MarkRadice

I have submitted my first variable star measurements to the BAA having started my programme in June of this year using a pair of 100mm binoculars. I am surprised to find that observing variable stars is great fun! I love observing the planets and the moon as they are forever changing. Well, so are these stars! These objects brighten and fade over the periods of days and months – some predictably and some not. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen, say the Orion Nebula. And while I look forward to every view it hasn’t changed in all the years I have been observing. By contrast, all the stars I observed in this programme have changed. There is also a challenge to the process. One has to find the star field (in my case after star hopping), identify the correct star in the field of view, make a comparative brightness estimate (while being cognisant of avoiding any human bias) and then deduce the magnitude. It feels more useful than collecting deep sky observations for sure! Having had some time off over Christmas, I put some thoughts into a blog article that I hope may be of use: http://www.refreshingviews.com/starting-a-binocular-variable-star-programme/

I went here with a friend of mine. He was inside the obsy imaging while I was outside using the big dob. I think Olly has sold the dob since I went in ~2015. https://www.sunstarfrance.com/

Can’t remember without my notes to hand. I do remember following the dark dust lane (quite spectacular from memory) and finding an indistinct, faint glow of nothing - hence why I think it would be a challenge in a smaller instrument.

Gosh I always think of the Cocoon as a photographers target. I had nil success with a 20” dob at Olly Penrice’s place in south of France hunting for the cocoon - the Barnard dark Nebula alongside is wonderful though.

Andover AS: The sun’s greatest mysteries: get to know our nearest star like never before 21 November from 1930 Grateley Village Hall The Sun is many things: beauty, beacon, battery, belligerent. It’s the biggest thing for light-years around and yet we actually know relatively little about it. That’s changing thanks to an armada of new spacecraft recently lofted into the solar system to scrutinise the Sun in unprecedented detail. In a talk packed full of jaw-dropping images and videos, Colin Stuart will be your guide on a journey deep into the heart of our nearest star. Colin writes: I’m an astronomy speaker and author who has talked to over half a million people about the universe, ranging from schools and the public to conferences and businesses. My fifteen books have sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide and been translated into 19 languages. I’ve written over 200 popular science articles for publications including The Guardian, New Scientist, The Wall Street Journal and European Space Agency. In recognition of my efforts to popularise astronomy, the asteroid (15347) Colinstuart is named after me. In 2014 I was awarded runner-up in the European Astronomy Journalism Prize and I’m a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. I’ve talked about the wonders of the universe on Sky News, BBC News and Radio 5Live and been quoted in national newspapers including The Daily Telegraph and The Observer. Member’s Talk After the talk there will be a brief member’s talk on Imaging the Far Side of the Moon. If the weather is clear we will then head out for some observing. Christmas Meeting December 19 sees our annual Christmas meeting. We will have 5 minute member’s talks on anything astronomy related . In addition to the presentations, we will have nibbles and a bring & buy sale. http://www.andoverastronomy.org.uk/

The only downside to observing from Mt Teide is that our U.K. skies now seem so poor in comparison.

It looks a great read and useful planning tool doesn’t it? The review on CN are very favourable too. I like the way they describe the objects and how the views vary from instrument to instrument - much more useful than a DSS image or long exposure photo. I am also hoping they describe what part of the Milky Way is being observed - looking through the spiral arms, towards the galactic core or out into deeper space. I often think of the sky being a flat plane so understanding the depth of the Milky Way will be wonderful.

I’ve been told to leave this unopened for another 47 days.

Can I throw a left field option in? I’m writing this on a family holiday in La Palma where I’ve bought a 6” Skywatcher mak in my hand luggage (with eps and ASI camera) while my AZ goto and tripod went in the checked luggage. This gives fantastic optics on a tracking mount. Not so good for wide field of view but great for visual deep sky and moon+planets. Cost wise was made more palatable by buying both the mount and tube second hand. I hope that is of use!

Here's mine in southern Spain having travelled in hand luggage (the tripod and head went in the hold). 150mm Mak - lovely sharp views 60mm Lunt solar scope for day night combo finder scope, eyepieces, charts, notebook, red torch and sketching kit fitted around Padding provided by t-shirts etc its a bit warm looking at the sun as it's over 30degC at breakfast time but very pleasant exploring the moon and planets in tshirt and shorts into the small hours. Deep sky observing has been limited as there's a lot of Saharan dust in the air which when combined with the full moon gives the sky a very washed out look. Once the full moon moves on, the deep sky observing can begin.

Here are my 100mm APM binos on a homemade parallelogram atop a second hand Meade field tripod under our dark skies on Salisbury Plain - Cassiopeia and Perseus are visible above the tree line. I use them with 19mm panoptics to give a fantastic field of view, dew heaters are fitted and I use the 12V 9Ah battery as part of the counterweights. It is a real pleasure to scan back and forth across the night sky. In fact, I can get lost in the milky way very quickly! The only downside is the customer service. I had to fight APM tooth and nail to get them repaired after the bolt on the side fell inside the body, damaging the prism and lens. To be fair, they were (reluctantly) repaired and have performed flawlessly since.