The
Journal of the British
Astronomical Association
Volume 122,
No.2: 2012 April
Summary
contents page
Detailed contents: Notes and News / Articles / Observers' Forum /
Reviews / Letters / Meetings
On
the cover: Observing the Sun
With activity on the Sun increasing in the runup to the next solar
maximum, now is a great time to begin observing our nearest star. For
hints on how to get started, see our ‘Observing basics’ article by the
BAA’s Solar Section Director, Lyn Smith, on page 78. Full disk image in H-alpha light by Pete
Lawrence, 2011 June 3.
From the President (Bill
Leatherbarrow)
/ Stargazing Live in Regent’s Park
(Alan Lorrain) / Aurora Section (Ken Kennedy) / Solar Section (Lyn Smith) / Good Lighting Award
for Leicester temple (Bob Mizon)
/ Venus in 2011-’12: third interim report
(Richard McKim) / Supernova 2011ht in
UGC 5460 (Guy Hurst) /
Mars in 2011-’12: first interim report
(Richard McKim) / Observers battle
cloud and moonlight to view the 2011 Geminids (John W. Mason) / Weidong
Li, 1969-2011 (Tom Boles)
Observing
basics: II
Observing the Sun ... Lyn Smith
'Observing basics' is a new series of articles by BAA
Section Directors and other experts, designed to help you get started
in observing, whether you are a newcomer to astronomy or an
‘old hand’
thinking of taking up a new area of interest. Look out for further
articles in the series in future issues of the Journal!
Reviews
Exoplanets:
Finding, exploring, and understanding alien worlds by Chris
Kitchin,
Springer, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4614-0643-3. Pp xvi + 281, £26.99
(pbk).
Reviewed
by Richard Miles
Exploring Mars: Chronicles from a Decade of Discovery by
Scott Hubbard,
University of Arizona Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-8165-2896-7. Pp xx + 194,
$17.95 (pbk).
Reviewed
by Richard McKim
CLICK HERE
to read scores
more authoritative book reviews from the BAA Journal
- The medieval
astrolabe ... Dominic Ford
- Handheld
astrophotography ... Paul
Coleman
- Gems from The
Astronomical Register ...
Richard Baum
- Secondhand
large, manual telephoto lenses
... J. C. Vetterlein
Refereed
papers
Observing variable
stars for fun and physics ...
David Boyd
The 2011 Presidential Address, given on
2011 October 26 at the Royal Astronomical Society, Burlington House,
Piccadilly, London W1J 0BQ
Mercury projected on the solar corona ... Richard Baum
Instances
of Mercury seen in silhouette on the corona before or after a passage
across the solar disk are described and placed in context. The
observations are a reminder of the role of chance and surprise in our
experience of the physical world. Furthermore they illustrate the need
for observers to be more aware of the historical record.
Farewell
to film: Imaging comets and the Sun the old way ... Michael Hendrie
After more than a
century the use of photographic emulsion, whether on a flexible base or
a glass plate, has largely given way to electronic
imaging in its
various forms. This paper describes some of the techniques and
equipment used by amateurs in the era of photographic film.
Asymmetry
in lunar eclipses ... Darren Beard
Most lunar eclipse canons and catalogues
make the assumption that lunar eclipses are symmetrical about the
moment of greatest eclipse. This is in fact not strictly true. This
paper investigates the asymmetries, quantifies their magnitude, and
illustrates the errors in calculated times if they are not considered.
Short
paper: A revised rotation period for asteroid (2903) Zhuhai ... Peter Meadows
Click here to
obtain a PDF file of
any of these articles
Meetings
- Annual General Meeting
& Ordinary Meeting, 2011 October 26 ... Hazel McGee
Why
not
join us
at a BAA meeting near
you? Meetings are open
to all and you will be made very welcome. Click here
for
the latest Meetings Diary
BAA
Update
- Meeting of the Radio
Astronomy Group, 2011 Nov 12 ...
Diane Swan & Paul Hyde
- Obituary:
Brian George William Manning, 1926-2011 ... Guy Hurst
- BAA Council Photograph, 2010-2011 ... Hazel McGee & Peter Hingley
NGC 4565: a stunning galaxy in Coma
Berenices ... Stewart L. Moore
Aurora at Tarbat Ness ... Denis Buczynski
Remote observations of supernova
2011fe ... Martin J. F. Fowler
NGC 4565 imaged by Gordon Rogers
Sky
notes for 2012 April & May by Callum Potter
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