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Monday 27 April 2015

[BAA-ebulletin 00851] Mercury in the Evening Sky - Observing Opportunity

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BAA electronic bulletin
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See Mercury in the Evening Sky

Mercury can be a difficult planet, not because it is faint, it can be an easy naked eye object, but rather because being so close to the Sun it only pops in to view for short periods in the morning or evening sky.

At the end of this month and beginning of May there is an opportunity to see it during its best evening apparition of the year (it reaches greatest eastern elongation on May 7). Also, on the evening of April 30, it passes within 2 degrees of the Pleiades star cluster (Messier 45) making an ideal observing and imaging opportunity.

To find Mercury on that date (binoculars will help here) follow the ecliptic down through Jupiter and Venus towards the horizon and once the Sun has set (around 19:20UT, 20:20BST) Mercury, shining at magnitude -0.4, will be found around 18 degrees up.

Do make sure the Sun has set before you scan for the planet using any optical aid, as even the briefest accidental view of the Sun through binoculars could result in blindness.

As the sky darkens Mercury should become an easy naked eye object and around 20:00UT it will lie about 11 degrees above the horizon at an azimuth of 293 degrees. If you use a telescope it will show a phase of 56% and a disk diameter of 7 arcsec. By comparison, Venus will show a diameter of 16.7 arcsec and the giant planet Jupiter a diameter of 38 arcsec.

If you fail to see it on April 30 because of the fickle British weather all is not lost as Mercury and the Pleiades remain within a few degrees of each other for the next couple of days. On May 7, date of its greatest eastern elongation, at 19:30UT it will lie exactly midway between Venus and the point on the horizon where the Sun sets, although by now no longer close to the Pleiades.

If you are successful with your observations do remember to send them in to the BAA.

Stewart Moore
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BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2015 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Saturday 25 April 2015

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (April 23, 2015)

Dear comet observers,    We have prepared the following new charts for our homepage:    C/2015 G2 (MASTER):    - a 9x12 degrees chart for the period 24 April - 1 May 2015    88P/Howell:    - a 4.5x6.0 degrees chart for the period 25 April - 3 May 2015    These new charts are now available in the charts section of our  mainpage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro    Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Volcanic Lightning in Southern Chile

Space Weather News for April 23, 2015
http://spaceweather.com

The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted yesterday. Two blasts in 24 hours on April 22nd sent plumes of ash and sulfurous gas shooting at least 33,000 feet high. One of the eruptions occured at night and put on a spectacular display of rare and mysterious volcanic lightning.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for a picture of the lightning and a discussion of its underlying physics.

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Wednesday 22 April 2015

Incoming: Meteors and a CME

Space Weather News for April 20, 2015
http://spaceweather.com

High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras this week when a solar wind stream and a faint CME are expected to hit Earth's magnetic field in quick succession.  NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% to 65% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on April 21-22.

At the same time, Earth will be passing through a stream of debris from Comet Thatcher, source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower.  Sky watchers are already seeing a smattering of late-night fireballs as Earth approaches the diffuse core of the debris stream.  Meteor rates are expected to crest on April 22-23 with as many as 20 Lyrids per hour.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates and observing tips.

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Monday 20 April 2015

[BAA-ebulletin 00850] BAA DVD/Blu-ray record of the 2015 March 20 eclipse

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BAA electronic bulletin
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Following the March 20th solar eclipse we have decided to produce a DVD/blu-ray containing video and stills of the event. If you have any material that you would like to be considered please send it to:

    solareclipse@britastro.org

This mailbox can accept files of up to 20MB. If your material is larger than this (e.g. HD video) please contact me via the above address for details of how it can be submitted.

We want this disc to be a full record of the event so we are happy to consider any type of material associated with the eclipse whether you saw a total, partial or nothing at all!

The closing date for submission is May 16th.

Nick James.
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2015 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Saturday 18 April 2015

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (April 17, 2015)

Dear comet observers,    We have prepared the following new charts for our homepage:    C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy):    - a 6x8 degrees chart for the period 20 April - 4 May 2015    C/2015 G2 (MASTER):    - a 4.5x6.0 degrees chart for the period 18 - 24 April 2015    88P/Howell:    - a 4.5x6.0 degrees chart for the period 18 - 25 April 2015    These new charts are now available in the charts section of our  mainpage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro    Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Friday 10 April 2015

Geomagnetic storm sparks auroras over the USA

Space Weather News for April 10, 2015
http://spaceweather.com

On Friday, April 10th, a G2-class geomagnetic storm erupted. Northern Lights spilled across the Canadian border into the USA, where auroras were photographed as far south as Colorado.  At the time of this alert, storm conditions are still underway with a possibility for more storming when a belated CME arrives later in the day. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Saturday 4 April 2015

[BAA-ebulletin 00849] April Journal now available on the BAA website

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================
April Journal now available on the BAA website

Details of the April Journal are now available on the BAA website,
www.britastro.org/jbaa2015april. To read PDFs of the articles, or to download
a PDF of the whole Journal, you must log in as a member (top right of
screen). If you haven't yet registered for full online access (or have
forgotten your sign-in details) click on 'Register for online access' and
enter your details there.

And don't forget you may purchase the complete searchable archive of the BAA
Journal from 1890 to 2011 on DVD, from www.britastro.org/journal-dvds.

Best wishes
Hazel McGee, Journal Editor
2015 April 4 ======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2015 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Total Eclipse of the Moon on Saturday

Space Weather News for April 3, 2015
http://spaceweather.com

LUNAR ECLIPSE:  Sky watchers on the Pacific side of Earth can see a brief but beautiful lunar eclipse on Saturday morning, April 4th.  The Moon will turn red, and possibly turquoise, too, as the lunar disk passes through the shadow of our planet.  Totality lasts for less than 5 minutes, so it is important to be outside at the right moment.  Check http://spaceweather.com for viewing times and more information.

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (April 3, 2015)

Dear comet observers,    We have prepared the following new chart for our homepage:    C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy):    - a 6x8 degrees chart for the period 5 - 20 April 2015    This new chart is now available in the charts section of our  mainpage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro      Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Wednesday 1 April 2015

[BAA-ebulletin 00848] Recent novae and supernovae

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BAA electronic bulletin
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There's been a plethora of new objects reported recently, mainly
novae, but also one supernova.

PSN J07361576-6930230 = SN 2015F
Discovered on 2015 March 09.789 by Berto Monard in NGC 2442 at R.A. =
07h36m15s.76, Decl. = -69°30'23".0.  Latest estimates have it around
magnitude 13.3V. Martin Mobberley has uploaded an image here:
http://martinmobberley.co.uk/images/psnj07361576-6930230_20150322_mpm.jpg


NOVA SAGITTARII 2015 NO. 2 = PNV J18365700-2855420
Discovered by John Seach, Chatsworth island, NSW, Australia on 2015
March 15.63UT at magnitude 6.0 using a DSLR and 50mm f/1.0 lens. The
object is located at: RA 18h 36m 56.84s DEC -28 55' 39.8" (2000). An
optical spectrum by S. C. Williams of Liverpool John Moores University
obtained 2015 March 16.27 UT using the FRODOspec spectrograph on the
Liverpool Telescope indicates N Sgr 2015 No. 2 is a classical Fe II
nova. Recent observations report it at around magnitude 5.0.

PNV J18142514-2554343
Discovered by Hideo Nishimura (Shizuoka-ken, Japan), Koichi Nishiyama
(Kurume, Japan) and Fujio Kabashima (Miyaki, Japan) at an unfiltered
magnitude of around 11. It is located at: RA 18h14m25.24s DDEC -25 54'
32.6" (2000). Echelle spectra by Frederick Walter (Stony Brook
University) taken on the night of 2015 February 15/16 near maximum
light indicate that N Sgr 2015 is a classical Fe II nova. Latest
observations have it at around magnitude 11.6.

BRIGHT TRANSIENT IN SCO (PNV J17032620-3504140)
Elizabeth Waagen reports on AAVSO Special Notice 397 the announcement
on the CBAT Transient Object Confirmation Page (TOCP) of the discovery
of a bright transient in Scorpio. Tadashi Kojima (Japan) detected the
transient on 2015 February 11.836UT at unfiltered CCD magnitude 8.2
using a 150-mm f/2.8 lens + a digital camera. It is located at: RA 17h
03m 26.20s DEC -35 04'14.0" 2000). Frederick Walter, Stony Brook
University reports on ATEL 7060 an observation with the Chiron Echelle
Spectrograph on the SMARTS/CTIO 1.5m on 2015 February 13 at 09:38UT.
This confirms that this object is a nova.  Current observations show
it at around magnitude 13.6V.

PNV J17291350-1846120
Discoverer: Yukio Sakurai, Ibaraki-ken, Japan R.A. 17h29m13.50s
Decl. -18°46'12.0" (J2000.0) 2015 March 29.766 UT, 12.2 mag (CCD,
unfiltered).  Latest observations show it to be at magnitude 11.9V. A
discovery image can be seen at:
http://www.oaa.gr.jp/~oaacs/image/PnovaOph.jpg. According to
Fujii-san, Balmer lines with P Cyg-type profile (1900km/s) were
observed. He I (5048A, 5876A, 6678A, 7065A) and N II
(5001A, 5479A, 5679A, 5938A) were also in emission. N III (4640A) and
O I (7773A) might be present. The nova appears to be a He/N-type one.

PNV J20145000+1903300
Discoverer: Akihiko Tago, Okayama-ken, Japan R.A. 20h14m52.98s Decl.
+19°03'52.2" (J2000.0) 2015 March 21.758 UT, 8.5 mag (CCD, unfiltered)
Patrick Schmeer notes on vsnet-alert 18475 that the object is NOT a
nova.

The charts for many of these objects may be created using the AAVSO
Variable Star Plotter (VSP) at http://www.aavso.org/vsp.

roger.pickard@sky.com
31st March 2015
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2015 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/