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They are interesting objects, a number of colleagues in my own department study them and due to their low mass, one can loook for low mass extra solar planets in orbit around them.
It looks like we may FINALLY get some clear skies here tonight- looking forward to making a magnitude estimate of it!
Observed the nova last night, I made it about 9.4. I also noted a strong reddish colour- possibly the reddest nova I’ve ever observed!
There’s been some splendid papers on time travel- all of which demonstrate some truly creative misunderstandings of general relativity!
Well I’ve printed off the comparison chart, and I have the RA and Dec ready to go- just need a clear sky tonight!
Interesting post Jeremy! Well observationally it was very good for me. We had a splendid Venus elongation and I got over 60 drawings (and the Section elongation report is waiting a slot in the Journal!) Comet Neowise was a joy, quite wonderful to see that visually in the skies with the naked eye. I have now 102 drawings of Mars- the spring months were exceptionally clear and although we’ve had a lot of cloud and rain in October and November, when it was clear the seeing has been excellent.
Finally there have been my variables I have been following- SS Cygni as you know has been behaving very strangely. Now we have the nova in Perseus which I have been following. Two days ago I got a drawing of Einstein crater on the western limb of the Moon- my first view of the formation. So all in, as I’ve been at home more I’ve done a lot more observing this year! I feel I have done much more astronomy than I would normally do and the 12” Newtonian which I got last year for my 40th birthday has greatly extended what I can do!
Let us hope for a healthier 2021 and I’m sure we all look forward to going to live BAA events again and having a drink in the pub afterwards!
Best wishes,
-Paul
Yes I saw them on Sunday. At their highest they were brighter than Regulus and around the same magnitude as Pollux, so that gives a magnitude of about +1.1. Very bright!
I’ll make an observation of it when I next get a clear sky. I can use my 10×50 finder to observe it.
Paul
Hi Phill,
I intend to write a report for the journal covering observations made of the transit- I can collate them into a series of images so if people could email me their observations (along with their locations) I will include them in the report. Thanks to those of you who have sent me their work already- I’m pleased so many people were able to get an observation given then conditions!
Regard,
-Paul
I wasn’t observing that night. I’ve had no reports or observations from observers in Leicester so far.
Hi Mike,
I think I’m one of those lucky chaps who can see Venus in the daytime sky without optical aid- indeed, most of my Venus work is done in the daytime as the bright sky greatly reduces the glare from the disk.
As the planet heads towards superior conjunction, it drops in brightness and can be hard to see, so another technique is to offset from the Sun. To anyone reading this: Only try this if you’re an experienced observer- if you’re not sure, don’t do it!
First make sure your telescope is capped. Next, project the sun on to some white card/paper with your finderscope so that it is in the centre then cap your finderscope. Lock the telescope into position then rotate your RA and Dec circles so that they read the RA and Dec of the sun. Next move your telescope to the coordinates of Venus. After making sure the sun is nowhere near the field of view (again using projection with your finderscope), use a low power eyepiece and you should see the planet in the field.
I have used this method for a good few years now on those days when it is slightly hazy and pick,ing up the planet in the daytime sky can be harder. I should say that anyone who doesn’t feel at least 110% confident should catch the planet in the dawn or dusk skies instead rather than trying this method!
Cheers,
-Paul
Not too bad for me I guess, although my number of planetary drawings is well below my average due to mass emigration of the planets to the southern skies:
- 35 Venus drawings
- 27 Mars drawings
- 7 Jupiter drawings (due to poor altitude)
- 5 Saturn drawings (due to poor altitude)
- 12 variable observations of SS CYG
- 1 observation of Comet Wirtanen
The highlight of the year was my week at Lowell with Pete Lawrence- although we only got two clear nights in the end, I got some reasonable drawings of Mars and Saturn, managed to see Deimos and Phobos for the first time and had one of my finest views of Saturn!
Cheers,
-Paul
Mars and its moons from the Lowell Observatory: There is still a lot of dust in the atmosphere and as a result, the dark albedo features like Syrtis Major have lost a lot of their intensity and are rather indistinct. The Hellas basin, normally quite bright is rather ill defined. To the south, the brilliant south polar cap which would soon rapidly shrink with the onset of spring in the southern hemisphere of Mars.
Splendid view of Saturn- the rings are wide open as the northern hemisphere of the planet is tilted towards the earth. The Cassini Division was seen all the ray around the ring as well as interesting details in the A and B rings. The clouds formations although similar to Jupiter are much more subtle and coloured in beautiful pastel shades.
Hi Grant,
I essentially have two wooden sheds attached together with a doorway between them, only one roof comes off though and this is hinged. The roof has a light weight wooden frame with light corrugated plastic on the top. It is easy to open and I can be up and ready in only a few minutes!
I have to say I don’t get a lot of problem with condensation in there, and I myself prefer it to a dome. You can see all of the sky (so you can spot any meteors) and of course you don’t have to keep turning the dome! The floor is concrete and it houses my 8 inch reflector- an arrangement I have had for over a decade and which I find very satisfactory!
Best wishes,
-Paul
Hi John,
In the past I was able to make it out easily in a 4 inch telescope. In the last few years, I have seen it without too much difficulty in a 90mm refractor. The use of a W#80 (light blue) helps to make it easier to see.
Cheers,
-Paul
Glad you enjoyed the meeting- nice to see some of the historical figures who never get a mention!
As for the jackets- I tend to collect them from indpendent little shops all over the world, this one is unique I believe that’s why I got it!
Gary- what were you going to suggest????!!!!!!!!! 😉
Best wishes,
-Paul
