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Sunday, January 8th, 2017
Here’s a link to an interesting article about a legal ruling in the US against the use of blue rich LED lighting. Might it have implications for the Uk?
New Year Greetings!
Thursday, December 29th, 2016
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.
May your skies be still, dark, cloud free and transparent in 2017
January 2017 Sky notes and Sky chart
Thursday, December 29th, 2016
A brief cometary note from Adrian Zielonka.
Sunday, December 25th, 2016
Comet 45Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova should begin to come visible with binoculars in the evening sky to the right of Venus. It’s currently at magnitude 9. It’s at perihelion (closest to the sun) on Dec 31st at a distance of 0.533 AU.
It should get much brighter than it is though comets are unpredictable though we do get a lot closer to it. Its current distance from us is 0.959 AU (Dec19). On the 31st it will be 0.703 AU from us. It will be at its closest to us on Feb10th at a distance of 0.084 AU in the constellation of Hercules.
(1.0 AU = 93million miles)
This evening at 5:00pm the comet will approximately be 10degrees to the right of Venus and 7degrees lower.
Each evening this month at the same time it will increase it’s distance towards the setting Sun.
See www.heavens-above.com for further details.
December meeting
Thursday, December 22nd, 2016
CADAS December 2016
A bitter- sweet meeting.
This meeting was tinged with sadness following the sudden unexpected recent death of our Secretary and good friend Mike Holland. Mike was a founder member of CADAS. A minutes’ silence was held to remember Mike and his family. Mike will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Bob Mizon ‘s ‘object of the month’ was beta Tauri on the border of Auriga and Taurus in the direction of the galactic anticentre and also known as Al Nath (or the various other variations of that name).
Pete Adshed shared some of his trials and tribulations of imaging without an observatory on freezing nights. However he also demonstrated how he found objects using setting circles and with the help of the software nova.astrometry.net and shared some of his excellent results.
The quality of Bill Reed’s images continues to improve and impress. His latest Christmas Tree, Horsehead and Orion Nebulae were superb as was the Andromeda Galaxy he ‘just shot whilst waiting for Orion to get high enough’.
Arthur Davis concentrated on Cancer as his ‘constellation of the month’, identifying the clusters M44 and M67 as excellent binocular objects to view. He also identified Ceres as an object to observe.
We then broke for festive eats and drinks and what a lot there was to eat and drink! Thanks to everyone for contributing and especially those who cooked and baked. It was quite a spread and it was nice to have the extra time to chat amongst ourselves.
Very many thanks to Lorna for producing our brilliant CADAS calendar for 2017. If you are a member and haven’t collected yours (free), please see Bud at the next meeting.
The meeting ended with Annabelle giving a short talk on Georges Remi (Hergé)
Next month on January 18th we have members short talks on ‘Celestial motion’. We need you to come up with a quick five to 10 minute chat about movement ‘out there’.
Mike’s funeral arrangements.
Sunday, December 18th, 2016
Mike’s funeral service will take place at St John’s Church, Yeovil at 12.30 pm on Friday 23rd December followed by interment at Yeovil Crematorium. If you are able to attend please do.
Sad and shocking news
Thursday, December 8th, 2016
Mike Holland died suddenly at home on Monday.5th December. No further news.
CADAS sends its sympathy and condolences to Tracey and the Holland family. Mike will be a great loss to all who knew this lovely man.
Mike doing what he loved.
December ’16 Night Sky notes. (Adrian Zelonka)
Wednesday, November 30th, 2016
Adrian’s December 2016 Night Sky
December ’16 Sky Notes (Arthur Davis)
Wednesday, November 30th, 2016