Jul.28, 2019

Westerdale Star Party

Our annual jaunt over to Westerdale will be a little later this year.  The 27th September 2019 is the date for your diary, from 19:00–22:00h.  More on this next month. [Read more about Westerdale Star Party]

By Mark D
Jul.28, 2019

Hook’s House Farm / Westerdale Events

Our annual visit to Hook’s House Fm will be slightly earlier this year – Saturday 31st August 2019.  It will be a no-Moon period and if skies are clear it should be ideal for deep sky observations.  We shall of course be observing both Jupiter and Saturn on show to the south and carrying out a sky tour.  We anticipate the campsite will be busy, so if you make along with a scope all the better.  We hope to be setting up equipment for shortly after 20:00h with a view to a 20:30h start... [Read more about Hook’s House Farm / Westerdale Events]

By Mark D
Jul.28, 2019

Regatta Events

The evening star parties will be held on the pitch and put area, above the archery green, as per last year.  Parking is adjacent to this area - down the side of pitch and put, accessed over the parking area behind the bowling green.  It is actually quite convenient.  We shall be setting up from 20:30h.  If conditions are fine and you can make it along, assistance would be most welcome... [Read more about Regatta Events]

By Mark D
Jul.28, 2019

Display of Noctilucent Cloud

A really fine display of Noctilucent cloud was observed by Mark and other society members, including Elaine and Phil during the late evening of July 11th 2019.  Mark first noticed something developing low to the north shortly after 23:10h. 

Observing from his back bedroom window –which faces north, Mark followed the display until almost midnight, taking some images in the process.  Visible only at this time of year, Noctilucent cloud forms almost exclusively between latitudes 50 and 60 degrees north, at altitudes in excess of 50 miles... [Read more about Display of Noctilucent Cloud]

By Mark D
Jul.28, 2019

Star Party: 6th July 2019

We finally manage to host a scheduled star party on July 6th.  Conditions were not, shall we say ‘summery’ but at least there was enough clear sky to view the crescent Moon and fortuitously, Jupiter, in a slender gap.  It has to be said public were a little scarce on the ground, but those who did venture over were impressed with the lunar views, and really wowed by Jupiter and attendant Galilean moons... [Read more about Star Party: 6th July 2019]

By Mark D
Jul.28, 2019

Keith Retires (...escapes?)

No, not from the society, but from work (lucky so-and-so) Keith has worked for the last 41 years as a science technician at what was Whitby School, then Whitby College and finally Caedmon College.  Most of us still refer to it as the former. 

You can almost say Keith has worked there ‘man and boy’... [Read more about Keith Retires (...escapes?)]

By Mark D
Jul.28, 2019

Partial Lunar Eclipse

Think back to July 2018, when during a long heat wave with the majority of evening’s fine, it was greatly frustrating to have apocalyptic weather for the total lunar eclipse on July 27th 2018.

Almost a year on (July 16th 2019) another lunar eclipse would grace our skies and again would already be underway as the moon rose.  Not a total, but a partial eclipse.  This time however prospects looked encouraging with clear skies forecast... [Read more about Partial Lunar Eclipse]

By Mark D
Jun.30, 2019

Society News/Events

Unsurprisingly, our star party events in June all fell victim to the poor weather conditions, either cloud or rain ...or both.  It’s a quite a few years since we last endured a soggy June, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.  Let’s be philosophical; better June than late July, August or September, when we need fine evenings.  Hope things buck up during July. [Read more about Society News/Events]

By Mark D
May.26, 2019

Observatory News

Not a great deal to tell, the college has the estimate of the work involved, the methods of how this will be tackled has been somewhat amended since the last update.  [Read more about Observatory News]

By Mark D
May.26, 2019

Society News: Recent and Coming Events.

After skies cleared quite late for our scheduled star party on the May11th, (and having not erected any placards as a result), we decided to utilise the conditions by trying out the LX 200 and power pack for a pre-season shakedown run.  

Keith, John, Phil and Elaine all came up to the college where we hoped to have a good shakedown test of the Meade scope.  Initially, things did not look promising, problems with the power station/power cable, locking/motor synch mechanism and hand controller, gave some cause for concern.... [Read more about Society News: Recent and Coming Events.]

By Mark D

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