Arizona Sky Village

I've just returned from another visit to the Green Witch House in the Sky Village which was thoroughly enjoyable. I spent quite a bit of time working on the observatory which is now fully functioning with a 12-inch LX200 set up for visual use. The observatory roof is motorised making it quick and easy to get going at the start of the night. Besides the LX200 the house now has a NexStar 6 SE, Orion 12-inch Intelliscope, Coronado PST and three pairs of binoculars for visitors to use, all included in the rental price.

I also had cable TV installed by Valley Telecom who provide the phone and broadband, so you can keep in touch with the outside world in a variety of ways. Of course, if you don't want to keep in touch there is an 'off' switch. Most of the components needed for remote observing are now in place so I hope to get this going during my next visit.

I took the opportunity to take a good look at Rancho Hidalgo, the ranch just over the border in New Mexico that will be developed along similar lines to the ASV but with the added attraction of a large equestrian facility and a working vineyard. Gene Turner and I flew over it and the adjacent mountains in his Cessna, then walked and drove over quite a bit of it. It's beautiful open countryside with substantial water rights that will allow for the horse pasture and vineyard to be irrigated as well as providing the dwellings with adequate water.

The first block of land released for astronomy sold out in three weeks so more is to be released. It is being offered at very attractive prices during the 'pre-platt' phase as a way of raising the capital to start the infrastructure. Platting is the process of gaining approval to subdivide the ranch into individual 4-acre building plots and is likely to take six to nine months. Once this is completed and the land is advertised to the equestrian community, prices are likely to rise considerably.

So, if you like the idea of a holiday home under some of the world's best skies with all the attactions that Arizona and New Mexico have to offer, now is a good time to buy into Rancho Hidalgo. Even if you are just looking for a very good investment it is well-worth considering. For more details see http://ranchohidalgo.green-witch.com/ or give me a call.

Beginners' Astronomy Course

We are running a course for absolute beginners on Saturday 23rd February 2008. Please call Wendy to book a place if you would like to attend. Jeffrey Barham has been running this course for us for several years and it always gets good reports from people who attend it.

Stock-Take and Sale

We are planning to do our stock-take in February when we will identify items for a Mad March Sale. This starts on Tuesday 11th March and there will be a special preview evening on Monday 10th March for you and members of local astronomy clubs which will give you first go at the bargains. The special preview starts at 7 p.m. and we hope you can make it.

Special Offer on Celestron CPC Telescopes

If you've been thinking about getting a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope then now would be a good time to consider a Celestron CPC 800, 925 or 1100. If you order before 15th February you can save 250 pounds off each model.

The CPC range are excellent telescopes and the price reduction makes them even better value for money. A special shipment is being arranged to enable the savings to be passed onto customers and the telescopes will be delivered in March or early April. We have the CPC 800 on display if you would like to see the quality for yourself. And don't forget that the CPC 800 and CPC 1100 can be used with Hyperstar for fast, wide-field imaging. See our Hyperstar page for details.

Tough Times for British Astronomy

When the UK decided it could no longer afford its contribution to the Gemini Telescopes there was hope that acess to Gemini North could be maintained. Predictably, the other partners seem to have said no to this idea leaving UK astronomers with no access to either of the telescopes they put so much money, manpower and know-how into building.

Michael Rowan-Robinson, President of the Royal Astronomical Society, has offered to mediate between the STFC, which provides the UK funding for Gemini, and the Gemini Board. Let's hope he helps them salvage something from the mess.

When the UK astronomy community agreed to the closure of the Royal Greenwich Observatory they were persuaded it would release more funds for university astronomy. They couldn't see the thin end of this very thick wedge. Some might say they only have themselves to blame but astronomy is too important to feel any kind of satisfaction here. If you feel strongly about this please write to your MP to tell him or her that you believe astronomy needs much better support than it receives at present. 

Astronomy in Thailand

In the last newsletter I mentioned Keith Tritton's recent visit to Thailand  and the observatory he set up around a 16-inch telescope built by Jim Hysom. Keith and I met with Jim and his wife Jean to talk about the project and to look at old and recent photos. Jim brought along copies of old publicity material about the telescope for Keith to send out to Thailand. The telescope is still in regular use and much-loved by the astronomy students.

National Nest Box Week

The week containing Valentine's Day (February 14th) is designated National Nest Box Week when we are all encouraged to provide suitable nesting places for our feathered friends. Green Witch stocks a wide range of nest boxes suitable for most garden birds including Robins, Tits, Finches, Swallows and Martins. Please take a look at the range in our catalogue if you need to replace your old nest boxes or add some new ones. Why not give one as a Valentine's present with a difference? (But don't forget the roses and chocolates as well - practical presents on their own do not usually go down well.)

Looking South at 10 p.m.

Last week I was looking up at pristine Arizona skies and familiar constellations disappeared against a background of countless stars. Back in the UK the familair shapes stand out because we can't see so many stars, but there is still plenty to see.

Our southern meridian passes right through Sirius, or Alpha Canis Major, the brightest star in the night sky. Sometimes called the Dog Star, it often seems to sparkle with different colours due to atmospheric effects, especially as it is never very high in UK skies. At ten o'clock tonight it is just over twenty degrees above the Cambridge horizon.

Sirius is about nine light-years away so is relatively nearby, being not much more than twice as far as the our nearest stellar neighbour, Proxima Centauri. It is embedded in the Milky Way which runs up our meridian at a slight angle along the left side of Orion. Some theories say that the great pyramids at Giza were built to represent the three stars in Orion's belt with the Milky Way being the flooded River Nile.

Above Canis Major lies Monocerus, an indistinct constellation lying between Canis Major and Canis Minor. Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor, lies to the left of our meridian and forms the Winter Triangle with Sirius and Betelgeuse. I have a soft spot for Procyon as it was one of the stars I saw in daylight during the Solar Eclipse of 1999.

High above these lies Gemini containing the two heavenly twins, Castor and Pollux which are to the left of our meridian. Mars has now moved out of Gemini and is off to our right in Taurus. It has been undergoing retrograde motion (appearing to move westwards against the background stars) as we overtake it on the inside but is on the point of reversing direction and resuming its normal eastward travel.

Browsing with binoculars along our meridian will show up many open clusters lying within the Milky Way.

And finally...

I've received several emails asking if we will be running Astroblast again this year. We can't run it at the IoA in Cambridge because of substantial building work so plan to run it at Bedford School in November. Details will be published very shortly on the Astroblast web site.

Clear Skies and Best Wishes

Neil

www.green-witch.com
www.arizonaskyvillage.co.uk
www.astroblast.org.uk