NEXT MEETING

Our next gathering is on Wednesday January 30th at 7.30 pm.

This should be the society's AGM, followed by a short talk.

Patrick Moore has died

The well known astronomer, author and broadcaster Patrick Moore has died today at his home in Selsey. He was 89.

Much loved by many both inside and out of the astronomical fraternity, he will best be remembered for presenting the BBC's Sky at Night program. He will be sadly missed.

Further information from the BBC here and here.

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 28th November at 7.30 pm. Dr Jim Wild, University of Lancaster will be speaking on Weathering Solar Storms.

There will be no meeting in December.

BBQ & Star Party

The society barbecue and star party will be held on Saturday 20th October at Hatton Farm starting at 7.00 - 7.30 pm. For those who have not been before, it is the opportunity to see through different telescopes (weather permitting!) and share in some practical astronomy.

We provide a charcoal grill and tea and coffee. You bring what you want to cook / eat and drink besides that mentioned. If you have a telescope or binoculars, bring them with you. Non-member guests are most welcome.

The event takes place in an outside barn so old clothes are the most practical with wellingtons or stout shoes for footwear. This goes ahead whatever the weather. In the past we have had some awful conditions, but also some very good clear skies as well.

Location of Hatton Farm (CH3 7RE)

NEXT MEETING

Wednesday 31st October at 7.30 pm

Members' Evening
If you have any photographs to share with us, why not bring them along?

Full 2012 Programme

The beautiful side of astronomy

Last nights talk on the planetary nebulae of the galactic bulge was a real tour de force. Prof. Albert Zijlstra gave us a thorough overview of how planetary nebulae are formed, and the results obtained through a study of planetary nebulae in the galactic bulge. The autumn session is off to a good start.

Neil Armstrong dies

Neil Armstrong, the first man to stand on the moon, has died today, aged 82. More information from the BBC can been found here and here.

Bernard Lovell dies

We are sad to announce that Bernard Lovell, the man behind Jodrell Bank, passed away yesterday.

More details from the BBC here, and from the University of Manchester here.

Curiosity lands on Mars.

At 6.32 this morning, NASA's robot explorer Curiosity successfully landed on Mars. Following in a line of illustrious predecessors including the Vikings, Pathfinder, Spirit and Opportunity, lets hope this will further increase our knowledge of the red planet.

BBC Report.

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 26th September at 7.30 pm. The speaker is Prof. Albert Zijlstra of the University of Manchester, and his subject will be: Planetary Nebulae of the Galactic Bulge.

Please note that there is no meeting in August.

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 25th July at 7.30 pm. The speaker will be Dr Ed Daw, and he will be speaking on the fascinating subject of Gravitational Waves.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Dr Allan Chapman

Last Friday's lecture with Dr Chapman was a riveting account of the history of the Royal Society, with particular consideration given to the role of the early astronomers among them. Dr Chapman was on his usual top form!

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting is on FRIDAY May 18th at 7.30. The Speaker is Dr. Allan Chapman. His subject will be "The History of the Royal Society".

Please note that this is not the usual day for our meetings!

FOR SALE - Chester AS Telescopes

All members please note, the Society has decided to sell all four of the telescopes we are currently holding for members loan use. Reason for sale "no one ever uses them" and because they are not particularly user friendly.

For members to view sale items, Click here.

There are the 4 Scopes for sale.
The sale will be run on an Auction Basis at Hatton Farm, (Time & Date to be Announced) Highest Bidder Gets It!!

Planets Galore!

Last night's meeting was an excellent summary of where the search for planets outside our solar system is so far. Professor Rob Jeffries spoke about the techniques for finding exoplanets, what has been discovered so far and the hopes for the future.

The following websites may be of interest:

Exoplanets
WASP

Hose pipe ban for Titan?

A new analysis concludes that places on Saturn's moon Titan see rainfall about once every 1,000 years on average.

More details from the BBC here.

Oxygen envelops Saturn's icy moon

A NASA spacecraft has detected oxygen around one of Saturn's icy moons, Dione.

More, from the BBC, here.

Visit to Capenhurst

We are arranging a visit to the uranium enrichment facility at Capenhurst on the 4th July. Numbers are strictly limited and will be on a first come, first served basis. You must be a UK citizen and have photo ID with you on the night. We need your details in advance, and also your shoe size!

Society Dinner

The Society Dinner is planned for Wednesday 11th April at the Grange Restaurant, Thornton Hough, Wirral. They offer a three course meal for £14.50, choose on the night. We do need numbers and payment in advance. There will be  a sheet put out for names at our next meeting in March. We will need to know by then if you and your partner wish to come.

Mirror, Mirror...

Yesterday's lecture was a fascinating examination of the work on the new European Extra Large telescope. Prof. David Walker (University College, London, and Glyndwr University, Wrexham) spoke on the history of telescope design before talking about the background to the E-ELT, its design and manufacture.

Being of a not very practical nature, I wasn't expecting this to be my thing, but I found it riveting, not least due to Prof. Walker's engaging style and obvious enthusiasm.

Distant Waterworld

 

GJ 1214b orbits close to its host star, as this artist's impression shows.

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a new class of planet: a waterworld with a thick, steamy atmosphere. The exoplanet GJ 1214b is a so-called "Super Earth" - bigger than our planet, but smaller than gas giants such as Jupiter.

More, from the BBC, here.

News Feeds

Do you ever scroll to the bottom of a web page?

If you scroll to the bottom of this one, you will find links to various blogs of astronomical interest:

European Space Agency
Astronomy Now magazine
Sky and Telescope magazine

Why not take a look?

A. G. M.

Last night's meeting was a wonderfully succinct Annual General Meeting. The main piece of news from the meeting is that the annual subscriptions remain unchanged at £13, £7 for concessions, and free for under 16s.

This was followed by a talk on upcoming astronomical events for 2012 by member Richard Sargent.

Websites worth a look

Hubblesite
Nine Planets

I hope to occasionally add further useful websites.

2012

Here's wishing everyone a happy new year. May all your nights be looking up!