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June meeting

It was a near disaster. Not the meeting of course – I refer to the moment I brought the gavel down on Adrian’s purchase of the finderscope kindly donated by Richard Harboard. Trouble was that it was the finderscope wot I used as the gavel! Thankfully no harm done ,but it was a moment of much hilarity – at my expense. :-(

What an enjoyable meeting. Some great images were shared by David Pickles who is learning the dark arts of astro-photography at an impressive rate. I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of David’s pics once the nights are darker. Can’t wait. Apart from the inadvertent  ‘comedy turn’, my contribution consisted of some solar images and shots of the ISS. Arthur Davis’ monthly sky notes alerted us to what to look for – and what not to – in the coming month.

Bill Read, inspired by Paul Hyde’s talk on meteor detection by radar a couple of months ago, starting from scratch, in short order put together a set up on a budget which is the equal of others costing thousands. We watched and heard  ‘pings’  coming in as Bill explained how he’s done it and what was happening. It was a fascinating and absorbing presentation and Bill was asked to publish some notes on the subject. We were in awe at Bill’s quick grasp of the technicalities and practical nouse that allowed him to be up and running so quickly. Thanks for sharing this Bill.

Next month is ‘ask the experts’ evening. If there is anything you’d like to have clarified, here is the opportunity. There is only one rule. There is no such thing as a stupid question. So don’t be afraid to ask.

Thanks to those who volunteered to help with our stand at the S W Astronomy Fair on 9 August and to Martin for offering the loan of display stands. Thanks too, to Zena for refreshments and to the kind people who helped in the kitchen. Your efforts are much appreciated.

Ron

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2014 at 10:22 am.

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