What has been happening in the 2008 meetings can be found here. January February March April May June September October November December MINUTES | 2008 4th January 2008 January Minutes of the 431st meeting held in Timperley Scout Hall on Friday 4th January 2008 PRESENT Kevin Thurstan (Chairman), Geoff Flood, Paul Brierley, Tony Aremia, Chris Suddick, Colin Bowler, Geoff Walton, Norman Thurstan, Colin Eaves, Paul Clark, Richard Bullock, Ged Birbeck, Liz Clark. ALTRINCHAM AND DISTRICT ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY Total – 13 The Chairman welcomed everyone to the 431st meeting of the Society. One minutes silence was held, as a mark of respect, in memory of Don Utton who died suddenly in December. Don had been a member for round 17 years and was a former Chairman and Secretary of ADAS. Don was a real stalwart of the Society, the type of person who was always prepared to do anything that needed to be done or to help anyone who needed it. He will be greatly missed. It was agreed that £25 would be donated to Brain Tumour UK in memory of Don. Paul Clark gave a presentation of photographs taken over 2007 including amongst others: Comet McNaught, Saturn, Spiral galaxy (but which) Milky Way, Star Party, Mars, Comet Holmes, Casseopeia and Andromeda. Paul’s presentation was followed by a quiz, arranged by Kevin Thurstan. Those attending were split into 2 teams and although Kevin wondered if the quiz had been too easy it was noted that no team got all the correct answers! The Secretary had nothing to report. The only correspondence of note was from the British Astronomical Association enclosing their Journal, Year Book, and Programme, which have been deposited in our cupboard in the Scout Hall. 1st February 2008 February PRESENT Kevin Thurston (Chairman), Geoff Flood, Tony Aremia, Graham Sinagola, Nick Odom, Peter Baugh, Norman Thurstan, Chris Suddick, Paul Clark, Geoff Walton, Elizabeth Clark, Paul Brierley, Colin Eaves, Joe Holland, Colin Bowler, Mark Crossley, Richard Bullock, John Tipping, John Thompson. The Chairman welcomed everyone to the 432nd meeting of the Society. John Thompson from Macclesfield AS gave a talk on “The Life and Death of Stars” Ninety-five percent of the Earth’s energy comes from the Sun - but don’t worry this will continue one way and another for some 5 billion years. Spiral Galaxies, such as M51, are the region of star formation which takes place in the spiral arms where dust (carbon) Hydrogen and Hydrogen ions etc are irradiated with UV from hot young stars to form the embryonic stars. Very often these embryonic stars are surrounded by dense clouds of dust and thus cannot be seen. We see many clouds of dust, particularly in nebulae, often being blown about by solar winds along with gaseous globules which give ongoing possibilities. Star formation is a violent process and often leads to bi-polar jets blasting out from the proto star - more energy in space. Planets, orbiting around stars are often discovered via a Doppler effect and some 271 extra solar planets have been discovered to date (there will be more now!) We were told that Red, Blue and Green stars really are coloured (although the green ones really should be white) HR diagram gives the absolute brightness of stars with the hottest stars with most energy being brightest, giving out more light. Equally stars with bigger mass burn out more quickly i.e. higher mass quicker evolution. The energy in stars such as the Sun is produced by nuclear fusion reactions which create heavier elements. Starting with Hydrogen – the simplest element, Helium, is first produced. When the Hydrogen in the core runs out however, the core shrinks until its temperature and pressure increases enough to fuse Helium and create Carbon. At this point the star begins to bloat and becomes a Red Giant, with the reactions at the centre of the core quickly evolving to create heavier and heavier elements so that seen in section the core resembles an onion with different reactions at different depths. Once the core starts producing Iron the reactions quickly come to an end and in the last stages of evolution stars begin pulsating throw off their outer layers. The final state of the star is to become a white dwarf. Equally stars with bigger mass burn out more quickly i.e. higher mass, quicker evolution and a different ending. Very massive stars are “doomed to boom” and go supernova. More energy is required than can be produced by fusion to create elements more dense than Iron and they can only be created when a massive star explodes as a supernova and heavy elements are thrown out into space so that a death releases elements for a birth. The remnants of the boom may become a Neutron Star or in the case of the biggest stars a Black Hole where the remnant is so dense that nothing gets out, not even light. First discovered in 1783 by John Michel, Black Holes were named as such only in 1969. All galaxies are thought to have at least 1 Black Hole. So, there is a process; Gas Cloud – Red Super Giant – Super Nova – Black Hole/Neutron Star. And we……are just stardust. Kevin thanked John who had spoken so eloquently, with great slides and video, to the enlightenment of the audience. There was no formal business to be dealt with and Kevin closed the meeting with information that at the next meeting there will be a talk by Dave Ogden with an update on Messier Objects. 7th March 2008 March Attendance was not recorded Dave Ogden from Macclesfield AS gave a talk with an update on Messier Objects. 4th April 2008 April PRESENT Geoff Flood, Tony Aremia, Steve Holt, Colin Bowler, Paul Brierley, Colin Eaves, Nick Odom, Liz Clark, Geoff Walton, Chris Suddick, Stephen McHugh, Richard Bullock, Roger Livermore, Ged Birbeck, Peter Baugh. In the absence of a speaker Geoff Walton produced a BBC DVD of “The Planets”. The first part was with regard to the exploration of the major Solar planets with a second part conjecturing about what the human race might do and where it might go as Earth heats up. It proved to be a very entertaining evening. The Secretary announced that he had a copy of the April 2008 BAA Journal, which contains a photograph taken by Paul Brierley – “Emission nebula NGC 281 with embedded Star Cluster IC 1590”. There is also a copy of FAS Spring Newsletter which is now produced online. The May 2008 meeting will be addressed by Nick Odom. 2nd May 2008 May PRESENT Kevin Thurstan (Chairman), Nick Odom, Josh Odom, Geoff Flood, Tony Aremia, Peter Baugh, Steve Holt, Chris Suddick, Colin Eaves, Stephen McHugh, Colin Bowler, Geoff Walton, Paul Clark, ????? Ged Birbeck. Kevin opened the meeting and introduced Nick Odom who was to speak to us about the “History of Distance” Nick took us through astronomical measurement, starting with the ancient Greeks who realised that the earth is not actually flat and the sun is not the centre of the Universe and measuring far distances with a remarkable degree of accuracy via Geometry. On through the years via Copernicus, Kepler and Herschel and Hubble, until Einstein complicated matters with relativity thus distance was no longer in a straight line. Probably the simplest method of measuring distant stars is via the red shift although even this is less accurate than might be expected as the Universe is expanding non-uniformly. Following Nick’s talk we had a break and then continued with the business of the Society. The FAS Newsletter now comes as an e-letter but is too big to forward via Yahoo, a number of suggestions were made as to how we might proceed. Eventually the newsletter arrives as hard copy but minus some detail. The equipment list is to be put on Yahoo so that it can be readily updated; if members sign up to Yahoo they will readily be able to view the list. A set of 8X40 binoculars has been received from Evergreen Optics and are available to members. There are now 5 sets of keys and Kevin will arrange for all key holders to also have a key for the cupboard. Mar Crossley is changing ISP and at some point will have to close down the ADAS website. It was generally agreed that it would be worth having a training session some Friday evening so that more people become familiar with the website. Ged Birbeck agreed to ask his son Steve to set the website back up. Ged has asked Richard to send a cheque to pay for our stall at Timperley Country Fair and he asked members to start gathering items for the tombola. At the 6th June meeting there will be a talk by Mike Cook “Observatory Building and buying and selling Telescopes”. 6th June 2008 June PRESENT Kevin Thurstan (Chairman), Norman Thurstan, Geoff Flood, Steve Holt, Colin Bowler, Colin Eaves, Paul Brierley, Geoff Walton, Mark Crossley, Graham Sinagola, Tony Aremia, Chris Suddick, Roger Livermore, Nick Odom, Liz Clark, Richard Bullock, Peter Baugh, Paul Clark, Mike Cook. Total attendance – 19. The meeting was opened by Kevin who welcomed everyone and introduced Mike Cook. Mike gave a talk about the trials and tribulations of building ones own observatory. Being a glutton for punishment Mike chose to do this just after moving house, not far from his previous residence but to a house with infinitely better astronomical viewing and facing south. The new house is situated at the top of a hill and there are no other buildings to block his views, additionally there is no street lighting in his immediate vicinity and light pollution is minimal. The first task was to find an appropriate site in the garden which not only suited Mike but which was approved by his wife. Next he had to dig a huge pit 1 metre deep to take the pier for his scope. The pier was concreted in along with duplicated armoured wiring; obviously an awful lot of concrete was needed for this installation but it is vibration proof. A firm, flat base was prepared and the timber shell of the observatory erected with a sliding, sloping roof which slid on ptfe coated runners. The roof which is made from coated steel proved to be heavier than expected and supports had to be provided (which fold away when the roof is in place) Mains electricity was installed through conduits and all the necessary switching and ancillary gear put in. Now only the finishing touches-shelving etc. needs to be done. It is of course possible to purchase an observatory but Mike felt that the struggle was worth it as he now has an observatory completely to his own specifications. At the end of the day Mike is justifiably pleased and delighted with the results of his labour. Footnote: In the middle of all this Mike was having an extension put on his house (one wonders where his priorities lay?). Kevin thanked Mike for his talk and it was suggested that we have a society visit to see the end result. Following a break for coffee/tea we re-assembled but there was no business other than some correspondence from the FAS and BAS. At the AGM in September we will have a talk from Chris Suddick. 5th September 2008 September ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, FRIDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER 2008 PRESENT Kevin Thurstan (Chairman), Geoff Flood, Tony Aremia, Steve Holt, Norman Thurstan, Graham Sinagola, Nick Odom, Jonathan Odom, Geoff Walton, Colin Eaves, Richard Bullock, Steve McHugh. Total attendance 12 ELECTION OF OFFICERS Proposed Seconded CHAIRMAN: Kevin Thurstan, Chris Suddick, Geoff Flood TREASURER: Richard Bullock, Kevin Thurstan, Geoff Flood SECRETARY: Geoff Flood, Kevin Thurstan, Geoff Walton Graham Sinagola agreed to attend to refreshments at meetings and Ged Birbeck will continue as the Society’s fund raiser. Geoff Walton proposed a vote of thanks to the Officers for their work over the past year, this was carried. Kevin added his personal thanks to the other Officers. TREASURER’S REPORT ALTRINCHAM AND DISTRICT ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CHARITY NO. 1012350 The Accounts are held as hard copy as it was not possible to copy them over. Suffice to say that we have a surplus of £381.48 It was also decided that although attendances on Friday evenings between formal meetings are somewhat sparse we should continue to have the Scout hall open to enable members to assemble if they wish. Costs for hiring the hall run at around £400 pa which is less than previous costs when the observatory was operational. Following a discussion about Public Liability Insurance it was decided not to take it out as our contact with the public is such that it is unnecessary, bearing in mind that the Scouts will be covered for the hall as will places such as Delamere Forest. When out observing individual members are responsible unless we organise an official Society event, when it should be considered. OTHER MATTERS There was some discussion regarding the equipment owned by the Society. Many members do not know what is available or where it can be found (Society equipment distributed around a number of members). Kevin Thurston reported that a complete list of equipment is on the Yahoo site. There was a feeling that perhaps we should have an “Equipment Evening” where members holding the varies pieces of equipment could bring them in so that everyone could see what is available and possibly have a loan of it themselves. All members should make a point of being signed up to the Yahoo Newsgroup. It was reported that the new Website is up and running at www.ADAS.talktalk.net . A programme of speakers or events has been arranged up to February 2009 but obviously some more are needed and particularly from members of ADAS. The Chairman likes to alternate speakers between members and visitors. Members were reminded that Timperley Country Fair is on Saturday 13th September when help would be needed to man our stall and also on preceding Friday to fold raffle tickets etc. It was agreed that the library of books that we have would be sold off at the Fair. Following a refreshment break there was a talk from Chris Suddick: BOINC BOINC – Berkley Open Infrastructure for Network Computers is a system whereby many people can register to have their idle computer time used in a network to give massive computing capability. There are 3.5 million computers registered in 247 countries and participants can register for 1 or more projects. The system works by using idle time on your computer when the screen saver is operating. The most common project is SETI – Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence which has been using BOINC for some 5 years. There is so much information coming in that it would be impossible for any one computer to handle it. (In the view of the speaker this project is a waste of time!). Some other projects include: · cosmology @ home, which models the universe, searching for the model which best describes it. · einstein@home, which searches for gravity waves. · milkyway@home which examines the evolution of the Milky Way galaxy. · orbit@home which studies near earth objects Other possibilities are in the realm of Physics, for instance the Large Hadron Collider, environmental projects, medicinal, biological, and mathematical. Less vital ones include Belgian beer and pirates. The onus is with the project operators to promote their particular project and there are stats available to show how things are going. The Chairman thanked Chris for his interesting talk and then closed the meeting. 3rd October 2008 October PRESENT Geoff Flood, Roger Livermore, Tony Aremia, Roy Sturmey (Macc. AS), Shirley Sturmey (Macc.AS), Steve Holt, Paul Brierley, Geoff Walton, Colin Bowler, Peter Baugh, Chris Enddick?, Jonathon Odom, Nick Odom, Richard Bullock, Stephen McHugh, Paul Clarke, Ged Burbeck + an other. Total: 18. Thanks were expressed to Ged, Peter, Tony and Chris, who manned the stall at the Timperley Country Fair for the whole day. The stall raised £148 on the day from which £20 fee for the pitch should be deducted. Thanks were also expressed to Ged for getting the website up and running and to Chris for sorting out the e-mail. We now a link to the FAS and will shortly have one to NWGAS. It was agreed to lay some flowers on the grave of Don Utton. Geoff agreed to locate Don’s grave. Following the business side of the meeting a talk was given: Carry on Eclipsing by Andrew Greenwood from Macclesfield AS This visit to view the eclipse in Libya. The group travelled from Manchester to Crete to Knosos where they joined the good ship “Perla” which was to be their hotel and observatory for a while. The crew were very helpful in turning off lights at night to enable some observing. They were accompanied by some 800 star chasers including the boss of Chrysalis records and one Fred Talbot. On the day of the eclipse they rose at 01:30 and left the ship at 03:00. The eclipse was due some 5 hours later but they had to travel in 15 coaches with 800 people (via only 1 petrol station) on an 8 hour journey. The eclipse lasted for 4minutes and 10seconds of totality with the first contact at 09:09. During the period of the eclipse there was a temperature drop of 3 degrees and the desert looked like a really alien place. The group walked about quarter of a mile into the desert for viewing, which proved to be very sensible as most people did not go so far and it was chaos close to the road. From their vantage point they could watch the sky changing and the shadow coming across the land. 10 to 15 minutes before totality the camera could see the corona. Some spectacular photos were taken including a composite of 18 shots. Consideration is being given to seeing another eclipse, going with “Explorer Tours” in 2009. 7th November 2008 November Present Kevin Thurston (Chairman), Geoff Flood, Norman Thurston, Colin Bowler, Andrew Patterson, Tony Aremia, Mark Crossley, Paul Brierley, Colin Eaves, Geoff Walton, Graham Sinagola, Chris Suddick, Paul Clark, Nick Odom, Jonathan Odom, Peter Baugh, Richard Bullock, Mike Tyrell, Phil Masding, John Tipping, Ged Burbeck. Total 21 Apologies: Mike Cook. Kevin Introduced Paul Clark, who needed no introduction! Who was to speak to us about: Imaging in La Palma Paul made the 41/2 hour journey to La Palma via the recently opened direct flight from Manchester, operated by Thompson, and which flies each Monday. La Palma is a relatively undeveloped island which now is home to a significant number of international telescopes - The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) includes the Herschel 4.2m scope, at the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory. The Observatory is open to wander about but is locked at nights. Really keen astronomers could allow themselves to be locked in and observe all night but they would be rather uncomfortable, so it is important to get out before the curfew. The Gran Telescopio Canarias or GranTeCan or GTC is situated at 2400m and cost an estimated €130 million to build. It is a co-operative venture between Spain, Mexico and the University of Florida following an initiative from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canaria La Palma is a great place for observing because the Spanish Government has imposed severe restrictions on lighting . Additionally they have initiated an over-flying ban which prevents the complication of mistaking `planes for satellites. Paul stayed in Puntagorda and it was around 15 minutes drive up to the same level as the observatory. He discovered a fire road which although only 1 car wide had passing places which were suitable for setting up his equipment. On the basis that the road is only an emergency road there was virtually no chance of being disturbed or of car headlights ruining everything. There can be problems with the wind blowing sand from the Sahara which creates hazy skies but it is quite possible to get above 4000feet where the skies are clearer. Some observing was done from the patio of the villa where he was staying but most of his imaging was done using his 200mm telephoto lens on a digital SLR camera. Paul found that he could get a good focus using the screen on the camera, which has a noise reduction function and a cable release mechanism. With the tracking mount an accuracy of 5 arc seconds could be achieved but it was necessary to check the focus and alignment at intervals. This visit was well planned in advance and Paul had an idea of what he wanted to do and what expectations he had - naturally one has to have a degree of flexibility depending upon conditions and what is seen. Paul showed an number of exceptional images which were produced from 2 exposures stacked and using 2 second exposures from his F2.8 fixed lens camera. Following the talk, Kevin proposed a vote of thanks. After a break for refreshment the business of the society included an e-mail from the FAS suggesting the setting up of local groups of astronomical societies these would be along the lines of NWGAS which is already operational in our region. Richard Sargent the new President of the FAS contacted local groups to see if there would be support for holding the FAS Convention and AGM locally, say at Jodrell Bank 6 or 7 people indicated their willingness to support such a venture. Attention was drawn to the newly opened shop in Sale selling telescopes. They have a website - http://www.opticstar.com/ There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting. 5th December 2008 December Present Kevin Thurstan (Chairman), Geoff Flood, Norman Thurstan, Paul Brierley, Peter Baugh, Tony Aremia, Geoff Walton, Coin Eaves, Paul Clark, Chris Suddick, Nick Odom, Jonathan Odom, John Tipping, Ged Burbeck, Richard Bullock, Colin Bowler, Nick Dixon. Kevin open the meeting and introduced Dr. Alistair Gunn, from Jodrell Bank who gave a talk on “The History of Jodrell Bank” The existence of radio waves was confirmed by Heinrich Hertz (1857/94) and then in 1901 Marconi made a transmission across the Atlantic. As the atmosphere is transparent to radio waves reception can be made over the long distances required for astronomy. Jansky (1905/49) founded radio astronomy in 1932 by his detection of radio waves from Sagittarius and in 1933 he realised that a lot of noise was coming from thunder and lightening but that other noise was coming from the centre of the universe. This noise was at first ignored but Reber continued research at home with a home made radio telescope. Astronomers were slow to see the importance of the radio sky which is very different from the optical and radio is important to study physics. Sir Bernard Lovell, who is now 95 and still puts in appearances at Jodrell Bank, was educated at Bristol University. In 1936 he came to Manchester to study X ray crystallography. During the war he was put to work on cosmic rays but in 1939 he was transferred to the Air Ministry, essentially on radar research looking for reflections . Radar screens were placed along the East Coast and they picked up echoes which were not aeroplanes - Lovell thought that they could be cosmic rays and wrote a paper. During his time at the Air Ministry Lovell made a number of great contacts in the government and when the war was over he borrowed a radar system. This system was originally sited at the University Physics Department but interference from trams was too great and he discovered that the Botany Dept had land at Jodrell Bank and he moved the equipment there. They discovered sporadic echoes which proved to be meteors and in around 1947 they discovered daytime meteor showers which, of course, were invisible optically. More and more equipment was begged or borrowed to study cosmic rays. In 1950, £1000 enabled him to string some wires between poles which did not find cosmic rays but he had in fact built the first radio telescope and picked up radio waves from M31The first plans for a dish telescope were drawn up in 1950 but Lovell wanted a steerable scope. An instrument was designed by Charles Husband, construction began in 1952 and was completed in 1957. The instrument was half paid for by the university and half by the government, however it was decided that a solid surface was required, rather than a mesh one and this upped the cost. When the Mk 1 instrument became operational it was £260,000 in debt, partly because the bedrock on which the, very heavy, instrument had to be seated sloped down and at one side deeper drilling was required. The Sputnik launch in 1957 was the making of the instrument, the radio signals from the satellite were easy to pick up but only Jodrell Bank could detect the carrier rocket and it was spotted travelling at 1800 mph at 100miles above the Lake District. Jodrell Bank continued to be useful in the space race and because of public interest Lord Nuffield sent a cheque to pay off the debts Various modifications and refurbishment have been made over time and Jodrell Bank is now part of the Merlin project - a European network and arrays such as this will be the future of radio astronomy giving increased frequency sensitivity. 2007 was the 50th anniversary of the Lovell Telescope as it is now called and a show was put on using the dish as a screen (with the approval of the dark skies people). For the future it is proposed to build a new visitor centre, plans have been drawn up and construction will take place when funding is available. Kevin thanked Dr Gunn and following a break Society business was dealt with. SPA are offering telescopes to schools, several have been notified. NWGAS is still surviving with 7 or 8 societies. The newly formed South Cheshire AS, based on Nantwich will host the next meeting. Nick Dixon returned the LX 90 which has passed to Graham Sinagola The next meeting will be held on January 2nd 2009and will take the form of a quiz, prepared by Kevin. There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting. As agreed previously some flowers will be purchased and placed on Don Utton's grave on December 3rd the anniversary of his death. Members were invited to go to cemetary at 11:30am.

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

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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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Find out what terms and conditions you need to follow when on astroadas.org.uk Top of Page Intellectual Property Links to Other Websites Governing Law Viruses Introducing Viruses etc. Submitting Content Changes to this Agreement TERMS OF SERVICE Please read these Terms and Conditions completely if using 'astroadas.space' which is owned and managed by Altrincham and District Astronomical Society. This agreement is a legally binding one attached to the use of the website 'astroadas.space'. By using or accessing, viewing or browsing this website in any way, or when adding your own content to this site, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions. These conditions include: Intellectual property Links to other websites Governing law Viruses Introducing viruses etc. Submitting content Changes to the agreement Intellectual Property INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Astroadas.space and all of its content are the sole property of Altrincham and District Astronomical Society apart from content such as photos labeled on the site as being under a different copyright, and are, as such, fully protected under copyright in countries who support the principle of automatic protection under treaties such as the WIPO copyright treaty and the Berne Convention , as well as other such international copyright agreements and intellectually property laws. Please contact webmaster.adas@gmail.com about using any of the content on this site, unless a copyright (which allows copying without asking beforehand) is clearly stated on what you want to copy. Please note, this includes adding content websites that share photographs, such as 'Pinterest'. Users who submit their works to be used on astroadas.space are only allowing this content to be shown on this website (astroadas.space), and to be used by the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society on websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Links to Other Websites LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES Astroadas.space does contain a number of links to other websites and online resources that are not owned or managed by Altrincham and District Astronomical Society. Altrincham and District Astronomical Society has no control over, and so cannot assume responsibility for, the content of their websites, or general practices of any of these third party sites and/or services. This means that we strongly advise you to read the entire terms and conditions and privacy policy of any website that you visit as a result of following an external link which is contained within this website. Governing Law GOVERNING LAW This agreement is governed in accordance with the laws of England in the United Kingdom. Viruses We try to stop viruses being introduced into our website, but this may not be enough all the time. This means that you must make sure that the way you use astroadas.space does not expose you to the risk of viruses, malicious computer code or other forms of interference which may damage your computer system. We’re not responsible for any loss, disruption or damage to your data or computer system that might happen when you use astroadas.space. VIRUSES Introducing Viruses etc. INTRODUCING VIRUSES ETC. When using astroadas.space, you must not introduce viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs, denial-of-service attacks or any other material that’s malicious or technologically harmful. If you do so, we can share information about you with the relevant authorities. SUBMITTING CONTENT When submitting any user content to an email address listed on our 'Contact Us ' page, you are giving permission for your content to be reproduced on astroadas.space, twitter.com (under AstroADAS) and facebook.com (under ADASSociety) with your name attributed to them. However, if this name is not given, we may still use your content, but under '© Unknown ADAS member' until this name is given (please contact us if you want an image to be directly attributed to you which isn't presently, including the URL of the image in the email). Submitting Content Changes to this Agreement CHANGES TO THIS AGREEMENT Altrincham and District Astronomical Society reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time. If we do so, we will draw attention to the amendment on our home page . Then, by continuing to use the website astroadas.space, you submit your acceptance of the new terms and conditions.

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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Find out what child protection policy ADAS has got in place. CHILD PROTECTION POLICY Please approach any committee member of the society if you have questions or concerns regarding Child Protection issues. ADAS has adopted the Child Protection Policy from the Federation of Astronomical Societies (FAS). A copy of this policy is available for review at all our meetings and can be downloaded here: FAS Child Protection Guidelines Supplement to this policy is the additional local contact numbers for raising concerns: Trafford Council Children's Services GMP Non-emergency contact number

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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.

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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

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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