Lupor Victor, Partial Lunar Eclipse,

24 April 2013

ISO 200 exp 1/500

GCSE Astronomy

closing date to

enrol 18th May

2013

Contents OAS News ................................................................................................................................................ 3

OAS Academy ...................................................................................................................................... 3

GCSE Astronomy ................................................................................................................................. 3

OAS Subgroups .................................................................................................................................... 4

Hugh’s View ........................................................................................................................................ 4

OAS juniors .......................................................................................................................................... 5

Mini Lunar/Solar Cam ......................................................................................................................... 7

Navigating using the cosmos ............................................................................................................ 10

Your images ....................................................................................................................................... 13

OAS News OAS Academy The time has come I think to explain a little more about the academy, and where this is

going. First off I should remind people the OASA is NOT part of the Online Astronomy

Society. The Online Astronomy Society Is a non-profit making organisation. The Online

Astronomy Society Academy is the business end which offers among other things the online

tutorials many of you have seen and the GCSE Astronomy course. The company is under the

trading name of easyasIT Limited, which in itself is a not VAT registered business. The

Academy also has the capacity to add other services and has indeed done so as you will see.

However in summary we now offer a planetarium service and have teamed up with a

representative from Usborne Books, Fiona Price who is now catering for our younger

audience (via their parents).

Please note as well as offering astronomy tutorials, we also offer a product training service.

For example, we have just created the training material for www.astroplace.net . If you are

a retailer, perhaps we can help you to provide training for your products, software, or

hardware. Good training programmes not only offer a good selling point, but also can help

slash support calls from customers. Sometimes you need more than a book of words to

impress the customer once they have parted with their hard earned cash.

GCSE Astronomy 16 confirmed students enrolled for the start of the GCSE Astronomy course this summer, tutored by

Dr Johanna Jarvis. There is still time to register for GCSE Astronomy; the course begins on

01/06/2013 with final enrolments being accepted no later than 18/05/2013. Course cost is £160

please visit www.onlineastronomycourses.co.uk for more information or contact

OASAcademy@gmail.com

We have also had a restructure in that we now offer:

Beginning Astronomy

Spectroscopy

Astrophotography - all at £10 each for the year, with Cosmology

being offered free with each package.

Planetarium!

We are now able to offer a mobile planetarium show.

Please visit www.oasplanetarium.com for more details

Prices start from just £250 for schools and £350 for corporate events. Please email

OASAcademy@gmail.com for more information

OAS Subgroups We have seen some new and interesting sub groups forming off the OAS Group. With the

main Online Astronomy Society Group seeing rapid grow in recent months to over 2000+ it

came to our attention that there was no easy way to handle different aspects of astronomy

like the groups we formed below. The OAS Group itself continues to attract bloggers and

imagers; the latter of course continues to be the main purpose (sterile group if not).

However the format was not giving other astronomical spin offs a chance to thrive, hence

the formation of the below groups, which must make the Online Astronomy Society quite

possibly one of the most diverse and active groups online (in Facebook anyway). We have

tried several times unsuccessfully to grow from Facebook, using forums and such like, but to

no avail. However if you would like to be kept informed, following our Twitter Group is the

way to go, we have OASoc and OASAcademy

OAS Asteroid Hunters Group

With the Panstarrs campaign now complete we have netted 5 provisional asteroids in our searches.

What this means is the 5 objects discovered will need to be confirmed before being added to the

database of the Minor Planet Centre. For this to happen repeated follow up observations are

needed. The process can take up to 7 years after which the asteroids can be named, potentially after

their discoverers. Well done team! Next campaign is in October 2013 so looking forward to that.

Visual Observers Group

Michael Nicholls is doing well with the Visual Observers Group with over 30 members enrolled,

producing some lovely work and reminding us how important and useful classical astronomy

sketches can be. Some amazing work in there by the likes of Dr Paul Abel to name a few.

Spectroscopy Group

This group continues to thrive with some fine spectroscopists, including Jeff Barton, Dr Johanna

Jarvis (Open University), and Ray Gilchrist. A fine place to come and learn more of this fascinating

hobby

Hugh’s View

It is galaxy season and I recently captured this

image of the very faint ‘super thin’ galaxy IC

2233 (apparent magnitude only 13.1). The

super thin designation was introduced by Jean

Goad and Morton Roberts in their 1981 paper

in the Astrophysical Journal: ‘Spectroscopic Observations of Super thin Galaxies’

(http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1981ApJ...250...79G). A galaxy is super thin if the ratio of the minor

diameter to major diameter is 1:9 or less; I estimate a ratio of ~1:11 for my image of IC 2233. The

major diameter of IC 2233 is given as 5.17 arc minutes in the NASA Extragalactic Database

(http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/forms/byname.html). At an averaged distance of almost 45 million light

years this equates to a visual diameter of about 65,000 light years, just a bit more than half the

diameter of the Milky Way. What is also particularly noticeable in my image is the absence of a

bright, central bulge which is another typical characteristic of super thin galaxies. They are in fact a

particular type of spiral galaxy inclined at almost 90° to our line of sight. In a 2008 paper by Lynn

Matthews and Juan Uson in the Astronomical Journal (http://iopscience.iop.org/1538-

3881/135/1/291/pdf/1538-3881_135_1_291.pdf) the inclination angle of IC 2233 is given as 88.5°,

just 1.5° short of perfectly edge on. As well as their scientific interest, I think super thin galaxies have

a very particular visual beauty.

(Image details: 8” Meade LX90, Meade f3.3 focal reducer, Meade DSI II colour CCD camera, stack of

14 x 40sec exposures)

OAS juniors OAS Juniors aims to provide interesting articles targeted at our

younger audience. Children are the future of astronomy and

OAS hopes to not just educate but inspire the astronomers of

the next generation.

This month we look at the Northern and Southern Lights…

The Northern and Southern Lights

Looking up at the night sky, you will probably notice that it is all one colour; a

black blanket studded with stars and the occasional appearance of the moon

from time to time. Of course at certain

times of the year, like New Year’s Eve,

you can make the night sky appear as

many different colours as you like with

the help of fireworks that your family

and friends let off into the night sky.

Besides this, however, you might be

surprised to learn that if you took a trip

to the chilly Artic, in the North, or

Antarctic, in the South, then you are

likely to see a colourful display without even needing to strike a match!

Planet Earth has its very own firework extravaganza, and a much quieter one at

that – you wouldn’t need to cover your ears with your hands to watch this

display! Astronomers call these lights aurora and they appear most commonly at

the northern or southern poles of our planet. To be able to tell them apart,

scientists call the displays over the Artic, aurora borealis and those over the

Antarctic, aurora australis. To make it much easier to remember them, some

people like to call them the Northern or Southern Lights. You may have already

heard of them but do you know how they are made?

Aurorae are made, not from gunpowder in your favourite firework, but partly by

the Sun – our Solar System’s own fireball. When you have had a fizzy drink that

is full of gas you may notice that the first thing that happens after drinking it is

that you burp! The Sun is made up of gas, so likes to let out a continuous belch

that throws out particles with lots of energy from its surface – this is called the

Solar Wind and we are usually in the path of it. From this stream of particles

alone, an aurora is not always at its most spectacular – eruptions on the hot

surface of the Sun called solar flares make them all the more brighter – they are

pretty hard to miss!

These particles could be dangerous to us but we are protected by an invisible

shield around our planet. This shield is magnetic and called the magnetosphere

which sometimes holds these particles prisoner. However some break free and

head towards the atmosphere of our planet – that’s when the “fireworks” really

begin!

So why are these aurorae found at the poles of our planet? Well just like a

magnet, Earth has a North and a South Pole. The magnetism at the poles

reaches all of the way down into our planet’s core, and just like how you and

your friends rush through the same corridor to the playground of your school

when it’s time to go home, the particles follow an invisible magnetic line down

the poles. After wriggling through to the Earth’s atmosphere, the particles start

to act like bumper cars at a fairground and bounce off the molecules (that’s two

or more particles attached to each other!) that can be found at the highest

reaches of our planet. Our Earth’s atmosphere is made up of two main gases

called oxygen and nitrogen and when they collide with the particles their

molecules emit the colours that turn the darkest of skies into a beautiful light

show.

Did you know?

Oxygen molecules that can be found in the Earth’s atmosphere make green or

brown-ish aurorae, whereas nitrogen molecules make the blue or red aurorae.

Aurorae are at their brightest during the most intense stages of the solar cycle –

that will be where there are gigantic explosions on the Sun’s surface caused by a

grouping of sunspots.

Many thanks for reading this month’s OAS Juniors article check back with us

next time to learn all about our continuing fight against light pollution!

Mini Lunar/Solar Cam By Pete Gow

I make no apologies for this idea being based on the solar cam featured in

September 2012's edition of Sky at Night magazine.

You will need

1 Objective lens from an old pair of binoculars (preferably 50mm but 40mm will do)

1 astro web cam or a web cam you are prepared to modify.

Tubing to fit the nose piece of a web cam.

Basic hand tools i.e a hacksaw and I like to use holt melt glue

Insulation tape

Some plumbing fixings to make the job look neater.

This is based on the scope that I made.

Having several bits of tubing laying around in my quest for modding web

cams for astro use and seeing the article mentioned above I decided to

have a go at making something that might work but at the same time

would keep me quiet for a while.

The tubing I used came from a children's telescope from a supermarket.

The hardest part of the project was cutting the tube straight and I still

haven't got it right.

I tend to modify my own web cams that I usually pick up from car boots

for a £1 or so and are usually of the CMOS sensor variety.

Modifying is an easy task as what one man puts together another can

take apart and I'm not worried whether any mod is made for a

permanent use within a project.

This camera is a play station 2 eye toy camera and a 35mm film canister

for the nose piece.

There is loads of information on the web regarding web cam conversions

for Astro use so I won't go into details here.

The first job after removing the objective lens is to ensure that it is clean

inside and out.

I made a simple jig to get the sort of length required to get the camera

and objective lens to focus on a distant lamp post.

After measuring the length required the tube was then cut a bit shorter

(about 20mm) and the lens attached with hot melt glue and the join

covered with insulation tape (whatever colour you have to hand).

Another smaller diameter tube (tight fit into main tube) was then fixed to

the front of my camera with hot melt glue again and slid into the main

tube,

As my tube was from the same telescope and only thin plastic I cut a slit

along the length of tube that is attached to the camera to make it a bit

smaller.

The sliding fit allows a bit of flexibility with focusing and

also being tight means it won't fall out.

Mounting is a matter of preference with the user but a couple of brackets

from the plumbing supplier to fit around the tube and onto a small piece

of wood to fit onto a scope would be one idea.

My bracket came from a redundant zoom lens from an old film camera

and was a bit on the large size but plenty of insulation tape soon had it

padded out to fit.

If I was to make the scope again I would alter it by adding a fitting to the

end to make it look a tidier fit onto the lens and not so amateurish.

My lunar cam was knocked up in a couple of hours with basic tools just to

prove it would work with a cheap web cam and as such is a work in

progress.

Don't forget to either spray the inside of the tube black or line it with

rolled up black paper.

It certainly works when imaging the moon and with a Baeder film filter

will work for white light imaging of the sun.

Finished prototype

Please remember though never to point a scope of any kind that is un-

filtered at the sun and never leave unattended when it is outside, If you

need to leave it then please swing it away from the sun especially if you

have it mounted on top of a larger scope where children or curious adults

may be tempted to have a look at what you are viewing.

The warning is serious but the reminder for me is one of near fire.

Whilst showing a friend on a half cloudy day how the idea works and

pointing the scope out of my living room window into the garden I

became distracted for a few moments until my 4 year old daughter

informed me that smoke was coming from my new toy. The cloud had

moved and exposed the lens to sunlight allowing indirect sunlight to heat

the tube up!

With this being the solar maximum why not have a go at building one and

adding a filter to count the sun spots.

And please feel free to alter the design to suit any materials you have to

hand.

Any further questions I can be contacted at g7vhj@hotmail.co.uk

Navigating using the cosmos The heavens have fascinated people since the dawn of day, but did you know the heavens can also

aid in navigation as well?

I think most of us are aware that the pole star points north

This is fine, but what about during the day?

Merak

Dubhe

Following Merak and Dubhe as

indicated will easily lead to Pole

Star by night. It’s just 1 degree off

the celestial North Pole

The Sun

The Sun is a reasonable indicator of direction. We all know it rises roughly in the east and sets

roughly in the west, even though not precise it can give an idea as to what your direction is. But did

you also know that if you have an analogue watch (one with a face and hands) this can be used to

find direction. For example if you can align the hour hand in the direction of the Sun, then half way

between the hour hand and 12’ o’clock is south.

Other less obvious means of getting direction can be gained from the Moon

Another little known method is navigating using the Moon.

The Moon takes 28 days to orbit the Earth once. During this time the Moon is

illuminated from the right as it waxes, then illuminates to the left as it wanes

Did you know if the Moon rises before the Sun sets its illuminated side will point

west? If it rises after sunset, this will be in the east.

These methods (in the absence of a compass of course can help with the setting up

of telescopes. The methods are not precise enough for aligning a telescope for

imaging but they help get it partially right.

If in daylight saving, make it

between the hour hand and 1pm

For themed planetarium shows visit

http://www.immersive-theatres.com/

Would you like to advertise here?

Please email

onlineastronomysociety@gmail.com

Eagles Eye view of the sky Courtesy of David Eagle www.eagleseye.me.uk

Check out APT software

www.astroplace.net

Your images

Gary Palmer: Another shot of Jupiter

taken on the 2 March 2013 with a

Celestron edge 9.25 and a DMK

camera. Ive been playing with the

processing on a few of these.

Bastian Leppin,Messier 51 & Galaxie

IC 4263

From a distance of almost 30

millions of light year, lurking

among the stars of Leo, the

elegance of the barred spiral of

NGC 2903 is astonishing. The

central core of this realm of stars

shows some hot spots, believed to

be young globular cluster. It was

discovered by W. Herschel on 16

Nov. 1784.

The high-res image above was

taken with the PlaneWave 17

robotic unit part of the Virtual

Telescope Project. 15, 300-

seconds images were averaged:

images were unguided, trusting

the robotic Paramount ME mount

hosting the optical tube. The

image scale is 0.9″/pixel

Toni Scarmato

Final Image of Comet C/2011 L4

(PanStarrs) taken this evening

with an APO Tele 300 mm and

Canon 10D at ISO 400. Compared

to other nights the camera was

located on an equatorial mount

with RA and tracker so I could put

120 seconds each and to add 5! I

applied to the original image

processing filters that seem to

bring out the inner part of the

coma and tail! I'm not sure,

however, about the quality of the

result because the filters can

create artifacts, but after seeing

some images with high resolution

and wide field think that the

structures could be real!

Magnitude estimed 2.6 in 7x50

binoculars!