After so many months away it was a pleasure to gather at the observatory again under a clear sky. Around 30 people were treated to some great views of Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon, roughly an equal split between BAS members and staff and boys from the school. Many were having their first view through a telescope and these three objects never fail to impress.
At the start of the evening the Great Red Spot and the shadow of Io were visible on Jupiter, by the end of the session Io had moved off the planet and the shadow transit had ended. These rapid motions were quite a revelation to several of those attending.
Some cloud drifted across the Moon at times and this provided some dramatic views through the two 10” dobsonians. Copernicus was very well placed on the terminator and was captured by several people with their phone cameras.
Peter Truscott captured some excellent wide field views across the school estate, this one shows Jupiter above right of the Moon with Saturn further to the right (west). Venus was also seen early on even further to the west, giving a hint of what is in prospect over the winter months.
Darren Jehan used his phone camera to great effect, capturing a close up of the Moon by holding his phone up to the eyepiece, and an amazing hand-held shot of the Moon using advanced features on the phone camera! The technology in these phones today is quite extraordinary!
Further observing sessions are scheduled for Wednesday 20th & 27th October provided the sky is clear. Twitter updates will be posted on the website on the day.
Click on the images for as larger version
