Super Moon - too big to miss!

Well there's nothing like a super Moon to bring everyone together worldwide with their cameras.
It was stunning to watch the perigee moon travelled 30,000km closer to Earth (356,575km away) as it's been in three years. Here's a selection of images I've found from all around the world. If somehow you missed viewing this one the next one will be almost as close on 26th October (357,052km away).
It's a stunning sight to see and these images make it look like you could reach out and touch it - if only...

Century Tower, University of Florida, Matt Stamey @ The Gainesville Sun via AP

Washington DC's Lincoln Memorial - Bill Ingalls, NASA

Fred Thornhill, Canada, Reuters

Emanuel Lopes, Lisbon

Suzanne Plunkett, London, Reuters

BBC Super Moon images...

National Geographic images...

This is AMAZING - well worth watching!

Last one of these then I promise I'll move onto something new... although you have to admit that this is incredible. Paranal Observatory again shot from inside with a fish eye lens by Stephane Guisard

www.astrosurf.com/sguisard

Discover time lapses this lunchbreak on Youtube!

Everyone knows that logging onto Youtube uses up serious amounts of time, but one thing that I can't get enough of searching for on there is time lapse movies that people have made of observatories. This one is shot with a fish eye lens to capture the whole surroundings of ESO Paranal observatory in Chile -  which is why the laser star guides that would normally be in a perfectly straight line are distorted but apart from that it is an incredible sequence to watch... enjoy.

Credit due to:

Stephane Guisard

www.astrosurf.com/sguisard

Incredible spacewalk images from NASA of astronauts Steve Bowen and Alvin Drew

Anchored to Canadarm2 mobile foot restraints, NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Alvin Drew participated in the STS-133 mission's second spacewalk to perform valuable construction and maintenance on the International Space Station. During the six-hour, 14-minute spacewalk they tackled a variety of tasks, including venting into space some remaining ammonia from a failed pump module they moved during the mission's first spacewalk. Here are NASA's shots from the expedition - what an incredible experience to have had - these are making me want to go into space more than anything!

Russian Soyuz Spacecraft and the International Space Station backed by the thin blue line of the earth's atmosphere...

Steve Bowen works hard...

Beat this for a profile picture - Steve Bowen poses for the camera...

Look closely and you'll see both astronauts hard at work. This was actually from their first spacewalk...

Alvin Drew emerges from the Quest airlock...

Discovery and Canadian built Dextre are cojoined...

President Barack Obama talks to the team on board Discovery from the Oval Office...

All images are courtesy of NASA

Sign up now for the next Astronomy & Spaceguard Experience break at Holme Lacy House Hotel.

Well today finds me busy working on the content for our next Starlearner Experience Break - we've teamed up with Warner Hotels at their amazing Holme Lacy House Hotel resort in Herefordshire to give guests a whole weekend of galactic fun, learning and viewing through our Celestron telescopes as well as a trip to the Spaceguard Centre at Knighton and keep your eye on Asteroids, comets and Meteoroids. 

I'll be there the whole time to help you discover Saturn's Rings, Jupiter's moons and delve into the Moon's craters and guide everyone through their space black holes of knowledge.

Mrs M enjoys it as there's a lovely spa, as many extra sports and activities as you want to do and delicious food... 

I love meeting people who are into their astronomy - whether they've just started viewing or have been doing it for years the buzz is great. That's what it's all about.

If you've never been on a Star Break before come and experience a weekend away with Herefordshire's dark viewing skies, it would be great to see you there!

Click here to see more information...