====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00088 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== Dear BAA Members, Many of you will have heard of the committee formed to look at the effects of light pollution and its impact on UK Astronomy. Bob Mizon is already preparing a technical presentation to them and I also have a draft document to consider for submission on behalf of the Association as a whole. However I would encourage local societies and any other members to submit their thoughts direct to this committee as there must be many examples of local difficulties which have created an impact on observing. I am repeating the message we received below and please note various WWW sites which should be viewed before sending your submissions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LIGHT POLLUTION AND ASTRONOMY The Science and Technology Committee is to conduct an inquiry into light pollution and astronomy. The inquiry will have the following terms of reference: To examine the effectiveness of measures taken to reduce the impact of light pollution on astronomy and to consider what further steps, if any, are required. The Committee will consider the following specific questions: 1. What has been the impact of light pollution on UK astronomy? 2. Are current planning guidelines strong enough to protect against light pollution? 3. Are planning guidelines being applied and enforced effectively? 4. Is light measurable in such a way as to make legally enforceable regulatory controls feasible? 5. Are further controls on the design of lighting necessary? The Committee would welcome written evidence from interested organisations and individuals addressing these points. Evidence should be submitted by Wednesday 30 April 2003. Oral evidence will be heard in May. Evidence should be sent in hard copy to the Clerk of the Science and Technology Committee, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. Please send an electronic version also, in Word format, via e-mail toscitechcom@parliament.uk or on disk. Guidance on the submission of evidence can be found at www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/witguide.htm Further information on the work of the Committee can be obtained from Committee staff on 020 7219 2793/4. Previous press notices and publications are available on the Committee's internet homepage:www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/science_and_technology_commit tee.cfm Membership of the Committee is as follows: Dr Ian Gibson (Chairman) (Lab, Norwich North) Mr Parmjit Dhanda (Lab, Gloucester) Mr Tom Harris (Lab, Glasgow Cathcart) Mr David Heath (Lib Dem, Somerton and Frome) Dr Brian Iddon (Lab, Bolton South East) (Mr Robert Key) (Con, Salisbury) Mr Tony McWalter (Lab, Hemel Hempstead) Dr Andrew Murrison (Con, Westbury) Geraldine Smith (Lab, Morecambe and Lunesdale) Bob Spink (Con, Castle Point) Dr Desmond Turner (Lab, Brighton Kemptown) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Kind regards, Guy M Hurst BAA President ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Sun Feb 23 11:29:55 GMT 2003 (c) 2003 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00087 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== Maurice Gavin points out that Comet C/2002 V1 (NEAT) has now moved into the field of view of the SOHO LASCO C3 coronagraph. This comet was an impressive object in the evening sky but it is now too close to the sun for observation. It reaches perihelion on February 18 when it will pass within 0.1 AU of the Sun (15 million km). There is speculation it might not survive. Keep an eye on the comet here:http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/ Nick James. ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Mon Feb 17 19:09:29 GMT 2003 (c) 2003 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00086 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== Dear Observer, During the early evening of Thursday, February 13, a bright star (SAO 134182, V=9.0) will be occulted by the minor planet, (663) Gerlinde as seen from a large part of the UK and from part of Europe and elsewhere. High-precision astrometry shows that the path runs over India ~19:33.5 UT, middle East ~19:42.5 UT, Cyprus ~19:435 UT, Croatia ~19:47.0 UT, Slovenia ~19:47.3 UT, NE tip of Italy ~19:47.6 UT, W Austria ~19:47.6 UT, SW Germany ~19:48.0 UT (Munich just north of path), NE corner of France ~19:48.4 UT (Strasbourg and Lille in path), Belgium ~19:48.7 UT (Brussels in path), central England ~19:49.5 UT and finally north Ireland ~19:50.0 UT. Full details including finder charts can be found at:http://sorry.vse.cz/~ludek/mp/updates/0213ger.html This event is one of the most favourable in 2003. The asteroid is about 4.7 mag (i.e. almost 100 times) fainter than the star (also designated TYC 4814 0668), which will therefore appear to disappear entirely as seen using a medium-sized telescope. The maximum duration of any such disappearance is expected to be about 14 seconds. Seen from the UK, the star is reasonably high in the sky (altitude = 28-32 deg, azimuth = 141-144 deg). The weather forcast for the UK on Thursday evening is quite good although an almost (88%) full Moon is about 27 degrees north of the target star in Monoceros, which will make locating the star a little more difficult. Please allow extra time for this. The actual shadow track as it crosses the UK will subtend a width of about 150 km and given the uncertainty in the position of the track, the occultation could be witnessed by observers anywhere in England (apart from Cornwall), southern Scotland, northern Ireland and northern parts of Eire. Observations aimed at timing the disappearance and reappearance of the star should start at 19:45 UT and end about 19:53 UT. The expected time of the event seen from the UK is during the period 19:49-19:50 UT but be prepared to witness any short-duration secondary event as there is always a possibility that the system is a binary asteroid. Please send results of any obserations (positive or negative) to myself at:rmiles@baa.u-net.com and I shall collate them and forward them on to IOTA and EAON. N.B. This event has the makings of the most well-observed ever to be witnessed from the UK. Do make sure that you identify the correct star, namely SAO 134182, located at: RA(2000):- 07h 06m 02s, Dec(2000):- MINUS 1deg 18.2min. Best of luck, Richard Miles Assistant Director, Asteroids and Remote Planets Section ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Tue Feb 11 11:27:42 GMT 2003 (c) 2003 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00085 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== Comet 2002 V1 (NEAT) has continued to brighten at a steady rate and has reached 5th magnitude. It seems probable that the comet will be a fine sight from UK skies until mid February, when it becomes too close to the Sun and also moves into the Southern sky. At the moment it is an easy binocular object, well condensed and showing a short tail. It should soon be an easy naked eye object and may go on to be visible during daylight around the time of perihelion. Further information is available on the comet Section web page athttp://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds Comet 2002 X5 (Kudo-Fujikawa) is visible in the SOHO C3 coronagraph field. Seehttp://lasco-www.nrl.navy.milhttp://lasco-www.nrl.navy.mil/rtmovies.htmlhttp://lasco-www.nrl.navy.mil/javagif/java_movie5.htmlhttp://lasco-www.nrl.navy.mil/cgi-bin/js_movie.cgi?sgf+c3+10+50 for various levels of images. The comet will not be visible from UK skies until mid March, when it will be around 8th magnitude. Springer have generously given me some copies of the new book by Nick James and Gerald North on Observing Comets as competition prizes. For BAA Members the competition is to write a short essay on 'Why I observe comets'. Full details of the competition are on the section web page athttp://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds. There is a pro-am discussion meeting on Meteors, Meteorites and Comets on May 10 at the Open University in Milton Keynes. Brian Marsden will give the George Alcock Memorial Lecture. I need names of those expecting to attend in order to arrange the catering. Further details and a provisional programme are on the Section web page at http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds Jonathan Shanklinj.shanklin@bas.ac.uk British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, Englandhttp://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/jdshttp://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Mon Jan 27 13:27:21 GMT 2003 (c) 2003 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00084 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== Further to the note on [BAA 00083] concerning the destruction of the Mount Stromlo Observatory we have received a short article from Dr. Wayne Orchiston. Dr. Orchiston is the secretary of IAU Commission 41 (History of Astronomy) and his article reviews the historical significance of the various instruments at the site. The article can be found on the BAA website at:http://www.britastro.org/news/stromlo1/ Nick James. Papers Secretary. ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Tue Jan 21 21:09:48 GMT 2003 (c) 2003 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00083 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== Dear BAA Members, It is with considerable regret that I must inform that the Canberra bush-fires have destroyed the historic Mount Stromlo Observatory with the loss of all the major telescopes. The initial news was sent to me by the Reverend Bob Evans in Australia who will be familiar to BAA members as the discoverer of many supernovae. It is a relief that although staff were only given 20 minutes' notice to evacuate, there was no loss of life. However other sources suggest some lost their homes situated on the observatory complex and our sympathy and best wishes go out to them at this terrible time. A message is also being sent to Elizabeth Budek, President of the New South Wales branch of the Association. Kind regards, Guy M Hurst BAA President ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Mon Jan 20 19:56:03 GMT 2003 (c) 2003 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00082 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== British Astronomical Association's Observers' Workshop 1 The Hoyle Building,The Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge See http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/IoA/IoAmap.html Saturday 2003 February 15th Doors open at 10.00 am Entry is free to BAA and non-BAA members The Workshops are intended to encourage amateur observing, both for fun and ideally scientific benefit. Many of you will observe the heavens already, but these Workshops will help develop skills and introduce observers to new disciplines. The speakers will endeavour to be around for enough time on the day of the Workshops to discuss their area of expertise more informally. 10.30 Ordinary Meeting 10.45 An introduction to the Workshops - Guy Hurst and Nick Hewitt 11.00 Why observe variable stars? - Karen Holland 11.50 Imaging comets - Martin Mobberley 12.45 Lunch 14.00 Visual observations of Jupiter - John Rogers 14.50 Photometry of Minor Planets - Nick James 15.40 Tea 16.20 Measuring Double stars - Bob Argyle 17.10 Observing Variable Nebulae - Nick Hewitt 18.00 Close The times and order of talks may be subject to change. For details of other Workshops, maps of each venue, and more details of speakers, see www.britastro.org and follow links to the Meetings page Any queries - e-mail Nick_Hewitt@compuserve.com Nick Hewitt Meetings Secretary ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Sun Jan 19 14:45:25 GMT 2003 (c) 2003 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00081 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== May I draw observers' attention to the multiple and mutual phenomena of Jupiter's satellites, which will be fascinating to observe and record whether visually or by imaging. One series occurs tonight, and an even better series a week from tonight. Full details are in the BAA Handbook. Here are brief summaries of the events of most interest for observers in the UK and western Europe: Jan.9, 01.27--07.23: III and I in transit together with their shadows, preceded by mutual occ. 00.32-00.52. Did anyone catch these events? Jan.10/11, 20.29-23.27: II and I in transit together with their shadows, and mutual occ. (19.03-19.38) and ecl. (20.54-21.22), just as they begin transit. Jan.17/18, 20.38--02.46: IV, I, and II in transit together with their shadows, and mutual occ. and ecl. Previously II eclipses I twice (16.38-17.18 and 19.24-20.16). Then IV occults both I (00.51-01.05, while in transit) and II (04.50-05.12). Jan.19, 01.01-01.10: IV occults III. Observers producing CCD images are urged not to apply too much processing as this produces contrasting rings around satellites and their shadows which would mask the true appearance of the phenomena. _________________________________ John H. Rogers, Ph.D. Jupiter Section Director, British Astronomical Association. ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Fri Jan 10 20:33:52 GMT 2003 (c) 2003 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00080 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== Observing Opportunity - Quadrantid Meteor Shower 2003 Active each year between January 1-6, the Quadrantids are among the three most productive annual showers. Rates at maximum, usually on January 3-4, can reach one or two per minute, corresponding to corrected Zenithal Hourly Rate 120. The maximum is usually very short-lived, with the highest activity seen in a roughly six-hour time span. This means that opportunities to observe the shower at its best only come round once every 3-4 years, when the maximum is favourably timed, for a given longitude. In 2003, maximum should occur at Solar longitude(2000.0) = 283.1o, close to January 3d 22h UT. This is quite favourable for the British Isles. At the time of maximum, the radiant (at RA 15h 28m Dec. +50o) in northern Bootes will be quite low in the northeastern sky. As shown in the table below, however, it rises rapidly in the hours through midnight, and by early morning is high in the east. Good observed rates should be found in the early morning hours. Table: Quadrantid Radiant Altitudes at 53oN Local Time Altitude Local Time Altitude 19h 14.4o 01h 27.0o 20h 12.8o 02h 33.4o 21h 12.7o 03h 40.9o 22h 14.2o 04h 48.8o 23h 17.1o 05h 57.4o 00h 21.5o 06h 66.3o It has been some time since this shower was last well covered by BAA observers - hardly surprisingly, the Quadrantids often fall victim to poor weather conditions. Visual watch data obtained by the Meteor Section's standard methods (described on the Meteor pages of the BAA website athttp://www.britastro.org) will be welcomed by the Director at the address below. The 2003 shower may prove productive for photography, especially after midnight UT on Jan 3-4. Past returns have shown bright Quadrantids to become more numerous in the hours after the visual peak. With the Perseids and Geminids both blighted by strong moonlight, the Quadrantids offer the best chance for a night of high-activity meteor observing in 2003, and observers are encouraged to make best possible use of any clear skies to cover this favourable return of the shower: the last time we were able to accumulate large amounts of data won the Quadrantids was as long ago as 1992! Neil Bone Director, BAA Meteor Section 'The Harepath', Mile End Lane, Apuldram, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 7DZ 01243 782679 neil@bone2;.freeserve.co.uk ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Wed Jan 1 17:13:49 GMT 2003 (c) 2002 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
====================================================================== BAA electronic circular No. 00079 http://www.britastro.org/ ====================================================================== Dear BAA members, May I thank all those who have supported the Association and myself over the last 12 months, many working quietly behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly from day to day. I must also remind you that our office is now closed and will re-open on the morning of Monday, 2003 January 6. If there are any really URGENT matters during that time (such as potential discoveries) please refer them to the appropriate director or, if unavailable, please e-mail details to myself at:president@britastro.org Finally may I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and clear skies during 2003. Kind regards, Guy M Hurst BAA President ====================================================================== BAA electronic circulars service. E-mail: circadmin@britastro.org Circular transmitted on Tue Dec 24 12:02:03 GMT 2002 (c) 2002 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/ ======================================================================
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