Flamsteed Astronomy Society

Observing Group Reports—Blackheath

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Observing Group get-together on Blackheath, Monday, March 22, 2004

 

Monday’s informal meeting at the Hare & Billet proved enjoyable socially and included a very successful observing session towards the end.  Attempts to see the International Space Station were initially inconvenienced by cloud but two members managed to spot it in the last 20 seconds of its passage overhead. At about magnitude – 0.5 it was bright but not stunningly so.  As the station expands to its planned maximum of 350 feet across it should become very much more luminous and exceed even Mir in its last few orbits, before it was ditched in the Pacific.   Once the telescopes were set up we viewed Venus (magnitude –4.0) which was very nearly at its greatest eastern elongation, showing a noticeably gibbous phase.  Saturn was definitely the star of the show, with the Cassini division between the rings clearly seen as well as one of the darker bands and the shadow of the rings on the planet’s surface.  Jupiter was also visible with the two innermost satellites Io and Europa clearly identifiable. (We would have identified more but no one had managed to bring along a copy of an Almanac!). The Great Red Spot and the interesting atmospheric features that have developed near it were “Round the Other Side” and not to be seen.  Finally, having omitted to find Mars in the murk of the Blackheath evening sky (not that there is much to see as Mars is only a small object now), we picked up the Orion Nebula and an excellent view was obtained through a Meade 90. Proof indeed that the smaller instrument is best suited to the mediocre observing conditions in London and that the chief difficulty of observing here is finding your target in the first place.  Back at the bar we met up with Madam Chairman who recounted the perils of presiding over the Star Lecture; all agreed that the evening had been amusing and worthwhile and should become a regular feature of the Society’s calendar.     Dave Waugh

Venus shows a noticeably gibbon’s face

(the old ones are the best, aren’t they)

Is it a bird?  Is it a plane? ..Blackheath July 19     photo Mike D

Blackheath on Monday, July 19, 2004

 

Around a dozen of us gathered at the Hare & Billet, more in hope than expectation.  July’s weather so far has been significantly worse than in March!   As intended, a few jars helped put the world to rights.  We met a prospective new member, Dave Woodford, and he and the gang thoroughly dissected the ills of large multi-national telescope manufacturers.  Rose & Steve had to leave.  Jim O’Donnell and Mike D debated the relationship between the Copenhagen Interpretation and the novels of Phillip Pullman, string theory, and the multiverse.  Happy daze.  When it was dark Dave Waugh remembered he had forgotten his scope, but Dave Woodford saved the day and we stumbled out onto the Heath to join the other freaks.  Dave’s (human) positional memory is outstanding.  Although we totally failed to pick up Comet NEAT Dave did treat us to several Messier objects (allegedly—the seeing was like a murky November fog), and the view of Canary Wharf through his bins was spectacular.   Several satellites were oo’d and arr’d at and by midnight we reckoned we’d at least partially cheated the elements!   Such larks, Pip lad!     Mike D

A drinking club with a serious astronomy problem