Latest deep sky images from Neil Webster

Member Neil Webster has done it again and produced 2 fantastic deep sky images. 

The first image is of NGC 2264 Cone Nebula Xmas Tree Cluster.  Taken on Feb 24th 2022.

AA115mm APO, EQ6 R, ZWO ASI294MC Pro, Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO ASI290MM, Optolong L Enhance Filter.

63 x 240s Lights, 15 x Darks, 50 x Flats/Bias

St Marys Platt, Kent

This is a vast star forming region with H gas excited by young O, B stars.

 

The second image is of  NGC 2024 "Flame Nebula", IC 434, B33 "Horsehead ", and NGC 2023, Alnitak.  Taken on the 26th Feb 2022

AA115mm APO, EQ6 R, ZWO ASI294MC, Orion 50mm guide scope, ZWO ASI290MM

APT, PHD, Nebulosity, Photoshop

56 x 240s Lights, 15 x Darks, 50 x Flats/Bias

St Marys Platt, Kent.

Check out Neil's flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/137388222@N05/ for a more detailed view of these images and the many others he has done!

Exoplanet Qatar 8b

Another exoplanet transit observed by Simon Dawes of Qatar 8b for the ExoClock project. Qatar-8b is just over a third of Jupiter's mass (0.37) and is considered a "hot Saturn." It takes less than four days to orbit its star, which is about 900 light-years from Earth.
Simon said it was a tricky one to process, but the result came out very well with a depth almost identical to the published data. Well done Simon.

Star Count 2022

All citizen scientists we need you!

Take part in Star Count 2022 (26th Feb 2022 to 6th March 2022) organised by The Countryside Charity and British Astronomical Association. Click image below for more information.

https://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-care-about/nature-and-landscapes/dark-skies/star-count-2022/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=SC2022_SClive_signups&utm_content=Star%20Count%202022%20is%20live%20-%20sign%20ups%20new%20and%20existing%2006%3A08%3A23&fbclid=IwAR21RdwOub_mHfe28eK10n4VdgDNzrzSyHyke7DfE-gk_ZNteu9ieGbbqqU

Exoplanet WASP-12B by Simon Dawes

Here is the latest exoplanet transit observed by member & trustee Simon Dawes for the ExoClock project. It is of  WASP-12b a doomed EGG shaped planet.

WASP-12b is a hot Jupiter that orbits so close to its parent star, it is being torn apart and it takes this sizzling gas giant alien world only 1.1 days to completely circle its parent star!

The doomed planet is being eaten by its parent star, according to observations made by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). The planet may only have another 10 million years left before it is completely devoured.

The planet WASP-12b, is so close to its sun like parent star that it is superheated to nearly 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit and stretched into an egg shape by enormous tidal forces. The atmosphere has ballooned to nearly three times Jupiter's radius and is spilling material onto the parent star. The planet is 40 percent more massive than Jupiter.

"We see a huge cloud of material around the planet, which is escaping and will be captured by the star. We have identified chemical elements never before seen on planets outside our own solar system," says team leader Carole Haswell of The Open University in Great Britain.

WASP-12b reflects just 6% of the light that shines on its surface. As a result, the exoplanet has been described as "black as asphalt", and as "pitch black."

Photo Credit: NASA/ESA/G Bacon artist's concept of WASP-12b & parent star.

Simon along with other amateur and professional astronomers have been observing exo-planet transits as part of the ExoClock project for the Ariel Mission due for launch in 2028.  Each observation takes between 4 and 5 hours typically so is quite a commitment. Well done Simon.

The Ariel mission will observe spectroscopically around 1000 exoplanets to further characterise their atmospheres. For the mission to be as efficient as possible, a good knowledge of the planets’ ephemerides is needed before its launch in 2028. While ephemerides for some planets are being refined on a per-case basis, an organised effort to collectively verify or update them when necessary does not exist. In this study, we introduce the ExoClock project, an open, integrated and interactive platform with the purpose of producing a confirmed list of ephemerides for the planets that will be observed by Ariel.

Click here for more information about the project.

February Observing Evenings

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Every Thursday in February we will be observing (weather permitting).

Members who are trained can use the 16″ Peter Hindle telescope. Untrained members can use the other society telescopes or bring your own.

If you are unsure on how to use your own telescope then these nights are perfect for getting one to one guidance from our more experienced members.

Open to Full & Basic members plus potential new members by invitation.   Enquiries about membership, or attending for the first time, should be directed to the Secretary of the Society.

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