Welcome to 2007

I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year and perhaps even managed to get out and enjoy the skies and natural world. We had a few clear nights but the weather hasn't yet got crisp enough to give those clear sparkling nights that show so many more stars. I took a William Optics 66mm refractor home to try over the holiday period and enjoyed showing some friends the Moon at New Year. It's the same one I took to Turkey for the solar eclipse and is easy to carry and store. I used it on a camera tripod which works fine, but I prefer one with slow-motion controls to make it easier to align. Next time I'll take home one of our alt-az mounts as well.

How far can you see?

This is one of the most common questions that beginners ask when buying a telescope and it's difficult to answer in a way that is meaningful to them. Cosmic distances are generally beyond our comprehension and certainly beyond our experience. One of the easier stepping stomes to starting to understand distances is to find the Andromeda Galaxy and contemplate that the light entering your eyes has been travelling through space for more than two million years. This is the most distant object you will see with your naked eye and most people are amazed when told that it is considered to be a 'local' galaxy and is quite close in the greater scheme of things. At two recent star parties I helped people find it in binoculars using a laser pointer. They were able to pick up the laser beam then follow it to the galaxy. It's a most effective tool and always impresses.

Favourite Constellation?

I expect most astronomers have a favourite constellation and if I had to guess I would say that Orion is the most popular of all. It hangs there throughout the Winter dominating the sky and is easy to recognise. Within it is the great nebula, the horsehead nebula and many other worthy sights. Betelgeuse and Rigel have such contrasting colours they make a good example when showing newcomers that stars do have different colours. If you are new to astronomy and feel there is too much to take in and don't know where to start, why not set out to become more familiar with Orion. Concentrate on learning what is where within the 'hourglass' figure, then move outwards to find nearby constellations such as Taurus, Gemini and the two hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor.

Welcome back Saturn

Saturn has been visible in the night sky for quite some time now but for most people its return is noticed when it's easily visible in the evening sky. It rises around 7:30 pm so you don't need to stay up too late to observe it. Look for it in Leo where the backwards question mark is distinctly recognisable. If you're not sure where to look start with the pointers in the Plough and follow them in the opposite direction to Polaris. Saturn is quite bright and easy to spot close to Regulus, the bright star at the bottom of the question mark.

Besides looking at the rings why not follow the movement of Titan, Saturn's largest Moon. It makes almost two orbits around Saturn in a month. Also see if you can identify Iapetus which is fainter and moves more slowly than Titan. This month's Astronomy Now has a large feature on Titan which is well-worth reading. It helps bring to life that little point of light that you see in your telescope.

Christmas Aftermath

Christmas was very busy for us and we're now taking stock and replenishing the shelves. We're also busy with courses and the free course we offer with every ETX and LX90 is heavily subscribed. The beginners' courses are also proving popular as recipients of telescope presents decide to learn more about the subject. At the time of writing there are no places left on the ETX course next Saturday but we will be arranging another one when the demand builds up again. Please let us know if you are interested.

Astrofest 2007 - 9th and 10th February 2007

Our next big task is to prepare for Astrofest which is held in Kensington Town Hall on 9th and 10th February 2007. A new room has been brought into use which we shall share with Cape Instruments. It is on the lower floor and we hope you will be able to visit us there. At present we are looking at ways of keeping the showroom open as well but may have to close for the two days. Please check before coming to the showroom during Astrofest in case we are closed.

Keeping a Log

Serious astronomers always stress the importance of keeping a log or record of your observations. Beginners usually think it's not worthwhile because they don't yet know what they are doing and don't know what to record. However, keeping a log from the very beginning is a useful discipline to develop and adds its own interest, especially when you look back at earlier entries. Any exercise book will do but if you want help to get started then we recommend The Night Sky Tracker. This is a combined handbook and logbook which contains a lot of good basic information laid out is a form that is simple to read and assimilate. It comes with a glow-in-the dark cover to make it easier to find when you want to make an entry and has pages laid out with the basic information you should record. It costs £12.99.

And Finally...

We've decided to continue the Tuesday Night Star Parties until the end of February. The next one is on 9th January 2007 from 7 pm to 10 pm then every other Tuesday. Dates are on the web site.

Best wishes and Clear Skies

Neil