This has to go down as one of the warmest star party nights we have ever done, still around 23 degrees at 22:30h! It was not a surprise therefore that the west cliff was pretty busy. Keith, Mark and John manned the four scopes deployed, Keith’s 12” Dobsonian, the LX 200, the 6” Dobsonian and John’s 5” SCT... [Read more about Bank Holiday Sunday – Aug 25th]
Another bank holiday weekend and... ‘stone the crows’... another heat wave (what is it about bank holidays and unusually hot weather this year...doesn’t seem right)
The event on the Friday night –Aug 23rd, the final night of folk week, turned out to be quite successful, although it was unusually quiet to begin with. With no LX in service that night, Keith brought his 12” Dobsonian [Read more about Folk Week/August bank holiday – Aug 23rd]
After drawing a blank for Regatta, the following weekend event fared somewhat better with the Saturday evening star party going ahead under reasonably clear skies. Jupiter and Saturn were naturally the main course, with a waning gibbous moon rising over by the Abbey acting as desert... [Read more about Star Party: Aug 17th 2019]
Well, we tried our best, but it was pretty much in vain. The weather was marginally better than forecast and many Regatta activities went ahead, just not most of ours.
Saturday was rather windy throughout and although a few breaks in the cloud did allow for some brief solar observations in the afternoon, it was certainly not ideal. Barbara and Mark made it along for a while, but we couldn’t even show them any sunspots, completely bare again: the Sun that is... [Read more about Regatta 2019 Events?]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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?)]
| Sun | Rise | Set |
|---|---|---|
| Actual | 07:04 | 16:27 |
| Civil Twilight | 06:26 | 17:05 |
| Nautical Twilight | 05:44 | 17:48 |
| Astronomical Twilight | 05:02 | 18:29 |
| Moon | Rise | Set |
|---|---|---|
| 14:50 | 00:00 |
