Open to society members and public alike from October through to April, Sunday evenings are reserved for observations at the Bruce Observatory, Whitby School - weather and access permitting.  Hoping to observe on a set date and time over the winter in the UK is always likely to be a long shot - falling foul of weather conditions. In recent years 70 - 80% of Sunday observing evenings have fallen by the wayside. Still, we persevere and on those occasions the weather gods relent, evenings with the 5" f15 vintage Cooke refractor can be truly memorable.

The Bruce Observatory. (Click for larger image)

The final Sunday evening of November was clear allowing pleasing views of Saturn and superb vistas of the Moon, although ongoing issues with the telescopes mount drive mechanism meant manual operation of the scope only. 

Astonishingly, the first Sunday evening of December was also clear, however gusty winds necessitated the opening of only one observatory dome flap. Observations of Saturn at various magnifications were made with the 18mm eyepiece (85x magnification) proving to be the most satisfactory.  Other objects targeted included Messartim in Aries, the 'car headlight' appearance of the double star well resolved.  The double cluster in Perseus proved impossible to target being too high up, but the colourful double star - Almaak in Andromeda (an alternative Albireo), was however obtained and looked quite splendid in the eyepiece. The colour contrast being obvious and pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately, wind gusts intensified and we thought it prudent to curtail proceedings and close the dome up - aware of the strain on the flap hinges.  

It was back to usual business the following week… and the week after, mist and fog, then plain old cloud preventing any prospect of observations. We hope for better observing prospects in 2026, whether they arrive is a different kettle of fish altogether!

WDAS members and Cooke refractor. (Click for larger image)

Please note: the school drive gate operates via an electronic card/key code which only certain WDAS members can access. If conditions look promising and you are intending to come along, please be at the top of Whitby School drive for 19:00hrs, or contact Mark with a pre-arranged arrival time, otherwise you may have to use a method of attracting our attention in the observatory.  If unsure of weather conditions and observing viability, please contact Mark on 07886069339.  

The January open nights are Jan 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th. Those in February are the 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd. 

'red light mode'. (Click for larger image)