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Thanks James, Peter and Paul
The survey email is being delivered in batches. For those of you who haven’t received it yet, it should arrive in the next few days.
In the meantime people are welcome to use the link given in my email at the top.
Best regards
Jeremy
In 2015 I imaged on 116 nights (32%), which is close to the average of the last 11 years (33%). However, it was a year of two halves, with the first four months being generally very good indeed. The best month overall was September with 18 nights and the worst May and Dec with only 4.
Jeremy
That’s a very nice find, James. I am glad it will find a place on your wall. Donati’s was certainly one of the most impressive comets of the 19th century. It probably stimulated an astronomical interest in many people. Dr. Thomas David Anderson (1853-1932) and Col. E.E. Markwick (1853 – 1925) both mention it as their first astronomical recollection, being shown it when they were 5 years old. The former went on to discover several novae and the latter became the second Director of the VSS and BAA President.
Jeremy
I watched ingress, Nick. Always impressive to see a bright star like Aldebaran suddenly disappear behind the dark limb – you get a real impression of the moon moving against the background stars. I was clouded out for egress, though.
Jeremy
Dear Tony,
The Christmas meeting is one of the most popular events in the BAA Calendar and our meeting on Dec 12 maintains the tradition of welcoming world-class speakers including Professors Gerry Gilmore and Lucie Green. As in recent years, we have moved the venue from Burlington House to University College London so we can accommodate more people. However, even this large lecture theatre still has a limit on capacity. As in previous years, to ensure a comfortable, enjoyable and safe experience for those attending we have to keep track on the number attending, hence the request to book at place in advance. The meeting is free for members to attend provided they reserved a place by November 20, as announced in the October JBAA and via BAA ebulletin. We had anticipated this would give ample time for those intending to come to register for the event to register for free (non-members who wish to attend would pay the fee anyway) and the £5 fee would encourage people to register early.
I do hope that you will still be able to come to the Christmas meeting, which I am sure will maintain the high standards of previous years and be a very enjoyable event.
Kind regards,
Jeremy Shears
Well done, Peter. A nice image, especially considering the challenging conditions you were up against.
I hope you’ll get more opportunities.
Best regards,
Jeremy
Excellent, Michael. The simplest way to start is to image the field of NSV 2026 every clear night to see if it’s in outburst or not (unfiltered is fine). If you spot an outburst, please post the news to the BAA VSS alert group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/baavss-alert/info
Jeremy
Great stuff Michael. Do let me know if I can be of assistance as your plans progress.
If you want to have a dabble with CVs, the VSS is running a campaign on one called NSV 2026, which is in Taurus. Unfiltered CCD obs (or filtered, if you get the V filter) are needed to spot outbursts of this enigmatic dwarf nova – then when an outburst occurs, time series photometry is required for as long as possible. It goes into outburst every couple of weeks, so you won’t have to wait long for something exciting to happen!
More details here: http://www.britastro.org/vss/NSV2026.pdf
Jeremy
Hello Michael,
the requirement for a filter depends what type of variable star you are observing. I observe Cataclysmic Variables, in particular Dwarf Novae in outburst. I usually do unfiltered photometry to get the best signal-to-noise ratio. I’ll use a V-band comparison star sequence. Observing some eclipsing systems, where timing the eclipse is critical rather than the actual mag, can also been done unfiltered. For much other VS work a filter is highly desirable in order to be able to compare your photometry with other observers – and in the case of coloured variables (like Miras) a filter is essential. Whilst many amateurs use a V-band filter, some use a B, R or I filter. These are specific wavebands, based on the Johnson-Cousins system, which are designed for photometry and are thus different for standard coloured filters for tri-colour imaging (and different from UV or IR cut-off filters).
I am not sure where one can buy 2-inch V filters. The company Astrodon lists them, but they are unmounted. Maybe someone else can advise.
Best regards,
Jeremy
Wonderful image, James. Looks like you had good skies during your trip to North wales.
All the best,
Jeremy
Congratulations to everyone that observed this event – indeed an excellent result!
I enjoyed your Youtube video, Tim – thanks for posting. It looked to me that there were a couple of flashes towards the end of the occultation – was that due to the seeing?
Jeremy
Nice image with a huge amount of detail, Cam. You seem to be mastering narrow band imaging. Best of luck with your search for a larger format CCD.
Thanks for sharing.
All the best,
Jeremy
This is excellent news, Steve. Do keep us posted about your experiences with the new lights, and how they affect your views of the night sky, now that the nights are drawing in.
Jeremy
Excellent images, Cameron. Well done!
You must have superb negotiation skills to convince the other people to pack all that kit into their cases, but it was well worth the effort.
All the best,
Jeremy
Nice image, Paul. Yes, the sky was pretty decent this morning and I too had some good views in H_alpha.
Jeremy
My daughter and I spent last evening touring the Cheshire countryside looking for good views of the conjunction, which was absolutely beautiful. The attached pic has Beeston Castle in the foreground.
Jeremy
Indeed some pretty esciting data from Nick. Incredible to think we are looking at the secondary effects of a black hole.
Paul, I am not sure I know what is causing these variations. Much of the work on V404 Cyg has been whilst it was in quiescence, where large variations, or flares, are also seen. One idea is that the flares are caused by local magnetic reconnection events in or above the accretion disc. The theory goes that a dynamo mechanism, driven by the strong shear produced by differential rotation, operates in accretion discs, and regions of oppositely directed magnetic fields develop within the disc or between the disc and corona and reconnect explosively. There’s more discussion in the MNRAS paper: http://cdsbib.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/cdsbib?2003MNRAS.346.1116S
However, maybe in outburst it’s something else? I am sure that the current outburst will reveal more – and much of the new data will be contributed by amateur astronomers!
I hope others will get a chance to see such a rare outburst of this peculiar system before it fades.
Go well!
Jeremy
Hello Donald,
A very warm welcome to the BAA! I am sure you will enjoy your membership experience and with the enthusiasm you clearly have, you will find all sorts of opportunities to get involved in observing.
It sounds like you are already well equipped with a telescope and binoculars. The BAA organises Back to Basics workshops, the next one being in North Wales, so not the most convenient location for you in Stonehaven. There are lots of observing sections where your observations would be most welcome. The first question to ask yourself is what do you enjoy observing? You mention you have done some variable star work in the past. This is clearly a field where your observations would be very valuable – and you have eminently suitable equipment to hand. One of the simplest places to start is observing binocular variables. The Variable Star Section’s web site has a page on Binocular Variables here: http://www.britastro.org/vss/chartcat_binoc.htm
The section also publishes a booklet on binocular observing, with instructions and which contains quite a few charts. This is available from Roger Pickard, the Section Director, or the BAA Office. There is a page for “absolute beginners” here: http://www.britastro.org/vss/absolute_beginners.htm
The Section also publishes an “Observing Guide to variable Stars”, available from the BAA Office.
The VSS also has mentors who are happy to help people starting out: http://www.britastro.org/vss/Mentoring.htm
Binoculars and small telescopes are also ideal for observing the brighter comets (drawings and magnitude estimates are always appreciated by the Comet Section) and deep sky objects (again send sketches and descriptions to the Deep Sky Section).
Living in Scotland (if I have the correct Stonehaven) means you are well placed to observe the aurora and noctilucent clouds – the season for the latter is upon us now.
These are only a few ideas and I am sure others can provide info about further sections. And do contact the section directors. They’d be delighted to advise and to receive your observations. Whatever you do – keep asking! The BAA is here to help you further your interest in astronomy.
Go well!
Jeremy
Very interesting, David. What do you intend to do with the gratings?
Thomas Thorp was a BAA member, joining in 1892, and a leading light in the North-Western Branch, in Manchester, where he served as Vice President. A brief JBAA obituary appears in JBAA, vol 24 (10), page 503, October 1914:
We regret to record the death of Mr. T. Thorp which occurred on 13th June last at his home, Whitefield, near Manchester. He was educated at the Manchester Grammar School, and resided in Manchester all his life. He devoted much of his time and attention to the improvement of astronomical instruments. His replica gratings, invented several years ago, brought him into prominence as a pioneer in this department of instrumental mechanism. Many of our members have reason to be grateful to Mr. Thorp for supplying them with prism gratings, applicable to binoculars, which have proved so serviceable in the observation of total solar eclipses. Ho joined this Association in 1892, became a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1896, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1902.
All the best,
Jeremy
