Venus observed!

I've just realised my long-term ambition to see Venus in daylight. I spotted it in full afternoon sunlight, only 37 degrees from the Sun. I did have to use binoculars to locate it first, but it was easily visible with the naked eye after that.

Shallow says: Take extreme care using binoculars for daytime astronomy. Ideally you should make sure that the Sun is hidden from you by a wall or building.

Incidentally this observation was made through a double glazed window.

Time 1440 UTC
Alt/Azimuth 17/184 deg
Elongation 37 deg
Magnitude -3.9
Limiting magnitude calculation (elev 20m, temp 39 F, RH 69%) -3.2

Woolworthless

Not content with spamming the BBC with thousands of duplicate Jerry Springer complaints, religious fanatics 'Christian Voice' have leant on Woolworths and Sainsburys to take the Jerry Springer DVD off their shelves.


Woolworths, it's over between us. I shall go to Wilkinsons for my tinsel and Christmas cards in future. You're especially damned for fobbing off counter-protestors with the broken record technique.

Sainsburys, I'm downgrading you to Evil Supermarket status along with Tesco and Asda. I'm more disappointed than angry.

Join with Shallow!

Shallow Fact File

This week: Lavinia Murray

Fave Bob Dylan album: Fetching It All Back Home
Fave George Bush quote: 'Fetch it on!'
Fave Queen song: Fetch Back That Leroy Brown

Shallow's Special Question:
Lavinia, which of the belts of debris surrounding the planet Saturn do you like best?
Well Shallow. I would pick the A-ring but it's such an obvious choice. I'm taking my pick from the other side of the Cassini Division - it has to be the F-etch.

Hey Joan. He didn't call you a racist. It was you who brought the word up...

Lynn - idea for a programme:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Buff Ether Van Pyres Layer
Somewhere in ethereal interdimensional space, Buffy rules a very flat pocket universe consisting solely of burnt-out vans.
Each week a very fit Buffs burns to death a van driver who has recently annoyed her, by cremating him in his vehicle.

The word on the street

Lots of today's young women want to be mothers, not Lesbians

And that's Lesbians 20s-style, not your rubbish generic lesbians of today.

Peaches for Shallow

Millions of peaches - a million peaches would make a cube 5 yards on a side. The size of a large shed.
Billions of peaches - a (US) billion peaches make a cube 500 yards on a side. Twice the height of Canary Wharf.
Trillions of peaches - a trillion peaches form a cube 30 miles on a side.
Quadrillions of peaches - a quadrillion peaches form a cube 3,000 miles on a side, larger than the Moon.
Quintillions of peaches - a quintillion peaches make a cube 300,000 miles on a side, more than big enough to stretch from the Earth to the Moon.