Welcome to the WDAS monthly newsletter for December 2020: a digest of the month's latest contributions to our website. Below you'll find Society News and Sky Notes for the coming month.
May we take this opportunity to wish you all a very HAPPY Christmas!... whatever tier you may be in!
Society News
Paul Money’s yearly sky almanac; Night Scenes, is now available online as a PDF download or on Kindle e book format. There will be no printed version of Nsc 2021 due to Covid 19. Details of how to order can be found at the link below.
http://www.astrospace.co.uk/index.html
Simply click on the link, wait for the Night Scenes 2021 details and click on the text. This will take to the options page. You can pay via PayPal or via card etc, simply follow the instructions. The first installment is £4 and covers December 2020 and the first six months of 2021. There are over 50 pages laid out in a similar fashion to the printed version; ie plenty of charts, maps and images to compliment the text, all in colour as usual.
Night Scenes is an indispensable almanac packed full with information on events in the sky, together with tips on observing. If you want to know what’s happening, it’s the ‘goto’ source. The society normally orders a ‘bulk buy’ of Night Scenes, but obviously this year that will not be possible, so it will be up to the individual to purchase a copy. We would like to think members will continue to support this excellent almanac if possible, otherwise the 2022 booklet version may become another casualty of Covid.
A New Year, a new covid variant (several in fact), but same old predicament, lock downs, restrictions and the vaccine cavalry only just mustering outside the stables. Still, could be worse, and may well become so for a while before logistical hurdles are finally cleared. (there are a lot of horse related metaphors in this piece for some reason!) The night is always darkest just before dawn, as the saying goes, although amateur astronomers should know this is factually incorrect, but there is light at the end of the tunnel (factually correct, unless its night when you emerge from said tunnel). I digress.
As the whole of North Yorkshire is now in tier 3 category, there is no prospect of a society meeting in January and only a small chance of one in February! There is however a more realistic chance of being able to meet in March or April, chance being the operative word.
Even more realistic is the possibility of hosting some open nights at the Bruce observatory, perhaps by the beginning of February. This will depend on further tier revisions made by the government. For now though, all we can advise is to check the society website from time to time for any changes.
It will soon be time for sub renewal’s for the coming year, so here is some good news for existing members...drum roll...there aren’t any, well at least until autumn of 2021 at the earliest. We cannot in all honesty expect members to pay for what in essence will be a void year. Just three meetings and a few open nights at the Bruce Observatory, everything else has been cancelled. Best guess is that March 2021 may be our first society meeting. So subscriptions will roll over and we’ll see how matters unfold.
For people wishing to join the Whitby and District Astronomical society, there will be joining up fee of £10, which will include subs up until March 2022. Cheques are payable to:- Whitby & District Astronomical Society
Please address to Ms E. Hoyle, 4 Riversview, Sneaton Lane, Ruswarp, Whitby. YO22 5JA
Should any existing members feeling philanthropic wish to donate to society funds anyway (up to £10) you may do so, but it's purely voluntarily. Cheques to/address, same as above. Thanks for your understanding in what has been a rather difficult and frustrating year.
Events
Observe the night sky with us at the Bruce Observatory, Caedmaon College - Normanby campus (formally Whitby College).
Observing Nights are held weather permitting: check for a relatively clear sky before leaving home. If in doubt, Mark can be reached on tel 01947 605516.
Please note the college drive gate is now operated via a electronic key code - so anyone wishing to attend must be at the car park at the top of the drive by 19:00hrs, unless an arrival time has been arranged with Mark/Keith after 19:30hrs. Otherwise shout or bip car horn - we'll hear.
Observe the night sky with us at the Bruce Observatory, Whitby School - formally Caedmon College - Normanby campus ).
Observing Nights are held weather permitting: check for a relatively clear sky before leaving home. If in doubt, Mark can be reached on tel 01947 605516.
Please note the college drive gate is now operated via a electronic key code - so anyone wishing to attend must be at the car park at the top of the drive by 19:00hrs - unless an arrival time has been arranged with Mark/Keith after 19:00hrs.
Observe the night sky with us at the Bruce Observatory, Whitby School - formally Caedmon College - Normanby campus ).
Observing Nights are held weather permitting: check for a relatively clear sky before leaving home. If in doubt, Mark can be reached on tel 01947 605516.
Please note the college drive gate is now operated via a electronic key code - so anyone wishing to attend must be at the car park at the top of the drive by 19:00hrs - unless an arrival time has been arranged with Mark/Keith after 19:00hrs.
