Visiting CAS

Trial Visits
If you are unsure about joining, you are welcome to attend a maximum of 2 monthly meetings as a visitor to see what you think of the Society. There is a small charge of £2 per person per visit, but if you join the Society during the evening of your visit the charge for that evening will be fully refunded. If you wish to continue beyond those 2 visits we will require you to become a member.

Our monthly meetings take place at Deer Park Archers, Shurdington.
See the map below or use the What Three Words app to obtain a precise location, using “shudders.stewing.genetics”. what3words.com/shudders.stewing.genetics

The turning off the A46 is rather hidden. Looking rather like a lay-by here is a photo:


Visitors are welcome!

CAS Sky Notes for March 2024

Planets:

Mercury:  Mercury moves into the evening sky this month, having passed through superior conjunction on the 28th February.  It also moves north of the celestial equator and becomes well placed later in the month.  It reaches greatest eastern elongation of 19o on 24th March when it will be visible in the west after sunset. A week either side of the 24th may also see it relatively easy to find.

Venus:  Venus is still a morning object, but is less well placed.  Its elongation drops to 17o by the end of the month.  Its magnitude remains at -3.8 as the phase increases to 96% by the end of the month.  The diameter decreases to around 10 arcsec during this month.  Also, it remains well south of the celestial equator and so is low in the morning sky. 

Mars: It remains a difficult morning object throughout at magnitude +1.2 and diameter of 4.4 arcsec. Being well south of the equator renders it hard to find.

Jupiter:  Jupiter is still visible in the western sky after sunset and early evening.  It is quite high in the sky and unmistakeable. Look out for the 4 Galilean moons. Various websites will help you to identify them, www.shallowsky.com is worth using as it also shows the position of the Great Red Spot (GRS) and when it is visible.

Saturn is not observable this month as it has only just passed through conjunction.

Uranus is still observable.  It is situated roughly half way between Jupiter and the Pleiades and so is fairly easy to find.  R.A. 03h 05m, Dec +17o.  It lies to the west of the Pleiades. If anyone wants more details, please email Neil at coord@cotswoldas.org.uk

Neptune is not observable this month.

The Sun

Solar activity is still increasing and solar observations are a good idea.  Take great care to never look directly at the Sun, or directly through an optical instrument.

Aurora Borealis:  Increasing solar activity increases the chance of seeing an aurora.  There are a number of Apps that can give you warnings and chances of seeing Aurorae.  Mine is called Aurora Pro.

Meteor Showers:  There are no prominent meteor showers this month, but watch out for sporadic ones at any time

Moon

3rd March:  Moon is at last quarter.              10th March:  New Moon

17th March:  Moon is at First Quarter            25th March:  Full Moon**       

**There will be a penumbral eclipse of the Moon on the 25th March.  This occurs when the Moon passes through the fainter outer part of the Earth’s shadow.

It enters the penumbra at 04:53m UT. The Moon sets at 06:01 UT and the end of the eclipse, at 09:32, is therefore not visible in the UK.

Deep Sky Objects:  The Orion Nebula is an easy target throughout the night.  It is the middle ‘star’ in the sword, below the belt of three stars. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is well placed as is our other neighbour, the Triangulum Galaxy (M33).

Astrophotography Challenge: Try to get a really good photo of the Double Cluster in Perseus. RA: 2h 20m Dec: +57.08, almost overhead. You don’t need a powerful telescope, just a zoom lens as each cluster covers nearly 0.5o.

To view this post in PDF format please CLICK HERE

CAS Sky Notes for February 2024

Planets:

Mercury:  Mercury is very poorly placed this month and reaches superior conjunction on the 28th February. 

Venus:  Venus is still a morning object. Its elongation drops to 25o by the end of the month.  Its magnitude remains at -3.9 as the phase increases to 90% by the end of the month.  The diameter decreases to around 11 arcsec during this month.  Also, it remains well south of the celestial equator and so is low in the morning sky. 

Mars: On the 22nd Mars will 0.6o S of Venus. That should make it easier to find.

Jupiter:  Jupiter is still fairly well placed and visible throughout the evening.  It is quite high in the sky and unmistakeable. Look out for the 4 Galilean moons. Various websites will help you to identify them, www.shallowsky.com is worth using as it also shows the position of the Great Red Spot (GRS) and when it is visible.

Saturn is not observable this month as it reaches conjunction on the 28th February.

Uranus  is well placed throughout February.  It is situated roughly half way between Jupiter and the Pleiades and so is fairly easy to find.  R.A. 03h 05m, Dec +17o.  It lies to the west of the Pleiades. If anyone wants more details, please email Neil at coord@cotswoldas.org.uk

Neptune.  Neptune is not really observable as it sets by 7pm.  You may be able to find it on the 12th as it will be 0.7oN of the crescent Moon.

The Sun

Solar activity is still increasing and solar observations are a good idea.  Take great care to never look directly at the Sun, or directly through an optical instrument.

Aurora Borealis:  Increasing solar activity increases the chance of seeing an aurora.  There are a number of Apps that can give you warnings and chances of seeing Aurorae.  Mine is called Aurora Pro.

Meteor Showers:  There are no prominent meteor showers this month, but watch out for sporadic ones at any time

Moon

2nd February:  Moon is at last quarter.          9th February:  New Moon

16th February:  Moon is at First Quarter       24th February:  Full Moon.       

Deep Sky Objects:  The Orion Nebula is an easy target throughout the night.  It is the middle ‘star’ in the sword, below the belt of three stars. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is well placed as is our other neighbour, the Triangulum Galaxy (M33).

Astrophotography Challenge: Try to get a really good photo of the Double Cluster in Perseus. RA: 2h 20m Dec: +57.08, almost overhead. You don’t need a powerful telescope, just a zoom lens as each cluster covers nearly 0.5o.

To view this post in PDF format please CLICK HERE

Observing the Aurora Borealis

By Alan Turton

Excerpt:

One February, about 10 years ago, we took a short break to Iceland staying in Reykjavik and taking trips out around the island. We did all the tourist trips that included visiting the hot pools where you can bathe in the open air where the temperature was about freezing, yet the water was as warm as a bath. We also took the Golden Circle coach tour visiting the spectacular rift valley where Europe touches America, the original named Geyser and the magnificent Gullfoss Falls that were frozen at that time. The highlight of the tour for me was an evening coach trip to a car park at a service station about 10 miles outside Reykjavik. There was nothing special about the site, it was quite unspectacular, yet the sky was dark enough to see a spectacularly clear night sky. On time, as predicted by the tour guide, the sky changed colour and was filled with wonderful dancing curtains of green and red.

The full article can be read in the members area under Mercury Articles.

CAS Sky Notes for January 2024

Planets:

Mercury:  Mercury is in the morning sky and reaches greatest western elongation of 23o on the 12th January.  You might be able to pick it up if you have a really clear eastern horizon.  However, it is well south of the celestial equator and won’t be an easy object.

Venus:  Venus is still a morning object. Its elongation drops to around 30o throughout the month.  Its magnitude drops from -4.1 to -3.9 as the phase increases to 85% by the end of the month.  The diameter decreases to around 13 arcsec during this month.  Also, it is well south of the celestial equator and so is much lower in the sky. 

Mars: Although moving into the morning sky, it is still a very difficult object this month.

Jupiter:  Jupiter is still fairly well placed and visible throughout the night.  It is quite high in the sky by mid evening and unmistakeable. Look out for the 4 Galilean moons. Various websites will help you to identify them, www.shallowsky.com is worth using as it also shows the position of the Great Red Spot (GRS) and when it is visible.

Saturn is still observable in the early evening, but sets around 7 pm.  It is low in the sky, but is well worth viewing.  The rings are at a shallow angle and it is a beautiful sight if you have a clear evening and a clear western horizon.  There is an interactive map of the moons available at skyandtelescope.org

Uranus is well placed throughout December.  It is situated roughly half way between Jupiter and the Pleiades and so is fairly easy to find.  R.A. 03h 02m, Dec +17o.  If anyone wants more details, please email Neil at coord@cotswoldas.org.uk

Neptune.  Neptune is still just observable, but sets mid evening. It is at R.A. 23h 42m and Dec. -3.3o.  Contact your Coordinator if you want more ephemeris to find it.

The Sun

Solar activity is still increasing and solar observations are a good idea.  Take great care to never look directly at the Sun, or directly through an optical instrument.

We reach Perihelion (closest to the Sun) on the 4th January.

Aurora Borealis:  Increasing solar activity increases the chance of seeing an aurora.  There are a number of Apps that can give you warnings and chances of seeing Aurorae.  Mine is called Aurora Pro.

Meteor Showers:  The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on the 4th of January, but some may be seen a few days either side of this.  The radiant is in Draco, just above the handle of the Plough.  This shower has sometimes produced huge numbers in the past, but there is no guarantee.  One to watch out for.

Moon

4th January:  Moon is at last quarter              11th January:  New Moon

18th January:  Moon is at First Quarter          25th January:  Full Moon

To view this post in PDF format please CLICK HERE

Recent views of The Sun and Saturn

By James Weightman

Spotty Sun, taken with Nikon Coolpix camera + solar filter

Saturn with 6″ telescope, “lucky” imaging from video of 500 frames. The decreasing tilt of rings now makes Cassini division harder.

Then the clouds rolled in…

CAS Sky Notes for December 2023

If only the clouds would clear, the dark nights would be great for observing!

Planets:

 Mercury:  Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 21o on the 4th December.  You might be able to pick it up if you have a really clear western horizon.  However, it is well south of the celestial equator and won’t be an easy object.

Venus:  Venus is still a prominent morning object. Its elongation drops to around 40o throughout the month.  Its magnitude drops from -4.2 to -4.1 as the phase increases from 68% to 75% by the end of the month.  The diameter decreases from 18 arcsec to 14.5 arcsec during this month.  Also, it is moving well south of the celestial equator and so is much lower in the sky.

 Mars: Although moving into the morning sky, it is not really visible this month.

Jupiter:  Jupiter is very well placed and visible throughout the night.  It is quite high in the sky by mid evening and unmistakeable. Look out for the 4 Galilean moons. Various websites will help you to identify them, www.shallowsky.com is worth using as it also shows the position of the Great Red Spot (GRS) and when it is visible.

 Saturn is well past opposition, but is still observable in the early to mid evening.  It is low in the sky, but is well worth viewing.  The rings are at a shallow angle and it is a beautiful sight if you have a clear evening and a clear southern horizon.  There is an interactive map of the moons available at skyandtelescope.org

Uranus  is well placed throughout December.  It is situated roughly half way between Jupiter and the Pleiades and so is fairly easy to find.  If anyone wants more details, please email Neil at coord@cotswoldas.org.uk

 Neptune.  Neptune is fairly well placed for observation. It is at R.A. 23h 43m and Dec. -3.2o Contact your Coordinator if you want more ephemeris to find it.

The Sun

Solar activity is still increasing and solar observations are a good idea.  Take great care to never look directly at the Sun, or directly through an optical instrument.

Ensure a proper filter is in place or project the image onto card. 

Aurora Borealis:  Increasing solar activity increases the chance of seeing an aurora.  There are a number of Apps that can give you warnings and chances of seeing Aurorae.  Mine is called Aurora Pro.

Although this is daytime, it is still observable and worth looking out for or photographing. Let’s hope for clear skies

Meteor Showers:  The Geminid meteor shower lasts from the 4th to the 17th.  The maximum is on the 14th December. The ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) is around 100. The meteors are slow and fairly bright.  This is the richest of the annual showers and well worth watching.  This shower is favourable as the Moon is not a  problem, reaching new moon on the 12th.

Moon

5th December:  Moon is at last quarter.        12th December:  New Moon

19th December:  Moon is at First Quarter     27th December:  Full Moon.       

Vesta: This reaches opposition on 21st December at approx. RA 6hr, Dec +20o.

The winter solstice occurs on the 22nd December

As a point of interest, the earliest sunset occurs on the 16th December and the latest sunrise on the 1st January.  If you’re interested as to why, Google it as it’s not easy to explain here!

To view this post in PDF format please CLICK HERE

Experiences of starting astronomy

by Denise Powell

Excerpt:

Firstly, I am no Astronomer, just someone who has always been fascinated with the Moon and Stars having grown up watching the Apollo launches and have been intrigued ever since.

Being fortunate enough to have a second home in Normandy, in a small hamlet where we have no light pollution, we have spent many an evening sat outside with a fire just looking at the stars and contemplating life.

A couple of Christmas’s ago my husband surprised me with a Sky-Watcher telescope. Now, as keen as I was and as idiot proof as it apparently was, between us we just couldn’t fathom getting started properly.

Eventually, early in 2022 we went along to Cotswold Astronomical Society on a cold Sunday evening workshop. Everyone was so welcoming and after a couple of sessions and expert advice we were able to get it aligned properly. I am now actually capable of collimating the scope pretty much by myself 🙂

The full article can be read by clicking here or in the members area under Mercury Articles.

 

Spectra of stars

By James Weightman

Obtained by placing Star Analyser grating in front of camera lens. (OM-5 DSLR + 60mm lens; 12X10 secs, f/2.8 ISO800). 2 adjacent stars in Cassiopeia compared. Gamma (centre of “W”) shows emission lines whereas nearby Delta shows absorption lines.