0:00:30 > 0:00:32Welcome to The Sky At Night.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35We've come to the gorgeous and remote Kielder Observatory in
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Northumberland where we're promised some of England's darkest skies.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42We have something exciting happening in just a few hours' time.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45An asteroid will be making one of the closest approaches to
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Earth in recent years. And we're hoping to see it.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49And all the team are here.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52And we're also joined by friend of the programme Jon Culshaw, who will
0:00:52 > 0:00:55be helping us meet the challenge of the Moore Winter Marathon.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57We'll be find out how you got on,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00seeing Patrick's 50 favourite winter night sky objects.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05The Kielder Observatory looks spectacular in the remote
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Northumberland landscape.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10It's at the end of a long forestry commission track
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and the view of Kielder water is breath-taking.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19It feels very wild here, a suitable place to go hunting for asteroids
0:01:19 > 0:01:21and objects from the Moore Winter Marathon.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Gary Fildes is the observatory director
0:01:25 > 0:01:28and he is rightly proud of the facilities here.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31The observatory has won design awards,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35but it's the telescopes and the dark skies which now win praise.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42This 14-inch reflecting telescope is ideal for looking at
0:01:42 > 0:01:44galaxies and nebulae.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Gary relies on the dedicated and strong support of astronomers
0:01:48 > 0:01:50who can use the telescopes,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54such as this magnificent 20-inch reflector.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- Gary, what a fantastic location. - Yeah.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00How long have you been here, and how was this site chosen?
0:02:00 > 0:02:03We have been here for nearly five years now.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07We searched high and low for a good location to build the observatory.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10The primary point is that we've got tremendous dark skies.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12It certainly feels really remote.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Perfect for our Moore Winter Marathon.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18But before that, we have something equally special happening -
0:02:18 > 0:02:21this close flyby of the asteroid.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23How are we going to be looking at that?
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Well, we have been contemplating this for the last week.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29We're currently setting up a number of different telescopes
0:02:29 > 0:02:30attached to cameras and camera lenses,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33because this thing is travelling at quite a velocity.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36So we are using many different forms of media to actually track
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and record this object as it zips by and says hello.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41I've brought my binoculars with me
0:02:41 > 0:02:43so I'm hoping for some guidance of where to look.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- And I'll be trying to catch it, as well.- Excellent. Superb. Me too.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56The sun has not yet set and we already have our first astro hit.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01Jupiter in the daytime sky. Wonderful.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02There you go.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- Oh, yeah!- Have you got it?
0:03:05 > 0:03:07- I like the stripes. - The stripes, yeah.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Seeing Jupiter against a blue sky.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14That is absolutely astonishing.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15Wow!
0:03:15 > 0:03:17To see Jupiter so soon in the night,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20it makes you feel that we're in for a good night's observing.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22It bodes well.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26As it darkens, Gary gives one of his many public talks,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29this time with an impromptu performance from Jon,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31a poem he wrote about Patrick.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33AUDIENCE APPLAUD
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Of course, The Sky At Night established almost 56 years ago
0:03:37 > 0:03:41by the great Godfather of astronomy, Sir Patrick Moore.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42Of course.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Capturing the fascination of astronomy beautifully, like that.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47In 1957, The Sky At Night began
0:03:47 > 0:03:49They asked me to present the show
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Well, I'll do the best I can
0:03:51 > 0:03:52So as The Sky At Night got underway
0:03:52 > 0:03:54The space race started too
0:03:54 > 0:03:56We achieved the show's objectives
0:03:56 > 0:03:57Delivering all events to you
0:03:57 > 0:04:00We saw the far side of the Moon
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Could our consciousness absorb it?
0:04:02 > 0:04:04And Sputnik launched on October 4th
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Into elliptical low Earth orbit
0:04:06 > 0:04:08AUDIENCE LAUGH
0:04:08 > 0:04:10At our 55th anniversary
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Another birthday flag unfurled
0:04:13 > 0:04:15With thanks, with pride, with gratitude
0:04:15 > 0:04:18We are the longest-running show in the world
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Good night.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22AUDIENCE APPLAUD
0:04:25 > 0:04:26It's completely dark now
0:04:26 > 0:04:30and the night skies of Kielder have really delivered.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32We are out on the observation deck,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36waiting to see the asteroid come into view.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Gary and his fellow astronomers have joined us
0:04:39 > 0:04:40to share this unique event.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47Just a few minutes ago, a small lump of rock called 2012 DA14 made one
0:04:47 > 0:04:52of the closest passes past the Earth that we had in recorded history.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53And we are all still here.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Yes, we are all still here, so it didn't hit.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57How close did it get, Lucy?
0:04:57 > 0:05:01At closest approach, it was about 17,200 miles from us.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Maybe some people won't be thinking that's that close,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07but it is in astronomical terms.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09It's closer than satellites that broadcast TV, isn't it?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- It's nearer than they are. - That's right.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Any satellites are in a geosynchronous orbit.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15It has cut straight through those orbits.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18There was never any chance of it colliding with a satellite,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20and never any chance of it colliding with us.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23How big is this thing? That's the first question I want to know.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24How should we imagine it?
0:05:24 > 0:05:28It's about 45 metres in length. Which is a fair size.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- An Olympic swimming pool, sort of size.- Yeah.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35A swimming pool size worth of rock shooting past the Earth.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38The reason we are here now is, it's about to rise.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40As seen from here in Kielder.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44We should see it go up, I think, just beneath the tail of Leo there.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48And then by 9:30, it should be crossing the Plough.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51And it will be visible in telescopes, but also in binoculars.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I'm looking forward to having a look at it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55I'm wondering what it's actually going to look like,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57this Olympic-size swimming pool,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01that sized object travelling at five miles per second.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03It should be rising, so should we go and have a look?
0:06:03 > 0:06:05I think we should, yes. I think we should.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Let's check it's on the course they said it was.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13I'm hoping that the skies stay clear enough that I can get a view,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15even though it's going to be rather faint.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Asteroid 2012 DA14 is now in our sky,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24but it's proving very, very difficult to see.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28As it gets to that point, which is easy to locate,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31it will have got dimmer.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36We have been sent some great footage from our viewers who are having
0:06:36 > 0:06:39much more luck that we are here in Kielder.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43This helpful arrow pinpoints the fast-moving object, as seen by
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Simon White, who is camped out on Shap in Cumbria.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Another helpful arrow to show the asteroid,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53which is moving incredibly fast.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56This is from Australia, by Colin Legg.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04We are still having no luck, no matter how hard we stare,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06it's just not there.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11There are no arrows in our sky, but Dave Thompson and Brendan Martin
0:07:11 > 0:07:15from Liverpool have managed to pinpoint the pesky asteroid.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Well, I haven't managed to find it yet but I'm still hopeful.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23It should just be approaching the handle of the Plough.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25I'm going to give it five more minutes,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and then maybe I'm going to ask Pete for some help.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33It's really frustrating trying to see what's moving and what's not.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- Does somebody have it?- I've got it! - You've got it?- Yeah!
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- I can see the thing moving.- Where?!
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Well, right at this moment, the asteroid is with us.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Pete Lawrence there with a great sense of determination. He is on it.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47He's got his camera going.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50He is collecting lots and lots of pictures of it.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53You can actually physically see the asteroid moving.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- Got it!- Ah, and Paul Abel has it now.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00- What can you see, Paul? - It's a tiny, faint point of light.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04But it's moving noticeably against the background of stars.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I'm quite surprised that the motion is as detectable as this.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Are you seeing the motion, Pete? It is quite remarkable.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- It's absolutely incredible. Never seen anything like it.- Me neither!
0:08:12 > 0:08:14It just looks like a faint star,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17but you can see it visibly moving through the binoculars.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21I expected to see something that would look stationary.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23And then you'd come back to it a moment later,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25and you'd see it would have moved.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30But I can actually visibly see it moving. It looks like a satellite.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33And you can see the shapes it's making with the stars out there.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34The shapes are just changing
0:08:34 > 0:08:37because that asteroid is moving through the stars.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40It makes it very difficult to find a reference point to describe to
0:08:40 > 0:08:41other people.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Because as soon as you say it's right by that star, making
0:08:43 > 0:08:46an Isosceles triangle, it has moved and the shape is no longer the same.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51I didn't expect it to be quite so visibly in motion as that.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56That's just astonishing to think that is an asteroid,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58about 45 metres across, moving through space.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01I'm very glad I've seen it here for Kielder, as well.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05David Strange saw it from Devon.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10And here is this lovely sighting from Richard Fleet from Wiltshire.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Well done to everybody who managed to catch a glimpse
0:09:17 > 0:09:19of this flying visitor.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Oh, God, I've lost it!
0:09:22 > 0:09:25It's an object that really makes you work hard to keep up with it.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29- I've gone and lost it.- I think it's moved on since I last saw it.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- Oh, hang on.- Have you got it? If it moves, you've got it.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Yes, that is moving.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36THEY CHEER
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Whoa!
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Look at that. So that's what half a football pitch,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43travelling at five miles per second, looks like.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- Good grief! - That's really rather special.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54You can look at our website to find more images of this asteroid
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and many others captured as they tumble through space.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03One asteroid, which did not have a safe encounter with Earth,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07is the meteorite, which scattered in Chelyabinsk in the Russian Urals.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Here is a view of it from space just as it's entering the Earth's
0:10:13 > 0:10:16atmosphere, taken by one of our weather satellites.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20We will be discussing its impact in next month's programme.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Well, that was absolutely fabulous. But we were really lucky.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29The asteroid has been and gone just as the clouds rolled in.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33I can't quite believe it was clear just when we needed it to be.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34But we are not giving up.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36We still have a lot to do, because we want to have
0:10:36 > 0:10:40a look at some of Patrick's favourite objects in the Moore Winter Marathon.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Last April, Patrick came up with the Moore Marathon
0:10:47 > 0:10:50to celebrate his 55th anniversary on The Sky At Night.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54He was so pleased with the results, that in autumn he decided to
0:10:54 > 0:10:59challenge you all again, this time with a Moore Winter Marathon.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00And this should be good,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03with the Winter Sol the most magnificent of the entire year.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Pete insisted on including the Celestial G,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11but Patrick was a little sceptical.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Who invented that one, I do not know.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- Well, Pete... - It was a chap called Graham.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21- Even now, I don't know what it is. - Pete, enlighten us.- OK.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Patrick challenged us to see 50 objects, and while waiting around
0:11:25 > 0:11:30for our asteroid to arrive, we decided to get a few under our belt.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33With clear skies beckoning, a good place to start
0:11:33 > 0:11:34was Orion, the Hunter.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Everyone knows Orion.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40You've got Betelgeuse, which means armpit of the great one.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42You've got Rigel, which is his foot.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44You've got the Belt, the three stars, and then
0:11:44 > 0:11:47hanging down from the Belt, just about here, you've got the Sword.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50And in that Sword you've got the misty nebula,
0:11:50 > 0:11:55the fiery unformed mist of future suns. It's a stellar nursery.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58A place where a cluster of stars is just forming.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00And it looks fabulous in a telescope.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02We can use that to navigate around the sky.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04The belt is incredibly useful.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06If you follow the line it makes, down and to the left,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08that points to the brightest star in the night sky,
0:12:08 > 0:12:09which is Sirius,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12or brightest star in Canis Major, The Great Dog.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14It's also known as the Dog Star, of course.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16And the body goes down towards the horizon,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19and there is even a little, tiny tail on the back of it, as well.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I can't quite see the tail. What do you think, Jon? Convincing as a dog?
0:12:22 > 0:12:23THEY LAUGH
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I would love to have been on the committee of those who
0:12:26 > 0:12:29decided what the constellations were.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Because, I don't know,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34it may be open to the interpretation of the time when it was done.
0:12:34 > 0:12:35Indeed.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38If you locate Sirius, there's another Moore Winter Marathon object
0:12:38 > 0:12:40four degrees below it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43If you're not sure how big four degrees is,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45that's about eight moon diameters below.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48- The moon is half a degree. - That's right.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51So if you look directly below it, you've got lovely, dark,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53crystal-clear winter skies.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56There is M41 twinkling away. I'm having difficulty at the moment
0:12:56 > 0:12:58because it is a little bit hazy down there.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And of course, round Aldebaran,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03you've got that V-shape of stars, as well, which is on the Moore list.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07It is. The Hyades as they are known, is a fantastic open cluster.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10It often gets overlooked but I think it still looks fantastic.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13And it represents the face of Taurus, the Bull.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Aldebaran is supposed to be his eye.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18And the point at the end of the V is his nose.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21The whole lot overshadowed by a temporary star, of course,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23because that's where Jupiter is at the minute.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26We've got a beautiful clear sky here. Beautiful dark site.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28And we can see all the things.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31But you can notice the difference between Jupiter and Aldebaran,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and notice how they move, from any sky.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And you can watch that, night after night, in the middle of London.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38You can see how those two are dancing around
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and that's part of the joy of astronomy too.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47The clouds are rolling in but our first night
0:13:47 > 0:13:49here at Kielder has been a success.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52We have bagged a few of those Moore Winter Marathon objects
0:13:52 > 0:13:54and seen the asteroid.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Our second day at the Kielder Observatory has started
0:14:00 > 0:14:05a little ominously. The mist and rain has rolled in,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07but we are not down-hearted.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12We had a good night last night. I enjoyed myself.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14But to keep track of what we have seen,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Chris, I think you have sorted out a map for us. This is a very exciting.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20We've got the official Moore Winter Marathon map.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23There we go. Where shall we start?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25What a grand unveiling.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Fine list of 50. Why don't we start with Jupiter?
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Michael Murphy from County Dublin said,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33"Always good to see the king of the planets."
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Mike Stewart of Sheffield said, "Stunning as always."
0:14:36 > 0:14:38The reason he never finished the full list,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- cos Jupiter was so distracting.- Excellent.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Well, we all saw Jupiter, so d'you want to put that up on the board?
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Philip Jennings of Malton says, "The highlight of the year,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49"always seeing the Pleiades rise in the east,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51"knowing that the winter constellations are on the way."
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Which we all saw, I mean, that was very nice.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57There's a nice comment here from one of our young astronomers,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Andrew Suttle, who said he counted 13 stars.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Wow, that's pretty good.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03That's a test of how good your skies are.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Always count the stars in the Pleiades.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07We shall watch his career with great interest.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Where shall we go next, Jon?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- Well, we have the Triangulum Galaxy. - Oh, this was lovely.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Nice description from Chris Pearce. "At last!
0:15:15 > 0:15:17"Been trying for over a year to spot this, but without success,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20"but Pete's observing guide really did help."
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- Fantastic, that's good to know. - I found it really tough.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27I think that maybe I saw the idea of a hint of it last night,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29cos the moon's in this area, the moon was about here.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32I failed to see that one, I found the moon quite distracting.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36- It's so beautiful.- But not on the list!- But not on the list.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41- What next, Jon?- M35 in Gemini. - I enjoyed these, so we've got, what?
0:15:41 > 0:15:47M36, 37 is the closest to Gemini and then Messier 38, erm...
0:15:47 > 0:15:49This is like Peter Snow on election night.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51LAUGHTER
0:15:51 > 0:15:54A trend towards M38 last night, I found.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- PETER SNOW IMPRESSION:- The votes for M36 are coming in now...!
0:15:57 > 0:16:02And talking about the Celestial G, cos that's number 13 on the list...
0:16:02 > 0:16:05It spans quite a large portion of the sky, as well,
0:16:05 > 0:16:06that's what surprised me
0:16:06 > 0:16:08when I was reading it in the guide, and I actually went out
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and it was really nice to see this way of tracking around...
0:16:11 > 0:16:13I'll stick it in the middle.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Because a lot of those stars are different colours, as well,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18so that's what makes it a nice-shaped thing.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19The orange of Betelgeuse
0:16:19 > 0:16:23and the brilliant blue of Rigel really contrast very nicely.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- I love colours in stars.- I do!
0:16:25 > 0:16:28It's such an obvious way of learning something
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- fundamental about the object. - Absolutely.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- Cos our star, it's sort of yellow, isn't it?- Well, it looks it.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38It looks it through our atmosphere, but actually, the light from the sun
0:16:38 > 0:16:40peaks in the blue-green part of the spectrum,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42so it's a green star, not a yellow star.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- You never think of the sun as being green!- You don't.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Rather appropriate for you, Lucy, isn't it?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50It is, and Lucy means "light" I think.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53- TOM BAKER IMPRESSION:- You are the sun's ambassador to Planet Earth.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- Where next, Jon? - Where would we like to go?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Lovely description here from Philip Jennings again in Yorkshire,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03"Leaned back on a hedge to observe both a double cluster and M31.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06"Unfortunately, I had to observe both from inside the hedge as
0:17:06 > 0:17:09"I became stuck there and my scarf got tangled in the branches."
0:17:09 > 0:17:12"Spectacular in..." It's sort of turned into a Lee Evans routine!
0:17:12 > 0:17:14That's dedication for you.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16The perils of astronomy.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Not without its hazards. Where shall we go next?
0:17:18 > 0:17:20While we're up there, shall we just mention that one which
0:17:20 > 0:17:23a lot of people have commented on, which is Kemble's Cascade?
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Beautiful binocular object.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28I hadn't seen it until you put it on the list, actually. I was stunned.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30It's like a little stream of coloured stars.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32It's a waterfall of starlight.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35There's a little cluster at the end which is the celestial splash pool.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39- Really?- It is.- That's really got people's imagination.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Wayne Young simply, "Wow!"
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Alan Beaton, "Like a rollercoaster following the stars.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47"What a lovely sight, I counted 21 stars leading downwards
0:17:47 > 0:17:49"like a celestial waterfall."
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Andrew Suttle, our young astronomer once again,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56"Below Cassiopeia and just above the conservatory.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59"Dad had to lift me up."
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Obviously, your conservatory may be in a different place.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04You've had to localise these...
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Yeah, but a lot of wow factors with that one.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13We only have one more night at Kielder
0:18:13 > 0:18:15to complete the Moore Winter Marathon,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18and the task and the weather ahead of us is daunting,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22but like all marathon runners, we're here for the long haul.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Fortunately, we have some help.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Some of our marathon astronomers have come along with their telescopes.
0:18:29 > 0:18:30- You got it?- Yeah.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Dad Paul Williamson and Olivia, who is just eight,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36are from near Winchester,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and they started observing a little over one year ago.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Whose idea was it to do the Moore Winter Marathon? Was it your idea?
0:18:42 > 0:18:47Sort of, yeah, both our ideas, we decided we'd do it for a challenge.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50'They also took part in Patrick's last Moore Marathon.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52'Dedicated star spotters.'
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Congratulations on getting 49 out of the 50 objects.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Now you've done the Moore Winter Marathon, what's next on your list?
0:18:58 > 0:19:00What's the one we've been going for?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Oh, the Horse Head and the Flame Nebula.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Definitely one of my favourites along with the Crab Nebula.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Sarah Dunwood is from Warrington and took part in the last Marathon too.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14The best two for me were actually imaging Jupiter
0:19:14 > 0:19:16and actually seeing the Great Red Spot...
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Did you see it? It's very faint, isn't it, at the moment? Well done!
0:19:20 > 0:19:23It was difficult in terms of viewing but again, camera object,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25it came out quite nicely.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30'The Kilgours are from Glasgow and they're new to astronomy.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34'Mum Katherine has made their new telescope its own cover,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38'which may have to stay on if this rain doesn't clear.'
0:19:38 > 0:19:41You look like you're set up and ready to go, take up the challenge.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43How many objects have you seen on the list?
0:19:43 > 0:19:47We've maybe seen just under 20 of the naked eye objects,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49we've just started the telescope version.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51That's a good approach, isn't it?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Get familiar with the sky, navigate your way around
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and it's amazing what you can see through binoculars, as well.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58How did the Orion Nebula look through binoculars?
0:19:58 > 0:20:01It was really amazing, cos we could see, like, erm,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05a few of the stars in the nebula, and a bit of stardust.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07At that point it just looked like a fuzzy patch,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09but when we put it into the telescope,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11we could see a lot more of the dust
0:20:11 > 0:20:14and you could even make out the trapezium, which was really amazing.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18'Lastly, we have Steve Brown from Stokesley in Middlesbrough.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22'He's only been observing for a couple of years, and likes drawing,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24'so that should please Paul.'
0:20:24 > 0:20:26So Steve, congratulations.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29This man got all 50 objects, you must be very pleased.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30Yeah, very pleased.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34I did not get all 50 objects because of cloud, weather not too like this
0:20:34 > 0:20:37in fact, so what particularly was your favourite one?
0:20:37 > 0:20:41- Erm, I liked the, erm, the Double Cluster was good.- Yeah, beautiful!
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Lovely, yeah, like two for the price of one in the viewfinder.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46What about the Flaming Star,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48cos we're told a lot of people had trouble with it?
0:20:48 > 0:20:50That was difficult, took four attempts to find it.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Had to double-check to make sure it wasn't something wrong with the
0:20:53 > 0:20:56telescope or my eyes or something, but it was definitely there.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Let's hope we see something tonight. If you get the Double Cluster,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02I will be back to have a look, cos it's one of my favourite objects.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Steve, thank you very much.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08This winter's weather has challenged many of you,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11but you can still see many beautiful
0:21:11 > 0:21:14and spectacular images on The Sky At Night Flickr site.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21'Unfortunately, the Northumbrian weather has crushed our hopes
0:21:21 > 0:21:25'of seeing any more winter Marathon objects tonight.'
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Well, I have to say, this is utterly miserable.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29It's raining, it's foggy,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I don't think there's any chance we're going to see anything tonight.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34No, we are out of luck,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38but we have some people inside who have been successful.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Let's go and find out what they saw.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46'There's nothing to do but go into the observatory and warm up.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48'Our guests have seen all the objects and they can give us
0:21:48 > 0:21:51'a helping hand to finish the chart.'
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Right, Chris, where are we going to start?
0:21:53 > 0:21:55I think we should start with the Crab Nebula,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58which I haven't seen this winter at all, cos the weather's been bad
0:21:58 > 0:22:03and because I've been lazy, so who saw the Crab? Yes?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Excellent, if you put that on the map.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Jon, who else had success seeing the Crab Nebula?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Quite challenging for quite a few folks.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12David Scanlan from Romsey said,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15"Very faint owing to its low surface brightness.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18"Had a distinctive Y-shaped regularity about it."
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Wayne Young said, "The original fuzzy blob." Very descriptive.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Chris Pearce said, "Would love to have seen this 1,000 years ago.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28"Come on, Betelgeuse! Hurry up and go supernova!"
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- Charming.- I agree with him. OK...
0:22:30 > 0:22:33It looks nothing like a crab. That's the key thing.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Messier 77, is this one of the planetary nebuli
0:22:36 > 0:22:38or one of the clusters?
0:22:38 > 0:22:40- It's a galaxy.- Well, I was close!
0:22:40 > 0:22:42You'd better show me where to find it.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Jon, what were the comments about this one?
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Sam Copley in Rochester said, "Just a small blob in the scope.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49"The sky was washed out by the moon."
0:22:49 > 0:22:52But he got it despite all of that, so that's a good thing.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55The next one's the Little Dumbbell, so who saw that?
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I accidentally got it with my camera.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00CHEERING AND CHATTER
0:23:01 > 0:23:06- Somebody's going to need to point it out.- Jon, did anyone else find this?
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Dr Peter McCann of Chorley in Lancashire, near my part of
0:23:10 > 0:23:13the world, "Nice moist rectangular box with a pinch in the middle.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17"Very cold tonight, I'm not hanging around for long."
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Robert Plant in Lichfield, he says, "Medium? Pah!
0:23:20 > 0:23:24"If this is medium, I'm going to struggle with the hard ones!"
0:23:24 > 0:23:25I think a few people did struggle.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29It wasn't an easy marathon, it's the last few that always get you.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- The Eskimo Nebula.- Oh, Eskimo!
0:23:32 > 0:23:35I wanted to see this one and I didn't manage it, so who saw this one?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38You got it, there you go, Steve. Absolutely beautiful!
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Lovely nose and a fur-lined hood.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Andrew Hindmarch of Lingfield said, "It looked more like a hoodie!"
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- A modern take on it.- Exactly, a nice interpretation there.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52"Simply not as impressive as Hubble's photos," says Chris Pearce.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55This is a sunlight star giving off its outer atmosphere
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- near the end of its life.- That's right, jettisoning its outer layers,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and actually discovered by William Herschel in 1787,
0:24:01 > 0:24:02so we're seeing what he saw.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06We've got another nebula, the Flaming Star Nebula.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08You saw 49 of them between you two, I know,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11so what was the Flaming Star nebula like?
0:24:11 > 0:24:15It was one of the hardest ones that we had to find.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19It took me several attempts to actually capture it, in the end.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23- Luckily, there it was.- Can you find it for us now?- Hopefully.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24No pressure.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Very good. This next one's one of my favourites, something I saw
0:24:29 > 0:24:33yesterday, which is the Fish's Mouth in Orion, so you know where this is?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Smack in the middle. So what did that look like when you saw it?
0:24:38 > 0:24:41We could see the nebula dust and we could just see a slightly
0:24:41 > 0:24:45darker patch where the Fish's Eye is and also the Trapezium.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- The next one's the Trapezium. - D'you want to put that one up?
0:24:48 > 0:24:49A beautiful object,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52a wonderful grouping of stars in the middle of M42.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55- Brilliant, lots of people saying brilliant!- Brilliant!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58About the Trapezium. Brilliant!
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Any excuse, Jon!
0:25:00 > 0:25:02The Owl Cluster.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07There you go, you might need a lift to get to Cassiopeia, I think.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- Oh!- Teamwork.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Yay, there you go. So I've got number 50, the last of them,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16so this is Messier 52, which is a cluster. Who saw this?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19It's actually one of my favourites. You got all 50, Steve.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22It's only right that you should ceremonially put the 50th up.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- Last one, there we go.- Excellent.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27APPLAUSE
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- I declare you the champion of the Moore Winter Marathon.- Well done.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34You get to keep the poster.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38This collection of objects represents a huge
0:25:38 > 0:25:40amount of effort on all of your behalfs.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I know you all went out week after week, month after month,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46so you all deserve a big round of applause, well done.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Absolutely, I know Patrick would have been proud of all of you,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and angry at us for not going out enough, cos you've got to get out
0:25:52 > 0:25:56every clear night, and you guys all did that, so well done.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59I think we've just invented the first Sky At Night advent calendar.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:26:06 > 0:26:10There's an elite bunch who saw all 50 objects,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14so well done to Wayne Young from Thatcham in Berkshire,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Paul Hutchinson from Torquay in Devon,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Sam Copley from Hoo in Kent
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and of course Steve Brown from Stokesley in Middlesbrough.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27February's been such an exciting month.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31March has a lot to live up to, but fortunately there's a comet.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Pete and Jon have more information.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Well, Pete, this is some busy time for astronomy right now, with
0:26:38 > 0:26:42the asteroid powering past, and the fireball over Russia
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and coming very soon, the first of the bright comets for this year.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49That's right, Jon, we've got two potentially bright comets
0:26:49 > 0:26:52that hopefully will appear in our skies this year.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The first one should be visible from the UK
0:26:55 > 0:26:57from about the middle of March onwards.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00It's actually been seen from the Southern Hemisphere
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and we've got some great pictures of it at the moment,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06showing a lovely tail, two tails actually, a dust tail curving away
0:27:06 > 0:27:11from the comet and a very straight, what's called a gas tail, as well.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15This comet is called C2011 L4 Pan-STARRS.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18The numbers and letters at the front of it identify which one it is.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22But that has the potential to be a naked eye comet.
0:27:22 > 0:27:28So could we expect, say, something comparable to a Hale-Bopp of 1997?
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Comets are really difficult to predict.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33It could get close to the sun, it could fragment and then you
0:27:33 > 0:27:38get a huge dust tail form from it, so it could still surprise us.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40They do whatever they like.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43So we can consider Comet Pan-STARRS as a warm-up act for the big one
0:27:43 > 0:27:46in November, which is Comet Ison.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Ison, we'll deal with that one later in the year,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51but that could be quite spectacular.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Lots of events to keep us going.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Comet Pan-STARRS might be a faint fuzzy,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00but Pete's charts are on the website if you do want to find it.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02We've had a wonderful time here at Kielder Observatory,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06and we've been fantastically lucky to see the asteroid whizzing past
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and many of the Moore Winter Marathon objects.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12We certainly were lucky, so we owe a huge thanks to Gary and the rest of
0:28:12 > 0:28:15the team up here in Kielder, and to everyone who's trekked up to
0:28:15 > 0:28:18join us in this remote and beautiful part of the world.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Next month, we'll be finding out all about meteorites,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22including that dramatic event above Russia.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26And we'll be holding the first of our space surgeries,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28for anyone who has a question about anything astronomical
0:28:28 > 0:28:30or about observing.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32You can contact us through the website.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37So until next time...
0:28:37 > 0:28:39ALL: Goodnight.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd