Thursday, November 3

Biggest supermoon in living memory set for November 14th - and you won't get to see anything like it again until 2034

It is set to be an incredible astronomical show - and one which won't appear again until 2034.

On November 14th, the Moon will be the closest to Earth it's been since January 1948.

During the event, it will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon. 

Image result for super moon uk

Saturday, September 17

A Visitor to East Sussex Coast

Red-footed booby. Photo courtesy of the East Sussex WRAS. SUS-160509-101603001

A rare bird normally found in tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans was found in St Leonards at the weekend.

“After some research the bird turned out to be a red-footed booby. This is a first for us and possibly a first for the UK if it has flown here. We assume it hasn’t escaped from anywhere. “We know they have been seen in Spain before but are normally found in much hotter environments like the Galápagos Islands, and is obviously a long way from home.

Read more at: http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/environment/rare-bird-rescued-after-washing-up-on-st-leonards-beach-1-7560403

Thursday, September 15

Just the moon, or those who dwell there?

The moon might cause earthquakes on Earth, new evidence shows
The Independent
The moon could cause huge earthquakes because of the stress it puts on our planet, according to new research. Scientists have long suspected that the moon might play some part in the major earthquakes that strike across the world and often cause huge ...

Moon 703x422

Tuesday, September 13

Coconuts, turtles, ocean quahogs - discover the mysteries of Sefton's shorelines

Flotsam and jetsam from the seven seas can – and does – wash up on Sefton’s sandy beaches, such as Southport, Ainsdale and Formby, and the Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership has decided to celebrate the fun and mystery of beachcombing with a one-off festival day in October.

Coconuts covered in goose barnacles, Kemp Ridley’s Turtle, octopus, exotic Triggerfish and the shells of the enigmatic Ocean Quahog have all come ashore in recent years – but you never know what you’ll discover on the tideline.

The free Beachcombing Festival will take place at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre from 10am to 3pm on Sunday, October 30.

But if you can’t get there (like most of us) explore the seashore nearest you for amazing finds.

Sunday, September 11

Memories?

Massive fireball explodes over Cyprus

A gigantic fireball lit up the skies in Cyprus in the early morning hours of Friday local time, causing not only an incredible burst of light but also a boom so loud that the ground shook. Authorities don’t believe the meteor hit the Earth and more likely exploded in the sky.

Remember:

Wednesday, September 7

Beachcombing with heart

Beachcombing isn’t about stuff; it’s about people. We are connected to one another through our love for nature, walking beaches, appreciating the ever-changing tides and the wave-worn treasures we sometimes find and always appreciate as gifts from the sea, gifts we sometimes are more than happy to share with our beachcombing families.

See the touching story and remarkable finds, when the author lost her sea pottery finds:
http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/beachcombing-family

Rsz screen shot 2016 09 04 at 104416 pm.png?ixlib=rails 1.1

 

 

Sunday, August 28

Beachcombing in America!

Is there a simpler summertime pleasure than strolling a beach to collect the shelled treasures that wash ashore? Well, only eating ice cream in bare feet, perhaps, though those can go hand in hand. Follow our lead for the best beaches for beachcombing across the USA and get ready to fill your buckets with sand dollars, shark’s teeth, sea glass and more.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/2016/08/26/best-beachcombing-beaches-around-usa/89358988/

USA Today shells Keewaydin Island FL 1 credit to Naples,

Wednesday, August 24

Beachcomber think’s he’s found balloon adventurer's gas canister

A beachcomber believes a large gas tank that washed up on the West Australian coast is from the hot air balloon Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov famously used to fly around the world.

In July, Mr Konyukhov, 65, broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth in a hot air balloon, landing safely at the small WA town of Bonnie Rock, 11 days after launching from nearby Northam.

A hot-air balloon inches away from the ground with oxygen bottles on the outside of the gondola as people watch on.

 

The canister found on Myalup Beach.

Tuesday, August 23

Beachcombing is a longstanding tradition on Texel, the largest of Holland's West Frisian Islands

What washes up on the island's shores? Apparently airplane propellers. Jars of money. Mammoth bones. Lots of messages in bottles.

The nearby shipping lanes, strong currents, and steady winds make Texel a magnet for anything adrift in Northern Europe…..

http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/other-coasts/treasure-island-texel-netherlands

Seashells

Thursday, August 18

Mudlarking

Rsz screen shot 2016 08 14 at 83356 pm 2.png?ixlib=rails 1.1

“the sound and smell of dying centuries” of the "river highway"  [It’s basically a book review, but interesting]
http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/london-in-fragments-a-mudlark-s-treasure

 

Tuesday, August 16

Stubby Squid

image

A species that looks like a cross between an octopus and a squid, but is most closely related to a cuttlefish. "This species spends life on the seafloor, activating a sticky mucus jacket and burrowing into the sediment to camouflage, leaving their eyes poking out to spot prey like shrimp and small fish,"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEhYJEQmExE

Friday, July 22

New Jersey beachcomber finds mystery U.S. Army ring

071816_ArmyringJerseyShore

Viral search for owner highlights life of man with a metal detector

http://www.phillyvoice.com/new-jersey-beachcomber-finds-mystery-us-army-ring/

I always wanted to know what a sand dollar is!

As a beachcomber, Pamela Doyle says sand dollars can be elusive. She found this sand dollar propped perfectly on some seaweed. 'I was very lucky,' she said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-instagram-takeover-pamela-doyle-oceanluvngal-1.3677435

So I looked it up, guess this one is more of a biscuit

The term sand dollar refers to species of extremely flattened, burrowing sea urchins belonging to the order Clypeasteroida. Some species within the order, not quite as flat, are known as sea biscuits

Saturday, July 9

FAMILY EXCURSIONS - Beachcombing

Yesterday's Island/Today's Nantucket (blog)

Beachcombing is simply searching the shores for items of interest. I find myself collecting seashells each time I go to the beach. There is always a shell ...

image

Sunday, June 12

Wowie! I’m moving.

Tim Davies has collected more 2000 coins and other items with his metal detector after last weekend’s storms, at Ettalong Beach.

Wednesday, June 8

This we heard, remember?

The 'song' of ancient stars

Scientists in Britain have recorded rhythms of a 13-billion-year-old star cluster. The 'music' is captivating, and it is also instrumental in furthering our understanding of the origins of the Milky Way Galaxy.

image

Saturday, February 13

Please vote now : παρακαλούμε να ψηφίσετε τώρα

Greek islanders who have been on the frontline of the refugee crisis are to be nominated for the Nobel peace prize with the support of their national government.

Of the 900,000 refugees who entered Europe last year most were received –scared, soaked and travelling in rickety boats – by those who live on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.

The islanders, including fishermen who gave up their work to rescue people from the sea, are in line to be honoured with one of the world’s most esteemed awards. Eminent academics from the universities of Oxford, Princeton, Harvard, Cornell and Copenhagen are drafting a submission in favour of awarding the prize to the people of Lesbos, Kos, Chíos, Samos, Rhodes and Leros.

Sign the petition at https://secure.avaaz.org/en/nobel_prize_greek_islanders_21/?pv=73&rc=fb

Tuesday, January 26

This is what I found on our beach!


Not my cat, Mavros, as some of you will know, he is black!  And some may have guessed!

Monday, January 18

Kaboom: Russia has an unsubtle plan about how to deflect asteroidsKaboom: Russia has an unsubtle plan about how to deflect asteroids

Could Russia's plan to 'nuke' doomsday asteroids save the world from apocalypse?
Russia is working on a scheme to save humanity from asteroids by blasting them with nuclear weapons.

This is seen as a better option than simply blowing them to smithereens - a tactic which could end up showering Earth with radioactive comets.   Oh yes, I remember that bit!

Saturday, January 16

Stargazing

British television with a brand new project – Pulsar Hunters. We need your help to discover unknown pulsars. These are the dense, fast-spinning cores of dead stars. Get involved in the biggest Zooniverse event of the year at www.pulsarhunters.org.
As the neutron star spins, beams of radio waves from its magnetic poles sweep across our line of sight so it flashes like a cosmic lighthouse. Radio telescopes can be used to detect this very regular 'tick-tock' of a spinning pulsar. But discovering new pulsars is like finding a needle in a haystack. We must search for their faint, repeating signals hidden among terrestrial radio interference from devices like mobile phones, radars and telecommunications equipment.


Thursday, January 14

Have they tried throwing stones?

So, I'm being facetious!  NASA has set up an asteroid defense team to protect the Earth from potentially threatening celestial bodies that could strike our planet, damage our environment and even wipe us out, the US Government’s space agency announced last week.


Monday, January 11

So I didn't like it looked like a potato! (See below)


Stones of strata

This morning I found all three of these stones.  The top one is better than this, {I know, looks a bit like a potato!} but the other two are quite good I think.  I was wondering whether to photograph them or what, when I remembered that I had scanned Karagiozi when I first found him and it turned out well.  - Today's Find (Actually it was the day before I started the new blog, but I wanted to be dramatic.)