Meeting of the Section

Winchester : Saturday, 27 May 1995

R.A. Marriott, Journal of the British Astronomical Association, 106 (1), 46 (1996)

Following the success of the first CCD Symposium in 1994, this meeting was designated ‘CCD Symposium II’. Ron Arbour first gave brief reviews of the work of the Association and of recent developments in the struggle against light pollution.

He then invited Dr Nick Hewitt to speak about the observing programme of the Deep Sky Section. Since the 1970s, deep-sky observing has increased considerably in popularity, largely due to more sophisticated equipment and better access to data. Whether observing for recreation, science or fame, it is advisable to carry out observations systematically, and the Director’s aim is to cater for all interests. Observation of supernovae and extragalactic novae consists essentially of patrolling and subsequent monitoring of discoveries, and recent advances in instrument technology now permit photometry of very faint comparison stars. This is important work, and can be carried out as an individual or through a cooperative organisation. such as the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol. Whether observing visually, photographically, with a CCD or with an automated instrument, success depends on regular and systematic observation. The monitoring of the active galactic nuclei of Seyfert galaxies, quasars and BL Lac objects is also of particular importance, and can produce very useful results which are of great interest to professional astronomers. Variable nebulae are few, but are worth the study, as several of them – including Hubble’s Variable Nebula and Hind’s Variable Nebula – are accessible with amateur instruments. Double stars are much neglected except by the very few who make micrometrical measures, but they present opportunities for CCD astrometry. Overall, visual observation should not be neglected, but the continuing rapid advances in CCD and computer technology provide evermore greater opportunities for the amateur.

After lunch, Nik Szymanek and Ian King presented an account of their sojourn on La Palma during the previous January, where they took as much equipment as they could carry, including two 250-mm Schmidt–Cassegrains, several CCD cameras, two computers and various other instruments. Despite the harsh conditions of an observing site at an altitude of 8,000 feet they survived several nights of dusk-to-dawn vigils, and with excellent seeing and transparency many monochrome and tricolour images were obtained. They also visited the Isaac Newton Telescope and William Herschel Telescope, witnessed a fine display of Quadrantid meteors, and were later subjected to a fireworks display during the Twelfth Night celebrations in the town below. Each speaker also described his observatory in Essex.

Ron Arbour then introduced Jack Newton, a pioneer of astrophotography and CCD imaging, who was giving his first talk in a countrywide tour. There followed an impressive presentation of several dozen slides, during which the speaker described his first youthful efforts, the construction of several telescopes, results obtained with cold cameras and gas hypersensitisation, and his latest results obtained with a large array of equipment including six CCDs. The slides ranged from the exotic to the almost unbelievable, including the venting of liquid oxygen out of the S-IVB rocket stage of Apollo 14, a 24th-magnitude asteroid, and the 21st-magnitude jet in 3C273 at a distance of 2.5 billion light-years. The speaker’s present home is situated at a remote site on Vancouver Island, but he has recently bought a plot of land in Florida, where he intends to run another observatory on the Internet. At the end of Jack Newton’s talk, John Mason presented him with the two volumes of the Association’s History as a memoir of his visit.

The final speaker was Dr Tim Naylor of Keele University, who discussed amateur–professional cooperation via CCD imaging. At Keele, the two chief instruments are a 12-inch Grubb refractor – formerly at Oxford University Observatory – and a 24-inch Dall–Kirkham reflector. These are maintained and primarily used by amateurs, but are also used for undergraduate teaching, post-graduate projects and adult education. As a professional, Dr Naylor’s foremost aim is to gather data for analysis and publication, especially in the field of CCD photometry, and his description of various observing programmes and consequent results demonstrated the importance of the amateur contribution.