Nov 1st talk from Chris Copperwheat on ULTRACAM

Members of The Redditch astronomical Society gathered on Monday the first of November for their monthly meeting in The Canterbury Suite at St. Augustines High School where Chris Copperwheat from the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick spoke about High Speed Astronomy.

Chris' main research interest is in astronomical events that occur in very short time scales such as XRBs and exoplanet transits Photographs taken in the X Ray area of the Spectrum, and stars that are dependant on each other and Live and die together.

An extract from Chris’s web site:

“We have created the first model that describes in a realistic way the optical/infrared emission from the donor star and accretion disc in a ULX binary. By applying this model to the optical counterparts of various ULXs we have constrained the mass of the BH in a number of systems, and made new determinations of the masses, radii and ages of the donor stars.”

The next meeting of the Society will be on the 6^th of December, and as well as the traditional Astronomy quiz will include a visit and book signing by Professor Colin Pillinger C.B.E. promoting his new book “life on Mars”, a précis of which is shown below:

"My Life on Mars" is a dual autobiography - mine interwoven with the untold story (including the bits some people didn't want anybody to know) of Beagle 2. For seven years the British mission to look for life on the Red Planet captivated the public all over the World.

More information to be advised as it emerges.

October Group Meeting

Monday the 4th of October saw members of the Redditch Astronomical Society meet in the Canterbury Suite at St. Augustines School Redditch between 7.00 & 9.30 P.M.
Arrangements were made for a trip to the Annual General Meeting of the Feaderation of Astronomy Societies in Cambridge on Saturday the ninth of October, where apart from the A.G.M., there will be several speeches and presentations throughout the day, as well as trade stands where hopefully books, maps and equipment can be picked up at bargain prices.
Next up, one of the members put on a slide show and narration on stellar nebulae and their content, location distance and size etc.
A break was then taken for refreshment, and members took advantage of this time to learn to read star maps and to solve problems with their telescopes with the help of other members.
The second half began with a presentation showing more nebulae, but this time demonstrating what can be achieved by an amature astro imager from his own back garden, followed by general discussion on many topics.
The venue for the meeting on Nov 1st will be the same, when Boris Gaensicke will be talking on “Dance of death in the stellar graveyard”.
Doors open at seven O’clock and members and guests are asked to arrive on time.

Redditch Autumn Star Party

On the 25th of September members of the Redditch Astronomical Society started gathering at Lower Park Fisheries Bordesley (the location of their dark site) from 5.00 P.M. onwards for the Autumn Star Party.
Observations of the Sun were made through a member’s solar telescope, sunspots, prominences and granulation of the surface were observed before we were provided with a magnificent sunset.
Warning: never attempt to look at the Sun without the appropriate protection or equipment!
A hot and cold buffet and hot drinks were provided and enjoyed by all of the nineteen members and guests that were present.
As darkness closed the telescopes that were set up earlier were put to good use on what turned out to be an excellent viewing night with planets, star clusters and distant galaxies being observed and shared among ourselves.
The evening passed all too quickly and members started to leave at about 9.45 with the
more hardy types carrying on observing and imaging until 11.15.
Our October meeting will be held on Monday 4th October and will be an open night with telescope workshop hints and tips, and any other subject that might arise on the night.
The meeting starts at 7.00 P.M. in the science block at St. Augustines School and visitors are most welcome.

Andromeda Galaxy M31

The sun on July 11tt 2010

Hi everyone...
Here is another picture of the sun I took some weeks ago.
Cheers
Patrick

The Green Flash and the Redditch Astronomical Society

Twenty four members of Redditch Astronomical Society enjoyed an hour and a quarter long talk on Monday 5th July at Saint Augustines School about the phenomenon “The Green Flash” presented by Mike Frost.
Mike Frost lives in Warwickshire, his day job is systems engineer working in the steel industry and in his spare time is an astronomer who chases eclipses and visits astronomical sites worldwide.
He is a member of Coventry and Warwickshire Astronomy Society , The Society for the History of Astronomy, The British Astronomical Association and the Astronomy Centre , Todmorden, and also writes articles and give talks to societies around the UK (and beyond!).

The Green Flash
WARNING - NEVER ATTEMPT TO OBSERVE THE SUN DIRECTLY!
This phenomenon occurs at sunrise and sunset, given the right climatic and viewing conditions, i.e. clear skies, still air and a good horizon, and occurs at the very last instant as the Sun dips below the horizon.
Mike however managed to stretch this out in a humorous and interesting way, with qotes from many books which he had brought along to enhance his talk.
The Green Flash or Green Ray is a fleeting and beautiful phenomenon which has inspired the imagination of story-tellers from ancient Egypt to the present day. Meet the nerdish Aristobulos, hero of Jules Verne's "Le Rayon Vert", and David Abden, roguish hero of Winston Graham's "The Green Flash", as they try to explain the mysteries of the setting sun.
"... This ray has the virtue of making him who has seen it impossible to be deceived in matters of sentiment; at its appearance all deceit and falsehood are done away, and he who has been fortunate enough once to behold it is enabled to see closely into his own heart and read the thoughts of others..." (Jules Verne)

Karen Bloor (Events Secretary) introduces Mike Frost To the members
When the talk was concluded, refreshments were taken, and as there is no meeting in August, members have decided to have a get together in one of the local Indian Restaurants later in the month.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for the 6th September.

Green Flash talk at Redditch school (From Redditch Advertiser)

Green Flash talk at Redditch school (From Redditch Advertiser)