The Lunar Eclipse

I hope you had clear skies for the eclipse and were able to enjoy this remarkable spectacle. I watched it with friends in Milton Keynes and noticed that through binoculars the Moon really looked three-dimensional. Back in Cambridgeshire Wendy took an excellent series of photos using her ETX 125 and digital camera. Ian Morison of Jodrell Bank used a Newise telescope to good effect and produced one of the best images I've seen. It should appear on the Cape web site when the new version is released in the next week or so.

How to find Saturn

Quite a few beginners seem to be having trouble locating Saturn with their new telescope yet it is one of the first objects they should look for. It is now well-placed for observing in the evening sky and can be seen just to the right (i.e. west) of Leo. To find Leo locate the Plough and its two pointers. Follow the pointers away from the Pole Star and they lead to Leo with its distinctive sickle or 'backwards question mark'. Alternatively, just look due south around 10 pm where you will see the sickle shape alongside Saturn.

Astroblast 2007

Preparations for Astroblast are coming along well and we will have even more to offer than last year. Make sure the date, Saturday 21st April 2007, is in your diary. For the latest details see www.astroblast.org.uk

William Optics and Ferrari

William Optics have just announced a tie-up with Ferrari so we should soon be seeing some new products under the Ferrari brand. New product announcements are set to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the prancing horse marque and the start of the formula one season.

Venus

Venus still dominates the twilight western sky and is impossible to miss in a clear sky. But have you tried locating it during the day? It should be possible with the naked eye but you need to know where to look and you also have to persuade your eyes to focus at infinity. When looking into a clear sky your eyes will tend to focus in the near distance. When you see Venus you will wonder why it was so difficult to find. Look away and you may find it difficult to locate again.

Astrofest 2007

It was good to see so many of you at Astrofest and to meet a few customers who haven't visited us yet in Cambridge. We enjoyed the show although it was hard work. After packing up on Saturday I drove straight to Italy to join my daughter Heather on her school skiing trip. On Sunday night I slept like a log.

There was a lot of interest in the Arizona Sky Village and in Cape Newise telescopes with whom we shared our stand. Besides selling 8-inch and 12-inch versions we took an order for a 20-inch telescope.

Birds and Other Wildlife

Many of our customers are wildlife enthusiasts and come to us for binoculars and field scopes but we've noticed a sudden increase in interest in monoculars. Not to be confused with monocles, monoculars are like half a pair of binoculars so are smaller and easier to carry around. They are also good for people who have problems using both eyes with conventional binoculars. Why not save money on a monocular if you only use one eye anyway?

Bats start to become active as soon as there are insects around so it's time to think about a bat detector if you want to listen in to their private world. 'Detector' is perhaps the wrong word as it does more than tell you there are bats around. With a little practice you can tell what sort of bats they are and what they are doing. The book and CD called the Bat Detective tells you how and is a useful companion to a bat detector.

And finally...

Our season of star parties ended with a flurry of activity last week. I ran three in three nights for a men's club, the scouts and the brownies besides taking a telescope along to Papworth Astronomy Club to help with their observing evening. Three out of the four events enjoyed clear skies which must be better than average.

Best wishes and Clear Skies

Neil