Recent observations
Noctilucent cloud
Doubt has been cast over the early-May noctilucent cloud mentioned in the previous issue of the Journal. Dave Gavine, Iain McEachran and Frank Howie report a number of nights with NLC in June and July. Frank took this picture across the Forth to Fife 2008-07-03/04.
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Sun
Horst Meyerdierks takes an image of the Sun whenever possible and averages his spot counts in 30-day intervals. He reports the following R numbers (number of spots plus ten times the number of spot groups):
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Solar eclipse
The solar eclipse of 2008-08-01 was partial in Edinburgh with a deepest phase of 35 % of the solar diameter, but the weather was no good. Frank Howie caught a brief glimpse, while Falkirk may have had a five minute interval near maximum phase to see the event. The eclipse was total in parts of Canada, Russia and China. Des Loughney travelled to China and had very good conditions; we look forward to his report and images.
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Moon
Prompted by the talk on digital imaging, Angus Self dug out some pictures he had taken of the Moon some five years earlier.
It is the most simple and basic method one could possibly use. In 2003 I held my 2-megapixel Canon Ixus to the eyepiece of my Tal 1 reflector and went click ... click ... click ... and eventually found some quite decent pictures when I put them on the PC. The close-up is pretty neat for such a Heath-Robinson affair, with the crater Walter showing central uplift (near the top left).
His close-up of 2003-02-09 is shown here with an unsharp mask applied.
