Summer Solstice Sun – 20th June 2024

NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.

A fantastic photo of our Sun as it set taken by member Honor Wheeler from Weybourne Beach, Norfolk on the 20th June 2024.  Massive sunspots can be seen at the 5 O'Clock position on the Sun. This image will also be found in the July edition of 'The Astronomer'. Well done Honor; it is indeed a super image.

 

 

Earlier in the day on the 20th Dr Mike Rushton took this great image of the Sun using his Dwarf II smartscope.

Below for comparison; is a screenshot of the Sun on the 20th June 2024 with the Sunspots numbered taken from Spaceweather.com

 

Then on the day after; on the 21st member Jim Burchell took this superb image of the Sun.

 

 

The latest ExoClock project transits

Martin Crow and Simon Dawes have been busy taking more measurements of Exoplanet transits for the ExoClock project.  Below are some of their latest ones.

''TrES-2b (also known as Kepler-1b or GSC 03549-02811b) is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star GSC 03549-02811 located 750 light years away from the Solar System in Draco. The planet was identified in 2011 as the darkest known exoplanet, reflecting less than 1% of any light that hits it. Reflecting less light than charcoal, on the surface the planet is said to be pitch black.  The planet's mass and radius indicate that it is a gas giant with a bulk composition similar to that of Jupiter. Unlike Jupiter, but similar to many planets detected around other stars, TrES-2b is located very close to its star and belongs to the class of planets known as hot Jupiters. This system was within the field of view of the Kepler spacecraft.  It was discovered on August 21, 2006 by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) by detecting the transit of the planet across its parent star using Sleuth (Palomar Observatory, California) and PSST (Lowell Observatory, Arizona), part of the TrES network of 10–cm telescopes. The discovery was confirmed by the W. M. Keck Observatory on September 8, 2006, by measuring the radial velocity of the star that hosts TrES-2b.'' Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrES-2b

 

HAT-P-37b is an exoplanet in the constellation Draco.

''HAT-P-37 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star. Its mass is 1.169 Jupiters, it takes 2.8 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.0379 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2011.'' Ref:https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/hat-p-37-b/

 

''Qatar-4b is a super-jupiter orbiting the star Qatar-4 every 1.8 days in Andromeda. It was discovered in 2016 by the Qatar Exoplanet Survey (QES).

This planet has a very short orbit, with only 1.8 days for it to complete an orbit around Qatar-4. The period corresponds with a separation of around 0.03 AU, which is almost 20 times closer than Mercury is to the Sun. Despite that, it has a perfectly round orbit. Since the host is an active star, Qatar-4 may be destroyed by tidal waves from the star.'' Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar-4b

 

''TrES-3b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star GSC 03089-00929. It has an orbital period of just 31 hours and nearly twice the mass of Jupiter.

The planet TrES-3b is named Umbäässa. The name was selected in the NameExoWorlds campaign by Liechtenstein, during the 100th anniversary of the IAU. In the local dialect of southern Liechtenstein, Umbäässa is a small and barely visible ant.

It is the third transiting planet found by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey. It was discovered in the constellation Hercules about 10 degrees west of Vega.'' Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrES-3b

 

Astro-images from the 28th and a little bit of the 29th June 2024

NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.

A lovely selection of images from Society members.

First two superb images are of the Sun and Moon taken by Jim Burchell on the 28th.

 

Next are a selection of fantastic images of the Noctilucent Cloud that put in an appearance during the night of the 28th/29th June.  It turned out to be quite a stunning display as you will see :-)

First set of images are from our Chairman John Archer whilst in Northumberland on the 28th June.  The 1st 3 images show the NLC developing over the North Sea.

Taken at 10.46pm.

Taken at 10.55pm.

Taken at 11.04pm.

Taken at 11.20pm.

 

The next 2 images are from Diane Clarke taken from Belvedere.  The 2nd image is absolutely stunning.

Taken at 10.53pm.

Taken at 11.15pm.

 

The next 2 superb images were taken by Honor Wheeler from Dartford.

Taken at 10.10pm.

Taken at 11.14pm.

 

This super image was taken by John Howarth from Bexley.

Taken at 11.10pm

 

This dramatic NLC image was taken by Bob Bryne from Dartford.

Taken at 11.27pm.

 

These lovely NLC images were taken by Sonia Rubie from Bexley.

Taken at 11.06pm.

Taken at 11.12pm.

 

These last 2 superb images were taken by Jim Burchell from Dartford just after midnight, so on the 29th June 2024 at 12.06am and 12.07am.

 

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