Useful Links – Bath Astronomers

Next monthly meeting

Wednesday 25th November
- venue Zoom

Why not become
a member of

Bath Astronomers

JOIN

Share experiences using your photos with

PADLET

Sign-up for
our mailing list

Next Stargazing session

@ Wellow car park:
Paused due to Covid-19

Know a school or group who'd benefit from our visit?

Download our list of upcoming events

DOWNLOAD

What are we up to?

Nov24

Getting to Grips with the Night Sky: Introduction to astronomy

24 Nov

A talk on the night sky, how to get more involved in stargazing and ideas for enjoying astronomy. All are welcome from beginners upwards. It is intended to show you the simple science of the night skies above your head and how that knowledge can help you observe. The talk is online using Zoom. Drop us a message if you'd like to attend so we can send through a link to use. Credit: NASA, Juno

Nov25

A Life on Mars. Talk by Bud Martin Budzynski

25 NovOnline

A Life On Mars by Bud Martin Budzynski We take a look at the personalities, speculations and theories that have contributed to our changing views of the Red Planet over the last 150 years. From the sublime to the ridiculous, we examine what it takes to visit our near neighbour. About Bud Bud first became interested in astronomy at 8 years old after seeing a bright meteor flash across the night sky. Determined to learn more, he avidly read all the astronomy books in the local Public Library then set about making his first telescope from spectacle lenses and cardboard tubes. At the same time, he developed a love for music and by the age of 13 had made his own electric guitar. Nearly 60 years later, Bud is still performing at gigs on his equally old Gibson 345. Astigmatism in his right (dominant) eye began to make observation at the telescope eyepiece a troublesome experience so Bud developed a system using a modified web-cam to view the heavens. Naturally, this paved the way to enable him to capture the images he was seeing on the computer screen. Constantly improving camera sensor technology meant that before long he was seeing objects – especially on the Lunar surface – in such detail impossible with his naked eye. Bud is an internationally published Lunar Astrophotographer. The event: Bath Astronomers monthly meeting for all members and new comers to meet up, enjoy perhaps a new topic and a cup of tea and a biscuit. Held online using Zoom. Members are advised directly by email but register here or contact us. Picture: Bud Martin Budzynski

Dec16

Astro Social for Bath Astronomers

16 DecZoom

A fun evening of chat and quizzing for all our members. Despite COVID, a number of things have occurred this year and we'll chat about this and what to do next year.

Jan13

High Resolution Astrophotography with Damian Peach

13 JanZoom

Damian Peach is an internationally renown astrophotographer whose pictures of the Solar System have helped transform the understanding of what is possible with kit available to amateur astronomers. His talk is entitled "High Resolution Astrophotography" A joint event for local Astro Societies including Bath Astronomers, Beckington Astronomical Society, Wells and Mendip Astronomers, and Wiltshire Astronomical Society to be run via Zoom using https://zoom.us/j/3212071969. A password or full link is required to access the event. Image by Damian Peach (9th Nov 2020) http://damianpeach.com/

Jan27

Talk by Nick Howes, Oh My God, We're all gonna die

27 JanHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 27th January – Monthly meeting. Nick Howes has sixteen years' experience working at the cutting edge of Research and Development. Formerly Deputy Director of Kielder Observatory, Sci-Comms for ESA, software development for the SKA Telescope, and Pro-Am Programme Manager for the Faulkes Telescopes, helping to discover dozens of new asteroids. Nick is both a fellow of the BIS and of the Royal Astronomical Society, and works now as the Lead Specialist for BMT's Space R&D team. BMT Defence and Security were the architectural design team behind the QEC Aircraft Carrier, and have offices all over the world, including Bath. His Talk "Oh My God...We're all gonna die" takes us through the perceived threats in space, and hones in on the ones that could truly change the face of our planet forever. Bath Astronomers monthly meeting for all members and new comers to meet up, enjoy perhaps a new topic and a cup of tea and a biscuit. Held on the last Wednesday of every month at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street. The format is open and comprises an update for the month and a talk on an astronomy topic within the reach of amateurs. All visitors welcome and there is a charge of £5. Reduced to £2 for juniors, students or William Herschel Society members. Bath Astronomers members get free entry. Picture: Nick Howes

Feb24

Talk by Nora Eisner, University of Oxford

24 FebHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 24th February – Monthly meeting. This month's talk will be given by Nora Eisner, Department of Physics, University of Oxford. She is a DPhil student working under the supervision of Professor Chris Lintott and Professor Suzanne Aigrain. Bath Astronomers monthly meeting for all members and new comers to meet up, enjoy perhaps a new topic and a cup of tea and a biscuit. Held on the last Wednesday of every month online or at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street. The format is open and comprises an update for the month and a talk on an astronomy topic within the reach of amateurs. All visitors welcome and there is a charge of £5. Reduced to £2 for juniors, students or William Herschel Society members. Bath Astronomers members get in for free.

Mar31

Talk by Pete Williamson FRAS

31 MarHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 31st March – Monthly meeting. Topic to be confirmed: Observing the Moon, or From Herschel to Hawkwind Bath Astronomers monthly meeting for all members and new comers to meet up, enjoy perhaps a new topic and a cup of tea and a biscuit. Held on the last Wednesday of every month at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street. The format is open and comprises an update for the month and a talk on an astronomy topic within the reach of amateurs. All visitors welcome and there is a charge of £5. Reduced to £2 for juniors, students or William Herschel Society members. Bath Astronomers members get free entry. Picture: Peter Williamson

Apr28

Talk by Mary McIntyre

28 AprHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 28th April – Monthly meeting. This month's talk will be given by Mary McIntyre. Mary is a well reknown astro artist and astrophotographer. Bath Astronomers monthly meeting for all members and new comers to meet up, enjoy perhaps a new topic and a cup of tea and a biscuit. Held on the last Wednesday of every month online or at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street. The format is open and comprises an update for the month and a talk on an astronomy topic within the reach of amateurs. All visitors welcome and there is a charge of £5. Reduced to £2 for juniors, students or William Herschel Society members. Bath Astronomers members get in for free.

Jun30

Talk by Chris Starr, Cassini and Saturn

30 JunHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 30th June – Monthly meeting. Bath Astronomers monthly meeting for all members and new comers to meet up, enjoy perhaps a new topic and a cup of tea and a biscuit. Held on the last Wednesday of every month at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street. The format is open and comprises an update for the month and a talk on an astronomy topic within the reach of amateurs. All visitors welcome and there is a charge of £5 which helps cover the cost of the venue. Reduced to £2 for juniors, students or Bath Astronomers members. Picture: Simon Holbeche

The Moon

First Quarter (Illumination: 68.5%)
Age: 9.16 days (Phase: 31%)
Size: 29.8' (Distance: 400,381km)
Moon rise: 14:25
Moon set: 00:58

New Moon	First Quarter	Full Moon	Last Quarter
Sun 15 Nov	Sun 22 Nov	Mon 30 Nov	Tue 8 Dec
Mon 14 Dec	Mon 21 Dec	Wed 30 Dec	Wed 6 Jan
Wed 13 Jan	Wed 20 Jan	Thu 28 Jan	Thu 4 Feb
Thu 11 Feb	Fri 19 Feb	Sat 27 Feb	Sat 6 Mar

The Sun

Sunset: 16:09
End twilight: 18:08
Begin twilight: 05:44
Sunrise: 07:44

Current Meteor Showers

Shower	Start	Peak	End	ZHR
Northern Taurids	20 Oct	13 Nov	10 Dec	5
Leonids	6 Nov	18 Nov	30 Nov	15
Alpha Monocerotids	15 Nov	22 Nov	25 Nov	variable
November Orionids	13 Nov	28 Nov	6 Dec	3
Phoenicids	22 Nov	2 Dec	9 Dec	variable

Current Missions

Past Missions

Mythology

Constellation Mythology- A nice little page with links to more details on the mythology behind certain constellations

Exoplanets

Sun

Mercury

BepiColombo

The Moon

Moon Phases and Libration 2019
Apollo- NASA's overview of the Apollo programme to land people on the Moon

Mars

Jupiter

Juno

Saturn

Cassini-Huygens- Great mission that rewrote the book on Saturn

Asteroids

Space Ideas

Space Elevators and Astronomy

Astro Clubs and Observing

Go Stargazing- Listings of UK observing events
Bath Astronomers- Meets last Wednesday of the month
Beckington AS- Meets 3rd Friday of the month
Bristol AS- Meets once a week
Starquest Astronomers
Wells and Mendip Astronomers
Wiltshire AS- Meets first Tuesday of the month

School Outreach Ideas

Telescopes

Guide to Telescopes by Stargazing Live- A 6 page guide from the BBC on buying your first telescope

Software

Solar System Scope- A great tool for exploring the Solar System in both enlarged and realistic modes. You can use it online or pay a small sum to download and use it offline.
Worldwide Telescope- The American Astronomical Society's Worldwide Telescope available as a web application or a Windows download

The Planets

Planet	Rises	Sets	Constellation	Disk Size	Sun separation
Mercury	Tuesday 06:21:17	Tuesday 15:37:31	Lib	5.3" (40%)	14.4°
Venus	Tuesday 04:55:35	Tuesday 15:07:05	Vir	11.9" (19%)	29.2°
Mars	Monday 14:24:35	Tuesday 03:26:24	Psc	15.8" (61%)	133.7°
Jupiter	Tuesday 11:37:50	Tuesday 19:44:25	Sgr	34.1" (69%)	52.7°
Saturn	Tuesday 11:45:47	Tuesday 20:00:47	Sgr	15.3" (76%)	55.6°
Uranus	Monday 15:06:24	Tuesday 05:30:13	Ari	3.7" (91%)	155.6°
Neptune	Tuesday 13:38:17	Wednesday 00:43:28	Aqr	2.3" (102%)	105.0°

Rise and Set times are with respect to Bath, UK. (%) indicates size compared to maximum possible. As Separation with the Sun approaches 0°, we have Conjunction. As it approaches 180°, we have Opposition. Planets will not be visible between Sunrise(07:40) and Sunset(16:13)

Messier objects due South now

Messier	Name	Type	Magnitude	Constellation
M41	NGC2287	Open Cluster	4.5	Canis Major
M46	NGC2437	Open Cluster	6.1	Puppis
M47	NGC2422	Open Cluster	4.4	Puppis
M48	NGC2548	Open Cluster	5.8	Hydra
M50	NGC2323	Open Cluster	5.9	Monoceros
M93	NGC2447	Open Cluster	6.2	Puppis

Click on the Messier number for the finders guide for the deep sky object.

Spot the Space Station from Bath

Date	Mag	Start	Max	End
Tue 24 Nov	-1.2	17:08:38 look SSW alt 11°	22°	17:13:25 look E alt 12°
Tue 24 Nov	-1.9	18:44:19 look WSW alt 11°	39°	18:46:30 look SW alt 39°
Wed 25 Nov	-2.5	17:56:53 look WSW alt 10°	55°	18:00:56 look ESE alt 41°
Wed 25 Nov	-0.2	19:33:36 look W alt 11°	13°	19:33:53 look W alt 13°
Thu 26 Nov	-2.2	17:09:45 look SW alt 12°	41°	17:15:06 look E alt 16°
Thu 26 Nov	-2.0	18:46:05 look W alt 11°	40°	18:48:16 look W alt 40°
Fri 27 Nov	-2.9	17:58:34 look WSW alt 11°	84°	18:02:24 look E alt 59°
Fri 27 Nov	0.0	19:35:24 look W alt 11°	11°	19:35:24 look W alt 11°
Sat 28 Nov	-2.9	17:11:04 look WSW alt 11°	70°	17:16:48 look E alt 17°
Sat 28 Nov	-1.7	18:47:52 look W alt 11°	33°	18:49:47 look W alt 33°
Sun 29 Nov	-2.9	18:00:20 look W alt 11°	83°	18:04:10 look ENE alt 60°
Sun 29 Nov	0.0	19:37:09 look W alt 10°	10°	19:37:09 look W alt 10°
Mon 30 Nov	-3.0	17:12:47 look W alt 11°	87°	17:18:32 look E alt 17°
Mon 30 Nov	-1.6	18:49:37 look W alt 11°	33°	18:51:32 look W alt 33°
Tue 01 Dec	-2.9	18:02:05 look W alt 11°	89°	18:05:54 look E alt 60°
Wed 02 Dec	-3.0	17:14:31 look W alt 11°	85°	17:20:16 look E alt 17°
Wed 02 Dec	-1.4	18:51:17 look W alt 10°	29°	18:53:10 look W alt 29°
Thu 03 Dec	-2.7	18:03:45 look W alt 10°	63°	18:07:50 look SE alt 45°

Latest Starlink Satellites - 13th June

Date	Satellite	Rise	Max	Set
Tue 24 Nov	STARLINK-1477	17:58:03 look W alt 12°	69°	18:03:09 look ENE alt 42°
Tue 24 Nov	STARLINK-1477	19:37:27 look WNW alt 10°	23°	19:39:03 look WNW alt 23°
Wed 25 Nov	STARLINK-1477	17:52:35 look W alt 12°	69°	17:58:00 look ENE alt 35°
Wed 25 Nov	STARLINK-1477	19:32:16 look WNW alt 12°	22°	19:33:33 look WNW alt 22°
Thu 26 Nov	STARLINK-1477	17:47:07 look W alt 12°	70°	17:52:52 look E alt 30°
Thu 26 Nov	STARLINK-1477	19:26:46 look WNW alt 12°	25°	19:28:21 look W alt 25°
Fri 27 Nov	STARLINK-1477	17:41:20 look WNW alt 10°	73°	17:47:42 look E alt 26°
Fri 27 Nov	STARLINK-1477	19:21:15 look WNW alt 12°	28°	19:23:08 look W alt 28°
Sat 28 Nov	STARLINK-1477	17:35:51 look WNW alt 10°	78°	17:42:33 look E alt 23°
Sat 28 Nov	STARLINK-1477	19:15:43 look WNW alt 11°	33°	19:18:12 look WSW alt 33°
Sun 29 Nov	STARLINK-1477	17:30:21 look WNW alt 10°	85°	17:37:22 look ESE alt 19°
Sun 29 Nov	STARLINK-1477	19:10:11 look W alt 11°	34°	19:13:15 look SW alt 34°
Mon 30 Nov	STARLINK-1477	17:24:51 look WNW alt 10°	87°	17:32:30 look ESE alt 14°
Mon 30 Nov	STARLINK-1477	19:04:57 look W alt 12°	29°	19:08:15 look SW alt 29°
Tue 01 Dec	STARLINK-1477	17:19:20 look WNW alt 10°	77°	17:27:36 look ESE alt 10°
Tue 01 Dec	STARLINK-1477	18:59:24 look W alt 10°	24°	19:03:30 look SSW alt 22°
Wed 02 Dec	STARLINK-1477	17:14:07 look WNW alt 12°	66°	17:21:44 look ESE alt 12°
Wed 02 Dec	STARLINK-1477	18:54:08 look W alt 10°	19°	18:58:56 look S alt 14°
Thu 03 Dec	STARLINK-1477	17:08:35 look WNW alt 12°	55°	17:16:09 look SE alt 12°
Thu 03 Dec	STARLINK-1477	18:49:07 look W alt 11°	15°	18:53:25 look SSW alt 11°

This is a satellite from the 9th batch of 58 of the Starlink constellation launched on 13th June 2020

Prior Starlink Satellites - L7 - 4th June

Date	Satellite	Rise	Max	Set
Tue 24 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	04:27:52 look SE alt 25°	25°	04:30:33 look E alt 11°
Tue 24 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	06:03:36 look WSW alt 19°	81°	06:10:37 look ENE alt 10°
Wed 25 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	04:23:11 look ESE alt 24°	24°	04:25:19 look E alt 10°
Wed 25 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:58:44 look WSW alt 27°	89°	06:05:07 look ENE alt 10°
Thu 26 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	04:17:55 look E alt 25°	25°	04:19:46 look ENE alt 11°
Thu 26 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:53:52 look W alt 37°	82°	05:59:37 look ENE alt 10°
Fri 27 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	04:12:58 look E alt 21°	21°	04:14:13 look ENE alt 11°
Fri 27 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:48:41 look W alt 43°	76°	05:54:06 look ENE alt 10°
Sat 28 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	04:07:42 look E alt 19°	19°	04:08:39 look ENE alt 12°
Sat 28 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:43:29 look WNW alt 50°	72°	05:48:16 look ENE alt 12°
Sun 29 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	04:02:27 look ENE alt 16°	16°	04:03:05 look ENE alt 12°
Sun 29 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:38:16 look WNW alt 58°	69°	05:42:44 look E alt 12°
Mon 30 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	03:57:10 look ENE alt 14°	14°	03:57:49 look ENE alt 10°
Mon 30 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:33:03 look NNW alt 65°	69°	05:37:11 look E alt 12°
Mon 30 Nov	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	07:08:54 look WNW alt 10°	61°	07:12:25 look W alt 61°
Tue 01 Dec	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	03:51:54 look ENE alt 12°	12°	03:52:13 look ENE alt 10°
Tue 01 Dec	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:27:29 look NNW alt 66°	69°	05:31:38 look E alt 12°
Tue 01 Dec	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	07:03:37 look WNW alt 12°	67°	07:11:14 look ESE alt 12°
Wed 02 Dec	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	03:46:37 look ENE alt 10°	10°	03:46:37 look ENE alt 10°
Wed 02 Dec	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:22:13 look N alt 72°	72°	05:26:22 look E alt 10°
Wed 02 Dec	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	06:58:00 look WNW alt 12°	56°	07:05:34 look SE alt 12°
Thu 03 Dec	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	05:16:56 look NE alt 71°	71°	05:20:46 look E alt 10°
Thu 03 Dec	STARLINK-1436 (VISORSAT)	06:52:40 look WNW alt 13°	47°	06:59:51 look SE alt 11°

This is one of the satellites from the 8th batch of 60 of the Starlink constellation launched on 4th June 2020