'We live in the Atmosphere of a Star'

This is a quote used by Dr Lyndsay Fletcher in her talk on 'Storms on the Sun' given at Merseyside Astronomy Day IV at the Spaceport. It triggered a whole new train of thought as I hadn't looked at our interaction with the Sun in this way before.

We are all conscious of our dependency on the Sun for warmth and light, and most of us are aware that the solar wind causes aurorae and influences communications. But Lyndsay showed some animations illustrating the interaction with the Earth's magnetic field and these really brought to life how complex the interaction is, and what a profound effect our magnetic field has in protecting us from the harmful effects of being 'within the Sun's atmosphere'.

I'm not sure whether it's strictly accurate to call the solar wind part of the Sun's atmosphere but, if we do, the Sun's atmosphere extends all the way out to the Heliopause, a hundred times the distance of the Earth, where the solar wind meets the interstellar medium.

Pentax Papilio Close-Focus Binoculars

Lots of modern binoculars will focus down to two metres, but few of them are easy to use at this distance. Pentax's Papilios will focus as close as half a metre and have a special design feature to make them easy to use. As you focus closer the objective lenses move to make it easy to bring the two images together. The level of detail you can see with 6.5 or 8.5 times magnification at half a metre is stunning.

So if you are looking for a compact pair of binoculars that are ideal for the nature enthusiast, or anyone who wants to examine detail close up, then take a look at the Papilios. Come and try them in our showroom and see for yourself. If that's not convenient why not order a pair? If you don't like them you can return them within seven days for a refund.

Papilios are available in two formats, 6.5x21 and 8.5x21 and will focus from half a metre to infinity. Why settle for anything less? Find them here on our web site.

Beware of False Green Witches

We would like to point out that the Green Witch who appears in Orange adverts is probably just an actor; she is certainly nothing to do with our company.

International Space Station (ISS)

Did you see the Space Staion last week? It was well-placed several nights in a row for two passes to be visible just before and after it got dark. Some of the passes coincided with the shuttle undocking and moving way from it. Lee saw the station and shuttle after they had separated. I only managed to see the station on Friday as I arrived at Sawtry Astronomy Club.

The ISS now has its full complement of solar panels deployed making it the next brightest object in the night sky after the Moon. Here's a lovely pciture of it taken against the Earth's limb. Click on it to get a higher resolution version.

Celestron SkyScout

I gave a short presentation on the SkyScout at Sawtry on Friday then took it outside for the members to try. I just handed it over while I set up a telescope and within a couple of minutes they were identifying objects with confidence. One lady enjoyed using it so much she bought one on the spot, and a chap said he would visit us in the week to buy one.

It really is a good way of learning your way around the night sky and is quick and easy to set up. When it's cloudy you can listen to the built-in field guide or one of the optional tutorials supplied on SD card, or just read the information in its data base. You can find details here on our web site .

Another Way of Getting Help with your Astronomy

You may not know this but Lee offers private tuition to anyone wanting help with their astronomy. This is proving to be quite a popular option and we've had several people spend an evening with him at the showroom learning how to set up and use equipment. These hands-on sessions can save a lot of time struggling alone.

Lee will also visit you and help you set up and use your own equipment at home. In this case he charges for travel and travel time as well but it can still be very good value and save you a lot of time and heart-ache.

Please call him on 01954 211288 to discuss your requirements. Private tuition also makes a great present.

Dark Skies in Scotland

To celebrate the International Year of Astronomy two dark sky sites have been named by the Dark Sky Scotland partnership. These are sites at Newbattle Abbey College in Dalkeith and the Glen Nevis Visitor Center grounds near Fort William. Both offer safe, dark locations and it is hoped that more sites will be identified throughout the year.

Similar initiatives are being planned in the USA and probably elsewhere in the world. If you know of a suitable site in your area, why not approach the owners to see if they would be prepared to make it available to astronomers? Think of the potential benefits to them and explain these to them. For example, a small caravan site might attract more business if it became known for astronomy. A country pub with a suitable site could also benefit from extra custom.

The main requirements are reasonably dark skies, shelter from prevailing winds, unobstructed views down to a reasonable distance from the horizon, hard standing to set up equipment not too far from vehicle access, shielding from nearby light sources such as roads and car parks, and a safe environment. It's unlikely you will find the perfect spot but you never know until you try.

Looking South from Cambridge UK at 10 pm on Monday 30th March 2009

My birth sign of Leo sits astride our southern meridian. He looks as though he is jumping over Saturn which is the bright, slightly yellowish object just to the left of the meridian. Despite its rings being close to edge on they are still easily visible in a small telescope.

Titan, Saturn's largest Moon, is also easy to see as a pinpoint of light. It is a little less than half the diameter of the Earth and a planetarium program such as Skymap Pro will show you where to expect it. Alternatively, Sky and Telescope provide a Java Applet that will calculate and show you the positions of the five brightest moons, Enceladus, Titan, Dione, Tethys and Rhea.

Regulus is Leo's brightest star and it marks the base of the backwards question mark or sickle that represents the lion's head. It is very close to the ecliptic so can be mistaken for a planet by the unwary.

If you imagine the sickle to be the front of the lion you should be able to identify the three stars that make up his back legs and tail. Denebola marks the tip of the tail. Chertan is the lower of the two stars marking the back legs and is almost straight above Saturn. Try browsing the area around this star with binoculars. Below Chertan there are three galaxies that are just within binocular range and should fit in the same field of view as Chertan. This will help you find them if your skies are clear and dark enough. All are spirals, M65, M66 and NGC3628.

At a similar level in the sky and half way between Chertan and Regulus you should be able to find a group of three more galaxies, M95 (barred spiral), M96 (spiral) and M105 (elliptical).

Two indistinct constellations, Sextans and Leo Minor, lie below and above Leo respectively. Each is usually shown as a bent line joining three stars.

Above Leo Minor we find Ursa Major in our overhead. The best-known part of Ursa Major, the Plough, is just behind our overhead. Notice how the pointers point to Leo in one direction and Polaris in the other.

Close to our horizon lies Hydra, the Water Snake, the largest constellation in the sky. Hydra's brighest star is Alphard and it lies to the right of our meridain about 28 degrees above the horizon. Alphard is also known as 'the lonely one' because there are no other bright stars in the same region of sky. It is noticeably red and lies about 85 light-years away. It is about 115 times as luminous as the Sun.

While you are exploring Hydra take a look at NGC3242, sometimes called the Ghost of Jupiter because it resembles Jupiter. However, it is much fainter than Jupiter and about half the apparent size. In reality it is a planetary nebula, a ball of gas thrown off by a star like our Sun as it reaches the end of its life and starts to shed its outer layers. It's almost exactly on our meridian and about twenty degrees above the horizon (i.e. a handspan held at arm's length). You may be able to see it in 10x50 binoculars but stand more chance with a small telescope.

And finally...

I thought I would try adding a little colour and a couple of pictures to the newsletter. Nothing too flash, just something to brighten up the appearance. I would be interested to hear what you think, epsecially if you discover it makes it more likely to end up in your spam folder.

Oops...a few of you may have received emails without the images...the software I use isn't quite as automatic as I thought but I think I've fixed it now. So you should see the pictures unless your software supresses them. Apologies to anyone who received the first email without the pictures.

Clear Skies and Best Wishes

Neil

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