Aylesbury Astronomical Society

Registered Charity Number 276313


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“Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler” (Einstein)
Aylesbury Astronomical Society

AYLESBURY ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

For Heaven’s Sake!

SEPT 2011


Aylesbury Astronomical Society Newsletter Issue No. 521

STOP PRESS!

The September meeting is at the Winchendon observatory (not at the Scout hut) at 7.30 pm comparing notes on our own telescopes


OBSERVING:

Observing is from 9.00 on Fridays 9th Sep and 23rd Sep. In case of doubtful weather, please check with a committee member before attending


The Winchendon Observatory is available at any time to key holders. Keys are available from Steve Edwards, 01296 427098 or steven.l.edwards@ntlworld.com


We ask that you attend with at least one other person in case of mishap at the site and check clashes with visiting groups (helpers invited!)

30th September: Edgcott & Winslow Young Farmers


FORTHCOMING EVENTS


All at 7.30 pm at the Scout Hut, Oakfield Road, Aylesbury unless otherwise stated


Monday 5th September: Show and tell ‘scope evening at the observatory. Please share cars as parking is limited.

Monday 3rd October: Mike Leggat on Exploration of Saturn

Monday 7th November: Mike Beales – Update on his current observing

Monday 5th December: Nigel Mason on Mars

Monday 9th January: Geoff Evans


AAS ANNUAL OUTING


Saturday 17th Sep at the Bristol Science Centre which has a planetarium and the AAS will pay the entrance fee. There are plenty of other things in Bristol if you wish to make a weekend of it. Please share cars. Please inform Ralph Campbell if you are coming

http://www.at-bristol.org.uk/theplanetarium.html


WHAT’S UP? September Night Sky


The following shows the night sky at 23:00 in the middle of the month

Moon’s phases


4th – first quarter; 12th – full; 20th - last quarter; 27th – new

The Moon will be close to: Jupiter on 16th & 17th; Pleiades on 18th; Mars on 23rd


Mercury will be visible low down in the eastern sky before dawn from early in the month. Passes close to Regulus at -0.82 on the morning of the 9th when the planet reaches greatest western elongation. It will be lost in the twilight a few days after this date

Venus is slowly creeping into the western evening sky, very close to twilight

Mars will be visible in the eastern sky before dawn in Gemini. Moves into Cancer during the month quickly approaching the open cluster M44 Praesepe or the Beehive Cluster

Jupiter is now rising well before midnight and as bright as magnitude -2.6 close to the tail of Cetus the whale or sea monster

Saturn is now creeping further into the Sun’s glare in the western evening sky so unlikely to be seen this month

Uranus will reach opposition on 26th. Dim at magnitude 5.7 it will be visible all night in Pisces

Neptune will be visible in the southern part of Aquarius. At magnitude 7.8 it will require binoculars or a small telescope to identify it

Pluto will be very low in the southern sky in Sagittarius and at magnitude 14 it will be impossible to find in the Milky Way


Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) a relatively bright comet continues moving from Sagitta (the arrow) at the beginning of September, crosses over the wing of Aquila and on towards Hercules slowing fading by the end of the month


Piscid Meteors are at maximum throughout the month, but with rates of only 10 per hour these will need some patience


Constellations

Cygnus (the Northern Cross) is clear above with its bright star Deneb shining brightly. Compare with the steely white/blue luster colour of the nearby brighter star Vega in Lyra. Deneb and Vega along with Altair in Aquila make up the “Summer Triangle”. Towards the south is Capricornus with its relatively faint stars and Formalhaut in the Southern Fish may also be glimpsed low in the south east. In the north, Ursa Major is dipping down low, touching the horizon. In the eastern sky, Perseus and Pisces are rising rapidly, closely followed by the Pleiades star cluster. When these are well up before midnight, winter is on its way. The bright yellow star Capella in Auriga is also starting to rise. Boötes and Ophiuchus with Sagittarius are now disappearing towards the west


A new Supernova 21 million years old!

A new supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy M101 has been observed just above the handle of the plough in Ursa Major by Oxford University astronomers. Dubbed the catchy title of “PTF11kly”, it will become brighter making it visible through a good pair of binoculars


M101 and PTF11kly as imaged by the Faulkes Telescope (D. Andrew Howell & BJ Fulton et al., Faulkes Telescope North, LCOGT).

The discovery was made using a robotic telescope at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego, California. “The most exciting thing is that this is what’s known as a type 1a supernova – the kind we use to measure the expansion of the Universe. Seeing one explode so close by allows us to study these events in unprecedented detail” said team leader Dr Mark Sullivan


A Supernova occurs when a star reaches the end of its life, collapsing in on itself before exploding out into space, in an event that can be so bright as to even outshine an entire galaxy


Newsletter and website


Please forward any newsletter contributions to the Editor (see link at end). An email prompt like “Next month is the anniversary of the first aardvark in space” helps make newsletters more topical


Newsletters will be forwarded by email to many members saving postage, printing and, you can have this newsletter sooner than by post. Please forward your email address to the Editor (details at end) if not an electronic recipient


Some members still prefer a hard copy which will be available at the monthly meeting or by post. Despite many references to web sites, not everyone has access to a computer which why I would appreciate a review on any book vaguely connected with astronomy you’ve read, even if not very recently.

Visit the AAS web site at www.aylesbury-astronomy.org.uk and if you have any comments or suggestions, email the Webmaster


CONTACTS www.aylesbury-astronomy.org.uk




September 2011