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HomeJohn Attewell

John Attewell

Profile picture of John Attewell

@johnattewell

Active 2 months, 2 weeks ago
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  • Profile picture of John Attewell

    John Attewell replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 2 months, 2 weeks ago

    I’m off to Root River again tonight.  I still have Bob Fealey’s key for the streetlight so it will be nice and dark, especially since the moon won’t rise until 3:51 am!  Anyone is welcome to join me.  – John Attewell

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 2 months, 3 weeks ago

    I’m going to Root River tonight.  I’m hoping to snare some of the dim Messiers in Leo.  I have a key to turn the streetlight off.  The sky should be clear by sundown and the moon isn’t going to rise until 2:48 am.  Anyone is welcome to join me.  -John Attewell

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    John Attewell started the topic Starlink Train Tonight in the forum General Discussion 1 year, 7 months ago

    Gang:  There is a StarLink train tonight starting at 5:25 pm.  There will be about two dozen satellites at magnitude 2.7.  They will start in the west at 10 degrees altitude, pass overhead at 69 degrees altitude, and end in the east-southeast about 17 degrees.  The last satellite will disappear about 5:46 pm.  Clear skies!

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 2 years, 11 months ago

    Very nice pic of the comet but it looks like that poor thing didn’t have a chance because you don’t see it exit on the other side of the sun.  If you watch closely you can see it accellerate as it approaches the sun.

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 2 years, 11 months ago

    Big CMEs too!

  • Profile picture of John Attewell

    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 2 months ago

    Wow!  That’s a big one.

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 3 months ago

    On March 8th Kathy and I and some friends were very close to a Falcon 9 rocket launch that carried a group 4-10 Starlink satellites into orbit. We were so close in fact, that the deafening rumble set off car alarms around us. The first stage is then reused. Sometimes it lands on a barge way out in the ocean. Then it is towed back to Port Canaveral…[Read more]

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 5 months ago

    Yes, the SpaceX website that Bob references is fantastic.  It has real time coverage and really interesting commentary on the history, engineering, and current launch details – before, during, and after the launch.  Despite the plethora of information and nice photos, the NASA websites are not very well curated and are very tardy in posting c…[Read more]

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 5 months ago

    Fifth time is a charm. Kathy, my friend Mike, and I have been driving 3 hours back and forth from Cape Kennedy to see a Space X Falcon 9 rocket launch, but the flight encountered a host of problems. The first day the launch was scrubbed because of torrential rain. The next day the launch was scrubbed due to upper atmosphere turbulence. The 3rd day…[Read more]

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 5 months ago

    Kathy used a Sony a-350 DSLR 70-300 zoom telephoto.  I estimate the distance from our location to the launch pad was about 13 miles.  Get this, she shot those photos with no tripod; just hand-held.

    Stay tuned because we are going to Cape Kennedy this Thursday to watch another Space-X launch carrying an Italian satellite.  This time we hope to be…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Attewell

    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 5 months ago

    I’m officially a rocket nerd.  On Tuesday evening, from the tennis court outside our condo in Kissimmee, my wife, Kathy, and I watched a Space-X depart from Cape Kennedy carrying dozens of StarLink satellites.  On Friday, we drove 60 miles to a Walmart parking lot in Titusville to watch the launch of a Space Force Atlas V carrying two sur…[Read more]

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 5 months ago

    Drove to Kissimmee Florida. Our condo is 73 miles from Cape Kennedy, but I was still able to capture this image with my cell phone camera of the night launch of SpaceX carrying the StarLink G4-6 satellite group from our tennis court! The moon is the white object at the top center. The SpaceX rocket is the orange flash on the left just above the…[Read more]

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Armchair Observations in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 11 months ago

    I went to Root River Park after the astronomy club meeting to view the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi.  Check it out!  It will probably still be visible the next few nights.  I found it quite easily but it took me some time to verify that I was looking at the correct object from the bunch of printouts and star maps that I took with me.  After much mix…[Read more]

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    John Attewell replied to the topic Observing tonight? in the forum General Discussion 3 years, 12 months ago

    Thanks for the heads-up!

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    John Attewell changed their profile picture 4 years, 2 months ago

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    John Attewell's profile was updated 4 years, 2 months ago

Upcoming Events

Jul
19
Sat
9:30 pm Public Sky Observing 2025-07/19 @ Root River Park
Public Sky Observing 2025-07/19 @ Root River Park
Jul 19 @ 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Public Sky Observing of the planets Mars bright stars, double stars, and more by telescope with guidance members of the Rochester Astronomy Club. NASA and Astroleague have prepared an observing challenge for the general public on the 35th anniversary of the Hubble launch. To earn a silver certificate, you must do some outreach (on the web or in person) and [...]
Jul
25
Fri
7:00 pm Eagle Bluff Member’s Night @ Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center
Eagle Bluff Member’s Night @ Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center
Jul 25 @ 7:00 pm
Eagle Bluff Member's Night @ Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center | Lanesboro | Minnesota | United States
Eagle Bluff is our dark sky site for astronomical observing. Bring a scope or enjoy views through ours. The new moon at Eagle Bluff always delivers fantastic Milky Way vistas, and the area around the Teapot is especially rich with detail. This time of year, one of my favorite sights is spotting the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye. The [...]
Jul
26
Sat
8:30 pm Public Presentation & Sky Observ... @ Frontenac State Park
Public Presentation & Sky Observ... @ Frontenac State Park
Jul 26 @ 8:30 pm – 11:30 pm
8:30 PM Presentation about Sky Join us for a captivating evening under the stars!  John Atwell will guide us on a celestial journey, exploring the wonders of the night sky. From the birth and death of stars to the vast expanse of galaxies, we’ll delve into the mysteries of the cosmos. We’ll also discuss the unique beauty of the summer [...]
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