Membership details: •£20 per year - renewable at end of July* •Non-members £3.50 first 3 meetings then annual membership subscription due pro rata for remaining meetings. •Free to under 18s and full time students. Proof of status may be required. •Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

New to Zoom?

Next Meeting: Wednesday June 9th at 8:00pm on Zoom Solar Physics and the eclipse Lucie Green

An annular solar eclipse will occur on June 10, 2021. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. This eclipse is notable for the fact that the path of annularity will pass over the North Pole, the only such eclipse in 21st century.[1] While the eclipse is visible primarily in northern Canada, in Greenland and in north of Russian Far East, in the northeastern United States and Canada, the sun will be partially eclipsed at sunrise, which will be between 5 and 6 A.M. (EDT)

Guests welcome

Topic: How to Build a Universe Time: May 12, 2021 20:00 London Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/98269897926?pwd=Z0NYTklxZ1MzOHUwL3RubExSNGx JUT09 Meeting ID: 982 6989 7926 Passcode: 373261

Next Meeting: Wednesday May 19 at 8:00pm on Zoom Annual General Meeting

You are cordially invited to attend the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Hertford Astronomy Group on Wedensday 19th May at 19:45 for 20:00hrs To be held via Zoom On 19th May 2021 at 8pm AGENDA 1. Apologies for absence. 2. To receive and approve the minutes of the 12th Annual General Meeting held by Zoom on 27th May 2020. 3. Matters arising from the minutes. 4. Chairman’s Report for 2020-21. 5. Statement of accounts – Treasurer's Report. 6. Appointment of Officers and Members of the Management Committee 2021-22. 8. Appointment of Hon Auditor for 2021-22. 9. Any other business Minutes of the 2020 meeting have been distributed via Mailchimp to all subscribers. Zoom Log in: https://zoom.us/j/99512939740?pwd=R3ZpMFRQNFBHcG9qZjVWL1piOE RsUT09 Meeting ID: 995 1293 9740 Passcode: 534805

Lucie tells us: “My research focusses on the study of the evolution of the Sun’s magnetic field and how it drives solar activity that in turn leads to space weather at the Earth. My early work used new techniques to quantify the amount of magnetic helicity ejected by the Sun during events called coronal mass ejections. The results are important for many areas of solar physics including dynamo theory and the evolution of the global solar magnetic field. More recently, I have focussed on the question of whether or not flux ropes form in the lower solar atmosphere before coronal mass ejections. I am interested in how observations can be used to quantify the magnetic flux in these ropes so that we can better understand their evolution to an unstable and eruptive configuration. This work is important for developing the science that underpins space weather forecasting.

Topic: Lucie Green Time: Jun 9, 2021 20:00 London Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/96882793911?pwd=YnlCSTFXZSs4a1BJZko2SGU3QXlJdz09 Meeting ID: 968 8279 3911 Passcode: 515937

Next Meeting: Wednesday June 9th at 8:00pm on Zoom Solar Physics and the eclipse Lucie Green

An annular solar eclipse will occur on June 10, 2021. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. This eclipse is notable for the fact that the path of annularity will pass over the North Pole, the only such eclipse in 21st century.[1] While the eclipse is visible primarily in northern Canada, in Greenland and in north of Russian Far East, in the northeastern United States and Canada, the sun will be partially eclipsed at sunrise, which will be between 5 and 6 A.M. (EDT)

Lucie tells us: “My research focusses on the study of the evolution of the Sun’s magnetic field and how it drives solar activity that in turn leads to space weather at the Earth. My early work used new techniques to quantify the amount of magnetic helicity ejected by the Sun during events called coronal mass ejections. The results are important for many areas of solar physics including dynamo theory and the evolution of the global solar magnetic field. More recently, I have focussed on the question of whether or not flux ropes form in the lower solar atmosphere before coronal mass ejections. I am interested in how observations can be used to quantify the magnetic flux in these ropes so that we can better understand their evolution to an unstable and eruptive configuration. This work is important for developing the science that underpins space weather forecasting.

Topic: Lucie Green Time: Jun 9, 2021 20:00 London Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/96882793911?pwd=YnlCSTFXZSs4a1BJ Zko2SGU3QXlJdz09 Meeting ID: 968 8279 3911 Passcode: 515937

What else you can do (2)

Terry's Sky Notes

Keep up to date with what is visible in the sky

However, there are plenty of things that we can be doing with astronomy to keep ourselves interested and to share

that enthusiasm with members of our immediate families.

Feel free to send you own suggestions that we can add to this list.

What else you can do (1)

Look in the (Virtual) sky

There are plenty of journals and websites that can tell you what to go and look for including Terry's Sky Notes in the next paragraph. Astronomy doesn't have to be an expensive hobby as you can go outside and stare at the sky and begin your journey of exploration into the realms of space using just your eyes. If it is cloudy then you can explore the sky using Stellarium which we are sure many of you have on your PCs, laptops, tablets and phones. If you haven't then we certainly recommend it to all as it is not only very good but also FREE! You can download it from https://stellarium.org/ and it will run on any operating system. - Windows, Android, Apple, Linux etc.

What else you can do (4)

Catch up with one of our speakers

I've been trying to figure out what a public speaker does when public gatherings are banned. Unfortunately I fall through the cracks of the government support schemes and have been looking for ways to stay afloat so that I can continue to visit societies once things return to normal. As part of this I'm now offering some of my talks online. I wondered if you could send a message to your members with details? It's a chance to watch talks again or catch up on any that they missed in person. Currently there are three talks at www.colinstuart.net/videotalks and if they prove popular I'll be adding more in the coming weeks. Best wishes, Colin Stuart

What else you can do (5)

Look for life in Space

Yes, you can look for intelligent life in space by finding when the International Space Station is due to fly over and making a point to go outside to see it. It is quite easy really. Follow this link that will tell you when it is flying over London (near enough to us). The International Space Station circles the Earth 16 times each day, at an altitude of around 400 km / 250 miles. It is staffed by a crew of six who normally stay for six months at a time, working in rotating 3-person "missions" that overlap by three months. The ISS has been continuously manned since November 2000. (more)

What else you can do (6)

Start Astrophotgraphy

HAGAS, our astro photography group, recently had a great presentation from Mary McIntyre who has kindly given us permission to publish some of her work. This month we are looking at Photographing the Milky Way from the UK. Have a look at Mary's website to see even more startling images and sources of inspiration. So get your DSLR camera out and give it a go. And, of course, share your results with us - good or bad! Here are some that have been sent in already.

What else you can do (3)

Perfect for cloudy night - or day even!

In the last edition of Popular Astronomy (the SPA magazine March- April 2020) there was an article by Mark McIntyre about how you could make a radio meteor detector. We asked Mark if we could reprint the article and he sent me this web link which contains all the information. We confess that we thought the magazine article looked a little easier to digest at first glance so if you want a copy of that we can scan it for you. Maybe the web link puts flesh on the bones so to speak. So how about it? Are we going to start a Radio section of our club? Let us know if you are interested in doing this.

Coronavirus

We are certainly living in interesting times with our meetings on hold until further notice.

Stay safe

What else you can do (7)

We can also listen to 13 Minutes to the Moon – Series 1 on Apollo 7, and (in progress now) the Apollo 13 rescue. Go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2/episodes/downloads. Wonderful stuff!

Paul Wernick

What else you can do (8)

Catch up with the history of the Hubble Space Telescope with this podcast. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000h7cr Jack Martin

Coronavirus

We are certainly living in interesting times

with our meetings on hold until further

notice.

Stay safe

However, there are plenty of things that we

can be doing with astronomy to keep

ourselves interested and to share that

enthusiasm with members of our

immediate families.

Feel free to send you own suggestions that we can add to this list.

What else you can do (1)

Look in the (Virtual) sky

There are plenty of journals and websites that can tell you what to go and look for including Terry's Sky Notes in the next paragraph. Astronomy doesn't have to be an expensive hobby as you can go outside and stare at the sky and begin your journey of exploration into the realms of space using just your eyes. If it is cloudy then you can explore the sky using Stellarium which we are sure many of you have on your PCs, laptops, tablets and phones. If you haven't then we certainly recommend it to all as it is not only very good but also FREE! You can download it from https://stellarium.org/ and it will run on any operating system. - Windows, Android, Apple, Linux etc.

What else you can do (3)

Perfect for cloudy night - or day even!

In the last edition of Popular Astronomy (the SPA magazine March- April 2020) there was an article by Mark McIntyre about how you could make a radio meteor detector. We asked Mark if we could reprint the article and he sent me this web link which contains all the information. We confess that we thought the magazine article looked a little easier to digest at first glance so if you want a copy of that we can scan it for you. Maybe the web link puts flesh on the bones so to speak. So how about it? Are we going to start a Radio section of our club? Let us know if you are interested in doing this.

What else you can do (4)

Catch up with one of our speakers

I've been trying to figure out what a public speaker does when public gatherings are banned. Unfortunately I fall through the cracks of the government support schemes and have been looking for ways to stay afloat so that I can continue to visit societies once things return to normal. As part of this I'm now offering some of my talks online. I wondered if you could send a message to your members with details? It's a chance to watch talks again or catch up on any that they missed in person. Currently there are three talks at www.colinstuart.net/videotalks and if they prove popular I'll be adding more in the coming weeks. Best wishes, Colin Stuart

What else you can do (5)

Look for life in Space

Yes, you can look for intelligent life in space by finding when the International Space Station is due to fly over and making a point to go outside to see it. It is quite easy really. Follow this link that will tell you when it is flying over London (near enough to us). The International Space Station circles the Earth 16 times each day, at an altitude of around 400 km / 250 miles. It is staffed by a crew of six who normally stay for six months at a time, working in rotating 3- person "missions" that overlap by three months. The ISS has been continuously manned since November 2000. (more)

What else you can do (6)

Start Astrophotgraphy

HAGAS, our astro photography group, recently had a great presentation from Mary McIntyre who has kindly given us permission to publish some of her work. This month we are looking at Photographing the Milky Way from the UK. Have a look at Mary's website to see even more startling images and sources of inspiration. So get your DSLR camera out and give it a go. And, of course, share your results with us - good or bad! Here are some that have been sent in already.

What else you can do (7)

We can also listen to 13 Minutes to the Moon – Series 1 on Apollo 7, and (in progress now) the Apollo 13 rescue. Go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2/episodes/downloads. Wonderful stuff!

Paul Wernick

What else you can do (8)

Catch up with the history of the Hubble Space Telescope with this podcast. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000h7cr Jack Martin

What else you can do (2)

Terry's Sky Notes

Keep up to date with what is visible in the sky

Bayfordbury Observatory Dates for open evenings will be announced as they are made known to us.

Please note that all IOP meetings are on hold until further notice

Bayfordbury Observatory Dates for open evenings On hold for the moment

Please note that the meetings of the IOP are on hold.

Astrophotography Section

If you have an interest in astro photography and are not sure where to start then HAGAS will be the place for you. All members of HAG are welcome to come along to HAGAS meetings - just let Martin know. All talks are held at the Stanboroughs Conservative club, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8EP. Meetings start at 20:00 hrs unless otherwise stated.

The Great Conjunction - 21 December 2020 Unfortunately, the clouds conspired against us viewing the event but, anticipating this, Kathleen, Jack, Richard and Steve took these photos on the nights before the 21st when the sky was reasonably clear. Well done!

Kathleen Lord

Richard Sheppard

Steve Heliczer

Jack Martin

Astrophotography Section

If you have an interest in astro photography and are not sure where to start then HAGAS will be the place for you. All members are welcome to come along to HAGAS meetings - just let Denis know. All talks are held at the Stanboroughs Conservative Club, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8FN (click for map) and start at 20:00 hrs unless otherwise stated.

Next Meeting:

9

July 8th Nik Szymanek - Zoom

Club Members Photos

Richard’s photos of the Moon - March 2021

Chris Miles’s photos of the Crab Nebula, M27 and M51 July 2020

Steve Heliczer’s October Montage

• *Notes on Steve's photo: • Moon: Clavius crater (with two smaller craters inside) where water molecules were discovered, announced last week by NASA. • M42 and Running Man: Quick capture in a welcome return of the Orion Constellation for the winter, taken at 3:00am. The kit was dripping wet with condensation and it was very cold..! • Western Veil Nebula (supernova remnant) in Cygnus • Mars: Last of opposition in very poor seeing. • Pleiades with nebulosity captured. Prize to the person who can spot the tiny galaxy estimated around 330 million light years away in this picture :)

Steve Heliczer’s Photo Collection

Jack Martin’s images of the asteroid Vesta April 2021

Astrophotography Section

If you have an interest in astro photography and are not sure where to start then HAGAS will be the place for you. All members are welcome to come along to HAGAS meetings - just let Denis know. All talks are held at the Stanboroughs Conservative Club, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8FN (click for map) and start at 20:00 hrs unless otherwise stated.

Next Meeting:

9

July 8th Nik Szymanek - Zoom

Terry’s Sky Notes

Each month our colleague Terry tells us about what to look out for in the coming weeks. It is a great place to start when you are not sure what to look for.

What to look out for over the coming months

MAY Night Sky - Three Constellations: Boötes, Cygnus & Virgo

Philip’s Planisphere for Northern Europe – mid May 21:00 hrs

Boötes Arcturus α Boö – A red giant spec.type K0 III about 37 light-years distant, around the same mass but 25x larger in diameter and 170x the luminosity, of our Sun. (RA 14 h 16 m Dec +19° 11´). Izar β Boö – A yellow / white binary star system. spec.type K0 II~III, having 4.6x mass, 33x radius, 500x luminosity of the Sun and is more than 200 light-years away. (RA 14h 45m Dec +27° 05´). Cygnus Albireo β Cyg – Multiple star system comprising β Cyg Aa, Ac and β Cyg B, at around 400 light-years away . Compared with our Sun Aa is a spec.type K2 II with a mass 14.5x, 63x radius, 1,200x lum. Ac is a spec.type B8 p having 3.8x mass, 7x rad, 950x luminosity. β Cyg B is spec.type B8 Ve, a rapidly rotating ovaloid star which may have a very close companion. (RA 19h 31m Dec +27° 58´). Virgo Spica α Vir – Giant blue-white spectroscopic binary pair. The primary being spec.type B1 III ~ IV, 11x mass, 7.5x radius with 20,500x luminosity and the secondary is a spec.type B2 V, having 7x mass and a 3.6x radius compared to the Sun. They orbit together so closely, circulating in just 4 days, that their gravitational interaction has distorted them into egg shapes ( RA 13 h 25 m Dev -11° 10 ´). May Newsletter.docx

Terry’s Sky Notes

Each month our colleague Terry tells us about what to look out for in the coming weeks. It is a great place to start when you are not sure what to look for.

Outreach events Part of being members of an active club is to share knowledge and expertise with other people. To this end we often assist with other organisations who want to run an astronomy event. This includes schools, scouts and brownies. We will help support these groups with activities that they have planned or are planning so if you are considering holding such an event then do contact us if you would like some assistance. How club members can help If you can bring along a pair of binoculars, a telescope or some other activity then you are sure to be welcomed. Just being able to look through a telescope is a great experience for many people and is all the more interesting if the person who is showing it can give a bit of knowledge about what is being seen. Just remember the first time you looked at the Moon through binoculars or a telescope! Share that passion and skill and you will be helping to recruit someone else into this most enjoyable hobby. Our outreach activities are currently on hold due to Covid. We will be pleased to assist when things are back to normal.

Bring and Buy

If you have some astronomy gear that you no longer need you can advertise it here for free! Just send us a description, some photos and contact details and we will publish it for you. Please note that we are only advertising the items and all negotiations are between you and the seller.

Brian Bradknock has this Meade LX200 telescope to re home: This telescope is about ten years old. It has been outside only four or five times and is in perfect condition. I am downsizing. Buyer collects from Bovingdon. £1,500.00

Chris Miles is having a bit of a tidy up so a chance to grab some bargains here. Hi, I have been having a clearout of stuff I am no longer using - guide cameras, a stand alone lvi autoguider £200, zwo asi120c planetary or guide cameras £90 each, The Mead imager open to offers and brightstar off axis guider open to offers . You can contact Chris on 0783 756 1325 or email: cmiles4@hotmail.com

Terry’s Sky Notes

Each month our colleague Terry tells us about what to look out for in the coming weeks. It is a great place to start when you are not sure what to look for. March night sky Cephus - the Ethiopian king

Other events that may be of interest to you

Previous meetings now on YouTube

24 June 2020 Mary McIntyre - My favourite astronomy photos

British AstronomicalAssociation Historical Section

9th September 2020 Roger O’Brien The James Webb Telescope

14th October 2020 Robin Scagell Tycho Brahe

11th November 2020 Jane Clark How you can measure the orbit of a planet

13th January 2021 Paul Daniels The Megaconstellation Threat

10th February 2021 Hertfordshire University Presents:

10th March 2021 George Tahu NASA’s Perseverance Mission

12th April 2021 Jerry Stone Human Space Exploration - Diamond Anniversary

12th May 2021 Chris Lovell How to Build a Universe

Terry’s Sky Notes

Each month our colleague Terry tells us about what to look out for in the coming weeks. It is a great place to start when you are not sure what to look for. October Night Sky Meteor shower alert!

About Us

Hello and welcome to the Hertford Astronomy Group and the exciting field of astronomy. Whether you are familiar with the night sky or have just looked up and wondered what there is beyond our planet then we are sure that you will be interested in our activities. We are a group that formed because we are interested in astronomy and we want to learn more. Our group meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month throughout the year (except July & August). At our meetings we arrange to have a speaker come and talk to us for about an hour and then follow this with an observation session if the sky is clear. You can come along and share members’ equipment or bring your own. You can even bring your own along for a bit of tlc if it needs repair or adjusting and our members will be happy to help you get the best from it. Don’t worry about it being ‘good enough’ - we all had to start somewhere even if it was with a pair of Barbie binoculars! As well as our regular group meetings we do lots of other things too. We get invited to the regular open evenings at the Bayfordbury Observatory where we can set ourselves up to show visitors what can be achieved with back garden astronomy. We also have some equipment you can borrow so that you can develop your interests - members only though. Another feature of belonging to our group is that we get invitations to go to the Institute of Physics lectures at the University in Hatfield - all free! We are also available to visit schools, Scouts and Guide groups to give talks and demonstrations about astronomy and related topics - contact our Programme and Outreach Officer for details. This year we have an exciting programme in store for you with some very notable speakers lined up. So, we hope to see you at one of our meetings and that you enjoy our company so much that you will want to come again.

Astrophotography Section

If you have an interest in astro photography and are not sure where to start then HAGAS will be the place for you. All members are welcome to come along to HAGAS meetings - just let Denis know. All talks are held at the Stanboroughs Conservative Club, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8FN (click for map) and start at 20:00 hrs unless otherwise stated.

Forthcoming Meetings

Watch this space

Chair: Alan Willison Secretary: Simon Poley Treasurer: Anne Godwin Membership secretary: Tony Challoner Programme secretary and outreach: Jerry Stone Federation of Astronomical Societies Representative: Leon Gevertz Publicity: Jerry Stone Equipment Officer: Steve Heliczer Astrophotography Officers: Martin Weston General Committee Members: Danny Emmett Terry Creasey

Contacts

Chair: Alan Willison Secretary: Simon Poley Treasurer: Anne Godwin Membership secretary: Tony Challoner Programme secretary and outreach: Jerry Stone Federation of Astronomical Societies Representative: Leon Gevertz Publicity: Jerry Stone Equipment Officer: Steve Heliczer Astrophotography Officers: Martin Weston General Committee Members: Danny Emmett Terry Creasey