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 February 10 at 8:00pm on ZoomUniversity of Hertfordshire Presents:
Our February meeting will be rather different from usual. Instead of a single guest speaker, we will have four! They all either study or work at the University of Hertfordshire on aspects of astronomy.
John Collins is a member of HAG and a mature student.
His topic is “The hard work - Processing thousands of automatically-taken images and encountering various snags and catches.”The REM (Rapid-Eye Movement) automatic camera in La Silla Chile takes several hundred automatic photographs of the sky every day in 7 different filters viewing the same patch of sky. John will talk about the challenges of extracting useful data from the results with particular reference to stars close to the solar system, notably Proxima Centauri and Barnard's Star.This is John’s PhD projectDr Carolyn Devereaux is a lecturer in astrophysics at the University of Hertfordshire and her research is on dark matter, cosmology and galaxy evolution.Her subject is “What is dark matter? The evidence and search for dark matter” and will include interesting stories about the astronomers involved in the discovery of dark matterHer very recent book; “Cosmological Clues” goes into this in detail.Zhen Guo is doing post-doctorate research as part of the star formation group at the University, which is part of the world's largest infrared astronomy survey towards the galactic centre.Numerous variable young stars were discovered from this project, and are discussed in "Naughty newborns in infrared astronomy"Jo Ramasawmy is a PhD student.When astronomers began examining the universe in radio waves they made the huge discovery that they could learn about all kinds of physics by looking at light outside of the visible spectrum. "Invisible light - astronomy across the electromagnetic spectrum"Jo will talk about how we can use “invisible” light to investigate what's going on in distant galaxies, and how she is using different kinds of light, from radio waves to X-rays, to try to understand how supermassive black holes shape the galaxies they live in.
Guests welcome
Sun, Moon and MarsRichard SheppardSeptember - November 2020
Space ArtWe often promote astrophotography as a way of recording what we observe in the night sky but there are other ways.Have a look at these stunning drawings and paintings created by Martin Taylor
What's it all about?
Star-filled skies are one of the most magical sights our countryside has to offer. We want to reconnect people across the country with the wonder of a truly dark sky.
Our research shows that light pollution is leaving fewer stars than ever visible to the naked eye, and we need your help to track how light levels are changing.
⭐ Become a ‘citizen scientist’ and take part in our Star Count, a cosmic census to map light pollution. This year we'll be asking you to take part from home.
�� We’ll be asking you to choose a clear night between 6-14 February 2021 and look to the skies to see how many stars you can spot within Orion.
�� And don’t worry, we’ll give lots of guidance so you know where to look! It’s a great, easy piece of stargazing – no telescopes required – for kids and adults, and it can be done safely from your garden, balcony or even bedroom window.
Register your interest now to make sure you’re the first to hear more about Star Count 2021.
Next Meeting:Wednesday February 10 at 8:00pm on ZoomUniversity of Hertfordshire Presents:
Our February meeting will be rather different from usual. Instead of a single guest speaker, we will have four! They all either study or work at the University of Hertfordshire on aspects of astronomy.
John Collins is a member of HAG and a mature student.
His topic is “The hard work - Processing thousands of automatically-taken images and encountering various snags and catches.”The REM (Rapid-Eye Movement) automatic camera in La Silla Chile takes several hundred automatic photographs of the sky every day in 7 different filters viewing the same patch of sky. John will talk about the challenges of extracting useful data from the results with particular reference to stars close to the solar system, notably Proxima Centauri and Barnard's Star.This is John’s PhD projectDr Carolyn Devereaux is a lecturer in astrophysics at the University of Hertfordshire and her research is on dark matter, cosmology and galaxy evolution.Her subject is “What is dark matter? The evidence and search for dark matter” and will include interesting stories about the astronomers involved in the discovery of dark matterHer very recent book; “Cosmological Clues” goes into this in detail.Zhen Guo is doing post-doctorate research as part of the star formation group at the University, which is part of the world's largest infrared astronomy survey towards the galactic centre.Numerous variable young stars were discovered from this project, and are discussed in "Naughty newborns in infrared astronomy"Jo Ramasawmy is a PhD student.When astronomers began examining the universe in radio waves they made the huge discovery that they could learn about all kinds of physics by looking at light outside of the visible spectrum. "Invisible light - astronomy across the electromagnetic spectrum"Jo will talk about how we can use “invisible” light to investigate what's going on in distant galaxies, and how she is using different kinds of light, from radio waves to X-rays, to try to understand how supermassive black holes shape the galaxies they live in.
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.
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.
Bayfordbury ObservatoryDates for open evenings will be announced as they are made known to us.
Please note that all IOPmeetings are on hold until further notice
Bayfordbury ObservatoryDates for open eveningsOn 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 2020Unfortunately, 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
Jerry’s mobile phone photos of Jupiter, Saturn and the ISSJuly 2020
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
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
JANUARY Night Sky - The Winter Hexagon
CαAur–Aquadruplestarsystem43light-yearsdistant.PrimarystarAisabinaryoftwoyellow giants having similar masses 2.5x that of the Sun. Aais a Spec.type K0 III, with 12x radius and 80x luminosity. AbisaSpec.typeG1IIIwith9xradius,78xluminosity.(RA05h41mDec+45°59´).ComponentHisared giantofSpec.typeM2.5VandLanotherredgiantSpec.typeM4(RA05h17mDec45°50´).Withinthis same field can also be found components B to G, although they are much fainter and probably line-of-sight rather than gravitationally connected.AldebaranαTau–Orangesupergiant,65lightyearsaway,Spec.typeK5III.Itis1.1xmass,44xradius,400x luminosity of our Sun. It has an exoplanet in orbit (RA 04h 36m Dec +16° 30´).RigelβOri–Actuallyaquadruplestarsystem860lyaway,TheprimaryAiswhite,Spec.typeB81a,21x mass,79x radius and 125,000x luminosity of our Sun. The secondary Bis actually a binary Babeing a white dwarfSpec.typeB9V,with3.8xmassofourSun.BbhasaSpec.typeB9Vandwith3xtheSunsmass.Cis believed to be a triple system (RA 07h 29m Dec +05° 13´).Sirius
α CMa – One of our nearest neighbours 8.6 ly away and the brightest star in the sky. Ais actually a white binary, Spec.type AOmA1 with 2x mass, 25x luminosity. B is a white dwarf, Spec.type DA2 (RA 06h 45m Dec -16° 43´).Procyon α CMi – Binary system, 11.5ly, comprising A a white Spec.type F5 IV~V, 1.5x mass, 2x radius, 7x luminosity and B 0.6x mass, 0.01x radius, 0.0005x luminosity (RA 07h 39m Dec +05° 13´).βGem-Angiantorangestar,Spec.typeKOIII,9xradius,2xmass,33xluminosityoftheSun.Thestar has an orbiting planet (Thestias). (RA 07h 45m Dec +28° 01´).AtthecentreoftheasterismIsBetelgeuseαOri-Aredsupergiantvariablestar700light-yearsaway, Spec.type M1~211, 11.6x mass, 890x radius, 90~150,000x luminosity. This star has recently been observed showingsubstantialvariationsinluminosity,whichmayhavebeenduetocircumstellardustorcouldbe the initial stages of becoming a supernova. (RA 05h 55m Dec +07° 24´)Quadrantids meteor shower - Viewable at the beginning of Jan. The radiant point is between the end of the `Plough’ handle (Alkaid - η UMa) and just above the constellation Boötes(RA 15h 28m Dec +50°).JANUARY 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 eventsPart of being members of an active club is to share knowledge and expertise with other people. To thisend 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 consideringholding such an event then do contact us if you would like some assistance.How club members can helpIf 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 interestingif the person who is showing it can give a bit of knowledge about what is being seen. Just remember the firsttime you looked at the Moon through binoculars or a telescope! Share that passion and skill and you will be helpingto 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 skyCephus - the Ethiopian king
Other events that may be of interest to you
Previous meetings now on YouTube
RAS Public lecture 1pm, 26 January - Paving a path for the human exploration and settlement of MarsMore information and the Eventbrite link to book tickets will be added to our website in the coming days so do keep an eye out.
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 SkyMeteor 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 WillisonSecretary: Simon PoleyTreasurer: Anne GodwinMembership secretary: Tony ChallonerProgramme secretary and outreach: Jerry StoneFederation of Astronomical Societies Representative: Leon GevertzPublicity: Jerry StoneEquipment Officer: Steve HeliczerAstrophotography Officers:Martin WestonGeneral Committee Members:Danny EmmettTerry Creasey
Contacts
Chair: Alan WillisonSecretary: Simon PoleyTreasurer: Anne GodwinMembership secretary: Tony ChallonerProgramme secretary and outreach: Jerry StoneFederation of Astronomical Societies Representative: Leon GevertzPublicity: Jerry StoneEquipment Officer: Steve HeliczerAstrophotography Officers:Martin WestonGeneral Committee Members:Danny EmmettTerry Creasey