Papers – Page 19 – British Astronomical Association

Saturn in 2002 − 2003: a report of the Saturn Section

Saturn’s rings were open to their maximum extent upon the southern face. Significant new spot activity began in the South Tropical Zone and the South Equatorial Belt Zone. The STropZ activity took the form of small white spots at Saturnicentric latitude −35°, with a mean drift rate of +0.5°/day with respect to System III. White spots in the SEBZ showed a drift rate of −8.0°/day versus System III, while there was continuing evidence for a relatively slow drift in the S. Equatorial Current. A historical survey of STropZ activity is included in an Appendix, which includes previously unpublished BAA data for the 1971−’72 apparition.

Visual interference observations of sub-arcsecond double stars

An overview is presented of how to perform visual interferometry of double stars using an interference mask placed over the aperture of an undriven telescope. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate that interesting and worthwhile observations can be obtained from a basic setup using a small telescope, thereby hopefully encouraging others to pursue this interesting field of astronomy.

Percy Mayow Ryves (1881-1956): Observer, discoverer & BAA Section Director

The astronomical career of Percy Mayow Ryves, a BAA member from 1899 to 1956, and a Walter Goodacre medallist, is described in detail. Ryves contributed to the BAA for most of those 57 years, mainly as a variable star observer, but he also served as the Mars Section Director for 14 years. In addition, he was a popular BAA meetings speaker during the 1940s and 1950s. Ryves’ visual discovery of a comet, from Spain, in 1931 places him in the unusual category of being a BAA comet discoverer in that barren period between the W. F. Denning/ Edwin Holmes era and the prolific discovery period of George Alcock.

Bright features on Neptune in 2015

In July 2015 Ricardo Hueso Alonso and colleagues discovered a bright spot on Neptune at latitude −41° with the 2.2 metre telescope of the Calar Alto Observatory. This paper reports observations and monitoring of this feature by amateur observers in the Netherlands and shows that with current amateur telescopes and digital cameras, bright features on distant Neptune can be detected and analysed.

Observation and analysis of the new W -type W UMa eclipsing binary star VSX J053024.8+842243

Using multicolour photometry we have confirmed the binary nature of the new W-type W UMa eclipsing binary star VSX J053024.8+842243 and established its primary eclipse ephemeris. A low resolution spectrum corrected for interstellar reddening confirmed its spectral type as G2V.

The brighter comets of 2009

This report describes and analyses the observations of the brighter or more interesting comets discovered or at perihelion during 2009, concentrating on those with visual observations. Magnitude parameters are given for all comets with observations. Additional information on the comets reported here and other comets discovered or at perihelion during the year may be found on the Section visual observations web pages.

A. A. C. Eliot Merlin: a brief biography

A. A. C. Eliot Merlin (1860−1946) was a prolific observer and writer who enjoyed a long professional career in the British Diplomatic Service. No proper account of his life has ever been given, and the recent gift of one of his notebooks to the BAA archive prompted this short account of his career and astronomical achievements. Observing under the clear skies of Volo, Thessaly in Greece he was able to make long continuous series of observations of several bright novae, and his records of Nova Persei (1901), Nova Geminorum (1912) and Nova Aquilae (1918) were particularly complete. Merlin’s generosity to the BAA is remembered through the annual award of the Merlin Medal and Gift.

AR 12536: An unusual bipolar sunspot group

Observations of a highly tilted bipolar sunspot group from 2016 April and May are presented together with confirmation of the bipolar nature of the group based on magnetograms from the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Staying ahead of the curve: progress in British variable star astronomy

The 2016 Presidential Address, given on 2016 Oct 26 at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1. The BAA Variable Star Section is the world’s longest established organisation for the systematic observation of variable stars, formed in 1890. Its database contains nearly 3 million measurements going back to 1840 and is an important resource for researchers. The aim of this Address is to reveal some of the lesser known tales that lie deep within the database, bringing to life stories about some of the people involved, especially in the early years, including Joseph Baxendell, Mary Adela Blagg and Arthur Stanley Williams, as well as shedding light on some of the stars observed. Finally we look to the future as the VSS builds on the legacy of its forebears, ensuring that it always stays ‘ahead of the curve’.

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.