What has been happening in the 2013 meetings can be found here. January February September MINUTES | 2013 4th January 2013 January PRESENT Chris Suddick (Chairman), Geoff Flood, Raj Goel, Nicola O'Callaghan, Paul O'Callaghan, Colin Eaves, Geoff Walton, Margaret Masterson, Mike Masterson, Pat Gothard, Graham Cliff, Chris Lavender, Richard Bullock, Kevin Rodgers, Karen Rodgers, Ged Birbeck. APOLOGIES Graham Sinagola, Peter Baugh. This was a Club Night and we did not have a speaker. Although there was broken cloud it was decided to Do some viewing from the car park, which is reasonably dark. initially we struggled to see Jupiter but as time went by the cloud thinned and eventually we got a large area of clear sky. Several telescopes and binoculars were available so that everyone could look at what was visible. Despite cloud, Richard managed to get his LX90 aligned and then Jupiter was the first target of the night, initially through thin cloud and occasional gaps - but then it cleared later and we came back to Jupiter after it had fully cleared. The seeing was excellent: The four Galilean Moons were joined by a 6th magnitude star HD 27639 - making it seem like Jupiter had five large moons. On the face of Jupiter, the main two equatorial cloud belts could be seen, as well as the narrower northern temperate belt. Noticeable darkenings observed in the north and south polar regions. Structure could be seen in the equatorial belts, however the Great Red Spot had set about an hour earlier. In the highest power eyepiece, Io was easily resolved as a disk. After Jupiter, we had a look at M36, M37 and M38, open clusters in Auriga. The Pleiades, M45 were better observed in the binoculars than through the 'scope. We tried some more challenging targets: M31, the Andromeda Galaxy was obvious through the telescope, however M1 in Taurus was a much more difficult target - the light pollution from the Manchester Airport direction making that a difficult averted vision object. Other objects seen include M42 which was still low and behind trees, but its greeny-hue easily seen - and the planet Uranus - which was even more behind trees and a tough capture - but it still provided some new members with their first ever view of the planet. All in all, a decent hour or so observing - and the views of Jupiter in particular were superb. After some good viewing a cup of tea was in order and following that we dealt with a few items of business, which included The notification of the next FAS meeting which will be held at the Godlee Observatory in the Sackville Building, Manchester University. The meeting will be on Saturday 26th January at12:00 noon. Tony Aremia and his wife have both been unwell, our good wishes were expressed. 1st February 2013 February PRESENT Chairman Chris Suddick and 20 members and guests APOLOGIES Tony Aremia, Raj Goel, Geoff Walton. Peter Baugh gave the second part of his talk about Caroline Herschel, 1750 - 1848. Caroline followed her brother, William, to England where they set up house in Bath. Originally a musician, William became interested in Astronomy and built his own telescopes the biggest being 70 feet long. he would stand on a platform and shout his results down to Caroline who recorded them. Caroline became interested and had her own 2 feet long telescope with which she made observations and in her time discovered 6 comets. She was a regular correspondent with the Royal Society and became well known to the Scientists of the day. King George 3rd made William Astronomer Royal and gave Caroline a stipend of £50 for life. After William's death Caroline returned to Hanover but retained an interest in astronomy. The Chairman thanked Peter and following a break we dealt with correspondence matters which included details of local events in the coming months and also some promotional material about astronomy courses or tours. 6th September 2013 September ADAS 49th AGM & 486th Meeting PRESENT Chris Suddick (Chairman), Geoff Flood, Peter Baugh, Steve Worsley, Pat Gothard, Geoff Walton, Norman Thurston, Kevin Thurston, Ewan Hill-Norris, Eddy Bruce, Kevin Rodgers, Karin Rodgers, Isobel Gordon, James Heatley, Chris Lavender, Richard Bullock, Graham Cliff, Raj Goel, Ged Birbeck. Total 19 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Tony Aremia, Graham Sinagola. MINUTES The Minutes of the 48th AGM were read and approved. There were no arising matters. TREASURER'S REPORT Full Accounts attached.(in the Minute Book) During the past ADAS year we had 23 paid-up members During 2012/2013 we ran at a loss of £204.65. This loss was as a result of paying back a loan which had occurred because of paying off back rent to 1st Timperley Scout Group at a time when we were having difficulties with moving the bank account, these difficulties are now resolved and we have settled the account at Barclay's. There remains £1059.32 in the account. It was proposed by Graham Cliff, seconded by Kevin Thurston and agreed that subscriptions should remain at £20 for senior and £1 for junior members. There was a proposal that we should consider using the larger room at the Community Centre, however this would be much more expensive and so such a move was not approved, however we have an informal agreement to use that room on odd occasions at no extra cost - if it is available. ELECTION OF OFFICERS 1. Chairman Peter Baugh - proposed by Chris Suddick, seconded by Geoff Flood Elected unopposed. 2, Secretary Geoff Flood - proposed Geoff Walton, seconded by Karin Rodgers Elected unopposed. 3. Minutes Secretary Eddy Bruce - proposed Chris Suddick, seconded Geoff Flood Elected unopposed 3, Treasurer Richard Bullock - proposed Peter Baugh seconded by Raj Goel Elected unopposed. 4. Meetings Secretary Chris Suddick - proposed Peter Baugh seconded Kevin Thurston Elected unopposed 5.Webmaster Kevin Rodgers - proposed Chris Suddick seconded by Karin Rodgers Elected unopposed 6. Catering Officer Karin Rodgers - proposed Geoff Flood seconded by Geoff Walton Elected unopposed Chris thanked the out-going Officers for their efforts during the year and also welcomed and thanked the new Officers for the 2013/2014 season. Following a break Peter Baugh spoke about our stand at the BAA Exhibition at Manchester Municipal University with particular reference to the photographs of Lunation 1094 taken by Colin Henshaw in Tobuk, Saudi Arabia in June 2011 and a poster produced by himself promoting ADAS and our 50th Anniversary in 2014. Richard Bullock gave a presentation of what will be happening in the skies in the near future drawing attention to Comet ISON which will be getting brighter, although it will be a little difficult to see because at its brightest it will be close to the horizon. There is also a new comet which has been discovered by the Australians about which details are a bit thin at present. Richard was thanked for his talk and the meeting closed.

Educational visits can be arranged to schools, societies, scout & guide groups and voluntary societies & clubs. OUTREACH Educational visits can be arranged to schools, societies, scout & guide groups and voluntary societies & clubs. Previous Visits Coming soon... Want to arrange a visit? Contact Us!

What has been happening in the 2007 meetings can be found here. February March May September October November MINUTES | 2007 2nd February 2007 February The 423rd Meeting of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Scout hut on Friday 2nd February 2007 at 8pm Those present were: Paul Clark, Kevin Thurstan, Richard Bullock Tony Aremia, Don Utton, Norman Thurstan, Colin Eaves, Geoffrey Walton, Graham Sinagola, Nick Dixon, Debbie Dixon, S. McHugh Ged Birbeck, Paul Brierly, Chris Suddick, Colin Bowler, Geoff Flood, Kate Crawford, Megan Argo ( Total 19 ). The chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and said we would start with a talk by Megan Argo from Jodrell Bank on supernovae. First she gave us the news that the Lovell dish is currently parked at zenith until one of the metal tyres on the main wheels was replaced as it is cracked. Megan then told us the research on supernova in nearby galaxies was part of her PHD. She explained the basics of star formation and stellar death detailing the relationships between a stars mass, how it lives, how it dies and what it leaves behind. We were told more concerning where stars form within galaxies, galaxy collisions and about various types of starburst galaxies. There were then explanations on the different types of supernovae. She continued by talking about the how and why of using radio astronomy to investigate supernovae including timescales, wavelengths and the use of small and large scale interferometry. Megan then took questions after which we had a break. When we returned for business the secretary went through the post. With no other business Paul Clark next explained that Venus and Mercury were currently both on view just after sunset and where to look for them. He then showed us some pictures of comet McNaught. The meeting was then brought to a close. 2nd March 2007 March The 424th Meeting of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Scout hut on Friday 2nd of March 2007 at 8pm Those present were: Paul Clark, Kevin Thurstan, Philip Masding, Don Utton, Norman Thurstan, Colin Eaves, Geoffrey Walton, Graham Sinagola, Ged Birbeck, John Tipping, Roger Livermore, Paul Brierly, Colin Bowler, Geoff Flood, Colin Henshaw, Peter Baugh, Mike Tyrell, Nick Odham, Jordan Odham, Nikki Grimshaw, James Grimshaw, Paul Stringer, Clive Prior, A. Bradshaw. (total 24) The Chairman welcomed everyone and said we would start with a talk from Colin Henshaw on astronomy without a telescope, followed by some of the members recent pics including Peter Baugh’s from New Zealand. Colin began by explaining that even small telescopes can be expensive but that you can do quite a lot of astronomical observations without one. All you need is some basic equipment and to be properly prepared. He then listed some of the equipment as a rucksack, groundsheet, gloves, torch, notebook pen & pencil, watch, star atlas, latest BAA handbook, binoculars and a good pair of eyes. Other possibilities were a camera or ccd, tripod, cable release and maybe a driven equatorial mount for the camera or ccd. The other is a dark safe observing site such as a rooftop, a backyard not overlooked by lights or maybe a local park or golf course. Colin then reviewed what can be done with each type of observational equipment. Using just the naked eye you can learn to find your way around the night sky , you can watch and record meteors and variable stars, view several planets as well as other phenomena like zodiacal light, the milky way, eclipses and aurora. With binoculars you can add comets, some deep sky objects and more variable stars to the list as well as improving your view of some of the other items listed. Cameras and ccd’s can be used to take various wide angle pictures and do photometry. After some questions the meeting had a short break. When the meeting resumed Paul showed us his pictures of comet McNaught. Peter Baugh then told us about a guided tour he took to Mount St John Observatory when he was in New Zealand recently. He explained that they were using the 1.8 meter telescope to observe gravitational lensing events within our own galaxy. Peter then showed us some aurora pictures and some pictures, by the Australian Peter Gurns that he picked up on his trip of comet McNaught. Next the meeting was shown some pictures of the recent grazing occultation of Saturn taken by Paul Clark, Mike Tyrell and Phil Masding, as well as a 20 second video of the event put together by Paul. We were then reminded that the following evening there would be a total lunar eclipse and that there was a public star party at Jodrell bank to which members of the society Megan Argo invited free of charge if they brought along a telescope. The meeting was then brought to a close. 4th May 2007 May The 426th Meeting of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Scout hut on Friday 4th May 2007 at 8pm Those present were: Paul Clark, Kevin Thurstan, Philip Masding, Colin Eaves, Ged Birbeck, Geoff Walton, Graham Sinagola, John Tipping, Roger Livermore, Colin Bowler, Peter Baugh, Nick Odham, Tony Bradshaw, Tony Aremia, Chris Suddick, Mark Crossley. (total 16) The chairman welcomed every body to the meeting and explained that tonight would be a show & tell evening. We started with John Tipping’s recent holiday to the USA to see a friend called Kelly who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico including photographs of the best bits. During his holiday he travelled from Albuquerque to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon in Arizona taking in several places of to astronomical interest. He Started with a trip to the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope array close to Albuquerque which consists of twenty seven independent twenty five metre radio telescopes. They can be moved on a Y shaped rail system and at maximum have a baseline of nearly twenty three miles. This was followed a petrified forest of fossilized wood and then they were off to Flagstaff. Next they went to Meteor crater east of Flagstaff and John gave us some interesting facts and figures on the three quarter of a mile wide 570 foot deep crater and its history. Then they went to the Lowell observatory near Flagstaff which is named after Its founder Percival Lowell. One of the telescopes was used by Lowell to observe Mars and make his drawings of canals that we now know were imaginary. It is also from here that Pluto was discovered. Percival Lowell is buried next to the observatory. This was followed by a breathtaking trip to the Grand Canyon. During his trip he also saw the Rattlesnake Observatory and Arizona Star Village and told us that there are a lot of amateur and small remotely controlled observatories in the area. He even had some time in the evenings for a quick peek at the sky and was impressed by the view. Another highlight were the hummingbirds. We thanked John for his talk and had a break. When we restarted we were told of Phil’s visit to The Sky At Night party in Selsey, (and meeting a Cheeky Girl). Colin gave us a quick rundown on his progress with his new equipment from various sites including the Whirlpool galaxy (M51) from Clough House and Bewdley south of Birmingham and the lunar eclipse from Jodrell Bank. He also explained the difficulties he was sometimes having getting the correct focus on deep sky objects with a web cam. Paul then showed us some web cam images of Saturn The secretary then went through the societies post. Finally we were reminded of the upcoming star party at Jodrell Bank weather permitting. The meeting was then brought to a close. 7th September 2007 September The 428th Meeting and 42nd AGM of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Scout hut on Friday 7th September 2007 at 8pm Those present were: Paul Clark, Kevin Thurstan, Philip Masding, Don Utton, Colin Eaves, Geoffrey Walton, Graham Sinagola, Ged Birbeck, Roger Livermore, Peter Baugh, Mike Tyrell, Nick Odham, Jonathan Odham, Tony Aremia, Nick Dixon, Richard Bullock, Chris Suddick, Mark Crossley, ( total 18 ) Paul Clark welcomed everyone to the meeting and started with the news that he and Mark had dismantled the 14 inch obs scope and were hoping to sell the optics at the Kelling Heath star party the next weekend, unless anyone in the society was interested for approx £200. The society had also had donated to it a four inch Vixen fluorite apo refractor, along with a Super Polaris mount and tripod. Then we had a discussion concerning the future of the NWGAS and asked what does the society get out of it? Not very much it was decided apart from the speakers list. Suggestions were made that we they don’t really need to hold face to face meetings anymore and that it would probably be better for the less central societies to run it via an online forum or bulletin board. The secretary stated that he would be attending the next NWGAS meeting on 6th October to discuss its future. It was then noted that our own website still needed properly updating (if only people can remember how). We were then reminded that the Kelling Heath star party was the following weekend and Peak star party 2 was on in October, the same week as the Keilder star party. Next was the election of officers. Paul said he was standing down as chairman as his Fridays were currently very busy, he was thanked for his time in office. There were however no nominations forthcoming for the position as yet. Kevin and Richard stated that unless there were other candidates that they would continue as Secretary and treasurer respectively, both were unopposed. Graham Sinagola was elected to the new post of refreshments co-ordinator ( tea boy). There was more discussion on the position of Chairman and Peter Baugh said that he may be willing to arrange some of the meetings. Paul Clark told us that he would be bringing in £30 for the Society’s funds after a presentation he was doing to the Phoenix Rising Astrology Group about an astronomers view on the planets and solar system. He then showed us a stacked image of the square of Pegasus, explaining some of the techniques used and said that after the break we would see pictures from his trip to Tenerife. The meeting then took a break. When the meeting restarted the Treasurer explained the accounts and that last year there was a deficit of £1300, due mainly to the closing down of the observatory site. He was hoping that Paul would be able to sell the 14” optics the next week and it was decided that the subscriptions would not be going up this year. Next Mark and Paul both showed us pictures of M27 they had each taken over the last couple of nights, Paul also had a picture of M57 from the same night including a faint galaxy. Paul then told us about his trip to Tenerife for the Perseid meteor shower. He took his new “Astro Track” tracking mount to use with his camera and explained to us how it worked. We then saw his pictures of the milky way stacked from several exposures with Registax then stitched together in Photoshop photo merge to create wider field views of the milky way. Paul said that his main problem was that even set to manual the camera still tried to auto set the colour and white balance. We then got to see some of the original pictures as taken by the camera, the same pictures after initial processing and finally approximately as would be seen by the human eye. We then moved on to any other business. It was decided to further discuss the vacant post of chairman at the next meeting. The chairman raised the matter of society equipment and was updated on equipment whereabouts. We had a quick précis of Paul’s talk to the astrology group Finaly we were reminded about the Timperley country fair the next weekend and it was reiterated that we needed more tombola. The meeting was then brought to a close. 6th October 2007 October The 429th Meeting of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Scout hut on Friday 6th October 2007 at 8pm Those present were: Kevin Thurstan, Geoff Flood, Norman Thurstan, Geoffrey Walton, Graham Sinagola, Chris Suddick, Colin Bowler, Tony Aremia, Frank Poole, Ged Birbeck, Chloe. ( total 11 ) The Secretary welcomed everyone to the 429th meeting. The meeting was then given an update on Don Utton’s condition after his second operation and move back onto a neurological ward. Kevin then proposed that we have a short meeting this month as there was no planned talk and some of the members, including himself, intended to go observing at Clough House straight from the meeting. The meeting then discussed the unresolved issues from the previous months AGM concerning the lack of a Society Chairman. During discussion of what was expected from the various committee members, Kevin stated that he would take on the roll of Chairman if someone would take over from him as Secretary. Geoff Flood said that he would be willing to take on the roll of Secretary. Geoff’s Nomination for Secretary was then seconded and passed unopposed as was Kevin’s nomination as Chairman. We then talked briefly again about the state of the website and who was current webmaster. Kevin told the meeting that we now had two dates for astronomy evenings at Delamere Forest Park in 2008, which were Friday March 14th and Friday October 10th. Next the meeting was reminded of the upcoming NWGAS meeting and FAS convention and there was some talk about speakers for future meetings. Ged then started a short discussion about the Timperley Country Fair and stated that we really needed more support at such society function days. The meeting was then brought to a close. 2nd November 2007 November ALTRINCHAM AND DISTRICT ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 430TH Meeting held at 1st Timperley Scout Hall on Friday 2nd November 2007 PRESENT Kevin Thurstan, Tony Aremia, Steven Holt, Geoff Flood, Chris Suddick,Peter Baugh, Graham Sinagola, Paul Brierley, Colin Eaves, Geoff Walton,Colin Bowler, Nick Dixon, Richard Bullock, John Tipping, Nick Odham,Norman Thurstan. total - 16 The Chairman welcomed everyone to the 430th meeting.Tony Aremia gave an update on the situation with Don Utton who is undergoing radiation treatment at Christies Hospital. It will be some weeks before the outcome is known.Various pieces of post were dealt with:North West GAS, minutes of their last meetingFrom the FAS , with Newsletter.Fedastro, with meetings list.Herschel Museum of Astronomy (Bath) with details of Space Quest 2007.Beacon Hill Telescopes advertising various bits equipment at “Best Prices”Kevin Thurstan reported on the NWGAS meeting.Dave Ogden (Macclesfield AS) has taken over as Secretary.It has been decided that in future they will only meet once per year and the next meeting will be held at Chester AS which will be combined with a Star Party and BBQ.It was felt that it is sensible to have face to face meetings periodically to sort out any issues which might arise.A number of Societies have not been in contact with NWGAS for some time and they will be written off if they do not make contact shortly.There was some discussion of the 17p/Holmes comet which is visible and now quite bright - ca mag 2.5.N.B. Following the meeting the sky was clear and some good viewing of the comet was had using binoculars which some members had with them.Kevin announced that the next meeting will be in the form of a quiz and the January meeting a “tell and show” event enabling members to swank about their latest kit!The second part of the evening was taken up with a talk from Dave Ogden (Macclesfield AS) entitled “Martian Madness or the real Martian Invasion”Dave took us through the exploration of Mars and showed how technology has changed over the years starting with Orson Wells!Although a small planet, Mars has a similar angle of tilt to the Earth, its atmosphere is largely CO2. Mars has only about 38% of the Earth’s gravity and there are winds of up to 200mph.The temperature ranges from -23C to +123CRussia, America and Europe have all made attempts to land on Mars or to examine it,these flights have not always been successful - there have been twice as many failures as successes. Recently the Chinese and Japanese have been getting in on the act.Dave’s talk was wonderfully illustrated and the audience was thoroughly engrossed throughout.The meeting closed at 10:30pm

Here you can contact us to: share images, ask about joining, or ask for any other information about the society. We will be happy to help! Please read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy so you understand what will be done with your work once submitted. CONTACT US Timperley Village Club, 268, Stockport Road, Timperley, Greater Manchester, WA15 7UT chairman.adas@gmail.com | Chairman | Peter Baugh secretary.adas@gmail.com | Secretary | Chris Suddick treasurer.adas@gmail.com | Treasurer | Richard Bullock webmaster.adas@gmail.com | Webmaster | George Abraham Contact Form I agree to the terms of service I agree to the privacy policy Submit

Look at where fellow ADAS members have been, so you can find places that you want to go to grow your interesting in astronomy! Jodrell Bank Kielder Obsrvatory National Space Centre Royal Observatory Greenwich Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory Maunakea Observatories ASTRONOMICAL LOCATIONS Jodrell Bank, Macclesfield Jodrell Bank ~32 minutes (16 miles) by car from the Timperley Village Club £8.50 for 18-65 and £7.50 for over 65s/students (see more on the website ) Has a number of radio telescopes, including the 3rd largest steerable radio telescope: the Lovell Telescope Part of the MERLIN Array UNESCO World Heritage Site (see more on the website ) Part of the University of Manchester Hosts many events throughout the year (see more on the website ) Website: https://www.jodrellbank.net Webcam: http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/webcam/ ADAS Member Reviews Got a review to share? Contact Us! Kielder Observatory, Northumberland Kielder Obsrvatory ~3 hours and 8 minutes (167 miles) by car from the Timperley Village Club Prices vary depending on what you want to do (see more on the website ) Hosts over 700 events per year inside a nearly 580km² dark sky zone (2nd largest area of protected night sky in Europe) The observatory has no postcode, so use the What3Words reference ///tickles.path.tangling or the Google maps plus code 69JM+RM Kielder, Hexham Website: https://kielderobservatory.org ADAS Member Reviews Got a review to share? Contact Us! National Space Centre, Leicester National Space Centre ~1 hour and 52 minutes (96.3 miles) by car from the Timperley Village Club £15.50 for adults, £12.50 for over 60s and 5-16 year olds, and under 5s are free Houses one of only 3 known Soyuz spacecraft in the West A rocket tower houses the Blue Streak (nuclear strike/satellite rocket)) and Thor Able (USA 1958-1960 satellite launch rocket) rockets. Houses a large planetarium (the Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium) Website: https://spacecentre.co.uk ADAS Member Reviews Got a review to share? Contact Us! Look at ADAS' post about their visit to the National Space Centre in 2002 Click Here! Royal Observatory Greenwich, London Royal Observatory Greenwich ~3 hours and 55 minutes (214 miles) by car from the Timperley Village Club £16 for adults and £8 for children The birthplace of Greenwich Meridian, where longitude came into being (the International Prime Meridian passes through the site, along with other meridians, like the one OS maps are based on, 2.3m from the IPM, known as the Ordnance Survey Zero Meridian Founded in 1675 Home to the Observatory Time Ball, which was the first public time signal (made in 1833) Home to where time was standardised in the UK and then world-wide (Greenwich Mean Time or UTC). Houses many planetarium shows in the Peter Harrison Planetarium Houses a hyper-accurate chronometer Has a large telescope (the Altazimuth Pavilion) ADAS Member Reviews Got a review to share? Contact Us! Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma, Spain Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory In La Palma which is an island in the Canary Islands (part of Spain) with multiple dark sky sites and beautiful skies (not to be confused with other places in the world called La Palma) Entry is free but you can get a private accredited Starlight Guide which will cost (N.B. This may be different at present due to Covid-19) Has 16 telescopes operated by people from all across the world Home to the Liverpool Telescope, operated by the University of Liverpool (you can request it to take pictures of the sky for you) Has the largest single-aperture optical telescope in the world (at present): the Gran Telescopio Canerias Started out with the Issac Newton Telescope from the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Sussex 2,396m above sea level, meaning you are above the clouds There are spectacular views when there are no clouds below Warnings: It can get quite cold There is 25% less oxygen (possibly not for those with anaemia or a serious lung/heart condition) There is nowhere to buy food so bring your own, the sun is pretty powerful so sun cream is needed It is only open to visitors in the day time Roads may be icy, so check there condition Roads bend a lot to get up to the observatory, although there is a bus Website: http://www.iac.es/en/observatorios-de-canarias/roque-de-los-muchachos-observatory Webcam ADAS Member Reviews Got a review to share? Contact Us! Maunakea Observatories, Hawaii, USA Maunakea Observatories On the island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii in the USA Observatories and facilities aren't open to the public Has 13 telescopes operated by people from all across the world, including the United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope On top of a dormant volcano It is 4,205m above sea level Warnings: It takes 2 hours to get from sea level to 4,205m, so altitude sickness is likely (look at the NHS page for altitude sickness for more information) There is 40% less air pressure, so you need to acclimatise Anyone in poor health should consult a doctor before visiting It is recommended that anyone with a lung/heart condition should not go up to the summit People under 13 shouldn't go since their bodies are still developing and are affected more rapidly when going to higher altitudes If planing to scuba dive, don't go up to the summit 24 hours before hand For more information, look at the Maunakea hazards booklet and the 'Visiting Maunakea ' video It is only open to visitors in the day time Only 4 wheel drive vehicles can drive to the summit beyond the visitor centre For more information on these and more, visit the website: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/visiting-mauna-kea/visiting-the-summit.html Websites: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/home.html /https://maunakeaobservatories.org Webcams ADAS Member Reviews Got a review to share? Contact Us! Got a different astronomical location you want to share? Contact Us!

Discover the information on how to get to ADAS meetings by: car, tram, bus, foot and bike. HOW TO GET THERE Timperley Village Club, 268, Stockport Road, Timperley, Greater Manchester, WA15 7UT 15 parking spaces available behind the Timperley Village Club Junction 30A off the M56 and Junction 5 off the M60 Local tram stop 22min walk (1.1 miles) on the Altrincham line. Click for more info 6 bus stops from 177ft to 0.1 miles. Click for more info Canal 1.1 miles away (cycleway/footpath). Park your bike at the Timperley Metrolink Station. Click here for more info Also, click here to plan your route here by bicycle Disable parking is available, with access in through the back entrance. For more information on the site, please visit http://www.timperleyvillageclub.org.uk

A list of quick links to various webpages linked with ADAS QUICK LINKS Here are some quick links to make is easier to find various pages on this website. Some are updated regularly to give the most up-to-date content, whilst others are used to shorten URLs. Please be aware that "Most recent presentation" links to a download Name Link ADAS "Features of the Cosmos" guide https://www.astroadas.space/cosmos ADAS Facebook page https://www.astroadas.space/facebook ADAS RSS news feed https://www.astroadas.space/rss ADAS Twitter page https://www.astroadas.space/twitter ADAS YouTube page https://www.astroadas.space/youtube Download an up to date version of our calendar in iCal format (for Apple) https://www.astroadas.space/applecal Most recent event post https://www.astroadas.space/recentevent Most recent minutes https://www.astroadas.space/recentminutes Most recent news article https://www.astroadas.space/recentnews Most recent presentation https://www.astroadas.space/recentpresentation Most recent video of meeting https://www.astroadas.space/recentvideo Subscribe to our Google Calendar https://www.astroadas.space/googlecal

What has been happening in the 2021 meetings can be found here. September MINUTES | 2021 3rd September 2021 September Meeting number 578 held on 3rd September 2021 at 8pm At Timperley Village Club Apologies : Members Present (in person): 18 attendees Items of business : 1. This was the first hybrid meeting since meeting 560 last March 2020. 2. The meeting began with the AGM a. Peter Baugh was nominated, seconded from the floor and elected as current Chair b. Chris Suddick nominated, seconded from the floor and elected as Secretary and Deputy Chair c. Richard Bullock nominated, seconded from the floor and elected as Treasurer d. Bansa Singh Hayer nominated, seconded from the floor and elected as minute taker e. Chris Lavender nominate, seconded from the floor and elected as Social Secretary f. George Abraham nominated, seconded from the floor and elected as Webmaster 3. ADAS have again managed to secure a stall at next Saturday’s Timperley Country Fair and all are welcome. The Chair is looking for volunteers to assist on the stall. 4. Maurice Rushby gave this evenings talk titled The Antikythera Mechanism? The talk has been uploaded to the ADAS website for those that would wish to see it again (well worth the view). 5. Meeting ends 9.20

Look at fellow members' pictures of the Deep Sky Objects to get some ideas from peers, or even smile at the wonder of your own picture by contacting us! DEEP SKY OBJECTS Got a picture to share? Contact Us! Read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy so you understand what will be done with your work once submitted.

Ever wandered what we've been up to since 1964? Well, our long history in Timperley is explained here to show you who we are. HISTORY since 1964 Altrincham & District Astronomical Society was formed in November, 1964 by a group of 15 year old schoolboys who acquired a small plot of land from the Council in Timperley at the edge of the recreation field where they built an observatory. As well as weekly meetings at the observatory site, meetings were held on the first Friday in the month from September through June at various venues, including Timperley Library, Timperley Community Centre, 1st Timperley Scout Hut and now the Timperley Village Club. During the early years the members built their own telescopes and often observed in winter all night in sleeping bags under the stars. Other activities included visits to dark sky sites, such as Tegg’s Nose, Lamaload and Llyn Brenig in North Wales and camping trips were also organised. The society now acts as an educational centre for local schools, scout/cub groups and guide/brownie groups which feature astronomical activities, slide shows and telescope demonstrations. Star parties are also held to which the public are invited and include poster displays, telescope operation, sunspot viewing, barbecues and Martian (pea) soup. The society also has an interactive relationship with Jodrell Bank and is often present at open days at which they display their optical telescopes. Members of the society have been active in observing eclipses in various parts of the world including India, Curacao and Hawaii and several members had adventurous trips to observatories in South Africa. One member has a special place in the society’s history in that he was the first amateur to observe supernova SN1987A in the Large Magellanic cloud in 1987. Patrick Moore with Tony Bradshaw, ADAS member Ged Birbeck is using the 14inch (350mm) RFT at the roll-off observatory. History of the Society, Colin Henshaw The ADAS was founded in 1964 by Fred Talbot and Trevor Smith, who were both pupils, along with myself, at North Cestrian Grammar School. We were all in the same year group, and Fred and I were in the same class in 1961. We were fifteen years old when the society was inaugurated. Prior to 1964, Fred and Trevor were in the North East Cheshire Astronomical Society, (formerly the Cheshire Group of the Junior Astronomical society, now the SPA), that used to meet at the old Cheadle Institute on Cheadle Green. I went once, and recall attending a meeting in which some old gentleman lectured on the Pic du Midi Observatory in the Pyrenees. I recall three members of the society who were probably on its executive, these being John Lockley and Chris Collier. Another was a fellow called Eric Hyde, who I believe came from Sale, like Fred. At some point in 1964 there must have been some internal politicking going on and Fred and Trevor decided to break away and set up on their own. In this way the ADAS came into existence, with Fred as Chairman and Trevor as Secretary. Membership was drawn from interested pupils at North Cestrian, myself being one. The school was not very supportive. A few years earlier, the school had its own astronomical society, run by the history teacher, Colin Rogers. This was certainly prior to 1961, as my brother was a member, but he has not indulged in astronomy since. Younger children in the lower forms (1 to 3) were not allowed to join it. The first ADAS meeting was held at the Park Road Branch Library, if I recall, on Friday, November 13th, 1964. Since we were juveniles, we were not trusted to hold meetings without an adult present, but two teachers from North Cestrian, Thomas Alfred Dybas, latterly known as McCloed, and Alan Ward. The former taught English, and the latter, Biology. Alan Ward still lives on Russell Avenue in Sale, and until about ten years ago was a neighbour of Stuart Gibson, who attended meetings in the 1970's. The second meeting was held on Friday, December 3rd, 1964 in a basement classroom at North Cestrian. Thereafter the school no longer offered us any support, though for several years its membership was largely recruited from there. Messrs McLeod and Ward continued to provide their support, enabling us to return to the Park Road Branch Library until we reached such an age that we could be trusted. During the second meeting, elections were held for an assistant secretary, whose function was to write up the minutes of the meetings. I was duly elected, but I had reservations about the post at first, but it grew on me, and I actually began to enjoy it. I would meticulously record the attendance at every meeting. In 1966 Fred and Trevor left North Cestrian. Fred went to Sale Grammar School, while Trevor went to Altrincham Grammar School. Fred brought in a new influx of recruits from Sale Grammar School, including Graham Cliff. Meetings were lively and usually well attended, with the usual ups and downs. Graham was elected onto the committee. Pete Wadsworth, who came from Sale Moor, and was a lively character that served on the committee and hosted observing sessions at his home. I recall observing the Geminids there one cold and frost night in December 1969. During the early years of the society, before the observatory was constructed we would go on observing sessions to Carrington Moss. We would gather at Fred's house on Edale Grove in Sale, and make our way there on our bikes, entering the Moss near the "Lively Lobster." Pete Wadsworth had set up an intercom that the recorder of observations would use to keep in touch with the observers. One activity that the society developed was the astronomical camp, held every summer. This was a tradition brought over from the North East Cheshire Astronomical Society. One thing that was done was to create a cine film of the camp's activities. The first camp that was held in 1965, was at the Marquis of Anglesey's estate at Plas Newydd, Llanfair P.G. on Anglesey. I was on the camp, and this was my first real introduction to astronomical observation. Meteors were the main interest. I also recall seeing a very bright flashing satellite (the first time I had ever seen one). I actually found it quite alarming. Before observing we would go to the pub in Llanfair P.G., even though we were under age. However we still got served drinks. I recall on one occasion a halogen flood lamp illuminating a car park was affecting our observations. I soon put paid to that. It was about half a mile away from the camp, but I went over one evening and found the offending light was located on the roof of a building overlooking the car park. I shinned up onto the roof and found it was fixed onto a steel girder weighed down by bricks. I removed the bricks, rotated the girder 180 degrees and then replaced them. The light was now aimed directly over the Menai Straits and no longer gave us any trouble. This was my first encounter with the problem of light pollution. In 1966, we didn't manage to get back to the estate, so instead, a small group of us held a camp at a farm in Alderley Edge. That was when skies away from the main urban areas were quite dark and the Milky Way was still visible. Again, the observation of meteors was the main focus of our attention. In 1967, we returned to Anglesey, but in 1968 we went back to Alderley Edge. Graham Cliff's family had had a hut on a farm outside Alderley Edge since the 1930's, and we decided to hold the camp there. On the camp was a new enthusiastic member, Richard Scoular, who hailed from Scotland, but lived in Wilmslow. He was active in the society for several years in the late 1960's to early 1970's, then mysteriously disappeared and was never seen again. The tradition of astronomical camps continued well into the 1970's usually Wales - e.g. Tudweiliog and Cemaes Bay. The society's major project that was largely responsible for holding it together was the establishment of the observatory. Fred and Trevor sounded out Altrincham Council in 1968, with a view to building one, and we were first offered a plot of land near Seamon's Moss, near Oldfield Brow. I recall going along one weekend to clear the plot of grass, and we all turned up with scythes and grass cutters. However, for some reason this fell through, though we managed to secure a plot behind Lyme Grove in Timperley when new parliamentary legislation permitted 18 year olds to sign a lease. Once we secured the plot, work began on the observatory in summer 1968. It was not without setbacks, as local vandals knocked down the walls on one occasion and we had to start from scratch. Undaunted the building was completed by the end of December 1968. By this time we had all left our various schools. I was at Stockport College and Graham Cliff was at Manchester University. Trevor went to Durham University and Fred went to Ponte land College in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was around this time that a boy from Wythenshawe by the name of Graham Sinagola wrote to me about the society, and he came along to one of the meetings. He used to ride around on a small Honda 50. He thought the observatory was fantastic and became a staunch member of the society ever since. Around this time several girls from Altrincham Grammar School for Girls joined the society. These were: Linda Rofe, Christine Henderson, Susan Livingstone and Janet Matthews. Love affairs blossomed. Susan Livingstone subsequently went to Oxford University and studied mathematics and later married Graham Sinagola. Linda had a sister called Pauline who ended up marrying Graham Cliff, so the astronomical society played a very important role for many people. The observatory was a ramshackle affair with a twelve-sided hardboard dome that was supposed to rotate on castors. Several people had to move it during observing sessions, and on at least one occasion strong winds nearly blew it off. In the early 1970's the facility expanded with the acquisition of the clubhouse around 1973. I wasn't around for its construction as that summer I was in the United States. Graham Cliff also acquired his family's hut in Alderley Edge and we spent a weekend there dismantling it and transferring it to Timperley on a flat backed lorry. The idea was to use the hut as a library. Fred donated his astronomical books and his telescope. This was the heyday of the society when its social life revolved around the observatory. On clear Friday nights we would gather at the observatory and observe planets, and anything else that was of interest. In 1967 George Alcock discovered Nova HR Delphini and this inspired me into observing the nova. I followed it for about two years after which it faded from view, but by this time I had honed my skills as a variable star observer. By 1969 I transferred these skills to the visual observation of variable stars that continued unabated till 2008, after which I started observing photo electrically with a DSL camera. In 1970, we were blessed with our first ever view of a bright comet. Comet Bennett was visible in the morning sky for several weeks from late March, and during the Easter holidays we observed it several times from Graham Cliff's hut in Alderley Edge. The comet showed prominent gas and dust tails. The comet was discovered by Jack Bennett in South Africa and I later met him at a BAA meeting in London, where I was studying zoology at the North East London Polytechnic. In 1974 two boys, Paul Rendell and Ken McConville from Wellington Road School, joined the society and began to play an active part. Paul had an 8 inch telescope that he eventually donated to the observatory. Ken had spent some time in Australia and eventually returned there and was last heard of living near Brisbane with his wife Shelley, and he still pursues an interest in astronomy. 1974 also brought Comet Kohoutek. This object proved to be a damp squib, but we managed to observe it one night from a good vantage point at Alderley Edge. In 1975, we observed a close conjunction of Venus with Jupiter that provoked a large number of UFO reports. It was successfully imaged through Paul Rendell's telescope. Other notable members of the society around this time were Jim Gillies, who was a pupil at North Cestrian while I was there, and I recruited him through promotions in the school during my final years. He went to Sheffield University and studied metallurgy, and eventually settled there. Peter Galloway and Paul Howarth ("Spiro") came from Denton and Ashton-under-Lyne respectively and were long standing members for many years. Peter became a teacher in a Manchester school while Paul became a social worker. Paul disappeared to New Zealand and has not been heard of since. Ian Winstanley, Brian Casey and Colin Powney joined the society around 1973 and played quite an active part. Brian eventually married Christine Henderson and they settled in Scotland. Sadly Colin Powney died around 1998. All three were aviation enthusiasts and would spend many hours at Manchester Airport recording the comings and goings of aeroplanes. Colin was particularly noteworthy in this respect, having amassed several large albums of pictorial aviation history at the airport. He could even identify an aircraft from the sound of its engines. I recall one night sitting in the High Grove pub in Gatley with Colin when a plane flew overhead. He said "Drink up! We're going to the Airport. Concorde's just flown in." Sure enough, there it was on the tarmac when we arrived, and we sat and admired it until it took off again. The society around this time was mainly composed of teenagers and twenty-something’s. However one older person did come to meetings who was substantially older. This was Reginald S. B. Hall, a stern character who believed that societies should be formally organised. He was at one point critical of our election procedures. He would come along to the observatory and to meetings with his son Tim. Tragically Reg died at work from a heart attack, but Tim remained a loyal member for many years before re-locating to Blackpool. He has not been heard of since to my knowledge. In 1972, the annual society dinners were inaugurated around Christmas. The first dinner was held at the Koh-I-Noor restaurant in central Manchester. About twenty members attended the event, and Graham Cliff placed a tape recorder in the middle of the table to record the banter. It would be interesting if he still has the tape. Subsequent dinners were held at the Halal Restaurant in Timperley and elsewhere.

Become a member today for 1 year for just £20 if you're an adult and all of £1 for children. MEMBERSHIP Student 1 Year Subscription £1 (for those of any age in fu ll-time education) Adult 1 Year Subscription £20 Membership of ADAS gives access to all meetings and events offered by ADAS for a whole year, along with access to the society's equipment . We meet on the first Friday of every month (except July and August) at 8pm, and have the odd stargazing night when the weather is good (a WhatsApp group is currently being set up to facilitate more of these events). Subscriptions can be payed in cash at any point in the year, but mainly in our AGM in September (please contact our treasurer for details of how to pay by bank transfer)

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Look at our previous open days' leaflets and pictures. 2019 2016 2015 2014 OPEN DAYS 2019 2019 News Story: https://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/17945859.altrincham-astronomical-society-open-day/ 2016 2016 2015 2015 2014 2014 News Story: https://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/whereyoulive/10949349.reach-for-the-stars-with-altrincham-astronomical-society/

Find some useful websites  software, books, magazines and podcasts to expand your interests in all things astronomical. Software Websites Practical Astronomy Books Informative Astronomy Books Magazines Podcasts Television Series Youtube Channels Twitter Accounts Newsletters RSS Feeds Apps Contact Us! OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES SOFTWARE Software Name Link Compatability Description Cost PHD Guiding https://openphdguiding.org Windows, MacOS Auto-guiding software for telescopes Free ASCOM https://ascom-standards.org/ Windows (Linux & MacOS soon) Standard interface for range of astronomy equipment Free GuideDog http://barkosoftware.com/GuideDog/index.html Windows Auto-guiding software for telescopes Free MetaGuide https://www.smallstarspot.com Windows Auto-guiding software for telescopes Free LTImage https://www.schoolsobservatory.org/help/ltimage Windows Easy-to-use software by NSO to edit FITS images (aimed at schools and beginners) Free FITS Liberator https://noirlab.edu/public/products/fitsliberator/ Windows, MacOS Imaging Package Free GIMP https://www.gimp.org Windows, MacOS, Linux Image Processing Free IRIS http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/iris-software.html Windows Imaging Package Free Aperture Photometry Tool https://aperturephotometry.org Windows, MacOS For photometry of images Free WinJUPOS http://jupos.org Windows Locating impacts on objects in the Solar System Free Celestia https://celestia.space/download.html Windows, Linux, MacOS 3D simulated universe, with thousands of objects used in the simulation Free Stellarium http://www.stellarium.org Windows, Mac, Linux Live Planetarium Free Gaia Sky https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/gaia/outreach/gaiasky Windows/Linux/MacOS Look at a visualisation of the Gaia data so you can jump from one end of the Milky Way to the other Free Cartes du Ciel http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start Windows, Linux, MacOS Software to draw sky charts Free K Stars https://edu.kde.org/kstars/ Windows, MacOS, Linux Helps with planning sessions, with a simulation of the sky, FOV calculator etc. Free Virtual Moon Atlas http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtualmoon// Windows, Linux Software for Moon observation and survey Free TiltSun http://www.salisburyu3a.org.uk/SciTech/Abergavenny/Sci-Tech2012/Rainbows/www.atoptics.co.uk/tiltdld.htm Windows 10 and below Helps you find out the orientation of the Sun for use during eclipses Free Adobe Photoshop https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/catalog/desktop.html Windows, MacOS, Linux Image Processing £19.97/month inc. VAT SAO Image DS9 https://sites.google.com/cfa.harvard.edu/saoimageds9 MacOS, Windows, Linux Display and visualise astronomical images to scientifically analyse them Free Astro Image J https://www.astro.louisville.edu/software/astroimagej/ Windows, MacOS, Linux Image processing and photometry Free Raw Therapee https://www.rawtherapee.com Windows, MacOS, Linux Software to process raw image Free Siril https://siril.org Windows, MacOS, Linux Image processing tool Free Registax 6 http://astrophotography-telescope.com/download-registax-6-free-stacking-software-and-image-processing/ Linux/Windows Planetary Video Processing Software (malware on official site) Free StarStax https://markus-enzweiler.de/software/starstax/#download MacOS, Windows, Linux Combining Sub-Exposures and Star Trails Stacking Free Deep Sky Stacker http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html Windows Combining Sub-Exposures Free Lynkeos https://lynkeos.sourceforge.io/wiki/index.php/Download MacOS Planetary Video Processing Software Free Startrails https://www.startrails.de/#download Windows Star Trails Stacking Free AutoStakkert! 2 https://www.autostakkert.com/wp/download// Windows Planetary Video Processing Software Free Sharp Cap https://www.sharpcap.co.uk/ Windows (vista to 7) Live stacking and imaging software for use with cameras Free/£10 per year digiCamControl http://digicamcontrol.com Windows (Canon & Nikon DSLR) Camera Control Free FireCapture http://www.firecapture.de Windows, MacOS, Linux, Blackberry Planetary Webcam Control Free IC Capture https://www.theimagingsource.com/support/downloads-for-windows/end-user-software/iccapture/ Windows (except Windows XP) Imaging source webcam control Free With help from Apendix G, The Art of Astrophotography by Ian Morison, ISBN 978-1-316-61841-7, published by the Cambridge Univeristy Press in Cambridge, UK; and Rodger Livermore's talk at ADAS on 4th June 2021. Websites WEBSITES With help from "Astronomy Sites " Sea and Sky, "List of Best Space and Astronomy Websites " Astronomy Trek. Both accessed 4th July 2020. Name Link Description Society for Popular Astronomy https://www.popastro.com/main_spa1/ SPA Website International Astronomical Union http://www.iau.org/ IAU's Website Astronomy Digest http://www.ianmorison.com Ian Morison's collection of tips & tricks for amateur astronomers Go Stargazing https://gostargazing.co.uk/ Find public stargazing events and locations in the UK BAA https://britastro.org BAA website FAS http://fedastro.org.uk/ FAS website StarDate https://stardate.org Resources from McDonald Observatory, Texas Aenigmatis https://aenigmatis.com/astronomy/find/sagittarius.htm Many amateur astronomy resources from Martin J. Powell Astrometry.net http://nova.astrometry.net/ Find out what your image of the night sky is of Online Narrowband RGB Combination Preview Tool https://www.bintel.com.au/narrowband-preview-tool/?v=322b26af01d5 Find out what different combinations of your RGB images look like with a tool by Dylan O’Donnell Symbols & References https://space.fm/astronomy/tools/symbols.html A guide to all astronomy jargon Astronomy Tools https://astronomy.tools A collection of useful, free astronomy tools (like calculators) NSO Simulators & Calculators https://www.schoolsobservatory.org/discover/sims-cals Fun simulators and calculators, from gravity on other planets to how old you would be if you lived on a different planet Cruxis http://www.cruxis.com Telescope Data Calculators 12 Dimensional String Astronomy Tools https://www.12dstring.me.uk A selection of useful calculators and other astronomy tools Cal Sky https://www.calsky.io/en/ Astronomical calculator to plan observing Bintel Astronomy Calculator & Simulator https://www.bintel.com.au/tools/astronomy-calculator/?v=322b26af01d5 Find what combination of telescope and camera is best for you with a tool by Dylan O’Donnell NASA Planetary Fact Sheets https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/ Up-to-date stats about bodies in the solar system Telesopius https://telescopius.com Deep sky objects database, telescope simulator, astrophotography mosaic planner, astrophotographer social network Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia http://exoplanet.eu Exoplanet catalogue and database JPL Horizons System https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons/app.html#/ Input any object in the solar system and get the most accurate and up to date information out NASA Exoplanet Catalogue https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/discovery/exoplanet-catalog/ Exoplanet catalogue and database NASA Exoplanet Archive https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu Exoplanet catalogue and database Gravity and Orbits Simulation by PHET https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gravity-and-orbits Gravity simulation where you can play about with the gravity of different object and see what would happen Suntrek http://www.suntrek.org Educational tools focused on the Sun Hubble Legacy Archive http://hla.stsci.edu Look at and edit archived images from the Hubble Space Telescope Globe at Night https://www.globeatnight.org/webapp/ Report on light pollution in your area Commission for Dark Skies https://britastro.org/dark-skies/index.php Commission for Dark Skies website Avex Light Pollution Map https://avex-asso.org/dossiers/pl/europe-2016/ Detailed light pollution map of Europe by Frédéric Tapissier (in French) England's Light Pollution and Dark Skies https://www.nightblight.cpre.org.uk/maps/ Detailed map of light pollution in England Lightpollutionmap.info https://lightpollutionmap.info Interactive light pollution map of the world to help you find where best to stargaze Dark Sky Discovery https://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk Helpful tools to make use of the UK's dark skies Astropedia https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search Lunar and planetary map database from the US Geological Survey Meteor Map https://tammojan.github.io/meteormap/ Map of all the latest meteor detections worldwide by the Global Meteor Network arXiv Cornell University https://arxiv.org Wide variety of scholarly articles about astronomy Astronomy.co.uk https://www.astronomy.co.uk Space and astronomy news site Universe Today https://www.universetoday.com Space and astronomy news site Space.com https://www.space.com Space and astronomy news site PDS Image Atlas https://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/search All images from NASA missions, searchable. NASA Photojournal https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ Select photos from NASA missions Space Telescope Live https://spacetelescopelive.org Live information on what JWST and Hubble are looking at and why. NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day https://apod.nasa.gov A new and exiting astronomy image every day Heavens Above Live Sky View https://www.heavens-above.com/skyview/?lat=53.3977&lng=-2.317&cul=en#/livesky Online planetarium with live views of satellites that may interfere with astrophotography NASA Sky Map https://www.nasa.gov/skymap/full/ Map of where many objects objects of interest are, along with info about each one Stellarium Web https://stellarium-web.org Online planetarium, like Stellarium's software Solar System Trek https://trek.nasa.gov Maps by NASA of many objects in the Solar System HRSC webGIS Mars map https://maps.planet.fu-berlin.de Map of Mars using satellite imagery Interactive Sky Chart https://skyandtelescope.org/interactive-sky-chart/ The Sky & Telescope's online interactive sky chart Sky-Map http://www.sky-map.org Map which consolidates information about space objects. NASA/JPL Solar System Simulator https://space.jpl.nasa.gov Gives an simulation image of the solar system/an object in it ESASky https://sky.esa.int/ Visualise and download public astronomical data Constellation Maps https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/ Sky maps of each constellation by Sky&Telescope and the International Astronomical Union Heavens Above https://www.heavens-above.com Helping observe and track astronomical objects JPL CNEOS https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/ List of current NEOs and timings of close approaches The Sky Live https://theskylive.com Data (like current apparent magnitude) on known astronomical objects Occultation Predictions https://occultations.org/observing/occultation-predictions/ Predictions of occultations happening in the future JPL Small-Body Database https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi Data for all know asteroids and many comets The Night Sky this Month http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/ A guide to what's up in the night sky by Ian Morison Celestial Almanac https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/almanac/almanac.html?latitude=53.398&longitude=2.317&tzone=0&UTdate=now&UTtime=now Brief overview of astronomical info for your area by the Sky & Telescope MrEclipse.com http://mreclipse.com Information for observing eclipses by the NASA Scientist Emeritus, Fred Espenak NASA https://www.nasa.gov NASA website ESA https://www.esa.int ESA website IAC Talks http://iactalks.iac.es Talks by many speakers about astronomy based topics (some are in Spanish) SpaceWeather.com https://www.spaceweather.com A helpful current list of all things space weather, from aurorae to sunspots Clear Outside http://clearoutside.com/forecast/53.40/-2.32 Astronomy forecast, including cloud cover, visibility and ISS flyover times Alaskan Northern Lights Webcam http://allsky.gi.alaska.edu An amazing view of the northern lights daily NISP Data Products https://gong2.nso.edu/products/mainView/table.php?configFile=configs/mainView.cfg Up to date imagery of the Sun through various methods and at a variety of locations on Earth ISS Live Stream https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ESRS/HDEV/ Live stream from a camera onboard the ISS PRACTICAL ASTRONOMY BOOKS Practical Astronomy Books With help from "Best Astronomy and Astrophysics Books " Space.com, "Best Astronomy Books for Beginners " Telescope Adviser and "Best Astronomy Books " I Love the Universe. All accessed 15th July 2020. Don't forget with a library card you may be able to access some books for free on Borrow Box ( click here to look) or at your local library Name Author Publisher Description Origional Cost Atlas of the Universe Patrick Moore Philip's Detailed informaiton on astronomy and its history, including maps and catalogues £25 Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes Michael A. Covington Cambridge University Press Traditional and novel approaches to studying the night sky £38.00 Digital SLR Astrophotography Michael A. Covington Cambridge University Press How to photography the night sky with a digital SLR camera £27.99 Exoplanet Observing for Amateurs Bruce L. Gary CreateSpace How to observe exoplanet transits €28.62 Guide to the Night Sky Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion Royal Museums Greenwich Month-by-month guide to exploring skies above Britain and Ireland £6.99 Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide Martin Mobberley Springer How to use webcams to image astronomical objects €34.31 Mathematical Astronomy for Amateurs E. A. Beet W. W. Norton & Company Ltd. Practical calculations for astronomers £13.99 Night Sky Atlas Robin Scagell and Will Tirion Philip's All the maps needed to learn your way round the night sky £14.99 Practical Astronomy Storm Dunlop Philip's Basic concepts of astronomy, lists of objects and star charts £9.99 Spectroscopy The Key to the Stars: Reading the Lines in Stellar Spectra Keith Robinson Springer All information to carry out amateur observational spectroscoopy €21.11 Spectroscopy for Amateur Astronomers Marc F. M. Trypsteen and Richard Walker Cambridge University Press Thoretical and practical elements of spectroscopy £39.99 Star Ware Philip S. Harrington John Wiley and Sons Guide to choosing, buying and using telescopes and accessories £14.99 Stargazing Basics Getting Started in Recreational Astronomy Paul E. Kinzer Cambridge University Press Covers information to get you started in astronomy £14.99 Stargazing Beginners Guide to Astronomy Radmila Topalovic and Tom Kerss Collins Introdution to the night sky and how to observe it £9.99 Stargazing Month-by-Month to the Night Sky Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest Philip's Month-by-month to the what to observe £6.99 The 100 Best Astrophotography Targets Ruben Kier Springer Guide to specifically target the best objects for amatuer astrophotographers €36.39 The Art of Astrophotography Ian Morison Cambridge University Press Essential details of how to produce good astronomical images £29.99 The New Astronomy Guide Stargazing in the Digital Age Patrick Moore and Pete Lawrence Carlton Books Principles of astronomy and practical observing techniques £16.99 The Northern Lights Celestial Performances of the Aurora Borealis Daryl Pederson and Calvin Hall Sasquatch Books How to photograph the aurora borealis $19.95 INFORMATIVE ASTRONOMY BOOKS Informative Astronomy Books With help from "Best Astronomy and Astrophysics Books " Space.com, "Best Astronomy Books for Beginners " Telescope Adviser and "Best Astronomy Books " I Love the Universe. All accessed 15th July 2020. Don't forget with a library card you may be able to access some books for free on Borrow Box (click here to look) or at your local library Name Author Publisher Description Origional Cost A Brief History of Time Stephen Hawking Bantam Books A journey from the beginning to the end of time, with clear language and in a succinct fashion. £9.99 Asteroid Hunters Carrie Nugent Ted Books The story of finding asteroids and using modern technology to save the Earth from the disaster one could cause. £8.99 Atlas of the Universe Patrick Moore Philip's Descriptions on eveything from the atmosphere to Jupiter moons to the messier objects. £25 Brief Answers to the Big Questions Stephen Hawking John Murray Easy to follow explinations to ten big questions. £8.99 Catching Stardust Natalie Starkey Bloomsbury Publishing Takes away misconseptions about comets and asteroids, and explores what they are and our evolving relationship with them. £11.89 Dark Matter and Dark Energy Brian Clegg Icon Books A simple and comprehendible introduction to the questions of dark matter and dark energy £6.99 Death by Black Hole: And other Cosmic Quandaries Neil deGrasse Tyson W. W. Norton & Company A blend of different topics about different parts of the universe, from black holes to the search for life. £11.99 Facts from Space! Dean Regas Adams Media Gathering together many mind-blowing facts about the universe as a great place to start your journey into space science. £10.99 Finding Our Place in the Universe Hélène Courtois MIT Press Journey to discover the Milky Way's location in the universe. $24.95 Gravitational Waves Brian Clegg Icon Books All about gravitational waves and how we observe them £9.99 Out There Mike Wall Grand Central Publishing An exploration into the search for life, if we can make it to them and, if we could, their potential reaction of meeting us. $27 The Planet Factory Elizabeth Tasker Bloomsbury Publishing The story of exoplanets, their formation, how to detect them, and the search for the next Earth. £9.99 The Universe Lonely Planet Lonely Planet A descriptive overview of the universe, from the Sun to exoplanets. £22.99 The Zoomable Universe Caleb Sharf Macmillan Explores the formation of many things from life to galaxies, and concepts like quantum theory, with the help of colourful illustrations whilst going through the universe, from large to small scale. $28.00 MAGAZINES Magazines With help from "Magazines and Journals " Sky & Telescope. Accessed 4th July 2020. Don't forget with a library card you may be able to access some magazines for free on Overdrive (click here to have a look) or at your local library Name Publisher Description Origional Cost per Issue All About Space My Favourite Magazines In-depth astronomical articles, maps and images £4.99 Astronomy Magazine Kalmbach Media Observing tips, astrophotography, science and telescope reviews $5.99 Astronomy Now Magazine Pole Star Publications Limited UK astronomy tips and space science articles £4.50-£5.50 Sky & Telescope Magazine AAS Sky Publishing LLC Current celestial events, news, research, observing resources and astronomy equipment reviews $5.99-$6.99 The Sky at Night Magazine Immediate Media Company Limited & BBC Studios Many interesting stories on astronomy and maps per month £5.50 PODCASTS Podcasts With help from "Bingeworthy space and astronomy podcasts for those in self-isolation " The Sky at Night Magazine, and "15 space and astronomy podcasts that are out of this world ". Salon. Both accessed 4th July 2020. Name Link Hosts Description 365 Days of Astronomy https://cosmoquest.org/x/365DaysofAstronomy/ Various Astronomers round the world Daily podcast about astronomy from people around the world Astro Radio https://www.astroradio.earth Various People Radio station with shows about everything astronomy related Astronomy Cast http://www.astronomycast.com Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay Weekly discussions on astronomical topics Awesome Astronomy http://awesomeastronomy.com Ralph Wilkins, Jen Millard and Paul Hill Explores current space science ESA Explores https://esaexplores.podbean.com Various people The official ESA podcast takes a look at various astronomy topics related to ESA European Space Agency https://soundcloud.com/esa Various People Lots of different and current topics about space are discussed Hostile Worlds: Exploring Space https://hostileworlds.net David Ault, Collin Grey, Matthew McLean and Sarah Golding Semi-dramatised travelogue around the hostile locations in the solar system Jodcast http://www.jodcast.net Astronomers based at the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Monthly astronomy news, interviews and questions Look Up! https://soundcloud.com/user-429302439/sets/look-up-2021 Various people Monthly podcast highlighting the important things to look for in the night sky that month Main Engine Cut Off https://mainenginecutoff.com/podcast Anthony Colangelo Weekly discussions on spaceflight, exploration, policy and strategy NASA's Curious Universe https://www.nasa.gov/curiousuniverse Various people NASA talks about various astronomy concepts and NASA activities Naked Astronomy https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/astronomy-podcasts Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson Monthly astronomy news Planetary Radio https://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/ Mat Kaplan Weekly news on space exploration, astronomy and science Radio Astronomy https://play.acast.com/s/radio-astronomy Ezzy Pearson and Iain Todd Latest space and astronomy news by the creators of the BBC Sky at Night Magazine Small Steps, Giant Leaps https://appel.nasa.gov/podcast/ Various people Fortnightly chat with the NASA scientists and engineers that make it happen Spacepod https://www.listentospacepod.com Carrie Nugent Discussions on a part of the universe with an expert guest The Actual Astronomy Podcast https://actualastronomy.com Chris and Shane Regular podcast on practical astronomy The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07dx75g Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford Weekly podcast on science questions (including on astronomical matters) sent in by listeners The Interplanetary Podcast https://www.interplanetary.org.uk/podcast Matthew Russell, Jamie Franklin, Julio Aprea, Crhis Carney, Harriet Brettle Weekly podcast on space science The Super-Massive Podcast https://ras.ac.uk/podcast Izzie Clarke, Dr. Becky Smethurst Looking at astronomical history and the latest research every month Travelers in the Night https://sites.google.com/site/travelersinthenight/home AI Grauer Asteroid, comet, moon and planet updates TELEVISION SERIES Television Series With help from bbc.co.uk , and "Do you want to learn more about stars? ". Under Lucky Stars. Both accessed 16th July 2020. Name Current Presenter(s) (all if discontinued) Current Network(s) (origional if discontinued) Description Updated? Cosmos: A Personal Voyage Carl Sagan PBS Covers a wide range of astronomical subjects, including the origins of life and our place in the universe 1980 Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey Neil deGrasse Tyson Fox, National Geographic Channel Explaining what the subject has to offer in today's world after the leaps it has taken since 1980 2014 Cosmos: Possible Worlds Neil deGrasse Tyson National Geographic Channel Latest planetary science and astrobiology 2020 Horizon Various people BBC Two Monthly documentary series on the latest science stories, including some astronomical stories Monthly How the Universe Works Mike Rowe Science Channel Latest science on various astronomical topics Yearly series (January to March) Star Gazers Trace Dominguez PBS Weekly series on naked eye astronomy Weekly The Sky at Night Chris Lintott, Maggie Aderin-Pocock BBC Four Monthly documentary series on the latest astronomical news and information on what you can see in the night sky Monthly The Universe Erik Thomson, Gerrard McArthur The History Channel, H2 Looks at many astronomical topics and explains them with computer graphics 2007-2015 Through a Wormhole Morgan Freeman Science Channel Explaining the many astronomical topics and consepts, some relevant to the time 2011-2018 Wonders of the Solar System Brian Cox BBC Two, Science Channel Each episode focuses on a different part of the solar system 2010 Wonders of the Universe Brian Cox BBC Two, BBC HD Explinations of fundamental scientific principles and laws of the universe 2011 YOUTUBE CHANNELS Youtube Channels With help from Youtube and "20 Astronomy Youtube Channels For Astronauts ". Feedspot. Both accessed 15th July 2020. Name Presenter(s) Link Description DeepSkyVideos Various People https://www.youtube.com/user/DeepSkyVideos Exploring deep space one video at a time Dr. Becky Becky Smethurst https://www.youtube.com/c/DrBecky Focus on what and how we know things about astronomy ESA Various People https://www.youtube.com/user/ESA Current astronomical news explained and missions shown NASA Various People https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision Current scientific endevours (like space missions) shown and astronomical questions explained PBS Space Time Matt O'Dowd https://www.youtube.com/c/pbsspacetime/ Explaining big astronomy questions and the possibilities of science fiction SciShow Space Hank Green, Caitlin Hofmeister, Reid Reimers https://www.youtube.com/user/scishowspace Ground breaking discoveries explained and astronomical questions answered Sixty Symbols Various People https://www.youtube.com/user/sixtysymbols From the University of Nottingham, looking at a variety of astronomical and physics topics and explaining big questions SpaceRip Various People https://www.youtube.com/c/SpaceRip Big questions answered and current astronomical news explained The Royal Institution Various People https://www.youtube.com/user/theroyalinstitution Lectures on a range of scientific topics, inculding astronomy UK Space Agency Various People https://www.youtube.com/user/spacegovuk UK astronomy news and astronomical consepts explained TWITTER ACCOUNTS Twitter Accounts With help from Twitter and "15 Accounts for Space Nerds ". Mental Floss. Both accessed 15th July 2020. Name Link Description @AstroADAS https://twitter.com/AstroADAS The official Twitter page of Altrincham and District Astronomical Society @Avertedvision https://twitter.com/Avertedvision Pete Lawrence promotes various astronomical events along with some astrophotography @BBCStargazing https://twitter.com/BBCStargazing Promoting the BBC TV programme and giving information on the latest astronomy news and weather @BadAstronomer https://twitter.com/BadAstronomer Latest news and space images explained by Phil Plait @ISS_Research https://twitter.com/ISS_Research Current NASA research and science onboard the space station @Matt_Heverly https://twitter.com/Matt_Heverly Current news from inside Mars missions and NASA's JPL @NASA https://twitter.com/NASA Latest NASA news on science and missions @NASAExoplanets https://twitter.com/NASAExoplanets Latest news of the discoveries and science of exoplanets @NASAHubble https://twitter.com/NASAHubble Latest Hubble news from NASA @NASAVoyager https://twitter.com/NASAVoyager Voyager 1 and 2 latest news on use of the data and current data collected, as well as their position @NLCalerts https://twitter.com/NLCalerts Alerts you to any sightings of noctilucent clouds, so you can predict their appearance @RoyalAstroSoc https://twitter.com/royalastrosoc Latest astronomy news in the UK and worldwide @SpaceX https://twitter.com/SpaceX Current news in the growing private aerospace manufacturer @_SpaceWeather https://twitter.com/_SpaceWeather_ Weather in space including aurora @apod https://twitter.com/apod Daily image of the universe with an explination @astro_reid https://twitter.com/astro_reid NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman's look on current astronomy news @astro_timpeake https://twitter.com/astro_timpeake 1st British ESA astronaut Tim Peake's insight into current astronomical news and life on the ISS @esa https://twitter.com/esa Updates on ESA activites @lowflyingrocks https://twitter.com/lowflyingrocks When an object passes within 0.2AU of the Earth, @lowflyingrocks alerts you @spacegovuk https://twitter.com/spacegovuk Latest UK efforts in space and UK space science NEWLETTERS Newsletters Name Link Description Astronomy.com Newsletter https://astronomy.com/magazine/newsletter Space news, along with astronomical events, members pics and offers. BAA Alerts https://britastro.org/baa-alerts Alerts you to all the current transient astronomical events that need urgent observation. BBC The Sky at Night Magazine Newsletter https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/newsletter/ What to see in the night sky, tips on viewing, kit reviews and space news. ESA Newsletter https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/EUESA/subscribers/new?preferences=true Newsletter on all current ESA activities and events . FAS Newsletter http://fedastro.org.uk/fas/publications/newsletter-back-issues/ FAS related news, alongside current astronomy related news (no email subscription). JPL Newsletter https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/signup/index.php Get all the news from NASA's JPL Jodrell Bank Newsletter https://www.jodrellbank.net Latest news on events at Jodrell Bank (at bottom of page). NASA Mars Newsletter https://mars.nasa.gov/newsletter-subscribe/ Newsletter on all current science on Mars NASA Newsletter https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/hHN32CZ/nasagov Newsletter on all current NASA activities. Nature Briefing Newsletter https://www.nature.com/briefing/signup/ Roundup of daily science news, including astronomy New Scientist Space Newsletter https://www.newscientist.com/sign-up/launchpad/ Weekly (every Friday) newsletter on current space related news Planetary Science Institute Newsletter http://eepurl.com/hamPVb Giving a weekly roundup of all planetary science news Science Daily Newsletter https://www.sciencedaily.com/newsletters.htm Newsletter of all current science. Timeanddate.com Newsletter https://www.timeanddate.com/newsletter/ Current astronomy news, from what meteor shower is happening when to what type of full moon it is. UK Space Agency Newsletter https://space.blog.gov.uk/subscribe/ Updates on all UK Space Agency activities. arXiv Cornell University Newsletter https://arxiv.org/help/subscribe Current science in all areas from black holes to telescope design RSS FEEDS RSS Feeds Name Link Description ADAS https://www.astroadas.space/blog-feed.xml A direct link, giving your the latest astronomy/ADAS related news ESA http://www.esa.int/Services/RSS_Feeds In the "Related Links" section is a list of 10 rss feeds, plus regional ones, relating to ESA operations NASA https://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-rss-feeds A list of RSS feeds relating to current science, NASA operations and podcasts New Scientist https://feeds.newscientist.com/space A copiable link, giving you the latest space stories from New Scientist Science Daily https://www.sciencedaily.com/newsfeeds.htm A list of RSS feeds to get the most up-to-date science. Space.com https://www.space.com/feeds/all A direct link, giving you all the latest space related news UK Space Agency Blog https://space.blog.gov.uk/feed/ A direct link, keeping you up-to-date with the space agency's activities Universe Today https://www.universetoday.com/feed/ A direct link, alerting you to new astronomy related articles TABLET/PHONE APPS Apps Contact Us! Name Google Play App Store Microsoft Amazon Compatibility Description Price AuroraWatch UK https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/aurorawatch-uk-aurora-alerts/id946141347 Apple Aurora Activity Free Chirp https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.laserlabs.chirp Google Alerts you to gravitational wave events with a chirp sound Free Clear Outside https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.firstlightoptics.clearoutside https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/clear-outside/id921555752 https://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Light-Optics-Ltd-Outside/dp/B00TOFHROY Google/Apple/Amazon Astronomy weather app Free Gravitational Wave Events https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/gravitational-wave-events/id1441897107 iPhone Alerts you to gravitational wave events with a chirp sound Free Heavens Above https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.heavens_above.viewer Google Astronomical events/satellite tracker Free Sky Live https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/sky-live-heavens-above-viewer/id693905898 iPhone Astronomy weather app Free Star Walk 2 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vitotechnology.StarWalk2Free https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/star-walk-2-ads-night-sky-map/id1112481571 https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/star-walk-2/9nblggh4x49z#activetab=pivot:overviewtab https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vito-Technology-Star-Walk/dp/B00HZPDB3G/ref=pd_sim_nf_1?pd_rd_w=KVEmp&pf_rd_p=6957aab4-235e-4650-8a39-70066d8c4d19&pf_rd_r=RYABPRWFPGJSFM1DS50F&pd_rd_r=f9123244-f761-46eb-a72f-5c0174b0bfc5&pd_rd_wg=2pP39&pd_rd_i=B00HZPDB3G&psc=1 Google/Apple/Amazon (Star Walk)/Windows Mobile planisphere Free/£1.75 (Amazon)/£2.49 (Windows) Stellarium Mobile https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noctuasoftware.stellarium_free https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noctua-Software-Stellarium-Mobile-Sky/dp/B00H1MDH3W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 Google/Amazon Mobile planisphere Free Xasteria: Astronomy Weather https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/xasteria-astronomy-weather/id985030722#?platform=iphone Apple Astronomy weather app Free Got a suggestion to share? 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PAST VIDEOS Date Speaker Position Subject Video 2 May 2025 Dr Steve Barrett University of Liverpool The End of Everything 3 Jan 2025 George Abraham ADAS member Modelling Massive Star Evolution 1 Nov 2024 Dr. Steve Barrett University of Liverpool The Beginning of Everything 1 Dec 2023 Dr Steve Barrett University of Liverpool The Star of Bethlehem 3 Mar 2023 Dr. Steve Barrett University of Liverpool 'How to Build a Tellurian' 3 Mar 2023 Dr. Steve Barrett University of Liverpool 'Using a Telescope as a Beginner' 3 Feb 2023 George Abraham ADAS member Jupiter and its Galilean Moons 3 Sept 2021 Maurice Rushby ADAS member Antikythera Mechanism 6 Aug 2021 Chris Suddick ADAS member Astronomy for Beginners 4 Jun 2021 Rodger Livermore ADAS member A Very Amateur Approach to Astro-Imaging: 13.6 Billion Years Ago to the Present 2 May 2014 Dr. Phil Masding, Dr. Andrew Fearnside ADAS member, Manchester AS member The Polarisation of Moonlight and the Composition of Moonrocks 7 Mar 2014 Eddie Bruce, Ewan Hill-Norris ADAS members "Moon Landing: Fact or Fiction" 3 Jan 2014 Richard Bullock ADAS member "The Night Sky this Month" 1 Nov 2013 Chris Suddick ADAS member "How to Measure the Universe"

This is a list of all the astronomical equipment which the society has, all of which is available for borrowing by members for their own use at home or on dark sky trips except the 14" which is too large. EQUIPMENT This is a list of all the astronomical equipment which the society has, all of which is available for borrowing by members for their own use at home or on dark sky trips except the 14" telescope which is too large. Please click a symbol to request to borrow an item of equipment from the society (N.B. Become a member to borrow the equipment) 14" Newtonian telescope on German equatorial mount. It is available for use by all members each Friday night and at other times by special arrangement. LX90 SCT . This is a computer controlled, tripod mounted, portable telescope. It is quite heavy weighing in at about 45lb with its tripod. The picture shows it set up on its tripod with the computer control handset, 8x50 finder scope and the eyepiece diagonal for comfortable viewing. ETX90 SCT . This is a small version of the LX90. It is very light and portable which means it can be set up considerably faster than than the LX90. It is also known as 'The Critchley Meade'. 6" Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount . This is very light and portable and can be set up in seconds. No mucking about with batteries and aligning with guide stars. Plonk it on the ground or on a table and start observing. Pictured here with the society's web cam (see below). 20x100 binoculars . Also known as the 'MIA bins'. They have a mounting plate which can be placed directly onto a tripod or the parallelogram arm. There is also a heavy pedestal mount for these binoculars which is not shown in the picture. 20x60 binoculars . There is no mount for these binoculars nor any adaptor for clamping them to a tripod. If you borrow these then you will need your own clamp or have to hold them in your hands. SBIG STV . This is a digital video camera that can take pictures through the eyepiece of a telescope and record them for downloading onto a PC for subsequent processing. Web Cam . This is a small digital camera with an eyepiece adaptor for taking astrophotos. This needs a PC to operate and there is an extension lead with it for this purpose. Ideally you need a laptop computer to use this or you have to be quite close to your PC.

What has been happening in the 2010 meetings can be found here. March April June September MINUTES | 2010 5th March 2010 March Meeting held on Friday 5th March 2010 at the 1st Timperley Scout hall. Present: Graham Sinagola Tony Aremia Steve Holt Richard Bullock Chris Suddick (Chairman) Ged Birbeck Roger Livermore Speaker The Chairman introduced the speaker, Richard Bullock to speak on “The Mechanics of (Newtonian) Gravity”. Richard explained that the Greeks were probably the first people to think about gravity. Aristotle, Galileo and Newton were mentioned. The Roche limit was touched on and Richard introduced Einstein’s theories, which presented an alternative to the Newtonian view of gravity. The Chairman thanked the speaker for his very interesting talk and those present showed their appreciation. Treasurer’s Report Richard Bullock confirmed that the Society is in funds. Chairman’s Report Chris Suddick reported that it was the Committee’s view that ADAS should change its Bank to Barclays. The Yorkshire does not open on Saturdays, whereas Barclays do, and the branch network is much wider. Members unanimously agreed to the change. Chris reported that difficulties have arisen as some cheque signatories are no longer members. AOB ADAS members will be attending a meeting of the Wythenshawe Astronomy Group. Members were invited to attend a gathering at Victoria Park, Stretford to mark Earth Hour on 27 March. The date of the next meeting has been moved to 9 April There being further business the meeting closed at 9.30.pm 9th April 2010 April Meeting held on Friday 9th April 2010 PRESENT Chris Suddick (Chairman) Geoff Flood Tony Aremia Steve Holt Geoff Walton Roger Livermore Szymon Baradweg Peter Baugh Ged Birbeck 　 The Chairman introduced The speaker for the evening, Richard Tyers. Richard’s topic was: "Herschel to Hubble - the story of Nebulae". In 1609 Galileo looking at the heavens and wondering about the complexity and variety of the night sky. He saw the nebulae of the Milky Way and tried to understand what it all meant. Over time others followed in his footsteps - Copernicus in the 18th C then Herschel (1738-1822). Herschel was an amateur astronomer and built his own telescopes some of which were quite large, resulting from these larger ‘scopes he was able to look more closely and systematically at nebulae, concluding that they were unresolved clusters of stars. In his 1784 paper “On the Construction of the Heavens” he classified nebulae into 5 different groups. He believed that the sun was part of the Milky Way. He discovered over 2500 nebulae, a great leap considering that in 1781 Messier discovered only 103. Things moved at speed and in 1865, now Sir John Herschel, counted 5709 and in 1887 J.L.E. Dreyer found 7840 - and later 9369. Astronomers did not know how far away or how big - there was no satisfactory method of measuring distance. However in 1838 the German F. W. Bessel used parallax to measure the distance of stars, other than the sun. Henrietta Leavitt identified periodic luminosity and noted that brighter stars - Cephid variables - had longer periods and the period was proportional to the brightness. Over time the measurements became more accurate Hertszprung and Russell improved matters and produced the HR diagram of luminosity v temperature and type. Harlow Shapely concluded the Milky Way was 300,000 Light Years across but measurements over time varied by a factor of 10! Hubble was also out by a factor of 2. There seemed to be some confusion about the size of the Milky Way which depended upon what was considered, at the time, to be included and whether some of the spiral galaxies were in fact part of the Milky Way. There are still plenty of things that we need to know about the Universe for instance Dark Matter, Dark Energy and it is hoped that the large Hadron Collider will reveal some answers when it gets fully up to speed. Richard took a number of questions from the audience and was thanked by Chris for his really interesting talk. Correspondence Three Astrocalendars have been received from the FAS - these were distributed amongst members. Information from the institute of Lighting Engineers with Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Light Pollution and some promotional leaflets for the Sky at Night magazine have also been received. The Treasurer was not present but it was reported that we are attempting to open an account at Barclays but some problems are arising with the form filling required. The matter is ongoing. Chris Suddick and Roger Livermore attended a meeting of the astronomy group at Wythenshawe Park. This is a group of inexperienced people who simply want to look at stars and who really need a little expert help. They meet once a month and have a limited amount of equipment. Geoff Flood and Ged Birbeck attended the Dark Hour meeting in Victoria Park, Stretford, where Graham Cliff and Christine Lavender had set up telescopes which enabled the public to look at the Moon, Mars and Saturn. The night started cloudy but cleared well later on. Unfortunately Trafford did not extinguish lights in the Borough. It is intended to repeat this event next year. A similar event is being considered to be held in Worthington Park in Sale. Graham Sinagola has been interviewed, about amateur astronomy, for a local radio station. There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting. 4th June 2010 June Minutes of the 456th meeting on June 4th 2010 Present were :- Chris Suddick, Steve Holt, Ged Birbeck, Peter Baugh, Tony Aremia, Rachel Ormes, Stephen McHugh, Richard Bullock, Kevin Thurstan, Norman Thurstan, Colin Eaves, Szymon Baradwej. Total of 12 present. The Chairman welcomed the members and Introduced Dr Alastair Gunn as today’s speaker, with a presentation entitled “Cosmic Journey”. Dr Gunn told us he Is an astro physicist and radio astronomer who looks after the VLBI system from Jodrell Bank. He also does a lot of PR for astronomy and has put together several talks for Cunard Cruises including his Cosmic Journey. The visual journey across the universe was done on free software and is all to scale, using real astronomical data. We start with an aerial view of Jodrell Bank and are told our trip will be as close to the actual journey as possible. The view pulls back and we travel outwards through our solar system, then past other stars, nebulae, star clusters to the edge of our galaxy. As we pull out further we see our local group and see galaxy interactions, next passing through the Virgo galaxy cluster then we see how it and others come together into super clusters and on to the overall known large scale structure of the visual universe all the way to the CMB. Our return journey then retraces its path slowly back inward until we are once again hovering a few hundred meters above the Lovell radio telescope. Chris Suddick points out the problems trying to explain astronomical size & scale and how he tries to get the ideas across to groups like cubs and brownies. Alastair then discussed the creation of his presentation using free software such as Celestia. In all it took him 9 months to make and how the complex mathematics behind some of the graphics needed a large amount of computer time to plot. We then took a break. On the restart we had the treasurers report. It was decided we would not be present at this years Timperley village fair as no one wanted to take on the task. Kevin mentioned the need to make more use of the website or newsgroup site & that we needed to keep e mail addresses and phone numbers up to date. The meeting was then brought to a close. 3rd September 2010 September PRESENT Chris Suddick (Chairman), Geoff Flood, Steve Holt, Tony Aremia, Peter Baugh, Colin Eaves, Richard Bullock, Roger Livermore, Steve Leicester. Total present - 9. APOLOGIES Graham Sinagola, Geoff Walton. MINUTES Minutes of the 44th AGM were not available and thus could not be confirmed nor could arising matters be taken. The Chairman welcomed members and thanked them for their attendance. All existing Officers have agreed to remain in post and as there were no other proposals for office they were re-elected en bloc. In addition Graham Sinagola has agreed to act in a new position as “Speakers Secretary”. Thus we have: Chairman Chris Suddick Treasurer Richard Bullock Secretary Geoff Flood Minutes Secretary Graham Sinagola Speakers Secretary Graham Sinagola TREASURER Copies the accounts (attached) were circulated and Richard explained a number of points regarding them. First of all he explained that as 2 of the 3 signatories to the Yorkshire Bank account were no longer with us it has been found necessary to make some changes. An account has been opened with Barclays Bank which, unlike the Yorkshire Bank is open on Saturdays, which makes it easier for the Treasurer to transact business. Although we have completed all the paperwork we are still awaiting finalisation from Barclays – but there should be no problems! We appeared to run at a loss last year but this was due to paying the backlog on room rental. An item in the accounts “loan” is money paid out by Richard to cover payments to organisations such as the FAS (where early payment gave us a discount on membership). This money will remain outstanding until the Barclays account is operational. Room charges have still to be paid for 2010. Although they don’t appear in the accounts we have a number of pieces of equipment which have a significant nominal value. Kevin Thurstan has a list. Richard needs details of addresses and phone numbers of Trustees to comply with our charitable status. Geoff Flood and Chris Suddick were asked to supply them to him. SECRETARY A number of items have come up from the Federation of Astronomical Societies. 1. The Society need to supply a postcode for the FAS website so that ADAS can be located. Geoff will arrange this. 2. We are now covered by the FAS Public Liability Insurance Scheme, which might be important at Star Parties etc. 3. The FAS Convention will be held in Cambridge at 9:00am on 9th October 2010. A change to the constitution is proposed which involves 2 new Officers on the Executive. The next meeting of NWGAS will take place on Saturday 11th September 2010. The meeting will take place at the Pexhill Observatory, near Liverpool at 13:00 hours. We should be represented – if only to get an updated speakers list! Manchester AS will hold a meeting in the John Dalton Building of MMU at 7:30pm (e-mail if you wish to attend). Brother Dr Guy Consolmagno will speak on Trans Neptunian Objects. BBC Sky at night programme offer bonuses for promoting Sky at Night magazine subscriptions. No interest for ADAS. ANY OTHER BUSINESS It was proposed that all items of equipment be returned to the Society once a year, at the AGM, so that other members have the opportunity of seeing what is available and so that we can check on the state of the equipment. There was no other business and a break was taken for refreshments prior to a talk from Chris Suddick. MYTHOLOGY OF THE STARS There are many myths but Chris stuck to Greek & Roman mythology, pointing out that in practice they are pretty much the same as the Romans simply nicked the Greek myths and changed the names of the Gods. Starting with Uranus and Gaea through to the main Gods – which include, amongst others, Saturn Pluto Neptune and Jupiter. Then there were the Planetary Gods of Mar, Venus and Mercury You simply don’t want to know how and with whom some of these were created and who did what with whom! We heard how Gods such as Jupiter begat - by various devious means, often with his wife/sister, Io, Europa Gannymede, Callisto etc and that’s where the moons come from (allegedly). We also learned how clever Chris is, completing the Telegraph crossword with Augean stables which, of course, Hercules cleaned out by diverting a river. This was an interesting talk which mixed Ancient mythology with modern astronomy.

What has been happening in the 2005 meetings can be found here. June September October December MINUTES | 2005 3rd June 2005 June The 407th Meeting of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Club on Friday 3rd June 2005 at 8pm Those present were: Paul Clark Don Utton Tony Aremia Stephen McHugh Mark Adamson Geoff Flood Colin Eaves Peter Baugh Vincent Cordron Chris Suddick Roger Livermore Geoffrey Walton Debbie Wilson Nick Dixon Alicia Dixon Kirsty Dixon David Dixon Phil Masding Ged Birbeck Colin Henshaw (Total 20) The chairman Paul Clark opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and announcing that Phil Masding would be speaking tonight about the satellite tracking software that he and Mike Tyrell have been developing. Previously they had captured ISS images by manual tracking, this was difficult and rather fraught given the rapid motion of the satellite across the sky and the narrow field of view required to observe structural details. The new software automates much of the tracking which makes for more relaxed observing sessions. He showed images obtained on 8th May using the 10" Meade LX telescope. These were then compared with what they expected to observe using a Simulator program also written by themselves. Phil noted that the Envisat also has some structure but most satellites do not. However, there is considerable (perverse) interest in imaging spy satellites whose orbital parameters are not released by the authorities but are made available by amateur astronomers from their observations. Phil and Mike were congratulated on their impressive images and their sophisticated programming skills. Following the break Paul Clark gave a sky diary. He pointed out that Jupiter's moons are frequently occulting and generating shadow transits so there is always something of interest to observe. He also pointed out that the planets Mercury and Venus have very close approach on 27th June with a separation of 8' at around 10pm. The Perseid meteor shower is due on 12th/13th August and can be impressive when the sky is clear. Colin Henshaw mentioned that gamma-Virginis is a binary which are coming to perihelion and so appear much closer together than usual. Colin also said that r- corona borealis is an interesting variable worth watching because its magnitude varies from the 14th to 6th magnitude. There was a short business session in which members were urged to support our fund raising efforts at the Gatley Fair on 4th July. There being no further business, the Chairman thanked Phil Masding again for his talk, and everyone for coming, and then closed the meeting. Chairman Secretary 2nd September 2005 September The 40th Annual General Meeting and the 408th Meeting of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Club on Friday 2nd September 2005 at 8pm Those present were: Paul Clark Don Utton Tony Aremia Norman Thurstan Kevin Thurstan Geoff Flood Colin Eaves Peter Baugh Mark Crossley Chris Suddick Richard Bullock Geoffrey Walton Nick Odom Colin Bowler Nick Dixon Ged Birbeck J Coldon? (Total 17) The chairman Paul Clark opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and suggesting since the sky was clear that we mount an expedition to Gradbach immediately after the conclusion of the meeting. Because this is the AGM, business would be taken first. The Treasurer reported that we ran a deficit last year of £471 due entirely to the payment of back rent for the Observatory. On hearing this the Chairman promptly offered his unpaid subscription for last year, and Tony Aremia said that he had paid in £20 to the bank for the Timperley Fair refund. Thus the deficit was reduced to £431. Mark pointed out that members’ subscriptions just covered the Observatory and room hiring costs. Electricity cost £166, mainly in standing charges. Low user rates without standing charges are available only to residential customers. It was recommended and agreed that subscriptions should remain at £20 pa. We have yet to receive the Gift Aid tax refund on last year’s subscriptions which should be around £100. The Chairman thanked Mark for his work on maintaining the accounts, and Tony Aremia for his assistance. In the absence of the Observatory Director the Chairman said that the state of the Observatory was of some concern and that we would need to consider what should be done in the coming year. Mark Crossley, the web page master, said that it is still running and that there are pages where members can add news items etc. The Secretary acknowledged his laxity in updating the minutes on the pages. The Chairman commented that it had been a patchy year for observing with only a few successful expeditions. He then called for the election of officers. The Secretary said that he wished to stand down, and the Treasurer said that he wished to stand down next year. The following were elected unopposed Chairman Paul Clark Secretary Kevin Thurstan Treasurer & Web Master Mark Crossley Events and Obs Director Ged Birbeck The Chairman thanked the outgoing secretary for his efforts in the past. The final item of business was to have a round-up of who has what ADAS equipment Large Binoculars Paul Clark LX90 Nick Dixon 3 Eyepieces Kevin Thurstan STV imager Mark Crossley Critchley-Meade & Small Binoculars Ged Birbeck 17mm LV Eyepiece & 30mm 2” Superview Don Utton The meeting then adjourned for a coffee break. Following the break Paul Clark gave a presentation on refracting telescopes – pros, cons and characteristics. For the same sized aperture they are much more expensive than reflecting telescopes, but to offset this the image quality can be superior. 80mm short focal length telescopes are popular because they are relatively less expensive and they have a wide field of view (FOV). They are prone to chromatic abberation –the focal length varies with light wavelength. Achromat lenses reduce this but the more complex and expensive apochromat lenses are required to effectively eliminate this effect. Reflecters maintain a better quality of image away from the centre of the FOV than refractors where stellar images are no longer pin points at the edge of the FOV. The effects of chromatic abberation can be reduced by going to longer focal ratios, as was done historically in the past. This has the drawback of reducing the FOV. Paul made a final point that smaller refractors cool down more quickly than large reflectors – he thinks that his 18” Dobsonian reflector never cools down completely on a one night expedition. Following the applause for his presentation Paul suggested that all those interested adjourn to Gradbach and said that he had maps for anyone who needed them. He then closed the meeting. 7th October 2005 October The 409th Meeting of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Club on Friday 7th October 2005 at 8pm Those present were: Paul Clark, Kevin Thurstan, Tony Aremia, Terry Bailey, Norman Thurstan, Geoff Flood, Graham Sinagola, Peter Baugh, Mark Crossley, Chris Suddick, Richard Bullock, Geoffrey Walton, Nick Odom, Colin Bowler, Nick Dixon, Ged Birbeck, Phil Masding, Stuart Oldbury, Roger Livermore, Mary Stewart, 1 other (Total 21) The chairman Paul Clark opened the meeting by welcoming everyone to the meeting and announcing that tonight’s speaker would be Nick Odom, who would be delivering part two of his talk on “Relativity” this time focusing on general relativity following on from his previous talk on special relativity. The Chairman also announced that Graham Sinagola had brought in a DVD of the transit of Venus on 8th June last year if anyone was interested in it. Nick Odom then started his talk on general relativity by summarising some of the points of special relativity to help as background. He stated that it took Einstein ten years from 1905 when he published his theory on special relativity before in 1915 he published his theory on general relativity. It was believed the laws of physics are the same irrespective of the speed of the observer and that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant. However Newton’s laws of gravity break down at high speed and Einstein wanted to reconcile relativity with gravity. Nick then went on to explain in more detail, how the effects of gravity must travel at the same speed as light in gravitational waves, the fact that a man falling off a roof couldn’t feel gravity led Einstein to a flash of inspiration that gravity mimics acceleration, that gravity slows down time and time runs slower for an observer on the surface of the earth than it does for a spaceman in orbit, the higher the gravity is the slower time runs. Gravity also refracts light, distorts space and that the effect of gravity is greater in general relativity as opposed to Newton’s laws. We then heard about general relativity and black holes. He finished off by explaining some of the observational conformation we have on general relativity including the perihelion of mercury, the displacement of star images during a solar eclipse, gravitational red shifting of Sirius b and radio astronomy observations of everything from the inner planets to binary pulsars and quasars. The meeting then had a break for tea. The Chairman Paul Clark then did a sky diary on the coming month concentrating mainly on the area around the constellation of Cygnus and mentioned how mars was going to be at its best over the next couple of months. In any other business the Chairman reminded us that next months talk was to be by Andrew Greenwood from Macc AS on the subject of Mars. The Secretary then reminded everyone that on the coming Friday, 14th October, the society had been invited again to Delamere Forest Park visitor Centre and would be providing several talks on astronomy, and that we still required speakers to help out, we need others to support the occasion with their presence or turning up with scopes to put on display and maybe even use if the sky was clear. Richard Bullock offered his services and said he would be able to do a talk on the moon. The meeting was then brought to a close. 2nd December 2005 December The 411th Meeting of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, held at Timperley Village Club on Friday 2nd December 2005 at 8pm Those present were: Paul Clark, Kevin Thurstan, Mark Crossley, Tony Aremia, Mike Tyrrell, Philip Masding, Don Utton, May Stewart, Norman Thurstan, Geoff Flood, Colin Eaves, Geoffrey Walton, Graham Sinagola, Nick Dixon, Nick Odom, Ged Birbeck, John Tipping, John Gartshore, Roger Livermore, Stuart Oldbury, Adam Oldbury (Total 21) The chairman Paul Clark opened the meeting by welcoming everyone to the meeting and announcing that tonight we would start with the club business followed by Phil Masding and Mike Tyrrell with some new software, then we would have a clips and pics quiz followed by the tea break. Finally we would have a discussion on the future of the obs site. The Business section started with the post, of which we had two pieces, one from Keele University and remittance advice from the forestry commission of £50 for our October evening at Delamere Forest Park. The Treasurer reported that subs were still trickling in. We then had an update on the Stockport sky beam and a reminder to members who wanted to object of how where and what to include in the objection. It was then the turn of Phil and Mike to show us their new software and how it turns images of mars into maps. They said that this year’s opposition of Mars has been a good one because Mars was high in the sky and there were a good number of favourable evenings to view on. They then explained how they transformed the pixels on the two dimensional picture into a set of x, y and z co-ordinates on the surface of a surface of a sphere, showing the formulae used to create latitudinal and longitudinal co-ordinates on the planet for each pixel of the original picture. They commented on the problems that arose because of the Mars’s axial tilt and position angle, which meant the latitude and longitude co-ordinates had to be transformed to compensate for this before they could finally be turned from latitude and longitude into flat map co-ordinates. They told us how they used only the central strip of many pictures to create a map of the whole planet as it made the transformation calculations simpler and that because of the Mars’s axial tilt and position angle the North Polar Region was missing from the map. The Chairman then split the room into two teams one captained by the Secretary the other by Graham Sinagola and held a quiz on various pictures, video and sound clips. The Secretary’s team won. Then we had the tea break. After the break we held a discussion on the future of the observatory site. Over the years the buildings on the site have fallen into disrepair and the observatory itself is hardly ever used these days. The main issues include: Ongoing costs. At £620 the current overheads are greater than the clubs income from members subscriptions and these costs can only rise. Maintenance. To maintain the site its self, money needs spending on new equipment, the society building and storage hut are really beyond maintenance and need replacing, the observatory roof is leaking, the telescope mount doesn’t work properly, and the telescope needs an overhaul. Security. The storage hut has again been broken into, the site can’t be made properly secure without more expenditure and it’s probably only a matter of time until the society hut is broken into and vandalised. Need. The society does need a base for our weekly and monthly meetings and to store some equipment, preferably where we can occasionally use to observe from. Comfort. At the moment to get to the obs site you have to walk across an unlit often muddy and fouled field to a cold, damp, draughty hut that has obviously seen better days. Suitability. Is the obs site still suitable for the society’s needs, At the moment we would be too embarrassed to hold a society or NWGAS meeting there and over the past few years we have had several potential members who after seeing the hut have not turned up again. The obs site its self is, at the moment, possibly holding the club back from expanding and putting its future at risk. Three options were put forward to the meeting. Do nothing. The site will just keep on decaying until it is totally beyond use for the societies needs, we would still have the same maintenance needs, the security issues would be the same and the societies costs would still continue rising well above its income. Upgrade. To upgrade we would need a large capital injection into the society of around £6000 to £7000, we would still have the maintenance needs and costs, the security issues would be the same and the societies ongoing costs would still continue rising well above its income possibly even faster. Surrender the site. The society could surrender the obs site and meeting room altogether and set up home in a more suitable single location, the Scout hut across the field from the obs has been put forward as a possible site if the costs of doing so were not prohibitive. The Scout hut has ample parking, is heated, has kitchen and toilet facilities and there is a separate car parking area to the rear suitable for observing. If we moved there we would have no maintenance, security or comfort issues and the society may be able to bring its costs more inline with its income. There was then a period of discussion on the fate of the obs site and a general consensus that we should look further into the possibility of leaving the obs site and moving to the scout hut. The Chairman, after previous talks with some of the membership, was already in discussion with Trafford Council as to where we stood with the lease on the obs site and it was decided that Stuart Oldbury would enter discussions with the committee at the Scout hut about the possibility and cost of a move there. The meeting was then brought to a close.

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