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The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh |
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The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh |
The observatory is open to members of the Society and the public on most Friday evenings between 8 and 10pm.
The imaging group co-ordinated by Dr Neil Grubb, and the Messier observing group, co-ordinated by Dave King, have been holding joint meetings at the observatory at 8pm on the Monday evening following the main Society meeting.
These groups provide an excellent forum for sharing ideas and helping less experienced members learn practical techniques. The meetings have proved to be very popular with members who bring along their own telescopes and gain experience in their use. Both groups accommodate beginners as well as the more experienced observers but it is not necessary to own a telescope or binoculars to participate.
All members of the Society are encouraged to participate in these activities.
Dr Neil Grubb co-ordinator of the CCD imaging group has recently set up a web site at http:/geocities.com/betsymatosis/webcams.html showing his latest digital images and explaining how to use a webcam.
The new notice boards purchased by the Society are filling up with some excellent work produced by the imaging and observing groups.
The notice boards are also proving to be very useful for general notices, keeping members informed about what is happening in our own Society as well as providing information on National and International Astronomical matters.
General observing forms, as well as notes on Aurora and Noctilucent Clouds are available in the City Dome. A box in which to put completed observing forms is located in the hallway of the City Dome. Members are encouraged to submit their observations as these can be used in the Journal or passed on to the British Astronomical Association.
A major Aurora was observed from Edinburgh, on the 11th April. Persistently cloudy weather prevented much observing in the autumn, resulting in disappointment for observers, as news of an aurora, on 21st October, was seen as far south as Devon.
A very bright Noctilucent Cloud display was noted on 25th June. Smaller displays were also observed in July and August.
The Perseids, Leonids, Geminids and Quadrantids were all clouded out. This was most unfortunate because last year, moonlight affected observations of all the meteor showers. This year in theory at least, conditions were favourable. Observers were looking forward to meteor watches but persistently cloudy weather has badly affected observation of the major meteor showers.
The Occultation of Saturn by the Moon was observed by 11 members of the Society who came up to the observatory on 3-11-01. Several members had some excellent images of the event. There was another occultation of Saturn by the Moon on 1-12-01 but the sky in Edinburgh was cloudy.
This year we enjoyed stunning views of the planets. Venus and Mercury were outstanding in the pre-dawn sky. Mars was also on view although not especially favourable for observing.
Jupiter was very favourable for observation, being near opposition. Several members of the imaging and observing group observed a shadow transit of one of the Jovian satellites on Monday 10-12-01 / Tuesday 11-12-01 through the Cook telescope.
Saturn with its rings wide open provided memorable and impressive views for visitors and members alike.