interesting

I'm over my cold now, though there is still a bit of a cough that does'nt want to go away.

Gotta dash, work calls

The number of insects that have hit me in the mouth suggests i'm wiping out quite a decent 'Carbon Sink' of my own.

DIRTWASH, is, obviously, for the chain & gearing on DK, the amount of dirt that reaches me tomorrow (today, oops!) should be a lot less now that i have a rear mud-flap fitted.

Can hardly wait 'til next wake-time...

Much better! (With mudguard)

The comet's progress is one of those chaotic things: it may vapourise completely and be gone from view quicker than a flour-bomb in air or it may stay shiny for months... Today's pick of pictures is on the front page at spaceweather.com: very, very strange...

All good fun tho.

Eeuuww, it's not very nice when a fly hits the back of your throat at 20mph

I'm pleased the hear the mudflaps are keeping the dirt from you
So, how fast can the beastie go? Maybe i should ask, how fast can you pedal?

I'm hoping there will be at least one clear night, where i can see this comet; before it vapourises or disappears.

Current highest speed is 41.9 mph - it's recorded by the on-board clever silicon too.

In reality, the comet has grown to 7 times the diameter of Jupiter and is still growing! Todays pictures include first glimpse of tail formation...

The murk here is drving me nuts! They can see it at street-level in cities the size of Tehran!

Grr...

That is fast! You must be exhausted after speeding around at that rate.

We've had blue skies during the day here, but as soon as dusk falls it clouds over Theres just no break in the cloud to see the comet.

I haven't got close to DK's top speed, yet, my legs tire as i try to go faster: the 'top' gear has plenty left as i give up and coast past the pub...

I hope you wont be disappointed by the comet: it's still a small object to naked-eye but binos on a tripod give a better look. Who knows how any proper tail will look? Still, it's clear (again) during this daytime so fingers & stuff crossed for tonight. Perseus (and comet) is(are) quite high in the sky near midnight and the waning moon helps too.

I can sue my bird watching binoculars, they are not huge on magnification only x10, but i could give a slightly better view.
I'm not likely to be up at midnight though Especially with a working weekend ahead I hope you manage to get a good view of it tonight. It's already too cloudy here for anything other than fireworks to be visible.

I can USE my binoculars

I'm sure your view'll be fine, whatever the magnification.

and "around midnight" means anywhere from 8pm to 4am, in this context. It's just that the comet rises higher in the sky as evening progresses.

I'm off to see if it's visible now...

Hi Ed
Did you get a glimpse of the comet?
It's still too cloudy here I have seen loads of fireworks though

Love them fireworks, tomorrow too! Whoopee!

Haven't seen Holmes since last Sunday. One guy is reporting a blue tail in development. That observation will be confirmed by others soon, i guess. The pop has grown to Jupiterx10 and it's about half-a-full-moon's-worth through decent binos... It lokks like it'll last a month or few longer, yet.

2-falls from DK today, knee wrap tomorrow.

Still time for a clear night so i can see Holmes then

Oh dear, sorry to hear about the knee DK needs to learn who is in charge eh!

More fireworks tonight I'm not a fan of them i'm afraid. I always worry about the animals, both wild and domesticated, that are terrified by all the noise.

Tonight looks promising for Holmes-watch here: nothing last night but crud and drizzle.

Do you have a sky-map to help find it?

The tail is confirmed as blue and swinging into view as the days pass.

I think DK already knows who is 'in charge': he has the dynamo after all and i'm pretty neutral, most of the time...

Is your cough/cold all gone or lingering?

The gardens haven't gone to winter sleep fully here, yet, i think they're (the insectivores, at least) talking advantage of these billions of bugs about the place.

Happy Holmes hunt. ed.

I think i may have seen the comet lastnight Unless is was looking in the wrong direction I'm not good at star constellations. I was looking Eastwards and there was a fuzzy kind of blob in the sky, it did'nt look much clearer with my binoculars. Was that it do you think?

Ah, so DK is a bit like a cat eh? It LETS you think you are the boss

The cold and cough have finally gone, it took it's time though.

It's turned very cold here, time to put away my gardening tools for the winter and stay indoors where it's warm

Eastwards is good for most of the dark-time. Polaris is the 'best' first guide star... Find that and swivel east and up a bit to find Mirphak (brightest in Perseus) and Holmes is 8 o'clock-ish from there... As bright as Polaris but much closer to Mirphak.

Happy to read you're feeling better - keep warm and well.

The sun shone brightly today and tomorrow looks promising too - apart from the raging hoolie that blew 54 mph last night and averaged 20 mph today and is due to increase again tomorrow: The Outer Isles look like they're in for another 80-90 mph storm too - wild, wild seas, i recall from my time there.

Speak soon, ed.

I'm not sure which constellations are which I know Orion (i think) Maybe i should find a map, i think there is one in an encyclopedia i have somewhere

How is the knee doing?

I have to go to the dentist today and i'm trying to think of a reason NOT to go I don't mind if it's only a checkup, but this is for treatment and i don't want to go

I remember some wild storms when i lived on the coast. The sea raged and occasionally breached the defences. The most spectacular sight was seeing the pier at Dover being bashed by huge waves that went right over the top of it
Portland was another place that got flooded by the sea when the wind raged. I've seen the sea come over the top of Chesil Beach, which is a huge barrier.

Orion is a fine starting point too. The skymaps at spaceweather.com are, i find, very useful for this type of thing and stellarium is a great help too. Does your local library have internet access? Or a friend... s'dead easy, really...

I missed my last dentist appointment too but that was only a check up... Are you in pain? Or fearful of same, perhaps? I certainly don't like it and although my knee is much better, thanks , i managed to have my coal-bunker lid hit me behind my right leg today. Idiot! Especially in this wind... brrr, ouch!

Storms are fun, sometimes... The Hebridean Cyclone i helped get the measure of some years ago flipped two planes and a post-van (incl. driver tho' unhurt by the experience) into brackish lochs. The gulls over the waves couldn't have cared less if they tried - really cool flying.

My mother was born in Basildon - her sister is still somewhere abouts daan saath too, i think - and i have vague, early childhood memories of Southend pier? Didn't make it to the south coast until teen years but did find it fun and beautiful too.

I can easily get hold of a sky map, our library has loads of books on space

I was'nt in pain before i went to the dentist, but i have a very sore mouth now Still at least i did'nt have to have any teeth pulled I have a fear of dentists, i had a few bad experiences long ago. I still force myself to have regular checkups, but go cold at the thought of fillings.

Basildon is only 20 minutes drive from me. I've been there a few time shopping. It has'nt got the best reputation these days, but that happens in highly built up areas. I havent been to Southend for a couple of years now, the grandkids like it there and they do really good fish & chips
I much prefer the Dorset coastline, it's much more interesting with plenty of fossils to be found I still have several fossils picked up off Chesil beach when i was a teenager