Society News – Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society Dartford

Comet Lemmon, or C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), was discovered by astronomers at the Mount Lemmon Survey, in Arizona, on the 3rd January 2025.

The comet is currently low in the northwestern sky after nightfall in the constellation of Boötes, not far from the bright star Arcturus.

On the 24th Oct it will still be above Arcturus but near the star Izar. (Note: The handle of the Big Dipper points towards Arcturus.), and in the coming days it will move into the constellation Serpens.

Sky chart showing the location of C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) at the end of October 2025. Credit: Astronomy Now magazine.

On the evening of the 21st Oct 2025, several CMHASD members managed to image the comet quickly through a gap in the clouds or with a thin veil of cloud.

CMHASD member George Buckberry captured the comet at 7:40pm using his Dwarf3 smart scope. His fantastic image below is made up of only 3 stacked images at 15S, gain 60 and Astro filter. Then run through Stellar Studio and no other processing.

The Water mark also shows NGC 5641 which was a little further West at the time George took the images of the comet.

Kevin Smith captured the comet also using a Dwarf3 smart scope on the 21st Oct around the same time as George. His fantastic images are below.

Honor Wheeler captured the comet at 7.19pm using a Canon M6II, Tamron 18-400mm, set at ISO3200, 3" and F6.3. Her superb image is below.

Finally member Jim Burchell captured the comet a little bit later on the 21st Oct at 20:19 BST. Jim used a Pentax KP set at F5.6, 20sec, 135 mm and iso 800 on a Skywatcher star adventure. His super image is below.

CMHASD SAGAS trip to the South Downs Planetarium

22nd October 2025

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On Saturday the 19th July several CMHASD members of the society went to The SAGAS Astronomical Convention. This was a one day event for amateur astronomers and enthusiasts held this year at the South Downs Planetarium & Science Centre, Chichester.

About SAGAS

SAGAS was established in 1973 to provide a forum where Astronomical Societies across the South of England to meet, share ideas and discuss issues or concerns of mutual interest. This has allowed member societies to support and inspire each other, and further the interests of their own members.

Why join?

SAGAS provides a hub that helps Astronomical Societies collaborate and share of knowledge.

Member Diane Clarke wrote....

''The event was hosted by Dr John Mason and the volunteers at the South Downs Planetarium & Science Centre. John can be seen here liaising with one of the volunteer staff, all of whom looked after us throughout the day.

Nick James, the BAA Comet section director spoke to us about viewing comets such as “C/2020 f3 Neowise among others from various locations and Mr Ian Sharp spoke to us about getting started with Photometry. Nick & Ian can be seen in this photo chatting with CMHASD member Rita Whiting.

Dr Nicolas Bonne, a Public Engagement and Outreach Fellow, from the University of Portsmouth spoke to us about making astronomy accessible to the visually impaired community. This was achieved by using 3D printed models such as the Martian Grand Canyon, known as the Valles Marineris and The Whirlpool galaxy also known as Messier 51.

Dr Samantha J. Penny from the University of Portsmouth, spoke to us about a ''Universe of Tiny Galaxies'' with regard to how they helped illuminate the universe with UV light clearing the fog of hydrogen gas that permeated the universe in its first billion years.

Dr Kathy Romer from the University of Sussex spoke to us about ''Explaining Cosmology through Analogies'' using such everyday items as a chocolate orange & a cheese triangle.

Then to finish the day Dr John Mason took us on a virtual trip to see ''The Skies Over Southern England in 15000 CE'' using the Planetarium’s 48-year-old Viewlex-Minolta S-IIb star projector. To quote John “We use this venerable projector to give pin point stars”.

The whole day was very interesting & enjoyable and I look forward to the next one!''

Dwarf3 images by Kevin Smith

21st October 2025

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Two super deep sky images by member Kevin Smith taken using his Dwarf3 smart scope from Deal in Kent. The first image is of the North American Nebula and the second of the Maia Nebula.

The North America Nebula, also known as NGC 7000 or Caldwell 20, is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to the star Deneb. It is named because its shape resembles North America.

The Maia Nebula is a bright reflection nebula in the Pleiades cluster (M45) within the constellation Taurus. The nebula has the designation NGC 1432 in the New General Catalogue. The Maia Nebula is illuminated by and surrounds the blue giant star Maia (20 Tauri), the fourth brightest star in Messier 45 and is composed of interstellar dust that reflects the star's light creating a distinct ethereal appearance. It is approximately 400 light-years from Earth.

Star Trails by Simon Dawes

21st October 2025

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A fantastic star trail image by member Simon Dawes taken whilst at Kelling Heath Autumn Star Party on the 20th September 2025.

Simon acquired the image by using a Sony A7SII mirrorless SLR camera on a Manfrotto static tripod & Viltrox 20mm f2.8 lens. 240x 30s exposures (4 hours) were done and stacked using Astro Pixel Processor.

The Lobster Claw Nebula with the Bubble Nebula by Kevin Langford

20th October 2025

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A superb image of the Lobster Claw Nebula with the Bubble Nebula taken on Monday 22nd September 2025 from Bexley by CMHASD member Kevin Langford.

The Lobster Claw Nebula, also known as Sharpless 157 (Sh2-157), is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia about 11,000 light-years from Earth. Its name comes from its distinct shape, which resembles a lobster's claw and is formed by glowing gas, dark dust, and stars.

To the left of the claw in the image, you can see NGC 7635 - the Bubble Nebula, which is much more widely known. Also visible is the star cluster NGC 7510, above the lobster claw pincers (Chelae).

Kevin's image consists of 3hrs in total of exposures.

Kevin acquired the image using an ES 102ED APO, 0.7x focal reducer corrector, Pegasus NYX-101, ZWO ASI071, Orion MMAG, L-eNhance filter.

It was then processed in Siril and Affinity photo.

To see a more detailed view of the image check out Kevin's Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/77708720@N08/54809019524/

The Eastern Veil Nebula by Diane Clarke

20th October 2025

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A fantastic image of the Eastern Veil Nebula by CMHASD member Diane Clarke over a few nights in September and October from Bexley.

Diane acquired the image using a Seestar S50 smart scope in EQ Mode.

The image is a mix of 71 x 30 sec and 101 x 60 sec exposures.

Integration time 2 Hours and 58 Minutes.

The Eastern Veil Nebula, also known as NGC 6992, is an expanding supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus, bordering the constellation Vulpecula. It was formed by the explosion of a massive star 20 times more massive than the Sun that exploded approximately 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. It is composed of heated gas and dust and is part of a larger structure called the Cygnus Loop.

Below is NASA photograph of the Cygnus Loop in ultraviolet light, with labels showing the well-known features. (25 November 2012) Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil_Nebula

Credit: NASA

Active Sun

3rd September 2025

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

Two great images of the Sun taken on the 28th and the 30th of August by member Jim Burchell. The images were taken using a Pentax KP attached to a F11 refactor, set at iso 100 and 1/400 second using a Baader solar film. The images were then processed in Snapseed.

NLC Season 2025

2nd September 2025

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A super collection of Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) images and a timelapse video taken by CMHASD members during the months of June & July this year.

First we have the 23rd June 2025 where several members managed to capture the clouds.

Member Martin Crow using his iPhone; taken from Burnham-On-Crouch.

Member Diane Clarke at 11.27pm using a Panasonic camera DMC-TZ100 set at 1/5 sec @ f2.8, iso 1600 and 10mm lens from Bexley.

Member Jim Burchell from Dartford.

And finally a timelapse video of NLC on the 23rd June 2025 taken by member Honor Wheeler also from Dartford.

[video width="1344" height="756" mp4="https://crayfordmanorastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20250623_NLC_HW.mp4"][/video]

Member Jim Burchell also caught NLC on 3 more nights. These were taken on the 30th June 2025 from Dartford.

These on the 3rd July 2025 taken from Dartford.

And finally a stunning display on the 8th July 2025 taken from Swanley by Jim.

Teapot & Scorpius by Richard Bohner – USA

4th July 2025

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Two stunning photos taken on 22nd June 2025, 11:30pm local time, at the Grand Canyon Star Party, Arizona, USA by member Richard Bohner.

First photo: The area of the Teapot and Scorpius. Taken with Canon 6D with 35mm f2.8 lens at ISO 10K, exposure time 8 seconds, single frame. Intentionally under exposed image to show constellation stars without Milky Way stars covering them.

Second photo: same area and equipment but with a 20 second exposure showing the Milky Way, Tea Pot & Scorpius.

Society BBQ – 28th June 2025

3rd July 2025

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With the support of the committee and permission of the Parish Council, a team was set up consisting of members Jo Southgate, Steve Floodgate, John Archer, Mike Rushton, James Savage and Keith Rickard to plan and arrange the Society BBQ for 2025.

On the 28th June 2025 CMHASD held it's annual BBQ and what a superb BBQ it was too - glorious weather, expertly cooked food, games galore and fantastic company all made for a great event.

The team set up from 11:45, with assembly of two gazebos (one for food/drink and the other for games), and outdoor games. Steve, Jo and John set up their respective barbecues and very soon all was ready!

After a fantastic lunch… it was time for games! Kicking off with a round of croquet, then an old school party game ‘Pass the parcel’, but with forfeits as well as prizes. It was a ‘mashup’ of charades, pass-the-parcel, film/tv/book quiz and (reverse) tag! and was enjoyed by all who played.

After tea and cakes… It was time for, pin the tail on the dinosaur! Contestants had to be blindfolded and spun around and disoriented! It was great fun and a lot of laughs were had watching members try and pin the tail on the dinosaur.

[ngg src="galleries" ids="91" display="basic_slideshow"]THANK YOU! To all the wonderful members who worked so hard to give us an amazingly enjoyable day!!! A HUGE round of applause and slaps on backs all-round! AND, thank you to all those who attended and made the BBQ so much fun… Let’s all hope there is another BBQ in 2026?