The Journal of the British Astronomical Association

Volume 112, No.6: 2002 December

On this page: Notes and News / Articles / Reviews / BAA Update / Observers' Forum

Cover photos

The INTEGRAL gamma-ray observatory of the European Space Agency was launched from Baikonur by a Russian Proton rocket on 2002 October 17. On page 308 of this issue Nick James, who helped design the software which tracks the satellite, describes the observatory and its importance to the future of gamma-ray astronomy. Images courtesy ESA.

Notes and News

The first detection of a GRB afterglow by UK observers (Nial Tanvir & Nick James)/ From the President: Astronomical communication (Guy Hurst) / Solar Section (Geoff Elston) / A wealth of winter meteors (Neil Bone) / Comet prospects for 2003 () / A first view of Saturn for Cassini (NASA/JPL/SRI) / Aurora Section (R. J. Livesey)

Main articles

The transit of Venus on 2004 June 8... Peter Macdonald

The transit of Venus in 2004 is visible from the whole of Europe. This paper summarises the circumstances of the transit in the British Isles and overseas. (6 pp)

The comets of 1998... Jonathan Shanklin

This report is the ninth in the annual series which gives for each comet: the discovery details, orbital data and general information, magnitude parameters and BAA comet section observations. Further details of the analysis techniques used in this report are given in an earlier paper. Ephemerides for the comets predicted to return during the year can be found in the BAA or ICQ Handbooks or from the JPL Horizons web site.4 The suggestion made by Dan Green of the ICQ to drop the numeric suffix of periodic comets has been adopted in this report. (24pp)

A photometric study of four semi-regular variable stars... P. Merchan Benitez & M. Jurado Vargas

A series of photometric observations of four questionable semi-regular variable stars in the V band of the Johnson system were performed using the 0.4m telescope at Extremadura University (Spain). These observations spanned 66 days for SY Leonis, W Sextantis and TZ Hydrae and 61 days for X Sextantis. Only SY Leo appears undoubtedly classified as SRb in the GCVS4, while the other three stars are classified as semiregular variables with doubtful subclassification. In this work, the SRb classification for SY Leo is confirmed, and a preliminary classification for W Sex, TZ Hya and X Sex, based on the shape of their light curves, spectral types and luminosity classes is given. The study demonstrates that relatively modest local facilities can contribute to the knowledge of semi-regular variable objects. (4 pp)

The measurement of sunspot area ... Peter Meadows

This paper explains various methods for measuring sunspot area and gives results obtained from the author's own disk drawings to show that sunspot area can be used to illustrate the development of sunspot groups. The paper also shows that long term trends in sunspot areas can be derived to complement other white light observer-derived measures of solar activity. (4 pp)

Centenaries for 2003 ... Barry Hetherington

Astronomical centenaries for the new year. (2 pp)

(Copies of any of these articles may be ordered from the BAA office.)

Reviews

(Here is a new easy way to obtain your astronomy books, and help the BAA at the same time! Any books or other goods ordered from Amazon after following a link from this site - not just books reviewed here - will generate a small commission for the BAA.)

Flash!: The hunt for the biggest explosions in the Universe by Govert Schilling Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-521-80053-6. Pp xi + 291, Ł18.95 (hbk).
reviewed by Nial Tanvir

Meteorites: A journey through space and time by Alex Bevan & John de Laeter. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002. ISBN 1-58834-021-X. Pp 215, Ł30.50 (hbk).
reviewed by Greg Holland

Practical amateur spectroscopy by Stephen E. Tonkin [Ed]. Springer(Verlag, 2002. ISBN 1-85233-489-4. Pp x + 210, Ł24.00 (pbk).
reviewed by Maurice Gavin

Planets (Teach Yourself Books) by David A. Rothery. Hodder & Stoughton Educational, 2000. Pp vii + 226, Ł8.99.
reviewed by Roger O'Brien

The observing guide to the Messier Marathon - a handbook and atlas by Don Machholz. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-521-803861. Pp xiii + 157, Ł18.95 (hbk).
reviewed by Stewart Moore

Flores Celestis - Flowers in the Sky : A photographic calendar by H. J. P. Arnold and Star and Planet Almanac 2003 : Monthly guide to the sky at night, by Liesbeth Bisterbosch, with illustrated star maps by Bert Stolker & Wil Tirion
reviewed by Hazel McGee