BAA

2021 October
Vol. 131 No. 5

Journal of the
British Astronomical Association

The ice giants

 Journal of the
British Astronomical
2021 October Vol. 131 No. 5
Association
Contents
Editor: Mr Philip Jennings Refereed papers
Papers Secretary: Prof Jeremy Shears Uranus during the 2015 apparition Kevin Bailey 283
Meetings Recorder: Alan Dowdell
Neptune in 2014–’15 John Sussenbach 287
The Journal is published six times per year, in February,
April, June, August, October & December. The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II Richard McKim 291
Library subscription (UK and surface mail overseas):
£76.00. To purchase single copies of specific issues Report of the Council and financial results
please see britastro.org/shop.
for the session 2020–2021 299
The Association is not responsible for individual opinions
expressed in articles, letters, reviews or reports of any kind.
Material published in the Journal does not necessarily Notes and News
express the views of the BAA Trustees or Council. Photograph: AR2866 & AR2868 Gottfried Steigmann 267
Contributions From the President Alan Lorrain 267
Papers should be sent by e-mail (preferred) or by post
BAA instruments for sale Richard McKim 268
(three copies) to the Papers Secretary at the address Photograph: Jovian triple transit & mutual phenomena Christopher Go 268
shown inside the back cover of each issue. They will In brief Philip Jennings 269
be refereed, and, if approved by Council, published as
soon as reasonably possible. Those wishing to speak Two papers on amateur observations of Uranus & Neptune Mike Foulkes 269
at a meeting should contact the Meetings Secretary. Two more novae & a bright maximum of Mira Jeremy Shears 270
All other contributions should be sent to the Editor, Lights & lies Bob Mizon 271
at pjennings@britastro.org. As well as Letters to the
Editor, he will be pleased to receive contributions to
Solar Section Lyn Smith 272
Observers’ Forum, particularly interesting astronomical Auroral & NLC activity 2021 June 23 – August 20 Sandra Brantingham 275
images, drawings and photographs. Colour images Atmospheric dispersion, Part I: Problem & solution Martin Lewis 276
are especially welcomed. Photos and media will be
returned only if a suitable stamped addressed envelope From the Journal archive John Chuter 277
is enclosed.

Advertisements 2021 George Alcock Memorial Lecture Jonathan Shanklin 278

Small advertisements should be sent to the Office,
accompanied by the appropriate remittance. Members’ BAA Update
small advertisements are FREE and may be sent directly Radio Astronomy Section meeting on Zoom, 2021 March 12 Paul Hearn 318
to the Editor by e-mail.
Obituary: Peter W. Parish (1951–2020) Richard McKim 319
Display advertisements and loose inserts: For a rate
card and further information, please contact the Journal
Advertising Manager, Ms Marie-Louise Archer, at:
Observers’ Forum
advertising@britastro.org. Using a lunar eclipse to measure the diameter of the Mark Lonsdale et al. 320
Earth’s shadow
Deadlines Our friends in the north Callum Potter 321
Please send material for possible publication to the
Editor by the following dates: Letters
323
Issue Date Memories of Venus occulting Regulus in 1959 Jeremy Tatum
2021 December 2021 Oct 25
2022 February 2021 Dec 22 Some merit in observing asteroid occultations from the ground Tim Haymes
Later dates apply, by arrangement, to electronic advertising copy Convertible telescopes Jeremy Shears
for which space has been reserved.

Membership of the BAA

The Archives
From the BAA Archives John Chuter 324
The annual subscription for Ordinary standard membership
of the Association for the 2021–2022 session is £50.50. From the BAA bookshelf Richard McKim 325
For details of concessionary rates, digital-only mem-
bership and other information, see page 286 of this Meetings
issue. Members who pay UK income tax are requested
to complete a Gift Aid certificate in order to benefit the
BAA Ordinary Meeting, 2021 March 31 Alan Dowdell 326
Association, which is a registered educational charity.
[To claim Gift Aid you must pay an amount of UK Membership information 286
income tax and/or Capital Gains tax at least equal to the New members 318
tax which we reclaim on your donations in the relevant
tax year (currently 25p for each £1 you give us).] Sky notes for 2021 October & November Nick Hewitt 328
Meetings diary, notices & small advertisements 330
Published by:
The British Astronomical Association, Board of Trustees and Council, Session 2020–2021 331
Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU
Tel: 020-7734 4145
Websites: On the cover
BAA: britastro.org/
Journal: britastro.org/journal/
The ice giants are well placed for observation and two papers in this issue,
Journal © British Astronomical Association 2021. In-
dividual articles, illustrations etc. remain the copyright
described on p.269, give advice on how to detect detail on these distant worlds.
of the author or imager, whose permission must also be
obtained before reproduction.
Centre: Uranus (left) and Neptune (right), imaged by Voyager 2 (not to scale).
(NASA.) Left: Uranus in 2015, by (clockwise from bottom left): D. Peach,
ISSN 0007–0297
A. Obukhov, J. Sussenbach, K. Bailey (V) and P. Abel (V). Right: Neptune
The Magazine Printing Co., Hoddesdon, EN11 0FJ
in 2014–’15, by (clockwise from top right): P. Miles, P. Maxson (×2), P. Abel
(V) and S. Kidd. The discs are reproduced here at different diameters in accor-
dance with image scale; the variation does not correspond to real differences
in angular size or optical magnification. (V) = drawings, from visual observations.

266 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Notes & News

AR2866 & AR2868: portrait in plasma. Solar ac-

▶
From the President
tivity continues to pick up and magnetic field lines in
this image, taken by member Dr Gottfried Steigmann
on 2021 Sep 7 at 09:17 UT, paint a dramatic scene of
Alan Lorrain interplay between the active regions 2866 (left) and
2868 (right). A Lunt 152 hydrogen-alpha telescope
and DMK 41AU02 monochrome camera were used.
W elcome to another edi-
tion of the Journal,
with my last set of ‘From the
in the solar system, with Neptune now just past
opposition, there is an opportunity to turn our
telescopes towards the outer planets and before
The 1,650 frames were processed in RegiStax 6 and
Photoshop (colourised) – Ed .
President’ notes. Working with doing so you may care to read two excellent pa-
our Editor on compiling these pers in this Journal (see p.269).
articles has brought home to
me the time and effort required to produce this only hope that the improvements that we have
publication and whilst having been in situ for Recurrent nova RS Oph seen with COVID-19 are maintained and that all
a relatively short period, it is clear that he is these meetings can take place.
bringing a newer feel, with a particular focus on In true London bus tradition, for the third edi-
including reports of recent events interspersed tion this year we are reporting on a nova and Jer-
with historical and other features. Whether you emy Shears’ article on p.270 gives an excellent Annual General Meeting & your new
are reading this in paper form or electronically, report on this outburst. The event was a superb President
from cover to cover or dipping into articles that example of the use of the BAA Forum, where
take your fancy, I hope that you enjoy it. observations and spectroscopy were shared. RS I hope that members will feel able to join me at
Along with the Journal, our website is to a Oph last erupted in 2006 and the technical abili- the Institute of Physics for our AGM on Satur-
large degree our ‘shop window’ to the world. ties of amateurs have improved immeasurably day Oct 23, although our plan is that this will
Over recent years this has started to look and in the intervening time. be live-streamed for those who are not able to
feel a bit ‘clunky’ and a decision was taken to attend. As well as a brief Review of the Year and
carry out a complete revamp of the site. Whilst my Presidential Address, the results of the ballot
this is not in a position to go live just yet, I have BAA Handbook & meetings for the Board of Trustees and Council will be
had a sneak preview and the overall feel is much programme announced. As always, details about the Asso-
improved. The site is far easier to navigate and ciation’s activity over the year are contained in
it should prove simpler for Section Directors to Within the wrapper containing the paper edition the Report of Council (p.299): please do take a
add material from observers. The search feature of this Journal, there is also the 2021 Hand- few minutes to read this review.
works much better and our aim is for the site to book. Prepared by Steve Harvey and his team The AGM will bring my term as President
become a destination not only for our members within the Computing Section, this is packed to a close. It has been a strange couple of years
but also the wider astronomical community. with astronomical information. Members can and whilst I had hoped to attend meetings and
On the astronomical side, it is good to see in also download a PDF copy from the website and meet members throughout the country, this was
the Members’ Albums some magnificent pic- should those with a digital membership want a understandably curtailed by the pandemic. I am
tures covering a wide variety of objects, with hard copy, these can be obtained at a cost of £13 however proud of how the Association was able
particularly fine images of Jupiter and Saturn by contacting the BAA Office. to adjust its plans, in particular with the launch
given the less than favourable elevation of the Also with the paper edition, you will find the of our very successful webinars which have
gas giants this summer. Moving further afield list of meetings for the coming season. We can provided not only our members, but all astrono-
mers, the opportunity to watch some interesting
and informative talks.
Your new President, David Arditti, is of
Recovery of astronomical instruments course well known to many members as Direc-
tor of the Equipment & Techniques Section,
Regrettably, there has been an ongoing dis- confirmed the BAA’s ownership of all Trustee, Council member and an active observ-
pute regarding the ownership of various significant items in dispute, as well as awarding er, as well as an astronomy author and speaker.
items of astronomical equipment that had costs in the proceedings to the Association. It will be under his leadership that we will need
formed part of the Association’s Instru- Following the decision by Council to retain to adapt our activities post-covid and determine
ment Collection. This culminated in the only items with a significant historical value, how we remain relevant to, and serve effective-
Association having to take legal action in either astronomically or to the Association, the ly, our members and amateur astronomers in
the County Court to recover these items items recovered will be offered for purchase by general. David will also be chairing a new Strat-
from the former Curator of Instruments, members initially but will then be sold on the egy Group, which will be looking at these and
Mr R. A. Marriott. open market. other matters. Should you have suggestions or
I am pleased to advise members that Details of items for sale in the latest auction ideas, then please come forward and let the
in a court ruling on 2021 Sep 2 the Judge are contained on p.268 of this Journal. Group know so that they can gather the opinions
of as many people as possible.

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 267

 Notes & News

BAA instruments for sale

I n the 2018 August, October and December issues of the Journal, a number of instruments from
the former BAA Instrument Collection were offered for sale by sealed bid. Some additional
items are now being offered via another sealed-bid auction, together with those previously listed
but not yet sold.
If you are interested in buying, please send a written bid in a sealed envelope by post to the
home address of the undersigned, which is given in the inside rear cover of this Journal, to arrive
no later than 2021 Nov 8. Mark the top left-hand corner of your envelope ‘BAA Instrument Sale’. 14:57 UT
You should include your full postal address, membership number, telephone number and e-mail
address. If you are interested in more than one item you should bid separately for each. Do not
send any payment. No bids by e-mail will be accepted.
If you would like to see photographs of any instrument, you may request them from me at:
richardmckim@btinternet.com. The instruments are stored at a warehouse in Northampton and
Dr Nick Hewitt, who lives locally, may be able to arrange an inspection visit. He can be contacted
at: nickdhewitt@btinternet.com.
The highest bid equal to or greater than the guide price will be the winner. The Association
reserves the right to decline to accept any bid below the guide price. You will be informed by
2021 Dec 1 of the outcome of your bid. The successful buyer will be responsible for collecting
the instrument from the warehouse at a mutually convenient time, after full payment has been
arranged with the BAA Office. In the case of a very heavy instrument you will have to bring with
you sufficient friends who are capable of loading it onto your transport. If dissatisfied, the buyer 15:40 UT
may return the instrument, at their own cost, within two months of collection for a full refund. In
the event of there being no successful bid from a member, the Trustees reserve the right to sell the
instrument outside of the Association.

Dr Richard McKim, for the Board of Trustees

Item number & need restoration and rust removal work.

The optics seem to be in good condition
description but an inspection would be essential. One
well-known user of this telescope was
the late E. H. Collinson, who used it for 16:29 UT
26 5⅛-inch (13cm) refractor by Carl Zeiss variable star and planetary work, and who
(early 20th century). Equatorial head, had always kept it in excellent order from
with heavy iron column and falling weight 1935 till the late 1980s. There are four
drive, the weights being housed inside the brass RAS thread eyepieces, a micrometer
column. The objective (which is the origi- eyepiece, a few filters, a Barlow lens and
nal), of which the maker’s index number a Herschel wedge. [Donor: A. G. Batley.]
is 2991, has a focal length of 1,948mm. Guide price: £800.
The finder is not the original Zeiss one,
and is instead a 2¾-inch (7 cm) refractor 392 4.5-inch (11cm) refractor by Astronomi-
by Huntley (formerly BAA instrument cal Equipment (AE) Ltd. In good condi-
no. 36). There are some accessories, in- tion. There is a tube cradle with an equa-
cluding a small photographic lens, five torial head, metal pier and electric drive. 17:25 UT
Zeiss eyepieces and a small micrometer, [Donor: A. W. Lintern-Ball.] Guide price
but there is no longer the original eyepiece (newly reduced): £200. Jovian triple transit & mutual phenomena.
▶

turret. The instrument has superficial rust On 2021 Aug 15, Christopher Go (Cebu, Philippines)
but is in working order. The optics are in 436(b) 11-inch (28cm) Celestron Schmidt- captured this beautiful sequence of apparent inter-
good condition but an inspection would be Cassegrain telescope. Metal tube assem- actions between Jupiter’s Galilean moons. (North is
essential. It was used extensively by the bly in sturdy packing case. Tube condi- up.) At 14:57 UT (top), the transit of Callisto across
late Dr A. F. O’D. Alexander for his plane- tion good, with slight damage to the stove Jupiter’s disc was in progress, with Europa and
tary observations in the 1940s and ’50s. We enamel finish in a few places. There are a Ganymede (left and right, respectively) approaching
the limb. At 15:40, both these satellites and their
have recently seen two beautifully restored few radial cracks in the corrector plate and
shadows had joined Callisto in transit, while Io (far
but also slightly incomplete 4-inch Zeiss these have been neatly repaired with tape. right) was being eclipsed by Jupiter’s shadow. At
refractors from the same epoch for sale This defect, while materially reducing the 16:29, Callisto had left the scene, but Ganymede had
online for around 15,000 and 75,000 USD. guide price, is unlikely to affect the optical now eclipsed Europa ­– a rare mutual event between
[Donor: anonymous.] Guide price: £7,500. performance. Mirrors in good order. Fork the moons, made possible by the Jovian system be-
assembly is complete, but there is no tri- ing edge-on to the Sun and Earth this year. Finally,
27 10-inch (25cm) reflector, heavy equatorial pod or drive. Could also be useful for spare at 17:25 (bottom), the shadows of the two moons
mounting by Browning, mirrors by With. parts. [Donor: British Antarctic Survey.] were captured partially coinciding upon the cloud
This instrument – especially the tube – will Guide price (newly reduced): £150. tops. Throughout, the white storm Oval BA was vis-
ible in the South Temperate Belt, carried from left to
right by Jupiter’s swift rotation. – Ed .

268 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Notes & News
ALMA/ESO/NAOJ/NRAO/Benisty et al.

In brief the record for the most comets discovered by a

living individual.

Perseid outburst Jupiter impacted

An unexpected outburst of the Perseid meteor Dr Shoemaker (see above) would no doubt have
shower on 2021 Aug 14 between 06:00 and been delighted by news of another bright impact
11:00 UT saw activity increase threefold. The Array (ALMA) in 2019 (above), surrounds the flash on Jupiter, recorded on 2021 Sep 13 at
outburst happened in daylight hours for the UK, Jupiter-like exoplanet PDS 70c, which itself is around 22:39:30 UT. Several amateurs observ-
but it was well recorded by observers across in the process of forming. ing in Europe and South America, both visually
North America and was detected elsewhere by The new research, published in The Astro- and using video-capture technology, caught the
forward-scatter radio observations. physical Journal Letters and led by Dr Myriam event. Any further observations should be sent
The event occurred after the shower’s nomi- Benisty at the University of Grenoble, France, to the Jupiter Section.
nal maximum on Aug 12. Dr John Mason, Di- suggests that the disc has sufficient material to Initial confirmation of the flash was made us-
rector of the Meteor Section, reports that Koen form three satellites the mass of our Moon. ing the software DeTeCt, the use of which was
Miskotte of the Dutch Meteor Society calcu- explained in a presentation by Marc Delcroix at
lated a peak zenithal hourly rate of 210 ± 20 a 2013 BAA workshop (bit.ly/3kBHs9O).
meteors per hour during the outburst. Several Carolyn Shoemaker, 1929–2021
all-sky cameras in Iowa captured in excess of
900 meteors over the night. The American astronomer Dr Carolyn
Members with visual, photographic Shoemaker (left), discoverer of 32 Amateur astronomy publisher
or radio observations are encouraged comets and over 500 asteroids, has rescued
to contact the Meteor Section at died at the age of 92. She was best
meteor@britastro.org. known for her 1993 co-discovery, The US publishing house Willmann–Bell, Inc.
with her husband Gene and David has been bought by the American Astronomical
Levy, of the Jupiter-impacting comet Society (AAS). Willmann–Bell produced spe-
A moon is born Shoemaker–Levy 9. cialist titles for amateur astronomers from 1973
Taking up astronomy after her until ceasing to take orders in 2020. The acqui-
USGS
The existence of a moon-forming disc children left home (later noting that sition is in addition to the magazine Sky & Tele-
around an exoplanet has been confirmed for the ‘motherhood teaches patience for detail’), scope, which the AAS acquired in 2019.
first time. The circumplanetary disc, imaged by she became a pioneer in detecting hazardous
the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter near-Earth objects, a popular lecturer and held Philip Jennings, Editor

Saturn, Uranus & Neptune Section

Two papers on amateur visually and in images, with some general agree-
ment. Some latitude measurements are given,
although the errors in these are recognised.

observations of Uranus & The Neptune paper (p.287) describes obser-

vations of a few bright spots. One such spot,
designated Spot A, was followed in 2015. Al-
Neptune though there is some scatter in the longitude
data, the derived longitude drift is in very good
agreement with professional measurements.
Mike Foulkes, Director sometimes revealed banding on the disc of More recent observations of Uranus have
Uranus, depending on axial inclination. The shown much of the northern hemisphere, from

T his edition of the Journal in-

cludes two papers describing
Section observations of the ice
bands may have seemed controversial when
Voyager 2 revealed little atmospheric detail
during its fly-by. However, subsequent observa-
the pole southwards, to appear bright. Lately,
Neptune observations have generally shown no
detail. However, on 2021 Aug 8, Darryl Milika
giants in our solar system, Ura- tions by the Hubble Space Telescope and large and Pat Nicholas reported some bright clouds.
nus and Neptune. Earth-based instruments have shown that this Uranus and Neptune are challenging, but
One paper, by the Section’s Uranus Coordi- appearance may have been seasonal, with the these papers highlight what may be accom-
nator, Kevin Bailey, describes observations of planet at other times showing banding and other plished by amateurs with suitable equipment
the planet made during the 2015 opposition. atmospheric features. Little detail was detected and careful observation. It is hoped that a great-
The second paper, by the Neptune Coordina- on Neptune until Voyager 2 and subsequent ob- er number of observations can be made in the
tor, Dr John Sussenbach, describes observa- servations, which revealed that the planet exhib- future, as this would help in the confirmation
tions of Neptune made during the 2014 and its Great Dark Spots and large bright clouds. and tracking of any features observed.
2015 apparitions. Although little or no banding was initially re- Both planets are well placed for observation
The observation of any detail present on the corded in digital images, the arrival of improved this autumn and in early winter. Neptune was at
discs of either of these planets is made difficult imaging cameras over recent years has now opposition on Sep 14 and Uranus will be so on
due to their small angular diameters. For visual allowed it to be faintly recorded using larger Nov 4. Moreover, Sep 23 marked the 175th an-
observers, care must be taken since any observed amateur telescopes, especially in longer/near-IR niversary of the discovery of Neptune by Johann
features may be illusory. Images must not be wavelengths. Brighter spots have also been re- Galle, who was assisted by Heinrich d’Arrest at
over-processed as this can introduce artefacts. corded on Neptune. the Berlin Observatory.
Since the mid-19th century, visual observa- The Uranus paper (p.283) shows that band- Any observations of either of these planets
tions by both amateurs and professionals have ing was recorded by amateurs during 2015 both will be welcomed by the Section.

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 269

 Notes & News

Variable Star Section

Two more
novae &
a bright
maximum of
Mira Light curve of Nova Vul 2021. (BAA VSS Photometry Database)

Jeremy Shears
Director

Nova Vulpeculae 2021

T his nova was discovered as a magnitude 12.0

transient in Vulpecula on 2021 Jul 16.475 by
Koichi Itagaki (Yamagata, Japan). Itagaki was
Spectrum of Nova Vul 2021 on 2021 Jul 16.915. (R. Leadbeater, BAA Spectroscopy Database)
using a 180mm camera lens with a CCD cam-
era. Similar simple set-ups have been used in
several recent nova discoveries. The precursor (University of Padua, Italy) subsequently ob- the white dwarf away into space, as an expand-
appears to have been a magnitude 22 star. tained spectra on Jul 17, 18 & 28 that were con- ing gas shell. With time, the gas cools and the
The object was picked up after dusk in the sistent with it being an Fe II-type nova. once-bright nova begins to fade: the eruption
UK on the same evening (Jul 16) by Nick James is over. However, the binary system is not de-
in Chelmsford in an electronic image, at magni- stroyed, so the accretion process can start again
tude 12.0, and visually by Gary Poyner in Bir- and can eventually lead to a recurrence of the
mingham at magnitude 12.3. Early reports sug- Rare eruption of the recurrent nova RS nova eruption.
gested that it was declining in brightness soon Ophiuchi Most, if not all, novae are thought recur on
after the discovery, but it then gradually rose to some timescale, although this might take many
10th magnitude at the beginning of August. Novae involve interacting binary star sys- thousands of years. Recurrent novae are ob-
Robin Leadbeater obtained a low-resolution tems, consisting of a white dwarf and a jects that have been seen to experience multiple
spectrum from Cumbria on Jul 16.915. This late-main-sequence star. Due to the strong grav- nova eruptions. There are 10 known galactic
showed strong H Balmer, P Cygni-profile emis- itational field of the white dwarf, material flows recurrent novae, in addition to several extraga-
sion lines, with a velocity of ~1,400km/s and from the secondary star through an accretion lactic ones.
other broad emission lines including He, in- disc and onto the dwarf’s surface. Eventually, so The recurrent nova RS Oph was reported to
dicating the object to be a nova. Once again, much material accumulates on the white dwarf be in eruption on 2021 Aug 8 by Keith Geary
an amateur astronomer was able to provide that a runaway thermonuclear reaction occurs. (Ireland), Alexandre Amorim (Brazil) and
spectroscopic confirmation of a nova. Munari The nova eruption blows the outer layers of Eddy Muyllaert (Belgium), at magnitude 5. In

RS Oph on 2021 Aug 13. Sky-Watcher Quattro

Light curve of RS Oph. Blue data: visual. Green data: V-band. (BAA VSS and AAVSO photometry 200mm Newtonian, ƒ/4; ZWO ASI 294MC-Pro,
databases) exposure 14min. (Mazin Younis)

270 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Notes & News

Commission for Dark Skies

Lights & lies

Bob Mizon, Coordinator

S teve Tonkin, Dark Skies

Advisor at the Cranborne
Chase AONB International
Dark Sky Reserve, recently
wrote to the Advertising
Light curve of Mira from visual photometry. (BAA VSS and AAVSO databases) Standards Authority to point out that certain
exterior lights advertised by a well-known do-
mestic wares company were falsely described
quiescence, RS Oph is normally about mag- in early August. John estimated Mira at magni- as ‘dark sky compliant’. The products were
nitude 12.5. It has previously been observed tude 2.1 on the morning of 2021 Aug 3, similar largely LED types of a colour temperature
to erupt in 1898, 1933, 1958, 1967, 1985 and, to the maximum in 2019. This event follows a greater than 3,000K and most emitted light
most recently, in 2006. A further two eruptions, brighter-than-usual minimum. above the horizontal. This contravenes defini-
in 1907 and 1945, have been inferred from ar- The brightest historical maxima on record tions of ‘dark sky compliant’ by, for example,
chival data. were at magnitude 1.85 in 1907 (BAA Variable the Institution of Lighting Professionals – the
The nova reached a peak visual magnitude Star Section) and 1.1 in 1779 (W. Hershel and UK’s premier advisory body on lighting stan-
of approximately 4.5 the day after discovery. P. W. Wargentin). dards. Steve’s complaint was upheld and ac-
At its brightest, it was seen with the naked Mira has a period of around 332 days, so keep tion was taken.
eye by some observers, but the accompanying an eye on the star as it fades during the autumn. Any BAA member coming across such
light curve shows that it soon started to fade. falsely described lighting products can con-
Within a few days, RS Oph became distinctly sult bit.ly/3neUfAT and bit.ly/3nmM6ul to
orange, as shown in the image by Mazin Younis submit a complaint form, or report offending
of Manchester. Revised edition of the Eclipsing item(s) to the Commission for Dark Skies.
With a range between eruptions of nine to Binary Observing Guide now available The contact details of the Coordinator are in
26 years (mean: 15 years), we will have to wait the ‘Postholders’ section on the inside back
a while until the next time RS Oph returns to Eclipsing binaries can be studied with a range over of this Journal.
the stage. Another recurrent nova anticipated to of techniques, from simple naked-eye observa-
erupt in the next few years, and thus worth keep- tions of some of the brighter systems, through
ing an eye on, is T Coronae Borealis. using binoculars or small telescopes via imag-
ing with DSLR cameras, all the way to sophis- observer might like to follow, how to interpret
ticated imaging systems. The revised edition of the resulting light curve and how to extract the
Mira Ceti this handbook, written by Des Loughney (the all-important ‘time of minimum’, correspond-
Section’s Eclipsing Binary Secretary), provides ing to mid-eclipse.
In a change from nova news, John Toone re- the observer with a detailed guide to observ- The Eclipsing Binary Observing Guide can
ports that the archetypal long-period variable, ing these objects. It covers the basic categories be downloaded in PDF format from the website
Mira (οmicron Ceti), had a bright maximum of eclipsing binary, which stars the beginning for free at: bit.ly/3BTtMwL.

THE ASTRONOMER
A monthly magazine providing rapid reports by amateurs in the UK
and worldwide of all types of observable objects, together with dis-
covery news from IAU reports.

CIRCULARS, available as an extra option, bring news of newly dis-

covered objects reported to us via our IAU e-mail link.

Can you afford to be without the most comprehensive and rapid ser-
vice available to observers today?

Write for details and application form, or send £1.00 for sample copy,
to:

Bob Dryden, 21 Cross Road, Cholsey, Oxon. OX10 9PE.

Tel. (01491) 201620. E-mail bobdryden@ntlworld.com

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 271

 The Sun in calcium-K light on 2021 Jun 30
(cropped from full-disc image). Ella Bryant

faded thereafter and was barely visible as a

Solar Section very faint Axx group in the NW quadrant on
Jun 12. It was still present the following day,
but faded on the disc thereafter.
Lyn Smith
Director AR2833 N24°/210° (possible return of AR2826
from the previous month) was reported over
the NE limb on Jun 13, type Hsx, amidst facu-
2021 June lae. The group made progress across the disc,
largely unchanged, and rotated around the

S unspots were recorded by

observers on every day
throughout the month. Activity was similar to
NW limb on Jun 25.

AR2834 N20°/281° made a brief appearance on

that of 2021 April and was slightly increased Jun 18 as a faint Bxo-type group, very near
relative to that seen during May, with activity the NW limb.
in the southern hemisphere increasing to match
that of the north. AR2835 S17°/052° rounded the SE limb on
Jun 25 as a Bxo-type group which made rapid
AR2827 N13°/072° survived on the disc from development overnight to become type Dao
the previous month and was near to the cen- on Jun 26. The leading sunspot developed
tral meridian on Jun 1. The group was type a somewhat rectangular-shaped penumbra,
Cai, with a trail of pores arcing eastward. The crossed by photospheric bridges. By Jun 30,
leader was more symmetrical the following the leading sunspot was easily seen with the
day with an area of 100 millionths and by protected naked eye; the group was type Eki
Jun 3, fewer followers were noted. By Jun 6 with numerous small sunspots between the An X1.5 solar flare from AR2838 on 2021 Jul 3.
the group was approaching the limb and was leader and the small penumbral follower. Ella Bryant
type Hsx; it remained so until it rotated.
AR2836 S27°/057° emerged from a patch of
AR2829 S17°/012° was first reported as a small faculae on Jun 27 near the SE limb, to the to be around 400,000km long and erupting at a
Cso group near the SE limb on Jun 2. By south of AR2835, as a small Bxo-type group. speed in excess of 2,800km/s.
Jun 5 the group had developed a few more The group strengthened on Jun 28 to type Cro On Jun 13, a bright cloud-type prominence
followers, with an area of 60 millionths, but it and remained so until Jun 30. was seen above the eastern limb (10:00 UT) and
started to decay on Jun 6 when it was reported was observed for the next few hours. Changes
as type Axx. The group underwent significant AR2837 N17°/009° rotated over the NE limb on were noted by 10:15 UT, when the cloud elon-
development on Jun 7 and became type Dac, Jun 28; it was a small Hsx-type sunspot which gated along the limb before transforming into
with an area of 90 millionths. It then started remained unchanged through to Jun 30. several strands, resembling a bat at 11:00 UT
to fade again and dissolved on the disc in the and a V-shape at 11:15 UT. The southern part ex-
SW quadrant on Jun 10. 20 observers reported a Quality number of Q = tended and this, together with a smaller northern
4.31 for June. strand, formed a loose arch by 11:45 UT. Sev-
AR2830 S27°/068° developed on the disc eral more shape changes occurred and by 15:00
on Jun 6 as a Bxo-type group, comprising UT it resembled a complex cloud shape, before
three small sunspots in the SW quadrant. It H-alpha the northern part moved towards the limb. The
strengthened on Jun 7 to type Cso and was structure had all but disappeared by 16:30 UT.
still present near the SW limb on Jun 8, type Prominences A small arch prominence was on the NE limb
Hsx, before rotating over the limb. on Jun 14 and a triangular prominence occupied
19 observers reported a prominence mean daily the same site on Jun 15.
AR2831 N25°/082° made a brief appearance frequency (MDF) of 3.38 for June. Twin pillar prominences occupied the SW
near the NW limb on Jun 7, type Axx, to the A pyramid prominence was seen on the SW limb on Jun 16, rising to about 50,000km.
north of AR2827. limb from Jun 6 through to Jun 10 and activity Notable prominences were seen on the NE
persisted in this region, with a small hedgerow and NW limbs on Jun 24. On Jun 25, two tall
AR2832 N16°/326° developed on the disc prominence hearth forming in a similar position. pillars were observed close together on the SW
near the central meridian on Jun 9 as a faint By Jun 12, the hearth was in a bell-like structure, limb, with another tall pillar on the NE limb.
Axx-type sunspot. The group progressed to with a height of around 40,000km. On Jun 9, an On Jun 26, two large elevated prominences
type Bxo as a collection of small sunspots eruptive prominence was reported as AR2831 were close by each other on the NW limb and
on the central meridian (CM) on Jun 10, but left the NW limb. The structure was estimated another was seen on the SE limb.

272 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Notes & News

Bipolar magnetic regions, filaments

BAA sunspot data,
& plage
2021 June–July
June July
17 observers reported a filament MDF of 2.53 Day g R g R
and 14 reported a plage MDF of 1.81 for June.
Plage was seen with nearly all sunspot groups  1 1 19 3 38
throughout the month.  2 2 23   3 46
On Jun 4, bright plage immediately following  3 2 26   3 42
the main component of AR2827 was reported.  4 2 27   2 33
The region’s associated bipolar magnetic signa-  5 2 29   3 35
ture was less pronounced than that of AR2829,  6 3 30   3 32
 7 3 40   1 12
which displayed an interesting triangle of plage
 8 2 27  1  8
in the following portion of the bipolar magnetic  9 1 19  1  8
region (BMR), left of the visual sunspot. 10 2 21   1 12
On Jun 12 a short filament was seen follow- 11 1 10   1 15
ing AR2832 and on Jun 14, a curved filament 12 1   7  2 18
measuring around 90,000km was seen in the 13 1 12   1 14
southern hemisphere. A broad filament was seen 14 1 10   2 20
on the NE limb, extending onto the disc, and 15 1 10   1 14
could well have been associated with a promi- 16 1 10   2 21
17 1 11   3 35
nence seen there on preceding days. Another
18 1 15   3 32
filament was trailing AR2833. 19 1 13   2 28
A long north/south-aligned filament, measur- 20 1 11   2 32
ing 150,000km, graced the northern hemisphere 21 1 11   4 52
on Jun 22 and was still present the following 22 1 11   4 53
day, trailing AR2833 and continuing to do so to A prominence erupts from the limb at the location 23 1 10   3 34
the NW limb. of AR2831 at a speed of over 2,800km/s on 2021 24 1 10   2 24
A patch of dark material was seen imme- Jun 9. Leigh Slomer 25 1 18   2 25
diately northeast of the leading sunspot in 26 1 14   2 19
27 2 27   1   8
AR2835 on Jun 29 and the BMR associated
28 3 42   0   2
with AR2836 showed a good deal of structure, AR2835 S16°/053° survived on the disc from 29 3 43   0   0
including a short dark filament and noticeable the previous month and was the dominant 30 3 41   0   0
supergranulation cells. A filament was seen sunspot group, positioned just west of the 31  0   2
bisecting AR2836 on Jun 30 and two further CM, type Ekc. It comprised of an irregular
north/south-aligned filaments were seen in the leader with several smaller, follower pen- MDFg 1.56 (49) 1.96 (48)
Mean R 22.06 (44) 28.10 (43)
SE quadrant, at intervals, towards the limb. umbral sunspots and surrounding pores, the
group having a total area of 750 millionths.
The group was slightly larger on Jul 2 at 840
CaK millionths and a number of the smaller fol- North & south MDF of active areas g
lowing sunspots had been incorporated into MDFNg MDFSg
CaK plage was seen in association with sunspot the main penumbra, which was extending
groups and a larger structure was observed from eastward in a long tail. The group was report- June 0.87 (38) 0.70 (38)
July 1.12 (38) 0.96 (38)
Jun 11–15 at S20°/250°. CaK MDF 3.00 (1 ob- ed as being seen with the protected naked eye
server, 20 days). on Jul 1 & 2. It rotated around the SW limb g = active areas (AAs)
on Jul 6, although faculae remained visible at MDF = mean daily frequency
this location until Jul 8. R = relative sunspot number
Flares
AR2836 S24°/061° also survived from June The no. of observers is given in brackets.
No major flares were reported to the Section and was seen to the southwest of AR2835 on
during the month. Minor flares were reported Jul 1 & 2 as a strong Axx-type sunspot, but it
by D. Glover, M. Nicholls, L. Slomer, A. Stone, had faded on the disc by Jul 4. asymmetrical penumbral leader. It just as
D. Teske and S. Viney. rapidly faded and had dissolved on the disc
AR2837 N18°/008°, the final sunspot to survive by Jul 8.
from the previous month, was now fading to
type Axx and consisted of two small sunspots AR2840 N27°/034° was another small sun-
2021 July travelling close together in the mid-NE quad- spot group, that developed near the NW limb
rant. Several small spots emerged on Jul 2, on Jul 7 and was soon lost over the limb as
July proved to be a fairly active month, with a but the group then diminished again during it rotated.
small increase in activity in both hemispheres the following days, fading on the disc.
producing the highest relative sunspot number AR2841 S18°/234° was first reported as an
recorded by the Section since 2017 September. AR2838 N24°/100° formed very close to the Axx-type group near the SE limb on Jul 8. It
It was also the first time since the same date NW limb on Jul 3, type Axx, but rotated over did not develop further and dissolved on the
that the MDF for the northern hemisphere has the limb on the following day. disc in the following days.
been recorded as above 1 for the month. Most
groups were small and of little consequence, but AR2839 N19°/321° developed on the disc in AR2842 N25°/201° emerged over the NE limb
sunspot groups were recorded on all days of the the NE quadrant on Jul 4 as a faint Axx-type on Jul 10 amid faculae, type Hsx. The spot
month, with the exception of Jul 28–31 when sunspot but underwent quite rapid develop- remained of this type until Jul 17, when it un-
most observers recorded a blank disc. ment the following day, forming a small derwent development to type Dso with an ▶

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 273

 Notes & News

▶ area of 100 millionths. The group was type AR2849 S16°/061°

Dsc on Jul 18 & 19, before decaying to type appeared over the
Csi on Jul 20 and finally Bxo on Jul 22, when SE limb on Jul 22
close to the NW limb. to the northeast of
AR2847, but the
AR2843 S18°/270° developed in the SW quad- group faded away
rant on Jul 14, type Axx, and progressed to- quickly.
wards the limb unchanged, being reported on
Jul 15, 16 & 17. Unclassified – sever-
al sporadic unclas-
AR2844 S43°/140° was seen on Jul 16 near the sified groups were
SE limb. Although only an Axx-type sunspot, also reported by
the group is of particular note due to its high observers during
southern latitude. It was also reported to be the month.
present on Jul 17 & 18, but was not seen on
Jul 19. 20 observers reported
a Quality number of
AR2845 S14°/194° appeared on the disc on Q = 4.65 for July.
Jul 17, just east of the CM and type Bxo.
The group underwent development on Jul 18,
developing a small penumbral leader before AR2835, imaged on 2021 Jul 2 at 12:05 UT. Dave Tyler
fading on Jul 19 & 20 and having a second H-alpha
outburst on Jul 21 as type Bxo. It was still
present on Jul 22. The group had rotated over Prominences prominent, with a dark filament seen in the neu-
the limb by Jul 23. tral zone between areas of opposite polarity.
20 observers reported a prominence MDF of A short north/south-aligned filament was also
AR2846 N25°/084° appeared over the NE limb 3.27 for July. seen between the main components of AR2835
on Jul 19, type Hsx. The group proved to be On Jul 11 a pillar prominence was reported and on the following day, filaments were ob-
more extensive when fully on the disc the fol- on the W limb, rising to about 60,000km, and served following and to the south of this sun-
lowing day and by Jul 21 was type Cso, with a a hedgerow prominence hearth consisting of spot group.
small sunspot leading and a small penumbral four tree-type prominences extending around A filament measuring around 100,000km in
spot following. It was further developed by the limb for about 70,000km was seen on the length was seen in the NE quadrant to the east of
Jul 24, type Cao, consisting of a main pen- SW limb. AR2842 on Jul 13. This filament grew in length
umbral sunspot and a pore in association to A triangular prominence graced the NW limb over the coming days, starting to break up and
its north and east. The group measured about on Jul 14 and three separate short pillar promi- dissipate on Jul 18, although evidence of it per-
335,000km in length, east to west. It started nences were reported on the same limb on the sisted through to Jul 24 when it was well into the
to fade the following day, with the main sun- following day, only one of which remained on NW quadrant.
spot reduced in area. The fade continued on Jul 16 & 17. The BMR associated with AR2846 was well
Jul 26 & 27, with the group dissolving on the Another hedgerow hearth consisting of four seen on Jul 24, measuring at least 278,000km
disc thereafter. tree-type prominences was on the SE limb on east-west. A line of BMRs spanning the south-
Jul 23, two of which remained present on the ern hemisphere and incorporating the ARs 2844,
AR2847 S27°/073° and AR2848 N23°/117° following day, but only one was recorded on 2847 and 2849 was also well seen.
both appeared on the disc on Jul 21. AR2847 Jul 25. A large double semicircular filament, aligned
was type Axx, but persisted for some days A curtain-type prominence hearth was re- north–south, was trailing AR2846 on Jul 25 and
until it faded mid-disc. AR2848 developed in corded on the SE limb on Jul 29, rising to a similar but smaller filament aligned east–west
the mid-NE quadrant to the west of AR2846, about 40,000km and extending around the limb was seen trailing AR2847.
but this group soon faded and dissolved on for 80,000km. On Jul 26, another long filament aligned
the disc. On Jul 31, a complex prominence was seen north-south was in the SE quadrant. It persisted
above the S limb, being elon- to the end of the month, crossing the CM on
gated parallel to the limb. Jul 29.

Bipolar magnetic regions, CaK

filaments & plage
CaK MDF 4.22 (1 observer, 18 days).
18 observers reported a filament
MDF of 3.36 and 15 observers
reported a plage MDF of 2.56 Flares
for July.
Plage was observed to be Flares were reported throughout the month by
associated with the following A. Johnson, D. Glover, J. Cook, M. Mattos,
groups: AR2835, 2836, 2837, M. Leventhal, S. Viney, K. Medway and
2839, 2841, 2842, 2843, 2845, S. Green. The most significant flare was record-
2846, 2847 and 2848. ed by S. Green and J. Cook on Jul 3 at 14:18 UT,
On Jul 1, the BMR accompa- being X1.5 and from the AR2838 region on the
nying AR2836 in the SW quad- NW limb. According to a Big Bear Solar Obser-
rant was visible, with super- vatory activity report, this region was also re-
AR2833, seen in hydrogen-alpha light on 2021 Jun 23 at 10:13 UT. granulation evident. A BMR in sponsible for two C-class flares and one M2.7
Gottfried Steigmann the SE quadrant was also quite flare earlier that day.

274 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Notes & News

Aurora & Noctilucent Cloud Section

Auroral & noctilucent cloud activity 2021 June 23 – August 20

NLC observers, 2021 Jun 23 – Aug 20
Abbott James, Balfour Vincent, Bean Michael,
Bennett Gillian, Boote Sam, Boyd David,
Brantingham Sandra, Brauch Jay, Brown Steve,
Buczynski Denis, Coates Graeme, Davies Steve,
Dawson James, Ebdon Colin, Evans Terry, Fraser
James, Gallamore Lea, Gilchrist June, Hatton
Jason, Henderson Jim, Holmes Steve, James Nick,
Jennings Philip, Kennedy Ken, Kilbey Richard,
Knight David, Knisley-Marpole Richard, Larman
The display of 2021 Jun 23/24, imaged from Essex A noctilucent cloud display from Scarborough, Babs, Lawrence Pete, Mack Nicola, MacIver
at 22:30 UT. James Abbott 2021 Jul 14/15. Jo Searle Sheila, Mackie Gordon, MacKintosh James,
McBeath Alastair, McIntyre Mary, Meadows
Sandra Brantingham In July there was one sighting on Jul 1/2, one Peter, Morrison Neil, Mugridge Pete, Norrie
Director on Jul 2/3, three on Jul 4/5, four on Jul 6/7, five Steve, Oldham Kevin, Parks William, Paterson
on Jul 7/8, one on Jul 10/11, five on Jul 12/13, David, Pearce Ray, Rushforth Gillian, Samson Bill,

W ith no coronal mass one on Jul 13/14, 34 on Jul 14/15 and four on Searle Jo, Shanklin Jonathan, Sherman Pete, Small
David, Smith Lyn, Smith Trevor, Stapleton Roger,
ejections and sunspot Jul 16/17. This makes a total of 59 sightings and
Taylor Ray, Tipping John, Tough Alan, Ward Bill,
numbers just in double figures does not include sightings from Tom McEwan’s Weightman James, Wheeler Honor, Zalcik Mark.
or at zero, there are 17 aurora website, ed-co.net/nlcnet.
sightings in this report. The Sun is now trying to There was one sighting on Aug 1/2 and one
lift out of minimum and there have been several on Aug 2/3, making a total of two for August. another camera further north, specifically for
coronal holes. This makes a grand total of 94 sightings from the aurora (bit.ly/3nW0fuX).
59 observers over the period. Poor weather over I thank all the observers who have contribut-
the UK from mid-July limited the number of ed, and I would ask you to keep sending in those
Aurora sightings. A list of observers is included. reports to – sandra-b@hotmail.co.uk.
The satellite photos at the time
There were no G-class storms in late June and no of writing show NLC in full re-
sightings. In July there were no G-class storms, treat (2021 Aug 20), with the low-
one R3-class storm, one R1-class storm and no est patches at 72°N and therefore
sightings. In August there was one G1-class out of range for UK observers.
storm and one sighting.

General
Noctilucent cloud
There is a website for those of you
Noctilucent cloud (NLC) was first detected who are stuck in light-polluted ar-
this season by the AIM satellite on May 20 and eas or out of range of the aurora. A
continued to grow, sometimes erratically, until webcam operated by the Shetland
mid-June when it covered down to 75°N with tourist board (bit.ly/3iyToXq)
patches to 60°N. looks north and, if there is no
There were 15 sightings on Jun 23/24, two on cloud, will give a good view of
Jun 25/26, 14 on Jun 27/28, one on Jun 29/30 any aurora or NLC (and you can
and one on Jun 30/31, making a total of 33 for listen to the waves and sea birds).
late June. In addition to this, there is now Lossiemouth, 2021 Jun 27/28. Nicola Mack

Noctilucent cloud observed from Thornton reservoir, Leicestershire on 2021 Jul 14/15. A display observed in the skies over Noordwijk, Holland on 2021
Pete Lawrence Jun 23/24. Jason Haton

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 275

 Notes & News

Equipment & Techniques Section

Atmospheric dispersion, Part I:

Problem & solution
Martin Lewis atmospheric dispersion to
Equipment adviser some degree. By taking images
through separate red, green or

A fter passing through Sagit-

tarius, Jupiter and Saturn
are now slowly moving north-
blue filters and then recombin-
ing them in stacking programs
like Registax or Autostakkert!
wards in the sky. Jupiter finally crosses the celes- the programs will attempt to re-
tial equator next summer, but Saturn will remain align the three separated colours Figure 1. The atmosphere acts like a giant prism, elevating the image in
south of the equator until spring 2026. For UK to produce one full-colour im- the sky by an amount dependent on the colour of the light. Thus the light
observers, southern planetary declinations mean age (see Figure 2, below left). from any object is separated into a mini-spectrum. (skyinspector.co.uk)
relatively short apparitions and low altitudes at Unfortunately they will not be
culmination. Other planets, such as Venus and able to correct for any vertical
Mercury, even if well north of the equator, are spread occurring within each individual colour be rotated in opposite directions to each other
often observed around dawn or dusk when they band. The issue here is that you can still get to effectively create a single prism of variable
are also at lowish altitudes. significant dispersion within the range of wave- power. The total deflecting angle imparted is
Low-altitude imaging or observing means that lengths passed by one filter. The shorter the usually settable from 0° up to 4 or 5°. As the
you are looking at these objects through a greater wavelength, the worse the degree of dispersion; deflecting power changes, so does the degree
thickness of turbulent atmosphere. This gener- consequently the blue filtered image is the most of colour dispersion that the glass imparts.
ally means poorer seeing and lower-resolution affected, then the green, whilst infrared views The idea is to set the orientation and dispersive
views, however, even on the rare occasions when are hardly affected at all. power of the prism arrangement to just cancel
the seeing might be unusually steady, views will Compared to mono cameras doing RGB im- out the dispersion induced by the atmosphere.
always be adversely affected by a second phe- aging, one-shot colour cameras are even more When correctly set, the colour-separated images
nomenon called atmospheric dispersion. affected by atmospheric dispersion. The Bayer are brought back together at the focal plane,
Atmospheric dispersion occurs when light colour filter elements which sit over each pixel removing the colour smearing from the atmo-
from a distant object strikes the Earth’s atmo- for the CMOS/CCD chip on a colour camera spheric dispersion.
sphere at an angle. When this happens, the at- have to be a compromise for lots of different The ADC won’t do anything about the poorer
mosphere acts like a giant prism – bending the properties, particularly the ability to success- seeing at low altitude, but cancelling the disper-
light downwards by an angle which is wave- fully pattern them photolithographically. As a sion will allow more detailed views and images
length dependent. The result is that the observer result, their wavelength acceptance window is of the planets – and the lower the altitude, the
sees the object elevated by an amount related to invariably wider than those for dedicated R, G greater the relative benefit.
the wavelength of the light. The object is then or B filters used with mono cameras. This means The ADC is generally placed after the Bar-
cloaked in a mini-spectrum, with red at the bot- more smearing within each colour band and a low lens in your imaging system (see Figure 3,
tom to blue at the top. The lower the object is in resulting greater loss of overall resolution. below right).
the sky, the shallower the angle of the incoming Premium non-professional ADCs are made
light and the greater the deflection. This results ADCs to the rescue by Pierro Astro and Astro Systems, Holland,
in a worse degree of atmospheric dispersion and both of which are priced around the £300 mark.
so a worse level of colour smearing. Fortunately, a commercial device now exists ZWO and other suppliers such at Omegon and
Atmospheric dispersion reduces resolution that can significantly reduce the worst of these Altair Astro have recently brought out lower-
by causing an effective elongation of the Airy atmospheric dispersion effects. This device cost versions made in China, which are in the
disc, which is the best-focused spot of light that is called an atmospheric dispersion corrector £100–150 range – the cost of a low-end pre-
a perfect lens with a circular aperture can make (ADC) and is an essential piece of equipment mium eyepiece.
and which is limited by the diffraction of light. for high-resolution imaging of planets when In Part II of this article, to be published in two
This extension of the Airy disc makes the mini- they fall below about 35° altitude. Such a de- months, we shall discuss how to set up and use
mum resolution worse in the vertical direction. vice will also benefit visual observers – the co- an ADC. For more information on ADCs and
lour dispersion effects that plague low-altitude atmospheric dispersion, see: www.skyinspector.
RGB alignment camera images will clearly also affect the same co.uk/atm-dispersion-corrector-adc/.
views in the eyepiece.
For RGB colour imaging with mono cam- An ADC has a pair of circular
eras, you do naturally reduce the effects of narrow-angle prisms, which can

Figure 2. The ‘RGB Align’ of stacking programs like Registax and Autostakkert! cannot over-
come the dispersion smearing within each colour band – for that you will need an ADC. These Figure 3. Optical diagram of a tele-
are one-shot colour camera images taken with the same instrument on the same night, with scope with a Barlow lens and ADC.
Saturn at 17° altitude.

276 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Notes & News

F RO M T H E J O U R N A L A RC H I V E

John Chuter
Archivist

T his issue contains the an-

nual Report of the Council
(p.299), part of which comprises Section
reports. The 1896 October issue included
reports from two Sections which were
short-lived (right). The Coloured Star
Section (1890–1902) ceased because of
advances in photography and spectrosco-
py, while the Double Star Section (1890–
1914) struggled due to the lack of suitable
instrumentation amongst members, which
translated into apparent apathy.
The Saturn Section’s report in 1921 Oc-
tober began as shown (at top in the below
panel). New satellites could be discovered The Comet Section report in the
without the glare of the rings. The same re- 1996 October issue has the para-
port also contains the interesting paragraph graph given here (right). We are now
shown (at bottom in the below panel). used to the Journal being in colour.
This issue fea-
tured one colour
page, where im-
ages of Comet
Hyakutake were
shown (bottom right). drawings, colour or black-and-white, were
David A. Hardy is still important.
a space artist who will David included in the paper the picture
be well known to many shown (bottom left). Sadly, colour was not
members. In the 1971 available for issues at that time!
October issue, David I also feel it sad that the Coloured Star Sec-
wrote a paper entitled tion does not still exist. Coloured star images
‘Landscapes in Space’, produced now, especially of double stars,
where he explained why may not be scientifically important, but they
it was that astronomical are undeniably lovely to look at.

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 277

 2021 George Alcock Memorial Lecture

George Alcock goes to Antarctica

Although the name of George Alcock is

Background image: Henrique Setim on UnSplash

well-known in the astronomical community,
his interests were wide-ranging. The 2021
George Alcock Memorial Lecture, given
online at a webinar of the BAA on 2021
May 26, delved into a few of those interests
that he might have pursued on a visit to
Antarctica.

Jonathan Shanklin
Emeritus Fellow,
British Antarctic Survey

T he annual BAA George

Alcock Memorial Lecture
is usually on an astronomical topic that is asso-
ciated with the observing interests that George
had, mostly covering comets, meteors, variable George Alcock with 10×80 binoculars, taken in the 1960s (from Richard McKim).
stars and novae. When I gave my first such Me-
morial Lecture, I thought it worth combining George lived in the small village of Farcet, images showed none of the fine detail seen by
some of these and his other interests that are near Peterborough; the area would have been George. It was only with the advent of the much
recounted in Under an English Heaven, a book largely rural during his lifetime, though with shorter exposures practicable with electronic
about George written by Kay Williams. I chose brickworks not far away. On occasion the devices that people realised that George did
the title of ‘George Alcock goes to Antarctica’ smoke from these works did degrade his observ- have unusually acute eyes and that such fine
so that I could weave in some of my own pro- ing conditions. Many of his observations were structure was real.
fessional work carried out on the continent. It made with wartime tripod-mounted 10×80 bin- At the time of the lecture, a nova had been
was a singular honour to be asked to give a sec- oculars. These were probably similar to a pair discovered in Cassiopeia and had just reached
ond lecture on the same topic and this article that I used at the Cambridge University Obser- naked-eye visibility. I contrasted this with nova
recounts some of what was said. vatories, which had a finder bracket that glowed NQ Vulpeculae, discovered by George in 1976,
in the dark to provide an aiming which faded quickly after discovery. Surpris-
line – it was only later, when a ingly, the new Nova Cas 2021 was so slow that
Geiger counter went berserk near it was still visible in binoculars five months
the device, that I realised that the after discovery.
luminous paint was radioactive! Another interest of George was natural his-
Many of the drawings of tory; he made notes and watercolour sketches of
comet tails that he made with the what he saw. My artistic skills are limited, but
binoculars drew scepticism from I am vice-president of the Cambridge Natural
the seasoned astrophotographers History Society and the Botanical Society of
of the day, as their long-exposure Britain & Ireland’s recorder for the ‘old’ county
of Cambridgeshire. George also had an interest
in church architecture; my interest in churches
covers ringing their bells and recording the flora
of their churchyards.
George made many meteor observations, of-
ten in collaboration with others, to triangulate
meteor heights or help confirm radar observa-
tions made in the then-new field of radio astron-
omy. One such collaboration involved making
observations with a ‘reticule’ in a worldwide
programme, organised by the Byrd Antarctic
Expedition in 1934.
On many of my visits to Antarctica, transport
to the Falkland Islands was by the RAF, which
George served with during the Second World
War (on his travels, he saw Vesuvius erupting
and made sketches of the eruption plume). The
flight to the Falklands often stopped to refuel at
York Minster, sketched by George. Ascension Island, a dormant volcanic island in
Sketch of comet Arend–Roland made by George on 1957 May 18.9. The Minster has a notable ring the mid-Atlantic. On one occasion I arranged
(Comet Section) of bells. to stay there for a few days to see some of the

278 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 2021 George Alcock Memorial Lecture

Mars Bay, Ascension Island. (Jonathan Shanklin)

The Antarctic go cross-country skiing by Observers at

yourself, but you can also
Although several countries, includ- be towed on the flat behind the south pole
ing the UK, have territorial claims to a Ski-Doo for skijoring, or have been
parts of Antarctica, these are held in towed to the top of a hill
abeyance under the Antarctic Treaty. for a spot of downhill. The
able to see the
The continent has become devoted stations often have trained green flash for
to science and, increasingly, tourism. mountain guides to assist many hours
Mineral exploration is banned under scientists visiting remote
the Treaty. stations and they may be
To get there, there are two options. willing to take recreational parties to the nearest
You can travel by ship – which can crevasse, to practice techniques. In the extreme,
be an unpleasant experience as it in- you can even go for a quick dip, followed by a
Watercolour ‘Nature News’ produced for 1982 Sep 5 (from volves crossing the ‘Furious Fifties’, cold shower!
Richard McKim). one of the stormiest ocean passages in The Antarctic wildlife is fantastic, particu-
the world – or alternatively, you can larly along the Antarctic Peninsula and offshore
fly. Some Antarctic stations such as islands. (At Halley however, the temperature
sights of the island. These included lava-eroded the British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Rothera rarely gets above 0°C and all water is frozen,
channels like lunar rilles and ‘devil’s eyeballs’, Research Station have a gravel runway, whilst making it a virtual desert – there is little wildlife
where volcanic fragments had landed in dusty others such as the Russian Novolazarevskaya apart from the odd stray penguin or overflying
pumice. Also on the island is Mars Bay, where Station have a ‘blue ice’ runway. This was the snow petrel.) George made many sketches of his
Sir David Gill measured the parallax of Mars landing point on my last trip down, which was local fauna and he would have been fascinated
in 1877. in a Boeing 757 where the worst seating was by the albatross, penguins, seals and whales that
Arriving in the Falklands, one of the land- business class! From these stations you transfer are largely unafraid of people. At Bird Island,
marks is Christ Church Cathedral, Stanley and to a smaller plane to get to the final destination you are living in the middle of a seal colony,
I am sure that George would have sketched it. and in the case of my last flight this meant a ski- with petrels nesting in tussac grass behind the
On one visit our ship was anchored in Stanley fitted, unpressurised DC3 that flew at 14,000ft station and there are nesting wandering alba-
Harbour and I was lucky enough to see a display to our destination of Halley Research Station. tross further inland. One memorable night, I got
of noctilucent cloud, something that very few Life on an Antarctic station can be quite up in the early hours to observe a comet under
people have seen in the southern hemisphere pleasant. You are living where you work, pro- totally dark skies, with the sounds of all this
as there is little land at the right latitude. The vided with all the necessary clothing and ca- wildlife surrounding me.
open skies of Antarctica have some similarities tering is mostly by professional chefs. On the
to those of Fenland (though there are no trees!). smaller stations there may be no chef, so station
George often drew cloudscapes and one of his members take it in turns to cook for everyone Meteorology
drawings, showing crepuscular rays, is remark- else, as also happens when the chef gets a day
ably similar to an Antarctic scene showing the off. Cooking for 40 can be stressful, but I did George had an interest in meteorology and ran
same features. have people coming back for seconds! There his own weather station. My formal role with
In 1991, a meteorite fell in daylight at Glat- is usually time for some recreation: pool when the BAS was to run the meteorology and ozone-
ton near Peterborough, not that far from where the weather is bad or skiing on the nicer days. monitoring programme. Antarctic weather can
George lived. According to the finder it fell The type of skiing depends on the local terrain change rapidly from crystal clear skies to a rag-
silently with no sonic boom, so George would and the availability of Ski-Doo drivers. You can ing blizzard, so you have to be aware of chang-
not have heard it. He would however have been ing conditions. As an observer you also get to
aware of other meteorites being found in Ant- see a wide range of meteorological phenomena:
arctica. Although these fall randomly across the fogbows, rainbows (rarely!), halo phenomena,
continent, slowly flowing ice can concentrate mirages and, if you are lucky, the green flash as
them in certain regions where there is strong the final fragment of the solar disc drops below
sublimation from the surface. These ‘blue ice’ the horizon. At the south pole the Sun sets very
zones occur near some of the mountain ranges slowly, so observers there have been able to see
and the meteorites are found on or near the sur- the flash for many hours. As the Sun nears the
face. Search programmes are run by several horizon, a look in the opposite direction shows
countries to locate and document these finds, the rising shadow of the Earth as a grey band
which present uniform samples of often pris- Saturday night dinner at Bird Island. (Jonathan along the horizon. On occasion, this may inter-
tine meteorites. Shanklin) cept the Moon to give an eclipse. ▶

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 279

2021 George Alcock Memorial Lecture

▶ As darkness falls, you get the Nature took 1,000 discovered that he had made ozone. The funny
splendour of the southern skies smell is similar to that encountered at the sea-
– Orion doing a handstand, the years to do what side, but there it is caused by rotting seaweed.
sting of the Scorpion and the we have done in Astronomers made the next step in the dis-
Milky Way arching overhead. fifteen covery of the layer, when they found that stellar
The two Magellanic Clouds do spectra had a cut-off at around 280nm in the ul-
indeed resemble small, faintly traviolet. They hypothesised that this was due to
illuminated cumulus clouds, and the amount of ‘greenhouse’ the presence of ozone and that it must be in the
the Southern Cross becomes a gases, such as carbon dioxide, upper atmosphere. The next step, to monitor the
familiar sight. By carefully tim- in the atmosphere. ozone layer, came with the design of a spectro-
ing my visits towards the end To see what happened in the graph by G. M. B. Dobson at Oxford. His design
of the season I have observed past, Antarctic scientists drill was so good that his instrument, the Dobson
a few comets from Antarctica, down into the ice to extract ozone spectrophotometer, is still the world stan-
most notably obtaining the first cores. By analysing the com- dard for monitoring the layer. It uses simple
sighting of 1P/Halley from the position of air trapped in tiny optics to isolate and measure ozone ultraviolet
continent. In 2011 December bubbles in the ice, measuring absorption bands in sunlight, and hence deduce
the bright sungrazer 2011 W3 the oxygen isotope ratio of the the amount of ozone present in the atmosphere.
(Lovejoy) was visible from the ice (a proxy for temperature) It was Dobson who first sent his instruments to
southern hemisphere, but I was King penguin with elephant and dating the ice by count- the Antarctic, for the International Geophysical
too far south and it was not and fur seals, South Georgia. ing annual layers, a picture Year of 1957/’58, and one was sent to a station
quite bright enough to be visible (Jonathan Shanklin) emerges going back over half being set up by the Royal Society.
in daylight. a million years. The station was named Halley because it
The weather observations are made by a mix Today, carbon dioxide levels are as much was then the 300th anniversary of the birth of
of manual and automatic stations, with details above a normal interglacial level as they were Edmond Halley, who was a secretary of the Roy-
of humidity, pressure, temperature, wind speed below it during a glacial period. Temperatures al Society and had been interested in many of
and direction sent back via satellite. Details of during a glaciation were eight degrees colder the things that were to be studied at the station.
weather type, clouds and visibility are added than during a normal interglacial phase. The rate Although Halley is best known for his comet, he
when observers are present. Summer tempera- of change is much faster than in the past – nature was also interested in atmospheric phenomena,
tures, particularly at Peninsula stations, are often took 1,000 years to do what we have done in the aurora, the Earth’s magnetic field, tides, me-
little different to a British winter, but the solar fifteen. This rapid rate of change makes it likely teorology and measuring geographical position.
radiation input is more like a British summer, that many ecosystems will not be able to cope. This last proved important at the station, as it
so sunblock is essential. The Antarctic winter is is on a floating ice shelf which moves at about
very different, and whilst temperatures only get a kilometre per year. Initially this motion could
to –50°C at Halley, the Russian station of Vostok Atmospheric ozone only be determined by taking ‘star shots’, but
has recorded the lowest temperature on the plan- now it is accurately measured by GPS.
et at –89.2°C. There, the observers essentially Ozone is a molecular form of oxygen that has At 76°S, Halley Station is well inside the Ant-
have to put on a spacesuit to venture outside. three atoms, rather than the two of the oxygen arctic Circle. This means that the Sun never sets
The mean temperatures from the stations con- that we breathe. It is created by the action of sun- in the summer and never rises in winter. How-
tribute to the network monitoring global change. light on oxygen molecules at heights of above ever, at the winter solstice, there is a faint glow
There is no doubt that mean temperatures have 40km in the tropics, from where it is transported in the solar direction at midday, when the Sun
risen across the planet, and parts of the Antarc- to form the ozone layer across the planet. This is only 9° below the horizon. On clear nights
tic Peninsula have warmed by 3°C over the 60 is actually quite a broad layer, extending from the aurora is almost always visible as the sta-
years with observations. The temperature chang- around 10–30km altitude, but there would be tion is within the auroral oval. For an Antarctic
es are however not uniform and there has been only around 3mm-worth of pure ozone if it
something of a pause over the last couple of de- was all brought down to sea level.
cades. There are also regional variations, so that As with many scientific discoveries, ozone
the mean temperature at Halley has not changed was found by accident. The Swiss-German
significantly over the same period. Local re- chemist Christian Schönbein was passing
sponse to the Peninsula warming is obvious, an electric current through water in order
with ice cliffs near the stations and most glaciers to make hydrogen and oxygen when he no-
in retreat. Some ice shelves have fragmented as ticed a funny smell. He followed this up and
a consequence of the warming,
but others have done so as part of
a natural process of calving.
Many processes cause changes
to our climate. Meandering ocean
currents can give rise to decadal
variations. Volcanic eruptions,
particularly the biggest ones, can
give rise to short-term cooling at
the surface. Our Sun is a variable
star and while its total output does
not vary sufficiently to explain
the temperature change, second-
order effects may explain some
variability. That leaves what we
are doing to the atmosphere
through agriculture, industry Auroral types sketched by George. From Richard
and transport, which all increase The southern skies, South Georgia. (Jonathan Shanklin) McKim. (BAA Jupiter Section Archives)

280 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 2021 George Alcock Memorial Lecture

Above: Auroral display at Halley. (British Antarctic

Survey) Left: Nacreous cloud display at Rothera.
(S. Fraser, British Antarctic Survey)

that of climate change. There are biodiversity

declines, air pollution, light pollution, ocean
pollution, water pollution, droughts, floods,
soil degradation and many others. Few are pre-
pared to point out that these are all linked to
The author, making an ozone observation at Hal- one causative agent – us. It is no good putting
ley. (Jonathan Shanklin) a sticking plaster on one of them if it makes the
others worse. Unless we change our flawed and
observer, an auroral display usually begins as a layer during winter. This allowed polar strato- perverse economic model to place value on our
faint glow on the southern horizon. In the UK spheric clouds (PSCs, also known as nacre- planetary resources, we will end up making the
this would be dismissed as light pollution! As ous or mother-of-pearl clouds) to form in situ. planet an inhospitable place to live.
it develops, a quiet greenish arc appears to the Chemical reactions took place on the surface of I am privileged to have made 20 trips down
south and it can then spread to include rays these clouds, which converted the chlorine from to the Antarctic during my career, whilst George
reaching overhead. Sometimes whorls develop chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) into a more active never visited the continent in reality. Both of us
and these may take the form of fanciful living form that underwent photocatalytic reactions do however share another link as a result of our
creatures – perhaps the origin of dragons in when the Sun returned in the Antarctic spring. work. In 1979, George made a visit to Buck-
northern mythology. These reactions destroyed ozone at around 1% ingham Palace to receive the MBE for his as-
Returning to the ozone story, Halley Station per day, leading to the formation of the Antarctic tronomical discoveries, whilst in 2005 I visited
had been taking measurements since it opened, ozone hole. the Palace to receive the Polar Medal from Her
but when I joined the Survey in 1976 a back- The discovery led to the signing of the Mon- Majesty. I wear the medal with pride, as do all
log of reductions had built up. One of my tasks treal Protocol and its extensions, which ban the those who receive honours for their work.
was to supervise the digitisation of the records, release of ozone-destroying chemicals into the It has been an honour to give a second George
write computer programs to process the data and atmosphere. The treaty has been signed by all Alcock Memorial Lecture.
then carry out quality control and calibration of UN member states and it is working, although it
the instrument. will be another 50 years or so before the ozone
Around this time, it had been suggested that hole forms for a final time. This is simply be-
Acknowledgements
the exhaust gasses from Concorde or the use of cause CFCs are such stable chemicals that they Thanks are due to the British Antarctic Sur-
spray cans might destroy the ozone layer. Being last for a very long time. There have been some vey for employing me and facilitating my trips
a recently graduated physicist, I thought the idea bumps along the way, with the rate of decline to the Antarctic. Richard McKim and Martin
a little fanciful, so when we had an open day for of CFC-11 not following the expected path. Mobberley read the first draft of this article and
the public I thought that I would display data Ground-based sampling and some detective Richard provided several additional images
from that year alongside earlier data reduced by work discovered unauthorised manufacture of from the BAA Archives.
my boss. They would be the same, so nobody the gas in China. This has now stopped and the
would need to worry. decline is back on track.
That was not what the data showed – recent In the past, PSCs were rare sights in the
Antarctic spring values were much lower than northern hemisphere, as simple geography leads
they had been over a decade earlier. My bosses to a more complicated circulation in the upper
thought that I must have made a mistake, so atmosphere there. This meant that on average,
suggested not displaying that part of the graph. ozone layer temperatures in the north were some
After the open day I went back to analyse the 10° warmer than they were in the south. This
data, working through the backlog. When I plot- made all the difference between widespread
ted up the results it was clear that something PSCs in the south and occasional occurrences
systematic was going on: on average, each Ant- in the north. However, whilst the atmosphere is
arctic spring saw lower ozone values than the warming at the surface due to climate change,
year before. My bosses took some convincing, it is cooling in the upper atmosphere and be-
but eventually came up with a theory to explain coming a little more stable. PSCs are therefore
the observations, which was duly published becoming more frequent in the north and on oc-
in Nature. casion they persist long enough for substantial
It turned out that their theory was wrong ozone depletion to take place.
and that the key reason why ozone depletion Although the ozone hole story has led to
was seen over Antarctica was the very cold international agreement on a solution, we also The author (centre) at the palace, with the Polar
temperature of the central part of the ozone face many other environmental crises, not only Medal. (Jonathan Shanklin)

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 281

 Notes and News

282 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

Uranus during the 2015 apparition
Kevin Bailey A report by the Uranus Coordinator of the Saturn, Uranus & Neptune Section. Director: Mike Foulkes

This report describes observations of Uranus made during the 2015 apparition and
subsequently submitted to the Section. Throughout this apparition, specific bright zones and
dark belts were recorded both visually and digitally, and some variations of detail within them
were identified.

Introduction The observations

Uranus reached opposition on 2015 Oct 12 in the constellation of Using the WinJUPOS program, all disc drawings and images
Pisces, at RA 1h 8m, Dec. +6° 32′ and approximately 1° north of (after standardising their orientation to the traditional ‘south-up’
the star epsilon Piscium (71 Psc). At opposition its apparent mag- view) were measured to determine the latitudinal boundaries of
nitude was 5.7 and its apparent diameter 3.7ʺ.¹ Visual and digital the zones and belts observed. Averaging these measurements al-
observations were made by 15 observers between 2015 July and lowed approximate latitudinal boundaries to be defined, and these
2016 January. are shown in Figure 1.
The contributing observers are listed in Table 1. All observers It must be made clear that the nomenclature used in Figure 1
made digital images, except those marked ‘V’, for visual observa- is provisional, and the boundaries are approximations; both are
tions only. specific to this report. Given the many variables – observer

Table 1. Contributing observers

Observer Location Instrument Camera Filter
Abel P. G. (V) Leicester, UK 203mm Newt. – –
Bailey K. N. L. (V) Swindon, UK 280mm SCT –- –
Clitherow A. Fife, Scotland 254mm Newt. ZWO ASI224MC IR filters
Delcroix M. Tournefeuille, France 320mm Newt. ZWO ASI224MC 685nm IR
Edwards P. West Sussex, UK 356mm SCT ZWO ASI224MC 742nm IR
Foulkes M. (V) Henlow, UK 280mm SCT – –
Kardasis M. Athens, Greece 356mm SCT ZWO ASI120MC 610nm IR & IR/UV filters
Kidd S. Cottered, UK 356mm SCT ZWO ASI224MC 742nm IR
Lewis M. St Albans, UK 444mm Dob. ZWO ASI224MC 610nm LP filter
Figure 1. The belts, zones and regions of
Maksymowicz S. (V) Ecquevilly, France 127mm OG – – Uranus. Key (latitudes approximate):
180mm MCT
254mm SCT
NPR (North Polar Region) 90–75°N
Milika D. & Australia 356mm SCT ZWO ASI224MC 570, 610 & 685nm IR NPB (North Polar Belt) 75–65°N
Nicholas P. NTZ (North Temperate Zone) 65–45°N
Obukhov A. Moscow, Russia 280mm SCT – – NTB (North Temperate Belt) 45–20°N
Peach D. Selsey, UK 356mm SCT – RG610, 685 IR, LRGB NEZ (North Equatorial Zone) 20–0°N
Sussenbach J. Houten, the Netherlands 356mm SCT ZWO ASI224MC 685 IR EB (Equatorial Belt)   0–10°S
SEZ (South Equatorial Zone) 10–30°S
Telescope abbreviations: Newt. = Newtonian; SCT = Schmidt–Cassegrain (Telescope); Dob. = Dobsonian; OG =
object glass (refractor); MCT = Maksutov–Cassegrain (Telescope). Note: TS = telescopic south; this is the
standard ‘south-up’ view seen in many tele-
Notes: (i) IR = infrared filter. These allow IR radiation to pass through for longer wavelengths than the quoted cut-off scopes. (p) = preceding limb; with the drive
wavelength given in nanometres (nm). (ii) LP = longpass filter, which attenuates shorter wavelengths while pass- off, the preceding limb will lead the disc
ing that which is designated. (iii) R = red, G = green, B = blue filters are used with monochrome digital cameras to out of the field of view. This, combined
produce colour images. (iv) UV/IR = ultraviolet/infrared blocking filter, which blocks these wavelengths for colour with an indication from the bright northern
cameras. (v) L = luminance filter. hemisphere, can assist observers in estab-
lishing the correct orientation of the planet.

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 283

Bailey: Uranus during the 2015 apparition

Figure 2. (a) 2015 Aug 14, 18:16 UT. CM = 267.5°. 356mm SCT, 610 IR filter, ASI224MC camera. D. Milika & P. Nicholas. (b) 2015 Sep 11, 00:20 UT. CM =
246.2°. 280mm SCT. K. Bailey. (c) 2015 Sep 20, 01:58 UT. CM = 110.9°. 356mm SCT, RG610 filter. D. Peach. (d) 2015 Sep 25, 22:05 UT. CM = 156.8°. 280mm
SCT. A. Obukhov. (e) 2015 Oct 28, 21h UT. CM = 112°. 180mm MCT. (f) 2015 Nov 18, 17:20 UT. CM = 119°. 180mm MCT. S. Maksymowicz

Figure 3. (a) 2015 Sep 26, 01:05 UT. CM = 219.5°. Figure 4. (a) 2015 Oct 3, 00:10 UT. CM = 108.5°.
356mm SCT, 685 IR filter. D. Peach. (b) 2015 Oct 8, 280mm SCT. K. Bailey. (b) 2015 Oct 8, 00:43 UT.
20:10 UT. CM = 152°. 254mm SCT. S. Maksymowicz CM = 105.8°. 356mm SCT, RG610 LRGB filter.
D. Peach

experience, method of observing (visual/digital), aperture, fil-

ters, seeing etc. and the small size of the observable disc – the
Figure 5. (a) 2015 Sep 9, 00:22 UT. CM = 324.5°.
extent to which the observations broadly agree is impressive. 356mm SCT, 685nm IR filter, ASI224MC camera.
Figure 1 at least provides a temporary point of reference that J. Sussenbach. (b) 2015 Sep 27, 22:06 UT. CM =
can be discussed, revised, amended and necessarily redefined by 79.5°. 280mm SCT. P. Abel. (c) 2015 Oct 8, 20:30 UT.
CM = 159°. 254mm SCT. (d) 2015 Nov 1, 18:10 UT.
future observations. CM = 258°. 180mm MCT. S. Maksymowicz

The North Polar Region & North

D. Peach illustrates the variations in brightness of the NTZ
Polar Belt (Figure 3a). These variations are also recorded by visual observ-
ers, most clearly by S. Maksymowicz (Figure 3b).
The North Polar Region (NPR), extending from latitude 90°N Due to the limited number of Uranus observations contributed
to approximately 75°N, showed no distinct features during the to the Section during this apparition, the opportunity to confirm
2015 apparition and its intensity remained constant throughout. the existence of specific atmospheric features was limited, but ob-
The NPR was encircled by a North Polar Belt (NPB) at an ap- servations by K. Bailey and D. Peach may show the movement
proximate latitude of 75°–65°N and was observed (with varying of a bright patch in the NTZ at an approximate latitude of 45°N,
degrees of clarity) both visually and digitally throughout the ap- shifting from a position centred on longitude 95° (Figure 4a)
parition. Both features can be seen illustrated in Figure 2(a–f). to longitude 150° between 2015 Oct 3, 00:10 UT and Oct 8,
Although the NPB was seen in digital images taken with 00:43 UT (Figure 4b). This is an interval of almost precisely five
610nm and 685nm filters, it appeared better defined when ob- days, indicating a movement of 11° per day.
served visually. In almost all the observations contributed to the report, the
wide NTB showed a constant intensity and hue whether recorded
visually or digitally, but three observers – Sussenbach, Abel and
The North Temperate Zone & North Maksymowicz – did observe what appeared to be a faint, narrow
bright zone bisecting the NTB, approximately at latitude 35°N, in
Temperate Belt observations made between early September and early November
of 2015 (Figure 5a–d).
The bright North Temperate Zone (NTZ), approximately at lati- As the observations of three experienced observers cannot
tude 65–45°N, and the broad North Temperate Belt (NTB), ap- be discounted, it has to be concluded that this was either (i) a
proximately at latitude 45–20°N, are the two most distinct fea- short-duration feature existing for approximately two months or
tures on the planet whether recorded visually or digitally. The (ii) an elusive, persistent feature that escaped being more widely
NTZ often shows subtle variations in intensity and texture, while recorded by other observers. Questions such as these can only be
the NTB has occasional embedded lighter patches that may answered by increasing the number of observers and observations
possibly show atmospheric drift. An excellent digital image by made during future apparitions of Uranus.
284 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021
 Bailey: Uranus during the 2015 apparition

Figure 6. (a) 2015 Sep 26, 01:57 UT. CM = 237.6°. 356mm SCT, 685nm IR Figure 7. (a) 2015 Aug 26, 23:17 UT. CM = 266.5°. 203mm Newtonian. P. Abel.
filter. D. Peach. (b) 2015 Oct 30, 13:38 UT. CM = 240.7°. 356mm SCT; 570, 610 (b) 2015 Nov 7, 22:15 UT. CM = 110°. 254mm SCT. (c) 2015 Nov 23, 17:20 UT.
& 685nm filters; ASI224MC camera. D. Milika & P. Nicholas. (c) 2015 Oct 31, CM = 105°. 254mm SCT. S. Maksymowicz
23:13 UT. CM = 221.9°. 444mm Dobsonian, 610LP filter, ASI224MC camera.
M. Lewis

The North Equatorial Zone &

Equatorial Belt

The North Equatorial Zone (NEZ), approximately at latitude

20–0°N, was recorded by almost all contributing observers
throughout the apparition. In most digital images it appeared as
a narrow and well-defined bright band (Figure 6a–c), whereas
Figure 8. (a) 2015 Oct 31, 21:55 UT. CM = 195°.
356mm SCT, RG610 filter. D. Peach. (b) 2015 visual observers (Figure 7a–c) recorded a broader feature that
Nov 1, 21:20 UT. CM = 323.7°. 356mm SCT, IR fil- sometimes showed brighter patches within the NEZ.
ter, ASI224MC camera. J. Sussenbach The drawings in Figure 7a–c also show the dark Equatorial
Belt (EB) located approximately at latitude 0–10°S. During the
2015 apparition, the EB was consistently the darkest surface fea-
ture recorded by observers, as illustrated in digital images taken
by D. Peach and J. Sussenbach (Figure 8).

The South Equatorial Zone

Due to the orientation of the planet during the apparition, the
southern hemisphere was only observable down to a latitude of
approximately 30°S. This, and the small diameter of the disc,
means that the South Equatorial Zone (SEZ), approximately at
latitude 10–30°S, most frequently appeared in observations as a
bright limb feature of varying width and intensity. This can be
seen in a number of the images included in the report; specifi-
cally, Figure 2(c & f), Figure 5(a), Figure 7(c) and Figure 8(a). No
distinct features were observed in the SEZ during this apparition.

The satellites
Figure 9. 2015 Sep 9, 00:56 UT. CM = 336.4°. 356mm SCT, 685 IR longpass
filter, ASI224MC camera. J. Sussenbach Several observers captured images of the five brightest moons, as
illustrated in Figures 9–11. A satisfying achievement, given the
respective mean apparent magnitudes of the satellites at opposi-
tion:2 Miranda, mag. 15.79 ± 0.04, ‘M’; Ariel, mag. 13.7 ± 0.04,
‘A’; Umbriel, mag. 14.47 ± 0.04, ‘U’; Titania, mag. 13.49 ± 0.04,
‘T’; and Oberon, mag. 13.7 ± 0.04, ‘O’.

Discussion & conclusion

To include here comparisons between the results of this report
and contemporary professional studies is premature, and po-
Figure 10. 2015 Oct 31, 23:13 UT. CM = 221.9°. 444mm Dobsonian, 610LP filter, tentially misleading. Professional teams (notably those led by
ASI224MC camera. M. Lewis Prof P. G. J. Irwin in the UK, and Professors I. de Pater and
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 285
Bailey: Uranus during the 2015 apparition
L. Sromovsky in the US) over the next decade, and with an increase in the number and
are using the world’s major quality of observations, there is no reason why the secrets of this
telescopes to record very beautiful blue-green planet should not be revealed – and rede-
detailed multi-wavelength fined – by amateur astronomers. However, this will only happen
images of Uranus. These if sufficient numbers of amateurs commit themselves to mak-
are defining the charac- ing regular observations throughout an apparition and, crucially,
ter and dynamics of the submit them promptly and directly to the Section Director or
atmosphere of the planet Uranus Coordinator.
with a precision that is far
beyond the present scope
of amateur work – but no- Acknowledgement
tably, these observations
are made during observ- My thanks to Mike Foulkes for his help and advice in preparing
ing windows of relatively this report.
short duration. By contrast, Address: 4 Ellingdon Road, Wroughton, Wiltshire SN4 9HY [hqbailey@
amateur observations re- googlemail.com]
cord ‘coarse’ disc features Figure 11. 2015 Nov 15, 19:30 UT.
over a much longer period CM = 101.3°. 356mm SCT, IR and UV fil-
and therefore provide a ters, ZWO 120MC camera. TYC25-169-1 is References
more general cumulative a field star. M. Kardasis
 1 The Handbook of the British Astronomical Association, 2015, p.82
description of the planet.  2 Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology,
The usefulness of amateur work (vis à vis that of the profession- ‘Planetary Satellite Physical Parameters’: ssd.jpl.nasa.gov (accessed 2020
al) remains the amateur’s ability to make multiple observations September)
throughout an apparition. The comparison is therefore between
the specific and the general, and – except where these observa-
tions clearly converge (for example, regarding the 2014 ‘White Further Reading
Spot’) – such comparisons are perhaps best deferred until there is
a more refined body of amateur observations. Schmude R., Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto – and How to Observe Them,
Springer, 2008
Uranus is an extremely challenging subject for observers – but
Alexander A. F. O’D., The Planet Uranus, Faber & Faber, 1965 [Now
with more experience, more sophisticated methods of observa- somewhat outdated, but an excellent source of information regarding the
tion and greater technical capability, the old assumed limita- observational history of Uranus.]
tions with regard to amateur work in relation to this planet can
be dispelled. With Uranus favourably placed for observation Received 2020 September 26; accepted 2020 October 28

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286 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Short paper

Neptune in 2014–’15
John Sussenbach A report by the Neptune Coordinator of the Saturn, Uranus & Neptune Section. Director: Mike Foulkes

Observations of Neptune, obtained both visually and by imaging in 2014 and 2015, are
presented. In both years, long-lived bright atmospheric features on the planet were
detected. For 2015, the daily drift of a major bright storm over a period of four months
was determined.

Introduction
Since the demotion of Pluto to a dwarf planet, Neptune is the out-
ermost planet in the solar system. For amateurs, it is a difficult ob-
ject to study because of its small diameter of only 2.4 arcseconds.
A telescope with a large aperture is required to visually observe
the disc of the planet, but detection of its large satellite Triton is
relatively easy in medium-sized telescopes due to its brightness
of magnitude +13.5. For astrophotographers, recording Neptune
and Triton is a challenge. In general, no details on Neptune are
visible, except that the southern hemisphere is sometimes slightly
Figure 1. Neptune and Triton. RGB images; north up. Left: 2015 Jul 15. S. Kidd.
brighter than the northern (Figure 1). Right: 2014 Sep 27. J. Sussenbach
The visit of Voyager 2 to Neptune in 1989 brought a major
breakthrough in our understanding of the planet. This spacecraft
discovered dark and bright storms, which are sometimes very (Figure 3). Measurements on a tiny disc are rather difficult and er-
stable. It also became clear that there are very rapid atmospheric rors of ±5° and more occur easily. Since observations of the bright
motions. In the Equatorial Zone atmospheric streams rage con- spot were very limited in number, no further analysis of its devel-
tinuously at a speed of 1,200km/h or more, and the rotation period opment could be performed.
decreases towards the pole.

Neptune in 2015
Neptune in 2014
In 2015, Neptune was still located in
In 2014 Neptune was located in Aquarius Aquarius and was at opposition on Sep 1.
and was at opposition on Aug 23. The An interim report of the 2015 apparition
number of Neptune observers in 2014 was was published previously.2 Fortunately,
very limited and the observations submit- the number of observers submitting im-
ted were scarce. A list of the observers, ages of Neptune was much higher in
their locations and their instruments is 2015 (Table 2). This was mainly due to
presented in Table 1. an initiative of the professional planetary
Most observers show Neptune as a tiny astronomer Ricardo Hueso Alonso. On
bluish disc without details, with the major 2015 Jul 13, Hueso and his colleagues at
satellite Triton as a bright dot (Figures 1 Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería in
& 2). However, on 2014 Oct 7, Anthony Bilbao, Spain discovered a bright spot at
Wesley reported the presence of a bright latitude 41°S with the 2.2-metre telescope
spot using a 610nm longpass filter. Using of the Calar Alto Observatory.3 The spot
the WinJUPOS program,1 the coordinates was named Spot A. Later, some minor
of the spot were determined. It was located Figure 2. Drawing of Neptune and Triton (approximately bright spots were also detected.3 Hueso
at the six o’clock position) on 2015 Sep 22, 00:04–00:11
at longitude 138°, latitude 42°S and was UT. The field of view is 0.19°. 203mm Newtonian reflec- invited amateur astronomers around the
shown to rotate with the Neptune globe tor, ×312. Seeing: AII. P. Abel globe with larger amateur telescopes
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 287
Sussenbach: Neptune in 2014–’15

Table 1. List of observers in 2014

Name Observing location Visual (V) or Instrument Camera

imaging (I)
Michael Andrews Laindon, Essex, UK I 279mm SCT ASI120MC
David Gray Kirk Merrington, Durham, UK V 415mm Dall–Kirkham –
John Sussenbach Houten, Netherlands I 279mm SCT QHY5LII
Graham Taylor Bradford Remote Telescope I 357mm SCT Microline E2V
(Tenerife, Canary Islands)
Anthony Wesley Murrumbateman, Australia I 406mm Newt. Grasshopper 3

Instrument abbreviations: SCT = Schmidt–Cassegrain (Telescope); Newt. = Newtonian reflector.

Figure 4. Left: Neptune on 2015 Jul 20. J. Sussenbach. CM = 265.1° at 01:11 UT

and 283.0° at 01:59 UT. Right: Neptune on 2015 Aug 1. Combination of images
by J. Sussenbach (CM = 220.4° at 1:08 UT) and W. Kivits (CM = 259.1° at
2:52 UT). North is up.
Figure 3. Neptune on 2014 Oct 7. North up. Triton is present at the bottom of the
images. At 11:16 UT, CM = 110°; at 12:18 UT, CM = 133°. A. Wesley

to investigate whether the bright spot could be detected with

their instruments.
On 2015 Jul 20, Sussenbach detected a bright spot on Nep-
tune in the vicinity of the predicted position at the central me-
ridian.4 Comparison of the images of 01:11 UT and 01:59 UT
shows that the feature moved with the planet’s rotation (Figure 4).
On 2015 Aug 1, Spot A and some minor spots were captured by
Sussenbach and Kivits at different points in time. The rotation of
Spot A is clearly detectable.
The presence of Spot A was confirmed by several other ob-
servers (Maxson, Milika & Nicholas, Miles, Peach and Wesley;
see Figure 5). There is also a visual observation of the spot by
Maksymowicz (Figure 6).
Spot A remained visible till 2015 December. A second, fainter
feature at latitude 20°N, Spot B, was visible in 2015 September
and October (Figures 7 & 8). Due to the small size of the planet,
this fainter spot was not visible under poor seeing conditions.

Drift of Spot A
Due to the stability and brightness of Spot A, this feature was
followed by amateurs and measurements of its changing position
allowed the establishment of its drift. The coordinates of the spot Figure 5. Compilation of images by several observers showing bright Spot A.
For all, a 610 or 685nm IR pass filter was used. The blue colour of some images
on Neptune’s disc were measured in 26 images using WinJUPOS. is the result of false-colouring. Maxson – 2015 Sep 17, CM = 329°; 2015 Sep 24,
Accurate measurements on a tiny disc are a challenge in itself. CM = 292°; 2015 Oct 1, CM = 253°. Peach – 2015 Sep 24, CM = 123°. Milika &
A complicating factor is that due to limb darkening and contrast Nicholas – 2015 Nov 6, CM = 275°. Wesley – 2015 Nov 22, CM = 178°.
enhancement, very often the apparent disc of the planet is smaller
than the actual outline, which causes very inaccurate coordinate By aligning the outline of Neptune and Triton with the im-
values (Figure 9). Figure 9 clearly indicates that the Neptune im- age using WinJUPOS, the accuracy of coordinate measurements
age is smaller than the outline, whereas the angular distance of is improved considerably. Since the image scale of Neptune is
Triton to the centre of Neptune is equal. rather small, the standard deviation of the measured coordinates

288 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Sussenbach: Neptune in 2014–’15

Table 2. List of observers in 2015

Name Observing location Visual (V) or Instrument Camera

imaging (I)
Paul Abel Leicester, UK V 203mm Newt. –
Abdul Ahad California, USA (Home I 0.61m ƒ/10 Cassegrain SSO FLI CCD
loc.: Luton, Beds., UK)
Alan Clitherow Fife, Scotland, UK I 254mm Newt. ASI224C
Peter Edwards Horsham, West Sussex, UK I 357mm SCT ASI1244MC
Clyde Foster Centurion, South Africa I 357mm SCT ASI224C
Manos Kardasis Athens, Greece I 357mm SCT DMK 21
Simon Kidd Cottered, Herts., UK I 357mm SCT ASI224
Willem Kivits Siebengewald, Netherlands I 357mm SCT DMK618
Stanislas Maksymowicz Ecquevilly, France V 254mm SCT –
Paul Maxson Surprise, Arizona, USA I 315mm Dall–Kirkham ASI120MM-S
Phil Miles Rubyvale, Australia I Fullum 508mm Tech Mirror Grasshopper 3
Darryl Milika & Pat Nicholas Adelaide, Australia I 357mm SCT ASI224C
Damian Peach Selsey, UK I 357mm SCT ASI224C
John Sussenbach Houten, Netherlands I 279mm & 357mm SCT QHY5LII, ASI224MC
Anthony Wesley Rubyvale, Australia I 406mm Newt. Grasshopper 3

Instrument abbreviations: as given in Table 1.

is ±5° and sometimes more. The resulting longitude values of

Spot A over time are present- ed in Figure 10. From this graph,
the drift rate of the spots can be determined. Their combined
data yielded a drift of 24.1°/d. This fits reasonably well with the
drift of 24.0°/d reported by Sussenbach et al. (2017),4 and a
value of 24.27°/d reported by Hueso et al. (2017),3 using a com- Figure 6. Drawing on 2015 Sep 8. S. Maksymowicz
bination of 90 measurements obtained with amateur telescopes
and nine obtained with pro- fessional telescopes. The data of
Spot B were very sparse. For that reason, no drift rate was estab-
lished for this spot.
The 24.1°/d drift of Spot A corresponds quite well with the
zonal wind velocity on Neptune at latitude 40°S of –89m/s, as
measured by Voyager 2.3 Interestingly, the latitude of Spot A is
the same as that of a bright spot discovered by Wesley in 2014.

Concluding remarks
It is obvious that detection of albedo features on Neptune is quite
a challenge and that it requires a telescope with an aperture of 10
inches or larger. Even then it is not an easy task and good seeing
conditions are a requirement. The development of astronomical
cameras with high sensitivity for the infrared part of the spectrum
was essential for these observations.
In 2014 only a single observer detected a bright spot on Nep-
tune (Wesley), but a year later several observers were able to fol-
low the development of Spot A.
The detected bright spots represent major storms that some-
Figure 7. Neptune and Triton on 2015 Sep 10. Spot A as well
times develop in the Neptunian atmosphere. The outer atmo- as Spot B are visible. CM = 181.5° at 22:02 UT and 185.2° at
sphere of the planet contains methane. When astronomical cam- 22:12 UT. A 685nm filter was used. W. Kivits
eras in combination with a Baader red longpass filter (>610nm)
are used, that part of the reflectance spectrum of Neptune is
captured that covers the methane absorption bands at 619, 727, sunlight does not pass a thick layer of methane-containing atmo-
862 and 889nm. The deeper the sunlight penetrates into the Nep- sphere but is reflected by the high-altitude clouds accompanying
tunian atmosphere, the more light can be absorbed by methane the storm.
and less is reflected. When high-altitude clouds are present in the The reported detection of bright spots by several amateurs
atmosphere, they appear as bright spots, because the reflected demonstrates that these phenomena are also within reach of

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 289

Sussenbach: Neptune in 2014–’15
the amateur community. Even the mea-
surement of the drift of individual spots
is possible.
The observation of these features dem-
onstrates that there is great interest from
the professional world in amateur observa-
tions. The problem that professionals have
is that they have limited access to large
telescopes and therefore cannot easily car-
ry out long, and frequent, observing runs
with these instruments. Amateurs always
have access to their own telescopes and if
it is cloudy at one location, it is very likely
that it is clear at another location, so there
is continuity in the observations. The invi-
tation extended by Ricardo Hueso Alonso
to the amateur community eventually lead
to a paper on the storms on Neptune in
2015, by a combination of professional and
amateur observers.3 We trust that in future
the number of pro-am collaborations in Figure 9. Neptune and Triton (bottom) analysis with WinJU-
Figure 8. Neptune on 2015 Oct 11, with POS. Left: False-colour image by P. Miles (2015 Nov 10,
planetary imaging will increase, which in Spot A and Spot B. CM = 272°. North is up. 10:28 UT, CM = 237°); North is up. Right: Outline of Neptune
turn will stimulate amateurs to improve the J. Sussenbach and Triton as predicted by WinJUPOS.
scientific quality of their observations.
Address:Meekrap-oord 3,3991VE Houten,the Netherlands [john@jsussenbach.nl].
Tel. +31 30 2203383

References
 1 WinJUPOS website: http://jupos.org/gh/download.htm
  2 Foulkes M., ‘Interim report – Neptune in 2015’, J. Br. Astron. Assoc., 126(1),
6–7 (2016)
  3 Hueso R. et al., ‘Neptune long-lived atmospheric features in 2013–2015 from
small (28-cm) to large (10-m) telescopes’, Icarus, 295, 89–109 (2017)
  4 Sussenbach J., Kivits W. & Delcroix M., ‘Bright features on Neptune in 2015’,
J. Br. Astron. Assoc., 127(2), 79–81 (2017)

Received 2021 January 21; accepted 2021 March 31

Figure 10. The drift of Spot A was measured by determining the longitude and
latitude of the spot in images by Kivits, Maxson, Milika & Nicholas, Miles, Peach,
Sussenbach and Wesley, using the WinJUPOS measurement tool.1

290 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II
Richard McKim A report of the Mars Section. Director: R. J. McKim

In Part I we described the interplay of airborne and settled dust with surface features. Here we review
meteorological phenomena. Seasonal date limits for the Equatorial Cloud Band and orographic clouds
were similar to past years. Despite an unfavourable value of tilt, north polar spiral clouds were wit-
nessed during Ls = 126–153°. Frontal systems, in the form of bands of clouds inclined to the equator
and moving off the N. polar region, were recorded. Observers watched to see if the near-opposition
coincidence of the sub-Earth and subsolar latitudes on 2016 May 20–21 would result in ‘flashes’ from
the Schiaparelli crater in Edom, as in 2001, but the +10° coincidence in the latitude fell too far north, and
none were reported. The detachment of Olympia from the NPC occurred by Ls = 72°. The N. polar
cap was progressively covered by the hood during Ls = 163–172°, later than in 2014, while the cap
summer remnant was larger in 2016; the recession was less extensive than in 2014. Novus Mons sepa-
rated from the shrinking S. polar cap by Ls = 243°.

Introduction from 2015 Nov 23 – 2016 Apr 28: nearly the same epoch as
the ECB.
As usual, one or more discrete clouds were sometimes seen over
Part I dealt with surface features and dust storms.39 Part II focuses central Syrtis Major, near the evening limb. Morales caught one
upon white clouds and polar regions. The numbering of figures on Feb 29. Many observers showed these clouds more prominent-
and references continues consecutively from Part I. ly – and in considerable detail – from around Mar 16 till May 13
(e.g., Akutsu’s Apr 29 image in Figure 14). Justice and Valimberti
found them hardly visible by May 24: our final sightings.
White clouds & blue-violet light The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) obtained a superb image
of such a cloud on May 12,40 bearing a striking resemblance to its
phenomena shape upon Foster’s image of May 2 (Figure 17).

These meteorological indicators were previously described and

explained:1,2 see Figures 13–19.
Orographic clouds

Equatorial Cloud Band (ECB) The evening Tharsis Montes, Olympus Mons, Alba Patera
& Elysium Mons
Seasonal commencement was unobservable, though the ECB was
present and complete to Morita and Olivetti by 2015 Nov 14–15 The orographic clouds over the Martian volcanoes were beauti-
(Ls = 68–69°), and remained prominent through 2016 March fully seen in the months leading up to opposition (Figures 13–14
(Figure 14). It faded in April. Kumamori on Apr 11–15 showed it and Part I, Figures 2–4), although their seasonal commencement
complete but weak, while on Apr 19 (Ls = 140°) it was pale and was unobservable. They were still visible up to the time when we
only partially visible. The best data showed that in its later stages could no longer access the evening terminator, so that the later
it consisted of fibrous, partially complete east–west cloud streaks. date limits quoted do not represent a seasonal limit.
For instance, Akutsu, Kumamori and Olivetti on Apr 29 – May 1
showed this aspect around CM = 230–300° (Figure 14). Possibly
Elysium Mons
the last trace of partial ECB was caught by Olivetti on May 6
around CM = 210°, at Ls = 148°. Bright in the evening over this range: 2015 Nov 28 (or ear-
Peach (Figure 14) continued to record fragments of streaky lier) – 2016 Jun 24.
clouds in his high-resolution June images, particularly in the
N. polar region, although the ECB season had finished.
Olympus Mons

Bright in the evening upon images during: 2015 Nov 14 (or

The Syrtis Blue Cloud earlier) – 2016 Jun 20 (very weak on this latter date). Visually,
Gray saw the evening cloud here even earlier, on 2015 Sep 11. In
Seasonal commencement of this too was unobservable, but the March–April, the banner cloud streaking to the west of the caldera
feature was recorded for certain in the morning and/or evening was especially well seen: see Part I, Figure 3.
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 291
McKim: The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II

Figure 13. Drawings of Mars in 2016–’17 by R. J. McKim (410mm DK Cass., (E) 2016 Jun 27, 21:20 UT, CM = 169°; ‘front’ south of NPH.
×265, ×311, ×410; white light and W23A orange filter). (F) 2016 Jul 5, 20:58 UT, CM = 090°; Baetis, and the Tharsis Montes faintly visible.
(G) 2016 Jul 8, 20:40 UT, CM = 058°.
(A) 2016 May 27, 21:40 UT, CM = 091°; orographic clouds; Argyre bright in (A)–(C). (H) 2016 Jul 13, 21:50 UT, CM = 029°; complex N. polar clouds.
(B) 2016 Jun 4, 21:55 UT, CM = 024°; polar clouds seen around the NPC remnant. (I) 2016 Jul 17, 20:32 UT, CM = 333°; evening cloud at Hellas.
(C) 2016 Jun 9, 21:40 UT, CM = 336°; Pandorae Fretum invisible (and in (I)). (J) 2016 Jul 22, 21:00 UT, CM = 293°; large NPH; Nodus Alcyonius well seen.
(D) 2016 Jun 22, 20:50 UT, CM = 207°; bright dust fallout at W. Elysium (indicated (K)2016 Oct 31, 17:20 UT, CM = 347°; Pandorae Fretum–Mare Serpentis darkened.
‘YY’); SPC now visible. (L) 2017 Jan 5, 17:25 UT, CM = 055° (D = 5.6″); SPC summer remnant.

Figure 14. High-resolution blue-light images (with RGB comparisons) taken in 2016, showing the Equatorial Cloud Band in March–May, orographic clouds, and long
strips of E–W cloud in the S. and N. polar regions. By Akutsu (ASI 290MM camera), Olivetti (Blackfly ICX692 and Astrodon B filter) and Peach (ASI 120MM-S and
Astronomik B filter). The Ls values are indicated.

292 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 McKim: The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II

Figure 15. N. polar spiral clouds in 2016, according

to RGB images by Foster (ASI 224MC camera) and Figure 16. N. polar cloud fronts in 2016, according to RGB and B images by Hanson (ZWO 174MM camera),
Olivetti (Blackfly ICX692). Maxson (ASI 290MM) and Olivetti (Blackfly ICX692).

The Tharsis Montes

occasionally seen: for example, to Peach on Jun 8–10, Kumamori
Arsia Mons was observed in the evening from 2015 Nov 14 (or on Jun 26 and Morita on Jul 29.
earlier), till 2016 Feb 2 (Ls = 103°). After this it was smaller and
less conspicuous, but it became bright again during Apr 27 (Ls =
144°) – Jun 18. N. polar spiral clouds
The MRO cameras found seasonally later white cloud activity
at Arsia, which was much reduced by the atmospheric warming In 1999,41 BAA data recorded N. polar clouds from Ls = 127°
caused by a large Regional dust storm in 2017 February–March.39 onwards. In 2012,1 the clouds revealed a spiral character from
This could no longer be checked using ground-based data. Ls = 129°, while in 2014 this vorticity had been apparent slightly
Pavonis Mons appeared bright in the evening over the range earlier,2 from Ls = 124°. The value of De at the right season in
2015 Nov 14 (or earlier) – 2016 Jun 18. 2016 was unfavourable, the seasonal period falling well before
Ascraeus Mons was bright in the evening over 2015 Nov 14 opposition, with the dawn terminator – where the polar clouds are
(or earlier) – 2016 Jun 18. (Maxson imaged a trace of it again on always best formed – not yet observable. Nonetheless, positive
Jul 6 & 10, but otherwise it was not seen after Jun 18.) sightings were recorded: see Figure 15.
Seasonally first to appear are the clouds at Baltia–Mare Bo-
reum. Spacecraft data (Mars Express) first revealed an irregular
Alba Patera a.m. cloud here from Mar 9 (Ls = 120°) and clear spirality dur-
ing Mar 11–21. (On Mar 22 a patch of dust was also caught by
Bright in the evening over this range: 2015 Nov 14 (or earli- MRO at the edge of the cap, but below telescopic resolution.) Our
er) – 2016 Jun 18 (very small and weak during Jun 14–18). observers were quick to follow, and on Mar 21 & 24, Foster re-
corded a small, shapeless polar cloud following Mare Acidalium.
On Mar 25 & 26 there was a faint but definite spiral cloud with a
The morning Montes darker hollow centre on the morning side at Baltia, and the same
type of feature appeared, less perfectly, on Mar 27–28.
With the ECB season already finished by opposition, the summits Foster and Morales on May 5–9 caught a dusty white cloud
of the Tharsis Montes poking through this extensive cloud belt here, showing once again that dust can be associated with these
near the morning terminator could not be well observed. Some seasonal features. (See also Part I.) The HST on May 12 imaged
observations between mid-February and mid-May do show the a very irregular spiral. Kumamori saw a.m. cloud on May 21–30;
phenomenon close to the limb. When, after opposition, there hap- on the last date (Ls = 161°) he imaged a dark patch at the termi-
pened to be patchy white clouds near the terminator, it was also nator with cloud around it: a partial spiral. On Jun 2, Dijon saw

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 293

McKim: The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II
an irregular spiral at Baltia. Later observations mostly revealed coincided at +2.1°, within the boundaries of Schiaparelli crater
only the normal clouds forming the north polar hood (NPH): for (lat. +1 to –6°, long. 339.5 to 347°) inside Edom. Bright flashes
example, on Jun 4 the author saw irregular southward projections were observed (from reflective mineral sheets upon the crater
from the hood, while on Jun 11 a vertical white streak was re- floor), reminiscent of the 1954 sightings.44
corded by Olivetti. However, a very small spiral can be traced On 2016 May 20–21 (D = 18.3″) De and Ds again coincided
upon Wesley’s Jun 22 image. near opposition, but this time at latitude +10°, to the north of Edom.
Polar clouds over Utopia begin seasonally later. Maxson im- (Longitude 343.2° marks the centre of Schiaparelli crater, which
aged morning cloud there from Apr 22 (Ls = 141°) and many ob- transited the meridian at 10:08 & 10:44 UT on those dates, limiting
servers up till May 7 saw them, while Olivetti’s image of May 6 observations to the longitude of Australasia.) With the phase angle
showed a curved streak above Utopia: a partial spiral. Many re- i close to 0°, two days prior to opposition, the correction of i/2
corded weak a.m. cloud here up till Jun 3. needed for any specular reflection, ‘flare’ or ‘flash’ event was neg-
Evening remnants of the Utopia clouds were seen occasion- ligible.44 (On May 20, i/2 = 1.0°; on May 21, i/2 = 0.6°, involving
ally. Several observers on Jun 1 recorded a N–S elongated streak, a maximum correction of four minutes to predicted times.) Few
not obviously cyclonic. In late May, evening cloud had been seen images for May 20–21 showed Edom close to the CM. The near-
here in conjunction with a banner cloud off the subliming north est were Weldrake’s. His May 20 images from 10:59–11:58 UT
polar cap (NPC) outlier, Olympia, suggesting a link between the show no brightness enhancements. On May 21, Adachi saw noth-
two phenomena: see Part I, Figure 5 (especially May 20). ing unusual visually at 12:10 UT, and on May 21 & 22 Morita and
In summary, the clouds appeared during Ls = 126 till 161°, and Konnai obtained negative results with Edom somewhat past the
sometimes showed vorticity from Ls = 127°. The corresponding CM; the Australians likewise on May 24 and later.
values for 2014 were Ls = 117–153° and Ls = 124°.2 Historical Minami considered that an Edom ‘flare’ might possibly
data show these phenomena, albeit at lower resolution.42 Schmude be caught during Aug 10–31, during which time the value of
has recently discussed NPH and annular cloud activity.43 (De + Ds)/2 lay between +1° and –6°. But none was reported.
Another coincidence in De and Ds was on 2016 Dec 24–25 (D =
5.9″), for latitude –24°. We know of no positive observations then.
‘Violet holes’

Examples of these features – darkenings in blue light interpreted

as a local lack of atmospheric water vapour – were again ob- Polar regions
served. We mention only striking examples.
In blue-light images of 2016 Jun 11–16, Peach recorded a pair
North polar region
of well-defined and parallel dark bands running diagonally Sp. to
Nf., linking the N. edge of the SPH to Mare Erythraeum: see his The NPH & NPH/NPC transition
Jun 15 image in Figure 14 (and for Jun 18, see Part I, Figure 3B).
These anomalies are even obvious in colour images as dark red- The NPH & NPH/NPC transition was unobserved: observations
dish-brown bands. A small, bright white cloud was evident on the in 2015 had begun at Ls = 34°, well after the NPH would have
E. side of the streak, trailing Nf. and distinctly separated from the dispersed. The NPH reformed in 2016 June, as described later.
bright white cloud in southern Hellas. Thus the streaks lay be-
tween high concentrations of water vapour. The phenomenon was
already less evident on Jun 17–18. The W. part of the foregoing NPC recession
dark feature was also apparent upon blue images and RGB com-
posites by Kumamori (Part I, Figure 3D), Morita and others in Many of the images of the early spring cap were neither large nor
May. The Hellas basin had become frost-free by about Jun 7 (see sharp enough to establish the early recession curve in MY 33. The
later), and had ejected streaks of dust to the west several days prior summer NPC was easily observable, but even then, De was not
to Jun 11. One of the reddish bands described closely marked part very favourable: see Figure 17. To ensure reliable data, we only
of the trajectory, so the coincidences with the violet holes were not measured the latitude of the summer cap just prior to its coverage
accidental. An association between such streaks and dust activity by polar clouds. We analysed 257 images by 27 observers for the
was identified during the 2005 October Regional dust storm. latitude of the S. edge upon the CM during Ls = 136–165° (2016
Tanais, which runs northwest from the NW corner of Mare Apr 11 – Jun 26). The mean latitude in 2016 was 78.2°, compared
Acidalium, was also apparently darkened in some images during with 82.5° in 2014 (s.d. ±1.2°). For discussion, see later.
May and June (see also Part I, Figure 3E). It lay adjacent to sea-
sonal bright polar clouds, denoting high concentrations of water
vapour. Morita imaged the same darkening on Mar 15. Recall the NPC fragmentation
cessation of the ECB around Ls = 140°; the May observations fell
shortly afterwards. The complete separation of Olympia was first imaged by Maxson,
in superior seeing, on 2015 Nov 23 (D < 5″; Ls = 072°) & 28:
seasonally normal. Foster confirmed it on Dec 17, and Justice saw
Martian ‘flares’ it well on Jan 6. (Any seasonal dust activity at separation, seen in
2010, 2012 and 2014, would not have been resolvable.) It per-
No ‘flares’ or flashes were observed in 2016. In 2001 June, De sisted, often elusive due to the unfavourable value of De, till the
and Ds (the latitudes of the sub-Earth and subsolar points) briefly cap was hidden by polar clouds. Wesley on May 5–6 and Jolly on

294 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 McKim: The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II

Figure 17. RGB collage obtained with a 355mm SCT and ASI 224MC camera, 2015 Oct 18 to 2017 Jan 14, showing the enormous variation in disc diameter. Date and
CM longitude are indicated. C. Foster

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 295

295
McKim: The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II
May 29 showed Olympia irregular, the f. end fragmenting. The an intensely dark curved band, obliquely aligned with the rotation-
feature showed clear evidence of nebulosity in blue light – and/or al axis, appeared between belts of white polar cloud. (The NPC
a white banner cloud on the western side – on occasion: to Justice by now had been masked by the hood.) These belts were weakly
on Jan 6 and Morales on May 20–24 (Part I, Figure 5). present from Jul 5, but the southern one was apparently reinforced
The Ierne outlier was again resolved near opposition: the best on Jul 8 by a burst of cloud from the north. On Jul 9 a dark belt
images between Apr 11 and May 28 showed it fragmented into a was seen near the morning terminator; it appeared more to the
string of beads, as in 2014. Chasma Boreale was also seen. south and apparently more intense next day. The difference in De
and Ds could not have produced a broad shadow, so the darkening
(observed in white light, yet strongest in blue) must have been on
The return of the NPH the ground. Although polar clouds could have raised dust, thus
darkening the terrain, it is simpler to envisage a gap in the white
As always, the gradual transition from cap to hood was dependent cloud canopy which allowed a view of the normally dark Scandia
upon Martian longitude and therefore upon the terrestrial longi- at that latitude. (And moreover, as for the ‘violet hole’ phenom-
tude of the observer. enon, a low concentration of atmospheric water vapour adjacent
From the Americas, the NPC began to be dimmed and ob- to a white cloud belt would have resulted in greater transparency
scured by adjacent polar clouds on Jun 2, remaining intermittently and a clearer view of the surface at shorter wavelengths.)
visible till Jun 19 (when Maxson still recorded a dull patch), after We have similar images by Flanagan, Maxson and Olivetti for
which the hood covered it. Peach shows it particularly well in Jul 14 & 16 (Figure 16), but the strikingly dark belt or gap was
several images from Barbados: during Jun 9–18 it was clearly vis- never seen again, surely because of the seasonal growth of the
ible together with its dark surrounding band, but always heavily polar hood towards the south.
obscured and in blue light with streaks of cloud swirling around Less impressive or incomplete sightings are to be found in
it (Figure 14). Flanagan’s and Jolly’s images of Jul 14 (CM = 111–128°), in
From Australia and Japan, the cap was clearly observable until Morita’s of Jul 22 (CM = 166°, similar Jul 9–10), in Iwamasa’s
Jun 5, after which polar clouds gradually interposed. The final cap for Jul 24 (CM = 127°), in Iwamasa’s and Morita’s of Jul 29
sightings were by Iwamasa, Kumamori and Wesley on Jun 21. (CM = 76–89°), and in Foster’s of Jul 31 (CM = 128°), the latter
From Jun 22, polar clouds obscured the cap. of which show a dark border to the inner core of the NPH, south
From the longitude of Europe and South Africa, McKim’s first of which white clouds also existed. The latter dark boundary was
sighting of polar cloud was on Jun 4 when he saw a finger of in part faintly visible on Jul 30 (CM = 138°), but invisible on
cloud extending south from (and rotating with) the cap (CM = Aug 1. Outside this longitude range, Foster’s images of Jul 24
005–024°), while other clouds were seen at the cap’s p. and f. (CM = 230°) also show an eccentric dark band within merged
edges (Figure 13B). On Jun 18, he again saw polar clouds flank- morning and polar-hood cloud.
ing the hood-covered cap. The hood greatly expanded southwards Compared with 1999 and 2001, we now routinely reach much
(CM ~ 030°) between Jul 10 & 13, and this month it would of- higher resolution. Earlier phenomena of this type could easily
ten appear to extend south along the morning terminator at Mare have been missed.
Acidalium (Figure 13H): typical behaviour. Foster from Jun 8
found the cap partly veiled, even in red light. He continued to
record the cap with ever greater difficulty, mainly only in red and Interannual comparisons
IR, until Jun 15 when it was visible but dull. Next day, only polar
clouds were present. Comparing the successive apparitions of 2012, 2014 and 2016
In summary, the following were observed: only the NPC un- shows that the late NPC recession during 2016 was the slowest,
til Jun 2 (Ls = 162°); polar clouds and cap alternating at differ- with a larger summer cap remnant and later onset of the polar
ent longitudes, Jun 3–21 (Ls = 163–172°); and hood only from hood. Witness the various confirmatory indicators in Ls (°):
Jun 22 (Ls = 173°). The time of appearance of the hood was typi-
cal, though a small interannual variation is always likely. In 2014 Opposition: 2012 2014 2016
the hood covered the cap earlier, the transition phase then being First appearance of N. polar 116 117 126*
Ls = 153–162°.2 ‘cyclonic’ clouds
NPC summer remnant mean latitude – 82.5 78.2
(°) during Ls = 136–165°
North polar fronts First appearance of N. polar hood 151 153 163

*120° according to Mars Express.

North polar frontal systems were seen on occasion, in the form
of narrow E–W strips of white cloud which moved south on suc-
cessive days. The author saw one visually on Jun 27 (Figure 13), The NPH to NPC transition in 2017
when a lighter E–W cloud band and the cap summer remnant
were separated by a dark feature that was too wide to be merely Kidd’s image of 2017 Apr 7 and Iwamasa’s images of Apr 13
the NPC band, and he recorded another without the dark belt on (Ls = 349°) still show a prominent NPH, which was less obvi-
Jul 5 (see also below). Another front was seen on Jul 3 by Foster, ous to the latter in poorer seeing on Apr 28. The final images on
which also involved an anomalous E–W dark band. May 4, in very poor seeing, do not show an obvious ground cap.
The most interesting example occurred on Jul 9–10 (CM = However, MRO-MARCI imaging had already revealed the first
145–164°), according to Hanson and Maxson (Figure 16), when signs of part of the new ground cap in the week of Mar 6–12.

296 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 McKim: The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II

Figure 18. The S. polar region, 2016 August – 2017 February (D = 11.8–5.0″), according to drawings by Gray (415mm DK Cass. stopped to 152mm, with W22 fil-
ter, or (Sep 17) 120mm OG) and images by Kidd (ASI 224MC camera), M. R. Lewis (ASI 224MC), Morales (Flea3), Milika & Nicholas (ASI 290MM) and Olivetti
(Blackfly ICX692).

South polar region A rift that always divides the summer cap unequally was im-
aged as an indent near longitude 90° by Foster on Oct 17–21 and
South polar hood (SPH) to polar cap (SPC) transition by Morales on Oct 29.
McKim followed the cap remnant visually till 2017 Feb 18,
Figures 17–18 show the general behaviour of the S. polar region. while Lewis imaged it as late as Mar 15 (Ls = 333°, D = 4.4″).
The SPR was turned away from the Earth at the critical SPH/SPC
transition, but to Foster a short arc of S. limb was especially bright
at all wavelengths on Jun 8 (Ls =166°), lengthening on Jun 10
and later. By then it was obvious that the ground cap had been Southern-hemisphere cold traps
imaged. However it was not yet hood-free south of Argyre, for at
that longitude on Jun 8 only the bright hood had been visible to Hellas
Peach. Peach’s images of Jun 15–18 show both hood and cap in
much detail (Figure 14). Other observations prior to mid-June that See Figure 19. It was lightish to Maxson from 2015 Sep 7 on-
showed the SPC in part were due to Kumamori on Jun 3, 10 & 14, wards, as later confirmed by other observers. In early January of
and Flanagan on Jun 8–11. 2016 a number of images showed it bright at the CM in all wave-
On his high-resolution image of Jun 5, Peach captured the lengths, indicating a surface deposit: Justice on Jan 6 (Ls = 92°),
frosted Lowell crater at the SPC N. boundary (Figure 14). Milika & Nicholas on Jan 12, and Foster on Jan 15. A bright area
During July–September, the cap’s E–W arc shortened as it be- at the W. edge is suggested in the earlier images of Maxson for
gan to shrink asymmetrically. Only from Sep 24 was the cap’s full 2015 Dec 28–30. In 2014 the basin had become frosted on Feb 18,
E–W extent visible, as De became negative. By then, D had fallen again at Ls = 92°. In 2016 it was extremely prominent during
to 9.1″, but as Ls already stood at 229° (past mid-spring), it was January–April (Figures 17 & 19).
not worthwhile to construct a recession curve. The basin was not evenly frosted, there being a higher con-
centration to the west. Up till Apr 15, Hellas was still completely
frosted, but to Justice on Apr 25 the western bright part had sub-
SPC recession & fragmentation limed, and during May 6–13 the only remaining sign of frost was
in the southeast. From Jun 7 onwards the basin was frost-free,
By Sep 19, Foster showed a brightening and northward bulge in but patches of white cloud persisted from time to time. During
the cap outline at the longitude of Novus Mons. A dark rift had Jun 7–15 and Jul 15–17, this cloud was streaking out of the basin
separated Novus Mons from the cap, by Oct 16 (Ls = 243°) to to the west. White cloud sometimes remained strongly visible in
Iwamasa and by Oct 23 to Olivetti. Under much better conditions the evening for some time, e.g., to McKim on Jul 17 (Figure 13I),
of disc diameter in 2003,45 this rift had first separated it in images but later the basin was dull throughout the day.
by Ls = 238° (and by Ls = 243° visually). Spacecraft data show It is clear that this white cloud activity was not unrelated to
that Novus Mons had sublimed away by early December. weak dust activity in the basin in May–June, already discussed in
To Morales on Dec 8–15, in good seeing, the area where Novus Part I. Later dust activity in Hellas (2016 late August) was also
Mons had existed was soft-edged and faded. This was also the reviewed in Part I.
case to Kardasis on Jan 13–23 and Iwamasa, Dec 30 – Feb 3: the
same had been seen in 2003.45 (After Novus Mons sublimes away,
a light-hued trench remains.) Argyre
Foster on Sep 13–19 and Oct 17–25 showed a brightening and
deflection in the SPC N. edge, at the location of Argenteus Mons. Until just after opposition, Argyre generally appeared as a bright
On Oct 22–23 there were two adjacent northward protrusions. hazy patch. The first signs of slight brightness had been seen in
Flanagan showed a very bright point at this longitude, Aug 24–25. 2015 late December, and it appeared quite bright (and frosted) in

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 297

McKim: The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part II
February–May, though surrounded by light SPH. It
became less bright after mid-June. High-resolution
May–June images resolved the polar hood sur-
rounding the basin into streaks and patches. Argyre
looked only weakly bright to Wesley by Jun 22,
and later images showed it dull at the CM.
It collected dust fallout from the late August
dust storm that had commenced in Hellas, and ap-
peared as a bright yellow patch, slowly fading.
On the east side of Argyre lies the small Galle
crater: its frosted floor was beautifully caught in
images by Valimberti and Wesley on Apr 17.

Martian satellites
Wesley imaged both satellites, and Maxson caught
Deimos. Gray reported seeing Deimos visually on
May 15, and both moons on May 23.

Conclusion
Our findings for this apparition significantly add Figure 19. Hellas meteorology, 2016 March–May, showing the clearance of ground frost accord-
ing to images by Hood (ASI 290MM camera), Justice (DMK 21AU618), S. Buda (ASI 120MM),
to the statistics on seasonal phenomena and dust F. & G. Carvalho (QHY5L-II) and Maxson (ASI 290MM).
storm incidence. If one had to pick just one un-
usual phenomenon to highlight, it would be the
initiation site of the local dust storm east of Ely-
sium in SW Arcadia in 2016 September (Part I,
Figure 10), never previously recorded telescopi-
cally. This event, with the continuing faintness of
albedo features around Elysium, provides evidence
of a slow net accumulation of dust fallout over the
northern hemisphere.
Mars was not well placed for observers in Great
Britain, but at least the planet was located against
one of the densest parts of the Milky Way. Figure 20
captures the scene, to conclude this report.
Address: 16 Upper Main Street, Upper Benefield,
Peterborough PE8 5AN [richardmckim@btinternet.com]

References & notes

39 McKim R. J., ‘The opposition of Mars, 2016: Part I’,
J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 131(4), 227–235 (2021)
40 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/new-hubble-
portrait-of-mars (accessed 2019 August)
41 McKim R. J., ‘The opposition of Mars, 1999’, J. Brit.
Astron. Assoc., 117, 314–330 (2007)
42 During 1905 May 19 – Jun 6, Percival Lowell’s draw-
ings showed clouds at the same locations. See: Lowell P.,
Drawings of Mars 1905: Reproductions direct from the
Record-Book, Lowell Observatory, 1906.
43 Schmude R. W., J. Assoc. Lunar Planet. Obs., 60(2), 49–56
(2018)
44 McKim R. J., J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 129, 205–211 (2009)
45 McKim R. J., ‘The Great Perihelic Opposition of Mars,
2003’, ibid., 120(6), 347–357 (2010)
Figure 20. Wide-angle field on 2016 Aug 25, imaged with a remote Takahashi FSQ 106 telescope at
Siding Spring, Australia. The brilliant post-opposition Mars (top left) appears with Antares (lower cen-
tre), the Rho Ophiuchi dark nebula (top centre) and the Messier 4 globular cluster (lower right). North is
Received 2019 August 17; accepted 2019 October 30 uppermost. Mars was closest to Antares (separation 1.8°) on the previous day. D. A. Peach

298 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Report of the Council
for the session 2020 August 1 to 2021 July 31
To be presented to the members of the Association at the Annual General Meeting on 2021
October 23
The Trustees and Council of the British Astronomical Association pres- The Council records with regret the deaths of the following members:
ent their annual Report and financial results for the session ended 2021
July 31. For the 2020–’21 financial year, the deficit of income over Mr M. Ault; Mrs P. Bosley; Mr L. C. Clark; Mr P. Clark; Mr M. Cole;
expenditure before gains on investments was £52,251 (2019–’20 nine- Mr D. Cowey; Mrs J. Crawley; Mr E. W. Cross Jr; Mr A. Crowther;
month financial period: deficit of £51,446). Mr A. H. Davis; Mr D. D. Evans; Dr D. M. Ford; Mr M. S. Ghorbal;
Mr L. Green; Prof R. F. Griffin; Mr. R. G. Hearnden; Mr B. J. Keenan;
Alan Lorrain, President Mr R. Lever; Mr R. J. Livesey; Mr J. R. Look; Mr L. Matula;
Geoffrey King, Treasurer Mr B. R. M. Munden; Mr I. Nicolson; Mr D. Northwood; Mr P. A. M.
Paice; Mr P. W. Parish; Mr R. A. Poland; Mr G. W. Salmon; Mr P. W.
Shimmon; Mr T. M. A. Tabb; Dr R. Tuffnell; Mr C. F. Willson.
Officers and Trustees
The elected Officers and Trustees for the year ended 2021 July 31 are
listed on page 313. Details of the members of the Board and Council may
be found inside the back cover of each issue of the Association’s Journal. Publications
Steve Harvey continues to source, prepare and edit the content of the
Membership BAA Handbook, as well as overseeing its production. The 2022 edition
2019 July 31 2020 July 31 2021 July 31 is enclosed with the print version of this Journal and is available in PDF
Subscription type format on the ‘Publications’ page of the Association’s website. Thanks
Ordinary (Standard) 942 789 760 are given to all the volunteers who assist in compiling and proofreading
Ordinary (Digital) 231 231 275 the publication, and also to the various Sections that contribute data.
Senior (Std) 891 903 933 More help is always welcome, and Steve would be happy to hear from
Senior (Dgtl) 119 140 181 anyone interested in participating in the production of the 2023 edition.
Family partners (Std) 185 213 213 See p.311 for further details.
Family partners (Dgtl) 16 22 30 Through the pandemic, the electronic Newsletter has been more import-
Young persons (Std) 21 24 19 ant than ever as a means to keep members informed of news, observation
Young persons (Dgtl) 6 5 6
opportunities, online events and publication uploads. Twelve issues were
Honorary 176 200 193
Life    11 40 40 produced during the session, edited and predominantly written by Janice
McClean (see p.300). Notices of transient events that require urgent obser-
Members 2598 2567 2650
Affiliated Societies 44 40 38 vation, authored by the relevant Section Directors, are disseminated using
the BAA Alerts system: 17 of these were sent over the period. Members
Total 2642 2635 2688
not in receipt of the Newsletter or Alerts are encouraged to visit the BAA
290 members joined the Association during the session. website, where they can join the mailing lists for both.
BAA membership outside the United Kingdom: Six fully illustrated issues (384 pages) of the Journal – edited, typeset
and laid out by the undersigned – were published in both paper and digital
Europe format. Printing was undertaken by the Magazine Printing Company of
Austria 2 Italy 19 Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, efficiently overseen by Paul Salisbury. Some
Belgium 10 Luxembourg 2 171 individuals contributed non-refereed submissions (including images
Bulgaria 1 Malta 1 and plotted data), of whom 65 had written pieces printed. A total of 23
Channel Islands 1 Netherlands 7 refereed papers were published; these remain the heart of the Journal and
Cyprus 2 Norway 3 a grateful acknowledgement is given of the hard work of Jeremy Shears
Czech Rep. 1 Poland 2 (Papers Secretary) and the referees. Throughout the session, Nick Hewitt
Denmark 5 Portugal 2 continued to expertly prepare his popular Sky Notes, and Alan Dowdell
Finland 2 Romania 1 faithfully recorded online BAA meetings.
France 21 Slovenia 1 The 2021 August issue introduced a regular news summary authored
Germany 21 Spain 14 by the Editor, entitled ‘In brief’. This enables late-breaking stories to be
Greece 3 Sweden 6 accommodated, as well as developments in the Sections and wider astro-
Iceland 1 Switzerland 3 nomical community that might not otherwise be reported on. Sometimes
Ireland 17 Turkey 1 a news item demands urgent attention: when a possible confirmation
Rest of World of phosphine on Venus was announced only a few days before the
Argentina 1 Mexico 1 2020 October edition went to press, the Mercury & Venus Section Director
Australia 35 New Zealand 10 rapidly wrote a report, and with astounding speed the world-renowned
Brazil 1 Russia 3 space artist David A. Hardy designed a dramatic cover.
Canada 12 South Africa 3 The first months of the session saw the BAA continuing its 2020 drive
China 1 Sri Lanka 1 to highlight women in astronomy, and content with this theme appeared in
Hong Kong 1 Thailand 1 each issue of the 130th volume. An editorial commitment to improve the
India 5 Uganda 1 representation of female observers continues.
Indonesia 1 USA 119 The 2020 December Journal included a Christmas Quiz. Conceived
Japan 5 South Korea 1 and largely authored by Marie-Louise Archer, this also featured contribu-
Kuwait 1 tions from Section Directors; prizes were donated by First Light Optics
Malaysia 1 Total non-UK: 352 and Floris Books. A second quiz is planned. In 2021 April, Marie-Louise
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 299
Report of the Council, 2020–2021 
also joined the Journal team as the advertising manager. High-quality this piece has now been printed as a well-produced publication that is
placements from new advertisers, some featuring exclusive discounts for entitled The BAA Quiz. The Coordinator is also pleased to report that
members, have resulted from her excellent work in this area. online sales are now available again; she would like to thank Andrew
The undersigned is very grateful to all who contributed articles, Wilson for his hard work to make this happen, and also the Office.
observations, images and drawings. Thanks also go to Hazel McGee, We have to plan for the future and hope that we will have face-to-face
for archiving published content on the Astrophysics Data System and meetings before too long.
compiling the index to the 130th volume; to John Chuter for his help in
setting up the web page for each issue; to Janice McClean for publicising Ann Davies, Coordinator
the Journal through the Newsletter, and to the Office staff (Madeleine
Davey, Julia Palmer and Jayne Rickard) for their vital work.

Philip Jennings, Journal Editor Events Coordination

Not surprisingly, there were no major face-to-face events in the 2020–’21
session. It is hoped that such meetings will be able to start before the end
Website Operations Team of the year, but of course, that is dependent on the hosts being willing to
take the risk and not just on us turning up.
The BAA website is one of the many ways in which members interact New Scientist Live was cancelled again, but hopefully a date for 2022
with the Association. The aim of the Website Operations Team (‘Webops’) will soon be announced by the organisers and the Board will decide if
is to keep the site fresh and up to date with relevant information and to the BAA should continue to invest in this outreach event. It has always
foster a spirit of community amongst members, especially those who are been a good way of raising the BAA profile to a wider and more mixed
unable to attend meetings. audience.
To bolster the resources available to work on the website, the Associ- As public events were cancelled, it gave the Coordinator the oppor-
ation has engaged a Web Content Editor to principally support Section tunity to explore other avenues for raising the BAA profile. The Board
Directors with their web presence. allocated a budget to advertising and the BAA have now extended
There is also a project in progress to redevelop the website. The Webops our regular advert in Astronomy Now to include the BBC Sky at Night
have a small team working on this, with an external contractor engaged magazine for a six-month period. When this ends a programme shall
to implement. start, in 2021 September, of more digital-based items on the BBC
A new Members’ Albums system was implemented by Dominic Ford Science Focus website and attendant literature. The Coordinator also
to replace the Members’ Pages – this new system provides many addi- commenced running banner-style adverts on the UK Astronomy Buy
tional features to benefit members, such as automatic plate-solving, and & Sell website. At the end of 12 months, the impact will be reviewed
improved searching. There are now 300 Members’ Albums. Don’t forget to see if there has been not just an overall increase in membership but
to share your observations with the relevant Section Director to ensure also an increase in the diversity of membership, particularly in regard to
they can be analysed and archived. attracting younger members.
The regular Observer’s Challenges (suggestions for observing projects The Coordinator has been working with Philip Jennings (Journal Ed-
of varying degrees of difficulty), are proving popular and play a role in itor) and Marie-Louise Archer (Journal Advertising Manager) to ensure
encouraging members to share their observations. that there is reciprocity between those who advertise in our Journal and
Regular articles about current and future events in the world of amateur those with whom we place advertisements. This has attracted discounts
astronomy also appear on the front page of the site and thanks go to the and member benefits.
many authors who prepare them. Another 12 issues of the BAA Newsletter were produced by the Events
Paul Downing manages the website’s Picture of the Week, where a Coordinator during the session and these are now all being archived on
recent observation is showcased on the home page. the BAA website by Stuart Morris, to whom many thanks are offered.
The discussion Forum remains a useful way for members to interact, Members are increasingly submitting items for mention in a less formal
share information and ask questions. way than in other publications of the Association. The Newsletter contin-
The Webops also continue to add articles to the Tutorials section, ues to appear around the beginning of each month. Members must request
where there is a wealth of material to help observers move up the learning that their e-mail address be added to the mailing list and advise of any
curve. The Team is grateful to Stuart Morris for managing this part of the change of that address if they wish to continue to receive it.
website, and to all those who have contributed to it. Stuart has also been The Coordinator continues supporting the BAA’s claim in a disputed
contributing to the task of maintaining Section websites. probate case and in other matters concerning the restoration of property
Section Directors send out BAA Alerts about time-sensitive observing back to the BAA. These have been greatly hampered by the shutdown of
opportunities. Members need to sign-up for this service, which can be our court system during the pandemic.
done via the BAA website.
Dominic Ford continues to provide support for the technical infra- Janice McClean, Events Coordinator
structure of the website.
The Team has also supported the ‘Wednesday Webinars’, which have
been well received. Many thanks to Andrew Wilson, Dominic Ford and
Nick James, who hosted these. Membership Coordination
Callum Potter is Convenor of the Webops Team and would like to
thank fellow members for their hard work throughout the year: Andrew The Coordinator continues to welcome new members to the Association
Wilson, Dominic Ford, John Chuter, and Stuart Morris. by e-mail and at meetings. He also helps new and established members
find available BAA resources and to make relevant contact with Section
Callum Potter, Convenor Directors, Officers and other members. Over the session, the Coordinator
has provided assistance to the BAA Office by dealing with some admin-
istrative enquiries.
The Coordinator’s aim is to encourage members to report observations
Sales & Promotions to the website Community pages and Sections, particularly where the
observer considers their results unworthy.
The Coordinator has very little to report; there have been no meetings Contact with new members often results in extended discussion about
that the Sales stand could attend for eighteen months. Unfortunately, the their interests and their route into astronomy, as well as the mandatory
online sales also had to be cancelled. complaining about the lack of good observing weather.
On a positive note, a new booklet has been printed. For the 2020
December Journal, Marie-Louise Archer produced a Christmas quiz; Peter Carson, Membership Coordinator
300 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021
 Report of the Council, 2020–2021
The Archives In 2021 January, Mexico joined the growing list of nations (France,
South Korea, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Liechtenstein) with fulsome
good lighting legislation. Given that light pollution still does not figure
The continuing pandemic and closure of Burlington House have ensured largely in the UK Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan, we and the
that little progress could be made on matters connected with the physi- APPG are citing these countries’ examples as worth following.
cal archives, but greater success has been achieved with increasing the In 2021 June, the CfDS was a founder member of the UK Dark Skies
amount of online archiving, and the scanning of the old BAA glass slide Partnership (UKDSP: ukdarkskies.org.uk), a national collaboration of
collection at high resolution is now complete. Both archivists continued organisations with a specific commitment to protecting dark skies and
to submit regular pieces to the Journal. promoting good lighting practice. Members include the CPRE, Buglife,
The late Ron Livesey left some autobiographical notes, which were Dark Sky Reserves and Parks, National Parks, AONBs, and professional
kindly transcribed by Richard Miles. A number of photos of Ron were lighting organisations and institutions. The UKDSP’s mission statement
also received. An electronic copy of the late Dr David Gavine’s 1981 describes its primary aim as ‘the improvement of night sky quality by
PhD thesis ‘Astronomy in Scotland 1745–1900’ was provided by Ken reducing unnecessary and inappropriate light pollution through effective
Kennedy. Ian Ridpath has sent us some photographs of E. O. Tancock, behavioural change, promotion and action’. Special mention must be
the first Chairman of the BAA Education Committee, and David Sellers made of the primary role of Dan Oakley (South Downs National Park)
contributed a photograph of David Booth, the first Director of the Me- in making the Partnership a reality.
teor Section. Mark Hurn (Cambridge University Observatory) kindly The CfDS has long campaigned on terrestrial lighting issues involving
supplied some photographs of the BAA 1947 expedition to the Pic du waste light, and in 2020–’21 there has been a considerable widening and
Midi Observatory from the files of the late David Dewhirst, some of intensifying of the international debate on its negative effects on both
which will feature in a forthcoming ‘From the BAA Bookshelf’ article biodiversity and climate change. This trend is reflected in our recently
in the Journal, concerning the literary works of the expedition’s leader, revised handbook Blinded by the Light? and in leaflets on biodiversity, blue
Dr A. F. O’D. Alexander. Grant Privett sent some Section Circulars, and light and LEDs (britastro.org/dark-skies/downloads.php). Included in
Mike Maunder a recording of a BAA meeting. our downloads is the latest addition to our constellation of publications:
We have dealt with routine enquiries, and provided information the new (2021) booklet for young people on light pollution, Hidden Stars.
and illustrations whenever possible, including images concerning the Also, subscribers to the twice-yearly CfDS Newsletter have been informed
artist-astronomer N. E. Green for a programme released by National that it is now free and available to all as a download.
Geographic in 2021 February. Despite the migration online of almost every meeting and event during
the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to continue our work with
Richard McKim & John Chuter, Archivists astronomical societies and other groups on Zoom and other platforms.
Particularly interesting have been: in 2020 October, the week-long United
Nations Dark and Quiet Skies Conference, with nearly 400 participants
and a CPRE biodiversity and light pollution event; in spring, the annual
Commission for Dark Skies CPRE Star Count; various dark sky festivals held by starry places such
as the Lake District National Park, the North York Moors National Park
The last 12 months have seen the consolidation of the Commission for and the Cranborne Chase Dark Sky Reserve (which was featured on BBC
Dark Skies’ links to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Dark Countryfile in May); and the London-based Age of Light seminar (also in
Skies (appgdarkskies.co.uk). Formed in 2020, it is co-chaired by Andrew May). The CfDS joined the Bath and Surrounds Starlit Skies Alliance with
Griffith MP (Arundel and South Downs) and the Astronomer Royal, an online presentation, entitled ‘Light pollution is bad for all’, as part of
Lord Rees, a long-time supporter of the CfDS. The APPG is pursuing its the 2021 National Astronomy Meeting in July. In June, the Commission
lighting policy recommendations to the Government (appgdarkskies. welcomed to its committee Neill Mitchell of the Wessex Astronomical
co.uk/policy-plan) which the CfDS helped to formulate, and debates Society. Neill is now the CfDS webmaster.
have already happened in Parliament on the threats light pollution poses
to both the night sky and biodiversity. Bob Mizon, Coordinator

Sections
Solar Section the Section’s web pages and posting members’ images of recent solar
activity. The Director would like to convey her sincere thanks to Peter
Membership of the Solar Section has increased slightly since the last for his dedication and hard work, and also to John Cook for producing
session, with eight new members since 2020 August. Sadly, the Section graphs of solar activity and keeping the Section provided with current
has suffered the loss of three of our senior members within that same magnetometer and sudden-ionospheric-disturbance information.
period: Ron Livesey, Peter Paice and Charles Willson. The number of The Section held its first webinar meeting in 2021 February, with talks
active observers and imagers remains steady, and the quality of work from the Director, Peter Meadows, Kevin Kilburn and Roger Samworth.
submitted extremely high. COVID-19 has not affected the Section’s The meeting was well attended and positive feedback was received from
core work in any way and the Sun has continued to be monitored 24/7 members, who asked for consideration to be given to this type of meeting
by members spread around the globe. There has been a slight increase becoming a more regular event.
in the circulation of the Section’s monthly newsletter, with 243 copies Due to COVID-19, the Director has been unable to visit societies
being sent out; however, that of the printed version has now decreased to personally. However, the demand for online webinar-type events has
just two. As a consequence, the Director is printing newsletters at home, increased substantially, with the Director giving solar-related talks to
saving the Section a cost of around £180 per annum. Postage costs have societies from further afield than is usually the case. Talks have been given
also reduced accordingly. to the astronomical societies of Coventry & Warwick, Ayr, Tweeddale,
The online reporting system for observers has proven its worth during Crayford Manor, Lincoln, Newbury, Clydesdale, Maidenhead, York, Heart
the pandemic, as few paper records have been handled by the Section’s of England, Mexborough & Swinton and the Astronomical Society of
administration. Members input their observations remotely via the Sec- Edinburgh. The Director has also written for the BAA website a Tutorial
tion’s web pages, with the data being harvested by the Director at the for beginners, entitled ‘Our star – the Sun.’
month end. The system set up by Peter Meadows is working extremely The Director would like to thank all who have contributed to the
well and has been a significant addition to the Section’s efficiency. Peter Section over the past 12 months, and those who have written articles for
has also been responsible for maintaining the up-to-date information on the newsletter to share their expertise and experience. She would also
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 301
Report of the Council, 2020–2021 

The solar eclipse of 2021 Jun 10, imaged at 10:46 (left) & 10:59 UT (right) in CaK (72ED / Lunt CaK B1200 module) and H-alpha (Lunt 50THa DS SM40),
respectively. Alun Halsey

like to congratulate Monty Leventhal once again, on his award of the of the long-observed ‘bands’ of Aristarchus in the 2021 February issue
Harold Ridley grant. [131(1), 54]. The latter article instigated a letter from Christopher Taylor
[‘Some old observations of the Aristarchus bands’, 131(3), 181].
Lyn Smith, Director Investigation of low-relief volcanic features through analyses of
both amateur and spacecraft data remains an important programme of
research for the Section, with Raffaello Lena energetically continuing
as lunar domes coordinator. Barry FitzGerald has also been a skilled
Lunar Section contributor to this effort and studies by both members regularly feature
in Section publications. In recognition of their work, it was agreed by
In 2021 July, Bill Leatherbarrow stepped down from the role of Di- Council in the spring of 2021 to jointly award them the Merlin Medal.
rector. Since his appointment in 2009, his clear vision for the Section Many congratulations to both.
and infectious enthusiasm have led it to embrace new opportunities, The Section welcomes submissions of both visual observations and
adopting an exciting observing programme while fostering a spirit of images (see the inside back cover for contact details). Anyone interested
collaboration and support between members around the world. Many in in joining should contact the Acting Director for advice.
the Section are personally indebted to him for the friendly encourage- Thanks are given to the committee members and officers for their work,
ment and generous guidance that he has always been so ready to impart. and very best wishes are extended to Bill on his retirement.
His significant contributions to selenology, as well as his service to the
BAA, were recognised in 2020 with the Association’s senior award: the Philip Jennings, Journal Editor
Walter Goodacre Medal. A great many thanks go to Bill, who intends
to continue to be an ‘active foot-soldier’ in the Section, for his skilful
leadership over the past 12 years.
The Assistant Director for the 2020–’21 session, Tony Cook, has kindly Mercury & Venus Section
stepped in as Acting Director for the immediate future, with support from
the occultations coordinator, Tim Haymes. The 2019–2020 eastern elongation was an excellent one for UK observers.
The Section’s observational results through the session were again Part I of the paper covering the elongation was published in the 2021 June
communicated in the Lunar Section Circular. Twelve issues (426 pages) edition of the Journal [131(3), 175–180] and Part II was published in
were produced under the editorship of the Director, with regular contri- 2021 August [131(4), 224–226]. This splendid elongation concluded on
butions from Dr Cook and Mr Haymes. The Circular was distributed by 2020 Jun 3, when the planet reached inferior conjunction and passed into
e-mail at the beginning of each month, to a membership of over 200. Past the morning skies. Morning observations attract fewer observers, but the
issues are available in PDF format on the Section web page, along with Director did receive a steady stream of regular observations (both visual
volumes of The Moon: Occasional Papers of the BAA Lunar Section and and digital). The report covering observations made during the western
the historic publications The New Moon and The Moon. This substantial elongation of 2020–’21 has been accepted for publication and will be
archival resource remains under the curatorship of its architect, the website published in due course.
manager Stuart Morris. Mercury was reasonably well presented for observation in 2021 May.
Three selenological papers contributed by Section members appeared Conditions in the UK were poor for much of this time, but our Mercury
in the Journal over the course of the session: ‘Lunar domes and volcanic Coordinator, Chris Hooker, did receive a number of observations from
constructs in Mare Fecunditatis’, by Raffaello Lena & Barry FitzGerald Section members abroad in Italy and the USA. On 2021 Oct 25, Mercury
[130(4), 219–227 (2020)]; ‘Thomas G. E. Elger at Kempston – nine years will reach greatest western elongation some 18° west of the Sun, and this
that ‘saved’ amateur selenology’, by Nigel Longshaw [130(5), 285–288 will be a good chance to catch it in the morning sky. Chris has written
(2020)] and ‘Searching for lunar domes in the Sinus Iridum region: an introductory tutorial called ‘Mercury – the iron planet’ and this was
identification of a dome termed L1’, by Lena, Maximilian Teodorescu & published on the BAA website earlier this year.
Jim Phillips [131(2), 93–96]. In addition, the Director contributed three During the 2020–’21 session there have been three issues of Messen-
questions to the Christmas Quiz [131(1), 18] and discussed the nature ger, the Mercury & Venus Section newsletter that is circulated to Section
302 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021
 Report of the Council, 2020–2021
members. These are all available on the Section website, along with Chris A biography of past Section Director R. L. Waterfield by Martin
Hooker’s excellent guide to observing Mercury. Past elongation reports Mobberley was published in the 2021 June and August Journals, and
and papers relevant to the Section are also available. The Section’s website some of his Mars drawings, with a note from the undersigned, appeared
is currently being updated by our new web editor, Emily Bick, and it is in the first of these issues.
hoped the new version will be easier to navigate, with observations and In 1999, we published (as volume 44 of the BAA Memoirs) a catalogue
publications more prominently placed. of dust storms up to and including the 1992–’93 apparition, with statistical
There was excitement in 2020 September when it was announced that analyses over 32-year periods. In advance of a planned update intended
astronomers had discovered phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus. On for the Journal, an appendix to the 2020 report will summarise the largest
2020 Sep 15, the Director wrote a short news item for the BAA home such events since 1993.
page discussing these results. On Earth, phosphine is a biomarker, and it
was suggested that it may indicate the presence of some sort of life in the Richard McKim, Director
Cytherean clouds. Since then, recent research led by Queen’s University
Belfast has shown that the atmosphere of Venus is far too dry to support
life. Another study, published in the Proceedings of the National Acad-
emy of Sciences, suggests that volcanic activity might be the cause – a Asteroids & Remote Planets Section
hypothesis which the Director supports.
Other notable news features are the two proposed NASA missions Membership of the Section includes 110 names on the e-mail distribution
to Venus. The DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of list, for whom 48 IAU observatory codes have been allocated.
Noble gases, Chemistry & Imaging) mission will try to provide a better
understanding of the atmosphere and aim to determine if the planet ever
had oceans. The VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Exoplanets Division
Topography & Spectroscopy) probe is set to investigate the geology of
Venus and see if there is evidence of active volcanism. Roger Dymock reports a total of 38 members of the Division, an increase
Finally, the Director would like to announce that Chris Dole has agreed of two over last year. Publication of the Division’s e-magazine Infinite
to join the Section committee. Chris has a good deal of experience in Worlds continues on a quarterly basis. It covers a broad range of topics,
imaging Venus, both in IR and UV, and the undersigned is sure he would including recent discoveries, publications, astrobiology, pro-am projects,
be happy to answer any questions that Section members have about the human exploration of space and the possibilities of detecting civilisa-
such techniques. tions beyond Earth. Roger has also given three talks via Zoom.
Venus is currently an evening object and at the time of writing is some- For the first time, exoplanet data and transit ephemerides were included
what low in the sky, but this will improve later in the year. The Director in the BAA Handbook.
would encourage members to continue to monitor the planet, particularly BAA members continue to make a significant contribution to the ARIEL
in the IR and UV. It will be in the crescent stage by November of this space mission’s ExoClock project by determining the light curves and
year, so amateurs are urged to image the nightside as part of the Section transit times of exoplanets as they pass in front of their host star. The first
programme to search for signs of active volcanism on the planet. Please paper from the ExoClock team, with several of our members as co-authors,
communicate your observations to the undersigned on a regular basis, will shortly be published.
and of course any Mercury observations should be sent to Chris Hooker. Progress of ESA’s PLATO space mission, with which we are involved
via the ground-based observation programme, has been delayed by the
Paul G. Abel, Director pandemic but Steve Futcher continues to maintain a watching brief.
The 2021 Winchester Weekend was replaced by a one-day webinar,
mainly devoted to exoplanets. The afternoon session was opened by Roger
Dymock, giving an update on current and future Exoplanet Division ac-
Mars Section tivities, followed by Dr David Brown (University of Warwick Research
Fellow) describing the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS)
The 2020 opposition was followed by 142 contributors, with over 11,000 mission. The Alfred Curtis Lecture featured Dr Jessie Christiansen
observations made. Remarkably, complete coverage was obtained be- (NASA Exoplanet Science Institute) with a presentation entitled ‘On an
tween 2019 October and 2021 July (including a 435-day unbroken run). exoplanet, far, far away’.
A frequently updated blog at the Section website has kept members A new pro-am project, Microlensing Search for Exoplanets, was
informed, but a talk scheduled for the 2021 May Ordinary Meeting launched in May with assistance from professional astronomers based
was postponed when the London event had to be abandoned. A second in Belgium, Poland and the USA. Gravitational microlensing causes a
Interim report appeared in the 2020 October Journal, and a third in the brightening of a background (source) star when a foreground (lens) star
2021 August issue. and its associated planet pass in front of it. Nine alerts detailing targets suit-
In February, the successful arrival of three spacecraft at Mars, from the able for northern- and southern-hemisphere observers have been issued.
UAE, China and the USA, marked another exploration milestone. News
of the NASA mission and its little helicopter featured in the June Journal.
(Erratum: the helicopter weighs just under 2kg, and not as stated.) Occultations
The final report for 2014 appeared in the Journals for 2021 February
and April; the first part of that for 2016 appeared in the 2021 August We received 278 reports of asteroidal events, and two of comet 29P/
number, with the second in the present issue (see p.291). The 2018 report, Schwassmann–Wachmann occulting a star (Miles and Buczynski on
containing a detailed account of the global dust storm, was accepted for 2020 Dec 8), which were negative. There were two attempts to observe
publication in May, and the gap between observation and publication was events predicted by the European Research Council’s Lucky Star pro-am
further narrowed by the completion of the final 2020 report recently. The campaign. In the past year, a total of 39 asteroids were observed with
undersigned thanks Martin Lewis and Mark Lonsdale for technical help positive chords: four more than in 2019–’20.
with image processing and mapping for the 2018 analysis. Contributing observers were P. Birtwhistle, D. Briggs, L. Broom-Lynne,
In arranging images for publication, much time is spent in rescaling D. Buczynski, P. Denyer, T. Haymes, J. Maarten-Winkel, M. Jennings,
and reorientating. The Director requests for observers to submit images A. Jones, S. Kidd, R. Miles, M. O’Connell, A. Pratt, W. Stewart, J. Talbot,
with aerographical south precisely uppermost, rather than striving for any P. Tickner and D. Ward.
artistic effect. The greatest defect of illumination rarely lies at 90° from The best observed event was (103) Hera occulting UCAC4 558-
the poles: for correct orientation one needs to use the values of P and Q 036793 on 2021 Apr 17, with four observed chords (see euraster.net/
from the Handbook, or make use of software like WinJUPOS. The other results/). Simon Kidd successfully observed a 4.7s chord across the large
slightly unsatisfactory matter is that not enough images are currently Jupiter Trojan (884) Priamus on 2021 Jul 10 using a C14 telescope (bit.
being taken with narrowband blue, violet or ultraviolet filters. Reference ly/3m6HtUt). John Talbot (Abingdon, UK) continues to produce the
to past Section reports will show the sort of filters to be recommended. UKOCL prediction feed for OccultWatcher.
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 303
Report of the Council, 2020–2021 
In the 2020-4 issue of the Journal for Occultation Astronomy (JOA), Alex We also collaborate with Shinji Mizumoto of ALPO-Japan, who posts
Pratt reports on the 39th European Symposium on Occultation Projects cylindrical map projections of the amateur images every few days, and
(ESOP XXXIX) which was to be at Freiburg, Germany, but was instead even more frequently for special phenomena such as the 2020 NTB out-
held remotely via Zoom. See: bit.ly/3iViSQq. break and the interactions of vortices with the Great Red Spot. Mizumoto
In JOA 2021-1, an article by Alex Pratt and Niko Wuensche appeared has produced detailed graphical reports on these important phenomena,
entitled ‘Participating in PHEMU21’. These are predictions for mutual which we can refer to as definitive accounts.
Jovian satellite phenomena which occur every six years. Richard Miles Juno’s 53-day orbit constrains our reporting schedule. All its images
and Mike Kretlow in JOA 2021-3 discuss future prospects for stellar are taken within just a few hours around closest approach (called perijove)
occultations by comet 29P. on each orbit. The camera, JunoCam, was intended for ‘public outreach’
as well as scientific imaging of the poles, so the regular imagers, the
JUPOS team and the Director are all recognised as contributing to its
Photometry programme. Indeed, because Juno’s images are taken very close to the
planet, ground-based images are important for giving context. The NASA
Low-phase-angle photometry included (515) Athalia, (1576) Fabiola, team asks amateurs worldwide to post their images on the JunoCam
(1669) Dagmar, (2324) Janice, (2524) Budovicium and (2534) Houzeau. website, and produce photomosaic maps and now predictive maps from
Light-curve observations of (9015) Coe (which appears to be an ultra-slow them. JunoCam can now use enough data volume for all latitudes under
rotator) were initiated in 2021 July following a request from Paul Roche the track to be imaged at each perijove, but the team still solicit our fore-
of Cardiff University. Photometry was received from Steve Arnold, Wayne casts of what will be the most interesting targets each time, enabling them
Hawley, Adrian Jones, Paul Leyland, and the Director. The majority of to assign greater cadence or quality to images covering those latitudes.
observations were made possible thanks to the Faulkes Telescope Project Meanwhile, observers try to record the relevant side of the planet for
and access to the Las Cumbres Observatory network. several days around the time of perijove, so as to provide context images
The Director regrets to have to report the sad loss of members Arthur both for JunoCam and for any Earth-based professional observations
Davis, who died on 2020 Sep 4, and Martin Cole, who died in 2020 No- at the time (especially, thermal-infrared imaging on large telescopes
vember. Martin was a keen and competent observer, sending in photometry by Dr Glenn Orton). Soon after each perijove, the JunoCam team post
of asteroids every year from 2014 to 2020. the raw images, and our ‘citizen scientist’ colleague Gerald Eichstädt
An obituary for Section member George Faillace, written by member processes them all into full-quality colour images, as well as into maps
David Pulley, was published in the 2020 December issue of the Journal. with cylindrical and polar projections. The undersigned then annotates
Tim Haymes, Roger Dymock and the Director contributed 19 pages of selected images, compares them with features visible in amateur images,
asteroid/exoplanet information for the 2022 Handbook. An account and compiles composite maps with cylindrical and polar projections, and posts
addendum for the Section meeting of 2019 Sep 29 were published in the a report on the images at each perijove (on the Section website as well as
2020 August and October issues of the Journal. the JunoCam website). Then the cycle begins again.
The undersigned much appreciates the continued support of Tim, Our main output is via the Section website, where we post reports on
Roger and Peter. the amateur observations (typically once per month or two) and on the
JunoCam images at each perijove (every 53 days). Members are notified
Richard Miles, Director of newly posted reports and occasional alerts or news items via our e-mail
list, and also via the Section’s Facebook page and in several online groups.
Highlights of the 2020 apparition were described in a news item in the
Journal in 2021 August [131(4), 202–205].
Jupiter Section The Director has been working on two professional papers that include
other amateurs and the JunoCam team as co-authors. One is entitled ‘Ju-
The Section work continues as it has for the past four years of NASA’s piter’s Great Red Spot: strong interactions with incoming anticyclones in
Juno mission: analysing and reporting on amateur observations from 2019’, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research (Planets). This
around the world, in collaboration with the JUPOS team and ALPO-Japan, was led by Dr Agustin Sanchez-Lavega and colleagues in Bilbao and is
as well as the mission’s JunoCam team. Fortunately, all this has continued part of a series of collaborations with them. The other is ‘Flow patterns
effectively despite the COVID-19 pandemic. of Jupiter’s south polar region’: the first comprehensive study of between
For 2020, our list of contributors included five visual observers (three ~60–80°S and based mainly on JunoCam imagery, but also tracking spots
in the UK) and 77 imagers (although 30 of these only provided images in amateur images; this has been submitted for publication.
for a few dates), plus about 20 others from whom images were received Meanwhile, Richard McKim has collected and analysed observations
for just one or two nights. These included people who contributed via from all around the world made in 1949 and 1950: two years in which
Facebook, e-mail groups, or the ALPO-Japan website. Many observers Jupiter displayed interesting phenomena that were not fully described at
responded to our alert about the North Temperate Belt (NTB) outbreak in the time. He has produced full reports for the Journal, which are now
2020 August and specially produced images in the weeks following. Of in press. They include the first colour images from these years, made by
the 77 imagers, 18 were in Australia, 13 in the USA, seven in Brazil, five McKim and Manos Kardasis using modern image-processing techniques
in Spain, and five in the UK, with smaller numbers in 18 other countries. on old filter photographs taken at the Lowell Observatory. In 2020 August,
That last group included two of the most prolific and high-resolution we posted the earliest colour photomosaic map of Jupiter, on the 70th
imagers – Clyde Foster in South Africa, Christopher Go in the Philippines anniversary of the component RYB photographs being taken! McKim is
– and other important contributors, such as Eric Sussenbach in Curaçao, also studying other under-reported apparitions from the past.
and Damian Peach operating remotely with Chilescope. Physical conferences were still impossible, but meetings continued
Several observers acquired the new ASI 462MC camera, which online. The Director gave a BAA webinar on ‘Jupiter rising’ on 2021 Jul 14.
has greatly improved sensitivity in the near-infrared. This enables The annual EPSC (EuroPlanet Science Congress) in 2020 September was
much shorter exposures and better signal-to-noise ratio in the 889nm also held online, but this made it possible for more people to ‘attend’.
methane band, providing a quantum leap in quality of imaging in this Clyde Foster gave a talk on ‘Clyde’s Spot’. The Director gave two talks on
narrow waveband. the wind patterns in the south polar regions, using JunoCam and amateur
Our analysis is still done in collaboration with the JUPOS team, who images, and one talk in an associated workshop, entitled ‘Jupiter 2020:
measure the amateur images to produce a database of spot positions, Current phenomena in long-term context’, based on amateur observations.
represented in regular sets of charts. The JUPOS team made 63,933 Virtual conferencing also enabled him to attend and speak at the annual
measurements in the 2020 apparition. Currently, positional measurements ALPO Conference for the first time. Similar types of presentations will
are done by Gianluigi Adamoli, Michel Jacquesson, and Rob Bullen. be given at this year’s EPSC and ALPO Conference.
Whole-planet maps are regularly made by Bullen, with some also by The 2020 apparition concluded with the extremely close conjunction
Andy Casely, and certain individual observers make their own maps of Jupiter and Saturn, which climaxed on Dec 21, when the two planets
using the WinJUPOS software. Hans-Joerg Mettig oversees the project were only six arcminutes apart. Although these ‘Great Conjunctions’ occur
and generates the charts. every 20 years, this was the closest since the year 1623, and fortunate in
304 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021
 Report of the Council, 2020–2021
that the planets were far enough (30°) from the Sun that they were visible the following apparition reports have been completed and approved for
even from northern Europe. They were a striking sight to the naked eye publication in the Journal: ‘Saturn during the 2009/2010 apparition’ (by
and through a telescope. Some of the observers’ images are posted on Mike Foulkes), ‘Uranus during the 2015 apparition’ (by Kevin Bailey),
our website. ‘Neptune in 2014–2015’ and ‘Neptune in 2016–2017’ (both by Dr John
In 2021, the Jupiter system is edge-on to the Sun and Earth (with equinox Sussenbach).
on May 2), so mutual phenomena of the Galilean moons are occurring; The following Observing Challenges were set on the BAA web page:
predictions and analyses have been led by the French IMCCE. Given the ‘Uranus 2020’, ‘The Jupiter/Saturn conjunction on December 21’ and ‘The
planet’s southerly position, few events have been observable from north- occultation of a star by Saturn and its rings on June 27/28’. The occulted
ern Europe, but Chris Nuttall in York made a fine drawing of one, and star in question was TYC 6349-00492-1. Using a 415mm Dall–Kirkham,
southern-hemisphere observers produced several well-resolved videos. David Gray was able to observe this star up to about two arcseconds from
The planet itself has obliged with a variety of notable atmospheric Saturn before cloud set in. Many observed the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction
phenomena in 2020–’21. The most dramatic was a North Temperate Belt on the night itself and for a few days either side of the event.
jetstream outbreak, which is the typical cyclic upheaval in the NTB, with A webinar on ‘Neptune at opposition’ was held on 2020 Aug 19, in
super-energetic storms leading to a revival of the belt. It began on 2020 conjunction with Dr John Sussenbach.
Aug 18 and was observed better than any previous example. The North Further work on updating and maintaining the Section’s web page was
Equatorial Belt, after last year’s expansion event, has faded rapidly apart conducted; initially by Stuart Morris and more recently by Emily Bick,
from the dark south component. The northern part of the belt is excep- and so a big thanks to both. One new feature of the page is an observation
tionally pale, and pockmarked with very dark ovals, which leads us to blog for each planet, which is updated on a regular basis.
forecast that it could revive in a dramatic event in 2023. The Equatorial
Zone continues to be strongly ochre or orange, and we discovered a re- Mike Foulkes, Director
markable pattern of stationary waves over it. In the South Temperate Belt
latitudes, we have followed the development of Clyde’s Spot over the past
year, which is now an expanding turbulent region and could progress to
a more general revival of the STB. Comet Section
As Jupiter moves northwards over the next few years, observing
conditions for members in northern Europe will continue to improve. At the start of the session, we were watching C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)
We have received some good images from the UK already this year and fade as it began its journey back to the outer solar system. It had been a
look forward to more. magnificent object and the final count of images and sketches received
Meanwhile the Juno mission, which was scheduled to end in 2021 July, came to 488 individual items. The first observation was an image by
has been extended for another four years to 2025 September, with the John Drummond (New Zealand) taken on 2020 Apr 1, just after the
orbital period being shortened to 43–44 days. We expect to continue our comet was discovered. The last was from Daniel Pivato (Italy) on Sep 18,
collaboration with the JunoCam team throughout the mission. when it had faded back below 12th magnitude. A preliminary report of
the observations received was published in the 2020 October Journal
John H. Rogers, Director [130(5), 264–267].
COVID restrictions have continued to prevent face-to-face meetings,
but there were a number of comet-related webinars during the session.
These are available to watch on the BAA’s YouTube channel. The Di-
Saturn, Uranus & Neptune Section rector hopes that we can all get back to a more normal life soon, and in
particular that a physical Comet Section meeting can be organised some
This report covers the end of the 2020 and beginning of the 2021 ap- time in the first half of 2022.
paritions of Saturn, plus the 2020 apparitions of Uranus and Neptune. Observations (both visual and electronic) continue to be submitted via
Once again, Saturn’s high southerly declination often made it difficult the online Comet Observations database (COBS) or directly to the visual
to secure high-resolution observations from mid-temperate and north- observations coordinator, Jonathan Shanklin. A number of observers are
erly latitudes. using the Section’s Comphot software to extract total magnitudes from
The observed belt and zone structure remained similar over this period. images. Jonathan has continued to analyse quantitative data submitted
The North Equatorial Belt (NEB) was double, with the NEB(S) being the by visual and electronic observers and he adapts the observations into the
most prominent belt and the NEB(N) appearing much fainter. A dark belt format that Guy Hurst uses for publication in The Astronomer.
was also observed at mid-temperate latitudes (approximately from +48 to BAA observers have submitted a large amount of astrometrical data
+52 planetographic) during both apparitions. Certain belts, particularly to the Minor Planet Center and have responded to alerts on the Possible
the southern edge of the NEB(S), sometimes showed some ripples or Comet Confirmation Page. Astrometry of objects fainter than magni-
waves along their edges. tude 20 is now being submitted by a number of members.
The North Polar Hexagon was seen in high-resolution observations Denis Buczynski has continued to manage the Section’s online image
in 2020, but the vertices were more difficult to resolve in 2021. This archive. At the end of 2021 July, this contained 33,709 images. A total
was possibly due to the reduced inclination of the planet’s north pole of 3,987 were added during the session at an average rate of 11 per day.
with respect to the Earth. This also allowed a little more of the southern Following work by Dominic Ford, the archive can now be accessed using
hemisphere to be visible, within which a narrow, bluish-coloured zone the very powerful BAA image albums front end on our website.
was shown in some images. The number of comet spectra in the BAA database continues to increase,
No major storm features were observed, but high-resolution obser- despite the lack of bright comets. A further three spectra were added during
vations revealed some small-scale spots at a number of latitudes. So far the session. Spectroscopy is an increasingly important tool for amateur
during the 2021 apparition, some small bright spots have been detected comet observers and is crucial to understanding the chemical evolution
on the southern edge of the North Polar Region. The long-lived Anticy- of cometary objects.
clonic Vortex was still present, appearing as a small dark spot, but this was There has been one issue of the Section’s newsletter, the Comet’s Tale:
very difficult to detect even in the highest-resolution images. Recently, issue 40, published in 2021 July. It is available from the website and its
in 2021 June, some activity appeared in a short longitude sector of the 75 pages are packed with a wide range of material. As of early 2021
southern Equatorial Zone. This comprised a number of bright but very August, it has been downloaded over 450 times. My thanks go to the
small spots, which required the highest resolution for detection. editor, Janice McClean, for putting this together. We are always looking
The only major feature recorded on Uranus was the bright region in the out for good material, so please contact Janice directly if you would like
northern hemisphere, which was prominent in red and infrared images. to write an article for the Tale. The Director provided material for the
A few light areas were sometimes recorded on Neptune, but these could 2022 Handbook and the online Comet Observing Guide PDF has been
not be tracked. updated with a sixth revision. A review of the comets of 2017 by Jonathan
The only Section article published in the Journal during this period Shanklin was published in the Journal [131(1), 27–36]. Jonathan also
was entitled ‘Observe Neptune at opposition’ [130(4), 204]. However, prepares the annual predictions in the Journal for forthcoming comets.
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 305
Report of the Council, 2020–2021 
Peter Carson continues to deal with imaging queries from members and Richard Fleet’s camera recorded it fading as it was leaving the ablation
non-members. Richard Miles leads our 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann layer, presumably returning to space after its encounter with Earth. A more
project and a number of outbursts have been detected during the session. complete analysis of this event by Denis Vida and Milan Kalina (Global
Richard maintains the ‘Mission 29P’ pages on the Section website and Meteor Network), taking into account recordings by meteor stations in
there is plenty of work to do on this fascinating object. Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, showed that the full duration
The Director would like to thank the members of the Section committee of this remarkable Earth-grazing object was at least 31s, during which it
and all our observers for their support during this past session. covered a ground distance of ~970km.
The session’s meteor shower activity began with a Perseid season
Nick James, Director featuring warm, humid nights with variable amounts of cloud and some
interference from the last-quarter Moon. With peak activity occurring
around 14h UT on 2020 Aug 12 (during daylight hours from the UK),
the two nights of Aug 11/12 & 12/13 proved the most productive for
Meteor Section observers in the UK. Observers watching after midnight on Aug 11/12
noted increasing activity towards dawn, with a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR)
The 2020–’21 session has been an exceptional and historic one for the approaching 70 meteors per hour (m/h). Activity was in decline, with
Section, in that it included the first successful imaging of a fireball and rates of ~65m/h on the late evening of Aug 12/13, reducing to ~55m/h
subsequent recovery of associated meteorite fragments ever achieved by dawn. Several observers commented on bright kappa Cygnids that
in the UK. The amazing story of the rapid analysis of the fireball’s were seen during this period.
trajectory, terminal altitude and velocity as well as the recovery, in the Prior to the Perseids, Assistant Director Alex Pratt, who keeps a close
heart of the covid pandemic, of just over 500g of unweathered rare eye on new developments in automated meteor detection, had built one
carbonaceous-chondrite fragments of the Winchcombe meteorite, has of the Global Meteor Network’s (GMN) Raspberry Pi Meteor Station
been described by Jim Rowe [131(3), 134–136]. It should also be noted (RMS) units to compare its performance and functionality with that of the
that Rowe (UKFall) and Dr Ashley King (Natural History Museum) had tried and tested UFO program suite run by the NEMETODE group. He
presented an extremely prescient webinar for the BAA in 2021 January found that the recommended sensor and range of lenses give impressive
on ‘Recovering the UK’s next meteorite’. What is remarkable is that the performance, reaching magnitude 6 from a suburban location, although
initial event at 21:54 UT on 2021 Feb 28 was not only seen by over a he noted some limitations and problems with the RMS software. Many
thousand eyewitnesses, but was also recorded by no fewer than 15 fire- other observers have also constructed and installed RMS meteor detectors
ball or meteor cameras, many operated by BAA members, as part of six during the session. Indeed, an excellent BAA webinar entitled ‘Video
different networks ranging from all-sky to narrow-field systems. These meteor detection and spectroscopy’, given by Section committee members
networks use different hardware, software and data formats, but because Alex Pratt, William Stewart (Ravensmoor) and Bill Ward (Kilwinning) and
of good inter-network cooperation on potential meteorite-dropping streamed live on 2020 Nov 11, played a very important role in encouraging
events, it was possible to analyse this diverse data set and obtain a good more people to take up meteor work during the session.
estimate of the strewn field (centred on Winchcombe, Gloucestershire) The Orionids in 2020 October were largely unaffected by the
where fragments might be located, leading eventually to their successful first-quarter Moon. The peak was quite broad, with a ZHR of 20–24m/h
retrieval. Everyone involved in this unique success for British meteor from Oct 22–25. The Northern Taurids, which peak around Nov 12,
astronomy is to be heartily congratulated, especially Jim Rowe and the seemed the more active of the two branches of the stream with a ZHR of
UKFall team. ~10m/h at best. The Leonids occurred near new Moon, but unsurprisingly
Less than three weeks later, at 14:53 UT on 2021 Mar 20, there was gave generally low rates of ~15m/h on Nov 17–18. In the early hours of
another major event which may have led to a meteorite fall on the Dorset/ 2019 Nov 22, observers had recorded a brief increase in activity from
Hampshire border or northern part of the New Forest. Unfortunately, the alpha Monocerotids (AMO). There was no repeat of this in 2020.
unlike the Winchcombe fireball which took place at night, this later The Geminids also coincided with new Moon and easily retained their
event took place during daylight and few observers in the UK saw it, status as the most active shower of the year. With peak rates expected for
since cloud covered most of southern England and Wales at the time. around 20h UT on the evening of Dec 13, good activity was seen before
However, it was clear on the other side of the Channel and there were dawn that morning and also in the evening as the radiant climbed, declining
many visual observations from northern France and the Channel Islands. only slightly towards dawn. The peak ZHR was ~110m/h. The big surprise
The first indication that a major event had occurred was given by multiple was the very sudden drop in rates by the following night, Dec 14/15.
reports of sonic booms heard by people under the cloud cover. These were The Ursids were largely unaffected by the first-quarter Moon and
recorded on a number of CCTV systems and by a fibre-optic distributed although rates are generally very low (ZHR only 5–10m/h at best), there
audio sensing array operated by OptaSense in Dorset. A dashcam video was the possibility of enhanced activity in 2020, with the Earth passing
from St Helier, Jersey showed the entire event in a clear sky, and a still close to several dust trails aligned with the orbit of parent comet 8P/Tuttle.
taken on an iPhone showed the bright fireball and its train. Analyses of The most likely time appeared to be just before dawn on Dec 22, when
the dashcam footage, the audio records of the sonic boom (including that Earth encountered the dust trail created in the year 829. Increased Ursid
from the OptaSense array), and of a flash recorded by a EUMETSAT activity was indeed noted in the pre-dawn hours, but nothing that could
satellite all helped to constrain the trajectory. However, it took time to be termed an ‘outburst’.
collect all the various reports and no fragments could be recovered, if The Quadrantids in 2021 January suffered some interference from a
indeed any reached the ground at all. Nevertheless, a great deal was waning gibbous Moon in Leo. UK observers missed the peak, predicted
learned about the methods which may be used in the analysis of a fireball for 11h UT on Jan 3. Consequently, the best rates were recorded in the
seen in the daytime. pre-dawn hours of Jan 3, with the radiant being inconveniently low
A third exceptional event had occurred earlier in the session. On 2020 when darkness fell that evening. Alex Pratt again noted good rates on
Sep 22 at 03:53:43 UT, Peter Carson (Leigh-on-Sea) of the NEMETODE Jan 6/7 (λ☼ (2000.0) = 287°), three or so days after maximum, as seen
video meteor network detected a slow meteor over the North Sea moving previously in the NEMETODE multi-year dataset. After the generally
from east to west, which reached magnitude –2.6 (absolute magnitude –4) low meteor rates in February and March, the April Lyrid meteors usu-
and took 10s to traverse his camera field of view. It was also recorded by ally provide a welcome upturn in activity, with members of the shower
Jim Rowe (East Barnet), Steve Bosley (Hampshire Astronomical Group, visible throughout April. In 2021, the Lyrid maximum was predicted to
Clanfield), Nick James (Chelmsford), Ray Taylor (Skirlaugh), Alex Pratt occur around 11h UT on Apr 22, but observed activity was rather poor on
(Leeds), and by Richard Fleet (Wilcot) of the UKMON group, who also both Apr 21/22 & 22/23 (peak ZHR ~12m/h), despite little interference
captured the later stage of the event until 03:53:59 UT. By this time it from moonlight, and somewhat inferior to that noted in 2020 April when
had travelled 500km in 16s, at an average speed of 31.25km/s. When the weather conditions were admittedly far better. There was indeed a
first detected it had an estimated altitude of 93km and was slowly decel- very marked contrast in the conditions during 2021 April to July, when
erating. It crossed southern England at ~100km altitude, then climbed compared with the same period in 2020. There were only two weeks of
to ~115km and its velocity increased to ~38 km/s as it approached the stable, clear weather in the spring/early summer of 2021, compared with
Severn Estuary. The meteor then had an absolute magnitude of –1 and nearly three months the previous year.
306 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021
 Report of the Council, 2020–2021
Another highlight of the year was the acquisition by Bill Ward (Kilwinning Poland and Germany; a total of six sightings were made over two nights
Spectroscopic Survey for Meteors) of the highest-resolution spectrum he in May. 195 sightings were reported in June over 27 nights, and July
has obtained, with the best resolution ever achieved from the UK. The saw 123 reports over 18 nights, making a total of 324 sightings by 81
very bright sporadic meteor on 2020 Aug 9 at 00:26:53 UT was captured reporters. Images taken by Ken Kennedy at intervals throughout the night
with an objective grating video camera system. The fortunate alignment have proven useful in picking up faint NLC, especially before dawn. The
of the meteor trail resulted in the extremely high-resolution spectrum. The AIM satellite was of great help in predicting trends, but it has gaps, so
image captured the second order and parts of the third order. The camera observer reports are still essential. A full report of the season’s activity
was a ZWO 174MM (monochrome version) running at approximately and observers will be published in the Journal in due course.
17.1f/s. The lens was a 25mm ƒ/1.3 and the grating was 600 lines/mm
(fused silica substrate), blazed for 400nm. A single ‘chopped section’
was used from the image to produce the spectrum graph. The third-order The Section
section used yielded a resolution of 0.258nm/pix. This gives an R-value
of approximately 2000. The NIST Strong Line and Persistent Line cata- It was with great regret that the Section learned of the death of Ron
logues were used to identify lines in the spectrum. By utilising the Mg I Livesey, Assistant Director for Magnetic Fluctuations. He was also
triplet and the Na doublet, an initial calibration was done to determine Aurora Section Director from 1982 to 2005 and an amazing astronom-
the dispersion. This was refined to classify the stronger Fe I lines, then ical ambassador.
subsequently the weaker lines could be identified. Bill has set a consistent- Several articles have been produced for the BAA Journal, and a paper
ly very high standard in his spectral work and has inspired many others by Ken Kennedy entitled ‘Noctilucent cloud over Britain & Western
to take up this important field of study. Derek Robson (Loughborough) Europe, 2019’ was published.
is also to be congratulated for his acquisition of the spectrum of the Several talks have been given by various officers throughout the year,
meteorite-dropping fireball on 2021 Feb 28. although this was affected by a problem with the Director’s Internet
As in previous years, the Director has provided the data for the Meteor connection that is now hopefully solved. Aurora images have been sup-
Diary in the BAA Handbook and the list of Principal Meteor Showers in plied for various talks by other Sections. The Section has been asked to
the Diary of the Royal Astronomical Society. The Meteor Diary in the 2021 supply data to Prof Cora Randall to help with the CIPS module on the
BAA Handbook once again closely follows the list of regular major and AIM satellite. The Section has established links with Dr Liz MacDonald
more reliable minor showers in the List of Established Meteor Showers of Aurorasaurus which it hopes to expand, and, thanks to Jonathan
published by the IAU Meteor Data Center (MDC). Shanklin, a project has been started to assist Dr David Newnham in
As always, the Director is extremely grateful to all those observers who the recording of NLC in both hemispheres. The Section strength now
contribute observations by any means (visual, DSLR, radio and video), stands at 192, and it is encouraging to see that despite the reduced solar
to all members of the NEMETODE and UKFall groups, and the BAA’s activity there are still many people who are willing to send in reports and
Radio Astronomy Section (under the Directorship of John Cook) for many high-quality photographs.
fascinating insights and discussions. Thanks also go to all members of With the loss of Ron Livesey, the Section is now seeking someone to
the Section committee for their continued support, enthusiasm and en- take on the role of Assistant Director for Magnetic Fluctuations. Please
couragement, and especially Leonard Entwisle, Tracie Louise Heywood, contact the Director if you are interested.
Nick James, Alex Pratt, William Stewart and Bill Ward. Thanks go again to Tom McEwan for access to his NLC website, ed-co.
net/nlcnet, and the ease with which reports can be entered. Finally, the
John Mason, Director Section officers would like to thank all those observers who have sent
in reports and images of auroral and NLC displays during the past year.

Sandra Brantingham, Director

Aurora & Noctilucent Cloud Section

Aurora Variable Star Section

The Sun is now only supplying aurorae by coronal holes, and while these
keep the number of sightings up, reports are mainly from Scotland or Observing highlights
further north. Small sunspots are starting to appear in greater numbers,
but there have been no Earth-directed large coronal mass ejections. This session was remarkable for the discovery of four reasonably bright
Aurorae were observed in every month from 2020 September to 2021 novae north of the celestial equator. What is more is that each was well
April, with a total of 51 sightings. All of these reports came by e-mail, placed in the sky at the time of their discovery, which generated interest
and each were replied to. The most southerly observation was made by from those who might not otherwise observe variable stars. V1405 Cas
Jay Brausch from North Dakota, which was also the only sighting south has been especially interesting: not only did it reach naked-eye visibility,
of Scotland. but it also remained reasonably bright for several months, with several
August (0 observations) had two G1-class storms; September (10) had rebrightening episodes in its light curve.
two G2 and three G1; October (4) had no G-class storms; November (2) Hearty congratulation to Rod Stubbings (Victoria, Australia) who
had one G1; December (4) had no G-class storms; January (8) had one achieved his 350,000th visual observation on 2021 Jun 28, and to Peter
G1; February (5) had one G1; March (10) had five G1 and two G2; April Williams (New South Wales, Australia) who made his 200,000th visual
(0) had eight G1 and two R1; May (0) had three G1, one G3, three R1 observation on 2021 Jul 4.
and one S1; June (0) had one G1, and July (0) had one R3 and one R1. The Director would like to thank all our observers who go out night after
night to monitor the variable stars. He also thanks the Section officers for
their work; without their help it would not be possible to run the Section.
Noctilucent cloud (NLC)

The 2020 NLC northern season ended with 10 reports being received Bright northern-hemisphere novae, 2020­–’21
in the first two weeks of the period under review. Aug 7/8 saw the last
visual sighting and the last of the ice in the mesosphere was seen by the Nova GCVS name Discoverer(s) Date Mag. range
AIM satellite on Aug 26. N Per 2020 V1112 Per Seiji Ueda 2020 Nov 25 8.2–20.1V
The southern season started very late, on 2020 Dec 8, and continued N Cas 2021 V1405 Cas Yuji Nakamura 2021 Mar 18 5.2–15.6V
till 2021 Feb 25. No sighting reports were received. N Her 2021 V1674 Her Seiji Ueda 2021 Jun 12 6.0V – >20.5g
The 2021 northern NLC season started early, with the AIM satellite N Vul 2021 V606 Vul Koichi Itagaki 2021 Jul 15 12.1–21.9V
detecting NLC on May 20. The first sightings were on May 25/26 from
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 307
Report of the Council, 2020–2021 
BAA VSS Database report (Andrew Wilson)

Observations received

This report covers variable star observations loaded into the photometry
and spectroscopy databases by 2021 Aug 7, for the period 2020 Aug 1
to 2021 Jul 31. This year saw a decline in the number of observations
submitted to both databases: a 20% drop in photometry and a 10% drop
in spectra. This should be considered in the context of an exceptional
2019/’20 reporting year, with this year’s numbers not unusual when
compared over multiple years. The number of photometry observers
(visual and digital) and spectroscopy observers is holding up well. The
Section has a core of very active and experienced observers, with new
observers contributing each year.

Method Observations Observers Variable stars

Visual  35,496 28  831
Digital (CCD/CMOS) 185,079 29   843
Total photometry 220,575 51 1,267
Total spectra   1,847 20  399

With continuing developments in digital cameras, observations made

using CCD and CMOS sensors in either DSLRs or dedicated astronomical
cameras have this year all been grouped together under the heading of
‘digital’. Observations made using CCD cameras continue to dominate
this category with 181,780 observations, compared with 1,727 using
DSLRs and 1,572 with CMOS astronomical cameras. Nova Cas 2021 (V1405 Cas) on 2021 Mar 29 and May 19, showing the nova
becoming distinctly red. Imaged by Mazin Younis from Hale Barnes, Man-
chester with a Sky-Watcher Quattro 200mm ƒ/4 Newtonian and ZWO ASI
294MC-Pro. Exposure: 90 frames of 60s.
Visual observations

The visual observations received for the period are as follows: J. Coffin, 19; J. Martin, 14; T. Lester, 12; M. Rodriguez, 7; J. Michelet, 6;
G. Poyner, 9,127; J. Toone, 5,955; S. W. Albrighton, 5,006; R. K. Hunt, F. Pastor, 3; J. Grzegorzek, 3.
4,113; T. L. Heywood, 2,531; P. B. Withers, 1,832; L. K. Brundle, 1,756; The top 10 variable stars with spectra during the period are as follows:
R. Pearce, 1,630; G. M. Hurst, 733; J. D. Shanklin, 693; T. Vale, 692; Nova Per 2020, 133 observations by 10 observers; gam Cas, 85, 4; Nova
R. A. H. Paterson, 378; R. C. Dryden, 318; R. B. I. Fraser, 297; M. Barrett, Cas 2020, 83, 8; Nova Cas 2021, 51, 8; Nova Her 2021, 44, 8; Z And, 44,
97; C. J. Evans, 64; D. Dobbs, 59; K. Griffiths, 50; P. G. Abel, 46; C. Lloyd, 8; V442 And, 41, 6; T CrB, 41, 5; AG Dra, 35, 9; VV Cep, 32, 5.
25; J. Thorpe, 25; M. J. Gainsford, 17; M. K. Kidger, 15; H. J. Davies, 13;
J. Shears, 12; M. L. Joslin, 8; C. Mann, 3; D. S. Conner, 1.
The top 10 variable stars observed visually during the period are as Cataclysmic Variables & Eruptive Stars programme
follows: (Gary Poyner)
R CrB, 524 observations by 15 observers; SS Cyg, 495, 9; Z Cam, 489,
9; CH Cyg, 458, 13; T CrB, 371, 8; Z UMa, 333, 10; RX And, 330, 9; Z As of 2021 Aug 1, the total number of CV&E observations reported to the
UMi, 316, 6; AB Dra, 245, 5; V465 Cas, 245, 8. Variable Star Section database for the period 2020 Aug 1 to 2021 Jul 31
is 61,122. This breaks down as: CCD (all bands, including single image
and time series), 43,519 of 422 objects; visual, 17,455 of 304 objects;
Digital observations CMOS, 98 of 1 object and DSLR, 50 of 18 objects.
The top five most popular visual targets are: R CrB, 483 observations
The digital observations received for the period are as follows: from 15 observers; Z Cam, 477, 9; SS Cyg, 468, 9; CH Cyg, 429, 13;
J. T. Screech, 109,832; D. Boyd, 21,231; S. Johnston, 14,146; D. S. T CrB, 356, 8. The top CCD target is SS Cyg, with 8,551 observations from
Conner, 11,271; R. D. Pickard, 9,541; G. D. Coates, 4,970; G. Fleming, seven observers. This total includes time-series runs. V1405 Cas (N Cas
3,170; G. Poyner, 2,175; R. Sargent, 1,690; C. Watkins, 1,246; T. Vale, 2021) unsurprisingly proved the most popular with DSLR observers.
1,110; N. D. James, 985; R. Pearce, 570; D. W. G. Smith, 549; I. L. Walton, Quite apart from the four novae discovered during this period, the
509; D. Loughney, 426; I. Bradley, 326; J. Simpson, 259; G. M. Hurst, 243; highlights of the session for this programme have been the currently
W. Parkes, 208; J. H. Mallett, 181; D. Matthews, 142; M. Mobberley, 85; ongoing outburst of the UGWZ star V627 Peg – the first outburst seen
M. Usatov, 60; K. Gurney, 41; J. Shears, 36; P. C. Leyland, 29; I. Sharp, since 2014 October – and the return to maximum brightness of R CrB,
24; S. Bean, 24. after a 13-year period of activity.
The top 10 variable stars observed digitally during the period are
as follows:
FI Lyn, 15,014 observations by 1 observer; UCAC4 709-047369, Pulsating Stars programme (Shaun Albrighton)
14,956, 1; KM Lyn, 14,568, 1; KL Lyn, 12,197, 1; NSVS 4767492,
9,494, 1; SW Lac, 8,719, 2; SS Cyg, 8,556, 8; EF Boo, 6,220, 1; V1112 Per, As of 2021 Aug 1, during the 12 months from 2020 Aug 1, 12,379 visual,
4,816, 8; V1405 Cas, 3,088, 11. 1,479 CCD and 119 DSLR observations of stars on the programme have
been received. The most popular stars across all formats were V CVn
(393), Z UMa (389) and S Per (314). Highlights included bright maxima
Spectroscopy observations of the Mira variable omicron Cet (mag. 3.3), and the recently added
semi-regular V370 And (mag. 7.2).
The spectroscopic observations received for the period are as follows: A programme to study poorly observed Mira variables has recently
J. Foster, 652; E. Bryssinck, 234; F. Sims, 197; D. Boyd, 163; been developed and observers are encouraged to add some of these stars
R. Leadbeater, 129; J. Guarro Fló, 102; K. Gurney, 85; H. Allen, 83; to their target list. In this way, we may gain insight into their range and
S. Curry, 38; P. Berardi, 37; N. Tonkin, 23; A. Halsey, 20; A. Stiewing, 20; period, and could detect any humps or dual maxima in their light curves.
308 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021
 Report of the Council, 2020–2021
Eclipsing Binary programme (Des Loughney) collections of old data held by myself (virtually complete). However,
Tracie Heywood in particular has noted inconsistencies in some of these
Predictions for Algol, RZ Cas and RS CVn eclipses were provided for the data and has sent a list, which the author is now forwarding to the relevant
BAA Handbook, with predictions for Algol also supplied for inclusion observer for comment where appropriate.
in the Yearbook of Astronomy 2021. Predictions for a range of EA and
EB eclipsing systems were made available on the Section’s website on a
monthly basis, but these had to be discontinued as the prediction software Variable Star Section Mentoring Scheme
became out of date. Hopefully the Computing Section of the BAA will
be able to write new software so the predictions can resume. The Section continues to put people in touch with mentors who can pro-
‘Eclipsing binary news’ continues to be a regular feature of the Variable vide advice about the basics and intricacies of variable star observing. This
Star Section Circular, containing information regarding the systems on covers visual, DSLR and CCD photometry, spectroscopy, data analysis
our programme and the latest research on eclipsing binaries. and reduction. We are in need of new mentors, especially for visual and
During the session there has been a welcome number of articles in the digital photometry. If you think you can help, please contact the Director.
Circular on eclipsing binaries, which illustrates the continuing interest
in these systems. Over the four editions of the last year, there were eight
articles. There is no doubt that the study of these systems by amateur Variable Star Section Circulars (Gary Poyner)
astronomers, using visual observation and advanced techniques, still
provides valuable information on the evolution of stars. An article by Four Circulars were produced for the period in review: 2020 September,
Chris Lloyd in issue 187 of the Circular specified a new, longer period for 2020 December, 2021 March and 2021 June. The publication is sent
beta Lyrae. The new period, shown to be correct through measurements directly to 207 subscribers. They are also available from the Section and
obtained by others in 2020/’21, is 12.945272 days, rather than 12.913834 BAA home pages, to anyone interested in variable stars.
days which is quoted in the GCVS and Krakow databases.
The Eclipsing Binary Handbook is a free download and has now been
revised to create a second edition, which may be found on the Circular Contributions to the Journal with a variable star theme
web page. The main change has been to our eclipsing binary observation
programme. We are grateful to Chris Lloyd for the new information and – ‘Rare outburst of dwarf nova PQ And’, Philip Jennings [130(4), 201];
links to SIMBAD and VSX. The Eclipsing Binary Handbook is meant – ‘Unusual ‘stunted’ outbursts in the nova-like variable star HS
to be a live document, so it will continue to be revised. 0229+8016’, Jeremy Shears [130(4), 234];
Numerous requests for information during the year have been an-
swered, covering topics such as suitable eclipsing binaries for observing – ‘Observing Z Ursae Majoris’, Des Loughney [130(4), 250];
programmes, construction of graphs to estimate minima and information – ‘Betelgeuse fading again?’, Jeremy Shears [130(5), 261];
about individual systems. The requests have come from not only BAA – ‘Get involved in researching star & planet formation’, Roger Pickard
members in the UK but also amateur astronomers in Europe. [130(5), 261];
– ‘Observing carbon stars with large binoculars’, Shaun Albrighton
CCD Target List & observing campaigns [130(5), 318];
(Jeremy Shears) – ‘Another one bites the dust: Gyulbudaghian’s Nebula disappears’, Nick
Hewitt [130(6), 329];
The CCD Target List was developed to provide people who were new – ‘Supernova Betelgeuse?’, Mark Kidger [130(6), 342];
to the field of CCD photometry of variable stars with some interesting
targets to which they could turn their instruments, whilst developing their – ‘The Z Cam stars’, Gary Poyner [130(6), 379];
techniques. The stars on the list provide a focus for people who wish – ‘Novae appear in Cassiopeia & Perseus’, Jeremy Shears [131(1), 9];
to take up this branch of astronomy, perhaps wishing to move on from – ‘Bright nova in Cassiopeia’, Philip Jennings [131(2), 69];
taking pretty pictures to doing science. From time to time, campaigns on
specific stars are organised. – ‘Nebulae, clusters & variable stars’, Roger Pickard [131(2), 119];
During the autumn of 2020, Stewart Bean and the Director launched a – ‘A bright nova in Cassiopeia heralds spring’, Jeremy Shears [131(3), 132].
campaign to detect outbursts of the UGER-type dwarf nova IX Dra, with
the aim of studying the variation of its supercycle – the time between suc-
cessive superoutbursts. S. Bean, G. D. Coates, N. D. James, M. Mobberley, The Variable Star Section online
R. Pearce, G. Poyner, R. Sargent and J. Shears have submitted data. This
campaign is ongoing, and Stewart has added several other UGER systems The Section maintains its own web pages, which are managed by Gary
including ER UMa itself, RZ LMi, V1159 Ori, YZ Cnc and DI UMa. Poyner and updated at irregular intervals with news and light curves. The
Another current campaign concerns the neglected dwarf nova CG VSS Facebook page continues to be maintained by Tracie Heywood on
Dra. This is one of the most active dwarf novae, going into outburst ev- a regular basis. The BAAVSS-alert e-mail group transferred from Yahoo
ery 11 days or so. G. D. Coates, N. D. James, R. Pearce, R. D. Pickard, Groups to Groups.io in 2020 October, due to the demise of the former.
G. Poyner, R. Sargent, J. Shears, M. Usatov, and I. L. Walton have The subscription currently stands at 95 members.
submitted observations. New observers who wish to contribute to either
campaign are welcome. Jeremy Shears, Director

Chart report (John Toone)

UK Nova/Supernova Patrol
Work has continued on implementing the policy of updating the sequence
files for existing programme stars and for special observing projects. All The Patrol continues to be coordinated through both the Association’s
new sequences are based on V photometry, with a restricted colour range Variable Star and Deep Sky Sections, and also The Astronomer mag-
to ensure they ‘look right’ to the visual observer. azine (TA). In addition to the main search for novae and supernovae,
special attention is also paid to long-term monitoring of these objects
post-maximum, to watch for unusual light-curve activity as encouraged
Archival observations (Roger Pickard) by professional astronomers.
Patrol members have discovered 15 novae since the programme started
The Section continues to input data to the database, either from members in 1976. All have been found by imaging except for the first, found visually
as they make observations (see Andrew Wilson’s report on p.308) or from in Sagitta by the late John Hosty.
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 309
Report of the Council, 2020–2021 
UK Nova/Supernova Patrol: outbursts and discoveries in the
session ending 2021 July 31
Date SN/N Galaxy/type Discoverer Mag. ECirc
2020 Jul 15 Nova Ret 2020 (nova) McNaught   5.0 3529/3531
2020 Oct 8 SN 2020uxz NGC 514 (supernova) Lubbock 14.5 3553
2021 Jan 4 M33N M33 (nova) Bryan   17 3584

‘ECirc’ in the above table refers to the Electronic Circulars of The Astronomer, where events
are initially announced by the Patrol.

missed, so please e-mail observations to him too. There have been a small
Light curve for 2021 June of the rapidly fading nova V1674 number of members doing spectroscopy of deep-sky objects, which is an
Herculis. Chris Jones interesting but niche pursuit.

The Section
Patrol notes
Section membership now stands at 205 – up 20 from last year.
Nova Ret 2020 was found by Robert McNaught, Australia on A Section newsletter to catch up for 2019 was issued in the session
pre-discovery all-sky video images by M. Phillips. This latest nova by under review and an edition for 2020 is expected early in the new session.
McNaught is the third he has found for the Patrol. A monthly e-mail update has been sent to Section members and posted
The SN 2020uxz discovery by Stephen Lubbock was an independent on the BAA website.
detection of the supernova, which was also found by Koichi Itagaki Stewart Moore, Owen Brazell and the Director have provided articles
of Japan. for each Journal through the year on some topic of deep-sky observing,
M33N was independently found by James Bryan of the USA. This and members’ observations are often reported in the Journal too.
find is the first nova detected in the distant Triangulum galaxy by a The Section website has had some reorganisation around the observing
Patrol member. programmes. Owen Brazell scanned copies of the Section’s newsletter
In addition to Patrol discoveries, follow-up monitoring of the nova from the early days, and these are now available on the website. Stuart
V1405 Cas revealed a series of unusual outbursts in the light curve Morris has been assisting with the upload of images in the archives to
throughout 2021 June, rather than a normal decline. A parallel study the website.
for the same month showed equally unusual activity in the bright nova
V1674 Herculis, which initially peaked at magnitude 6 in the middle of Callum Potter, Director
the month. However, it immediately entered a very steep decline and
reached magnitude 13.5 by the end of June, as shown in the light curve
by Chris Jones (above). By Jul 27 it had reached magnitude 15, with care
needed in identification. Results on both these novae showed the value Radio Astronomy Section
of a follow-up study undertaken by patrollers.
The Patrol is indebted to the American Association of Variable Star There have been no full Section meetings over the last 12 months, but a
Observers for the use of valuable charts and faint sequences, especially series of very successful Zoom meetings were started in 2021 February.
of supernovae. These have been held weekly, with between 30 and 60 joining in and
More patrollers are welcomed, using both visual and imaging tech- up to 200 viewing the recordings on YouTube. There have also been a
niques. Please contact the undersigned (guy@tahq.org.uk) for further number of training sessions held online, covering some of the modern
details if interested in any aspect of the Patrol. technology available for amateur radio astronomy. These meetings will
continue through the autumn, the programme being given on the Sec-
Guy M. Hurst, Coordinator tion’s website. Included are talks on the mysteries of X-ray cosmology
and the counting of muons.
The monthly activity summaries have continued, with an e-mail list of
50. Reports were included of the Leonid and Quadrantid meteor showers,
Deep Sky Section as well as magnetic activity, VLF SIDs and HF/VHF solar emissions.
SID recordings are showing an increase in flare numbers and strength as
The Section’s annual meeting was held virtually as a Zoom webinar on Solar Cycle 25 becomes more active. Several M-class flares have been
Saturday, 2021 Mar 6. The keynote talk was given by Dr John Lightfoot recorded, along with many C-class, and an X-class event in early 2021
of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, who spoke about Hubble’s variable July. Recordings during the 2021 Jun 10 partial solar eclipse were also
nebula which he has been observing over decades. Dr Lightfoot wrote made, and at the time of writing are being analysed.
a seminal paper, ‘Shadowplay in Hubble’s variable nebula’ in 1989. He The Zoom meetings have allowed members around the country to dis-
showed time-lapse animations he has made over the years since, which cuss projects in progress and suggest new ideas. One such is the provision
show that the visible structures are not as well understood as we might of a UK radio beacon for use in meteor detection. Observers currently use
have expected. Peter Goodhew talked about ‘Discovering planetary neb- either a French or Belgian signal, neither of which is ideal for recording
ulae’, explaining how he images faint and new, prospective PNe from his meteors over the UK that might also be caught on the camera networks.
remote observatory in Spain. The Director gave a brief Section update. This would probably be a joint project with the Radio Society of Great
Britain, to get the required license to operate a beacon transmitter. Al-
though very much in its initial phase, this could be a useful signal source
Observations for UK observers if it progresses.
A new Groups.io forum was set up in 2020 October as a replacement
Observations received were mostly digital images of the brighter and more for the old Yahoo forum, and is proving to be popular. The website con-
popular deep-sky objects. Visual reports are sadly now nearly non-existent, tinues to be updated with the monthly activity summary and meetings
which is a pity as visual observing certainly still seems to be a popular programme, and also now includes an item on the practical problems of
pursuit. Many members of the Association post interesting deep-sky ob- using a magnetometer in a home installation.
servations on their Members’ Albums on the BAA website – the Director
likes to view these whenever possible, but sometimes something will be John Cook, Director
310 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021
 Report of the Council, 2020–2021
Equipment & Techniques Section The other main segment of the Section’s work is the website: britastro.
org/computing. This is a marvelous resource of both useful information
The main activities of the Section remain the addressing of queries from and applets to assist with your observations. Many of the applets are
both members and non-members on subjects within the broad remit of of significant use to other Sections, in particular the Variable Star and
the Section, and the production of material for the Journal and website. Asteroids & Remote Planets Sections.
Queries are handled both by the Director and committee members; Applets available on the website include:
they range from enquiries about outreach and education to requests for
guidance on renovation and restoration of telescopes and on specialised – What’s observable? – makes an observing list (including Kreutz comets)
aspects of optics and other equipment. Often people ask about choosing – A digital orrery – plan view of the solar system
equipment for particular projects or types of observation. Section officers – The Galilean satellites of Jupiter
frequently put the correspondents in touch with other experienced or
– The eight main satellites of Saturn
expert persons within, or outside, the BAA.
Articles in the Journal this year have included discussions of image – Julian date – calendar converter
calibration, filters, polarscopes, dew heaters, mountings, and convertible – Date/time intervals (e.g., for variable star min/max prediction)
telescopes. The Director wishes to thank Stuart Morris for his work on – Equatorial coordinates and precession
adapting Journal articles into tutorials for the website. An issue of E&T – Camera field of view and star trail calculator
News was produced in 2020 August, focusing on members’ observa-
tory projects. The Director spent considerable time assisting the Royal – Angle subtended, object size and distance
Astronomical Society with the organisation of the live broadcast ob- – Finder charts for comets
serving element of National Astronomy Week in 2020 November. Nine – Asteroid opposition charts
one-hour observing sessions, focused on Mars and other targets, were – Exoplanet data
delivered with the assistance of BAA members across the UK, plus the
Republic of Ireland and Cyprus. The software to update the asteroid appulses and comet charts has been
Particular mention should be made of Andrew Wilson’s work as Spec- completed, and these charts continue to be generated regularly for use
troscopy Database manager & adviser. This has been made an E&T Sec- by the Asteroids & Remote Planets Section. Comet charts for use by the
tion post, as the Database comprises spectra relating to several observing Comet Section are also produced, based upon the observable list found
Sections, plus some spectra not easily assignable to any observing Section. at www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/.
Andy reports that in the year to 2021 Jul 31, a total of 1,906 spectra were We always need more help, so if you have time to assist with the work
loaded into the Database by 20 observers. By far the majority were of of the Section – such as the Handbook, software for the website, or articles
variable stars: 1,847 spectra. There were also 14 spectra of deep-sky for a newsletter – then please do not hesitate to get in contact.
objects, three comet spectra, two solar spectra, and 40 of stars, such as
the high proper-motion star Mirach and the white dwarf DN Dra. A total Steve Harvey, Director
of 25 different spectrographs were used to make these observations; the
commercially available LHIRES III and Alpy 600 were by far the most
common, but there were notable contributions made with the intermedi-
ate-resolution LISA. Towards the end of the period, we started to receive Historical Section
spectra made with UVEX, a cross Czerny–Turner spectrograph optimised
for the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared. There were also contributions The highlight of the Historical Section’s year is our annual Section meet-
from several custom-built spectrographs, constructed by those with good ing. Of course, in 2020–’21, opportunities for a real-world event were
engineering skills. close to non-existent. However, the Section did hold a virtual meeting on
The Director has the honour of being proposed as the next President. 2020 Nov 21. Dr Geoff Belknap, head curator of the National Science &
He intends to combine the fulfilling of Presidential duties with continuing Media Museum, Bradford spoke on the early history of astrophotography;
to direct the Section, with the support of the Section committee members, a fascinating talk which attracted a sizeable audience.
who have kindly agreed to take over more of the Section workload, Several of the webinars in the BAA programme during the session
including production of the regular Journal articles, for the duration of have featured historical themes. Dr Jacqueline Mitton took us through
his Presidency. the life of Vera Rubin, mapper of dark matter and subject of a biography
by Jacqueline and Simon Mitton. Dr Nick Hewitt commemorated the
David Arditti, Director centenary of the ‘Great Debate’ on the size and structure of the Universe,
and Dr Ann Bonell, in ‘Now you see it, now you don’t’, told us about
mistaken discoveries from astronomical history.
Both the Section Director (undersigned) and Deputy Section Director,
Computing Section Bill Barton, have been busy giving online talks. One advantage to meet-
ing over Zoom is that it is possible to speak to societies a long way from
A large part of the work carried out by the Section continues to be the home. One particularly distant group is the Sydney Stargazers, which
production of the annual Handbook. The 2022 edition marks the 101st was the New South Wales Branch of the BAA until the late 1990s. They
year of production and is included with the paper edition of this Journal. celebrated the 125th anniversary of their formation in 2020 with a Zoom
It is also available to members for download in PDF form, which has the meeting, and the Director (who has lived and worked in NSW) was de-
advantages that the material can be cut-and-pasted if required, and that lighted to represent the Association at their celebrations. It is good to see
the web links may be clicked to take you directly to the referred website. them thriving. The Director is booked to speak to the Sydney Stargazers
Note too that the pages containing the links are available on the BAA in 2021 November about the ‘Pioneering women of the BAA’, one of
Computing web page: britastro.org/computing/links.html (this was whom is the first Director of the Section, Mary Evershed, who lived in
due to space restrictions). Sydney and learned her observing skills from John Tebbutt, discoverer
Please check with the Director first if you wish to publish any data. of two comets.
The Computing Section also provides data for the Royal Astronomical Evershed featured in a piece in the 2020 December Journal written
Society, for use in their Diary. by the Director and Deputy Director, as one of our contributions to
We have lots of people to thank for the data submitted for use in the the year of Highlighting Women in Astronomy. The article [130(6),
Handbook. The Director would also like to thank them for checking their 335–336] is on the two female Directors of the Section: Evershed is
own and other contributors’ material. A special thanks is due to both now increasingly well-known, and is the subject of a recent biography,
Richard Miles and Tim Parsons for their proof-checking work. but Sheila Boulter had faded from view since her tenure in the 1960s, so
Last year we decided to return to our previous printing company for it was good to find out more about her life as a magistrate in the Salis-
the Handbook. Quality and cost were retained and so we have used them bury area. We also produced an article on ‘Three Girton astronomers’
again this year. [131(3), 141–142], highlighting the varied careers of early members
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 311
Report of the Council, 2020–2021 
Annie Maunder, Alice Everett and Lilian Martin-Leake, who met at the the opening chapter of her doctoral thesis), while Bill Barton discussed
Cambridge college. the search for Vulcan, and the provenance of the term ‘Zenithal Hourly
As always, there was a series of interesting pieces in the Journal with Rate’ for meteor showers. Gerard Gilligan wrote about the curious story
historical themes. Nigel Longshaw told us about ‘Thomas G. E. Elger of ‘O’Neill’s Bridge’ on the Moon, Mike Frost told us about the life of the
at Kempston – nine years that ‘saved’ amateur selenography’ [130(5), Revd Richard Rouse Bloxam, creator of Urania’s Mirror (now ‘A box of
285–288]. Jacqueline Mitton presented a paper about Maria Mitchell, the stars’) and Alan Thomas finally answered a query from Neil Macnaughtan
pioneering American comet hunter [130(6), 349–356]. Janice McClean in the very first edition of the newsletter in 2010, by producing a history
wrote ‘In remembrance of Maria Winckelmann’ [130(6), 332–334], of the Ottway telescope company, which traced its roots back to the 17th
about the first woman to discover a comet. John Nichol remembered century. The newsletter also featured reminiscences and photographic
David Sinden, a key figure in 20th-century optics and telescope making memories submitted by Ron Palgrave, Nick Hewitt, Peter Shimmon
[131(2), 81–92]. Lastly, Martin Mobberley continued his research into and others.
significant figures from the BAA, with a very readable two-part biography The Section, which is open to all, thrives on the contributions of its
of Reginald Waterfield [131(3), 158–170 and (4), 236–249]. members. We look forward to hearing from you!
The Section newsletter continues to feature fascinating articles.
Dr Hannah Dalgleish wrote on ‘The history of star clusters’ (based on Mike Frost, Director

Section Officers
The following list of Section Officers is current from 2021 October 23:
Solar
Assistant Director / web manager Peter Meadows Spectroscopy coordinator Bill Ward
Assistant Director (data analysis) John Cook Committee members Leonard Entwisle, Tracie Heywood,
Nick James, George Spalding
Lunar
Assistant Director Aurora & Noctilucent Cloud
(BAA/ALPO Lunar Changes Programme) Tony Cook Assistant Director (Noctilucent cloud) Ken Kennedy
Website manager Stuart Morris Website manager Sandra Brantingham
Section Committee
Committee member Barry FitzGerald Variable Star
Historical consultant Robert Garfinkle Assistant Director Roger Pickard
Occultations coordinator Tim Haymes Secretary Bob Dryden
Lunar Domes Programme Raffaello Lena Chart secretary John Toone
Co-Editor, The Moon: Occasional Pulsating star secretary Shaun Albrighton
papers of the BAA Lunar Section Nigel Longshaw CVs & eruptive stars secretary Gary Poyner
Nova/supernova secretary Guy Hurst
Mercury & Venus Eclipsing binary secretary Des Loughney
Mercury coordinator Chris Hooker Circulars editor Gary Poyner
Section Committee Gianluigi Adamoli, Chris Dole, Bill Website manager Gary Poyner
Leatherbarrow, Richard McKim Database secretary Andrew Wilson
Website manager David Arditti (temp.), Emily Bick
Deep Sky
Mars Assistant Director Jonathan Blake
Website manager Richard McKim General adviser Ron Arbour
Supernova search coordinator Guy Hurst
Asteroids & Remote Planets Variable nebula coordinator Nick Hewitt
Assistant Director (astrometry) Peter Birtwhistle Double star adviser John McCue
Assistant Director (exoplanets) Roger Dymock Website/galleries manager Paul Downing
Assistant Director (occultations) Tim Haymes
Equipment & Techniques
Jupiter
Assistant Director Gary Palmer
Section Committee Gianluigi Adamoli, David Arditti, Mike Equipment adviser Martin Lewis
Foulkes, Hans−Jörg Mettig, Damian Peach Imaging adviser Tony Morris
Saturn, Uranus & Neptune Optics adviser Es Reid
Spectroscopy database manager & adviser Andrew Wilson
Assistant Director David Graham Historic equipment adviser Patrick Lindfield
Uranus coordinator Kevin Bailey
Neptune coordinator John Sussenbach Computing
Comet Editor of the BAA Handbook Steve Harvey
Visual observations & analysis Jonathan Shanklin Website manager (vacant)
Secretary Denis Buczynski
Historical
TA liaison Guy Hurst
CCD imaging adviser Peter Carson Deputy Director Bill Barton
Editor, The Comet’s Tale Janice McClean
Radio Astronomy
Meteor Outreach Ian Williams
Assistant Director Alex Pratt Website manager John Berman
Video network coordinators William Stewart & Alex Pratt Meetings coordinator Paul Hearn

312 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

The British Astronomical Association

Trustees’ Report and financial results for the period ended 2021 March 31

Legal and administrative information as at 2021 March 31

Name: The British Astronomical Association Company Regn. No: 117572 Charity No: 210769

Trustees
Mr A. Lorrain (President) Mrs P. Bosley
Mr C. Potter (Vice-President) Dr N. Hewitt Independent Examiner: RSM UK Tax & Accounting Ltd, Chartered Accountants,
Dr G. King (Treasurer) Mr T. Parsons Highfield Court, Tollgate, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Hants. SO53 3TY
Mr W. Tarver (Secretary) Ms J. McClean
Mr J. Chuter Bankers: Bank of Scotland, PO Box 17235, Edinburgh, EH11 1YH

Note statements for the year ended 2021 March 31 are available on the BAA
website at https://britastro.org/gov_documents, and any member who
The annual financial statements are 21 pages long and for reasons of requires a printed copy may request one from the BAA office.
space are not printed in full in the Journal. As in previous years, selected The financial statements will be presented to the members of the
extracts are given here for the information of Members. The full financial Association at the Annual General Meeting on 2021 October 23.

Trustees’ Report (including Directors’ been made freely available to the public at no charge. This was further
Report) expanded to include free public access to our library of lectures and
instructional videos.
The Trustees of The British Astronomical Association present their annual The criteria we use to measure our success include: membership
report and financial statements for the period ended 2021 March 31 and numbers, engagement via our website and social media, and attendance
confirm that the financial statements have been prepared in accordance at meetings.
with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements The governing document is the Memorandum and Articles of
and comply with the charity’s Memorandum, Articles of Association and Association.
Byelaws, the Companies Act 2006 and ‘Accounting and Reporting by The Trustees, when making decisions, have due regard to the Charities
Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities Commission public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties
preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting to which the guidance is relevant. To help achieve this the Trustees main-
Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)’ (as tain a spreadsheet of all products and services provided by the Association,
amended for accounting periods commencing from 2019 January 1). noting the public benefit components of each item.

Objectives and activities Officers, management and organisation

The British Astronomical Association (‘the Association’) was formed in The Trustees, who are also the Directors for the purpose of company law,
1890 and is open to everyone interested in astronomy. The Association who served during the period were:
is registered as a limited company, limited by guarantee. The Association
is also registered as a charity with the Charities Commission and its Mr A. Lorrain (President)
charitable objectives are as follows: Mr C. Potter (Vice-President)
Mr W. Tarver (Company Secretary)
• To promote the science of astronomy and all branches of astronomical Ms J. McClean (Appointed 2020 October 28)
research; Dr R. McKim (Resigned 2020 October 28)
Dr G. King (Treasurer)
• To promote the association of observers of all abilities, for mutual Mr T. Parsons
help, and their organisation in the work of astronomical observation; Dr N. Hewitt
• The circulation of current astronomical information; Mrs P. Bosley
• The encouragement of a popular interest in astronomy. Mr J. Chuter

Through these objectives we aim to educate and train the general public in Mr W. Tarver is Company Secretary and Trustee only.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (the STEM subjects) The affairs of the Association are managed by two bodies: The Board
which are key to the furtherance of the society in which we live. of Trustees and the Council.
The activities to achieve the aims and objectives include; the publica- The Board of Trustees constitutes the Trustees of the Charity and
tion of a journal and other materials, the establishment of a membership the Directors of the Company. The Board has ‘control over, and man-
base, the provision of Observing Sections to specialise in various areas agement of, all financial and administrative affairs and all property of
of astronomical observation, the holding of meetings at various locations the Association’.
around the country, attendance at science and astronomy exhibitions The Board consists of a maximum of nine Trustees (President,
and fairs, attendance at professional conferences, a website, electronic Vice-President, Treasurer, Business Secretary and five further Members
newsletter and social media presence. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, of the Association). All Trustees are elected annually by the Members
all meetings this year have been held as online webinars; these have all before the AGM, except the Vice-President who is ex officio the immediate
J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 313
Extracts from the Financial Statements for the period ended 2021 March 31
past President and who serves as Vice-President for the duration of their a legacy. Any Member who would like guidance about including a legacy
successor’s term. Trustees are normally long-standing Members of the to the Association in their will should contact the Treasurer.
Association. The President is responsible for overall management of For many years, the Association has benefited from an accommodation
the operations of the Association. The Treasurer is responsible for all agreement with the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) which provides
finance matters, reporting to the Trustees on the Association’s financial office accommodation, and the use of their lecture theatre, meeting rooms
position. The Business Secretary acts as the Company Secretary and and library within Burlington House, Piccadilly. The RAS, along with
has the management of all persons employed by the Association, and the other ‘courtyard societies’, is currently in negotiations with the gov-
the management of the correspondence of the Association, the Board of ernment in order to obtain a new lease for the premises at an affordable
Trustees and the Council. rent, and the Association has agreed to support this. Our own arrangement
New Trustees are provided with induction information and training with the RAS is subject to a notice period of three months on either side
by officers as required to meet their responsibilities. In normal circum- to cancel the agreement. The pandemic has meant that Burlington House
stances the Board meets in person at least twice per year to deal with has been closed for more than twelve months. With the initial lockdown,
the governance and management of the Association. Due to COVID-19 the Board implemented the contingency plan drawn up if we needed to
restrictions, in-person meetings have not been possible this year; instead relocate. The Office staff have been working very successfully remotely
the Board held monthly meetings via Zoom. and with the planned use of the lecture theatre at the Institute of Physics
The Council consists of the Board of Trustees, two additional for our meetings, our need for a physical base has diminished. Discussions
Secretaries, the Section Directors and Postholders and five further are ongoing with the RAS in order to retain our historical connection with
Members of the Association. The latter five, and the two additional them, but at a reduced cost to the Association.
Secretaries, are elected annually before the AGM. The two Secretaries Despite the restrictions imposed by government to counteract the pan-
deal with matters relating to scientific papers and meetings. The ap- demic, the work of the Observing Sections continues to be at the forefront
pointment of Section Directors and Postholders is confirmed annually of the Association’s activities. These were again reported in six issues
by the Council. of our Journal. Philip Jennings continues his excellent work of editing
The Council regulates and organises the scientific and public activities the Journal, which remains our flagship publication. In the absence of
of the Association and the services to Members, subject to the financial normal ‘face-to-face’ Section meetings, the Deep Sky, Historical, Radio
and administrative control exerted by the Board of Trustees. The Council and Solar Sections all held ‘virtual’ meetings online.
meets on a regular basis at least six times per year. Section Directors are The Board and Council continued winding up the collection of in-
responsible for the management of their Section, reporting to the Council struments owned by the Association. The majority were sold during
on all matters arising. our previous reporting period and there are some that the Board is still
actively trying to recover. The intention is that a number of instruments
of importance to the history of the Association will be retained in the
Achievements and performance Heritage Collection, with any surplus being offered to Members by way
of sealed-bid auctions following advertisement in the Journal.
Membership recorded at 2021 March 31 was 2,648 across all categories. Our meeting programme has understandably been hit severely by the
The equivalent number at 2020 March 31 was 2,564, giving an increase of health crisis and our Meetings Secretary, Hazel Collett, has worked tire-
3.3% over the year. This increase contrasts with last year’s small decline. lessly to liaise with both venues and speakers in order to move these from
It is one of the main aims of the Board & Council to continue to grow being face-to-face events onto online platforms. This provides Members,
our membership and it is encouraging to note that there has been marked and the wider public, with the ability to watch either via Zoom or the BAA
success, even during the pandemic lockdowns. YouTube channel. Webinar attendance was initially strong during lock-
For the financial year 2020/21 the deficit of income over expenditure downs, approximating twice our normal attendance at in-person meetings.
excluding any gains/losses on investments was £52,251 (2019/20 (nine These numbers have gradually reduced as people have become aware that
months): deficit of £51,446). In common with some recent years the the meetings are recorded and freely available on our YouTube channel
Association received substantial bequest income; this year we benefited to view at any convenient time. Our hope is that we will be able to return
from a final tranche of £26,892 from the estate of Mr Anthony Warrener to Member-attended venues in the autumn, potentially commencing with
and a generous bequest of £2,000 from the estate of David Gavine. During the scheduled AGM in 2021 October.
the year, the Association became a registered charity with the JustGiving With the implementation of the national lockdown, banning all but
organisation and has received £474 from that source in memory of essential travel, the Board reacted quickly to provide the astronomical
Ron Livesey. community with online material. The recordings of our previous meet-
Excluding the bequests and other donations, there was an operational ings were made freely available to everyone and the decision was taken
deficit of income over expenditure of £82,868 (2019/20 (nine months): to launch regular webinars utilising the Zoom conferencing platform.
£56,845). The operational deficit is largely due to staff costs, ongoing These webinars have continued throughout the year and our thanks go to
accommodation costs and the overall increase in costs of providing those who have arranged, hosted and presented these events, which have
Member benefits. The apparent increase in the monthly rate of deficit is become hugely popular and well received.
a consequence of the fact that most of our subscriptions income occurs The range of these webinars has been impressive. The Solar Section has
in August, whereas our outgoings are spread across the year, meaning covered how to image the Sun in three wavelengths, as well as giving a talk
that the nine-month period enjoyed most of a year’s income but only nine on the solar cycle. The Comet Section took a journey through the comet
months of expenditure. archives as well as presenting separate sessions on two visible comets.
The majority of the Association’s long-term investments are invested A special event was arranged with the Society of Popular Astronomy to
with CCLA in their COIF Investment accumulation fund. This fund has highlight Jupiter at opposition, whilst the increasingly popular topics of
performed well, resulting in the total value of all of our investments in- spectroscopy and radio astronomy were also covered. Not to be outdone,
creasing by £262,302 (2019/20: decrease of £83,002). We thus enjoyed the Variable Star Section covered the unusual outbursts of SS Cygni as well
a total surplus during the period of £210,051 (2019/20 (nine months): as contemplating dramatic changes in magnitude of the star Betelgeuse.
deficit of £134,448). The Association plans to resume its promotion of amateur astronomy at
The Board continues to review the costs of the Association in order European Astrofest, the International Astronomy Show in Warwickshire
to identify efficiencies, but will draw on its reserves as necessary in the and the Practical Astronomy Show in Kettering, as well as the New
short term in order to meet our charitable objectives of promoting amateur Scientist Live event in London’s Docklands. None of these events were
astronomy, assisting observers in developing and publishing their work able to proceed during the pandemic. Our hope is that it will be possible
and circulating current astronomical information. for them to take place again in the future under revised government
We remain indebted to those Members and others who have in the past guidance, however there will need to be increased vigilance in order to
supported us with their donations or by remembering the Association with protect our volunteer helpers and Members.

314 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Extracts from the Financial Statements for the period ended 2021 March 31
Apart from routine office tasks, almost all of this substantial programme Financial review
of activities is run and managed by volunteers, and as ever we are hugely
grateful to all those who so freely offer their time and expertise to support Reserves policy
our work.
Andrew Wilson continues as our Systems Administrator. Andy has The reserves policy of the charity is to retain a level of reserves which
continued to work on the Association’s membership database, liaising with will provide an annual income sufficient to meet any operating deficit
the providers, SheepCRM. This provides us with enhanced management and which will also meet expenditure commitments for the next twelve
information as well as providing a better customer experience for those months, including the distribution of awards and grants as decided by
joining the Association, and simplifying our membership management. Council in accordance with any conditions applicable. The reserves held
He is now working to move all our meeting booking arrangements on are sufficient to meet the expected expenditure. Restricted and unrestricted
to a new system, Eventbrite. This should again provide Members with a reserves at 2021 March 31 amounted to £7,255 (2020 March 31: £7,339)
better experience when booking meetings and will hopefully simplify the and £1,611,437 (2020 March 31: £1,401,302) respectively.
administration for both the Office staff and meeting organisers. Andy has
contributed significantly to assist the Association to mitigate the effects of
the national emergency, not only in his paid role but also as a volunteer. Going concern
Whilst it has been necessary to close the online shop, this has since been
reopened and the staff have been able to carry out all their other tasks At the time of approving the financial statements and in consideration
securely from home, due to our improved IT infrastructure. of recent events surrounding COVID-19, the Trustees have a reasonable
The Association’s website (britastro.org) is one of the main faces of expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in oper-
the Association to the outside world. For many Members who are unable ational existence for the foreseeable future. In reaching this conclusion,
to attend meetings regularly, it is one of the chief ways of interacting with the Trustees have considered the current year’s level of operational deficit
the Association. A complete redevelopment of the website is underway, and the expected future results. They have compared these figures with
utilising an external contractor but overseen by Dr Dominic Ford and both the working capital position of the charity, which includes a strong
Callum Potter. Our objective is that the website should be a vehicle for cash balance, as well as the significant investments held as fixed assets
fostering a greater sense of community amongst Members, and this has which would be capable of realisation should this prove necessary. At the
been proved in recent months. The contents of the website are managed year end the charity had total assets less current liabilities of £1,618,692
by the Website Operations Team; this includes increasing the frequency (2020 March 31: £1,408,641). Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the
of news articles published online as well as Observer’s Challenges and going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Tutorials. Members are also encouraged to upload their observations
to their own ‘Member’s Album’ and contribute to the live forum. The
Newsletter, edited by Janice McClean and e-mailed to Members monthly Risk management
with news and upcoming events, continues to be very popular.
The Board, being cognisant of the significant large reserves held Issues involving significant risk are brought before the Board on a rou-
by the Association, feels that some of these funds should be spent to tine basis as and when such issues arise. Where a matter is complex an
enhance further the services provided to the membership and the wider appropriate working group is formed from a small number of Board or
public. To this end, a Strategy Group is being set up to consider the Council members to evaluate issues and formulate recommendations.
matter and it will provide recommendations to both Board and Council An assessment of the major risks to which the Association is exposed is
in due course. This Group will also consider matters raised in a meeting updated from time to time. The Association’s systems of internal controls
of the Directors of the Observing Sections, which was also held online are designed to provide reasonable but not absolute assurance against ma-
during the year. terial misstatement or loss. Board members are satisfied that the systems
In order to assist the Section Directors in preparing and uploading in place mitigate exposure to major risks.
material to the Association’s website, the Board agreed funding for a
Web Content Editor. Following a recruitment process, a candidate was
appointed, but regrettably they had to leave after only a few months for Investment policy
personal reasons. The Board has now recruited a new person, who will
liaise with the Section Directors to prepare items for inclusion online and In accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the
also to prepare their own material. Board has the power to invest in such stocks, funds, shares, securities
or other investments as it sees fit. The investment objective of the
Association is to make investments which will maintain the real pur-
Plans for future periods chasing power of the portfolio over time and provide a level of income
sufficient to meet operational needs, while exposing the Association to
The Association is keen to attract new Members and to increase the di- a low level of risk.
versity of the membership. Council continues to consider additional ways The Treasurer recommended to the Board of Trustees that £150,000
to improve our offerings to both current and new Members. In order to (2020: £300,000) of additional funds be invested with the CCLA utilising
make these offerings as efficient as possible, we will continue to review our COIF Charities Investment accumulation fund account, which meets
our office systems based on the experiences we have gained this year in the Association’s investment policy and which is managed in accordance
order to maximise our Members’ benefits. with accepted ESG objectives. The Board approved this recommendation
With the continued postponement of the Association’s face-to-face and this CCLA account had a value of £1,411,696 (2020 March 31:
meetings programme, a decision has been made to continue to provide £1,002,143) at year end.
video links for future meetings, even when we return to physical events. This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions
This will ensure continued access to meetings in the event that some applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption.
Members are, at least initially, reluctant to travel and be in close contact The report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
with others. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to radically rethink
what benefits we provide to our Members and how we do so. The Board
of Trustees and Council will continue to consider what changes are ap- Mr A. Lorrain (President) Dr G. King (Treasurer)
propriate for future conditions. 2021 September 1 2021 September 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 315

Extracts from the Financial Statements for the period ended 2021 March 31

THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION

Statement of financial activities including Income & Expenditure Account:

period ended 2021 March 31

--------------------- 2021 -------------------- ---- 2020----

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds
Income and endowments from: £ £ £ £
Donations and legacies 30,617 – 30,617 5,399
Charitable activities 110,903 (94) 110,809 112,003
Investment income 256 10 266 753
Other income 24 – 24 191
Total income 141,800 (84) 141,716 118,346

Expenditure:
Charitable activities (193,967) (193,967)
(169,792)
Net expenditure and net movement of funds
before gains (losses) on investments (52,167) (84) (52,251) (51,446)
Net gains (losses) on investments 262,302 – 262,302 (83,002)
Net movement of funds 210,135 (84) 210,051 (134,448)
Total funds brought forward 1,401,302 7,339 1,408,641 1,543,089
Total funds carried forward £1,611,437 £7,255 £1,618,692 £1,408,641

THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION

Balance sheet as at 2021 March 31

2021 2020
£ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 25,935 27,472
Investments 1,428,603 1,016,291
Total fixed assets 1,454,538 1,043,763
Current assets
Debtors 10,451 11,984
Cash at bank and in hand 171,081 398,749
181,532 410,733
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (17,378) (45,855)
Net current assets 164,154 364,878
Total assets less current liabilities £1,618,692 £1,408,641

Income funds
Restricted funds 7,225 7,339
Unrestricted funds 1,611,437 1,401,302
Total funds £1,618,692 £1,408,641

The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 2021 March 31. No
member of the company has deposited a notice, pursuant to section 476, requiring an audit of these financial statements. The responsibilities for ensuring that the charity
keeps accounting records which comply with section 386 of the Act and for preparing accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company
as at the end of the financial year and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the financial year in accordance
with the requirements of sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to accounts, so far as applicable
to the company. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 2021 September 1.

Mr A. Lorrain (President) Dr G. King (Treasurer)

Trustee Trustee

316 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Extracts from the Financial Statements for the period ended 2021 March 31

Notes to the Financial Statements for the period ended 2021 March 31
Income and expenditure analysis
--------------------2020/’21-------------------- 2019/’20
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds
Income from charitable activities £ £ £ £
Print subscriptions & affiliation fees 86.339 (94) 86,245 84,250
Digital subscriptions 8,635 – 8,635 2,721
Receipts from meetings and courses – 3,818
Advertising revenue 15 – 15 383
Receipts from Commission for Dark Skies 12 – 12 124
Sales – the Handbook 167 – 167 940
Other income 1,059 – 1,059 5,963
HMRC Gift Aid 14,676 – 14,676 13,804
Total income from charitable activities 110,903 (94) 110,809 112,003
Investment income
Dividends received from listed investments 207 – 207 183
Interest receivable 49 10 59 570
Total operating income 111,159 (84) 111,075 112,756

Expenditure: charitable activities

Publications and cost of sales items 62,628 – 62,628 43,571
Meetings and courses 1,260 – 1,260 13,709
Section costs 284 – 284 1,113
Document collection and archives 2,988 – 2,988 3,611
Grants and awards 1,141 1,141 1,263
Commission for Dark Skies 2,000 2,000 1,500
70,301 70,301 63,267
Share of support costs (see below) 123,666 123,666 106,525
Total operating expenditure 193,967 193,967 169,792
Net operating income (outgoings) for year (82,808) (84) (82,892) (57,036)

. Support Governance Total Total

costs costs 2020/’21 2019/’20
Expenditure: support costs £ £ £ £
Salaries and wages 46,605 – 46,605 34,965
Employers’ national insurance – 380
Professional fees – 3,712 3,712 8,097
IT and database costs 13,003 – 13,003 8,417
Independent examination fees – 3,350 3,350 3,250
Accountancy fees to independent examiner – 4,804 4,804 7,900
Telephone, postage and carriage 5,826 – 5,826 3,442
Membership promotion 2,484 – 2,484 1,068
Trustees & Council members’ expenses 180 – 180 3,101
Election costs 2,018 – 2,018 1,741
Bank charges 1,803 – 1,803 1,907
Depreciation 1,537 – 1,537 892
Pension costs 2,315 – 2,315 1,674
Premises costs (including insurance) 34,290 – 34,290 28,001
Instruments storage and removal costs 1,530 – 1,530 1,497
Sundry costs 209 – 209 193
Total support costs 111,800 11,866 123,666 106,525

The average number of employees in the year was 3 (2020: 3).

No employee received emoluments exceeding £60,000 during the year in the current or prior year.
No Trustees (who are the key management personnel of the entity) received any remuneration or benefits from employment with the charity.
A total of £78 (2020: £1,210) was reimbursed to 1 (2020: 5) Trustees to cover travel expenses incurred on behalf of the charity.

Mr A. Lorrain (President) Dr G. King (Treasurer)

2020 August 18 2020 August 18

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 317

 BAA Update
Radio Astronomy Section meeting New members
on Zoom, 2021 March 12 2020 October 28

Since March of this year, Radio Astrono- start radio observations with no previous expe- AGRAWAL Alan, Contra Costa, USA
my Section members have been regularly rience and others who were professionals. Six ALEXANDER Roy, Tyne and Wear
meeting online using the Zoom confer- nations were represented. We had plenty of pro- BARKES Steve, Dona Ana, USA
encing platform (see below for upcoming posals for future meetings and a full programme BEANEY Bob, Hampshire
events). Here, Paul Hearn describes the has since been organised. This has included BROOKE John, Manchester
training workshops, including ‘An introduction to BUCK Philip, Powys
Section’s inaugural webinar.
Python for radio astronomers’ by Rupert Powell CHETWYND Steve, West Midlands
and ‘Working with Spectrum Lab’ by Paul Hyde. CHEUNG Wil, Newcastle upon Tyne
T he Radio Astronomy Section had its first
Zoom meeting – RAGZoom1 – on 2021
Mar 12. The main purpose was twofold: firstly,
A day conference will be held on 2021 Oct 16.
If the success of a meeting is measured by its
outcomes, then this was a success.
CHUNG Wendy, Kent
COLEY Steve, Leicestershire
for members to introduce themselves, their The RAGZoom meeting programme and CULNANE Steve
research and observations; and secondly, for training workshop details are shown below. The DAVIES Thomas, Merthyr Tydfil
members to suggest topics of interest for future Zoom links are not published on publicly acces- DEAN Randal, Dallas, USA
meetings and training workshops. sible web pages. If you want to join, please send FISHER Geoffrey, Surrey
We had 60 register an interest for the meeting an e-mail to: paul@hearn.org.uk. GABRIEL Charles, Collin, USA
and on the day, 25 had an opportunity to talk, with GAVIANO Antonello, GERMANY
a further 30 observing. It was interesting to note Paul Hearn, Meetings coordinator, Radio
GILLOTT Michaela, Pembrokeshire
that the group had people who were wanting to Astronomy Section
GOODERS Keith, Surrey
HALL Colin, Hertfordshire
HALLS Scott, Suffolk
BAA Radio Astronomy Section HOPKINS Phil, Rijssen-Holten,
NETHERLANDS
Autumn Programme 2021: October–December HUGHES Peter, Gloucestershire
Oct 1 Dr Gemma Richardson, space weather scien- JELINEK Martin, East Sussex ▶
19:30 BST tist in the British Geological Survey geomag-
(18:30 UTC) netism team: The changing environmental
conditions in near-Earth space.
Oct 16 BAA RAG21 Day Conference.
10:00–17:00 BST Keynote speakers: Prof Ian McHardy, Prof
(09:00–16:00 UTC) Ian McHardy School of Physics & Astronomy,
University of Southampton: The mysteries
of X-ray cosmology. Dr Spencer Axani,
MIT: CosmicWatch – the counting of
muons. Other speakers to be announced.
Conference organiser: Paul Hyde.
Nov 5 Prof Lyndsay Fletcher, Glasgow University
19:30 GMT School of Physics and Astronomy: The
(19:30 UTC) physics, analysis and imaging of solar
flares: a perspective for radio astronomers.

Dec 3 ‘SARA presents…’ Pablo Lewin: Building

19:30 GMT a radio telescope for H1 observations.
(19:30 UTC) Dr Richard Russell, Deep Space Exploration
Society (DSES): Pulsars for galactic nav-
igation.

Dec 10 Christmas Lecture

19:30 GMT Prof Anna Scaife, Professor of Radio Astro-
(19:30 UTC) nomy at the University of Manchester and
Head of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astro-
physics: Jodrell Bank, the Cold War and
the Space Race.

Our meetings are open to all. Once you are registered on the Radio Astronomy
Section e-mail list, the Zoom link will be sent out to you before the meeting.
If you are not on the e-mail list, please request registration from Paul Hearn
(paul@hearn.org.uk).
All recordings will be posted on our BAA YouTube channel.
www.youtube.com/user/britishastronomical/playlists

318 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 BAA
BAAUpdate
Update
Obituary

Peter W. Parish (1951–2020)

P eter William Parish was born on 1951 Febru-
ary 14, became interested in astronomy at the
age of nine and joined our Association in 1970
solar transit of Venus and, most recently, two
total solar eclipses, including one in 2017 which
he observed from Wyoming in the western USA
while still a teenager. He lived close enough [127, 253–254 (2017)]. He was also interested
to London to attend our meetings frequently, in spectroscopy, geology and natural history.
particularly the Exhibition meetings that used The Parish family would always visit any local
to be held once per annum, and we would of- zoo when on holiday abroad, and Peter’s broad
ten have a conversation then. He contributed scientific enthusiasm was transmitted to all
a good number of regular visual observations members of the family.
to each of the planetary Sections over nearly Peter’s wife Mrs Valerie Parish writes that she
four decades, from 1977 until quite recently. He met Peter through a mutual interest in astronomy:
concentrated his efforts upon Mars, Jupiter and ‘I wrote an essay in French saying I wanted to
Saturn, but also enjoyed finding Venus in daytime marry an astronomer, and as Peter’s mum was
with binoculars. my French teacher she introduced us…’ That
Peter lived at Rainham, Gillingham, Kent. He was in 1969; Peter and Val married in 1975. They
used a 102mm refractor and a 222mm reflector, had two children.Peter’s death on 2020 Decem-
often also observing with the 152mm refractor ber 8 was sudden and unexpected, and we offer
belonging to his local astronomical society, our sincere condolences to his family.
for which he served as programme secretary
for around 13 years. He gave talks to other or- Richard McKim, Mars Section Director Peter Parish. Karen Martin
ganisations, including schools as well as scout
and guide groups. He was a good artist and his
observations, always reliable and accurate, were ▶ Two Mars drawings made
appreciated by the various planetary Section Di- by Peter in 2010 with a 152mm
rectors. Two of his Mars drawings made during OG, ×214.
an aphelic opposition are shown here, giving an Left: Jan 17, CM = 108°, with
indication of his skills. Solis Lacus on the Sp. side.
Peter was adept at describing his observations,
Right: Jan 26, CM = 017°, with
and his report of not having observed the 2012 Sinus Sabaeus, Margaritifer
solar transit of Venus is wonderfully typical of Sinus, Mare Acidalium and the
British stoicism [Journal, 122, 197 (2012)]. For- bright Argyre basin all prom-
tunately, he was able to enjoy many successful inent. Note the large N. polar
observations, including the spectacular 2004 cap in both views.

New members (Cont'd)

▶ JUNGERS Jay, Bromley WHITEHEAD Nik, Glamorgan LITHERLAND Mark

McEWAN Tom YOUNIS Mazin, Manchester MASSEY Sandra, Essex
McNEIL James, Gloucestershire McLOUGHLIN Graham, Lancashire
MOORE Aaron, POLAND MEADOWS Neil
MORRONE Luigi, Napoli, ITALY 2020 December 5 MORELAND Jeff, Cambridgeshire
NAGLE John R., Louisiana, USA PARKS Frank, California, USA
NCUBE Mike Aberdeen Astronomical Society
PITTAWAY Michael, Gloucestershire
OATES David, Wirral BOUTLE Tony, Northamptonshire
PRICE Raymond, Derbyshire
PEARCE John, Warwickshire CAREY Andrew, Powys
PROVOST Michael, Nottinghamshire
PRIMM Michael, Travis, USA CASTELVECCHI Caitlin, North Ayrshire
REID David, Oxfordshire
PRINCE Cosmo, Gloucestershire CHARRON Marc, South Ayrshire
COOLE Arran, Croydon RODRIGUEZ Manuel Antonio, Andalucía,
REEVES Colin, Devon SPAIN
SEATON Mark, Greater London DAVIS Simon
DUNCAN Joshua ROTHAMMER Ronald, West Lothian
SHELDON Nicholas
FARMER Jim, Southampton SHEPHERD Michael, Essex
STEIN Jenny
GRUNDY Stephen SHIPTON Michael, Devon
STEIN Robert
STEPPE Robert, Mecklenburg, USA HUBBARD Andrew, Kent SMITH Ian, Wiltshire
THOMAS Neil, CO, USA JONES Peter, Wirral STEELE Iain, Wirral
TOMNEY Jim, Baltimore, USA KENDRICK Paul, Durham STEENKAMP Andre, West Sussex
TRANK Randy KIM Sookyung, SOUTH KOREA STEWART Richard, Nottinghamshire
TROW Allan, Rhondda Cynon Taf KORDE Rohit, Maharashtra, INDIA THOMPSON Charles, Staffordshire
TWAITES Ian, East Sussex LITHERLAND Kelly, Shropshire TURNER Steve, Hertfordshire

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 319

 Observers’ Forum
Using a lunar
eclipse to
measure the
diameter of the
Earth’s shadow
Figure 1. The Tycho field, during the lunar eclipse of 2021 May 26. To acquire and process these images, we
used FireCapture software, a guided Orion Optics UK 400mm ƒ/4 Newtonian, and a ZWO 224MC planetary
imaging camera. We captured 60s videos, which we stacked in Autostakkert 3 and sharpened in Registax 6. L unar eclipses are often occasions for amateurs
to take spectacular images of the red Moon.
During a recent lunar eclipse in Australia (2021
The edge of the umbra advanced from the top left and fully covered the field by 10:09 UT, departing towards
the bottom right at around 12:24 and leaving the field in penumbra again by 12:39. May 26), however, we tried also to do some basic
science. With imaging and simple geometry, we
measured the diameter of the Earth’s shadow (the
umbra) as the Moon passed through it. Although
the dimensions of the Earth’s umbra are known,
the exercise was an opportunity for learning
about astronomical geometry that connected us
to the ancient astronomer Hipparchus, who used
a lunar eclipse to determine the radius of the
Moon. We modified a published study (Jiménez
et al., 2014) to measure the Earth’s shadow using
two methods.

Method I

This involved measuring the transit time for the

umbra across a fixed point – the crater Tycho – on
the lunar surface. In the previous study,1 this was
done using a video feed and subjective estimation
of the entry and departure of the shadow across
a wide field of view. We modified this by quan-
tifying the gain value in a video feed of Tycho
(Figure 1), at one-minute intervals, to produce
Figure 2. Method I – a light curve was obtained as the edge of the umbra passed across the Tycho field. The
a light curve. We set the ‘auto-histogram’ in our
field was already in the penumbra by the time we started taking readings. The light level is expressed as the capture software (FireCapture) to hold at 60%.
gain required to maintain a histogram of 60% in FireCapture. We multiplied gain by –1 to give a more intuitive The software then adjusted the gain to maintain
downturn in light as the shadow passed across the field. 60%, as the light faded and brightened with the
passing of the umbra. We simply recorded the
resulting gain value to provide the light curve
(Figure 2).
From the edges of this curve, we measured
the duration of the passage of the shadow.
Knowing the speed of the Moon in its orbit
(1.022km/s), we came up with a diameter for
the umbra of 9,750km. Note that Tycho did
not pass across the full diameter of the Earth’s
shadow, but through a chord, and a correction
for the distance of Tycho from the centre of the
Earth’s shadow gives a diameter for the umbra
of 10,034km. The shadow is cone-shaped, so
the exact diameter of the cone depends on the
distance of the Moon during the eclipse, but the
value compares well with that found by Jiménez
et al. (2014), at 9,944km.

Method II

The second method was related to Hipparchus’

Figure 3. Three images captured during the eclipse using a 100mm ƒ/5.8 SharpStar refractor, ×0.8 focal reducer estimation for the radius of the Moon (see again
and ZWO 294MC camera, with the Moon superimposed on a presumed outline of the Earth’s umbra. Note Jiménez et al., 2014). Here we captured images
that the camera’s gain was increased during totality to capture the red tinge of the eclipsed Moon. of the whole Moon as it entered and left ▶

320 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Observers’ Forum
Deep Sky Section

Our friends in the north

Callum Potter pole mean that not much is
Director known about either.
Moving out to just over
four degrees from the pole,

A lthough the circumpolar we come to the fascinating

region is available all galaxy pair NGC 2300 and
year round from UK locations, I am sure it is not 2276. NGC 2300’s designa-
often that objects around the north celestial pole tion is not completely clear.
are observed. This is a pity, as there are some It is commonly known as
delightful and interesting targets there. a lenticular galaxy, but in
The first target is the asterism known as the Halton Arp’s Atlas of Peculiar
Diamond Ring or Engagement Ring. It is easy to Galaxies it is an elliptical.
find as the jewel of the ring is Polaris, the North If you collect Arp objects
Star. This is the apex of a circlet of stars about (galaxies that appear in the
40 arcminutes in diameter. The ring is not very Atlas), you will get two for the
true – there is a dent in the side. William Dutton price of one here. NGC 2276
first reported this asterism in the Sky & Telescope is listed as Arp 25, a galaxy
magazine of 1961 January, in the article ‘The with a ‘heavy arm’, and the
North Star’s Ring’. pair are listed as Arp 114 –
The closest NGC object to the north celestial the suggestion being that the The Diamond Ring. The jewel of the ring is Polaris.
pole is NGC 3172, a lenticular galaxy which is heavy arm of NGC 2276 is
also known as Polarissima Borealis. It is a bit due to an interaction with
faint at magnitude 14 but is NGC 2300. It is however not There is some uncertainty in their distances.
about one arcminute in diam- clear that this interaction is the Best estimates suggest NGC 2300 is about
eter. A visual observer will real reason for the perturbation 28Mpc distant. NGC 2276 is thought to be a
probably need a telescope to NGC 2276. NGC 2300 was little further away at about 36.5Mpc.
with an aperture of 250mm discovered by Borrelly in 1871 At least a 200mm-aperture telescope will
or more. John Herschel dis- and independently observed by be needed to view NGC 2300 and you might
covered this galaxy in 1831. Winnecke in 1876. Strangely, struggle to see NGC 2276, for which an aperture
In 2010, Tom Boles dis- Borrelly did not note NGC 2276, of 250mm or more may be needed for visual
covered a 17th-magnitude but Winnecke did and is credited observations. Both should be reasonably easy
supernova in NGC 3172, with the discovery. to image.
designated SN 2010af. There They are of similar brightness A somewhat more challenging object is the
is a very faint galaxy nearby, (around magnitude 11), but NGC edge-on galaxy UGC 3661, shown overleaf in
PGC 36268, which may be Tom Boles’ 2010 discovery image 2300 is more compact and easier an image by Adam Block.
a companion. Difficulties of the supernova SN 2010af in to see. NGC 2276 is larger and At nearly five degrees from the pole lies
of observing so close to the NGC 3172. more diffuse. NGC 188, which is also Caldwell 1, the first ▶

▶ the Earth’s umbra. We then drew tangents

to the edge of the umbra to estimate its radius
(Figure 3). This more subjective approach gave
us an estimated umbra diameter of 8,800km
(with a range from 8,030–9,651km) – about 10%
less than for Method I, but not bad considering
the greater subjectivity involved.
You are welcome to contact us for more details
(mark.lonsdale57@gmail.com) if you would
like to repeat the work during the upcoming
lunar eclipses (2021 November and 2022 May).

Mark Lonsdale, Stephanie Hudson,

Haocheng Lu & Geoff McNamara
McNamara-Saunders Astronomical Teaching Tele-
scope (MSATT), Canberra, Australia

References
Figure 4. Method II – we chose two images of the whole Moon (see Figure 3), at entry and egress from the umbra,
  1 Jiménez M. A. P. et al., ‘Measuring the size of the and drew tangents to the edge of the Earth’s shadow, by eye. This allowed us to calculate estimates (r1 and r2)
shadow of the Earth’, Gloria Project DEL-089 of the radius of the shadow for the two images, by measuring the points of intersection of the perpendiculars to
(2014): bit.ly/2YQ9gir (accessed 2021 August) the tangents (see Jiménez et al. 2014).

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 321

NGC 2300 & 2276. This image was acquired remotely by Adam Block at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter in 2013 December with the 32-inch Schulman Telescope
(RC Optical Systems), an SBIG STX 16803 CCD camera and Astrodon Gen2 filters. LRGB exposure times were 8:4:4:4 hours. Processed using CCDStack
(CCDWare), Photoshop CC (Adobe) and PixInsight. (Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona)

▶ object in Patrick Moore’s Caldwell Deep-sky objects near the north celestial pole
Catalogue. It was discovered by John
Herschel in 1831. It is an unusual open Object Type Constellation RA Dec. Mag. Size
cluster because all the stars are quite (h, m, s) (° ′ ″) (arcmin.)
old (6.8 billion years), but the cluster
has stayed together. This is because it Diamond Ring (Polaris) Asterism UMi 02 31 49 +89 15 51 40
NGC 3172 Galaxy UMi 11 47 11 +89 05 36 14 0.92
lies about 1,500 light-years away from NGC 2300 Galaxy Cep 07 32 20 +85 42 32 11 2.3
the plane of the Milky Way and so has NGC 2276 Galaxy Cep 07 27 14 +85 45 16 11 1.2
not been disrupted. It is faint at around NGC 188 Open cluster Cep 00 48 26 +85 15 18  8 15
magnitude 8 and has a diameter of 15 IC 3568 Planetary nebula Cam 12 33 08 +82 33 50 11 0.3
arcminutes, but a small-aperture tele-
scope will show it.
At about 7.5 degrees from the pole lies our telescope. There is a ‘bright’ magnitude 13
final target, the planetary nebula IC 3568. It star to the west of the nebula.
was nicknamed the Lemon Slice Nebula due to Measured distances to planetary nebulae
a Hubble Space Telescope false-colour image, are notoriously inaccurate – estimates put
which depicted it with a lemon/yellow hue. Of IC 3568 at about 9,000 light-years from us,
course, in real life it has the normal blue/green which would mean the nebula itself has a
hue commonly found in planetary nebulae due diameter of about 0.4 light-years.
to the strong OIII emission. IC 3568 was dis- There are many other interesting targets
covered by American astronomer Robert Aitken within ten degrees of the north pole, and
at the Lick Observatory using a 12-inch Clark consulting a good atlas or charting comput-
refractor, and confirmed on the next night using er programme will reveal more than can be
the 36-inch refractor at the site. The nebula is listed here. Observations sent to the Deep
about 18 arcseconds diameter and at magnitude Sky Section are always appreciated by
10.8 should be visible with a 200mm-aperture the author. IC 3568, imaged on 2009 Feb 12 from Edgware, Middlesex
with a C14 Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope at ƒ/11 and an
Artemis 285 monochrome camera. North is up. The nebula
has a diameter of 18 arcseconds. (David Arditti)

NGC 188, imaged using an APM 107 Apo refractor and QSI 583 camera, with
an SX Lodestar as an off-axis guider. Processed using PixInsight and Photoshop.
(David Davies)

322 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Letters
Correspondence is welcome. Please e-mail letters to pjennings@britastro.org, or post to
Memories of Venus Mr Philip Jennings, 47 York Road, Malton, York, YO17 6AX, clearly marking your letter 'for
occulting Regulus in publication' if you wish it to be considered for the Journal.

1959 called then) obtained by Hendrie and Ridley have deployed unattended small telescopes at
at Dr Waterfield’s Silwood Park observatory. different observing stations,1 and thereby ob-
From Prof Jeremy Tatum Coincidentally, at almost exactly the same time tained multiple chords across an asteroid shadow,
I photographed the comet with the University providing shape and astrometric position.
I enjoyed reading the paper about Dr Waterfield telescope’s 24-inch refractor, guiding with the On 2010 Jul 8, the Czech amateur astrono-
[Mobberley M., 131(3), 158–170 & (4), 236–249 18-inch that Peek had used for the Regulus oc- mer Jan Mánek recorded the occultation of the
(2021)]. I had the privilege of meeting him during cultation. The star trails on the two photographs naked-eye star delta Oph by the asteroid (472)
one of his visits to Mr Lindley in Cornwall. I was enable an excellent comparison to be made be- Roma. The resulting observation is one of the best
a teenager then, and I would never have dreamed tween the superb guiding achieved by Hendrie examples of a light curve that reveals information
of referring to them other than as Dr Waterfield and Ridley, and the embarrassing, hopelessly on the size of the star and other details.2 With all
and Mr Lindley, nor do I now. wiggly trails achieved by myself. other observations,3 the Roma profile was derived
The article mentions the 1959 occultation of to an uncertainty of better than 1km.
Regulus by Venus – an event that I remember Prof Jeremy Tatum An indication of the difficulties involved in
well. It was to be observed by well-known BAA prediction and observation from the ground was
member Bertrand Peek as a guest observer with Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of the Regulus/(163) Erigone occultation of 2014
the big refracting telescope of the University Victoria, Canada [jtatum@uvic.ca] Mar 20. Such was the interest in this event that
of London Observatory at Mill Hill. This twin the writer boarded a flight to Bermuda, where
telescope is a 24-inch photographic refractor the shadow passed over the island. However, no
with an 18-inch visual refractor guider, and it occultation was recorded. It was believed that
was the guider that Peek was to use. an error in the precise astrometric position of
Because the telescope was long, the observato- the 1st-magnitude star caused a shift in the path
ry was equipped with a floor that could be raised Some merit in out to sea. One observer suggested a boat would
or lowered by a system of cables and electric
motors, so that the observer could reach the
observing asteroid have been helpful; indeed, for this occultation
that was possible.
eyepiece wherever the telescope was pointing. occultations from In the UK, members of the Asteroids & Re-
The occultation was a very rare event, and mote Planets Section have transported telescopes
careful preparation had to be made. It occurred the ground to observe important events. On one occasion I
in the daytime, so finding the planet and the star used a 16-inch Meade at the Astronomy Centre,
in the bright blue sky was not at all easy. Once Todmorden, while on another I took an EQ6
found, Peek had to look through the telescope and C11 to Crail, Scotland. Both events were
every 15 minutes or so throughout the day to unfortunately clouded out, but the enjoyment is
make absolutely certain that the objects hadn’t quite often ‘in the journey’.
wandered out of the field of view. The recording
chronograph had to be calibrated against a radio Tim Haymes, Assistant Director (Occultations),
signal from Rugby, and we had to be certain Asteroids & Remote Planets Section
that the instrument was working faultlessly and
would not run out of ink or paper at a critical North Oxfordshire, UK [tvh.observatory@btinternet.com]
moment. Nothing could be left to chance. We
were thoroughly well prepared for Peek to make   1 Degenhardt S., ‘Effects of optical miniaturisation
his observation. on occultations’: bit.ly/2YJKfoR
Then, about an hour before the predicted   2 Mánek J., ‘Once in a lifetime occultation’ (video):
event, there was a dreadful loud cracking sound bit.ly/3nqzPFd
– a cable had snapped, and the moving floor fell (103) Hera, recorded by four observers (one in Eire,  3 euraster.net – 2010 European asteroidal occulta-
several feet; it ended at a fearful angle near the three in the UK) on 2021 Apr 16, from their home tion results: bit.ly/2VyJjT4
bottom of the building and well out of reach of observatories. On the sky plane a mean diameter
the telescope. No one was hurt, but everyone of 86km was derived. The chords are overlaid on a
3-D model (DAMIT#918 2016-01-04), courtesy of
immediately realised that it was now impossible Eric Frappa (euraster.net).
to observe the occultation.
Everyone, that is, except the workshop super- Convertible
visor Mr C. R. Spratt, who suddenly appeared on
the scene, barking out crisp orders to everyone
From Mr Tim Haymes
telescopes
and anyone, regardless of position or status. I would like to follow up on Abdul Ahad’s in-
‘Professor [C. W.] Allen – move that box out teresting suggestion in the 2021 August Journal
of the way! Dr [Roy H.] Garstang – fetch me [‘Observing asteroid occultations from cislunar From Prof Jeremy Shears
that spanner! Tatum [me!] – run to the shop and space’, 131(4), 251 (2021)].
fetch Mr [E. P.] Hayne at once! Mr Peek – hold A proven concept (as Abdul indicated) is to In his article on ‘Convertible telescopes’ in the
on to this tightly and don’t let go! You – do this! observe asteroid occultations with your own tele- 2021 August Journal [131(4), p.215 (2021)],
You – do that!’ scope. One of the advantages for a ground-based David Arditti asked people what they thought
Incredibly, in fifty minutes Spratt and Hayne team is the ability to relocate instruments to a about telescopes that have more than one con-
had found and installed a new cable so the better location when the prediction is updated. figuration. He mentions the Fullerscope Casseg-
moving floor moved again, and after a further Apertures of 80mm and upwards have been rain–Newtonian systems and a good friend had
ten minutes Peek successfully obtained his used with video cameras to observe bright star a 12-inch example which I used in the 1970s.
observations. occultations for many years. Scott Degenhardt, In Cassegrain mode this gave wonderful views
Interestingly, the same paper shows a pho- David and Joan Dunham and others in the Inter- of the planets, including some of the best views
tograph of Comet Burnham 1959k (as it was national Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) of Saturn I ever had; I am sure it would have ▶

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 323

 Archives
Archives

FROM THE BAA ARCHIVES

From the 1996 October Solar Section Newsletter. Above & below: From the Lunar Section Circular, 1971 October.

John Chuter The BAA website

Archivist has many places where
such online archives are

I n these pieces I usually describe

artifacts, paper or otherwise, in
the physical Archives. It is important that these
available for members
to use.
I have put together a
are conserved for future generations. But, in our document giving links
modern communication age, the use of online to areas of the BAA website that
archives is also commonplace. I frequently refer house online archives of various
to such resources for my own research. types, at: bit.ly/2YNnW1M. Some
of many examples are
shown here.
As time goes by,
these resources can
only get larger and
larger. Perhaps in
2090, the 200th anni-
versary of the BAA,
they will be seen as
some of the foremost,
if not the foremost ar-
chives to comprise al-
most exclusively the
observations of ama-
From the 1971 BAA Handbook. teur astronomers. From the BAA/TA Comet Image Archive.

▶ been possible to drive a coach and horses

through the Cassini Division! It also provided
stunning wider-field views of deep-sky objects
at the Newtonian focus. However, it was indeed
a tortuous task to swap between configurations
and collimate during an observing session.
This was not undertaken lightly, especially on
a cold night.
I currently possess two telescopes that might
be considered convertible. My Takahashi FC-76
DCU ƒ/7.5 fluorite refractor was described in an
earlier paper on ‘The quest for an airline-por- The FC-76 DCU. Top: the optical tube assembly in ƒ/7.5 configuration, with the Extender CQ 1.7× unit
table telescope for visual astronomy’ [130(1), alongside. Bottom: the telescope in ƒ/12.8 configuration, with the Extender in place.
37–40 (2020)]. The fact that the optical tube
unscrews into two components makes it readily
airline portable. Since I wrote that article, I have I have another telescope which is similarly describes the FOA-60Q as the refractor that most
purchased an ‘Extender CQ 1.7×’ lens unit, convertible. The Takahashi FOA-60Q can be closely approaches optical perfection, compris-
which fits between these two tube components operated as a 60mm refractor in ƒ/15 mode or, ing six lenses, one of which is fluorite.
and extends it from ƒ/7.5 to ƒ/12.8. In the latter by removing a section of the tube containing
configuration, higher powers can be achieved additional lenses, at ƒ/8.8. Converting between Prof Jeremy Shears
with longer focal-length eyepieces. Thus, the configurations is relatively straightforward so
76mm refractor can be converted for use in two long as one takes care to not cross-thread the ‘Pemberton’, School Lane, Bunbury,Tarporley, Cheshire
configurations (and still remain airline portable). fine threads on the tube components. Takahashi CW6 9NR [bunburyobservatory@hotmail.com]

324 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

From the BAA bookshelf
Mysteries of Space & Time (1955) and Clouds, Rings &
Crocodiles: by spaceship to the planets (1955), by H. P. Wilkins

Richard McKim book got me interested in making my own

Archivist planetary observations and later encouraged me
to apply for time on large professional instru-
ments. Alas! I have never managed to observe

O ne of the very first sec-

ond hand books I ever pur-
chased was Mysteries of Space &
from Yerkes.
Clouds, Rings & Crocodiles: by spaceship
to the planets was another intriguing 1950s
Time by Hugh Percival Wilkins book, this time part-reality-part-fantasy. It was
(F. Muller, 1955). My copy says intended for young readers interested in taking
‘Castle Bookshop, 1976’ on the flyleaf. (Ah! a trip around the solar system, and like the other
Those were the days when such bookshops were book was written by Wilkins in the wake of his
so much more plentiful than they are today… successful American lecture tour the previous
that very large one, since relocated and then a year. Wilkins gave quite a surprising amount of
Figure 1. H. P. Wilkins at his home in Bexleyheath
few years ago closed for good, was in my home technical detail about the rocket that his explorers with his large moon map, from the now defunct mag-
town of Colchester.) Wilkins (1896–1960) was used in their solar system trip. The BAA Library azine Illustrated (1954).
best known for his lunar work, but he was also used to possess a copy of this book, though
involved in telescope making and education. it no longer did by the time it was reduced to
I was fascinated by the engaging descriptions today’s small reserve collection. The explorers
of planets, and the drawings Wilkins made with landed on the far side of the Moon, which was
large telescopes. Here are his descriptions of found to be similar to the near side, with lower
Mars in 1954 June, viewed with the 60-inch mountains and less deep (volcanic) craters. The
reflector at Mount Wilson: ‘…what was very Moon-jeep with large wheels reminds us now of
unusual was the intense blueness of the mark- the Apollo programme. Less believable were the
ings, more especially the so-called seas in the signs of moss-like vegetation and traces of past
southern hemisphere…That night only two of lunar inhabitants.
the canals could be seen, but it was clear that A contemporary book review revealed that
they were continuous streaks and not made up the crocodiles of the title lived upon Venus, and
of a series of dots and dashes.’ With the 40-inch I was sufficiently intrigued to buy my own copy
refractor at Yerkes, the circular dark patches, or in order to see a picture of them. Here I was to Figure 2. Saturn observed by Wilkins with the Yerkes
oases, ‘suggested craters’. It is clear that Wilkins be disappointed. The crocodile-like creatures 40-inch refractor. Published in Mysteries of Space
& Time.
knew John Mellish, or at least had heard of his were not illustrated, and were spotted only in the
claims to have seen Martian relief features from distance by the intrepid explorers. Wilkins was
the Yerkes Observatory many years earlier. ill-served by the artists who illustrated the British to me it seems inappropriate that he should have
Though dated, and having an author who and American editions, published by Harrap. The criticised Wilkins, then in his tenth year as Direc-
clearly believed in UFOs, this enjoyable little UK artist was fair, but the American one was tor of the Lunar Section, in the sarcastic manner
much worse and clearly did not comprehend in which he did. King, soon to be the first Direc-
the subject matter. tor of the London Planetarium, was becoming
Both books were unkindly savaged in lengthy known for his somewhat acidic pen. Of course,
reviews in our Journal, by D. W. Dewhirst and Wilkins did tend to make loose statements, and
H. C. King respectively. Dewhirst was then a sometimes lacked self-criticism in assessing his
very young Director of the Solar Section, and own observations, but I think the little books
addressed the job for which
they were intended: they
interested young people,
and inspired them to take a
look for themselves. Never-
theless, with the unfortunate
episode of O’Neill’s Bridge
still playing itself out, it
proved to be the moment
for Wilkins to retire from the
BAA scene.
For illustrations I have
picked a sketch of Saturn
from Mysteries, and I
thought it would be nice to
use an unpublished drawing
by Wilkins from the Mars
Section archives. But as a
Figure 4. Mars, drawn by H. P. Wilkins in 1952. Notice the enlargement to past Director of the Mercury
the east of the very dark area at Utopia–Casius, a characteristic feature of the & Venus Section I still regret
Figure 3. The dust jacket for the UK edition of Clouds, early 1950s. The curved Nepenthes ‘canal’ issuing from the east side of Syrtis not having seen those Venu-
Rings & Crocodiles. Major was also broad and dark at the time. Mars Section Archives sian crocodiles…

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 325

 Meetings

BAA Ordinary Meeting, 2021 March 31

held on the Zoom online conferencing platform & streamed on the BAA YouTube channel
Alan Lorrain, President

Bill Tarver, Hazel Collett & Prof Jeremy

Shears, Secretaries

Alan Dowdell
Meetings Recorder

T he meeting was commenced

by the President, Alan Lor-
rain. He said that a decision had
been made to keep the subscription rate for the
next session of the Association the same as for
the current session.
He then introduced the evening’s speaker,
Prof Dimitra Rigopoulou. She grew up in Greece
and, after receiving a degree in physics, moved to
the UK and obtained a doctoral degree in astro-
physics at the Queen Mary University of London.
She is currently a professor of astrophysics at the
University of Oxford.

Prof Dimitra Rigopoulou. Dave Fleming/Department of Physics, University of Oxford

‘Lighthouses in the Universe: the tale
of ultra-luminous infrared galaxies’
obscuring the stars. This dust is heated, allowing Cooling via these emissions allows for cloud
Prof Rigopoulou has been working on ultra-lumi- them to be observed in the infrared. fragmentation in the early stages of star forma-
nous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) for most of her To be counted as a ULIRG, a galaxy must tion. It is unclear why, in ULIRG spectra, the
career and she started by thanking her colleagues have at least 1012 times solar luminosity, which carbon II line – an important indicator of cooling
for contributing to the information which would makes them extremely rare. The first discovery and hence cloud collapse and star formation – is
be presented in the talk. was made by the satellite IRAS in 1983, as it missing, when it is a key observable component
An early classification of galaxies was under- was mapping the sky. This was followed with in more normal galaxies.
taken by Edwin Hubble. His simple diagram is discoveries made by ISO in 1995, Spitzer in Observations made by the Herschel space
well known as the Hubble tuning fork. We now 2003, Herschel in 2009 and the ground-based observatory show that many more ULIRGs are
know this scheme was too simplified. However, radio telescope ALMA from 2012 onwards. The detectable at a greater distance, so they may have
for spiral, barred-spiral and elliptical galaxies, James Webb Space Telescope will be launched in been more common in the past. It is possible that
his classification method is still relevant. In this 2021 and will observe in the infrared. separate processes take place in these distant
talk, Prof Rigopoulou would be discussing what We now know of 200–300 ULIRGs. These ULIRGs compared with more local ones, with
are known as irregular galaxies. galaxies are mostly mergers, and almost always differences in the way that the gas clouds interact
The nearest ULIRG to us is in Serpens, at powered by star formation. At least half have an and merge to form stars.
250,000ly away (Arp 220). These galaxies are active galactic nucleus (AGN). ULIRGs hold clues about the symbioses of
extremely luminous; 100 billion times brighter Prof Rigopoulou continued by explaining black holes and star formation, interactions and
than the Sun. They contain vast amounts of dust, why it is important to study ULIRGs. These mergers, and the birth of stars in the early and
objects signal the merging and morphological recent Universe. Studying them could therefore
transformation of gas-rich galaxies. They can lead to a better understanding of the cosmos.
host incredible star formation and have complex, Mr Wilson thanked Prof Rigopoulou for her
unique properties. talk and she took a few questions. Mr Lorrain
ULIRGs are the most luminous galaxies then introduced Owen Brazell, to give the Sky
known in the local universe. 90% of their light Notes. Mr Brazell is a well-known and respect-
is infrared and, in absolute terms, they are 100 to ed expert on the deep sky and is president of
1,000 times brighter in infrared than the Milky the Webb Deep-Sky Society. He also regularly
Way. Two videos were shown of simulated inter- contributes to Astronomy Now.
actions between galaxies, the first showing stars
and the second only the gas. The position of an
AGN within a galaxy can be deduced by studying ‘Sky Notes’
dominant star formation. The proposed structure
involves a very dusty nucleus, containing an Mr Brazell started by saying that this was the
AGN. It is possible, however, that the nucleus first time he had presented the Sky Notes. To
A Hubble Space Telescope image of the ultra-lumi- only comprises intense star formation. begin with, he showed an image of the Moon by
nous infrared galaxy IRAS 19297-0406. This merger
of four galaxies has a diameter about half the size of
Molecular gas is used very efficiently in Steve Creasey. He presented two graphs which
the Milky Way. It is estimated that 200 Sun-like stars ULIRGs to form stars. Far-infrared spectral showed the level of darkness to be expected in
are created in the system every year. This image is emission lines show an abundance in the molec- the night sky over the following months, 2021
a composite of photographs taken in near-infrared, ular clouds of the elements carbon, oxygen, and April and May, and went on to show the phases
ultraviolet and visible light. NASA/STScI nitrogen, in either a neutral or an ionised state. of the Moon during this time.

326 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Meetings
The James Webb Space Telescope, expected to 2I/Borisov is a pristine object which may never available to observe, including objects visible
launch in 2021 December. NASA have come close to a star before its recent visit through binoculars. Mr Brazell referred to the
to the solar system. It is a long way out and work of Adelaide Ames, who contributed to
so not an easy target. the study of galaxies and, in collaboration with
Nova Cas 2021 was discovered by Mr Brazell then focused on planets. Harlow Shapely, produced the Shapely–Ames
Yuji Nakamura in Japan on Mar 18. Mars was still visible in the eve- Catalog of Bright Galaxies in the 1930s. In
This object could be associated with ning sky at this time, but it would 1986, BAA member Le Forbes created a set
a W UMa-type double-star system. be becoming harder to observe. of charts covering the Virgo cluster, which she
An image by David Swan showed Jupiter and Saturn were visible based on photographs taken by Harold Ridley.
the 7th-magnitude nova near M52 in the early morning, but ex- Mr Brazell continued by showing a chart of the
and the Bubble Nebula. This was tremely low. Virgo Cluster. He finished by showing an image
followed with an image by Nick Observable meteors were lacking. The April of the black hole in M87 in polarized light, taken
James. Spectra by Mike Harlow and Lyrids would be visible from Apr 14–30, but this with the EVT (Event Horizon Telescope), which
David Boyd showed emission lines. would not be a dramatic shower, with a zenithal showed the magnetic fields.
A prediction in a previous Sky Notes which hourly rate of 15. Continuing his discussion Mr Wilson thanked Mr Brazell and the meet-
indicated that alpha Orionis (Betelgeuse) would of meteoroids, Mr Brazell spoke a little about ing was then closed.
start to fade had, at the time of this meeting, the Winchcombe Meteorite, and presented an
not come to fruition to the extent expected. image showing the meteor still in flight, taken
Mr Brazell asked for observations to be made by Richard Fleet.
before it was lost to the evening twilight. On Mar 20 a sonic boom and sightings of Papers accepted by Council on
Chi Cygni, which is a long-period variable a bright fireball were reported along the south 2021 March 31
that has been observed by the Association for coast of England. It is thought that a meteorite
100 years, was at magnitude 5–6 magnitude. It may have landed somewhere in the New Forest Three papers proposed by Prof Jeremy Shears,
can go down to 14th magnitude. in Hampshire. No reports of any discovery had Papers Secretary, were accepted virtually by
Sadly, unlike the previous year, we did not been made at this time. the Council for publication in the Journal:
have many bright comets to observe at this time. The Sun was still napping and so activity was
Neptune in 2014–2015 (short paper), by John
C/2020 R4 (ATLAS) was at 9th magnitude and low. On Jun 10 there was to be an annual solar Sussenbach;
was the best hope for observation; an image by eclipse in the Arctic regions, whilst in the UK
Peter Carson was shown. Midway through April we could expect a 20–32% maximum phase. The brighter comets of 2018 and The brighter
was to be a good time to observe it. After that, Mr Brazell then spoke a little about the Realm comets of 2019, by Jonathan Shanklin.
the comet was set to start fading. of Nebulae, an area of the sky that includes the
Recent data from the European Southern Virgo Cluster which contains some 2–3,000 gal- Philip Jennings, Editor
Observatory indicate that interstellar comet axies. There were at this time plenty of galaxies

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 327

Sky Notes by Brian Mills
by Nick Hewitt
2021 October & November
(Written for 23:00 UT in the Above: Saturn on 2021 Aug 21 at 23:15 UT, from West Sussex. C14 (ƒ/22) and ZWO ASI 224MC. Peter Edwards
UK on November 1.)

C an it really be 25 years
since Mark Armstrong
became the first British am-
ateur astronomer to discover an extragalactic
supernova from the UK? For those of a certain (a) (b)
age, I am afraid it is (Figures 1a & b). Mark’s
achievement in spotting supernova 1996bo in Figure 1. (a) NGC 673 in Aries. Sloan DSS. (b) Mark Armstrong’s discovery of SN 1996bo on 1996 Oct 23.
DSS image (left), Mark’s master image (centre) and his discovery image (right).
NGC 673 on 1996 Oct 23 set off a magnificent
era of British supernova discovery, with Mark,
Tom Boles and Ron Arbour contributing an of the constellation, infringing the waters oc- of Pisces and is around 5th magnitude. It can
enormous total of individual discoveries. cupied by Cetus. At the knot is the alpha star, therefore be seen with the naked eye from a
NGC 673 itself is an undistinguished galaxy in Alrescha, which is both a binary and thought to dark site, but it is somewhat variable and may
Aries and the supernova is a rare claim to fame be variable. Its separation was 3.6 arcseconds dip below 6th magnitude.
for the zodiacal constellation. In fact, other than when discovered by William Herschel in 1779, There are several galaxies of interest within
several mediocre galaxies, Aries boasts only but has closed to its current 1.7 arcseconds. The Pisces, the best being the face-on galaxy Messier
one item of interest for most observers: the fine stars are quite bright at 4.2 and 5.2; although both 74 (Figure 2). Near the tail fin of the eastern
binary star gamma Arietis, or Mesarthim. Small similar A-type stars, they have disparate colours fish and just over a degree east of eta Piscium,
telescopes easily resolve the equal pair of A-type recorded by past greats as ‘greenish white and Messier 74 has a reputation of being amongst
stars, that both glow at magnitude 4.8. Although blue’ (T. W. Webb) and ‘weird’ (K. McKready). the fainter Messier objects. It is a ‘grand design’
the orbit is paint-dryingly slow, with a period of But just splitting them should be reward enough spiral with two prominent arms and while faint
around 5,000 years, it is a binary and the sepa- in this epoch. Thought to be variable in the 19th visually, it is very lovely in images. It is around
ration is slowly closing, with no change in the century, there has been no overt change in a 32 million light-years distant.
position angle of 0°. The separation is currently hundred years. An easier common-proper-motion Below the fishes swims Cetus. We encoun-
7.6 arcseconds. Find it to the extreme west of the pair with a fine colour contrast is zeta Piscium tered Diphda earlier, as Alpheratz and Algenib
constellation, where it forms a shallow triangle (Revati). A good double star for the owners of point towards this isolated yellow star, but the
with alpha (Hamal) and beta (Sheratan). small telescopes, the pair are 23 arcseconds apart best action is at the other end of the leviathan
Aries lies between Pisces to the west and and subtly pretty, the primary (4.2) being yellow- where lies the wonderful long-period variable
Taurus to the east. One of Ptolemy’s 48 constel- ish, the companion (5.3) variously described as Mira, or omicron Ceti. It peaked at magnitude
lations, it ranks 39th in overall size and at times pale lilac, greyish, or rose. 2.1 during August of this year (p.271), amongst
hosts a planet. This year it is Uranus. If you want to observe a white dwarf in isola- the brightest maxima known, and it should
The autumn season’s guide to the constella- tion from a bright companion, try van Maanen’s remain prominent through the autumn on its
tions is Pegasus, who flies upside down across the star. It is magnitude 12.4 and close to the tail of 332-day cycle. Find second-magnitude Menkar
meridian in mid-evening between early October the western fish (as typically portrayed). Being in the far east of Cetus and follow through delta
and late November. The western stars of the Great a mere 14 light-years distant, it whips along at (magnitude 4) for the same distance to its west;
Square of Pegasus are alpha (Markab) and beta 2.98 arcseconds per year. Adriaan van Maanen the orange star will be Mira. Around delta lie
(Scheat); these are similar in magnitude (2.4) but has a tarnished reputation, due to his dogged several galaxies worth exploring, but the must-
contrasting in colour. Markab is pure white, while refusal to accept that his measures of stars in see is the barred-spiral Seyfert, Messier 77. This
Scheat is warm orange. Follow the line through external galaxies were erroneous, but he was is a powerful active galaxy with an active nucleus
these south, via the cascade from Aquarius’ a fine astrometrist with regard to stars in our (AGN), so is also designated Cetus A. The recent
water jar, and you will find the most southerly Milky Way galaxy. His star, now van Maanen 2, supernova 2018ivc was type II and was widely
first-magnitude star visible from Britain: Fomal- is one of the smallest known, being Earth-sized imaged (Figure 3).
haut, in Piscis Austrinus (the southern fish). The but with a mass comparable to the Sun. Another In the west, we still have
eastern stars of the Square are Algenib (gamma), star of note is TX Piscium (19 Psc), a fine red ▶ the summer stars available
the least bright of the four, and Alpheratz, which carbon star once classified as a rare N-type, but in the early to mid-eve-
is the brightest, designated both alpha Androme- now a C6-type. It lies in the east of the Circlet ning, even at the end of
dae and delta Pegasi. A plumb line south
just misses the western of the fish, here
represented by the Circlet of Pisces (an
asterism of 4th-magnitude stars), to
reach a lonely yellow star in a barren
region: beta Ceti (Diphda), which marks
the tail of Cetus (the whale).
The full zodiacal constellation of
Pisces is not rich in bright stars, the
brightest only reaching 4th magnitude,
but it has more of interest than its
ovine neighbour. The westernmost of
the two fish lies just below the Square
of Pegasus, while the eastern nestles Figure 2. Messier 74 on 2018 Nov 3. Taken from Olly Figure 3. Messier 77 and NGC 1055 in Cetus, 2015 Sep-
below Andromeda and just west of Penrice’s Les Granges Observatory in Hautes-Alpes, tember. Siding Spring, New South Wales. Ian Sharp. Inset:
Aries. They are strung together on a Provence, France. TEC 140 FL 980mm ƒ/7 and Atik 460 Messier 77 with SN 2018ivc on 2018 Nov 30. iTelescope
line knotted at the extreme southeast CCD. 600s RGB and 5×900s L & H-alpha. Graham Roberts 7, 2×300s. Nick Hewitt

328 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Sky Notes
Lunar occultations
Date Time (UT) Star Mag. Ph. % Illum.
Oct 3* 03:42.3 Eta Leo 3.5 DB –13
Oct 3 04:17.3 Eta Leo 3.5 RD –13
Oct 23 21:42.9 53 Tau 5.5 RD –90
Oct 31 01:37.9 46 Leo 5.4 RD –27

Predicted occultations are of brighter stars as seen from Green-

wich. DB = star disappears at bright limb; RD = star reappears
at dark limb. Please see the Handbook of the BAA for more
Figure 4. Io and shadow transiting Jupiter on 2021 Aug 13. Taken in Berkshire by Peter Tickner, using
details and for occultations of fainter stars. *Low.
a 356mm ƒ/10 Schmidt–Cassegrain and ZWO ASI 462MC camera. Peter Tickner
Grazing occultations
November. The Summer Triangle and Milky 47° from the Sun, but with a southerly Date Time (UT) Star Mag. Notes
Way seem to take for ever to yield to the spec- declination of –26° observations will be
tacular winter riches of Orion and retinue rising unsatisfactory even if made in daylight. Oct 3 04:00 Eta Leo 3.5 N. Eire, Isle of
in the east, with Auriga and Taurus well up by The diameter increases as the phase Man, N. England
mid-evening. In the north, Ursa Major is at its na- wanes, although the planet remains Oct 4 04:12 SAO 99392 6.5 S. Wales to
E. Anglia; low alt.
dir, awaiting the spring release from hibernation. brilliant throughout the period.
Oct 12 19:20 SAO 187672 7.4 S. Wales to
Mars reaches solar conjunction on Yorks., low alt.
Oct 8 and then emerges into the morning Oct 14 21:49 SAO 190087 7.4 S. England
The solar system sky in Libra in November, but low and to Norfolk
tiny, so patience is required to get a more Oct 26 23:26 40 Gem 6.4 S. Wales to Lincs.
Although there is a partial lunar eclipse on the favourable look in 2022. Oct 30 02:38 SAO 1435 6.5 Eire to S. Yorks.
night of Nov 19, with the full Moon in Taurus, Jupiter has been well observed this via Manchester.
only a hint of the penumbral stage will be visible summer by many and remains an early Nov 12 22:21 SAO 165259 7.1 N. Scotland: low
in the pre-dawn sky. The Moon sets before any- evening planet, reaching its greatest alti- alt.
thing of note occurs, but you may see a darkening tude of around 22° mid-evening in early Grazing occultations of stars brighter than magnitude 7.5 visible
of the northern limb if you have a flat western October and at dusk by November’s end. from Great Britain. See the BAA Handbook for more details.
horizon. The full eclipse is seen from the USA. Along with the disc features, we can look
There is also a total solar eclipse on 2021 Dec forward to a rare double transit of the
4: a rather inaccessible one for most of us as the shadows of Ganymede and Callisto on Oct 4. Io new Moon; the Northern Taurids peak at week
eclipse path crosses western Antarctica. It will and Callisto can be seen transiting before Jupiter later. Both have wide periods of activity between
be unusual as the path will move from east to sets on Oct 21 (Figure 4). mid-September and early December, the South-
west across the continent, most eclipse paths Saturn remains to the west of Jupiter and ern meteors being swift, often with persistent
moving from west to east. If you happen to be slightly lower; it is thus also best observed in trains, and the Northern being slower. They are
there, enjoy the spectacle! the early evening when at its highest. The planet therefore easily distinguishable, although both
remains only 18° above the horizon though, so radiants are near the Hyades star cluster.
Phases of the Moon remains a victim of Earth’s atmosphere. The Orionids will be compromised by the
2021 October & November Both ice giants are favourably placed this nearly full Moon when they are at maximum
autumn. Uranus is near omicron Arietis on on Oct 22.
Oct 13, before reaching opposition on Nov 4. It is now 22 years since the famous Leonid
Neptune, now past opposition, is tucked beneath display of 1999 November and we have to wait
New First quarter Full Last quarter the Circlet of Pisces. a further 11 years before the next potential storm,
Oct 6 Oct 13 Oct 20 Oct 28 The dwarf planet 1 Ceres is at opposition in there being a 33-year cycle. This year is unlikely
Nov 4 Nov 11 Nov 19 Nov 27 Taurus on Nov 27. It passes remarkably close to be spectacular, with what meteors there will
to Aldebaran on Nov 6 and retrogrades through be swamped by the Moon which is full the fol-
the Hyades over the month. 2 Pallas is past lowing night. The shower peaks Nov 18 and is
The Sun continues to become more active, opposition in Aquarius. derived from comet 55P/Swift–Tuttle.
although it is far from maximum. At the very end of November, Venus, Saturn
Mercury is poorly positioned early in October and Jupiter will align low down in the southwest Comets
with inferior conjunction on Oct 9, but it then has at dusk.
a good morning apparition later in the month and The periodic comet 4P/Faye (Figure 5) is past
into early November before superior conjunction Meteors its perihelion (2021 Sep 8) so is unlikely to be
on Nov 29. bright, but is well placed in northern Orion, then
Venus is brilliant but low after sunset. Eastern The Draconids may be worth watching on the southern Gemini and northern Monoceros during
elongation will be on Oct 29, when it will be evening of Oct 8 as the Moon will be absent; they the autumn. See Nick James’ August ‘Comet
may be seen in early to mid-eve- of the month’ article on the BAA website for
ning. The shower derives from more details.
comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner The famous 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
and is generally weak, but occa- is also available and has been for a few months.
sionally puts on a good display. It moves from Taurus in early October, passing
The radiant is in the head of the north of the Crab Nebula on Oct 8, into Gemini
dragon and high up in the north- where it is close to Messier 35 on Oct 17. In
Figure 6. Comet 67P/ west by mid-evening. early November it passes south of Pollux in
Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The Southern and Northern Gemini, ending the month in Cancer. It is unlike-
2021 Aug 10, 315mm DK, Taurids have a very favourable ly to be bright but as it was the comet visited by
Figure 5. Comet 4P/Faye on 2021 ƒ/8. From Fregenal de la showing. The Southern Taurid Rosetta and its lander Philae in 2014, it is of
Aug 19. Martin Mobberley Sierra. Peter Carson maximum is on Nov 5 just after special interest (Figure 6).

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 329

 Notice Board
BAA members’
Meetings Joining BAA webinars personal data
diary Webinars are hosted on Zoom and virtual at-
tendance, either online or by phone, is free.
A clarification has been requested regarding the
origin of a project being conducted privately
Joining instructions for each event are on the by Tony Kinder, who has approached members
BAA website at britastro.org/meetings. All regarding an historical database he wishes to
Entries for this diary should be sent to the times given here are for the UK. Live streams create based on BAA members. This project is
Journal Editor [pjennings@britastro.org] of webinars, and recordings of past events, are his personal interest; it is not supported by the
as soon as dates and locations are known. BAA and, indeed, could not be due to the limits
also available on the BAA YouTube channel
Details of all astronomical meetings of re- and restraints of confidentiality of personal data
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YouTube will be unable to take part in speak- governing the Association. Several members
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of any meeting in this listing is final. er Q&As).
approaches by Mr Kinder, who has been advised
not to imply that this is a BAA-sanctioned matter.
Friday 2021 October 1 Monday–Sunday, 2021 October 25–31 The Board of Trustees
BAA Radio Astronomy Section meet- Marlborough Dark Skies Festival. Over
ing on Zoom, 19:15. Talk by Dr Gemma 40 events in 13 venues across Marlborough, a
Richardson, ‘The changing environmental condi- rural town in the North Wessex Downs Area of Saturday 2021 December 4
tions in near-Earth space’. For more information Outstanding Natural Beauty. Featuring the Mu- BAA Christmas Meeting, 14:30 at the In-
and joining instructions, see p.318. seum of the Moon – a 1:500,000 scale model of stitute of Physics, 37 Caledonian Road, Kings
our satellite. For more details and booking, see: Cross, London, N1 9BU. Talks by Prof Catherine
thelittleboxoffice.com/mdsf. Heymans and Prof Sara Russell, with Sky Notes
Wednesday 2021 October 13 by Nick James. For more details, see the back
BAA Webinar, 19:00. Live observing (weather cover of this Journal, and check britastro.org/
permitting) from the observatory of Dr David Friday 2021 November 5 christmas2021 for any updates on COVID-19
Arditti, Director of the Equipment & Techniques BAA Radio Astronomy Section meeting guidelines at the venue.
Section. See britastro.org/node/26187. on Zoom, 19:15-21:30. Featuring a talk by Prof
Lyndsay Fletcher. An invitation to join must be
requested in advance. For more information and Friday 2021 December 10
Saturday 2021 October 16 joining instructions, see p.318. BAA Radio Astronomy Section Christ-
BAA RAG21 Day Conference, 10:00-17:00 mas Zoom Lecture, 19:15: For more infor-
(held on Zoom). Featuring talks by Prof Ian mation and joining instructions, see p.318.
McHardy and Dr Spencer Axani. Other speakers Wednesday 2021 November 17
yet to be announced. For more information and BAA Webinar, 19:00. Presentation by Jim
joining instructions, see p.318. Rowe and Dr Ashley King. For more informa-
tion and joining instructions, see britastro.org/
node/26188.
For sale
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BAA Annual General Meeting and Or- 1987, 1989–1999, 2000 January–April. Eight
dinary Meeting, 14:30–18:00 at the Institute Friday 2021 December 3 issues missing. Details from Bob Mizon,
of Physics, 37 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, BAA Radio Astronomy Section Zoom 01202 887084. Price: a reasonable donation
London, N1 9BU. See the below notice and meeting, 19:15: ‘SARA presents…’. For more to the Commission for Dark Skies.
please note that due to the pandemic, you will information on this event and joining instruc-
need to book in advance to attend. tions, see p.318.

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330 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021

 Trustees and Council Session 2020–2021
The Board of Trustees
Variable Star: Prof Jeremy Shears, ‘Pemberton’, School Lane, Bunbury,
President: Alan Lorrain, 2 Northgate Way, Basingstoke, Hants. RG22 Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 9NR. Tel. 07795 223869. E-mail: bunburyob-
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Other elected members of the Board: Equipment & Techniques: Dr David Arditti, 94 Stag Lane, Edgware,
Middx. HA8 5LW. Tel. 02082 043999. E-mail: d@davidarditti.co.uk
Peta Bosley (dec.), John Chuter, Janice McClean, Dr Nick Hewitt,
Timothy Parsons Computing: Steve Harvey, 3 North Holmes Close, Horsham, W. Sussex
RH12 4HB. Tel. 01403 269037. E-mail: baa@steveharvey.co.uk
Historical: Mike Frost, 70 Arbour Close, Bilton, Rugby, Warwicks. CV22
The Council 6EH. Tel. 01788 814643. E-mail: frostma@aol.com
Secretary (Papers): Prof Jeremy Shears, ‘Pemberton’, School Lane,
Bunbury, Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 9NR. Tel. 07795 223869. E-mail: Postholders
bunburyobservatory@hotmail.com
Journal Editor: Philip Jennings, 47 York Road, Malton, York YO17
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ciation, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU. Tel. 07944
751277. E-mail: meetings@britastro.org Public Relations Officer: Dr John Mason, 51 Orchard Way, Barnham,
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St., Upper Benefield, PE8 5AN. Tel. 01832 205387. E-mail: richard-
Directors of Sections mckim@btinternet.com; & John Chuter, Ivy Cottage, Ham Hill, High
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land DD9 6RX. Tel. 01356 630218. E-mail: solar@britastro.org
Lunar (Acting Director): Dr Tony Cook, Department of Physics, Aberys- Commission for Dark Skies: Bob Mizon, 38 The Vineries, Colehill,
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CB21 5NY. Tel. 01223 290221. E-mail: jrogers11@btinternet.com Events coordinator: Ms Janice McClean, c/o British Astronomical Asso-
Saturn, Uranus & Neptune: Mike Foulkes, 2 The Hawthorns, Henlow, ciation, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU. Tel. 07818
Bedfordshire SG16 6BW. Tel. 01462 810985. E-mail: mike.foulkes 030786. E-mail: events@britastro.org
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Comet: Nick James, 11 Tavistock Rd., Chelmsford, Essex CM1 6JL. Tel.
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Cornhill, Banff, Aberdeen AB45 2HJ. Tel. 01466 771371. E-mail:
sandra-b@hotmail.co.uk www.britastro.org

J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 131, 5, 2021 331

 British Astronomical
Association
Christmas Lecture 2021
Saturday, 4th December 2021
Institute of Physics, 37 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, London, N1 9BU

Doors open at 13:45

Meeting starts at 14:30 and will be finished by 18:00
Tea & coffee will be served at approx. 15:45

The 2021 BAA Christmas Lectures will be given by:

Prof Catherine Heymans FRSE
Astronomer Royal for Scotland
‘The Mysteries of the
Multiverse’

Prof Sara Russell

‘Comet Dust and the
Winchcombe Meteorite’

Nick James
‘Sky notes – December & January’

THIS MEETING WILL BE FREE TO ATTEND BUT YOU NEED TO BOOK IN ADVANCE AND MASKS
MAY BE REQUIRED
BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT at – https://britastro.org/christmas2021
Please check the above page for any updates to venue safety guidelines
If you cannot book online, please call the office on 0207 734 4145

BOOKINGS WILL CLOSE ON 30th NOVEMBER 2021.

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