The brighter comets of 2003

This report is the first of a new series that will describe and analyse observations of the brighter or more interesting comets discovered or at perihelion during the year.

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The Revd Walter Bidlake of Crewe and Espin’s ‘dark nebulae’

The Revd Walter Bidlake was vicar of Crewe in Cheshire for some 21 years at the start of the 20th century. He was a keen amateur astronomer with an interest in celestial photography, and took photographs of the night sky in support of T. H. E. C. Espin’s search for dark nebulae in the Milky Way. This paper describes Bidlake’s astronomical activities and life, including a high profile libel case he brought.

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