Plus: The opposition of Mars, 1997 / Solar Section / New CfDS local officers / Aurora Section / The eastern elongation of Mercury, 1996 April / Jupiter in 1996: an interim report
Articles
Red supergiants, neutrinos and the Double Cluster ... Tristram Brelstaff
The Perseus Double Cluster is surrounded by one of the largest concentrations of red supergiant stars in the sky. As a consequence, the development of our understanding of the structure and evolution of these stars has been intimately connected with studies of this cluster. This paper traces the history of this connection from the end of the 19th century through to the early 1970s.
(6 pp)
Visual and photographic observations of the Geminid meteor shower in 1993 ... S. J. Evans & N. M. Bone
Extensive observations were obtained by BAA observers on the night of Geminid maximum, December 13-14, in 1993. Visual results indicate the usual high peak activity, with ZHR = 90±5 in the early morning around 03-04hrs UT (solar longitude=262°.2). Photographic observations confirm previous impressions of a complex Geminid radiant. Bright (photographic) Geminid activity may have been lower than at the previous well-observed return in 1991. (4 pp)
The life and legacy of G. H. With, 1827-1904 ... R. A. Marriott
The introduction of silver-on-glass mirrors in the mid-nineteenth century was an important advance in instrument design, providing greater opportunities for the amateur astronomer of modest means. One of the first exponents of the new technology was G. H. With. (8 pp)
Astronomy at Torquay Boys' Grammar School ... David Reid & Chris Lintott
TBGS Observatory is owned and run by Torquay Boys' Grammar School in South Devon. The school itself encompasses a wide curriculum from sports to academic studies, ranging from the arts to humanities and science. Due to a high interest from pupils and staff the school has a special focus upon Astronomy. Resulting from this TBGS owns one of the largest, best equipped school observatories in the UK. It is now a minor centre for astronomical research and studies at GCSE and higher levels. (3 pp)
Noctilucent clouds over Britain and Western Europe, 1992-1994 ... David Gavine
There is growing interest in noctilucent cloud (NLC), a beautiful phenomenon of the very high atmosphere which is often seen in the twilight arch of the northern sky in latitudes higher than about 50°, between about the last week of May and first week of August. In very high latitudes they are not so well seen around the solstice because of the brightness of the sky. The British Isles and Denmark are ideally placed for observing NLC, but they are also often reported from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. NLC are also seen in equivalent high southern latitudes. The increasing incidence of NLC from 1992 to 1994 may be related to the approach of solar minimum. (3 pp)
Star colours with a CCD camera ... Maurice Gavin
Sir John Herschel and the Leeds Astronomical Society ... Allan Chapman
While recently checking a reference in the copy of Agnes Clerke's History of Astronomy in the 19th Century (1893) in the library of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, I chanced upon a small scrap of printed paper which had long served as a book mark in the volume. The cutting, reproduced full-size below, reported that on October 27th 1863, Sir John Herschel had delivered a lecture to the Leeds Astronomical Society on 'The Yard, the Pendulum, and the Metre'. Although several literary and philosophical societies in Victorian Britain had astronomical sections, I was not aware of any documented source for a specialist astronomical society outside London, prior to the foundation of the Liverpool Astronomical Society in 1881, which was the parent of the BAA. (1 pp)
Report of the Council and Accounts for the session 1995-1996
(Copies of any of these articles may be ordered from the BAA office.)
New images from Galileo introduced by Hazel McGee & John Rogers [10 Kb]