The Journal of the British Astronomical Association: Volume 110, No.2: 2000 April
List of Contents
Supernova 1996bo in galaxy NGC 673, discovered on 1996 October 23, was the first extragalactic supernova to be discovered from the UK. (The current tally is 23).
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The Liverpool Telescope: A 2-metre robotic telescope facility available to UK amateurs / From the President / NSCA light pollution seminar, Glasgow, 1999 November 25 / Cassini is still 'all systems go' /The eclipse from above the clouds/ Asteroidal occultation timed by four UK observers / 'Your friendly local street light'
A note on the Julian date and Joseph Scaliger ... John Watson Why do we call the Julian date the 'Julian' date?. (3 pp)
V Boötis, a semiregular variable of declining amplitude... John Greaves & J. J. Howarth The AMPSCAN procedure is used to investigate the declining amplitude of the semiregular variable star V Boötis, using data from the BAAVSS archive. (4 pp)
The Vancouver Island fireball of 1996 December 17 ... J. B. Tatum & L. L. Stumpf We have attempted to compute the track of the fireball seen over Vancouver Island, Canada, on the morning of 1996 December 17 by conducting in situ interviews of eye witnesses. The best solution has the fireball passing southwest over Comox and landing in the sea offshore from a point between Ucluelet and Tofino, although an impact on land cannot be ruled out. The uncertainty in the computed track coupled with the forested and mountainous terrain makes it unlikely that a ground search would result in successful recovery of a meteorite. The difficulties encountered in interviewing the numerous witnesses have led to the establishment of a network of volunteer interviewers for future occasions. (4 pp)
Theoretical dichotomy of Venus, 2000-2040... Jean Meeus The dates and times of theoretical dichotomy of Venus from AD 2000 to 2040 are given.(1 pp)
New astronomy library in Bologna is named after Guido Horn D'Arturo: a forefather of modern telescopes... Monica Marra The tessellated mirror is the most famous contribution to astronomy by Guido Horn D'Arturo (1879-1967), director of Bologna Astronomical Observatory from 1920 to 1949.(1 pp)
(Copies of any of these articles may be ordered from the BAA office.)Notes and News
Articles
The first seven UK supernova discoveries ... Nick Hewitt
This paper outlines the early history of amateur patrolling for supernovae from the United Kingdom, describes the methods employed by the patrollers, and provides a detailed description in the words of the observers of the first seven successful discoveries, made between 1996 October and 1998 April.(15 pp)
Reviews
Meteorites and their Parent Planets (2nd edition) by Harry Y. McSween, Jr. Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-521-58303-9 (hbk), 0-521-58751-4 (pbk). Pp xii + 310, £45.00/£16.95.
reviewed by Monica Grady
- The Moon and the Western Imagination by Scott L. Montgomery. The University of Arizona Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8165-1711-8. Pp xiii + 265, $35.00 (hbk).
- June 8, 2004: Venus in Transit by Eli Maor. Princeton University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-691-04874-6. Pp. xiii + 179, £14.50/$22.95 (hbk).
- Transit: When planets cross the Sun by Michael Maunder & Patrick Moore. Springer-Verlag, 2000. ISBN 1-85233-621-8. Pp. viii + 164, £19.00 (pbk).
reviewed by Jacqueline Mitton
reviewed by Richard Baum
UK solar eclipses from year 1 to 3,000 (2nd edition)by Sheridan Williams. Clock Tower Press, PO Box 5010, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 0ZZ. ISBN 1-85142-093-2. £11.95 (pbk).
reviewed by Hazel McGee
A copy of this or any other recent issue of the Journal may be ordered from the BAA office.
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