The West of London Astronomical Society-meetings

OBSERVER'S FORUM MEETINGS

These are informal meetings held in members' homes for observational discussions of the topics mentioned and anything else that crops up in the course of conversation. Observing if clear.

Our informal meetings in members' homes will continue with meetings at the home of David Arditti on Wednesday, 18th July and Friday, 14th September. No subjects have been chosen - they just provide an opportunity for chat and to ask about things you may be interested in, with observation if clear. Anyone may turn up, but please let David know in advance.

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS


9th

STARS AND THE CITY

Regular members will have noticed two things. One, despite the efforts of anti-light-pollution campaigners, our night skies are getting steadily brighter. Two, the quality of members' photographs presented at meetings is getting steadily better. Recent improvements in electronic imagers and software now mean that deep-sky objects once beyond our reach, seemingly for ever, are now photographed as a matter of course by members from their back gardens in the most unpromising locations. So what's the secret? How is it possible to make decent images of galaxies of 15th magnitude and fainter that haven't been seen visually from our area for over half a century?

Member David Arditti, who has been entertaining us with his deep-sky images at each meeting, has agreed to spill the beans and tell us just how it's done. Those who have visited his observatory in Edgware will know that his skies leave a great deal to be desired, so he has certainly been faced with an uphill struggle. Come along to hear about astronomical imaging from the city at our meeting on Monday, 9th June at Christ Church, Redford Way, Uxbridge (Map).

This meeting is also the occasion of our Annual General Meeting. This precedes the main meeting, starting at 8 pm. The aim is to cover the official business of the society in as short a time as decently possible, but this will be your chance to hear how the society has been run over the past year and to elect next year's committee. Anyone interested in serving on the committee should contact the Secretary, Duncan Radbourne, well in advance.


14th

ANCIENT STARS

While we observe with our high-tech equipment that would have amazed even professional astronomers not many years ago, we are still using constellation names that date back thousands of years, and possibly well into pre-history. We tend to think that the constellations are of Greek origin, but this is far from the truth. It's true that there are many Greek legends which end up with the main characters being placed in the sky, but this isn't always the reason for the names being as they are.

One of the most popular books about the origin of the constellation names is Star Tales, by Ian Ridpath, and Ian will be coming along to our July meeting to explain just how the legends and stars got together, with a touch of humour.

The meeting is on Monday, 14th July at the St John's Ambulance Hall, North Harrow, (Map) starting at 8 pm. Remember that the outside door is locked during meetings so you will need to ring the bell if you arrive later than this.

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