Phoenix in Wonderland

The Phoenix Mars Lander has been working away since it arrived in the northern arctic region and has dug a couple of trenches. Scientists were surprised by the degree to which the soil formed clumps and this presented problems with transferring material into the tiny ovens where it is baked as part of the analysis programme. Baking releases volatile substances which can then be detected and analysed.

The ovens have now been filled and Phoenix has started to dig a new trench in an area called Wonderland. It's digging into a hummock called Cheshire Cat and the trench is called Snow White. I don't remember Snow White being in Wonderland but I wonder if Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) ever imagined his characters' names being applied to features on Mars.

The lander exposed some hard white substance beneath the surface of the first trench which scientists think may be ice. Perhaps the Cheshire Cat's grin means it's really frozen cream.

Happy Birthday to Don Airey

Brian May isn't the only rock star with an interest in astronomy. We recently sold a telescope to Don Airey who plays keyboard with Deep Purple. Don's a close friend and celebrates his 60th birthday tomorrow. We wish him happy days and glorious nights as the old saying goes.

Ethos 8mm Eyepiece

You may have heard that TeleVue have followed last year's release of the Ethos 13mm, the world's first eyepiece with 100-degree apparent field of view, with the second eyepiece in the family. It was announced at the North East Astronomy Forum (NEAF) and is now available from Green Witch.

The 8mm Ethos is smaller and lighter than its bigger brother and can be used in a bino-viewer for truly phenomenal views. For many people it will become their eyepiece of choice, offering high-contrast, high magnification views of large patches of sky. Order yours now and get ready for the coming observing season.

Triplet Refractors from Meade

Small quantities of Meade's 80mm and 127mm triplet refractors are now available. They are priced very competitively so if price has been the only thing stopping you from getting a high-performance refractor you may be surprised to find out just how affordable these models are. Call Lee on 01954 211288 for further details.

Sky Watcher Telescopes

We've been impressed by the quality and range of telescopes that Sky Watcher have brought out in the last couple of years or so. They represent excellent value for money and are backed up by prompt support from the distributers, Optical Vision. Whether you want an entry level reflector or a high-quality refractor on a computer mount you will find good value in the Sky Watcher Range. One of the best sellers is the 8-inch Explorer 200P.

Space to Space Refuelling

We've all seen air to air refuelling on TV but the Jules Verne spacecraft recently became the first western spacecraft to refuel another space vehicle in orbit when it transferred 811kg of fuel to the International Space Station. The whole process was carried out automatically while the spacecraft were travelling at 28,000 km/h.

The fuel is used to boost the Space Station's orbit to compensate for altitude lost due to residual drag in the tenuous outer atmosphere. Jules Verne is scheduled to undock and return to Earth in September.

Inspiring the Young

Astronomy more than any other science seems to have the ability to inspire young people. I was reminded of this a couple of days ago when a mum came in looking for a telescope. Her 5-year-old son had become interested in astronomy and awakened her dormant interest so she wanted to encourage him by showing him some of the sights in the night sky. I think it was also an excuse to get herself a telescope.

When she told her son about the Planets Suite by Gusav Holst he insisted on getting up early each day to listen to it before going to school. Have you listened to the Planets lately, and if you have, do you think the music reflects their personalities as we now perceive them? It seems to me that Mars, always associated with war, is a peaceful and fairly tranquil place, whereas Jupiter, the bringer of jolity, is a world of fierce and awesome storms.

Summer Solstice a Day Early

The Summer Solstice is the moment in time when the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer and it occurs at 23:59 (Universal Time) today 20th June 2008. This is the first time it has occurred a day early since 1896 according to the US Naval Observatory. Of course, to us it will appear to occur at 00:59 tomorrow because we are operating on British Summer Time.

After tonight the Sun will begin its journey to the South and the days (meaning the length of daylight) will start to get shorter again. We won't notice the change for a while as it is very gradual through the middle of Summer and Winter. The change is most rapid during Spring and Autumn, which is why the days suddenly get noticeably shorter quite quickly as we approach the Autumn Equinox, which this year occurs on September 22nd.

Looking South at 11 pm from Cambridge UK.

I've moved our viewing time an hour later to allow the sky to become a little darker. The meridian runs down through Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, a crescent of stars resembling a tiara rather than a crown. Its brightest star is Alphekka, also known as Gemma, which looks like the jewel in the crown.

Also part of the constellation is the Blaze Star, T Coronae Borealis. Quite a faint star (around 11th magnitude) it brightened to 2nd and 3rd magnitude in 1866 and 1946 respectively. Who knows, maybe it will brighten while you are looking at it. If it does it will be easy to find; if it doesn't, a good star atlas will be needed.

Below the Northern Crown we find Serpens Caput hanging down the meridian. Its head is formed by a triangle of three stars with a tail of four bright stars. This is one half of the serpent, its head, with the other half at the other side of Ophiuchus the serpent holder. One of the best objects in Serpens Caput is the globular cluster M5. This is a 6th magnitude cluster and is well worth searching out with binoculars and telescopes.

Below Serpens Caput we find Scorpius which in the UK is never displayed to best effect, being so close to the horizon. In dark skies further south it is transformed and really does resemble a scoprion. Look for the bright star Antares in Scorpius. It is also called the rival of Mars and resembles it to some extent.

And finally...

The sky never becomes really dark in summer but on a clear night the brighter stars stand out better. If you are a novice still trying to find your way around the sky, take the time to identify the bright stars. When the sky is partially obscured by cloud and only a small number of stars are visible, see if you can still identify them.

Clear Skies and Best Wishes

Neil

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