Green Witch's 11th Birthday

Just a quick reminder that Green Witch will be 11 years old at midnight tomorrow, Halloween. Please call in to see us if you are in the area and have some refreshments with us. The showroom will be open from 10 am and we plan to stay open into the evening if the skies are clear and get out some telescopes as soon as it's dark.

We'll also have quite a few new products on display to show you. All are welcome and it would be really good to see you.

William Optics FLT 110

This very popular high-quality refractor is availabl;e once again and we have it in stock. Production was severely disrupted by hurricanes in the Far East but the factory is now back in full production and has caught up the backlog.

The FLT 110 has also been upgraded and now sports a digital-readout focuser making accurate and repeatable focusing much easier.

Vixen Telescopes

We still have the first batch of Vixen display telescopes in the showroom but they will be moving on next week. If you would like to see them, tomorrow would be a good opportunity. We have examples of the different types of optical tube and mounts. You need to see and feel them to appreciate the difference in quality between these and average telescopes.

LCROSS Data still being analysed

As a spectacle for Earth-bound observers the impact of the Lcross satellite into crater Cabeus was a non-event. Scientists involved in the experiment said afterwards "the ejecta brightness appears to be at the low end of our predictions", but nevertheless a valuable amount of data was collected and is still being analysed.

Also, close-up video of the crater created by the first impact was sent back to Earth; it has a resolution of around 2 metres which will allow the nature of the impact, and hence the characterists of the 'ground' to be estimated.

Spirit and Opportunity are still hard at work

The two Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity have been exploring the surface of Mars since early 2003 and have far exceeded the targets set for them, both in the duration of their mission and the distances they have travelled.

Both continue to send back valuable data and have been nursed through many problems along the way. Spirit is currently stuck in a bunker and as an engineer I suspect more has been learned by dealing with the problems than was ever anticipated when the mission was designed.

Mars is due to reach opposition (ie the point when the Earth is directly between it and the Sun as we overtake it on the inside) on January 29th next year. The closest approach is actually two days earlier so now is a good time to start getting ready to try some imaging. Because of Mars' position in its highly elliptical orbit it will be about 99 million kilometers away, but will still be worth imaging.

A Bang on the Funny Bone?

Around 11 am on October 8th a large bang which shook walls and convinced local people an earthquake was in progress occurred over the Indonesian coastal town of Bone. It turned out to be a 10-metre wide asteroid that had hit the Earth's atmosphere, exploding with the energy of a small atomic bomb (estimated around 50 kilotons of TNT equivalent).

A twisting trail of debris was left behind by this unanticipated event. The asteroid was not detected before the collision but events like this are likely every two to twelve years according to current models. I suspect we'd have heard much more about this one if it had happened in the West.

Watch the report on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeQBzTkJNhs&videos=jkRJgbXY-90 I think the report is in Bahasa Indonesia but even if you don't speak this you'll get the gist of it.

Are you using the right kind of fat balls?

You've probably seen fat balls for sale to put out as food for wild birds. They are a popular and important food source and will guarantee attracting many birds to your garden where you can enjoy their antics. However, fat balls are often sold in small nets to make it convenient to hang them.

I was discussing this with a birding expert recently who pointed out that nets can be quite dangerous as birds can become entangled in them. I thought it would be their feet that were the problem but apparently it is their tongues. If their feet become entangled they have a chance of pecking them free; if it's their tongues they are likely to die or be seriously injured.

We're about to intruduce fat balls to the selection of wildbird food on our web site. These will be net-free but we'll also have a suitable feeder to hang them in. I'll put something on Twitter when they appear on the web site.

Nature Reserves and Astronomy

I gave a talk and a tour of the night sky to a group at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve last Saturday. The night started clear but clouded over partway through the tour and before everyone had chance to look through the telescope at Jupiter. Despite this it seemed to be a successful evening and made me think that astronomers and nature enthusiasts perhaps should cooperate more frequently.

St Neots Astronomy Society meets at Paxton Pits and make use of the visitor centre and car park. It provides a safe location with reasonably dark skies and provides the nature reserve with a small but regular additional source of income.

If you are an astronomer looking for a safe dark site, or a volunteer at a nature reserve, why not consider getting together for your mutual benefit?

And finally...

There's a farm for sale not far from Green Witch that would make an ideal astronomy centre and base for our operations. If you are looking for an investment opportunity and have some serious funds to spare I would be delighted to hear from you.

Clear Skies and Best Wishes

Neil

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