Papers – Page 18 – British Astronomical Association

Video meteor spectroscopic and orbital observations, 2015 April to 2016 April

This paper reviews the combined video meteor spectroscopic observations of the Kilwinning Spectroscopic Survey for Meteors (KiSSMe) and the related mutual capture, multi-video station orbital observations from the Network for Meteor Triangulation and Orbit Determination group (NEMETODE) in the period between 2015 April and 2016 April. A total of eleven mutual events were captured. A brief comment is made about the main lines in each spectrum and orbital elements are presented for eight of the meteors.

The elongations of Mercury 2007−2016, and the 2016 solar transit

In this paper we review telescopic observational data of Mercury from 2007 November to 2016 October inclusive, and describe the results of the 2016 solar transit. A gradual improvement in imaging technique has enabled observers to record albedo features upon Mercury’s surface as well as many bright patches corresponding to the ejecta regions of bright craters. An albedo chart and a Messenger map are presented for comparison. At the solar transit, observers obtained images in white light as well as in the wavelengths of H-alpha and Calcium K, timed the various contacts, and re-observed certain optical effects, comparing the results with those obtained at previous events.

Thomas Hughes Buffham – Uranus pioneer

An outline of the life and work of amateur astronomer and microscopist Thomas Hughes Buffham, with reference to his observations of Uranus in 1870-’72 and an assessment of the validity of two observations of white spots on the surface of Uranus made by him in 1870 January.

Observing Uranus and its satellites, 2006−2016

For amateur astronomers the distant planet Uranus is a considerable observing challenge. With its angular size of about 3.6 arcseconds it is not easy to detect details in its atmosphere, and imaging of its faint satellites requires relatively long exposure times. Nevertheless, with the development of new digital cameras with increased sensitivity the planet and its satellites have become interesting objects of study. In this report covering the period 2006-2016, progress in imaging Uranus by the author is demonstrated. In particular this shows that the detection of features in the atmosphere of Uranus has become a promising field for future investigation.

The brighter comets of 2010

This report describes and analyses observations received of the brighter or more interesting comets discovered or at perihelion during 2010, concentrating on those with visual observations.

The shock breakout cooling tail of supernova 2011dh in Messier 51

Unfiltered CCD observations acquired using the 6-inch [155mm] robotic telescopes of the NASA/Harvard Smithsonian MicroObservatory e-learning project covering the first 163 days following the discovery of the Type IIb supernova 2011dh in Messier 51 are presented.

The ‘Great Filter Debate’

The Great Filter Debate took place in the BAA in the 1950s. As the writer was involved in the experiment, members of the Association may find the following account of interest.

Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt cycle in 2009−2011: I. The SEB fade

Cycles of fading and revival of the South Equatorial Belt (SEB) are the most spectacular large-scale events that occur on Jupiter. The most recent started in 2009, when the SEB suddenly ceased its convective activity and began to fade. Modern amateur images, combined with measurements by the JUPOS team, have revealed several new insights into the process. In this pair of articles, I synthesise all the important results of the 2010 Fade (this paper) and Revival (following paper).

Bipolar magnetic regions on the Sun and their associated H-alpha features

Bipolar magnetic regions (BMRs) are the underlying cause of all photospheric and chromospheric solar activity including active sunspot regions, white light faculae and disturbances in the solar granulation. This paper describes how monochrome imaging with commercially available H-alpha telescopes can reveal intricate detail in BMRs.

Geminids 2012 − 2015: multi-year meteor videography

NEMETODE, a network of low-light video cameras in and around the British Isles, operated in conjunction with the BAA Meteor Section and other groups, monitors the activity of meteors, enabling the precise measurement of radiant positions, of the altitudes and geocentric velocities of meteoroids and the determination of their former solar system orbits. The results from multi-year observations of the Geminid meteor shower are presented and discussed.