June Meeting - Astro-imaging

Only 1 star on view this evening - our Sun, it's classified as a G2 star and here we see Phil our deputy Chairman (yes he is there!) using his telescope, plus solar filter, to give a practical demonstration before the meeting started.

His home-made solar finder was the real attraction - a film canister modified as only Phil can.  Very clever - patent it Phil we might get some cash.

To the right is our spotting 'scope plus solar funnel which impressed members after the meeting. We brought along 10 templates together with instructions on how to make these funnels. They went quickly - we probably should have made up 20 - they proved that popular!!
Incidentally the template was on the June "Sky at Night" CD and the write up in the magazine itself.

We will be making more copies of this for use at future meetings/public events we are holding.

Meanwhile others of our number got to grips with the serious matter of tea and biscuits.

Here we have (L-R) Phil, Andrew, Rob and Jim.
Rob brought along some copies of the latest FAS newsletter (I didn't get one either!) and only made a brief appearance before getting back to his marking of exams - yes it's that time of year again for many young ones.

We had 26 along for the night including a few newbies. We seem to get new people at every  meeting though the turn out is not consistent. I would imagine that if everyone turned up for every meeting we would have well in excess of 50 present each time. As it is we have a good solid nucleus which is heartwarming.

 Jim commenced the meeting with the regular "What's Up" feature.

He highlighted the planets on show, summer constellations and made particular mention of the prominent asterism the Summer Triangle.
Vega, Deneb and Altair are particularly prominent in July being directly overhead but even in June - stay up 'till midnight and you'll see them.
 

Jim also made mention of Noctilucent Clouds - more in the May blog write-up.

With the sky being light late at night and early in the morning stars  take a back seat at this time of year - but from now 'till August NLC's are a real possibility.
Watch the N and NW sky from 10.00 onwards and  N and NE after midnight and perhaps, just perhaps, you may see it.
Noctilucent clouds are allegedly becoming more frequent so a few pictures to show off at one of our meetings would be a real bonus.

Following the "What's Up" the scene had to be set up for Andrew's Astro - Imaging presentation. Many had been really looking forward to this one but first we made time for further refreshments and an interchange of comments.

In his lecture Andrew showed how much could be accomplished with just a DSLR camera.
Pictures of the Moon, Comets and many other subjects can be captured this way and by attaching the camera to a telescope a whole new world, invisible to the naked eye, is revealed.
The camera catches so much the eye cannot see and so, Andrew explained, much juggling with the ISO is needed to ensure the subject is in the field of view before a longer exposure is taken.

Here we have Andrew getting to grips the the mechanics.
For effective deep sky imaging multiple images have to be taken and stacking programs used to make a desirable end product.
This was demonstrated in the lecture and an additional class was provided after the main lecture  for those who wanted to get to grips with this technology.

A number of Andrew's own images were displayed along with the means to make such images.

Here we have the famed "Leo Trio"which was produced as a result of 12 x 5 minute exposures at ISO 800.

Andrew always makes it sound easy - and we thank him for this informative material.

Incidentally I noticed on the forum that, inspired by this lecture, one of our members - Crundale Rob imaged M31 and M57 the other night.
Cracking pictures they are too - well done Rob.

The evening passed all to quickly but before we closed Andrew made mention of our future plans to have a container outside to hold our equipment (currently ferried back & forth by members) and serve as a base for night-time observations. We already have the approval for this from the Memorial Hall Committee - all we need is the money.

Prior to our next monthly meeting we will be in attendance at the Letterston Carnival on Saturday afternoon 15th June. Join us if you can.

Our next monthly meeting, then, is on Tuesday 2nd July with the main lecture dealing with the subject of "Variable Stars."

May Meeting - Archeo-Astronomy

Our May meeting on the usual 1st Tuesday of the month commenced with a little excitement!!

For the first time in 18 months we were locked out!!

Fortunately the caretaker lives very close and so a quick phone call had him on site to open up.
It was then a little more hurried to get the operations room set up with chairs, tables and the projector for the meeting to commence -  but not before ......................... ........................................................the compulsory/obligatory  tea and biscuits - always a welcoming treat for all.




Patiently waiting outside we have (from right to left) Roy (1st man to arrive), moi-meme, Gladys, Sue, Brenda (friend of Gladys and 1st time attendee), Brian & Liz.


Apologies to the other two I can't identify from the picture!!



The "What's Up" in the May sky feature commenced with the reminder of an excellent April meeting which concluded with most of us viewing comet PanStarrs.

A number of events to watch for were mentioned commencing with planet Venus which made its first appearance for several months just this week low in the west after sunset.
Mercury too reappears mid-month but the real hi-light is around 24th-28th when Venus Mercury & Jupiter come together to form a neat equilateral triangle.
Saturn is still the planet of the month and pointers were given to viewing it and its moons as well as mention of the hurricane storms currently raging at its north pole!!

 Mention was made of many other things - lunar and deep space with particular reference to the great Hercules globular cluster M13 - since photographed by one of our members - Rob from Crundale.

The Virgo galaxy cluster and M104 the sombrero galaxy were also given mention and will hopefully attract attention in the next few months also..

With less on view as a result of the lightening skies of summer (cough!) special mention was made of noctilucent clouds - a particular feature of May to August at our latitude that we are hoping to see.

Some have voiced the thought that these clouds are becoming more prominent as a result of global warming - whatever the cause they are certainly a sight to behold as this picture shows.

Following refreshments the main lecture on archeo-astronomy was covered by Rob the PAG secretary.
Rob commenced with the thought that there is still more that we don't know than what we do on this subject.
Stone circles from Orkney to Stonehenge raised some discussion - how did bluestones from Pembrokeshire weighing in at up to 2 tons get all the way to Wiltshire - a distance of 160 miles!

Machu Picchu -often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas" - is perhaps the most familiar icon of Inca civilisation.

Machu Picchu appears to lie at the center of a network of related sites and trails—and many landmarks both man-made and mountainous appear to align with astronomical events like the solstice sunset. 

The Inca had no written language, so they left no record of why they built the site or how they used it before it was abandoned in the early 16th century.

 Still in Peru lies another enigma the Nazca Lines Monkey.

The Monkey, like many Nazca geoglyphs, is a single-line drawing -- if you step onto the Monkey’s hand, for example, you could walk all the way to the center of its tail without stepping off the line. 

The spiral-tailed Nazca Monkey is approximately 328 feet (100 m) long and 190 feet (58 m) tall but how it was drawn is a mystery. Only from above can it be identified!

Created by people of the Nazca culture the Nazca Lines were made between AD 400 and AD 650. 

Essentially, the lines were made by moving or turning desert-varnished rocks so that their lighter underside is visible.

One possible interpretations of the lines is that they are a solar or lunar calendar.

Many things could be mentioned but let's conclude with this one that has also been televised recently - the antikythera mechanism.

It is allegedly  an ancient analogue computer designed to calculate astronomical positions.

Recovered in 1900/1901 from the Antikythers wreck - the construction has been dated to the early 1st century BCE.

The action of turning the hand crank would have caused all interlocked gears within the mechanism to rotate, resulting in the calculation of the position of the Sun and Moon and other astronomical information, such as moon phases eclipse cycles, and theoretically the locations of planets.

There was a lively discussion of a number of these features and the whole lecture proved an absorbing and eye opening subject.

This was a lecture that was originally scheduled for some months back - this month it took the place of Andrew's lecture on Astro-Imaging which will take place next month instead.
A little juggling is needed on occasion but it was certainly a good thing that this particular lecture was finally given - Our thanks to Rob for this enlightening material.  

 

April Meeting - Space Telescopes

 Our meeting on 2nd April was a memorable occasion due, in part, to the clear skies enjoyed later in the evening.
As is our custom we commenced the official proceedings (unofficial was the tea and biscuits beforehand!!) with the "What's Up" feature - a look at what is on offer in the April night sky.
Mike made special mention of Comet PanSTARRS currently in Andromeda but rising, as the month progresses, to Casseiopia and fading as it does so.
Also on show during April is the Lyrid meteor shower, a partial eclipse of the moon (very partial) minor planets Vesta and Ceres and the planet of the month - Saturn at a very  favorable opposition on the 28th.

Following refreshments our secretary, Rob covered the main lecture dealing with "Space Telescopes."
The number and variety of Space telescopes was an eye-opener to us all and the understanding of the term "Lagrangian Point" was another highlight
Here we have a sample of the 27 present on the night - and note Jim, our Chairman, looking very learned on the right..

A number of our regulars couldn't make it on the night - Kim & Jenny with visitors and our Vice Chairman Phil with car  problems and several more but, on a positive note, we again had a number for the first time including Brian 007 from Pembroke Dock who brought his reflector along to have the collimation looked at - hopefully that was resolved as a number of knowledgeable eyes  looked over it.
Another newcomer was Simon - we hope to meet these again in May along with the many others that could not make it this month.

Following refreshments it was time to look at the sky - Jim described things  eloquently:

The big attraction of the night however was the comet PANSTARRS which many of us had yet to see including myself.
After the meeting there were a number of telescopes and big binoculars set up in the car park and despite the distraction from the hall lighting I think we all got to see the comet. I know I was suitably impressed by it.
Jupiter was also well placed for viewing with the Galilean moons on display as were its cloud bands.
All in all it was the clearest night I think since we started using the hall at Letterston.
Unfortunately Phil couldn't make it due to car problems so our 10" telescope wasn't available.
I got the feeling that we all left for home with a satisfied feeling that we had managed to see this comet. 

If we add to that the views of the Hyades, Pleiades, M42 etc., - Kathy was in and out of her wheelchair like the proverbial jack in the box - it concluded the evening in a memorable fashion.

Next month the main lecture is to be on Archeo-Astronomy - and let's hope for a clear night again - though they are getting lighter!!   

March Meeting - History of Astronomy

Display Board 1

 We arrived 30 minutes early (as is our custom) to set up the projector, telescope and tea room.       

Already Chairman Jim along with Andrew S., Edward and Jonathan  were in residence setting up a brilliant display on advertising boards..

Display Board 2

(What time did they arrive I wonder!)

Display Board 3

Plenty of enlightening information this time - don't forget to look at these at the next meeting. We often get sidetracked with other things but they contain plenty of ancillary material.

This was a quieter moment in the kitchen - Brian, Liz and Andrew S. getting refuelled.
Sue is doing the honours here though over time a number get involved in the tea and biscuit duties.
Volunteers are always needed to share the load so don't hold back - this is the job where you meet everyone ( and also, if you are like me, forget their names very quickly!!)

Here we have Gladys and Peter enjoying a cup of nectar before proceedings start.
Gladys is arguably our oldest member and came to the meeting equipped with a diagram showing the path of Comet C/2011 L4 Pannstarrs and a number of questions.



The meeting started, as is our custom, with a review of "What's Up" in the March night sky.
Jim, our Chairman, drew attention to a number of constellations that are prominent at this time of year but naturally special mention was made of the first comet of the year which should be in evidence in our skies very soon.
Here is a pointer:
 “After sunset, scan the horizon roughly in the western direction. On the 12 and 13 March, there is a nice association with the thin crescent Moon. You can use the Moon as a guide, and search just down or to the left of the Moon. Through binoculars you should be able to see the head of the comet and certainly the .... tail."

 Following further refreshments Mike provided the main lecture on - "Characters in The History of Astronomy - Tycho, Kepler and Galileo."
Characters was the right word. Tycho was the man with no nose (the result of losing a duel) who kept a dwarf named Jepp whom he believed had second sight and also a "tame" elk that had a fancy for strong beer. The list goes on.
Kepler was another "character" who calculated his mothers pregnancy to have lasted 224 days, 9 hours and 53 minutes. An indication of just how seriously he took astrology!
He also provided frank (and humorous) descriptions on how he viewed his grandmother, father and mother.
Also his selection of a wife gave insight into his unusual temperament.

  
Galileo the third "character" fell foul of the Catholic Church big time.
His findings agreed with Copernicus that the Earth was not the centre of the universe and he made it his mission to try to convince the hierarchy of the day the error of their way.
Putting his daughters in a convent for their protection gives an indication of the feeling he was battling and eventually he was made to recant though legend has it that on getting up from his knees he struck the earth and mumbled, “Eppur si muove! [And yet it does move!]”

We counted an attendance of 30 with a number attending for the first time - a regular feature of our meetings. Sadly a number of our "regulars" couldn't make it and we hope to see them in April.

Yet again cloud cover prevented our having an observing session - but keep watch on the forum as the thought was mooted that if the skies looked to be clear we would visit Newgale in the hopes of seeing the comet!
And - wouldn't it be grand if one of us could get a picture of it!! 

The PAG Skywatcher ED80 refractor, on the right, will be a useful tool one of these nights.

Just a reminder for the April meeting - Rob, our secretary, will be covering "Space Telecopes" - I'm sure he'll have some good pictures to show.

Talking pictures - mine seem to be getting worse on this blog so if anyone would like to be official photographer please give me a nudge!

February Meeting - Stellar Evolution

Stellar Evolution and the H.R. Diagram

A good turn out for the “Stellar Evolution” meeting around 30 turned up (27 by another count but 30 sounds better!) including for the 1^st time – Ian from Hazelbeach and from Tenby - Dawn and her husband (what was his name?) and Sean their son. Making their 2^nd meeting we had Kathy and her husband John (at least I’ve nailed him this time!) It was good to see a few others we missed in January also. Sadly Phil our deputy chairman and Rob our secretary couldn’t join us this time due to illness/other commitments.

                                                                 

Here is some of our number patiently waiting for events to unfold.

 Note: Mike from Goodwick at the front right – he is really just resting his eyes.

 The picture below shows the other side of the hall with Kim in the foreground (blue shirt) getting things ready for the serious part of the meeeting. 

The meeting commenced with a review of “What’s Up in February” a look at what we hope to see this month weather permitting.

Mike highlighted Mercury on the planetary front – February is the best month of the year to nail down this elusive planet that only 1 in 100 of the population has seen!

He also considered the Moon crater Petavius, doomday asteroids, the bright comets promised for March and November and the subject of Zodiacal light – interestingly the subject of Brian May’s (of rock group Queen fame) thesis for his PhD. 

Tea -time - we generally have a few of these!!

Always a good time to share thoughts & ideas.

Very soon it was time for the main lecture delivered by Kim – Part 1 of Stellar Evolution and the HR diagram. (Part 2 on the “Death of Stars” will be in November).

Kim was a little concerned that this might be somewhat cerebral (my words) but needn’t have worried.

I particularly enjoyed diagrams such as the HR diagram for the Pleiades cluster. The main sequence for the Pleiades cluster is very narrow, unlike the main sequence for the nearby stars.  This narrowness results from the fact that all the stars in the Pleiades cluster are the same age.  As they age, they move as a group to higher luminosities and redder colors, but they preserve their narrow distribution on the HR Diagram. 

The comments I heard after the talk and particularly the questions posed by the audience proved it to be well received.

Note display material on the right

New man Ian raises some questions

All too soon it was time to pack up and much as we have willing helpers to man the tea/coffee so we did in packing up.

Not many left – Graham, Peter Richard and Ian  and who is that admiring Jim’s Tal telescope?

More interest in the Tal.

Final note:

We did glimpse Orion and Taurus as we arrived but just briefly – the wind and cloud cover was once again not in our favour for viewing.

Thanks to all who attended and made it such a memorable occasion.

Final, final note:

Next month the main lecture – in a somewhat lighter vein – will be “Characters in the History of Astronomy- Tycho, Kepler and Galileo”

 

STARGAZING LIVE EVENT

STARGAZING  LIVE EVENT 11th JANUARY 2013

Hot on the heels of the BBC2 "Stargazing Live" programmes we held our own event on Friday 11th January.

 We advertised the event on the “Things to Do” section of BBC2 Stargazing Live website as well as putting posters in Tesco, Morrisons, County Library etc.

 Here are Andrew and Dave sitting among a few of the ‘scopes on display. I believe this is Andrew’s  Williams Optic's 120mm refractor the instrument behind many of his deep sky images.  

Plenty of other scopes were on display including the PAG’s behemoth – the black beast in the picture above – a Skywatcher Explorer 300 PDS  with a EQ6 Pro telescope mount.

Phil, our Vice Chairman, has responsibility for this currently – I’m sure he’ll be “over the moon” when we have our own storage facility at Letterston so that he no longer has to ferry it back and forth!!

Displays of books, magazines and pictures were of interest to many as was Andrew's record of photographic images on the laptop (right). We also had a looped powerpoint presentation of our monthly "What's Up" feature - a look at the hilights of the current months night sky.

 Key players on the night included Brian and Liz (left) who kindly gave of their time to provide refreshments for us all.

Apologies for small pictures (& quality - it will improve!!).

 

Some of our visitors/members milling around and to the upper left we have Graham admiring our display boards.

Though the numbers were not as high as 2012 (I guesstimate around 30 attended) we had at least 8 attending for the first time.
Mike our man from Goodwick, said that 2 turned up on Tuesday (our normal meeting night) but did not return for Friday.!!
Several of our regulars whom we expected to be present - would have made our numbers closer to 40 but some absentees have always to be expected!!
Some of the first timers - Kathy and her husband (what is his name?) were particularly enthusiastic and Ian who mixed well with the group is the latest addition to the forum I note. (Looks like he went home and signed up straight away!)

Sadly no viewing was possible – the cloud cover was total for most of the evening – but when we left at 9.30 ish Jupiter was riding high as was Orion, Gemini and much more – now what do we call that?

Look forward to seeing as many of you as is possible in February when we are back to our normal routine.

'Stellar Evolution and the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram - part 1' is the main lecture to be covered by Kim Gowney but before that we have the “What’s Up in February” feature.

Refreshments will be available and if conditions are suitable we'll have an observation session too.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                  

Quiz night - 11th December.

Our usual 1st Tuesday in the month meeting was scuppered by a double booking hence it was on the 2nd Tuesday that we met for the Quiz Night.
What with the freezing weather and the date change our numbers were greatly diminished - just 14 faithful souls met up - many of our " regulars" were greatly missed - we look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Our new chairman - Jim - introduced the meeting with a few announcements and followed this with the "What's up in December" presentation - a brief look at what's on view this month.
One highlight mentioned was the Geminid Meteor Shower - one of the better meteor showers of the year, this one, and a number of our members had already seen some meteors even though the peak wasn't expected until the 13th/14th.

We then adjourned for refreshments while the room was set up for the quiz.

The quiz was a first for us but it was so well received that it is something we will be repeating in the future.
We had 3 teams of 4 people and the quiz had 16 questions for individual answering and another 4 "team" questions each divided into 4 parts.

 A maximum of (4x16) + (4x4) = 80 points were attainable though a few (!) questions proved somewhat challenging. :)

The winning team - Jim's - had 60 points though Phil's team and Andrew's team were not far behind.

It was a bit of fun and the winning team members each received a fridge magnet, a PAG car window sticker (a new item - get yours for 50p at the next meeting) and a "Certificate of Excellence".

These pictures show a few of our members getting acquainted before the meeting started.

We generally have one or more attending for the first time and this month was no exception.
We have also had a number of inquiries through the website from people keen to join us - again we look forward to seeing them in January.

A few of our quiz questions to conclude with -
can you name these Messier objects either by name or by M number?. 

Following the quiz it was again time for tea/coffee along with mince pies or biscuits depending on preference.

Next month - January - Stargazing Live returns to BBC2 on the 8th - 10th so we will be having our meeting the day following - Friday 11th January.

We will follow much the same format as last year with telescope displays, Andrew's image presentation and a rotating powerpoint presentation to show what is in the sky in January.
If the weather is kind we should get some viewing in also.
Please come and join us - invite family and friends and we can make this a night to remember.