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I don’t think a larger prism will help, Alan. As you suspect, it’s probably due to unstable seeing.
As an aside, I reckon I see as much detail using Baader solar film as using a Lunt Herschel wedge. I do find a solar continuum filter helps (in addition to the solar filter of course), tho the Sun turns green! It also helps to dim the image a bit, which also helps with a prism (could use a polarising filter to a similar effect- if your image is too bright it might make it harder to see detail)
Each of the planetary sections has templates on their websites on which you can draw the features and record other important details. The Saturn section has a series of templates depending on the angle of the rings (which you can look up in the Handbook). See: https://britastro.org/section_information_/saturn-uranus-and-neptune-section-overview/observing-programme/saturn-uranus-and-neptune-visual-report-forms
Regarding phases,in the case of Venus the observed phase generally differs slightly from the calculated one, a phenomenon called the phase effect: https://britastro.org/2016/the-phases-of-venus. So the phase should be drawn in at the eyepiece. The time of dichotomy can be determined from your observations and compared to the predicted time.
Great video – thanks Lars. 1969 was an exciting year for a small boy obsessed with science & technology, witnessing the Concorde flight first hand and the lunar lands, later that summer, on TV.
Well, one branch of your family certainly makes very good beer, Martin!
I limited myself to 2 pints (which I understand is the standard SI unit of a single serving of beer according to another former Papers Secretary) as there was a traction engine to drive….
Local transportation
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Now the beer
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I tried to add other posts with more pics but I got a “deprecated” message, so I will upload to my Members page
https://britastro.org/observations/observation.php?id=20230409_183348_d332570a0ba2a64dAttachments:
Whilst units are sometimes conjoured up to make a good story or headline, I think they do have a place in some circumstances for engaging with, and relating to, the public. Perhaps not the SI Giraffe, but solar system debris measured in London buses might well have a place in popular culture.
Similarly for your space shuttle speed. 22x speed of sound is relatable to a certain generation who knew the Concorde cruised slightly above Mach 2. But I get your sound in space point.
BTW I was present at the British Concorde’s (002) maiden flight from Filton, Bristol, which happens to be 54 years ago today!
What a superb video! Thanks Denis.
It’s remarkably close to what my mind’s eye had conjured up – a tribute to Peltier’s magnificent prose and the drawings that accompany the chapters in Skylight Nights. What surprised me most was how close was the merry go round obsy to the house. I think it was further away at Brookhaven.I saw this video posted: https://youtu.be/QOvJrE01ENA
Nova Cas 2021 is still just above mag 12. Light curve attached. Further observations of its fade are encouraged.
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Robin,
contact Prof Constantino Sigismondi at ICRA. His email is in the ATel I linked at the top
JeremyIndeed! Wonderful eating, super talks and good to be able to meet up with people, some of whom had not attended a BAA meeting for 3 years.
Munari and Valisa report in a recent ATel that this is a rare neon nova with an overabundance of neon in the ejecta, derived from the white dwarf: https://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=15796
This nova, which erupted in March 2021, is still above mag 12.
If anyone would like to be added to the email distribution for the VSS Circular, please drop me an email.
Just to add that single point observations of CG Dra are also especially welcome over the next days to constrain the start of the next bright outburst to which Max refers
Incredible as it may seem, it’s almost 3 years since the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse first hits the news. New papers continue to be published on the star, including a couple on the last 2 days:
UBVRI photometry of Betelgeuse over 23 years since 1999
Yojiro Ogane, Osamu Ohshima, Daisuke Taniguchi, Naohiro Takanashi
https://arxiv.org/abs/2211.04512Analysis of photometric and spectroscopic variability of red supergiant Betelgeuse
Daniel Jadlovsky, Jiri Krticka, Ernst Paunzen, Vladimir Stefl
https://arxiv.org/abs/2211.04380The second paper says that after the Dimming, the Betelgeuse mode of variability has fundamentally changed and is now instead following a shorter period of ∼200d (cf ~400+d, plus several longer periods, in previous epochs)
A paper on Visual Brightness Characteristics of Starlink Generation 1 Satellites based on visual mags measured for the satellites is available here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.17268
They show that adding the sunshades to the VisorSats can reduce brightness, this is phase angle dependent. The upshot is that VisorSats tend to be fainter than original satellites when near zenith and brighter when they are low in the sky and their azimuth is toward or away from the Sun. More recently, however, the satellites have not had these shades. The phase function for these Post-VisorSat spacecraft is intermediate between those of original and VisorSat.
The authors point out that in coming years Generation 2 satellites will be launched which are expected to be larger and possibly brighter.
