Search Results for 'Join'

[Stewart John Bean]

Does anyone have a contact email for an exec at Slooh?

I use their telescopes regularly but recently there has been a lot of repeated booking for the moon taking up a lot of observing time. None of these users seems to be aware of the ‘Join mission” option which would avoid taking up observing slots. Nearly all bookings from 8pm to 23:45 are taken up with ‘Waxing Gibbous moon’. Joining an existing observing slot would be more efficient.

Yet I cannot find a contact point to make a suggestion to promote ‘Join’ option.

Stewart

[Bart Fried]

One solution might be for UK universities to join forces and form a consortium to fund and operate these closures. Spread the risk and cost. That’s how many of the largest telescopes and facilities operate these days. One good example is the Hobby-Eberly telescope. Its Project Partners are The University of Texas at Austin, Pennsylvania State University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Operating Jodrell Bank would be spit in a bucket compared to the cost of Hobby-Eberly.

The astronomers in China must be laughing their 臀部 off. They didn’t have a problem building the world’s largest radio dish. Think of that cost compared to simply continuing to operate a relatively small radio dish. The UK government is clearly shortsighted.

Bart Fried
President and Founder, Antique Telescope Society
American Astronomical Society – Historical Astronomy Division
British Astronomical Association
Amateur Astronomers Association, Inc.
oldscope@gmail.com
1-646-267-4620

[Callum Potter]

I think one of the Education & Outreach section’s aims is to create such a repository.

Would be best to contact them or join their mailing list to get involved
https://britastro.org/sections/education-outreach

Callum

[Stewart John Bean]

AAVSO have agreed to start observing DI Uma.

It is not particularly bright object and there is a bright star close by so need to be careful with the photometry aperture selection.
However, it is an interesting object in that it does appear to be a dwarf novae at the period minimum with a brown dwarf secondary. Today, results from the TESS mission, processed in Lightkurve, seem to confirm its orbital period is only 0.0545 d. Its behaviour is very similar to RZ Lmi in that it spends most time in superoutburst and its super outburst period is small – only 20 -30 days. They might be considered twins.

If anyone can join in an observe DI Uma it would help. It is in the evening sky at present and observable for most of the year.

Stewart

[Stewart John Bean]

Hi ,
I have been looking into IX Dra and its status as a “period bouncer” reported by Olech, A. et al 2004.
Their Fig 12 places IX Dra as a period bouncer. It turns out that decision is based upon an accurate understanding of the difference between P(sh) and P(orb). Determining P(orb) has not been easy. Thorstensen has recently (2020) determined P(orb) accurately and to check I looked at the TESS results for IX Dra. TESS date from the normal outburst sections of the light curve agrres with Thorstensen. So IX Dra can be moved to the upper branch of the curve in the attached figure and join its ER Uma cousins.

Stewart

Attachments:

1. 

   Olech-A-2004-Figure-12.png
   

[Callum Potter]

For members that might want to attend the funeral of Allan Chapman here are some details:

Funeral of Allan Chapman: Tuesday 3 March, 2 pm
RSVP request from Christ Church Cathedral

Further to our previous notice, we can now confirm that the funeral of Allan Chapman will take place here at the Cathedral on Tuesday 3 March at 2 pm. All those who knew Allan and wish to honour his memory are very welcome to join us. If you’d like to attend, please RSVP to us on cathedral@chch.ox.ac.uk.

mailing address is:
Christ Church Cathedral
St Aldate’s
Oxford
Oxford, Oxon OX1 1DP
United Kingdom

• This topic was modified 7 months, 4 weeks ago by Callum Potter.

[Jim Verner]

Just an update on the above post regarding Reflect Orbital and the Earendil-1 prototype satellite.

Their application for launch is currently before the FCC. If you are not aware of Reflect Orbitals plans a very basic summary is that they intend to launch a satellite constellation that will provide “sunlight as a service” – basically large space mirrors that will sit in an orbital shell at 625 km. The purpose is to reflect sunlight onto the dark side of earth to provide near 24hr illumination on areas where subscriber’s to their service pay for it. These will track across the sky shining a beam of light on, for example a solar farm and its surrounding area. There is no clear method stated as to where this beam of light goes as the satellite reorientates onto its next target. This is of course a very short and simplistic overview of their project.
There are many impacts and risks to their proposal, the key ones for astronomy being the launch of intentionally bright satellites and the risk of retinal damage if you are unfortunate enough to be looking through a telescope or binoculars when one of these satellites passes directly into your FOV.

There are of course other significant impacts on ecology, and atmospheric pollution, aviation and so on, and also its worth noting the US military have seen the potential applications and have gave the project financial resources to explore ‘novel uses’ of the technology.

I would like to encourage any and all within the BAA to have a look at this project and join in lodging objections to the FCC. I am happy to provide details as to how to do this, and you do not need to be a US citizen to lodge an objection. All objections are equally valid, whether from individuals or organisations.

Clear skies,
Jim

James Verner
Director
Dark Sky UK
IAU-CPS Member

[Jim Verner]

Hi All,

There is no doubt that the application by SpaceX for a 1 million satellite strong mega-constellation has the potential to be a devastating blow to astronomy at all levels. Yet, the economics of such a venture are alot less clear and some within the industry are already casting doubt on orbital data centres as both uneconomical and a significant risk to data security.

Whether or not this ever becomes a reality remains to be seen, though, as we have seen before with Musk / SpaceX never underestimate their ability to make even the improbable possible.

There is however, another potentially serious threat looming in the sidelines in the form of the Earendil-1 prototype satellite from Reflect Orbital. Their application for launch is currently before the FCC. If you are not aware of Reflect Orbitals plans a very basic summary is that they intend to launch a satellite constellation that will provide “sunlight as a service” – basically large space mirrors that will sit in an orbital shell at 625 km. The purpose is to reflect sunlight onto the dark side of earth to provide near 24hr illumination on areas where subscriber’s to their service pay for it. These will track across the sky shining a beam of light on, for example a solar farm and its surrounding area. There is no clear method stated as to where this beam of light goes as the satellite reorientates onto its next target. This is of course a very short and simplistic overview of their project.
There are many impacts and risks to their proposal, the key ones for astronomy being the launch of intentionally bright satellites and the risk of retinal damage if you are unfortunate enough to be looking through a telescope or binoculars when one of these satellites passes directly into your FOV.

There are of course other significant impacts on ecology, and atmospheric pollution, aviation and so on, and also its worth noting the US military have seen the potential applications and have gave the project financial resources to explore ‘novel uses’ of the technology.

I would like to encourage any and all within the BAA to have a look at this project and join in lodging objections to the FCC. I am happy to provide details as to how to do this, and you do not need to be a US citizen to lodge an objection. All objections are equally valid, whether from individuals or organisations.

Clear skies,
Jim

James Verner
Director
Dark Sky UK
IAU-CPS Member

[britastroperson5dadbeb40b915a437ec113c1]

I have a book on amateur radio astronomy from the 1960s which describes hydrogen line radio observing as “only for the [really] advanced amateur” & mapping the Milky Way as an exercise for those who are at nearly professional level…..and here we are – all doing it, only a few decades later! And doing it for such a cheap cost – long gone are the £thousands required for such projects.

So now – we move forward – some of us are mapping the Milky Way in 3D(Wow!), demonstrating dark matter(Wow! Wow!), weighing the Milky Way(little Wow!) and maybe even contributing to the advancement of science(Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!) – but perhaps most incredibly we can all walk in the scientific footsteps of those who came before us, and travel that journey of scientific discovery that leads us to understand the universe through eyes not our own, in wavelengths we cannot see, at distances we can hardly comprehend, over time periods that reduce our civilisation to a tiny pin-prick in the history of the universe!(Lots of Wows!)

……I am trying to encourage everyone here to give this all a try – it is NOT difficult!

AND if anyone would like to get help on your journey or just talk to others about their (proposed or actual) projects on H-Line then there is a joint BAA/SARA members H-Line meeting on Monday night (under auspices of BAA RAG). Log in details =

Microsoft Teams: (UTC+0) 19:00 on 5 Jan 2026:
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 360 212 052 639 56
Passcode: Jr36E8dw

Any problems joining contact me on andrew (at) thornett (dot) net or +447770841767.

Drop me an email if you would like to be added to the mailing list for future meetings.

Andy

[britastroperson5dadbeb40b915a437ec113c1]

I have a book on amateur radio astronomy from the 1960s which describes hydrogen line radio observing as “only for the [really] advanced amateur” & mapping the Milky Way as an exercise for those who are at nearly professional level…..and here we are – all doing it, only a few decades later! And doing it for such a cheap cost – long gone are the £thousands required for such projects.

So now – we move forward – some of us are mapping the Milky Way in 3D(Wow!), demonstrating dark matter(Wow! Wow!), weighing the Milky Way(little Wow!) and maybe even contributing to the advancement of science(Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!) – but perhaps most incredibly we can all walk in the scientific footsteps of those who came before us, and travel that journey of scientific discovery that leads us to understand the universe through eyes not our own, in wavelengths we cannot see, at distances we can hardly comprehend, over time periods that reduce our civilisation to a tiny pin-prick in the history of the universe!(Lots of Wows!)

……I am trying to encourage everyone here to give this all a try – it is NOT difficult!

AND if anyone would like to get help on your journey or just talk to others about their (proposed or actual) projects on H-Line then there is a joint BAA/SARA members H-Line meeting on Monday night (under auspices of BAA RAG). Log in details =

Microsoft Teams: (UTC+0) 19:00 on 5 Jan 2026:
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 360 212 052 639 56
Passcode: Jr36E8dw

Any problems joining contact me on andrew (at) thornett (dot) net or +447770841767.

Drop me an email if you would like to be added to the mailing list for future meetings.

Andy

[Grant Privett]

I eventually beat MS Teams into submission and I’ve sent out invitations to all those who responded to my gjprivett@dstl.gov.uk email address.

Please note: I shall be reading my emails up until Saturday night, so anyone still wanting to join in, can contact me.

I will send the pdf out to those who expressed an interest, whether they attended or not as weekends seem pretty busy in most households. 🙂

See you all on Sunday morning.

[Robin Leadbeater]

Here is some further information from Alexander on the spectroscopy side which I have been asked to also distribute to the wider spectroscopy community. It is similar monitoring to that requested by Paul Roche which covered mainly 2018-2021 and was reported on the ARAS and BAA forums
https://www.spectro-aras.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2128
https://britastro.org/forums/topic/request-for-monitoring-of-x-per

————————————————————————————-
Call for Spectroscopic and Photometric Monitoring of X Persei (4U 0352+309)

Observers are invited to join a monitoring campaign on the Be/X‑ray binary X Persei, which is currently in an unusually low X‑ray state.

The campaign is coordinated by Alexander Salganik, PhD researcher at the University of Turku, Finland, whose work focuses on the Swift/BAT X‑ray light curve of the system. Since 2001 X Persei has shown three major X‑ray outbursts roughly every seven years. The next expected outburst has not occurred, and the source now sits at its lowest X‑ray flux in more than twenty years. Optical monitoring will help determine the current state and physical properties of the Be star’s disk, including whether it remains present or has dissipated during this faint phase.

Spectroscopy: priority is high‑resolution Hα (6563 Å). Additional coverage of He I 6678 Å, He I 5876 Å, or Hβ 4861 Å is welcome. Target cadence is one observation per week.

Photometry: UBVRI is very welcome. If limited, R and V bands are most useful, with R particularly sensitive to disk emission.

Data can be sent directly to Alexander Salganik (alsalganik “at”gmail.com), who will provide regular feedback and campaign updates.

[Callum Potter]

Members might be interested in this event which is being held at the Royal Institution on Sat 28 June from 7.00pm – 8.30pm

In this talk, astrophysicist Niayesh Afshordi will explore the fierce scientific debates over cosmic origins, revealing how modern cosmologists are rethinking the Big Bang itself. He will discuss the latest theories, including his own leading-edge research, that challenge the traditional narrative: was the Universe born from a black hole? Does time extend before the Big Bang? Could our cosmos be part of a vast multiverse or an eternal cycle of rebirth?

Science is not just about equations – it’s about people, rivalries, and radical ideas. Join Niayesh and colleague Phil Halper for a journey through the evolving frontiers of cosmology and the search for the true origins of our universe.

Full details at: https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/battle-big-bang

[Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein]

At this time of year, a 24h coverage would be possible again just with night observations if there were enough observers around the planet. If I look at the AAVSO database, there are calendar days when we have up to ca 50% coverage: after someone in Europe observes for most of the night, someone in the US takes over … and then we get a gap.

I wonder if there are actually no active T CrB observers in that longitude range? Perhaps there are observers who just don’t bother to submit the data in the absence of an outbreak?

Imagine what it would be like to catch the actual nova outbreak in a high cadence photometry data set! I don’t think this has ever been done for a nova this close.

E.g. there must be tons of Seestar smart telescopes in China that could join the T CrB watch and help close the observation gap. How can we reach out to them?

Cheers
HBE

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein.

[Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein]

Next meeting: 8th of April:

FWD:========================================================================

This is a REMINDER for our WEBINAR on Tuesday, April 8th at 1700 UTC/1900 FR!

NOTE THE NEW TIMES!!!

Date: Tuesday, April 8th
Time:

12:00 PM CDT / 1:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM FR Time / 5:00 PM UTC
1200h CDT/ 1300h EST / 1900h FR / 1700h UTC

Zoom Link: https://umn.zoom.us/j/8068498577

Guest Speaker:
We’re excited to welcome Dr. Marion Pillas, a postdoctoral fellow at Liege University in Belgium. Dr. Pillas is also the chair for GRANDMA’s GRB Working Group and has written the GRB observing strategy for the collaboration.

She will be presenting on her research and on her paper:

“Limits on the Ejecta Mass During the Search for Kilonovae Associated with Neutron Star-Black Hole Mergers: A case study of S230518h, GW230529, S230627c and the Low-Significance Candidate S240422ed”

This paper focuses on how neutron star–black hole (NSBH) mergers are expected to produce kilonovae (KNe), but none have been confirmed despite extensive follow-up of four NSBH candidates detected via gravitational waves during O4 (May 2023 – July 2024). This study evaluates why no KN was detected by analyzing multi-messenger observations and the observational coverage from over 50 instruments. Simulations show that most NSBH KNe peak around one day post-merger in g, r, i bands – often outside follow-up coverage. For some candidates, faint KN luminosity, large distances, or poor sky localization significantly limited detectability, and in one case (S240422ed), the lack of a KN supports a non-astrophysical origin.

This is a GRANDMA/KNC paper led by Dr. Pillas and Dr. Antier. It can be found on the KNC forge, here.

This event is just our webinar, so we hope you’ll take the opportunity to join, ask questions, and learn more about cutting-edge research in fast transients and the science community!

Don’t forget to check out our Youtube for past webinar events and monthly meetings!

See you there!
Cristina Andrade
Research Professional | MN Institute for Astrophysics
The Kilonova Catcher Core Team
http://kilonovacatcher.in2p3.fr/
=============================================================================

[Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein]

The next webinar and meeting will be on Tuesday March 18th :

Forwarded from mailing list:

Date: Tuesday, March 18th
Time:

1:00 PM CDT / 2:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM FR Time / 6:00 PM UTC
1300h CDT/ 1400h EST / 1900 FR / 1800h UTC

Zoom Link: https://umn.zoom.us/j/8068498577

Guest Speaker:
We’re excited to welcome Shar Daniels, a 3rd-year Astrophysics PhD student, who will be presenting:

“Discovering Fast Optical Transients with Continuous Readout-Mode Imaging”

This talk will explore how continuous readout-mode imaging enables the detection of millisecond-duration optical transients – an emerging frontier in transient astrophysics!

This event is just our webinar, so we hope you’ll take the opportunity to join, ask questions, and learn more about cutting-edge research in fast transients.

See you there!

Cristina Andrade
Research Professional | MN Institute for Astrophysics
The Kilonova Catcher Core Team
http://kilonovacatcher.in2p3.fr/

[Callum Potter]

Members may be interested in this event in Cardiff

Gwthio Ffiniau Archwilio’r Gofod: Cyfle i weld crwydryn Mawrth Annwyl British Astronomical Association Rwy’n ysgrifennu atoch i’ch gwahodd i ddigwyddiad yn y Senedd, wedi ei noddi gan Cefin Campbell AS, a fydd yn amlygu sut mae ymchwilwyr Prifysgol Aberystwyth yn gwthio ffiniau ym maes archwilio’r gofod. Cynhelir y digwyddiad am 12.00pm ddydd Mercher, 2 Ebrill yn Neuadd y Senedd ym Mae Caerdydd. Fel rhan o’r digwyddiad, bydd ymchwilwyr Prifysgol Aberystwyth yn gwneud cyflwyniadau byr am eu hymchwil gofod, gan gynnwys ym meysydd tywydd ac offerynnau’r gofod. Yn ogystal, bydd cyfle i chi dynnu llun gydag ein model maint-llawn o grwydryn ExoMars, a adeiladwyd gennym yma yn Aberystwyth. Mae ein hymchwilwyr yn chwarae rhan allweddol yn nhaith ExoMars, gyda’r disgwyl y bydd crwydryn yn glanio ar y blaned yn 2028 er mwyn cynnal ymchwil o bwys. Darperir lluniaeth a chinio gan gynnig y cyfle i rwydweithio gydag ystod o bobl sydd â diddordeb yn y maes. Byddwch hefyd yn gallu sgwrsio ag ymchwilwyr a phartneriaid busnes am waith planedol a gofod arall sy’n digwydd ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth nes diwedd y digwyddiad am 1:30pm.    Byddem yn ddiolchgar pe bai modd i chi roi gwybod eich bod chi, neu rywun ar eich rhan, yn medru ymuno â ni yn y Senedd drwy e-bostio cyfathrebu@aber.ac.uk erbyn 21 Mawrth. Os oes gennych unrhyw gwestiynau, mae croeso i chi gysylltu â Kelly Jones ar kej27@aber.ac.uk. Yr eiddoch yn gywir, Yr Athro Angela Hatton Dirprwy Is-Ganghellor Ymchwil, Cyfnewid Gwybodaeth ac Arloesi, Prifysgol Aberystwyth

Pushing the Frontiers of Space: Chance to see Mars rover  Dear British Astronomical Association I am writing to invite you to a lunchtime event in the Senedd, sponsored by Cefin Campbell MS, that will highlight how Aberystwyth University researchers are pushing the frontiers of space exploration. The event will be held at 12.00pm on Wednesday, 2 April in the Neuadd in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. As part of the event, researchers at Aberystwyth University will give presentations about their space research, including in the fields of space weather and instrumentation. There will also be an opportunity for you to take a photo with our own full-size model of the ExoMars rover, which we built here in Aberystwyth. Our researchers are playing a key role in the ExoMars mission, with the rover due to land on the planet in 2028 to carry out vital research. Lunch and refreshments will be provided giving you an opportunity to network with a range of interested parties. You will also be able to chat with scientists and industry partners about other planetary and space work underway at Aberystwyth University until the event ends at 1:30pm. We would be grateful if you could let us know if you, or someone on your behalf, can join us at the Senedd by emailing communications@aber.ac.uk by 21 March. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kelly Jones on kej27@aber.ac.uk. Yours, Professor Angela Hatton Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Knowledge Exchange and Innovation, Aberystwyth University

• This topic was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Callum Potter.

[Callum Potter]

We have had this request come through – if you are interested the contact details are below.

======

We are hiring astronomers and hoped we can advertise to your members?

The Opportunity:

Calling all astronomy students, amateur astronomers and those interested in the stars!

Do you enjoy talking about the cosmos and would you like a chance to learn how to use a state-of-the-art digital Unistellar telescope? You will meet and work with Unistellar’s Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, Franck Marchis.

We’re looking for 12 people to join our staff for Piccadilly Un:plugged, an outdoor public art installation as part of the Art of London’s Art After Dark programme with artist Nelly Ben Hayoun Stépanian.

This is a very public-facing role. You will work in pairs, situated around the West End with your telescope for 3 nights in March: Thursday 6th, Friday 7th, Saturday 8th. Your job will be to invite the public to stargaze and talk to them about what they’re seeing.

Requirements:

Basic astronomy knowledge is requested – the digital telescopes will provide you with information about what you are viewing on the screens but we are looking for people who may be able to answer additional questions from the public and provide engaging commentary

No previous telescope handling is required – Unistellar will provide on the job training with their digital telescopes

Must be able to carry approx 10kg in a backpack

Must enjoy talking to strangers from all walks of life

Shift details: must be available for all evenings

Wednesday March 5th 6pm – 7:30pm (training session – paid) Thursday March 6th 6:30pm – 10pm Friday March 7th 6:30pm – 10pm Saturday March 8th 6:30pm – 10pm

Working Location: West End (London)

Dresscode: Please dress for the weather. We will provide a reflective jacket that should go over any warm layers

Fee: London Living Wage £13.85/hr, invoiced at completion of the weekend and paid within 30 days

Please contact jen@new-public.com with your CV and a paragraph about why you would like to be part of Art After Dark!

[Alex Pratt]

Storm’s cousin, Janice Cowan, provided more details:

Storm’s wishes for a woodland burial reflect his deep connection to nature, a theme woven throughout his life’s work. His informal funeral will be held at 1pm on Friday 28th February 2025, at the Sustainability Centre Natural Burial Ground, Droxford Rd, Petersfield GU32 1HR.

Attendees are encouraged to wear warm clothing, sturdy shoes, and lap blankets are recommended, as the service will be held in the woods. Transport from the car park to the graveside, for anyone unsteady on their feet, will be available. In this way, we will be honouring Storm’s request for a peaceful natural final resting place in harmony with the nature and environment he cherished so dearly. Please would you let me know if you are able to attend and can join us as we are catering afterwards.

(We can provide you with Janice Cowan’s contact details).

[Nick James]

The word “inconsistency” has negative connotations which don’t apply in this case. Each section can decide how it wants to make its material available. In the case of the Comet Section I get and share observations with groups around the world and contributors to the Comet’s Tale are a mix of members and non-members. For Journal reports I do prioritise observations made by members and most of the images I use to illustrate those reports will be from members. Where appropriate I encourage contributors to join the Association to support the work we do.