What’s Up – Bath Astronomers

What are we up to?

May27

Talk by Elizabeth Pearson, Rovers and Landers

27 MayHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 27th May – 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. Reduced to £2 for juniors, students or William Herschel Society members. Bath Astronomers members get free entry. Picture: Simon Holbeche

Jun20

Solar Observing on the day of the Summer Solstice

20 JunHerschel Museum of Astronomy

June 20th (Saturday) , 12noon to 4pm Solar observing on the day of the Summer Solstice from the house and garden where 18th century brother and sister astronomers William and Caroline Herschel lived and the site where the Planet Uranus was discovered from in 1781. Generously supported by volunteers of Bath Astronomers.

Jun24

Talk by Roger Hyman, Getting great astrophotos

24 JunHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 24th June – Monthly meeting. Roger has been taking astro photos for the last 18 months and has produced some amazing results from commercially available kit you don't need to be a millionaire to afford. Roger will lead us through how he does it and perhaps you'll pick up a few tips. 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: Simon Holbeche

Sep30

Talk by Mark Radice, Observing the Planets

30 SepHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 30th September – Monthly meeting. A talk by Mark Radice on observing the planets. 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: Mark Radice

Oct28

Talk by Stephen Tonkin, Two Eyes are Better than One

28 OctHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Wednesday 28th October – Monthly meeting. A talk by Stephen Tonkin on binocular astronomy. Two Eyes are Better than One. Steve Tonkin has been an amateur astronomer since childhood and now spends most of his time doing astronomical outreach; he leads public observing sessions at BBC Stargazing Live events. He has taught astronomy to adults and children for over 35 years and has authored many articles and several books on practical aspects of astronomy. He writes equipment reviews and a monthly Binocular Tour for BBC Sky at Night magazine. Steve is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a past-chairman of the Wessex Astronomical Society and a founder member of Fordingbridge Astronomers. 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: Stephen Tonkin

Nov23

Moon/Planet viewing with Bath Astronomers

23 NovHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Monday 23 November, 6pm to 9pm Evening observing session from the house and garden of 18th century brother and sister astronomers William and Caroline Herschel. The Planet Uranus was discovered from the garden in 1781, by William. Generously supported by volunteers from Bath Astronomers.

Nov25

A Life on Mars. Talk by Bud Martin

25 NovHerschel Museum of Astronomy

A Life On Mars by Bud Martin 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 on the last Wednesday of every month at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street. Bath Astronomers' members and under 18s enter for free. All visitors welcome and there is an entry charge of £5. Reduced to £2 for Herschel Society members and students. Picture: Bud Martin

Dec17

Evening Astronomy

17 DecHerschel Museum of Astronomy

Thursday 17 December, 8pm to 11pm Evening observing session from the house and garden of 18th century brother and sister astronomers William and Caroline Herschel. The planet Uranus was discovered from the garden here, by William, in 1781. Generously supported by volunteers from Bath Astronomers

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

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

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

Waxing Gibbous (Illumination: 70.3%)
Age: 9.35 days (Phase: 31.7%)
Size: 32.1' (Distance: 372,749km)
Moon rise: 12:23
Moon set: 03:53

New Moon	First Quarter	Full Moon	Last Quarter
Tue 24 Mar	Wed 1 Apr	Wed 8 Apr	Tue 14 Apr
Thu 23 Apr	Thu 30 Apr	Thu 7 May	Thu 14 May
Fri 22 May	Sat 30 May	Fri 5 Jun	Sat 13 Jun
Sun 21 Jun	Sun 28 Jun	Sun 5 Jul	Sun 12 Jul

The Sun

Sunset: 18:46
End twilight: 20:45
Begin twilight: 03:36
Sunrise: 05:36

Current Meteor Showers

Shower	Start	Peak	End	ZHR

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	Friday 05:13:49	Friday 16:11:27	Aqr	6.4" (49%)	25.9°
Venus	Friday 06:51:03	Friday 23:24:51	Tau	26.1" (41%)	45.8°
Mars	Friday 03:30:57	Friday 11:51:05	Cap	6.5" (25%)	71.5°
Jupiter	Friday 03:02:09	Friday 11:13:05	Sgr	36.4" (74%)	79.1°
Saturn	Friday 03:20:01	Friday 11:46:30	Cap	15.6" (78%)	72.9°
Uranus	Friday 06:25:10	Friday 20:40:24	Ari	3.4" (83%)	21.6°
Neptune	Friday 05:07:43	Friday 16:18:23	Aqr	2.2" (98%)	24.4°

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(05:35) and Sunset(18:47)

Messier objects due South now

Messier	Name	Type	Magnitude	Constellation
M2	NGC7089	Globular Cluster	6.5	Aquarius
M15	NGC7078	Globular Cluster	6.4	Pegasus
M27	Dumbbell Nebula	Planetary Nebula	8.1	Vulpecula
M29	NGC6913	Open Cluster	6.6	Cygnus
M30	NGC7099	Globular Cluster	7.5	Capricornus
M39	NGC7092	Open Cluster	4.6	Cygnus
M72	NGC6981	Globular Cluster	9.4	Aquarius
M73	NGC6994	ast		Aquarius
M75	NGC6864	Globular Cluster	8.6	Sagittarius

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
Fri 03 Apr	-0.4	21:37:35 look WSW alt 10°	13°	21:40:19 look SSW alt 11°
Sat 04 Apr	-1.0	20:49:40 look W alt 11°	18°	20:54:04 look S alt 11°

Latest Starlink Satellites - 17th Feb

Date	Satellite	Rise	Max	Set
Fri 03 Apr	STARLINK-1241	21:42:38 look W alt 12°	69°	21:48:23 look ENE alt 30°
Fri 03 Apr	STARLINK-1241	23:22:19 look WNW alt 12°	26°	23:23:54 look WNW alt 26°
Sat 04 Apr	STARLINK-1241	21:37:10 look W alt 12°	71°	21:42:54 look E alt 30°
Sat 04 Apr	STARLINK-1241	23:16:47 look WNW alt 12°	29°	23:18:41 look W alt 29°
Sun 05 Apr	STARLINK-1241	21:31:21 look WNW alt 10°	74°	21:37:25 look E alt 31°
Sun 05 Apr	STARLINK-1241	23:11:15 look WNW alt 11°	28°	23:13:08 look W alt 28°
Mon 06 Apr	STARLINK-1241	21:25:51 look WNW alt 10°	80°	21:32:15 look E alt 26°
Mon 06 Apr	STARLINK-1241	23:05:43 look WNW alt 11°	29°	23:07:53 look W alt 29°
Tue 07 Apr	STARLINK-1241	21:20:20 look WNW alt 10°	87°	21:26:44 look ESE alt 27°
Tue 07 Apr	STARLINK-1241	23:00:10 look W alt 10°	28°	23:02:36 look WSW alt 28°
Wed 08 Apr	STARLINK-1241	21:14:49 look WNW alt 10°	84°	21:21:31 look ESE alt 23°
Wed 08 Apr	STARLINK-1241	22:54:54 look W alt 11°	25°	22:57:18 look WSW alt 25°
Thu 09 Apr	STARLINK-1241	21:09:36 look WNW alt 12°	73°	21:16:17 look ESE alt 19°
Thu 09 Apr	STARLINK-1241	22:49:20 look W alt 10°	22°	22:51:57 look SW alt 22°
Fri 10 Apr	STARLINK-1241	21:04:03 look WNW alt 12°	63°	21:11:01 look SE alt 16°
Fri 10 Apr	STARLINK-1241	22:44:03 look W alt 10°	18°	22:46:34 look SW alt 18°
Sat 11 Apr	STARLINK-1241	20:58:29 look WNW alt 12°	52°	21:05:43 look SE alt 14°
Sat 11 Apr	STARLINK-1241	22:39:00 look WSW alt 10°	14°	22:41:23 look SW alt 14°
Sun 12 Apr	STARLINK-1241	20:52:55 look WNW alt 11°	43°	21:00:23 look SE alt 11°
Sun 12 Apr	STARLINK-1241	22:34:38 look WSW alt 10°	11°	22:36:07 look SW alt 10°

This is the lead satellite from the 5th batch of 60 of the Starlink constellation launched on 17th Feb 2020

Prior Starlink Satellites - 29th Jan

Date	Satellite	Rise	Max	Set
Mon 13 Apr	STARLINK-1150	05:38:09 look SSW alt 10°	24°	05:42:15 look ESE alt 21°

This is one of the satellites from the 4th batch of 60 of the Starlink constellation launched on 29th Jan 2020

The Traffic in Taurus

Lionel Majzik

There's a traffic jam in Taurus lately. On April 1, this celestial frame from slightly hazy skies over Tapiobicske, Hungary recorded an impressive pile up toward the zodiacal constellation of the Bull and the Solar System's ecliptic plane. Streaking right to left the International Space Station speeds across the bottom of the telescopic field of view. Wandering about as far from the Sun in planet Earth's skies as it can get, inner planet Venus is bright and approaching much slower, overexposed at the right. Bystanding at the upper left are the sister stars of the Pleiades. No one has been injured in the close encounter though, because it really isn't very close. Continuously occupied since November 2000, the space station orbits some 400 kilometers above the planet's surface. Venus, currently the brilliant evening star, is almost 2/3 of an astronomical unit away. A more permanent resident of Taurus, the Pleiades star cluster is 400 light-years distant.