What’s Up – Bath Astronomers

What are we up to?

Jan22

Getting to Grips with the Night Sky: Introduction to astronomy

22 JanHerschel Museum of Astronomy

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 event is full and so no further bookings are being taken at present. There'll be a further session in March. Credit: NASA, Juno

Jan25

Telescope Workshop - BYO and have a chat

25 JanTunley Recreation Centre

A session for telescope owners who are new to the hobby or have got frustrated and need some help to get the best out of their telescopes. Please register your interest so we can manage numbers. Numbers are limited and so registration is required. Small charge to cover cost of the venue :)

Jan29

Member's Night; Short talks on your own projects and activities

29 JanHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 29th Apr – 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

Jan31

Stargazing at Wellow for all

31 JanPublic Car Park, Wellow, Somerset

Public stargazing session at Wellow, south of Bath. These events involve Bath Astronomers bringing along a telescope and helping visitors see objects of interest in the sky that evening. It's all about sharing. If you have your own kit, bring it along and we might be able to help you use it more effectively or give you some hints/tips. Start time is 6:30pm. Subject to clear skies - weather dependent. You can find out more about the Wellow site by visiting https://bathastronomers.org.uk/observing/sites-wellow/ We'll check the weather is suitable and issue guidance on whether things are going ahead by 4pm on the day. Guidance will be issued on Facebook and Bath Astronomers website. Do no travel until you see confirmation in this Facebook event or on Bath Astronomers website. If you register for the event on our web site, we'll email you to confirm the event is happening i.e. registration is a good idea. You should dress warmly and arrive as close to the start time as possible to avoid car lights ruining people's night vision too frequently. Wear stout, warm, waterproof footwear and consider a thermos of your favourite warm drink. If you are not a member of Bath Astronomers/William Herschel Society, you can get on our mailing list by emailing stargazing-join@bathastronomers.org.uk

Feb15

Stargazing at Wellow for all

15 FebPublic Car Park, Wellow, Somerset

Public stargazing session at Wellow, south of Bath. These events involve Bath Astronomers bringing along a telescope and helping visitors see objects of interest in the sky that evening. It's all about sharing. If you have your own kit, bring it along and we might be able to help you use it more effectively or give you some hints/tips. Start time is 7pm. Subject to clear skies - weather dependent. You can find out more about the Wellow site by visiting https://bathastronomers.org.uk/observing/sites-wellow/ We'll check the weather is suitable and issue guidance on whether things are going ahead by 4pm on the day. Guidance will be issued on Facebook and Bath Astronomers website. Do no travel until you see confirmation in this Facebook event or on Bath Astronomers website. If you register for the event on our web site, we'll email you to confirm the event is happening i.e. registration is a good idea. You should dress warmly and arrive as close to the start time as possible to avoid car lights ruining people's night vision too frequently. Wear stout, warm, waterproof footwear and consider a thermos of your favourite warm drink. If you are not a member of Bath Astronomers/William Herschel Society, you can get on our mailing list by emailing stargazing-join@bathastronomers.org.uk

Feb23

Stargazing at Wellow for all

23 FebPublic Car Park, Wellow, Somerset

Public stargazing session at Wellow, south of Bath. These events involve Bath Astronomers bringing along a telescope and helping visitors see objects of interest in the sky that evening. It's all about sharing. If you have your own kit, bring it along and we might be able to help you use it more effectively or give you some hints/tips. Start time is 7pm. Subject to clear skies - weather dependent. You can find out more about the Wellow site by visiting https://bathastronomers.org.uk/observing/sites-wellow/ We'll check the weather is suitable and issue guidance on whether things are going ahead by 4pm on the day. Guidance will be issued on Facebook and Bath Astronomers website. Do no travel until you see confirmation in this Facebook event or on Bath Astronomers website. If you register for the event on our web site, we'll email you to confirm the event is happening i.e. registration is a good idea. You should dress warmly and arrive as close to the start time as possible to avoid car lights ruining people's night vision too frequently. Wear stout, warm, waterproof footwear and consider a thermos of your favourite warm drink. If you are not a member of Bath Astronomers/William Herschel Society, you can get on our mailing list by emailing stargazing-join@bathastronomers.org.uk

Feb26

Talk by Owen Brazell

26 FebHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 26th Feb – 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

Feb29

Stargazing at Wellow for all

29 FebPublic Car Park, Wellow, Somerset

Public stargazing session at Wellow, south of Bath. These events involve Bath Astronomers bringing along a telescope and helping visitors see objects of interest in the sky that evening. It's all about sharing. If you have your own kit, bring it along and we might be able to help you use it more effectively or give you some hints/tips. Start time is 7:30pm. Subject to clear skies - weather dependent. You can find out more about the Wellow site by visiting https://bathastronomers.org.uk/observing/sites-wellow/ We'll check the weather is suitable and issue guidance on whether things are going ahead by 4pm on the day. Guidance will be issued on Facebook and Bath Astronomers website. Do no travel until you see confirmation in this Facebook event or on Bath Astronomers website. If you register for the event on our web site, we'll email you to confirm the event is happening i.e. registration is a good idea. You should dress warmly and arrive as close to the start time as possible to avoid car lights ruining people's night vision too frequently. Wear stout, warm, waterproof footwear and consider a thermos of your favourite warm drink. If you are not a member of Bath Astronomers/William Herschel Society, you can get on our mailing list by emailing stargazing-join@bathastronomers.org.uk

Mar13

Stargazing at Wellow for all

13 MarPublic Car Park, Wellow, Somerset

Public stargazing session at Wellow, south of Bath. These events involve Bath Astronomers bringing along a telescope and helping visitors see objects of interest in the sky that evening. It's all about sharing. If you have your own kit, bring it along and we might be able to help you use it more effectively or give you some hints/tips. Start time is 7:30pm. Subject to clear skies - weather dependent. You can find out more about the Wellow site by visiting https://bathastronomers.org.uk/observing/sites-wellow/ We'll check the weather is suitable and issue guidance on whether things are going ahead by 4pm on the day. Guidance will be issued on Facebook and Bath Astronomers website. Do no travel until you see confirmation in this Facebook event or on Bath Astronomers website. If you register for the event on our web site, we'll email you to confirm the event is happening i.e. registration is a good idea. You should dress warmly and arrive as close to the start time as possible to avoid car lights ruining people's night vision too frequently. Wear stout, warm, waterproof footwear and consider a thermos of your favourite warm drink. If you are not a member of Bath Astronomers/William Herschel Society, you can get on our mailing list by emailing stargazing-join@bathastronomers.org.uk

Mar18

Getting to Grips with the Night Sky: Introduction to astronomy

18 MarHerschel Museum of Astronomy

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. Please register your interest so we can manage numbers. Numbers are limited and so registration is required. Credit: NASA, Juno

Mar21

Wells & Mendip Astronomers Messier Marathon

21 MarCharterhouse Outdoor Activity Centre

Wells & Mendip Astronomers are having their Messier Night on Saturday 21st March 20120 The event is open to the public and to Bath Astronomers. Discover Charles Messier’s deep-sky wonders in an almost moonless sky and listen to a Introductory talk.

Mar25

Talk by Bud Martin, A Life on Mars

25 MarHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 25th Mar – 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

Mar27

Stargazing at Wellow for all

27 MarPublic Car Park, Wellow, Somerset

Public stargazing session at Wellow, south of Bath. These events involve Bath Astronomers bringing along a telescope and helping visitors see objects of interest in the sky that evening. It's all about sharing. If you have your own kit, bring it along and we might be able to help you use it more effectively or give you some hints/tips. Start time is 8pm. Subject to clear skies - weather dependent. You can find out more about the Wellow site by visiting https://bathastronomers.org.uk/observing/sites-wellow/ We'll check the weather is suitable and issue guidance on whether things are going ahead by 4pm on the day. Guidance will be issued on Facebook and Bath Astronomers website. Do no travel until you see confirmation in this Facebook event or on Bath Astronomers website. If you register for the event on our web site, we'll email you to confirm the event is happening i.e. registration is a good idea. You should dress warmly and arrive as close to the start time as possible to avoid car lights ruining people's night vision too frequently. Wear stout, warm, waterproof footwear and consider a thermos of your favourite warm drink. If you are not a member of Bath Astronomers/William Herschel Society, you can get on our mailing list by emailing stargazing-join@bathastronomers.org.uk

Apr29

Talk by Chris Starr, Cassini and Saturn

29 AprHerschel Museum of Astronomy

NASA APOD

Quadrantid Meteors through Orion

Petr Horálek

Why are these meteor trails nearly parallel? Because they were all shed by the same space rock and so can be traced back to the same direction on the sky: the radiant of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. This direction used to be toward the old constellation of Quadrans Muralis, hence the name Quadrantids, but when the International Astronomical Union formulated its list of modern constellations in 1922, this constellation did not make the list. Even though the meteors are now considered to originate from the recognized constellation of Bootes, the old name stuck. Regardless of the designation, every January the Earth moves through a dust stream and bits of this dust glow as meteors as they heat up in Earth's atmosphere. The featured image composite was taken on January 4 with a picturesque snowy Slovakian landscape in the foreground, and a deep-exposure sky prominently featuring the constellation Orion in the background. The red star Betelgeuse appears unusually dim -- its fading over the past few months is being tracked by astronomers. Teachers: APOD in the Classroom

The Moon

Waning Crescent (Illumination: 14.7%)
Age: 25.83 days (Phase: 87.5%)
Size: 31.6' (Distance: 378,380km)
Moon rise: 05:08
Moon set: 13:31

New Moon	First Quarter	Full Moon	Last Quarter
Thu 26 Dec	Fri 3 Jan	Fri 10 Jan	Fri 17 Jan
Fri 24 Jan	Sun 2 Feb	Sun 9 Feb	Sat 15 Feb
Sun 23 Feb	Mon 2 Mar	Mon 9 Mar	Mon 16 Mar
Tue 24 Mar	Wed 1 Apr	Wed 8 Apr	Tue 14 Apr

The Sun

Sunset: 16:39
End twilight: 18:37
Begin twilight: 06:03
Sunrise: 08:00

Current Meteor Showers

Shower	Start	Peak	End	ZHR
Gamma Ursae Minorids	10 Jan	18 Jan	22 Jan	3

Step by: Mode:
North latitude East longitude
DSOs Star names Constellation lines Constellation labels

Reproduced and extended by permission of Ernie Wright under GNU

The Planets

Planet	Rises	Sets	Constellation	Disk Size	Sun separation
Mercury	Tuesday 08:39:36	Tuesday 17:06:05	Cap	4.9" (38%)	7.1°
Venus	Tuesday 09:39:21	Tuesday 20:09:42	Aqr	14.4" (23%)	38.4°
Mars	Tuesday 04:51:03	Tuesday 12:51:31	Oph	4.6" (18%)	48.5°
Jupiter	Tuesday 07:03:04	Tuesday 14:52:12	Sgr	31.4" (64%)	19.2°
Saturn	Tuesday 07:45:50	Tuesday 15:56:03	Sgr	14.6" (73%)	6.6°
Uranus	Tuesday 11:07:13	Wednesday 01:12:25	Ari	3.5" (87%)	91.3°
Neptune	Tuesday 09:50:18	Tuesday 20:50:42	Aqr	2.2" (99%)	46.4°

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(07:59) and Sunset(16:40)

Messier objects due South now

Messier	Name	Type	Magnitude	Constellation
M50	Leo’s Triplet	Spiral Galaxy	9.3	Leo
M66	Leo’s Triplet	Spiral Galaxy	9	Leo
M81	Bodes Nebula	Spiral Galaxy	6.8	Ursa Major
M82	Cigar Galaxy	Ir. Gx.	8.4	Ursa Major
M95	NGC3351	Spiral Galaxy	9.7	Leo
M96	NGC3368	Spiral Galaxy	9.2	Leo
M97	Owl Nebula	Planetary Nebula	11	Ursa Major
M105	NGC3379	Elliptical Galaxy	9.3	Leo
M108	NGC3556	Spiral Galaxy	10	Ursa Major

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 21 Jan	-0.3	18:13:26 look SSE alt 10°	11°	18:14:05 look SE alt 11°
Wed 22 Jan	-1.3	18:59:26 look SSW alt 11°	25°	19:01:16 look S alt 25°
Thu 23 Jan	-1.2	18:11:57 look SSW alt 11°	22°	18:15:14 look SE alt 20°
Thu 23 Jan	-0.4	19:47:37 look WSW alt 11°	15°	19:48:09 look WSW alt 15°
Fri 24 Jan	-0.8	17:24:46 look S alt 11°	16°	17:28:34 look ESE alt 11°
Fri 24 Jan	-2.3	18:59:41 look WSW alt 10°	48°	19:02:23 look SSW alt 48°
Sat 25 Jan	-2.2	18:12:04 look SW alt 12°	41°	18:16:20 look ESE alt 27°
Sat 25 Jan	-0.8	19:48:22 look W alt 11°	20°	19:49:28 look W alt 20°
Sun 26 Jan	-1.8	17:24:46 look SSW alt 14°	30°	17:30:00 look E alt 11°
Sun 26 Jan	-2.8	19:00:22 look WSW alt 11°	73°	19:03:22 look WSW alt 73°
Mon 27 Jan	-2.9	18:12:24 look WSW alt 11°	70°	18:17:18 look E alt 27°
Mon 27 Jan	-0.8	19:49:10 look W alt 11°	20°	19:50:16 look W alt 20°
Tue 28 Jan	-2.6	17:27:59 look SE alt 52°	52°	17:30:57 look E alt 10°
Tue 28 Jan	-2.8	19:01:09 look W alt 11°	73°	19:04:09 look WNW alt 73°
Wed 29 Jan	-3.0	18:13:08 look W alt 11°	88°	18:18:03 look E alt 28°
Wed 29 Jan	-0.8	19:49:56 look W alt 11°	20°	19:51:02 look W alt 20°
Thu 30 Jan	-0.8	17:31:09 look E alt 15°	15°	17:31:41 look E alt 11°
Thu 30 Jan	-2.9	19:01:56 look W alt 11°	89°	19:05:13 look WSW alt 89°

Starlink satellites rise and set times

Date	Satellite	Rise	Max	Set
Tue 21 Jan	STARLINK-1066	17:27:58 look SW alt 11°	46°	17:33:04 look E alt 13°
Tue 21 Jan	STARLINK-1066	19:03:03 look W alt 11°	36°	19:04:46 look WNW alt 36°
Wed 22 Jan	STARLINK-1066	17:53:28 look WSW alt 12°	89°	17:57:55 look ENE alt 22°
Wed 22 Jan	STARLINK-1066	19:28:45 look WNW alt 11°	18°	19:29:29 look WNW alt 18°
Thu 23 Jan	STARLINK-1066	18:19:12 look W alt 11°	64°	18:22:39 look NE alt 43°
Fri 24 Jan	STARLINK-1066	18:45:03 look WNW alt 11°	57°	18:47:31 look NNW alt 57°
Sat 25 Jan	STARLINK-1066	17:35:37 look W alt 11°	63°	17:40:49 look ENE alt 13°
Sat 25 Jan	STARLINK-1066	19:10:56 look WNW alt 12°	31°	19:12:25 look WNW alt 31°
Sun 26 Jan	STARLINK-1066	18:01:37 look WNW alt 11°	61°	18:05:49 look ENE alt 25°
Sun 26 Jan	STARLINK-1066	19:36:50 look WNW alt 11°	18°	19:37:34 look W alt 18°
Mon 27 Jan	STARLINK-1066	18:27:39 look WNW alt 12°	82°	18:31:07 look E alt 47°
Tue 28 Jan	STARLINK-1066	18:53:41 look WNW alt 11°	54°	18:56:23 look SSW alt 54°
Wed 29 Jan	STARLINK-1066	17:44:38 look WNW alt 12°	85°	17:50:05 look ESE alt 12°
Wed 29 Jan	STARLINK-1066	19:19:59 look W alt 11°	24°	19:21:51 look SW alt 24°
Thu 30 Jan	STARLINK-1066	18:10:48 look WNW alt 11°	51°	18:15:57 look SE alt 13°
Thu 30 Jan	STARLINK-1066	19:47:32 look SW alt 10°	10°	19:47:32 look SW alt 10°

This is the lead satellite from the 3rd batch of 60 of the Starlink constellation