Perseid Meteor Watch – 10th/11thAugust 2024
When you sit back to watch the Perseid meteor shower, you’re actually seeing pieces of comet debris heat up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in a bright burst of light, streaking a vivid path across the sky as they travel at 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second, according to NASA. The Perseids result from Earth passing through debris (bits of ice and rock) left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Comet Swift-Tuttle was discovered independently by two astronomers, Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, in 1862. Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth; its nucleus is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. It last passed near Earth during its orbit around the sun in 1992, and the next time will be in 2126.
In 2024 the Perseid meteor shower was active between 17 July and 24 August, with the number of meteors (also known as shooting stars) increasing every night until it reached its peak, after which it then tailed off. This year the peak was on the night of the 12th and before dawn on 13 August when Earth travelled through the densest and dustiest part of this debris.
So not wanting to miss this annual meteor shower several CMHASD members met at the Pavilion on the night of the 10th/11th August to watch the Perseid meteor shower (The night of the 12th/13th was not chosen simply because of members work commitments on the morning of the 13th). Members stayed at the pavilion for around 3 1/2 hours (9.30pm to 1am) and during that time around 17 visual sightings were spotted by members.
Below are some photos taken by member Honor Wheeler of the meteors she caught on camera that night, with another member helping her out by pointing to the 1st meteor that was spotted!
It was a very good night, not too cold, great company and lots of banter & chit chat amongst members. Some members even took the opportunity to do some deep sky imaging too.
There’s one……..
Camera settings: Canon M6II, Rokinon 14mm lens, ISO1000, f/2.8, exposure between 4sec and 10sec.
Plus; while we were busy watching the meteors at the pavilion the meteor camera was busy too and below is a summary of the meteors the camera picked up on the night of the 10th/11th Aug 2024 which you can download.
Perseids Night of 10-11 August 2024 (1)
For more information about the Perseid Meteor Shower check out https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/perseid-meteor-shower-guide-uk-when-where-to-see
Shears Green Junior School Cosmic Camp – 27th Sept 2024
On Friday 27th September 2024 several CMHASD members helped out at Shears Green Junior School Cosmic Camp.
Chairman John Archer wrote ”First of all I really want to thank all of the team who supported our evening of outreach last Friday 27th. Once again we attended Cosmic Camp at Shears Green Junior School and were greeted by an enthusiastic audience, most of whom managed to observe Saturn, as well as a number of deep sky objects. There were indoor activities run by Rita and Debra, and the pupils were treated to our slideshow of members’ aurora images. Outside there were a range of scopes – Dob’s, a refractor and also Smartscopes, ably demonstrated by our hardy team including Steve, Dave, Andy, Diane, Mike, Jim & co – thank you all so much for giving up your time and getting involved – it was a wonderful and eventually clear night”.
Below are 2 of the images taken by members whilst at the school that the children saw.
M31 by Dr Mike Rushton using a Dwarf II smartscope with no processing. Stacked image of 200 x 10s exposures at gain 80.
M31 is a barred spiral galaxy and is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. It is also known as The Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31 and NGC 224. The galaxy is approximately 765 kpc (2.5 million light-years) from Earth. The galaxy’s name stems from the area of Earth’s sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda. Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy.
M27 by Diane Clarke (with the help of Jim Burchell) taken using a Seestar S50. Stacked image of 224 x 10s exposures. Processed using Affinity Photo.
M27 (also known as the Dumbbell Nebula, Apple Core Nebula, Messier 27, and NGC 6853) is a planetary nebula (nebulosity surrounding a white dwarf) in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1360 light-years. It was the first such nebula to be discovered, by Charles Messier in 1764. Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbbell_Nebula.
Super Harvest Moon – 17th September 2024
A superb selection of images taken by members Jim Burchell and Honor Wheeler on the 17th September 2024 of the Super Harvest Moon.
Why is this Full Moon called a Super Harvest Moon?
”Supermoons occur at perigee: the point in the Moon’s orbit where it’s closest to Earth. A perigee full Moon appears a little brighter and larger than an average full Moon, and is known by some as a ‘supermoon’. The technical name for a ‘supermoon’ is a perigee syzygy Moon.” Ref:https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/supermoon-what-when-next
Plus Full Moon names reflect the time of year they happen and the Harvest Moon graces the skies in the harvest season in the Northern Hemisphere. The Harvest Moon is also the Full Moon nearest the autumn equinox, which happens around September 22, depending on the year and time zone.
Fly me to the Moon by Honor Wheeler
Image taken using a Canon M6II camera, 400mm lens, ISO800, F7.1 and EXP1/800s.
Moon with Saturn (Composite image) by Honor Wheeler
Images taken using a Canon M6II camera, 177mm lens, ISO800, F7.1 and EXP1/3s.
Super Harvest Moon by Honor Wheeler
Image taken using Canon M6II camera, 400mm lens, ISO800, F7.1 and EXP1/8s.
Super Harvest Moon taken by Jim Burchell
This image was taken using a Pentax KP body attached to a 102 mm refactor, F11, 1/80 sec and iso 100.
Moon & Cloud by Jim Burchell
This is a cropped image. taken using a Pentax KP, F11, 1/125 sec, 300 mm and ISO 100
For more information check out https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/supermoon-what-when-next and https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/harvest.html
The next Supermoon is on Thursday 17th October.
Crescent Moon & Venus by Richard Bohner
A lovely photo of the crescent Moon and Venus captured by member Richard Bohner from the USA. The single shot photo was taken on 4th September 2024 with a Canon 6D camera and 135mm lens f2.8. ISO 1600 @ 1/30 second exposure from Cottonwood, Arizona, USA.
The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) & the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) by Neil Webster
Neil’s first Deep Sky image for 18 months…….The North America Nebula & the Pelican Nebula and what a super image it is!
The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) is at the top and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) is at the bottom.
The North America Nebula (NGC 7000 or Caldwell 20) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to the star Deneb. It is named the North America Nebula because its shape resembles North America.
”The Pelican Nebula (also known as IC 5070) is an H II region associated with the North America Nebula in the constellation Cygnus. The gaseous contortions of this emission nebula bear a resemblance to a pelican, giving rise to its name. The Pelican Nebula is located nearby first magnitude star Deneb, and is divided from its more prominent neighbour, the North America Nebula, by a foreground molecular cloud filled with dark dust.” Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelican_Nebula
Neil acquired his image on the 27th Sept 2024 using a WO GT71 apo, EQ6-R, ZWO ASI 294MC Pro, Optolong L-Enhance filter, Astro Essentials 50mm guide scope & ZWO ASI 290MM guide camera.
Processed in APT, PHD, Nebulosity, Photoshop and Star Xterminator
38 x 240s Subs, 12 x darks, 45 x flats/bias
For a more detailed view of Neil’s image check out his flicker page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/137388222@N05/54032311437/
NGC 6992 & NGC 891 by Jim Burchell
Two excellent deep sky images taken by Jim Burchell on the 14th Sept 2024 of NGC 6992 and NGC 891 using his Seestar S50 smartcope.
The Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated, ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus. It constitutes the visible portions of the Cygnus Loop a supernova remnant. Sections of the Veil Nebula have their own individual names and catalogue identifiers and NGC6992 is a bright area in the Eastern Veil (also known as Caldwell 33) of the Veil Nebula.
The image is made up of 138 x 10 second stacked images. Then processed in Snapseed.
”NGC 891 (also known as Caldwell 23, the Silver Sliver Galaxy, and the Outer Limits Galaxy) is an edge-on unbarred spiral galaxy about 30 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It was discovered by William Herschel on October 6, 1784.” Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_891
This image is made up of 48 x 10 sec stacked images. Then processed in Snapseed. Ref:
The Fireworks Galaxy by Terry Miles
A superb image of the Fireworks Galaxy also known as NGC6946 taken by member Terry Miles on the 10th Sept 2024 using his Seestar S50 smartscope despite some very annoying high thin clouds that would not just go away.
”The Fireworks Galaxy, is a face-on intermediate spiral galaxy with a small bright nucleus, whose location in the sky straddles the boundary between the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus. Its distance from Earth is about 25.2 million light-years.” Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_6946
Stunning Sun dogs by Kevin Smith
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
A stunning example of 2 Sun dogs captured by member Kevin Smith whilst on an early morning walk on the 10th Sept 2024.
A sun dog is also called a parhelion (plural parhelia) and is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that consists of a bright spot to one or both sides of the Sun. The sun dog is a member of the family of halos caused by the refraction of sunlight by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
The Veil Nebula by Kevin Langford
An absolutely stunning mosaic image of the Veil Nebula taken by member Kevin Langford from Bexley on the nights of the 11th & 12th August 2024.
The Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated, ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus. It constitutes the visible portions of the Cygnus Loop a supernova remnant.
This is a 4 panel mosaic; with just 40 mins of data per panel. Kevin says it needs a lot more data to be added but we think it is fantastic already.
Equipment used: ES102 with focus reducer, L-eNhance filter.
Software used Nina, Sirilic, Ice, Siril, and Affinity photo.
Moon with Earthshine – 29th August 2024
A fantastic image of the Moon with Earthshine taken by member Jim Burchell on the 29th August 2024. This is a single shot image which was processed in Snapseed. Details of how Jim acquired his image are on the photo.
The Sun & Moon – 25th August 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
Jim Burchell, Simon Dawes & Dr Mike Rushton imaged the Sun in white light on the 25th August 2024 and below are their splendid results. As you can see the Sun was very active.
Mike used his Dwarf II smart scope to acquire his image below.
Jim used a Pentax KP body attached to 102mm Altair Astro F11 refractor fitted with a Solar filter. The mage of the Sun is a single shot and then processed in Snapseed.
Below is an image of the Sun taken from Spaceweather.com on the same day with the sunspots numbered.
Simon’s images are of the Sunspots and as you will see some of the sunspots are rather stunning. Details of how Simon acquired his images are on the photos.
Later that day Jim captured this super image of a Waning Gibbous Moon. The moon was 20.65 days old and 62.92% illuminated. Details of how Jim acquired his image are on the photo. This is a single shot image and then processed in Snapseed.
CMHASD BBQ – 31st August 2024
On Saturday 31st August 2024 CMHASD held a BBQ for its members. Below are a selection of photos & videos of the BBQ shared by members and an account of the event written by member Gary Hunt.
”In the closing days of the summer of 2024, and after a three-year interregnum, CMHASD were determined to reinstate the annual summer BBQ. After judicious planning and a little dash of hope, it was decided to hold the event in the afternoon/evening of Saturday 31st August.
The suggestion was well received by the membership and with the support of the committee and permission of the Parish Council, a small planning group was set up of Sonia Rubie, Steve Floodgate, John Archer, Mike Rushton, Diane Clarke, and Jo Southgate. Preparation was in good hands, and I can confirm that joyous industry was carried-out by our hardworking heroes!
Sadly the weather forecast from earlier in the week was less than accurate, and we had our BBQ under cloud and just the odd spot of rain. However, CMHASD members are a hardy lot, and this wasn’t going to spoil our fun… no siree!
The team set up from 11:30, after accessing the Pavilion, with assembly of two gazebos (one for food/drink and the other for games), and outdoor games. Steve (F), Jo and John (A) set up their respective barbecues and very soon all was ready!
Most people arrived after 14:00, and the feast was easily a repast for the whole BAA, not just CMHASD, indeed, there was so much food left, it was saved and used on the following Thursday for another successful astronomical quiz created by the redoubtable MC…Sonia!
It is worth noting that several members of the public approached and engaged members, to see why we were having so much fun… I would suggest that at least a few visitors went away with some thought of checking us out?
After a fantastic lunch… it was time for games! Kicking off with several rounds of croquet, there was savage competition amongst members, whatever you think of how members played, it wasn’t cricket😆!
There was also a target sheet put up and compressed air rockets were aimed at the targets… to be honest, most members preferred to play, how high can I stamp the rocket, resulting in some near misses with other members!
One of the more popular games was introduced by Steve Goldson, a Finnish skittle game called ‘Mölkky’ and is pronounced “milkay”… The competition amongst members was fierce, with many finding unique and ‘mystery ball’ ways of tossing the baton and getting the points!
Sonia, then started some old school party games, including ‘Pass the parcel’, but with forfeits as well as prizes. It was a ‘mashup’ (I am known for being hip… man!), of charades, pass-the-parcel, music quiz and (reverse) tag! Sonia had created a monster of a game that had two sessions, and was loved by all!
After ice cream donated by an anonymous, but rather charming and good-looking member, and some lovely fruit-salad and cakes… It was time for, pin the alien on the spaceship! This was real fun, with, I would add some jeopardy, as contestants had to be blindfolded and spun around (to music!) and disoriented… Again this was real kid style fun, that appealed to the most ‘senior’ (think OLD!), of members…
Sadly, the weather was being uncooperative, and members feeling distinctly ‘chilled’ (in both senses!), cleared up and made our way to our respective homes (…maybe?🤣) just as it was dusk…
I think I am safe to say, the day was enjoyed by ALL! I believe I am speaking on behalf of all those present, THANK YOU! To all the wonderful members who worked so hard and creatively 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 2025?”
The Society would like to thank those members who shared their photos & videos and to Gary for his written account. Thank you.
Our Sun by Jim Burchell – 23rd August 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
A fantastic white light image of the Sun taken by member Jim Burchell on the 23rd August 2024 from Dartford. As you can see the Sun was very active with lots of huge sunspots. Jim took the single shot image using a white light Baader planetarium Astro Solar Filter and a Pentax KP body attached to 102mm F11 Altair Astro refractor at 1/320 sec and iso 100. Then processed in Snapseed.
Below is a spaceweather.com photo of the Sun with the sunspots given their number taken on the same day.
M31 by Kevin Langford – 19th August 2024
Messier 31 The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) taken by member Kevin Langford on the 19th August 2024 from Bexley. Kevin said ”This is just a 30mins of exposure as I was packing up for the night. I know it is very grainy, it needs a lot more time spent on it.” Well we think it is rather superb as it is Kevin!
Kevin acquired his image using an ES102 with focus reducer and L-eNhance filter. Processed using Nina, Siril, and Affinity photo.
Congratulations to Simon Dawes
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The Society would like to congratulate Simon Dawes for having his sunspot image (see below) published in the British Astronomical Association journal – August 2024 edition. Well done Simon; it is a superb image. Details of how Simon acquired his image is on the photo.
A mosaic of the groups AR3638, AR3643, and AR3645–3647, imaged in white light on 2024 April 18 at
07:31 UT, in Bexleyheath.
Sunspots by Simon Dawes – 11th August 2024
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A collection of stunning sunspot images taken by member Simon Dawes on the 11th August 2024. Details of how Simon acquired his images are on the photos.
The Sun – 12th August 2024 by Dr Mike Rushton
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
A lovely white light image of the Sun taken on the 12th August 2024 by member & trustee Dr Mike Rushton; using his Dwarf II smart scope. The image is stacked and is made up of 25 x 1/200 sec exposures at gain 0.
The large sunspot top left is AR3784 and the large sunspot to the bottom right is AR3780.
Latest images by member Terry Miles
Two super images by member Terry Miles taken using his Seestar S50 smart telescope on the 11th August 2024. The images are short exposures for deep-sky objects but you can clearly see the ring nebula in the 1st image and some nebulosity of the Eastern Veil Nebula in the 2nd image.
M57 The Ring Nebula. Also catalogued as NGC 6720 is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Lyra.
NGC 6992 The Eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus.
Latest ExoClock transit observations by Simon Dawes – July & August 2024
Five more sets of observations for the ExoClock project by member & trustee Simon Dawes.
HAT-P-19 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a K-type star. Its mass is 0.277 Jupiters, it takes 4 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.04599 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2010. Ref:https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/hat-p-19-b/
TOI-4087 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits an F-type star. Its mass is 0.73 Jupiters, it takes 3.2 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.04469 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2023. Ref:https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/toi-4087-b/
KELT-1 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits an F-type star. Its mass is 27.23 Jupiters, it takes 1.2 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.02466 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2012. Ref: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/kelt-1-b/
KELT-16 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits an F-type star. Its mass is 2.75 Jupiters, it takes 1 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.02044 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2017. Ref: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/kelt-16-b/
TOI-1431 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits an A-type star. Its mass is 3.12 Jupiters, it takes 2.7 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.046 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2021. Ref: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/toi-1431-b/
Members trip to the South Downs Planetarium & Science Centre – 4th August 2024
On Sunday 4th August 2024 several CMHASD members went on a trip the South Downs Planetarium & Science Centre. Below is an account of the day kindly written by member Gary Hunt with photos taken by members.
1st August 2024 – Thunderhead
As Astronomers we observe weather conditions regularly and on the 1st August 2024 a stunning time-lapse video was taken by member Honor Wheeler of a Thunderhead. The video was taken from Dartford. A thunderhead is a cumulonimbus cloud seen during a thunderstorm. Towering cumulonimbus clouds, often called thunderclouds, are the only cloud formation capable of generating hail, thunder, and lightning. These dramatic, multi-layered cloud structures extend high into the sky, taking on an ominous, menacing appearance.
Honor used a Canon M6II on a tripod, Rokinon 12mm lens, at f/8, ISO400. A total of 300 photos with a 5 sec interval.
For more information about thunderstorms see:
Summer Solstice Sun – 20th June 2024
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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.
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.
Crescent Moon & Mercury – 7th July 2024
A super collection of images by members of a Waxing Crescent Moon and Mercury taken on the 7th July 2024. The Moon had an illumination of 3%, which is the percentage of the moon that is illuminated by the Sun and an age of 1.6 days old, which is how many days it has been since the last New Moon.
John Howarth – Bexley
Honor Wheeler – Dartford
Mercury is just above the ‘M’ on the label Mercury in the photo.
Jim Burchell – Dartford
Richard Bohner – Arizona, USA.
Image taken 6 hours after Honor and Jim’s images in the UK. Notice how the Moon position has changed relative to Mercury.
Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) sightings – July 2024
A lovely selection of NLC images taken by Society members on the 7th & 14th of July 2024.
7th July 2024
Honor Wheeler – Dartford.
A panoramic photo by Honor Wheeler comprising 5 individual images.
The bright star like object on the right hand side, middle is Jupiter, diagonally up, top and right is Mars and in-between at the top of the image you can just make out the Pleiades. Taken using a Canon Camera M6II on a tripod, ISO800, f/4.5, 1/2sec, 18-400mm lens set to 37mm. 02:18UTC
Jim Burchell – Dartford.
Bob Byrne – Dartford.
Sonia Rubie – Bexley.
Taken using an iPhone – point & shoot.
14th July 2024
Jim Burchell – Dartford.
Honor Wheeler – Dartford.
This is 6 frame panoramic taken at 21:45UTC.
Taken using a Canon Camera M6II, Tamron 18-400mm lens, ISO800, f/4, 1/1sec. Each frame the lens was set to 27mm. Panoramic created in Bimostitch and processed in Snapseed.
Martin Crow – Burnham on Crouch, Essex.
Time Lapse video by Martin Crow
Sonia Rubie – Bexley.
Taken using an iPhone – point & shoot.
Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) sightings – June 2024
It is Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) season and members have been watching the sky to see if these elusive clouds put in an appearance – and I am pleased to report that they have. A few members have spotted them….
First this season was by Honor Wheeler whilst in Norfolk on the 17th June 2024.
Second was by Jim Burchell on the 18th June 2024 from Dartford.
Third was by Jim Burchell & Sonia Rubie on the 20th June 2024.
NLC spotted by Jim on the 20th June 2024 from Dartford.
NLC spotted by Sonia Rubie on the 20th June 2024 from Bexley.
And finally, fourth by Martin Crow on 23rd June 2024 from Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex.
Astronomy class at Crayford Manor House before 1961.
The DIY Planetarium made by the Astronomy class at Crayford Manor House before 1961.
Standing (L-R): H P Wilkins & Len Wilcox (Principle of the Manor House Adult Education Centre)
Seated (L-R): Unknown, Bert Offord and John Wall
(L- R) Unknown, John Wall and Bert Offord
The Sun by Jim Burchell
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
A lovely collection of white light images of the Sun taken by member Jim Burchell in May & June this year; showing several large sunspots. Jim took the images using a Pentax KP camera attached to a 102 mm Altair refactor fitted with a solar filter and then processed in Snapseed.
Aurora – 2024 May 10th/11th
Like many of the stars we see in the night sky, our own Sun is a variable star. Its activity waxes and wanes, peaking every 11 years in a phenomenon known as the Solar Cycle.
As it approaches this peak we see more dark sunspots appear on its face, and some of those sunspots can grow to huge sizes, becoming larger than our own planet.
Recently an ink blotch trail of sunspots ten times the size of Earth appeared on the Sun, so big it was even visible to the naked eye through solar eclipse glasses and was a stunning sight through telescopes fitted with solar filters.
As it developed, this sunspot group began firing off powerful solar flares, again and again, like a WWII battleship firing a broadside.
And when a sequence of these flares was directed towards Earth, astronomers who study space weather became very excited at the prospect of enhanced auroral activity in the night sky once the solar material reached Earth.
They predicted that, if everything went well, the evening of Friday 10 May 2024 might see an impressive display of the Northern Lights, perhaps even one of the largest for years.
Even though there was no guarantee of seeing anything, aurora-watchers crossed their fingers and made plans to go aurora-hunting after sunset that evening. Ref:https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/aurora-10-may-2024
So on the night of 2024 May 10/11 several CMHASD members all over the UK looked up at the sky in anticipation and finally at around 10.30pm watched in amazement at an Aurora display.
Below is a slideshow of a presentation that CMHASD member Sonia put together showing some of the images members had taken that night and 3 time lapse videos too. Some of the photographs taken by members show vivid colours but to most naked eye observers the colours were not so obvious due to light pollution.
Time lapse videos by Honor Wheeler.
Time lapse video by Martin Crow.
The Moon – 15th May 2024
A super image of the Moon taken by member Diane Clarke on the 15th May 2024. During this day the phase of the Moon is First Quarter. The Moon is 49.91% illuminated; which is the percentage of the moon that is illuminated by the Sun. The Moon was 7.37 days old, which shows how many days it has been since the last New Moon.
Diane’s image is a stacked image from a 10 min AVI file. Taken with a Seestar s50, using Autostakkert, with slight colour correction using Affinity Photo.
You should also be able to make out the clair-obscur effects on the Moon known as the Lunar X and V in this image too.
Lunar X and V are famous optical features on the Moon, visible for several hours around the time of the First Quarter through a telescope. When the Moon’s terminator; the line between light and dark on the Moon is just in the right place, you can see a letter X and a letter V on the Moon’s surface.
Lunar X and V are examples of how lighting and topography can combine to produce a pattern that seems familiar to the human eye. The X is formed when parts of the rims of the craters La Caille (68km wide), Blanchinus (68km) and Purbach (118km) catch the Sun’s light. The V is caused by Sun light illuminating the Moon close to the crater Ukert along with several smaller craters.
For more information check out https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/skills/lunar-x-v and https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-is-lunar-x/
The Moon – 12th May 2024
A stunning collection of photos of the Moon taken on the 12th May 2024 by Neil Webster. The Moon was 25.1% illuminated and 4.71 days old.
AA115mm APO EQ6 R, ZWO ASI290MM, R/IR filter
4 frames stitched in Microsoft ICE: each 90sx33fps. Best 20% stacked in AutoStakkert.
Acquisition: firecapture
Processing: AutoStakkert & Photoshop
For higher resolution photos of the above; check out Neils flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/137388222@N05/
Exo-Planet transits of HAT-P-55b and TrES-3b
Here is the Exo-Planet transit of HAT-P-55b taken on the 11th May 2024 by Simon Dawes for the ExoClock project. Simon did the observation on the same night as the ‘Great Aurora’, it finished in twilight so he lost about an hour of data.
HAT-P-55b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star. Its mass is 0.596 Jupiters, it takes 3.6 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.04628 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2015.
Next is the Exo-Planet transit of TrES-3b taken on the 15th May 2024 by Simon Dawes also for the ExoClock project.
Simon wrote ”The night wasn’t great, there was a light mist, 1/4 moon, and high cloud, I didn’t expect much given the conditions and the large change in altitude of the object, but I think it came out ok. The shape of the transit suggests it just grazes the limb of the host star (from our perspective).”
TrES-3b orbits the star GSC 03089-00929 in the constellation Hercules about 10 degrees west of the star called Vega. It is the third transiting planet found by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey.
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. TrES-3b has an orbital period of just 31 hours and nearly twice the mass of Jupiter.
Waxing Crescent Moon by Neil Webster
A Waxing Crescent Moon taken by member Neil Webster on the 11th May 2024. The Moon was 16.3% illuminated and 3.66 days old.
Neil used a R/IR filter (642 – 840nm) when taking his image.
Check out Neil’s flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/137388222@N05/
Messier 31 & NGC 6888 by Jim Burchell
Two deep sky images by member Jim Burchell taken on the 4th May 2024 using a Seestar S50 smart scope.
NGC 6888 (Total of 28mins of exposure)
NGC 6888 (also known as the Crescent Nebula, Caldwell 27 and Sharpless 105) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1792 and is about 5000 light-years from Earth.
Messier M31 (Total of 11mins of exposure)
Messier 31 also known as M31 and NGC 224 is the Andromeda Galaxy. M31 is a barred spiral galaxy and is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.
Messier 13 by Diane Clarke
A superb image of Messier 13 by member Diane Clarke taken on the 29th April 2024 using a Seestar S50 250mm, 120 x 10sec exp @ f5.
Messier 13 or M13 (also designated NGC 6205 and sometimes called the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, the Hercules Globular Cluster, or the Great Hercules Cluster), is a globular cluster of several hundred thousand stars in the constellation of Hercules.
Solar Observing at the Pavilion – 11th May 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
After a fantastic night of observing the Aurora, several CMHASD members took the opportunity to observe the huge sunspot AR664 that caused it, at the Parsonage Lane Pavilion the following day. Below are a selection of photos from that afternoon.
The white light image of the Sun below was taken by member George Buckberry using a Canon EOS760D attached to a Celestron MakC90 fitted with a Baader 5.0ND Solar filter. All mounted on a Sky-Watcher Alt-Az Mount and Tripod.
Thank you to Diane, Sonia & Jim for sharing your photos.
Exoplanet Observing with the Unistellar eVscope by Dr. Mike Rushton
Exoplanet Observing with the Unistellar eVscope
Background
Over the last few years, a number of “Smart Telescopes” have been developed for amateur use.
These typically consist of a relative narrow optical train attached to an automated mount. They have software to provide plate solving, tracking and image stacking. They are easy to setup and use.
They have relatively narrow fields and due to their short focal lengths (as well as small apertures) and are best suited to imaging small deep-sky objects.
Unistellar – a French Company setup in 2016 with £2m+ Kickstarter funding – first delivered its scope commercially in 2021. Unlike their competitors they foresaw the possibility of using them for science as well as taking pretty pictures. They partnered with SETI in Mountainview California to produce a program which included exoplanet transit observations.
At 4.5” aperture the scopes are considered too small to take part in the ExoClock program.
Exoplanet Observation
SETI produces a list of favoured targets for study. This is based mostly on the NASA requested targets for the TESS satellite. There are about 12,000 eVscope located all around the world but principally in Europe, the USA and Japan. These were the regions where the scopes were first marketed. About 1500 of these have been registered to the “Science” program and of those my impression is about 100 have been actively used for exoplanet observation. The figures for the week commencing 5/5/24 were 48 observations by 38 observers of 13 targets.
Although there are now several different models of eVscope they are all based around the same optical configuration. This is important as it makes combining data from different scopes relatively easy. SETI have set up a data reduction pipeline that takes uploaded raw frames from participating scopes and produces graphical and numerical output which is returned to participants via a Slack channel. When appropriate, the data from telescopes in different time zones can be combined to allow observations which are impossible from a single site.
This enables long transits to be observed and also long observations of poorly known timings to be tackled. Recently, the program has included candidates whose transits have only been captured 2 or 3 times. The aim is to see if there are any intermediate transits that would suggest a shorter period than originally calculated.
The latest combined observation attempt involved HIP 41378f which has a period of 542 days and transits lasting 19 hours. The ingress was timed to be first visible in S America and then egress in Western Europe. Individual observers were requested to make 2-4 hour observations during the time the star was at least 25 deg above the horizon. The plan was to have the star under continuous observation for 35 hours! (Most people were going to see no transit!). This therefore also included observers in Japan and Australia. 26 telescopes provided data. The results are awaited.
It is possible for single observers to choose their own targets (Usually from the Swarthmore database -astro.swarthmore.edu) and then do their own analysis. Until recently that involved requesting the data from the SETI servers to which it had been sent directly by the telescope’s internal software. This was slow and tedious, involving downloading about 10GB of data which had previously been sent to them. After lobbying from the users, it is now possible to download the data straight from the telescope to a local laptop.
My personal impression is that these scopes will never substitute for results from 8”+ aperture scopes but their uniformity and world-wide distribution plus consistent data reduction means that they have a place in Exoplanet observation.
Mike Rushton
CMHASD Solar Observing at Hall Place & Gardens – 5th May 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
On Sunday 5th May 2024 the team from CMHASD set themselves up for the first of our two Solar Observing events at Hall Place & Gardens and what a glorious day it was to be out solar observing.
Members of the public were invited to do some solar observing which was enthusiastically accepted by those who were keen to look at the sun using our scopes. The Sun put on a good display having several complex sunspots for the public to view.
Five telescopes were set up to observe the Sun safely. First; a table-top Celestron Firstscope 76mm Newtonian fitted with a home-made solar filter through which many of the public were able to see the numerous sunspot groups, this was a low budget telescope and easy to use.
There were 3 smart scopes set up; two Seestar S50’s and a Dwarf II. The 2 images of the Sun below were taken by the smart scopes. The first was taken by CMHASD Secretary Dr Mike Rushton using a Dwarf II smart scope and the second taken by member Terry Miles using a Seestar S50 smart telescope. Both images were captured whilst Mike & Terry were helping at Hall Place.
Dwarf II smart telescope (1″ aperture!) 30 x 1/200sec subs at gain 0 with a ND6 Solar filter.
The fifth telescope set up was a Celestron C90 Maksutov Cassegrain telescope, focal length 1250mm, 90mm objective lens (corrector plate) using a 32mm eye piece which gave a full view of the Sun’s disk. This was on a Sky Watcher heavy duty tripod on which was mounted a William Optics wedge on which was mounted a iOptron Sky Guider Pro tracking mount and finally the Mak mounted on top. The Celestron was set up for visual observation only so fitted with a Baader 5ND solar filter, no imaging was done.
Our pitch was on the grass at the end of the path from the main entrance to the gardens, and we were quite close to the hard standing outside the art gallery and café. With the date being chosen to coincide with the Farmers’ Market, we experienced good foot-fall and our flag was prominent for visitors as they arrived.
The Crayford team returns again later in July for our second session but there’s no doubt this first visit to Hall Place for Solar Observing in 2024 was a great success and the Society would like to thank all those members who helped on the day 😀
Thank you also to John Archer, John Howarth, Dr Mike Rushton and Terry Miles for sharing your photos with us.
*** CMHASD will be back at Hall Place on Sunday 7th July 2024 to do some more Solar Observing with the public. Please do come and join us! ***
Our Sun – 21st & 29th April 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
Two fab images of our Sun taken by member Jim Burchell on the 21st & 29th April 2024. Details of how Jim captured the Sun is on the 1st image. Please note a solar filter was used too.
Sun on 21st April 2024 by Jim Burchell
For comparison; below is the Sun with the Sunspots numbered taken from Spaceweather.com on 21st April 2024.
Ref:https://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=21&month=04&year=2024
The Sun on 29th April 2024 by Jim Burchell
For comparison; below is the Sun with the Sunspots numbered taken from Spaceweather.com on 29th April 2024.
Ref:https://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=29&month=04&year=2024
The Sun – 18th April 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
A super collection of Sun images taken on the 18th April 2024.
The 1st image below was taken by Dr Mike Rushton using a Dwarf II smartscope. Mike took 30 x 1/200sec images which were stacked, gain 0 + solar filter.
For comparison, below is the Sun image from Spaceweather.com on the 18th April and has the Sunspots numbered.
The next 5 images below of the Sun were taken by member Simon Dawes. Details of how Simon acquired his images are on some of the photos.
Double Rainbow
A fantastic image of a double rainbow captured by member Kevin Smith whilst on a walk in Deal, Kent on the 16th April 2024.
At 6.35pm Kevin was walking along the marshes to the West of Deal looking East towards the sea, about 700 metres from the beach when he saw the rainbow and used his Samsung A52s mobile phone to take the photo.
”A double rainbow is a wonderful sight where you get two spectacular natural displays for the price of one.
Surprisingly, this phenomenon is actually relatively common, especially at times when the sun is low in the sky such as in the early morning or late afternoon. The second rainbow is fainter and more ‘pastel’ in tone than the primary rainbow because more light escapes from two reflections compared to one.
The secondary rainbow is also dispersed over a wider area of the sky. It is nearly twice as wide as the primary bow.
A key feature of double rainbows is that the colour sequence in the second rainbow is reversed.
The dark band between the two rainbows is known as Alexander’s band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it in 200AD.
The band forms because between the deviation angles of the primary and secondary rainbows none of the sunlight is scattered by the raindrops towards the observer giving the band of dark sky.
How are double rainbows formed?
Double rainbows are formed when sunlight is reflected twice within a raindrop with the violet light that reaches the observer’s eye coming from the higher raindrops and the red light from lower raindrops.
This means the sequence of colours is inverted compared to the primary rainbow, with the secondary bow appearing about 10 degrees above the primary bow.” Ref:https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/optical-effects/rainbows/double-rainbows
Moon – 15th April 2024
A super image of a Waxing Crescent Moon taken by Dr Mike Rushton on the 15th April 2024. The Moon was 7 days old, 46% illuminated and in the constellation Gemini.
Mike captured the image using a smartscope called a Dwarf II. The photo is a stack of 30 x 1/250 second images at gain 0 but with no filter (except IR cut).
BAA Winchester Weekend 2024
BAA Winchester Weekend
2024 April 12-14
Over the three days 12 CMHASD members were treated to lectures and talks covering a wide variety of astronomical subjects ranging from the BAA Archives to Dark Energy; including two new presentations from CMHASD members Martin Crow, Steve Floodgate & David Grist. To see the whole BAA Winchester Programme click on the link https://britastro.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Winchester-Programme.pdf
This years Alfred Curtis Memorial lecture “The Digital Telescope Concept” was presented by Professor Don Pollacco from the University of Warwick. If you click on the link https://britastro.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Winchester-Bios-Abstracts.pdf you can read the biographies and abstracts of all the speakers and their talks in the order they were given.
On Saturday morning CMHASD member & trustee Martin Crow gave his presentation about the ExoClock Project with regard to how citizen scientists are contributing to ESA’s Aerial Space Mission.
On Saturday afternoon some white light solar observing /imaging was possible through the thin cloud.
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
Back by popular demand were Eric and Ernie (CMHASD members Steve Floodgate & David Grist) who made an appearance at the BAA members session on Sunday afternoon to promote and drum up support for New Scientist Live at ExCel London at which they and other CMHASD members helped.
Also David Grist is now a fully paid up member of the British Astronomical Association choir….
As night fell, observing had been planned but with cloud cover on both nights two social evenings were had instead 🙂
Thank you to members Diane Clarke & Martin Crow for your help writing this post and to Diane, Martin and Simon Dawes for sharing your photos of the weekend.
Crescent Moon
Two lovely images of a 32 hour old Moon with Earthshine taken by member Richard Bohner from Arizona on the 9th April 2024.
The 1st image of the crescent moon with Jupiter (top left) was taken with an iPhone. The dot to the right of the Moon was an aeroplane.
The 2nd photo of the crescent moon was taken at 7:30 pm using a Canon 6D with 200mm telephoto lens f2.8, 1/20 sec exposure at ISO 3200.
Solar Eclipse – 8th April 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, also known as the Great North American Eclipse, was a total solar eclipse visible across a band covering parts of North America, from Mexico to Canada and crossing the contiguous United States. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the Sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, blocking all direct sunlight. Totality occurs only in a limited path across Earth’s surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a larger surrounding region. Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_April_8,_2024
Member Richard Bohner took these two superb partial solar eclipse photos at approximately 11:20 am from Cottonwood, in Arizona, USA on the 8th April 2024.
Richard captured the images using a Celestron 8” SCT fitted with a solar filter and a Canon 6D set at 1/30 second exposure and ISO 1600.
For more information about the total solar eclipse on the 8th April 2024 check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_April_8,_2024.
Stunning Solar Halo by Honor Wheeler
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
Two stunning Solar Halo images taken by member Honor Wheeler on the 14th April 2024 from Winchester.
Honor captured the Solar Halo’s using a Canon M6II fitted with a Samyang 8mm fisheye lens, ISO100, 1/2500’s & 1/3200’s.
For more information about Solar Halo’s and how they are formed check out https://atoptics.co.uk/blog/atmospheric-halos/.
The Sun – 24th March 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
A super image of the Sun taken on 24th March 2024 by member Honor Wheeler.
Honor captured the white light image of the Sun using an ED80 Refractor fitted with a solar filter, EQ3-pro Synscan mount, 2x Barlow, Canon M6 II. Exp1/6400s and ISO400.
Below Honor’s image is an image of the Sun on the same day with the sunspots labelled taken from Spaceweather.com.
Photo Ref: https://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=24&month=03&year=2024
Spaceweather.com reported ”Yesterday, the sun produced a solar flare so strong, it took two sunspots to make it. Sunspots AR3614 and AR3615 exploded in tandem on March 23rd (0130 UT), directing their fire straight at Earth. A National Solar Observatory telescope in Australia recorded the double blast.
The explosion from AR3614 (top) was so violent it seemed to rip the fabric of the sun, while AR3615 (bottom) followed very close behind with a less intense blast of its own.
While this may seem like an incredible coincidence, it probably didn’t happen by chance. Researchers have long known that widely-spaced sunspots can explode in tandem. They’re called “sympathetic solar flares.” Occasionally, magnetic loops in the sun’s corona fasten themselves to distant pairs of sunspots, allowing explosive instabilities to travel from one to the other. This has apparently happened to AR3614 and AR3615.
Some sympathetic flares are so much alike, they are considered to be twins. Yesterday’s double-blast was not a perfect twin, but close enough. It shows that the two sunspots are linked, raising the possibility of more double-flares…”
The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the sequence and it can be viewed in this movie.
The Worm Moon by Honor Wheeler
Three fantastic Full Moon images taken by CMHASD member Honor Wheeler on the 24th March 2024 from North Kent.
This is the first Full Moon of the spring season and appeared on the night of Sunday 24th March and Monday 25th March reaching its peak illumination in the early hours of Monday 25th March 2024.
In March, the Full Moon is also known as the Worm Moon and if it occurs on or after 21st March it is also known as the Paschal Moon, which is used to determine the date of Easter. In some years the Paschal Moon is the Worm Moon as in this year 2024; in others, it’s the Pink Moon (Full Moon in April). The dates for the Paschal Moon range from the 21st March to the 18th April.
Moonrise half risen
Honor used a Canon M6II, Tamron 18-400mm lens set to 400mm, F8.0, exp1/640s and ISO400.
Full Moonrise
Honor used a Canon M6II, Tamron 18-400mm lens set to 400mm, F8.0, exp1/640s and ISO400.
Full Moon and Blossom
The image below is a composite photo of the moon through an Apricot tree in bloom. The first photo was focused on the moon the second focused on the tree then overlayed using snapseed.
Honor used a Canon M6 II, Tamron 18-400mm lens and Tripod.
For the Moon exposure the settings were; lens set to 400mm, F8.0, exp1/3200s and ISO800.
For the tree exposure the settings were; lens set to 400mm, F8.0, exp1.1/3sec and ISO800.
For more information about the March Full Moon check out https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-march and https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/worm.html
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks by Jim Burchell
Another fantastic image of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks captured on the 27th March 2024 by Jim Burchell using his Seestar S50 smart scope. The image consists of 24 x 10 second images stacked.
For more information about the comet 12P Pons-Brooks check out https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/12ppons-brooks-how-and-when-see-devil-comet
Bode’s Galaxy (M81) & the Cigar Galaxy (M82) by Jim Burchell
Bode’s Galaxy also known as Messier 81 (M81) is a grand design spiral galaxy which lies approximately 11.8 million light-years from Earth, with an apparent magnitude of 6.9.
Exoplanet transit of Qatar-9b
One more for the Exoclock project. This time the transit of exoplanet Qatar-9b measured by Simon Dawes and Martin Crow on the same night. Qatar-9 b is a hot Jupiter exoplanet in Ursa Major that orbits a K-type star. Its mass is 1.19 Jupiters, it takes 1.5 days to complete one orbit of its star and is 0.0234 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2019.
The Sun by Jim Burchell – 24th March 2024
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
A super image of the Sun taken by member Jim Burchell. The image is showing an extremely large Sunspot group AR3615 in the middle of the Sun.
Jim took the single image using a Pentax KP camera attached to a 102 mm Altair refactor fitted with a solar filter and then processed in Snapseed.
The Moon by Neil Webster
A super selection of Moon images taken by member Neil Webster in March 2024.
22nd March 2024
A Waxing Gibbous Moon, 94.7% illuminated and 12.47days old.
7 frames each 90s x 32fps. Best 20% aligned and stacked in Autostakkert. Processed in PhotoShop.
Neil captured the Moon using an AA115 triplet APO, EQ6 R, ZWO 290MM and Astronomik R/IR filter (642-840nm).
24th March 2024
A Waxing Gibbous Moon, 99.9% illuminated and 14.53 days old.
Check out Neil’s flickr page for higher resolution images at https://www.flickr.com/photos/137388222@N05/
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks by Jim Burchell
Two fantastic images of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks taken on the 15th & 18th March 2024 by member Jim Burchell. The images were taken using a Seestar S50 smartscope. On both nights Jim had a very small amount of time to capture the comet due to clouds rolling in. The image taken on the 15th is a stack of 6×10 second images and the image on the 18th is a stack of 18×10 second images.
Comet 12P/Pons Brooks on 15th March 2024
Comet P12/Pons Brooks on 18th March 2024
For more information about the comet and how to locate it check out https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/comet-12p-pons-brooks
The Sun – 25th Feb 2024 by Jim Burchell
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
A splendid image of the Sun taken on the 25th February 2024 by member Jim Burchell. Jim captured the image using a Seestar S50 smart scope fitted with a solar filter and processed in Snapseed. The giant sunspot AR3590 that can be seen on the Sun in Jim’s image was more than ten times wider than Earth when the image was taken.
Messier 52 by Diane Clarke
A super image of Messier 52 or M52, also known as NGC 7654 taken by member Diane Clarke on the 6th March 2024 during a brief clear spell in the weather.
Messier 52 is also known as the Scorpion Cluster or the Salt & Pepper Cluster and it is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Cassiopeia. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 6.9 and lies at an approximate distance of 4,600 light years from Earth.
Diane acquired the image using a Seestar S50 smart scope, 270 x 10s subs, stacked & processed using Affinity Photo.
ExoPlanet transists 2023 by Simon Dawes
A nice montage of the ExoPlanet transists Simon did in 2023 for the ExoClock project.
The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51a) by Diane Clarke
Lunar Clair-obscur Effects – French for “light” (clair) and “shadow” (obscur)
The Orion Nebula by Jim Burchell
A lovely image of the Orion Nebula (Messier 42/M42) taken by Jim Burchell on the 23rd February 2024 using a ZWO SeeStar S50 smart scope. The image is a stacked image containing 12 minutes of 10 second images. Jim said ”Considering the Moon phase was 97% illuminated I was quite impressed with the image.”
The Orion Nebula (M42) by Dr Mike Rushton
A superb image of the Orion Nebula (Messier 42/M42) taken by Dr Mike Rushton on the 3rd March 2024.
Mike acquired the image using a Dwarf2 telescope from DWARFLAB and took 400 subframes of 10 secs which was then processed in SIRIL.
The Sun by Jim Burchell – 1st March 2024
IC434, Horsehead Nebula and NGC2024 Flame Nebula by Kevin Langford
A fantastic image of IC434, the Horsehead Nebula & Flame Nebula (NGC2024) in the constellation Orion by member Kevin Langford. The image was taken on the 19th January 2024 from Bexley, Kent.
Kevin acquired his image using a ES 102ED APO, 0.7x focal reducer corrector, EQ5 Pro, ZWO ASI071, Orion MMAG and a L-enhance filter. A total of 2.45 hours of exposures.
IC434 is a bright emission nebula in Orion. It was discovered on February 1, 1786 by William Herschel.
The Horsehead Nebula is a small dark nebula silhouetted against IC 434 and is located near to the star Alnitak (ζ Orionis) which is a triple star system at the eastern end of Orion’s belt. The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 1,375 light-years from Earth. It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of its resemblance to a horse’s head.
The Flame Nebula (NGC2024) is also an emission nebula, it has a radius of 6 light-years and located about 1350 light-years away from Earth.
AstroFest 2024
Many members have been at AstroFest this weekend, but it looks like the cost of living crisis and high prices seem to be having an impact, with many retailers and manufacturers not exhibiting at AstroFest this year. At least there isn’t the crush of people from past years and a bit more space to have a coffee and cake or get get some practice in docking to the ISS.
Janice Receives the Lydia Brown Medal from the BAA
Janice received the Lydia Brown medal from the BAA in recognition of meritorious service to the Association in an honorary capacity over many years.
Occultation of Asteroid 2000 SZ278
The Moon – 17th Dec 2023
A lovely image of a Waxing Crescent Moon taken on the 17th Dec 2023 by member Honor Wheeler. On this day the Moon was 4.72 days old, 27.01% illuminated and in the constellation Aquarius.
The image was taken using a Skywatcher ED80 Refractor, Skywatcher EQ3 Synscan mount, x2 Barlow, Canon M6 MRKII Camera set at ISO100 and exp. 1/20s.
CMHASD Christmas Quiz – 2023
Congratulations to team Dalek for winning this years CMHASD Christmas Quiz.
Team Dalek
Member’s Rita Whiting and Debra Holton pulled out all the stops to provide a night of head scratching, puzzlement and fun. Thank you Rita & Debra for all your hard work & effort creating the quiz. It was a great night and we are all looking forward to the next one!
The Moon – 19th Dec 2023
A stunning 10 frame image of the Moon taken by member Neil Webster on the 19th Dec 2023. The Moon was in the First Quarter phase, 47% illuminated, 7.07 days old and in the constellation Pisces.
The First Quarter phase comes roughly 7 days after the New Moon and is when the moon has completed one quarter of its orbit around the Earth hence the name First Quarter. The Moon in this phase is also referred to as a Half Moon too.
Neil acquired is image using a R/IR filter, ZWO ASI 290MM, EQ6 R, AA 115 triplet APO, and Firecapture. 10 frames stitched in Microsoft ICE. Each 90s x 33fps. 20% stacked in AutoStakkert. Post processed in Photoshop.
Below are a couple of individual frames from the above image.
To see more of Neil’s brilliant images check out his flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/137388222@N05/with/53409456667/
Venus, Spica & Moon – 8th Dec 2023
Two super images by member Jim Burchell taken on the 8th Dec 2023. The 1st image shows Venus, the star Spica and the Moon going lower left to top right. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky. The 2nd image is of the Moon with Earthshine.
The Moon on the 8th December 2023 was 24.88 days old, 22.05% illuminated and in the Waning Crescent phase. This is the phase where the moon is less than 50% illuminated but has not yet reached 0% illumination which would be a New Moon.
Jupiter using a red filter – 5th Dec 2023
A great image of Jupiter taken by member and trustee Simon Dawes.
The image was taken on the 5th Dec 2023 using a Celestron EDGE11HD, with a red filter, f2800mm (f10), Rising Cam CMOS sensor and Mesu e200 mount. Sharpcap Pro, 2 min of video, stacked in AutoStakkert, processed in Registax 6 and Photoshop.
For more member images of Jupiter check out the Jupiter section on our website.
For more information about using filters for visual observing of the Moon and planets https://britastro.org/2018/filters-for-visual-observing-of-the-moon-and-planets
Moon – 28th Nov 2023
Two lovely images of the Moon taken by members Jim Burchell & Kevin Langford on the 28th Nov 2023.
On this day, the moon was 14.57 days old, 99.58% illuminated and so in the Waning Gibbous phase and found in the constellation Gemini. The Waning Gibbous phase is the first phase after the Full Moon. It lasts roughly 7 days with the Moon’s illumination growing smaller each day until the Moon becomes a Last Quarter Moon with an illumination of 50%, sometimes referred to has a half moon.
Gibbous has its origins in the Late Latin word gibbosus, meaning ‘humpbacked’ and the Latin word gibbus, meaning “hump.” It was adopted into Middle English to describe rounded, convex things.
Kevin Langford’s image taken using a Cannon 750D and a 150 to 600 mm Sigma lens.
Jim Burchell’s image taken using a Pentax KP, F8.0, 1/400 sec, 300mm, iso 800 and cropped in Snapseed.
Aurora – Norway – November 2023
Member George Buckberry’s sister Val Hicks went on a cruise up to the North of Norway in November this year and has kindly shared her photos with us of the stunning Aurora display that she saw. Some truly beautiful images 🙂
Lunar Halo – 25th Nov 2023
A stunning example of a Lunar Halo captured by 3 members of the society – Leigh Slomer, Honor Wheeler and Simon Dawes on the evening of the 25th Nov 2023. The white dot at the 4 o’clock position from the Moon is the planet Jupiter.
The ring around the Moon – or ‘lunar halo’ is caused by the refraction of moonlight from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. For more information check out https://atoptics.co.uk/blog/moon-halo/
Leigh Slomer
Honor Wheeler
Simon Dawes
The Sun by Jim Burchell – 23rd Nov 2023
Shears Green Junior School – Cosmic Camp 2023
Several society members attended Shears Green Junior School on Friday 15th September 2023 with their own or a society telescope to take part in the school’s ‘Cosmic Camp’. The Society would like to say a big thank you to all the members who helped make this event a success.
Member Diane Clarke who attended the event wrote ”Earlier in the year the CMHASD was again invited to the Shears Green Junior School Cosmic Camp. So we took our telescopes along to offer views of various stella sights.
In the evening Jupiter & 3 of its Galilean moons appeared above the horizon and was again greeted with awe & wonder by all who viewed them. There was also views of Cygnus & the planet Saturn with its largest moon Triton.
The double star Mizar (Alcor) in Ursa Major also proved a great hit when the children discovered that 1 star was actually 2 stars.
As well as showing the children the night sky we also had some classroom presentations and a display of members images along with an image from the JWST on show.
The members who went along had an extremely enjoyable and rewarding time due to the enthusiasm of all the children & teachers at the camp. Lots of questions were asked by a very inquisitive & enthusiastic young audience and as they looked through the telescopes we heard were phrases such as “wow”, “is that real?” & “is it a hologram?”
One of the teachers from the school wrote in a thank you email to us “We all had such a fantastic time last Friday and the children didn’t stop talking about it for days.”
We look forward to next year 🙂”
The Society did not take any photos of the event as there were too many safeguarding issues.
Comet Lemmon C/2023 H2 – Nov 2023
Superb image of Comet Lemmon C/2023 H2 taken by member Richard Bohner on the 11th Nov 2023 from Arizona, USA. Richard used the following to acquire his image – Canon 5D Mk IV on a Celestron 8” SCT. Magnification about 100X. 60 seconds exp. At ISO 10K.
The comet was discovered on April 23, 2023 with a robotic 1.5m reflector telescope of the Mount Lemmon Survey, hence the name Comet Lemmon (C/2023 H2). That program is part of the Catalina Sky Survey based at Stewart Observatory’s Catalina Station near Tucson, Arizona, which combs the sky each night in search of new comets and asteroids. The comet is just one of an incredible 50,000 asteroids and comets discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey, making it one of the most prolific minor planet-discovering surveys currently operating.
During mid-November the comet was moving across the western sky from the constellation Hercules through Aquila just below the Summer Triangle asterism.
More ExoPlanet transits for the ExoClock Project – Nov 2023
Five more transits done!
TOI-3688 A b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star. Its mass is 0.98 Jupiters, it takes 3.2 days to complete one orbit of its star and is 0.0456 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2023.
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/8781/toi-3688-a-b/
Exoplanet GPX-1 b is in the constellation of Perseus. GPX-1 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits an F-type star. Its mass is 19.7 Jupiters, it takes 1.7 days to complete one orbit of its star and is 0.0338 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2021.
Exoplanet Qatar-5b is located in the Andromeda constellation. Qatar-5 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star. Its mass is 4.32 Jupiters, it takes 2.9 days to complete one orbit of its star and is 0.04127 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2017.
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/3488/qatar-5-b/
CMHASD Stargazing at Hall Place, Bexley – Wed 22nd Nov 2023
On Wednesday 22nd November 2023, CMHASD were back at Hall Place & Gardens to hold a star gazing event from 7pm to 9pm. We had brilliant support from our members who bought along a variety of telescopes, cameras, meteorites and other displays for our guests.
CMHASD Chairman John Archer wrote ”Last week at Hall Place we had one of our best ever for observing and public enjoyment. Although these events take quite a bit of setting up, and time out of the diary, they are extremely rewarding. We managed a couple of talks – “choosing a telescope (or not)” from Mike being the customary first talk. Initially we were clouded out, however it became apparent that during the first talk, some gaps were appearing, so we invited the public outside. They were treated not just to a brilliantly positioned Jupiter, but also a prominent Moon, and far off Saturn even got in on the act. Finally, we managed to coax the visitors back in for tea, a comet talk and demo for which I’m grateful to Debra for the ingredients list and instructions – it wasn’t quite Bake-off but the resulting comet at least didn’t have a “soggy bottom” thanks partly to sublimation!
A big thank you to the whole team for once again supporting the event.”
Below are a few photos showing some of the celestial delights our guests got to view/image and one of the comet Debra made too 🙂
Congratulations to Dave Grist & Steve Floodgate
A huge congratulations to CMHASD members Dave Grist and Steve Floodgate for receiving the BAA Horace Dall medal & gift this year.
Chairman John Archer wrote ”For anyone who travelled up to the Institute of Physics last Saturday or tuned in via Zoom for the BAA meeting would have seen this year’s recipients of the Horace Dall medal & gift – “The award shall be made to a person, whether or not a member of the Association, who has shown marked ability in the making of Astronomical Instruments. If two or more people have been jointly concerned in a particular work then each person may receive a medal and gift.” This year the worthy recipients were our very own Dave Grist and Steve Floodgate, expert converters of spare and unloved telescopes into fantastically popular and fun to use Dobsonians. Well done both of you – we’re proud of your achievements and grateful for your continued efforts contributing to the Society practical observing and outreach.”
Below is a selection of photos showing Dave & Steve being presented with their medals by the President of the BAA David Arditti on Saturday 9th December 2023 at the BAA Christmas Meeting. Well done guys 🙂
Autumn Equinox Star Party – Kelling Heath, Norfolk – Oct 2023
Below is a brief summary of the latest trip by CMHASD members to Kelling Heath for the Autumn Equinox Star Party written by Simon Dawes.
”10 Members, 5 pitches, 2 tents, 2 caravans, 1 camper van and a lodge set the scene for a damp and windy long weekend.
If you decided to go to the Autumn Kelling Heath star camp based on the weather forecast, you would never leave Crayford; fortunately us seasoned star campers know better than to believe the forecast.
Wednesday: Cloud, Wind and Rain.
Four of us arrived in the rain, setting-up camp in a brief gap in the weather and headed to Honor’s lodge for a very welcome evening meal.
Thursday: Cloud, Wind and Rain.
Some of us headed out for a walk to the beach stopping for tea and cakes at the village cafe, a cloudy night saved by us zooming into the Barry Kellet lecture.
Friday: Cloudy, Windy, and a clear night.
The short term forecast suggested a clear night, the clouds parted early and we weren’t disappointed, we had views through Dominique’s a very nicely set-up 3” Refactor, Keith’s 10” Dobsonian, Simon’s 12” Dobsonian, Julian’s 20” Dobsonian, and some very nice 4” Binoculars from a nearby pitch.
It was too windy for imaging early on but the wind died down and David did a good job imaging using a Samyang 130mm Lens on an HEQ5 mount – possibly overkill – but the results spoke for themselves.
We packed up at about 3:30 am.
The sky at Kelling by Kevin Smith
The Milky Way by Simon Dawes
Images below are by Martin Crow
Below are images by Jim Burchell. All images where taken with a Pentax KP attached to a Skywacher star adventurer. All the images are single frame images.
Saturday: Dry, partial cloud during the day, mostly cloudy at night
We visited the trade stands, being careful to leave our wallets behind. Julian had some wonderful views of the Sun in his Ha telescope a modified PST.
Sunday: Dry
We packed up and headed home.”
Plus Kevin had a cute little visitor one night to his tent 🙂
Sundogs & 22-degree Halo by Jim Burchell
Fine examples of sundogs and part of a 22-degree halo captured by member Jim Buchell on the 25th September 2023 from Dartford.
”A sundog, also known as sun dog, mock sun or parhelion, consists of glowing spots around the sun. They are created by sunlight refracting off plate-shaped ice crystals in the cirrus clouds. Sundogs are some of the most frequently observed atmospheric optical phenomena and can be observed throughout the year and anywhere in the world. They are also associated with 22-degree halos.
Sundogs tend to be most visible when the Sun is close to the horizon. The part of a sundog closest to the Sun tends to be red in colour, while the areas further away from the Sun generally appear blue or green.” Ref:https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/optical-phenomenon.html
For more information about sundogs and 22-degree halo’s check out https://atoptics.co.uk/blog/sundogs-sun-dogs-parhelia-mock-suns/ and https://atoptics.co.uk/blog/22-halo-formation/
Development of Sunspot AR3395 by Simon Dawes
A nice set of images showing how the Sunspot AR3395 developed over 5 days as it moved across the Sun in August by member Simon Dawes.
ExoClock Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece 2023
2023 October 21/22
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
3rd ExoClock Annual Meeting
CMHASD trustees Martin Crow, Simon Dawes and Dr Mike Rushton attended the 3rd Annual Conference of ExoClock in Greece, a project to improve the ephemeris of exo-planet transits for the European Space Agencies, Aerial Mission, due to launch in 2029.
During the conference Martin and Simon were awarded ‘Silver Awards’ for reaching over 100 successful ExoClock observations. Congratulations Martin & Simon!
Below are 2 accounts of the trip written by Martin and Simon.
Martin wrote ”When this year’s annual meeting was announced and that it was going to be in Greece, it felt that it was important to attend in person. The previous in person meeting, the first one since lock down, had been held at UCL in London. Because the project is international the annual meetings are a rare opportunity to meet other like-minded observers who we only normally see over Zoom.
Simon (who is also a regular contributor to ExoClock) and Mike (who is interested in the project and has done some transits with his EvScope) also come along.
We flew out on the Thursday which give us a free day to explore Thessaloniki before the weekend meeting. Our hotel was well placed in the middle of Thessaloniki although it was on a busy road junction.
I knew nothing of the place before we went. It is steeped in history and in cats. Yes cats. They were everywhere.
The Museum of Archaeology showed off the amazing finds of stuff made in and around Thessaloniki generally between 2000 and 2400 years ago. Delicate pottery and intricate gold jewellery, which had only survived because they were grave goods, were on display. The workmanship was incredible.
We also visited the White Tower (Middle Ages), the Rotunda (Roman) still with its domed roof and some of the massive city walls.
The weather was warm and there were plenty of restaurants to choose from. We took advice from the locals and kept away from the main tourist drags. The food was good, not expensive, and the portions were large. What not to like – providing you are not a vegan or veggie – there was a lot of meat.
The location of the meeting was just a 15-minute walk from the hotel.
The Saturday meeting kicked off with an Introduction given by Anastasia Kokori from UCL and various talks followed about the science surrounding the Ariel space telescope, the evolution of hot Jupiter’s and the possible use of machine learning with charting exoplanets.
After lunch there were more talks about Ariel and ExoClock. Following on from afternoon tea were more talks relating to the ExoClock project. Some were better than others.
On Sunday the day started off with talks from students taking part in ExoClock and using its data.
There were then two short talks given by amateur astronomers. One of them was me. The brief was to talk about our experience of being involved with the ExoClock project. I described when I had first got started and the positive and supportive aspects of the software and project in general. I finished by putting it all into context, that is to say, how it allows me as an amateur astronomer to contribute to an area that is a frontier of astronomical research. Awesome.
After the coffee break there were some very interesting talks/discussions about the focus groups and, also, education outreach in schools.
Finally, after lunch, there was more on the working groups some of which, I have to say, that I struggled to follow. Plus, it had been a long day!!
What I liked about the talks was that they were not too long, mostly 20-minutes. This is a good length and kept my attention, any longer and I would be drifting off. I found most of the topics interesting with fresh information on top of what I already knew.
All in all, a very worthwhile trip.”
Simon wrote ”We arrived on Thursday evening, and after dinner at a traditional Greek Taverna (ταβέρνα in Greek) we headed back to the hotel for Tea, in time to ‘zoom in’ to the societies lecture by Paul Money on the Vikings on Mars.
The following day was dedicated to sightseeing, Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum, The Arch of Galerius, The Rotunda (also commissioned by Galerius in the 4th Century AD), The Water Front and the White Tower and finally the Roman wall. One day really wasn’t enough for the sights and sites and we only scratched the surface of what Thessaloniki has to offer.
The conference was over 2 days, most lectures being 30 minute in length and ranging from the easy to follow to the latest mathematical, statistical and AI techniques associated with the Aerial and related Space Missions. Including, in one of the talks, a description of 24hrs of wasted Hubble time due to inaccurate exo-planet transit timings, really bringing home the impact amateur astronomers can have in this field by improving these ephemeris. There were also many talks on how MSc students were using exoclock data (hopefully crediting the observers) to understand better the characteristics of these planetary systems.
Martin and I were both awarded ‘Silver Awards’ for reaching over 100 successful observations (which is approximately 1000 hours of observing and maybe 300 hours in processing when you also take into account the failures due to weather or equipment issues) by the Principle Investigator (Giovanna Tinetti) and the leader of the Exo-Clock programme (Anastasia Kokori).
We headed home on Monday morning.”
For more information about the conference click here https://www.exoclock.space/annual_meetings
ExoPlanet transit of HAT-P-23b by Keith Rickard
One more for the ExoClock project – this one being the first for CMHASD trustee and treasurer Keith Rickard. It is of Exoplanet HAT-P-23b in the constellation Delphinus.
”HAT-P-23 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star. Its mass is 2.09 Jupiters, it takes 1.2 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.0232 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2010.” Ref:https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/1345/hat-p-23-b/
For more information about HAT-P-23b click here https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hat_p_23_b–737/
Superb Sun Pillar imaged by John Archer
Whilst travelling early morning on a train to London, CMHASD Chairman John Archer saw this fine example of a sun pillar on the 23rd October 2023.
”Sun pillars and light pillars are beams of light that extend vertically upward (or downward) from a bright light source, such as the sun or another bright light low on the horizon. They can be 5 to 10 degrees high and sometimes even higher. In fact, they might lengthen or brighten as you gaze at them. They’re beautiful and wondrous. And they’re also the source of some UFO reports!
When is the best time to see them?
You’ll most often see sun pillars when the sun is low in the western sky before sunset, or low in the east just after the breaking of dawn. However, you might even see a sun pillar when the sun is below the horizon. On the other hand, you can see light pillars at any time of night. They’re called sun pillars when the sun helps make them. But the moon or even streetlights can create this light phenomenon, too, in which case the name light pillar is more appropriate.” Ref:https://earthsky.org/earth/what-is-a-sun-pillar/
For more information about sun pillars see Les Cowley’s brilliant website Atmospheric Optics .
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) imaged by Martin Crow
C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is a long-period comet discovered by Hideo Nishimura on 12 August 2023 and member Martin Crow imaged it on the 20th August 2023. At the time of its discovery, the comet was in the constellation of Gemini and shining at magnitude +10.4.
Image details: 5x60sec exposures. 235mm diameter SCT @ f5.4, SX694 mono CCD.
ExoPlanet TrES-3b transit – observed by Simon Dawes
Another for the ExoClock project by Simon Dawes of the transit of exoplanet TrES-3b.
TrES-3b is in a very tight orbit around its host star, TrES-3, transiting the stellar disk once per 31 hours. For comparison, Mercury orbits the sun once every 88 days. TrES-3b is just a little larger than Jupiter, yet orbits around its parent star much closer than Mercury does, making it a “hot jupiter.”
The Milky Way by Honor Wheeler – Oct 2023
Four superb single shot images of the Milky Way captured by member Honor Wheeler whilst on holiday in Kelling Heath, Norfolk. In one of the photo’s there is a meteor!
CMHASD supporting the BAA at New Scientist Live – ExCel London 2023
Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society Dartford (CMHASD) were out in force at the recent New Scientist Live event at ExCel Centre, London Docklands on the 7th to 9th October 2023. We were there to help the British Astronomical Association (BAA) on their stand over the 3 days to promote the BAA and answer questions from members of the public, school children and teachers on all things astronomical.
CMHASD member Diane Clarke wrote ”As part of our display we had several 3D printed items which included: M51, painted scale models of the planets Mars & Jupiter and a section of the largest canyon in the Solar System the Valles Marineris.
All of these proved great talking points enabling us to make several sales as well as promoting membership of the BAA.
Among the visitors to the BAA’s stand was Professor Richard S. Ellis with his family; who had earlier in the day given a talk titled When galaxies were born: First results from the James Webb Space Telescope to a packed audience.
All in all, everybody who staffed the stand enjoyed the experience. Over the 3 days their enthusiasm & knowledge radiated to everybody that visited the stand, hopefully resulting in future new members of the BAA.”
CMHASD would like to thank all their members who helped over the 3 days and to Diane Clarke for sharing her photos of the event.
CMHASD Solar Observing at Hall Place – 19th August 2023
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
On Saturday the 19th of August several members of the Society were present for the second of our 2 solar observing sessions at Hall Place & Gardens. Below are some photos of the day. Thank you to Dr Mike Rushton, Honor Wheeler, Jim Burchell, Omila and Diane Clarke for sharing your photos.
The Sun in Hydrogen Alpha taken by Honor Wheeler using a Personal Solar Telescope (PST).
The Sun in white light taken by Omila using an iPhone with an adapter and telescope fitted with a Solar filter.
Full Moon & the final Supermoon of 2023 – 29th Sept 2023
Several CMHASD members were out on the 29th September 2023 to image the final Supermoon of 2023 and below are their images. This full Moon is also known as the Harvest Moon as it is the closest Full Moon to the September equinox this year.
Most years, the Harvest Moon is in September but around every three years it’s in October. When the Harvest Moon occurs in September it replaces the Corn Moon. When it happens in October it takes the place of the Hunters Moon.
Kevin Smith’s image taken from Deal, Kent.
Honor Wheeler’s images taken from Dartford, Kent.
Dominique Ferrand’s image taken from Cordoba, Spain. Dominique’s image is of the full Moon and Jupiter.
For more information: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/harvest.html
Annular Solar Eclipse 2023 – Richard Bohner
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
On Saturday 14th October 2023 an annular solar eclipse crossed North, Central and South America.
Member Richard Bohner; who lives in the USA wrote ”Hello all. There will be an annular solar eclipse here in Arizona on 14 October at 9:30 AM. The path is crossing the “Four Corners” area (where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico come together). I am coming back from a week holiday in Colorado, but leaving early in morning (6 AM) to get to my spot to observe the eclipse at 8:30 AM. I will have photos to post.” and here they are…
Some info on eclipse – Moon distance 246,504 miles and Moon coverage of sun 95.2%
Richard used his old Meade ETX 70 to acquire the photos.
The Sun and the Wilson Effect – Simon Dawes
NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.
On the 26th September 2023 member Simon Dawes imaged the Sun. One of his images of the sunspots on the Sun that day showed an interesting effect called the ‘Wilson Effect’. The Wilson effect is the perceived depression of a sunspot’s umbra or centre in the Sun’s photosphere.
Sunspot AR3443 showing the ‘Wilson Effect’
https://britastro.org/section_information_/solar-section-overview/wilson-effect-observers-challenge
WOW – Rare Super Blue Moon captured by Jim Burchell
A fantastic image of a Full Moon, a Supermoon and finally a Blue Moon all captured by member Jim Burchell on the 30th August 2023 from Dartford top road in Kent. WOW!!!!
The combination of a Blue Moon and Super Moon is very rare, so this was a very rare chance to see what is known as a Super Blue Moon. The last one was back in 2009 and we will have to wait until 2037 to see it again.
A blue Moon happens when the pattern of days in a year means there are 13 full Moons instead of the usual 12 and so one month has 2 full moons. This year the month of August had 2 full Moons.
Anyone hoping to seen the Moon tinged the colour blue would have been disappointed. The name of the Moon has nothing to do with colour but instead is so called because it does not fall in the usual scheme of named Moons. It is thought that the rarity is where the phrase “once in a blue Moon” may come from. The last blue Moon was in August 2021 and the next one will be in 2026.
This blue Moon is also known as a supermoon too and so appeared larger and brighter than usual in the sky. This was due to the fact that the Moon was near it’s closest point in its orbit around the Earth.
Finally, the 30th Aug 2023 full moon was the biggest and brightest Super Moon of the year as this year there are 4 Supermoons!
For more information click on this link https://moon.nasa.gov/news/197/super-blue-moons-your-questions-answered/
ExoPlanet transit of TrES-3b by Dr Mike Rushton
The transit of Exoplanet TrES-3b by CMHASD member & trustee Dr. Mike Rushton using an eVscope for the ExoClock project.
TrES-3b is a gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star GSC 03089-00929 a G-type star and is 0.02282 AU from its star. It has an orbital period of just 31 hours and nearly twice the mass of Jupiter. It was found by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey in 2007. It was discovered in the constellation Hercules about 10 degrees west of the star Vega.
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.
Crepuscular rays at the pavilion by Honor Wheeler
A lovely image taken by member Honor Wheeler on the 10th August 2023 whilst at the pavilion on an informal night of some crepuscular rays.
”Crepuscular rays are sunbeams that originate when the Sun is just above or below a layer of clouds, during the twilight period; which extend over the western sky radiating from the position of the Sun. Crepuscular comes from the Latin word crepusculum meaning “twilight”. Loosely, the term crepuscular rays is sometimes extended to the general phenomenon of rays of sunlight that appear to converge at a point in the sky, irrespective of time of day.” Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepuscular_rays
”The radiating appearance of the bands is caused by perspective, as demonstrated by the fact that when on rare occasions the rays extend across the entire sky, they appear to converge again on the eastern horizon. This rare related phenomena are called anticrepuscular rays and so appear at the same time (and coloration) as crepuscular rays but in the opposite direction of the setting sun (east rather than west).” Ref: https://www.britannica.com/science/crepuscular-ray
ExoPlanet TOI-1728b transit by Martin Crow
Another for the ExoClock project by CMHASD member & trustee Martin Crow of ExoPlanet TOI-1728b; a warm Super-Neptune orbiting an M-dwarf host.
Daytime Moon by Simon Dawes
Superb image of a daytime Waning Gibbous Moon (60% illumination) taken on the 7th Aug 2023 by CMHASD trustee & member Simon Dawes.
