Journal contents items – Page 141 – British Astronomical Association

Historical Note: 150 years of astronomical spectroscopy

150 years ago, Huggins first turned a spectroscope to the sky

Lost comet 72P Denning – Fujikawa recovered

This periodic comet was discovered by William F. Denning of Bristol, the BAA’s first Comet Section Director, on 1881 Oct 4.13 but was then lost until its accidental recovery by Shigehisa Fujikawa (Onohara, Kagawa, Japan) on 1978 Oct 9.81, but was missed at the next three returns despite careful searches. It has now been recovered again by Hidetaka Sato (Japan).

It’s darker down south

The night sky is getting darker in the south of England, where astronomers, environmentalists and others who care about the night-time environment are working on dark-sky initiatives.