Well, were you able to take advantage of that wonderful run of clear, moonless nights during the second half of April? I hope so, because from about May 3rd right through to the end of July, it doesn’t get astronomically dark at all. And this prevents observation of all but the brightest deep sky objects, and even those can only be seen between midnight and 0200 BST.
Continue readingWe held our first online meeting on Friday 24 April using the Zoom software. As a trial run, members only were invited and over 20 joined. Invitees were asked to suggest something astronomical to to during the lockdown (see link to Powerpoint document below for details).
The meeting was deemed a great success, so we plan to do one a month during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Slides from the meeting (downloadable Powerpoint file).
Graham Moore gave a short talk on astrophotography using a DSLR camera. He has posted the talk on Facebook.
Oh dear! Those jobs we’ve put off doing for years and for which we can no longer use the excuse that we haven’t got time to do, will have to be done. There are no excuses left; we’re confined to barracks! So in this era of social distancing, are there any reasons for us astronomers to be cheerful? Well, maybe.
Continue readingBest seen from Sunday 1st to Saturday 7th as it waxes from crescent through first quarter on the 2nd to gibbous, high in the sky to the SW and S. It can again be seen as a wafer-thin crescent low in the SW on the 27th through to the end of the month.
Continue readingBest seen at the beginning of the month (first quarter on the 2nd) through to around the 6th, then again from a wafer-thin crescent low in the SW on the 25th through to the end of the month. As a waxing crescent, it passes some degrees below and to the left of Venus on the 27th.
Continue readingHat Trick, the company who organise Mastermind, have contacted the Society via our website to canvas for potential candidates for the next series. Opportunity awaits – see the flyer below for details and if you apply, and are successful, let us know.
You can also apply online for Mastermind.
A Happy New Year to all our Readers!
Well, here we go. Another year; another chance to see something you’ve never seen before, or just to re-acquaint yourself with old celestial friends.
Continue readingOne really has to wonder whether we are “poco loco” to choose astronomy as our hobby. We’ve just had the cloudiest and wettest couple of months that I can remember for some time, and although we may have a few clear nights in the first week of December, the Met Office isn’t forecasting much in the way of clear and stable conditions for the rest of the month. Still, mustn’t grumble. Let’s at least take advantage of the odd observing night that happens to come our way and be grateful for small mercies. Important thing is to make sure that telescope is in tip-top condition and ready for action if the opportunity presents itself.
Continue readingWell, it’s arrived: the astronomy season for real. Suddenly, shockingly for some, now the clocks have gone back it’s getting dark by just after 5 p.m. and that’ll be 4:30 p.m. at the end of the month. No longer do we have to wait until after bedtime to see anything. The whole evening is at our disposal. So what’s up there?
Continue readingThe author is taking a break this month but recommends the following Jodrell Bank web site for an excellent run-down of what to observe this month: The Night Sky October 2019.