Membership details:
•£20 per year*
•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.
Next Meeting
New to Zoom?
Wednesday September 9th at 8:00pm on Zoom
Roger O’Brien
“The James Webb Space Telescope”
After completion of an independent review, a new
launch date for the James Webb Space Telescope
has been announced: 30 March 2021. "The James
Webb Space Telescope is the most ambitious and
complex astronomical project ever built, and
bringing it to life is a long, meticulous process.”
Roger, who is the President of our club and one
time bank clerk, will tell us in his own inimitable
style, what benefits this project will bring to the
astronomy community.
Guests welcome
Comet Neowise
Photographed by Martin Weston July 2020
Comet Neowise
Photographed by Richard Sheppard July 2020
Something for a bit of fun - Send
your name to Mars
Click on the planet to learn how
Comet Neowise
Photographed by Matthew Marston July 2020
Membership details:
•
£20 per year*
•
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.
Next Meeting
Wednesday September 9th at
8:00pm on Zoom
Roger O’Brien
“The James Webb Space
Telescope”
After completion of an
independent review, a new
launch date for the James
Webb Space Telescope has
been announced: 30 March
2021. "The James Webb Space
Telescope is the most ambitious
and complex astronomical
project ever built, and bringing it to life is a long,
meticulous process.”
Roger, who is the President of our club and
one time bank clerk, will tell us in his own
inimitable style, what benefits this project will
bring to the astronomy community.
Guests welcome
What else you can do (2)
Terry's Sky Notes for July
Lots of nebulae and galaxies to look for.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 safeWhat 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)
The Bringer of Peace
Venus continues to dominate the early evening sky as it approaches its brightest at the end of the month. This link will take you to an animation of how Venus will appear in the night sky over the next month and into May when it disappears.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 for July
Lots of nebulae and galaxies to look for.
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 Denis know.
All talks are held at the Stanboroughs Conservative club, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8EP.
Meetings start at 20:00 hrs unless otherwise stated.
Next Meeting:
To be decided
Jerry’s mobile phone
photos of Jupiter,
Saturn and the ISS
July 2020
Chris Miles’s photos
of the Crab Nebula,
M27 and M51 July
2020
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:
9July 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
AUGUST Night Sky - AQUILA – The Eagle
ALTAIR α Aql – An oblate bodied white star which, due to a rapid axial rotation (70x faster than Sun)
has a 20% larger equatorial diameter than at its poles. Spec.type A7 V (RA 19h 50m Dec +08° 50´).
ALSHAIN
β
Aql
–
Is
a
multiple
star
system.
βa
is
a
yellow
subgiant
Spec.type
G8I
V,
45
light-years
away,
having
a
mass
1.26x
that
of
the
Sun
and
luminosity
6x.
βb
is
a
red
dwarf
with
a
mass
just
0.3x
that
of
the Sun.
TARAZED γ Aql – An enormous orange star Spec.type K3 II (RA 19h 46m Dec +10° 36´) with a radius
95x greater than our Sun and a mass 6x. It is also 2,500x more luminous.
V603 (artists impression)
V603
Aql
–
A
binary
system
comprising
a
white
dwarf
1.2x
Suns
mass
with
a
red
dwarf,
orbital
period
3h
20m.
Gravitational
material
from
the
red
dwarf
is
being
pulled
off
to
form
an
accretion
disk
around
the
primary.
Distance
away
is
800
ly.
In
1918
a
nova
was
observed,
which
was
almost
a
bright
as
the
star
Sirius
,
meaning
that
the
event
actually
occurred
in
around the 11 ~ 12 century.
PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER
In the middle of this month the Earth’s orbit will intersect with that of the comet 109P/ Swift-Tuttle.
The comet’s 133 yr. circuit of the Sun is littered with particles of ice, gas and rock thrown off through
heat and gravitational forces as it passed by the Sun. These particles interact with our atmosphere and
can provide a spectacular display of shooting stars even if the crescent Moon is nearby.
Look east-south-east late evening /early morning before sunrise.
MARS note - The current increase in spacecraft missions to Mars (USA, UAR and China) is in part, due
to an Earth/Mars orbital conjunction which will occur in October. AUGUST Newsletter.docx
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.
We are currently looking to support the following events so if you can come along then please indicate by clicking
the button below and ticking the appropriate boxes.
Cubs and Beavers - Our Lady’s School WGC November 24 17:00
Scouts - Our Lady’s School WGC - November 26 17:00
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
Other events that may be of interest to you
Mars Encounter in November will give best view of Mars until 2033
A National Astronomy Week (NAW) will be held in the UK from Saturday 14
November to Sunday 22 November 2020. The aim of the week is to celebrate the
close approach of Mars, and to give members of the public the chance to see the
Red Planet in close-up through a telescope.
Amateur and professional astronomers around the country will be holding
observing events during the week. As seen through a telescope magnifying about
100 times, Mars will appear as a pale orange disc, with its markings clearly visible.
It will be 80 million km away.
Although Mars is at its closest to Earth a month earlier, at that time it is only high
enough in the sky to be viewed quite late in the evening. By November it is well up
in the sky during the early evening, allowing younger schoolchildren a unique
opportunity to get a good view of the planet. It will not be as close again until 2033.
And on that occasion it will be very low in the sky as seen from the UK.
‘We are excited that National Astronomy Week will give thousands of children and
their parents the chance to see Mars in close-up’ said Lucinda Offer, chairperson
of National Astronomy Week and Executive Director of the Mars Society. ‘Several
space missions are being launched towards the planet this year and we are
looking forward to getting some amazing results.’
British scientists are among those who are involved in experiments aboard
spacecraft, in particular ESA’s ExoMars mission to put a rover, named Rosalind
Franklin, on the planet next year.
As well as Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon will be on show during National
Astronomy Week. Details of observing events will be posted on the NAW website,
astronomyweek.org.uk. During the last NAW, over 200 events were organised
around the UK, and the organisers are calling upon astronomical societies,
observatories and university departments to arrange even more events this time.
About National Astronomy Week
This will be the eighth NAW. The first, held in 1981, celebrated the 200th
anniversary of the discovery of Uranus from Bath by William Herschel. Others
have celebrated Halley’s Comet in 1986, the very close approach of Mars in 2003
and the 400th anniversary of the first astronomical use of the telescope by English
observer Thomas Harriot in 1609.
The week is supported by leading UK astronomical groups and organisations. For
more information about the event please visit astronomyweek.org.uk .
To contact the NAW organisers please email info@astronomyweek.org.uk
This year’s BAA Deep Sky meeting takes place on the 14th March 2020 at Sheffield
University. Section Director Callum Potter opens the proceedings at 10:15.
See the BAA Deep Sky page for more details
Tickets cost £7-00 (BAA members) and are available for members & non-members from the
BAA on the above page
Google map location
Best wishes
Martin Martin Baker
Webmaster
Federation of Astronomical Societies
Previous meetings now on YouTube
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:
Denis O’Shea
Publicity: Jerry Stone
Equipment Officer:
Steve Heliczer
Astrophotography Officers:
Denis O’Shea / Martin Weston
General Committee Members:
Leon Gevertz
Danny Emmett
Frank Ferguson
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:
Denis O’Shea
Publicity: Jerry Stone
Equipment Officer:
Steve Heliczer
Astrophotography Officers:
Denis O’Shea / Martin Weston
General Committee Members:
Leon Gevertz
Danny Emmett
Frank Ferguson
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
2020 Hertford Astronomy Group
