Journal contents items – Page 103 – British Astronomical Association

Comet prospects for 2017

These predictions focus on comets that are likely to be within range of visual observers, though comets often do not

The 35th European Symposium on Occultation Projects (ESOP XXXV)

held at the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK on 2016 August 19-21 Amateur astronomers travelled from the Czech Republic, Germany,

Chasing the Charioteer

Auriga, the Charioteer, is an excellent constellation riding high in the December sky. A nice easy asterism, a pentagon, with

Supernova 2012fr and the distance to NGC 1365

BVRI and unfiltered MicroObservatory CCD observations of SN 2012fr covering the first 100 days following its discovery are reported.

Short paper: Polar alignment of the equatorial mount: how accurate must it be for trail-free astrophotography?

This paper develops and presents a rule of thumb as to how accurate the polar alignment of an equatorial mount must be, in order to avoid trailing stars in astrophotography.

Short paper: Perigee lunar eclipses

Details are presented of lunar eclipses occurring very close to perigee, for the years 1000 to 3000.

The south face of the rings was displayed nearly to its maximum effect during this presentation. The various occultations of the planet and its satellites by the Moon were further highlights of the apparition.

Mr William Strachan and his remarkable telescope

The observing career of Mr William Strachan of Bournemouth, a BAA member from 1908 to 1935, is described. Despite severe lifelong disability he managed to regularly observe the Sun, variable stars and a few other objects for 26 years. His observing career in later life was only made possible by using a custom made polar refractor Coudé system which he used regularly from 1924 to 1934.

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