Next Meeting:
Wednesday October 13th at 8:00pm on Zoom
The Appley Bridge Meteorite (Oct 13, 2014)
Russell Parry
Appley Bridge meteorite talk – as featured on BBC
TV and Radio.
A special opportunity to listen to this popular talk by
author Russell Parry on the 107th Anniversary of the
event.
This is a fascinating insight into the fall and discovery
of the Appley Bridge meteorite in 1914, one of the
largest meteorite strikes in the United Kingdom, as
told through newspaper reports and archive
documents of the time.
The meteorite explosions, fireball, the confusion with enemy zeppelins and the confiscation of
the meteorite by the police will all be revealed.
Biography
Russell Parry moved to the village
of Appley Bridge in the North West
of England in the early 1990’s and
discovered the fascinating story of
the 1914 meteorite strike on the
village.
His book was published to coincide with the 100-year
anniversary of the event in 2014, and Russell has
subsequently presented his talk for many astronomical
societies, groups, museums and on several transatlantic
crossings & cruises on Queen Mary 2 and in New York at the
American Museum of Natural History.
Membership details:
•£10 per year - renewable at end
of July*
•Non-members £2.00 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.
Chair HAG Alan is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: The Appley Bridge Meteorite
Time: Oct 13, 2021 19:30 London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/91777337427?pwd=R2huL0hNTVM3bElpZXMxZGtyc0RLQT09
Meeting ID: 917 7733 7427
Passcode: 910439
Here's our current programme for the upcoming year - all subject to confirmation and change
due to the current medical climate.
Wed, Sep 8, 2021
Roger O’Brien
Interstellar Communications
Wed, Oct 13, 2021
Russell Parry
The Appley Bridge Meteorite (Oct 13, 2014)
Wed, Nov 10, 2021
Matt Bothwell
The Invisible Universe
Wed, Dec 8, 2021
Charles Barclay
Henrietta Leavitt and the new Universe
Wed, Jan 12, 2022
Katherine Blundell
Time-Domain Astronomy
Wed, Feb 9, 2022
Robin Catchpole
From Here to the Edge of the Observable Universe
Wed, Mar 9, 2022
Katy Clough
Solutions to Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity
Wed, Apr 13, 2022
Jerry Stone
Apollo 16 - 50th Anniversary
Wed, May 11, 2022
Mike Dworetski
William Herschel - The Bicentennial
Wed, May 18, 2022
AGM
Wed, Jun 8, 2022
TBC
Taking Astronomy to the Public
Bonus - Extra Meeting!
Sunday 17th October - 11:30am
Spectroscopy live presents
The message of Starlight
Our very own Jack Martin is delighted to give us a 40 minute tour of
the Solar spectrum live from The Huggins Spectroscopic
Observatory UK using a Lhires III higher resolution spectrograph
Guests welcome
Next Meeting:
Wednesday October 13th at
8:00pm on Zoom
The Appley Bridge
Meteorite (Oct 13, 2014)
Russell Parry
Appley Bridge meteorite talk
– as featured on BBC TV
and Radio.
A special opportunity to
listen to this popular talk by
author Russell Parry on the
107th Anniversary of the
event.
This is a fascinating insight into the fall and discovery of
the Appley Bridge meteorite in 1914, one of the largest
meteorite strikes in the United Kingdom, as told through
newspaper reports and archive documents of the time.
The meteorite explosions, fireball, the confusion with
enemy zeppelins and the confiscation of the meteorite
by the police will all be revealed.
Biography
Russell Parry moved
to the village of
Appley Bridge in the
North West of
England in the early
1990’s and
discovered the fascinating story of the 1914 meteorite
strike on the village.
His book was published to coincide with the 100-year
anniversary of the event in 2014, and Russell has
subsequently presented his talk for many astronomical
societies, groups, museums and on several
transatlantic crossings & cruises on Queen Mary 2 and
in New York at the American Museum of Natural
History.
Chair HAG Alan is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: The Appley Bridge Meteorite
Time: Oct 13, 2021 19:30 London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/91777337427?pwd=R2huL0hNTVM3bElpZXM
xZGtyc0RLQT09
Meeting ID: 917 7733 7427
Passcode: 910439
What else you can do (2)
Terry's Sky Notes
Keep up to date with what is visible in the skyHowever, 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)
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
Equipment for loan to Members
Equipment for loan to Members
Paid up members of the Hertford Astronomy Group have access to a range of equipment that can be borrowed. Members will need
to pay an appropriate deposit and agree to the terms and conditions that the club has compiled.
If you would like to borrow any of the listed equipment please contact our Equipment Officer who will be pleased to assist you.
Equipment for loan to Members
Roger’s Code
1111111111111111110001111111110111011111110111110111111011111011111101111101111111011101111111110001111111111101111
111110000000111110111011101110111101111010111110111110111111011111111111010111111111011101111111011111011111011111
1101110111111111011011111111101101111111110100111111111001111111111111
The Director of the Pinner International Observatory has obtained this signal, through the efforts of the West End Astronomical
group, and wishes it to be decoded. The signal consists of only two types of pulse: one is shown arbitrarily, but consistently, as 0
and the other as 1.
The signal has been repeated many times so the WEA group are sure it consists of only 299 individual characters of the two types
mentioned. As shown above the characters fit on eight lines of 37 characters each with three left over: this is just convenience and
the message is actually just a string of 299 characters.
Your task, should you accept it, is to attempt a decipherment.
Astro-Imaging Section
If you have an interest in astro photography and are not sure where to start then Hertford Astronomy Group Astro-imaging
Section - HAGAS for short - will be the place for you. All members of HAG are welcome to come along to HAGAS meetings -
just let Martin Weston (see contacts) know.
All talks are held at the Stanboroughs Conservative club, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8EP. Meetings start at 20:00 hrs
unless otherwise stated.
Have a look at some of the images that have been captured with anything from a smart phone up to specialist equiment.
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:
9July 8th Nik Szymanek - Zoom
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Richard Sheppard
April 1 2021
March 1 2021
Mars and Moon November 2020
Comet Neowise - July 2020
I finally got a bit of a break in the clouds
so although the seeing was not great
thought I would try to get an image of
Jupiter and a moon conjunction and io’s
shadow crossing the disk.
Richard Sheppard - September 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:
9July 8th Nik Szymanek - Zoom
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
SEPTEMBER Night Sky - Vulpecular (The Fox) (RA 20h D
ec +
25°)
This constellation can be found due south just beneath Cygnus and above the bright star
Altair in A
quila.
NGC 6885
M27
1 Vulpe
cula – Deep blue-white star Spec.type B4 IV, 780 light-years from the Sun and
believed to be a multiple star system (spectroscopically), with two other companions.
(RA 19h 16m D
ec +21° 23´).
6
Vulpecula (α Vul
Anser) – A giant red optical binary star, Spec.type M1 III, at 290 light-years
away. About the same mass as the Sun, 43x rad, 415x lum. (RA 19h 28m Dec +24° 39´).
13
Vulpecula (13 Vul A&B) – A is a deep blue-white double star Spec.type B9.5 III, 1.2x r, 180x
lum.
339
ly away. The companion star B is 330 ly distant (RA 19h 53m D
ec +27°
69
´).
15
Vulpecula – A blue-white giant variable star Spec.type A4 IIIm, 243ly distant, 60x
luminosity of our Sun. (20
h 01m D
ec +27°
45´
).
M27 (Dumbell Nebula) – Easy to see with binoculars, this planetary nebular is 417 light-years
away at about 3 light-years across and having a white dwarf star at its centre. (RA
19h 59m
Dec +22° 43´).
NGC 6885 – An open star cluster that includes a Be star (20 Vul) who’s spectrum occasionally
exhibits variable hydrogen emission lines possibly caused by an excretion disk of
atmospheric particles, due to the rapid polar rotation of the star. (RA 20h 12m Dec +26°
29´).
Also this month the Summer Triangle, comprising Vega (α Aql), Deneb (α Cyg) and Altair (α Lyr),
can be seen in the southern sky. Altair is a supergiant blue-white star whose diameter is
about the size of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. (RA 19h 50m
Dec +08° 52´).
SEPTEMBER
‘ 21 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.
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.
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
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group
2021 Hertford Astronomy Group