NASA is determining a timezone for the moon. Which brings me to the resurrection of the Temporarily Visible Third of the Invisible Magic Friend. This is the defining event and root source of Christianity. If the resurrection never happened then Christianity would be a complete load of nonsense. So it definitely happened.

https://mega.nz/file/kvF3QZQC#yYt4dAPV-mgPb-T4T3X6R9ygttFzFZVnFxerRKDD5X8

The Israeli-Hamas war. There is nothing but pain. Despite this, people of good will on both sides continue to feel each other’s pain. Still, they are not in charge.

https://mega.nz/file/dmsGVC6K#U6IUExVG1b5NGuWVy4du2hB-uNS0HDUN1OZXc8tXsVo

And in the Big News today from a Faith Perspective, Easter used to be a much bigger deal than it is today. Peasants had a much better time in those days, when we Catholics ruled the civilised world. We need more time off to say how great Jesus was.

https://mega.nz/file/UzEk2KqS#rynxkZNx60PouZMdMu8e5DDHzAKZlQajPFpm8tpqOkI

Happy April Fools’ Day everybody! Which I’ve now spoiled by reminding everybody that it’s April Fools’ Day.

All sorts of sad, shallow, tired, hilarious nonsense and pranks take place today. Which brings me to the resurrection of Jesus. Which is exactly NOT a sad, shallow, tired, hilarious piece of nonsense but a sophisticated branch of theology, too complex for me to explain to simple people such as yourselves, in an all too brief media slot like this. It would take me hours and hours of detailed argument to prove to you that the resurrection is not a piece of hilarious nonsense. Sadly, the completely secular BBC is unwilling to allow me this and I no longer have the power to compel them.

https://mega.nz/file/FqEDFRpZ#aoFuw8MKKcEsgjkaZMuCpePaFkVDGSR7hjyi8Mo424k

Time for a pretty picture. This is Bode’s galaxy and the Cigar galaxy. Otherwise known as M81 and M82. A pair of galaxies in Ursa Major, approximately 12 million light years away.

As always this is from a fairly cheap 6 inch reflector and a very cheap second hand mirrorless camera. Shot in my back garden in Southend-on-Sea. Total exposure was about 10 minutes.

If you want to try and have a look in binoculars. You might just be able to make them out if you look here.

Of course you won’t see anything that looks like a galaxy, just a fuzzy blob. You need to take photographs to see anything vaguely galaxy shaped. Even through the telescope the view looks more like this 5 sec exposure..

I was fairly chuffed with this picture. So I went in search of similar ones on the internet and found this.

Now, it’s entirely subjective of course, but I have to say this image is just a teensy weensy bit better than mine. Having said that, the photographer has some fantastic equipment to take pictures with.

https://cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/m81-m82

Rather than 10 minutes of exposure, this photo took 10 hours.

If you’re wondering why the link above shows the photographer using two telescopes, one of them is a guide scope. It has its own camera that sends images to a computer. The computer runs a piece of software that locks onto the image of a bright star and then send commands to the guidance software of the main telescope, keeping it pointing in the right direction for hours at a time. A second camera in the main scope then takes long exposure images of several minutes at a time. These are then stacked by more software, either in real time or offline.

I’ve sometimes thought about plunging down the astrophotography rabbit hole. If you want to consume as much money as you like, it’s the perfect hobby. But in the last month I think I’ve had two whole nights when there wasn’t any moon, any clouds, any wind, any excessive moisture in the air, any neighbourhood parties with lights, or any spotlights in neighbours’ gardens. So, for now at least, I think I’ll stick to cheap second hand stuff and see how far I can push it.